Mission’s Update

I know what you’re thinking.
What is Frasco going to do with these last Dozen verses or so
in the book of Colossians and I thought the same thing earlier
this week. But I believe that the Lord would
have us to honor these verses just like we honor the rest of
God’s word. And so if you would take your
Bibles and go ahead and begin turning to the book of Colossians
and to chapter four. As long as I’ve been a Christian,
I’ve noticed a problem in the church. And I’m not necessarily
speaking of this church, but the greater Christian church.
And sadly, the problem in my 30-plus years of ministry has
not gone away. Things have not gotten better.
The problem I noticed all those years ago pertains to missions
and missionaries. Let me explain my longstanding
concern, if I could. Many years ago, I remember visiting
a church, and I soon discovered that they supported a lot of
missionaries. And that was good, I thought. I was encouraged by it. It appeared
to be a missions-minded church. That’s always a good thing. But
my enthusiasm soon gave way to questions And with that, ultimately,
disappointment. I began inquiring about some
of their missionaries. Did this couple have children? What are the first names of these
missionaries? What’s the particular nature
of their ministry? And in most cases, they had no
answers. I’m not sure if they have kids
or if they do, how old they are. I don’t know his wife’s name
or honestly his children’s names. I’m not exactly sure what their
ministry is, what it looks like, what they do, nor were they aware
of their missionaries particular challenges and needs. I couldn’t
bear to ask if anyone from their church had ever actually been
to the field. Even more disappointing was that
this was not the report of visitors to the church or even from its
members. Those answers came from the leadership
of the church. And that was frightening because
even though They didn’t know the answers to those really simple
questions. For a lot of missionaries, ultimately
they were responsible. In another sense, they didn’t
have any missionaries at all. There was no real vibrant connection
to the church. They really didn’t know these
people, and the extent of the relationship was a meager but
regular check, an occasional general prayer on behalf of their
missionaries. And that initial discovery of
one church developed into a routine investigation almost every time
I visited a church. And ever since that first discovery,
I’ve observed that same shameful pattern play out in many, if
not most, churches. They not only do not have even
a slight idea of who or what they are supporting, they don’t know their names,
they don’t know the cities where they minister, they only know
where to send the check. That’s the extent of it. Too
often, the missions budget and the individual support checks
come almost as more of a guilt offering than from genuine heartfelt
support for missions. For many believers and churches,
it seems to be enough just to regularly send our support check. My concern is that churches,
their leadership and their people, they need to begin with a basic
understanding of what missions even is. And with that, what
a missionary is. You see, answers to those questions
are what enable the church then to begin to answer the important
question, what does Or what does a missionary do? To a degree, we had wrestled with these same
questions in seminary. What is missions? What is a missionary? But once I stepped into the pastoral
ministry role, questions regarding missions began to take a new
sense of urgency. Is character important for a
missionary? Is doctrine important for a missionary? What work will this particular
missionary be doing? What kind of ministry? What is
the missionary’s relationship to the local church, if at all?
Is occasional prayer and financial support enough of a commitment
for a church and their missionaries? What missions philosophy is better? To have a whole lot of missionaries
with a meager support for each, or to have a few very well-supported
missionaries? And then, what about so-called
short-term missions? If the mission’s dollar is already
spread so thinly, how can we justify sending someone to some
jungle for a week? One notable scholar described
missions as the carrying of the message and work of Jesus Christ
to others, especially of a different culture. I like that, it’s simple.
taking the gospel to a different culture, and that could be done
even here in this city. As such, though, missions is
primarily evangelistic work, and therefore it is to be about
the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of that,
there are a lot of so-called ministries and missions that
are not supportable. Not in my opinion. There’s no
New Testament office of missionary, and so the missionary must be
one of, or a combination of, the offices mentioned in the
New Testament. Elders, evangelists, shepherds,
teachers. And because of that, those sent
out must be of the highest moral character meeting the qualifications
of an elder, as set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. One of the surest things that
we learn about missions, from God’s Word, is that it is not
to be a solo effort. Churches need missionaries, and
missionaries need churches. Those serving on the field need
prayer and accountability and financial support. And supporting
churches need the outlet of those on the field. Just for a moment, I know you’ve
got your finger in Colossians, but if you would turn back to
2 Corinthians and to chapter 8, I want to take you just to
a few verses there. Since we’re talking about missions,
I’d like you to see this. Paul is writing to the Corinthians
and he’s trying to stir their heart. They had already made
a commitment for financial support of Paul’s mission, and now Paul
is doubling back and he’s having to remind them of that support. They hadn’t followed through.
