Ivan Fedotov. Sermons - 2

April 5, 2011 · Adam Bondaruk, Baptists, Victor Belykh, AUCECB, Persecution, Interview, KGB, Books, Unregistered Pentecostals, Nikolay Kotyakov, On Emigration, United Church of Evangelical Christians, Vestibule, Petr Saenko, Pentecostals, Religious Mafia, Slavik Radchuk, Contemporary Persecution, Security Services

Presiding Bishop of the UCFWB, long-time prisoner in the USSR Ivan Fedotov

“You yourselves, as living stones…”

Glory to God! We were thinking about which words of Scripture to take as the motto of our congress and we found that they should be these: “You yourselves, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). This is what the Lord has called us to today. He has not called us to death, He has called us to life, and life specifically in Him, in Jesus, our Lord.

Without Him there is no life; we all know this well. When we came to Him, came to His feet, we came alive. And each of us has experienced this. Many have experienced this. Zacchaeus came alive at Jesus’ feet, Mary the sinner came alive when she wept and washed His feet.

She came to the Risen One even before the disciples did. The life of Jesus was in her, and she announced His resurrection to the disciples. They did not believe, but they still went to look. Truly, life came—through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He brought life and sent the Holy Spirit into this world, who gives life to His Church and especially gives life to those whom the Lord has today appointed as pastors and teaches “to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

We are alive today because we repented, acknowledged Jesus Christ as our Savior, and walked in His path; we became disciples. The Lord baptized us with the Holy Spirit, and we carry this grace of God in our earthen vessels.

And if we are living, if we have the life of Jesus Christ, then we can speak about life in the Lord Jesus. Our children are growing up, and we raise them, teach them. We organize Sunday schools, and how did these Sunday schools appear? Was a price paid for them? Yes, our older brothers paid a price, paid so that our children could be with us, so that they would not be Pioneers. Here, in Maloyaroslavets, was one of the first children’s Sunday schools, for which Vladimir Grigorievich Murashkin and I were arrested and tried. We suffered here; we were given 5 years each. There was a great struggle against this, a battle of the devil—the KGB workers, communists, Komsomol members, everything atheistic. But we still laid the foundation of the Sunday school and remained faithful in this labor, and to this day it continues in our brotherhood. Now children’s Sunday schools exist throughout our entire brotherhood, and there are teachers. If you do not have teachers, the Rybnitsa College trains teachers; your brothers and sisters can go there for a set time, and they will be given instruction there, taught to be teachers. We were in Ukraine. There are many Sunday school teachers there; all of Ukraine today is like one big school. People come from this world, and how much we have to labor with them so that they may be washed, cleansed, sanctified, accept the evangelical teaching, and carry it further. Sometimes they limp, stumble, and fall, but still they go on. From childhood itself, through Sunday schools, a spiritual house is being built today in our brotherhood. Glory to the Lord! We have very many children, and we need teachers, builders of these souls.

The Apostle Paul shows us a great plan of how to build ourselves into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. First of all, the house must have a base, a foundation. And there is only one foundation upon which this can be built: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). For the Church, for eternity, for salvation, for the future, there is one foundation—this is Jesus Christ.

And we build on this foundation. And as cement for constructing a building, so love—the cement for building—binds our brotherhood together with interlocking ties, because we love the Lord, and if we did not love, we would never have been here. Let us all reexamine our walk today, how we love Him, and from what material we are building today. When Moses was departing from this world, the Lord told him to appoint a man in whom there was the Spirit. The Spirit was in Joshua and in Caleb. Joshua was chosen. We are not always suited for one service or another, though we may be zealous for it, and if we are not suited, it is better not to take it on, because we will not accomplish what Jesus wants.

Notice, Jesus does not say that we should merely labor, but that we should enter into the labor. All of us present here have entered into the labor. We must deeply realize this: we have entered into the labor that others performed before us. Viktor Ivanovich preached here. I remember, it was over 40 years ago in the Baptist church on Maly Vuzovsky Lane. I say this because I recall the day when Viktor Ivanovich was arrested there, and it was in my presence, and I took up the baton. And today I would like to pass this baton on to you, the young people. There are no persecutions now; we can assemble freely. But persecutions or chains are not necessary. One can take up the baton and go with zeal for God to preach the Gospel to those places where it has not yet been preached. We have endured many things that you did not have to experience, but the narrow path remains, because the path following the Lord is always a narrow path. I too was numbered with the transgressors, who are tried for murder, though I did not kill. And today I am rehabilitated. Glory to the Lord! We endured lies and slander. We did not murmur against those who persecuted us; we did not revile them, nor threaten them in any way. We bore this calmly and humbly, like slaves upon whom the Lord had laid this yoke. And we endured it. But now other times have come; please, one can freely enter prisons and preach the Gospel there. Brother Vladimir Kiselev, who is the head of prison ministry in Russia, was there himself, came out from there, and today he freely enters prisons, meets with the wardens, who know that he was a criminal, but now has become a saint, forgiven by Jesus Christ. He preaches today, and the wardens cannot resist; they open the doors.

