Center for Law And Justice Warning for Russia's Churches to ‘Prepare for Tribulation’
Difficult Times Ahead for Russia's Churches
By Michael Ireland, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
ST. PAUL, MN (ANS, Aug. 31, 2016) --
“It is necessary for us to issue a warning to the churches of Russia
that difficult times lay ahead,” warned senior legal expert Anatoly
Pchelintev of The Slavic Center For Law and Justice in Moscow during a
live Internet seminar in August, according to Great Commission Media
Ministries (www.gcmministries.com) .
The
warning was sent out in a written statement by the same legal agency.
The warning, published on August 8, 2016, reads as follows:
“Regretfully, as The Slavic Center For Law and Justice has already
warned, the judicial authority (of Russia) with practical certainty will
apply the new law against the rights of believers in Russia as outlined
in the articles of the law dealing with freedom of conscience, freedom
of religion and religious organizations, added to legislation No.195-F3
article 5.26, of the Russian Federation on December 31, 2001.” (Read THE
LAW SUMMARIZED here http://tinyurl.com/z4frqpo)
“Sadly, this warning had been anticipated,” GCM Ministries stated in a ministry update, monitored by ASSIST News (www.assistnews.net) .
“We
have no choice but to stand firm in our convictions and to defend our
constitutional rights to the end demanding compliance to the law by the
legal authorities as prescribed by authors of the law,” the update
states.
According
to GCM Ministries, “Both the Russian Baptist and Pentecostal
denominations have thousands of member churches in their ranks. The
overwhelming majority of these churches do not meet in registered Houses
of Worship. Their current facilities cannot be registered as such,
despite the by thousands of churches to do so. To complicate things
further, the Russian government has not granted the sale of land to
evangelical churches, nor has it granted building permits for church
buildings.”
GCM
Ministries says that in one example of how seriously the new law is
viewed, the Pentecostal Union has issued an alert to over 2,000 of its
churches instructing them to temporarily suspend all domestic missions
activity until their own legal experts have carried out consultation
with the leadership.
The
ministry says the new law prohibits the sharing of the Gospel with
non-believers. “This is in direct conflict with the Great Commission of
Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. According to Jesus the number one
task of the church, as stated in all four Gospels and in the Acts of the
Apostles, was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all
nations and to make disciples of Jesus.”
GCM
Ministries says the new law makes it illegal to simply talk to a
non-believer in an attempt to persuade him to receive Jesus. “Jesus,
however, tells us to proclaim the Good News to the world. This, then, is
the point of the contention for over 7,000 evangelical churches in
Russia–to do what the government says or to do what Jesus says.”
We Must Work While it is Yet Day
Great
Commission Media Ministries has been asked to print 500,000 New
Testaments and 300,000 Bibles as soon as possible. “With the donations
to date, we have been able to print 300,000 New Testaments and 150,000
Bibles plus one million copies of the Gospel of John. The immediate need
is to print an additional 200,000 New Testaments and 150,000 Bibles,”
the update states.
“For
years we worked with thousands of churches in Russia to reach almost 70
million people with the Gospel through historic mega city media
saturation campaigns. That era came to an end in 2012.”
GCM
Ministries continued: “Not knowing that Russia would soon close the
door to evangelism, the Holy Spirit urged us to respond to requests from
Russia church leaders to supply them with 5 million copies of the same
evangelistic books that we had tailor-made and used in 40 major cities
of Russia. We did respond. That was three years ago.”
The
ministry says that during the three years since, over 2 million
Russians have prayed the prayer of salvation, one-on-one with
evangelistic teams using these books. According to documented
statistics, over 20,000 Russian townships and villages were reached, and
over 1,200 new churches were planted.
The
ministry update continued: “Now, the doors are closing. As a result,
145 million Russians will be deprived of the chance to freely hear the
Good News of God’s love, that Jesus came to die on a cross their sins.
In the days to come, believers in Russia will pay a big price to defy
the new law in order to share their testimony for Jesus. We need to
respond once again.”
“GCM
Ministries needs your help to give all possible assistance to our
brothers and sisters in Russia. Again, the immediate need is to print an
additional 200,000 New Testaments (costing about $1 each) and 150,000
Bibles (costing about $3 each).
“Thank you for caring and for helping. May the Lord give you added strength, joy, and favor in your daily walk with him.”
You
can donate online now to this urgent need. Visit the GCM Ministries
website for secure online donations. More information on cutting-edge
missions in their next newsletter, as well as online: www.gcmministries.com
Please
consider prayerfully your financial support with your tax-deductible
gift. Thousands of people are being reached with the saving power of the
Gospel. http://t.ymlp15.com/emyhanaejjqsatahbaoauqh/click.php
Get the GCM Ministries Free Monthly Missions Update mailed to your door
Visit GCM Ministries website for video updates and podcasts.
Mailing address:
GCM Ministries USA
PO Box 16418
St. Paul, MN 55116-0418
GCM Ministries Canada
3–1335 Trans Canada Way SE
Medicine Hat, AB T1B 1J1
Photo
captions: 1) A crowded Russian street. (GCM Ministries). 2) Hands reach
out to grasp the gift of Russian Bibles. (Bible Believers Evangelistic
Assn).3) Michael Ireland
About
the Writer: Michael Ireland is a volunteer internet journalist serving
as Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, as well as an
Ordained Minister who has served with ASSIST Ministries and written for
ASSIST News Service since its beginning in 1989. He has reported for ANS
from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China, and Russia. To
help Michael cover his expenses in bringing news of the Persecuted
Church, log-on to: https://actintl.givingfuel.com/ireland-michael
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