which is a problem so often with the so-called faith promise effort. We make a promise in January
of what we’re going to do, presumptuously, and then we never follow through. If you would, look at verse 1
of chapter 8. Now, brethren, we wish to make
known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches
of Macedonia. Here’s what Paul’s doing. He’s
trying to stir the heart of the Corinthian church by using the
churches of Macedonia as an example. It’s very creative. Paul is commending
the generosity of the Macedonian churches, Philippi, Thessalonica,
Berea, It was a mark of God’s grace at work in their lives,
especially since it came in a very challenging context. Look at
verse two. We wish to make known to you
the grace of God that in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance
of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their
liberality. The Macedonian churches were
under the same hostile persecution that Paul had faced in that region.
As you know, thrown in jail in Philippi, run out of town in
Thessalonica, and so he calls it a great ordeal of affliction. And what is more, these were
not wealthy churches. And yet even out of their poverty,
Paul says, they gave joyfully and generously. But I want you
to see Paul’s point in 3 to 5. Verse 3, for I testify that according
to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own
accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation
in the support of the saints. And this, not as we expected,
but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the
will of God. Paul indicates here that these
churches gave not because of some high-pressure campaign or
some creative gimmick that someone has offered to give a dollar
for every dollar the saints give up to, you know, $500,000. These were self-motivated believers. They gave of their own accord.
No one coerced them. But you have to hear verse four. This is why I brought you here.
It says, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation
in the support of the saints. That is an astounding statement. They literally begged Paul for
the opportunity to participate in supporting the cause of the
gospel. And he says that they did so
with much urging. You know what that tells me? Some well-meaning believer in
Macedonia quietly came up to Paul at some point and said that their church would
like to help. And Paul looked around at their
low condition and graciously refused their offer. And so they
begged him, not once, but over and over repeatedly until Paul
said yes. Verse 5 tells us this was not
a matter of them writing a monthly check because they first gave
themselves to the Lord. They were fully committed Christians.
They were all in. And so it’s in this context that
Paul characterizes Macedonian church’s participation
in missionary efforts as the favor of participation. The favor
was theirs. It’s a privileged partnership.
Anytime a church has the opportunity to come alongside a missionary
on the field, it is a privileged partnership. The work of missions
is a tandem effort. missionaries and churches, and
because of that, the relationship between the two should be strong
and vibrant. Jesus himself provided a guiding
principle when he said, where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also. Writing a check is not enough.
Churches should know their missionaries, and missionaries should know
their churches. I know that most people are not
thrilled to read the average missionary letter. And it’s true. Sometimes they are too wordy
and obtuse. That’s true. Referencing things
that we have no idea what they’re even talking about. But I suppose
we should ask, while we’re at it, since it is a two-way street,
this relationship, When was the last time that a church sent
a missionary an information letter? Both sides are responsible for
establishing and developing a rapport. Paul sought to create and maintain
deep and vibrant connections between himself and his churches.
It was vital. Think of it, just the letters
themselves indicate the depth of relationship that Paul had
with his churches. In his letters, Paul provided
instruction, rebuke, prayer, what he heard about them, both
good and bad, and he gave churches the ever-important informational
update on his ministry. I know this is risky, but I want
to take you through the New Testament if I could, if you would turn
to Galatians. What I purpose to do here is
just show you where, we’re not going to spend a lot of time
in each epistle, but I just want to show you where in order of
the epistles as they were written, I want to show you where and
how often Paul provides these informational updates, the book
of Galatians and to chapter one. In Galatians 1, verses 11 and
12, what Paul does is basically talk about his seminary training. In verses 11 through 24, he gives
his readers in Galatia his background on preparation for ministry.