In ’57 I was baptized with the Holy Spirit and brought 15 people to Sokolovka, where Bishop Vasily Vasilievich Ryakhovsky lived at one time; he had just been released from prison. Almost half a century has passed, and from that time we have walked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder along the path, together building up the Moscow region, and then went further. It is impossible to list all the places we have reached today: Magadan, Nakhodka, Vladivostok, Kamchatka, the Caucasus, Komi, and many others. This is how we spread the Gospel of God today. See how many of you have come here today. You did not come on your own; you have received the baton from those who prayed for you, suffered, preached to you — you have entered into their labor. They passed on this great truth: how to build yourselves, as living stones, into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood.

The Lord also gives us instruction today: “You yourselves, as living stones…” build yourselves into this eternal house of God. The Apostle Paul says about this: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds” (1 Corinthians 3:10). This applies to each of us. Let us build our house, let us listen to Him, let us do His will, serve Him.

Some ministers in churches have up to a thousand members. God blesses them in this way. But even if there are only five people, even from them one must build a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. As an example, I want to mention Georgy Babiy: he had just one church in Krivoy Rog, and now in that city there are 12 churches. That is labor. Praise God! We read how the Apostle Paul came to Ephesus and, as a wise master builder, having power and revelation for building, built up the church in Ephesus. He found certain people there, talked with them, asked them whether they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed, and they answered, “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). Before ’57, Moscow had also hardly heard that there is a Holy Spirit. If a dozen people had heard, they sat at home, underground, or went to the Baptists. But the time came, we rose up and went preaching on platforms, in commuter train cars, at workplaces. We were warned, we were fined, we were threatened, and in the end they put us in prison. But we still did it. The work went on, praise God! Today in Moscow and the Moscow region there are many churches baptized with the Holy Spirit. And to us, as ministers, especially to young people who still have much strength and vigor, we must not forget that grace does not come just like that; it is obtained on one’s knees, through delving into the Word of God, it is obtained in fasting and prayer. It has a high price. And that price must be paid; then the Holy Spirit comes, brings blessing, gives in our hearts great power of anointing, so that we may build up our spiritual house, build up churches. To build, not to tear down.

You know, it is very joyful when we build. How? Here Philip met the eunuch on the way. He opened to him the book of the prophet Isaiah — about whom the prophet Isaiah speaks, planted in him the thought that he needed to be baptized, opened to him the teaching about it. They came to some water and the eunuch desired to be baptized. Then he got into his chariot and went his way to Ethiopia, rejoicing that he now knew about whom the prophet Isaiah writes. And today there is a blessed church of God in Ethiopia. Christianity came to Ethiopia through that eunuch.

Brothers, I want to bless you: build yourselves into a spiritual house, watch over yourselves and take heed that you do not depart from the living God, that you always take counsel with one another, remember that you have senior bishops, you may always come to them and seek advice, receive a blessing from them, and so arrange things that you may stand firmly, truly in the work of God. May the Lord bless!

Ivan Fedotov, bishop, Maloyaroslavets.

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“Children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21)

“Jesus said to her, ‘Believe Me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ); ‘when He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” (John 4:21-26)

This ancient blessing concerns all who read and hear even today, because the Lord has not stopped speaking today. He will speak always, for He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and all things are in Him, in Jesus Christ. He spoke to Israel and now He speaks to His church, that God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Praise God! And since He has found us, we also must through our preaching bring those who worship Him not in spirit and truth, but who allow the worship of idols.

In the Old Testament there is this passage: “King Asa also removed Maachah, his mother, from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image, crushed it, and burned it by the Brook Kidron. Although the high places were not removed from Israel, yet the heart of Asa was loyal to the Lord all his days” (2 Chronicles 15:16–17).

