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- We are a team of people trying to reach people in Ufa and Bashkortostan in Russia. It is no small task and we want your support!
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Friday, February 13, 2015
"It's All Part Of The Adventure"
7:59 AM | Posted by
TeamUfa
During my time in Amsterdam I met some really awesome girls who share the same passion as I do. One of the girls, Cydney, was talking about her journey and how she ended up in Amsterdam with us and during her story she said a particular phrase that stuck out to me: "it's all part of the adventure." That is her mentality for whatever comes her way. Whether good days or bad days, through culture shock and adjusting, homesickness, and much more- it's all part of the adventure; the adventure to which God has called her.
I have been so challenged by that phrase throughout the week and a half I have already been in Russia. When we first got off the plane in Moscow I was culture shocked completely, pretty much everything was in Russian (a language I currently do not know), no one talked or smiled, and I finally realized that I was a foreigner. On previous trips to Brazil and even going to Amsterdam I never felt fully foreign. Portuguese is understandable and most people in Holland speak English. So to be in a place where I literally cannot understand, read, or communicate with people is frustrating and, at times, discouraging. But it's all part of the adventure.
One thing I am trying to do while in Russia is to memorize a few passages of Scripture that I can reference for encouragement when I need it. So far I am studying 1 Peter 1 and God is using it to teach me so many different things over this period of time. Even the first two verses are packed full of deep truth about the character of God:
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled by his blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure."
Through the choosing of God and the sanctifying work of the Spirit in believers two things are produced:
1. Obedience to Christ
2. The sprinkling of his blood over His people
By being chosen by God, through the Holy Spirit, we receive the ability to be obedient to Jesus and be fully covered by his sacrifice, to have unmerited favor in all circumstances. The more obedience to Jesus is exercised, the more we'll grow in faith and become more like him. The Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ which leads us to obedience to Christ and obedience to Christ makes us more like him. These two things are mutually dependent upon each other. We can't experience sanctification without obeying Jesus and we won't have desires to obey Jesus unless the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
With all this being said, Peter wishes the Christians grace and peace to them in the fullest measure. Grace is defined as having unmerited favor and peace is defined as having tranquility or calmness.
These two things Peter wants his fellow brothers and sisters to experience because in them there is no need or want for anything else. By having grace, they are eternally pardoned and their sins have already been atoned for. They have a relationship with Christ. By having peace, they can face anything that comes their way knowing that the God of the universe has already taken care of them and is with them through it. It reminds me of a concept Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:4-7. Rejoice in the Lord! It's as simple as that. It is the only reasonable thing to do because He is always at hand! And we can pray to Him knowing that He holds the future, our future, and will be faithful to us no matter what because we are His.
It's crazy how things written thousands of years ago to the early church members are applicable still now to us! The gospel is so relevant! And it doesn't need our updating or trying to make it seem cool. It transcends all cultures and all languages and it reaches everyone, just the way it was reaching people thousands of years ago. God is here in Russia, too. And it's not my job to make the gospel trendy. But it is my job to make the gospel culturally understandable to the people here (contextualization). That is a challenge. In American "church culture," we assume that everyone knows the basic foundations of Christianity. Here, there is no foundation (or very little) to build off of. But, I have been equipped with grace and peace by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to reside as an alien here in Russia. And in that, I take heart and find encouragement.
After all, it's all part of the adventure.
Toni F.
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