It’s an incredible section. Turn, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians,
the next epistle likely that was written. And in 1 Thessalonians
1, verses 2 through 10, chapter 2, verse 17, all the way through
3.10, and then in 5.25, land there if you could, he gives not only an update and
a report from Timothy, his trusted assistant, but then finally in
5.25, he just says, pray. Pray for us. Turn to 2 Thessalonians,
one book to the right, where it’s brief, but in verse one
and in verses three and four, he not only speaks of his ministry
team, which is information in and of itself, but he also gives
these believers an affirmation. Turn, if you would, back to the
next epistle written to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. In 1 Corinthians, what we’re
doing here is just reading missionary letters. That’s what we’re doing.
I’m telling you where they are. 1 Corinthians 16, 1 through 12. And here, this is the first discussion
about the so-called collection, the one that we just learned
about in 2 Corinthians 8. But he also provides there in
1 through 12, travel plans and more information, both background
and ministry information on young Timothy. Turn to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 1, verse 8, there he speaks of the hardships
that he had experienced in Asia, and God’s delivery from them,
and his subsequent travel plans. In chapter two, verse 12 and
13, he speaks of his time in Troas and Macedonia, which will
become important later in that letter. In chapter 13, one through
three, he tells of his plan to come and visit Corinth, which
probably sent shivers down their spine because they knew that
they were going to receive a rebuke. Turn to Romans chapter 15. In Romans chapter 15, Paul gives
a missionary update, and in it he gives them the reason for
his delay. He had never visited Rome when
he wrote them. And there were some people in
Rome that were rolling their eyes, thinking that Paul was
just a blowhard. He was just promising things
that he had no intention of completing. So Paul tells them the reason
for his delay. He talks about an anticipated
visit, but his plans in the meantime were to visit Jerusalem. Ephesians 6. I’m going to leave
off having you chase me around. I’ll give you a list. Ephesians
6, 18 through 22, Paul says, pray for utterance. And he updates
them about his circumstances. In Philippians 1, 12 through
26, he talks about the greater progress that his imprisonment
was having on the gospel. In 2, 19 through 30, he tells
them that he’s going to send Timothy in Epaphroditus. In Philemon, he speaks of a preparation
for a visit, and he says, get this, prepare me a lodging, make
a room ready. You say that that’s really not
that informational. Paul’s in prison. which means
he really believed that he was going to be released from prison,
an argument that I’ll take up momentarily. He gives an update
in 1 Timothy 1, another one in Titus 3, and then in his final
letter, he still is giving missions updates in 4, 9 through 22. Just amazing. And even though
we skipped it, Paul also included a missions update, by the way,
to the church in Colossae. Evidently, Paul’s churches there
were greatly concerned about the beloved apostle. Remember,
so far as they know, he’s in a dark, dank prison in Rome. How was his health? What were
his living conditions? How was his ministry? How was
his pending court case before Caesar? These were no small questions.
And so Paul seeks to provide answers And we find it in chapter
4, beginning in verse 7, if you would. Colossians 4, beginning in verse
7. And for our purposes today, I’ll
take just these three verses. As to all my affairs, Tychicus
will bring you information for I have sent him to you for this
very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances, that
he may encourage your hearts. And with him, Onesimus, our faithful
and beloved brother who is one of your number, they will inform
you about the whole situation here. The fascinating thing you
may have even noticed is that Paul doesn’t even immediately
answer their pressing questions. Questions about his health and
the details of his incarceration and his legal case with a man
who could take his life at the snap of a finger. Instead, he
tells them that he had sent two men that would bring that report
verbally. Paul very graciously doesn’t
want to bog down his letter with personal details about himself,
no matter how urgent those details might be. And as expected, there’s a nearly
identical report in Ephesians 6. Paul’s report there only includes
seven words that isn’t in the Colossian version, and the entirety
of Colossians 4.9 is absent from Ephesians. There’s your comparison. But the core of the report is
cited almost verbatim. So I’m not even going to take
the time to have you flip back to Ephesians. Let’s stay right
here in Colossians 4 this morning. I want to give you what Paul
would call a missions update. And there are some important
elements here in this update, what I would call elements of
a missionary newsletter. There are just some things that
in any missionary newsletter have to be there. And the first
thing is the identity. You need to know who the letter’s
from. And Paul says, as to all my affairs,
Tychicus, and in verse nine, with him Onesimus. At the outset, we looked at building a strong
relationship between a church and a missionary on the field,
saw how important that is. And so the first thing that a
church has to know is the identity of the missionary. And Paul,
the one writing this particular update, identifies two key players,
Tychicus and Onesimus. In Scripture, we first meet Tychicus
in the midst of Paul’s third missionary journey. We don’t
know much about him, Paul is traveling to Jerusalem against
the advice of trusted friends. Even in Acts 20, he himself says
that the Holy Spirit has warned him that bonds and afflictions
await him. He knows trouble is on the horizon. Nevertheless, Paul and a small
band of ministry companions are making this dangerous journey
to Jerusalem. And it’s a mixed group that’s
traveling with him. gathered from probably many of
the cities who had given a financial gift for Jerusalem in their famine.