What a teaching word for us in Holy Scripture! It shows us a woman who worshipped an idol. But the blessed Asa, who reigned after his father Abijah, turned his heart to the Lord and overthrew the idols. The heart of man is not always devoted to the Lord all the days of his life. Yet of King Asa it is said that his heart was fully devoted. Holy Scripture says much about the need to preserve love for Him and faithfulness in serving the Lord to the end. What Revelation says to the angel of the church in Ephesus applies to very many children of God, and especially to those who have long followed the Lord. We must be very watchful and guard our first love, lest it be quenched in the hardships and trials of our journey after the Lord. We must not allow idols to appear in our lives, to which we might begin to serve, and our hearts grow cold in serving the Lord and turn aside into worldly ways.

We need to pay attention to King Asa’s action toward his mother. In his faithfulness to the God of Israel, he began rooting out idols from his own house. He understood that his mother’s idolatry was a bad example for the people of Israel. King Asa taught the people to worship the one God and not to make for themselves idols from any created thing. Today this concerns you and me, beloved brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ has made us a royal priesthood, and we are to serve the one God.

What is happening in our families? Perhaps we ourselves, or our mothers, or our children, allow idols in our hearts, and an idol can be anything to which we are attached, anything we love more than the Lord. I look at parents and at their children who are already grown. Do they understand what idols are in their hearts and in their homes? This concerns all of us. We must train ourselves and the children of our families in spirit and in truth, as Jesus Christ said to the Samaritan woman. And I would like us to examine our lives and remove all idols, so that we may understand how truly and faithfully to serve God, in order to attain the Kingdom of God.

Asa’s mother set up an idol, and he had the right to tell her that this idol must be removed. In all likelihood, she was resisting this. So King Asa removed her from royal dignity. Perhaps he convened a council and said: “In Israel there must be no idols and no idolatry—not in anyone, not even among the royal family.” This is a lesson for us as well. Christians must not allow anything in their lives that is not from God and that constitutes idolatry. Why? Because the Lord says to each of us to worship God in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. And we must understand that any pursuit or thing, and even a person, can become an idol if it is not God who occupies our heart, if something else holds first place. To remove this is sometimes painful. But all of us want to reach the Kingdom and to meet the Lord. And for that we must be very watchful on our way.

As the apostle Paul says, teaching the Corinthian church: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:12-14). These are very serious words. We are no better than the Corinthians. There were leaders such as the apostle Paul, who had nothing idolatrous in his heart. He had seen the Lord and taught people to look to Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, and to worship only Him, and through Him the Heavenly Father, and no one else. We should note that if the apostle Paul warned the Corinthians, he is also warning us not to fall into idolatry.

Today there are no fewer idols in the world than there were then, but rather far more, because it is the last time. The enemy entices people with idolatry and invents ever newer idols to distract from the Lord and from the narrow way. The apostle Paul exhorts us: “I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say… What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons” (1 Cor. 10:15, 19-20).

The apostle Paul plainly says that idolatry is fellowship with the powers of darkness. The Lord does not want this; He wants to tear us away from everything idolatrous, whether a house has become an idol, or means of transportation without which we cannot manage and which we serve more than God. Our relatives can become living idols—mothers and children. There can be many such idols. Believers sometimes worship them and do not even realize it, and if they do realize, they do not know how to leave it behind. But there is only one way: to cling to the Lord, to put Him in first place and to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Then the idols will of themselves depart from our lives.

The Word of God says of King Asa that “his heart was fully devoted to the Lord all his days, and there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign” (2 Chron. 15:17, 19).

Grant us, O Lord, such a devoted heart as Asa had. Then we will have great blessing. And there will be no war among us. Look at what is happening in our homes today. Where an idol is not removed—no matter which: son, daughter, mother, father, grandmother, or an automobile—there is war and there is no blessing, because there is resistance to the will of God. But for there to be peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, harmony with the church, with the pastors, with husbands, wives, fathers, and one’s children, we must reject all idols and root them out of our lives. We must understand this well. And the Word of God gives us examples so that we may learn from them. Read carefully chapters 14 and 15 of the Second Book of Chronicles.

We can learn much from King Asa: “… And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images” (2 Chron. 14:2-3).

This is how Asa begins his reign. Remember: you will never have peace if there are still idols in your homes and in your life, idols you have grown accustomed to and with which you courteously interact, without even noticing that not everything is in order in your royal houses.

But Asa understood that everything displeasing to God must be removed: “He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the Lord had given him rest” (2 Chron. 14:5–7).

And why is everything collapsing, breaking, failing to come together and prosper in your life? Why do you have no rest? There will be no rest until you understand that all idols must be cut down, uprooted, eliminated, and removed, so that God may see that you have first carried out a reformation in your soul, your heart, your mind, and your life, and then in your house. Asa is a good example for us in this matter. We must be prepared that if we undertake such a task, the enemy will rise up against us. When people strive to worship God in spirit and truth, war always follows. But a spiritual person who, like Asa, purifies and consecrates the land need not fear. God is for him, and no matter what invasion comes, God will step forth and grant victory.

And we read what happened in those days: “Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah” (2 Chron. 14:9). What does Asa do? It is written: “And Asa cried out to the Lord” (2 Chron. 14:11).

He does not look at the enemy army and its chariots; he cries out to the Lord, with whom he already has the habit of holy communion, because he knows: if he did what was pleasing in the name of the Lord, the Lord will not abandon him.

Crying out to the Lord, Asa said: “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chron. 14:11).

What, is Zerah wrestling against God? Yes, against God, because this ungodly sinner had been prevailing mightily against Asa, the man of God. He came to wrestle against God, to root out from Judah faith in the one true God, in order to set up idols and images.

Asa understood well that the enemy had come to wrestle not against him, a weak and powerless man, but precisely against God. And he says exactly that: “You are our God; do not let man prevail against You.”

To this day we know that no one has yet prevailed against God, yet everyone rises up against Him. Even His children, those who belong to Him, when their flesh wars against the spirit and the spirit wars against the flesh. And if the flesh has grown so strong that it overcomes the spirit, we will not be successful in God. We are simply fighting against God, refusing to do His holy will.

“So the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar; and the Ethiopians fell until no one remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and before His army. And they carried away very much spoil… and they took away a great many sheep and camels and returned to Jerusalem” (2 Chron. 14:12–15).

The victory was great, because Asa trusted in the Lord and did what was pleasing in His sight. After this, a prophet filled with the Holy Spirit came out to meet Asa and spoke a warning from the Lord.

“Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him: ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you’” (2 Chron. 15:2).

The Lord knows man; He knows that man is capable of becoming proud because of God’s great blessings and great victories. The Lord was concerned about Asa, just as He was concerned about all the men of God whom He used in great power.

“When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord” (2 Chron. 15:8).

All these are great lessons for us in types and shadows. They are left in God’s Word so that we might learn and examine our walk before God. I will say: we seek the Lord God, but sometimes not on the right paths. God’s children sometimes pray: “Why don’t You hear us?” Why speak lies against God?

God said: “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?” (Psalm 93:9). God hears everything and everyone. Even when we pray silently in our hearts. But sometimes God does not answer right away. And when He is silent, that is also an answer. In spiritual battles there is encouragement for all who seek God in their distress. Let them know that God is not far from each of us; God is with us, He never leaves, though He often does not answer. He wants us to seek Him with all our heart, and then “He will let them find Him” (cf. 2 Chron. 15:4). So if through idols, through our uneven service to the Lord, God is grieved and has withdrawn far from you, from your house, then He wants you to walk through a period of distress and emptiness. He wants to show you how dangerous it is to lose your Lord, to teach you to obey Him in all the circumstances of life, and not to choose idols so that they become your god and replace the living God. People often search for advocates: one pastor, another pastor, a better pastor, to atone for their guilt by roundabout ways. But you must go straight to the Lord. If today you have no fellowship with God, go and seek Him personally. Seek.

It is written: “In those times there was no peace for those who went out, nor for those who came in, but great turmoil was upon all the inhabitants of the lands. Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chron. 15:5–7).

Yes, God loves us, but there is retribution for our deeds. Although we live amidst all that surrounds us today, we must all give thanks to God for the peace in our city, for the blessing, for the fact that we live quietly and calmly and do with our own hands the work He entrusts to us. We ought to give special thanks today to the Lord that we are not in Chechnya, where they bomb, shoot, and kill. We are not in Kazakhstan, where the river overflows its banks, inundating and sweeping away hundreds of homes. We are not in Aldan, where the entire city was flooded and destroyed. People enduring disasters do not understand why these calamities come. Yet God uses these disasters to urge them to seek Him, the living God, the true God, whom they do not seek! Praise God that we have found Him! Or rather, He found us. Praise God, we have understanding about idols and we learn to keep them out of our lives. And if they appear, we must see them and destroy them, carrying them to the Brook Kidron. Even if these idols are our loved ones and we love them. There is a commandment to honor father and mother, but honoring does not mean indulging idols. Asa did not violate the commandment; he did not deprive his mother of food and shelter, but he deprived her of the royal dignity, and that was according to truth. We must realize that we stand before God, we follow Christ, and we must leave behind everything sinful, even if father and mother cling to it. We belong to Christ, and at the judgment seat of Christ we will each give an account for ourselves, for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Bad—when we engaged in idolatry; good—when we fulfilled God’s commandments and the law of Jesus Christ written in the heart.