There was a man named Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus
of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus
from those who were in Asia. Luke doesn’t even tell us how
Tychicus was converted or exactly when and how he began to accompany
Paul in his missionary work. But as there are so many different
men from so many different areas, it’s likely that they were coming
along to accompany the Gentile church’s financial gift destined
for the Jewish church in Jerusalem. Even if it were only from goodwill,
we know that Tychicus is a ministry-minded individual. In addition to his
mention here in Colossians and Ephesians 6, Paul mentions him
twice more. Titus 3.12, when I send Artemis
or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis.
Paul recognizes that both Artemis and Tychicus are suitable replacements
for Titus. Capable, faithful men, Titus
serving there on the island of Crete and Tychicus is perfectly
capable of filling in. He’s a fellow worker in the gospel.
The final time that he’s mentioned is in 2 Timothy, Paul’s final
letter, and he mentions Tychicus one last time. He simply says,
Tychicus I’ve sent to Ephesus. That is a massive statement.
No doubt, the ranks of those willing to serve Christ had thinned. But Paul had enough confidence
in Tychicus to send him to one of the churches that was most
dear to Paul himself, to Ephesus. Paul mentions, as you can see,
a traveling companion for Tychicus, a man named Onesimus. If that
name sounds familiar to you, it should. Onesimus was the runaway
slave that came to faith in Christ under Paul’s ministry in Rome.
Amazing thing. When Paul writes to Philemon,
Onesimus’ former master, he refers to Onesimus as my child, whom
I have begotten in my prison. Paul wasn’t suggesting that Onesimus
was his literal son, but that this runaway slave had come to
Christ through his preaching. Amazing. And now this man is traveling with Tychicus, and
had he been traveling alone, he would have been subject to
arrest and prosecution. But God protects him by sending
him along with Tychicus And it is so gracious of Paul here,
he doesn’t even mention Onesimus’ background, either that he was
a slave or a runaway slave. He only says, and very delicately,
that he’s one of your member. He’s from your area. He’s a Colossian. He doesn’t mean that he’s from
their church because he’s only recently become a Christian.
But his master Philemon, was very likely a member of the Colossian
church. And so it’s incumbent on him
to keep this whole matter private. But the bottom line is that Onesimus
has been saved. And look how far he’s come. Not
only is he a saved man, but he’s humbly returning to face the
master whom he wronged when he ran away to Rome. It’s a remarkable
turn of events. And so we not only need to know
the missionary’s identity, but we need to know the missionary’s
character. Look at verse nine. Tychicus,
our beloved brother, pardon me, look at verse seven. Tychicus,
our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond servant
in the Lord. And then of Onesimus, our faithful
and beloved brother. Beyond just, pardon me, beyond
just the identity of these two ministry servants, we observe
that they’re men of godly character. First of all, Tychicus, I want
you to notice something, he not only refers to Tychicus as a
beloved brother, but as our beloved brother. The word brother is
borrowed from the language of the family, speaking the most
intimate family relations. In other words, he’s instantly
uniting the Colossian church with Tychicus by means of their
common Savior. He’s your brother in Christ. Paul proceeds to tell the Colossians
about something that he already knows of Tychicus. He is beloved
by Paul. And the Colossians will surely
discover the same thing in time. This is a lovable man. Paul wants
the church to trust Tychicus and the report that he brings
about Paul. But in addition to being a beloved
brother, Paul says that he’s also a faithful servant. That word that Paul uses for
servant here is diakonos. You probably heard it. It’s the
word from where we get our word deacon. But Paul isn’t talking
about the office of the local church here. He uses this word
in its most basic sense, servant. It’s exactly what the word means.
One who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and do the hard
and thankless work of ministry. And in the context of Paul’s
ministry, if Paul needed something done, Tychicus was an eager and
willing individual. He was a servant. And what is
more, he was faithful in that service. It isn’t just that Tychicus
was faithful to Paul, but he was faithful to God. That’s where
it counts. And as such, he was loyal, trustworthy,
a man of high integrity. One of the necessary requirements
of those in the Lord’s service is faithfulness. 1 Corinthians
4.2, Paul declares that it is required of stewards that one
be found trustworthy. They do what they say they’re
going to do. They follow through, they get it done. For Paul, faithfulness
in ministry was the ultimate compliment. Consider this, Tychicus
was faithful enough as a servant to be tasked with the great responsibility
of carrying these letters. Ephesus, Ephesians rather, Colossians,
and Philemon. Paul adds, thirdly, that Tychicus
was a fellow bondservant. He uses a different word here
for servant. When Paul refers to him as a
faithful servant, we might be inclined to think that Tychicus
was Paul’s subordinate. Not the case. When Paul refers
to him as he does here as a fellow bond servant, it implies that
whatever Paul was willing to endure, Tychicus was willing
to endure right along with him. The only other time that Paul
uses this word in all of his letters is Colossians 1, 7, in
reference to a man named Epaphras. These men were fellow sufferers
with Paul. not just fellow servants. There
was no task beneath Paul and there was no task beneath Tychicus. When Paul adds here that little
phrase, in the Lord, it points really to all three of those
character qualities. Tychicus was their beloved brother
in the Lord. He was a faithful servant in
the Lord. He was Paul’s fellow bond servant
in the Lord. In other words, none of this
went to the credit of Tychicus. It was all due to his union with
Jesus Christ by faith. Likewise, Onesimus, whatever
he was before, an ornery slave, a felon from justice, a runaway. Paul doesn’t mention any of that.
Even the people of the church did not, if they did not already
know about his reputation, in time they might hear of his background
and come to the conclusion that he was deceitful and dishonest,
a man not to be trusted. And so now Paul simply says of
him that he is faithful, he is a trustworthy man. And he adds
that he is also a beloved brother. He is a Christian man. In his
companion letter to his master Philemon, Paul refers to Onesimus
with the same beautiful name, beloved brother. Only the grace
of God could lead to that kind of a transformation. We’re looking at elements of
a missionary newsletter. We’ve seen the missionary’s identity,
the missionary’s character, and finally, the missionary’s report. We come really to the heart of
Paul’s report, and he begins in verse 7, as to all my affairs,
Tychicus will bring you information. That’s what a missionary newsletter
is, right? It’s information. Prayer requests,
update, needs. Paul uses the same root word
for knowledge three times. Verse seven, information. Verse
eight, that you may know. And again in verse nine, they
will inform you. And Paul indicates that the report
that these two servants will bring will be complete. All my affairs, Paul promises. Literally he says, all the things
of me. But there’s a progression here
and I want you to notice it. The report will be very complete. Verse 7 talks about Paul’s affairs. Verse 8 speaks about our circumstances,
and verse 9 refers to the whole situation here. Nothing will
be left out. The report will be full and complete. Verse 8, Paul says bluntly that
this was the entire purpose of their trip, to bring these letters. And he says, I’ve sent him for
this very purpose. The knowledge of the circumstances
of Paul and his team in Rome. And he provides no details. But
he says that this purpose is to encourage their hearts. I
mean, that’s one thing that we ought to be able to glean from
a missionary newsletter, right? We’re supporting them. We ought
to see the fruit of their ministry and to be encouraged by that,
that our support isn’t for naught. Our prayers on their behalf are
effective. This encouragement was not just
run-of-the-mill comfort. It was a powerful motivation
to persevering in the faith. Don’t quit praying for us. And
then finally, and somewhat cryptically, Paul closes in verse 9 by saying
that Tychicus will inform you about the whole situation here. Now, in our 21st century hearing,
that sounds tantalizing, doesn’t it? Paul has a situation there
in Rome. But in the original, the statement
is so much blander. He only indicates that these
two emissaries will tell the Colossians, get this, about the
things here. Paul Downe plays it. Not that
big a deal. What kinds of things might have
been in their report? Well, we already know that Paul
is under house arrest there in Rome, but he had a great deal