The Apostle Paul tells us even today: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Rom. 12:11).

I. P. Fedotov,
Senior Bishop of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, Maloyaroslavets

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Why Our Brothers and Sisters Suffered
A Report at the First Youth Leaders’ Conference, held February 22–23, 2003, in Maloyaroslavets

The topic of my talk today is: “Why Our Brothers and Sisters Suffered.” But first I would like to read a passage from Holy Scripture. It is the Book of the Prophet Daniel, chapter 3. Of course, we all know what it says about the three Hebrew youths who refused to bow down to the golden image set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, even though they knew the royal decree (v. 6): “…whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace.” But they did not bow down, because even there, in Babylonian captivity, they remained faithful to their God. Then, as it is written, some of the Chaldeans denounced them to the king, saying (v. 12): “There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no heed to your command; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Hearing this, Nebuchadnezzar became furiously angry and commanded that these youths be thrown into the blazing furnace. But God miraculously saved them. Why have I chosen this particular passage of Scripture? Because it is in some measure in harmony with what I want to talk about. Let us turn again to verse 6: “…whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.”

This verse says a great deal. For in our time as well there have been and still are various idols that many blindly worshiped and continue to worship. And in times of persecution, those who did not do this, desiring to remain faithful to God, were subjected to persecution by the authorities. Why were we persecuted and oppressed in every way by the communists? Because we did not worship their idols. Back then, in the twentieth century, of course, no one literally threw us into a blazing furnace. Yet, in its own way, such a furnace did exist, especially for those who actively labored in our unregistered churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith. We received the baton of the struggle for God’s truth from Afanasy Ivanovich Bidash, Viktor Ivanovich Belykh, and Ivan Antonovich Levchuk, who before us went into bonds for the evangelical faith, fighting as much as the Lord gave them strength. We refused everything this world offered us in order to remain faithful to the Lord. Beginning in 1957, that was our time to suffer for the name of God—my time, that of Stepan Grigorievich Kostyuk, and of those who followed us—Vladimir Grigorievich Murashkin and other brothers who were later ordained. Some of the sisters also went into bonds, into that fire of testing. What we passed through has today become part of the history of our brotherhood. We were privileged to write several pages of it, one might say, with our lives. I still keep the verdicts by which we were sentenced then, in 1961. They contain such names as: I. Fedotov, I. Korchagin, V. Ryakhovsky, M. Afonin, M. Smirnova, M. Klinina. Incidentally, Sister Klinina was sixty-two years old at that time. Before this show trial, the documentary film “This Troubles Everyone,” which you watched today, was made. And when we were sentenced, the authorities decided to make one hundred copies of these verdicts and distribute them to the judicial organs of the country. Why? So that on the basis of these essentially fabricated charges they could try other believers as well.

The world looked at us, not understanding: what is this new thing? Who are these unregistered Pentecostals who so shake the foundations of power? Even a little book was published in the Orthodox Church entitled “Do You Believe in the Modern Charismatic Movement of Sectarianism?”

It does not refer to the false charismatic movement that appeared later. This booklet describes moments from the life of our brotherhood. It says there explicitly: unregistered Pentecostals. But if we had agreed to the registration of churches, we would have become apostates, like those who did not stand fast in the truth. They agreed to registration, united with the Baptists, or even cooperated with the KGB—just to avoid going to prison.

We do not judge them. The Lord is their Judge. But they nonetheless departed from the Word of God, departed from the evangelical teaching that Christ is the head of the church, and they virtually placed secular authority over the church. Back then, these people were modestly called “authorized representatives,” and they were supposed to control everything that happened in the church and report it to the KGB. Yet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained faithful to God. And many of us in that difficult time walked the way of the Lord and were rather ready to die than to retreat from the truth. And we, too, could not be swallowed up by that fiery furnace of affliction, because God was with us there, in the prisons and camps, and miraculously strengthened us. Glory to Him! In those days, in the 60s, one could often hear that by 1980 the last believer would be shown. But we considered this to be madness. For we all know well the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “…I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Years have passed since then. So where is this “last believer”? The Church of Christ continues to grow and be strengthened. Look how many Christians are found in this hall alone! Now we have many brothers and sisters not only in Russia but also far beyond its borders. Glory to God! Young, educated people have come into the church, possessing both zeal for the Lord and strength. Perhaps they, too, would wish to suffer for the truth of God; however, that “fiery furnace” through which our generation passed does not exist today. But if such a time comes, we will pass on to you this baton, this experience of the cross of Christ which we have accumulated, so that you may remember: others have already walked this path and stood firm. And even if you forget, the Holy Spirit will remind you of this.