of freedom. The way that Luke characterizes
Paul’s incarceration there at the end of the book of Acts,
Acts 28, 30, and 31 goes like this. Just listen. He stayed
two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all
who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness unhindered. I mean,
that doesn’t sound like prison to me. Paul had a wide freedom
for ministry, visitors coming and going, opportunities to preach
and teach, and even in his writing ministry, he was not impacted
by this so-called imprisonment. He writes four significant letters
during his time, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians. Any report would no doubt include
those very positive elements. Beyond that, however, even as
Paul outlines in Philippians chapter one, the ministry there
in Rome was going remarkably well. For the greater progress
of the gospel, he says in Philippians 1, 12, his fellow believers are
becoming more and more courageous to speak the word of God. They’re
looking at Paul under so-called imprisonment, and they’re realizing
if he can be bold, I too can be bold. And he fully believes
that he will prevail in his appeal to Caesar and be released even
from this relaxed house arrest. And he says it’s because of the
prayers of God’s people that he believed that he would be
delivered, released. And a great argument, honestly,
a great argument can be made that Paul did enjoy release from
prison, even if briefly. And that enabled additional ministry
travel. During that period of freedom,
he made one final tour that included Macedonia, numerous cities in
Asia, Ephesus, Troas, Miletus, and then also to the island of
Crete, where he had a servant named Titus. All the early church
fathers, Clement, Eusebius, Chrysostom, Jerome, all speak of this brief
period of release for Paul. This is also when he would have
written 1 Timothy and Titus before being finally rearrested, imprisoned,
and ultimately martyred. The final element of the report
that Tychicus and Onesimus might have brought, not only by the
means of these epistles that he was able to write and the
confidence in his release from prison, but also the success
of the gospel. as would have been seen in the
wonderful example of God’s grace, Onesimus. He was a living, breathing
fruit of Paul’s preaching. Well, as I said, the church needs
its missionaries. The missionaries need its church. And I would just remind the saints,
one of the reasons that we’ve sought to have a missions liaison
is that you will know them, they will know you. We support Evgeny
and Tanya Eva in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. What an amazing story
they have. They were originally missionaries
in Ukraine, and now they run not only a school, but an in-home
orphanage, which at last count had 21 children. not their own. They also provide a food supply
outreach and do prison ministry in all their spare time. Frank
and Barbara Tetrault planting a church in Geneva, Switzerland.
Part of three couples planting the church. They’re biblical
counselors and instructors in the same. They have no children
on the field with them. Ruslan and Natasha Scheringa
are in Odessa, Ukraine. Yes, the same Ukraine that is
under attack. Ruslan is a pastor and a church
planter, and he’s so much more. He provides food and shelter
and clothing ever since the war broke out. He had a big desire
to plant 25 churches in and around Odessa. God has steered him. I think at last count there were
five. And then there’s Andrei and Anya Saprykin in Donetsk,
Ukraine, where he is shepherding the people of Donetsk, caring
for them. He’s preaching the gospel, caring
for the needy. The last missionary newsletter
we got from him, April of 2024, said that their big goal was
to build a bathroom. These are your missionaries.
These are the ones that you are responsible for. We should pray
for them. Our merciful God, we thank you
for Paul’s missions update. We thank you for this sweet and
thorough letter. We thank you for the information
that he provides about himself, but also about missionaries in
general and what our expectations should be of them. We should
know them. We should know their character.
We should know their situation, their needs. We should pray for
them. We should support them. We should
know them. Lord, we pray for the Evas. Pray
that you would use them for your glory as you have. We pray for
the Syringas there in Ukraine and pray that you would give
Ruslan, just great wisdom to know exactly how to use his time
and his efforts and his resources. Use, please, Andre, from whom
we haven’t heard in so many years, but we know if he’s alive, he’s
preaching Christ. And we pray for the Tetros and
their team in Geneva. We pray that this church would
be established, that it would grow, and that each believer
there would take the gospel to their respective cities and nations,
and that the gospel would flourish because of it. We thank you and
we praise you in Jesus’ name, amen.