Fedotov I.P.,

Presiding Bishop of the OTsKhVE ——————————

The Holy Spirit

A great mystery concerning the Holy Spirit! The human mind cannot comprehend it, and is inclined to reject the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Spirit of God, of the Holy Spirit, is revealed to the spiritual nature of man. Man consists of spirit, soul, and body; within man there is conscience, feelings, and reason. Feelings fill the inner world of a person, conscience weighs, and reason strives to test, measure, and evaluate everything. This is what the words of Christ speak of: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes” (Matt. 11:25). A babe lives simply, and therefore much is revealed to him. Very little has been revealed to us about the Spirit of God, and yet we need to know the Third Person of the Trinity more deeply.

The Holy Spirit is the creating, all-embracing, and life-giving Person

God’s Holy Spirit created life at the foundation of the world. At a time when the earth was still without form and void, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (see Gen. 1:2).

When there was no light, nor other forces of nature known to us, the Spirit of God was already hovering over the waters, for He possesses the creative force from which all other forces flow. At creation, the power of the Spirit of God was at work; the Holy Spirit became the arranger of order amidst chaos.

The life of an individual person, as well as of nations, is arranged by the Holy Spirit. Take Moses, for example — a man timid in character, indecisive, and slow of speech. Yet we read that he freed the people of Israel from under the yoke of the Egyptians and brought them to the promised land. Amidst the polytheism then reigning throughout the world, and especially in Egypt, he set an example of worship of the One Living God. Moses transmitted to the people the laws and commandments of the One Eternal God. The laws given through him are alive to this day: “Do not kill, do not steal, do not covet what belongs to another,” and others live on in all nations and people are aware of these laws.

Where did Moses draw his strength? We learn this from his own testimony. The Israelites began to grumble about the lack of food and demand meat from him. It was hard for Moses to hear the people grumble against God. However, he could not satisfy the people’s demands and told God that he could not bear this people alone, that they were too heavy for him, and he began to ask God for death.

“So the Lord said to Moses: ‘Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know… and bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you… I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone’” (Num. 11:16-17). Moses was endowed with power from on high in abundant measure; this power proceeded from the Spirit of God, who accomplished through him the great work of freeing the people from slavery and accompanied him during his wanderings in the wilderness.

The Holy Spirit also dwelt upon all the prophets. Elijah labored in the power of the Holy Spirit, and when Elijah was about to be taken from the earth, his servant Elisha asked that the power which was upon Elijah might be a double portion upon him. And he received what he asked for. It is written: “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack” (2 Cor. 8:15). Moses and Elijah gathered much for the great purpose of God’s household building.

The Holy Spirit unites and renews people

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who stones the prophets! Jesus Christ was crucified in it as well. But after His Resurrection, an amazing awakening began. Many Jews believed in the Messiah, accepted the teaching of Christ; even many of the priests submitted to faith in the One they had recently crucified. The believers “…continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles in Jerusalem. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need… Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” (Acts 2:42-45; 4:32-33).

After the resurrection, Jesus gives the disciples a great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).

Before His ascension from the earth, the Lord promised His disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). The power of the Holy Spirit, poured out on the day of Pentecost, united the people who had come to Jerusalem to worship, removing barriers: nationality, culture, languages, and also everything that is characteristic of human nature: selfishness, self-love, and enmity. The Holy Spirit, with His unifying bonds, joined the believers together, bringing them to one accord. Then the Holy Spirit brings Paul onto the battlefield—Paul, who once was a persecutor and blasphemer of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit Births a Person Into New Life

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going and drew near to Damascus…” (Acts 9:1‑3). We know what happened to him on the road to Damascus. He was stopped by the Lord Jesus Christ with a great light, from which he lost his sight, and he was led by the hand into Damascus. The Lord sent the disciple Ananias to lay hands on Saul so that he might regain his sight, “…for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

“Ananias went and entered the house, and laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 9:17)

Saul, filled with the Holy Spirit, grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this One is the Christ (see Acts 9:20). The Holy Spirit filled Saul to glorify Jesus Christ. Then the Holy Spirit indicated those whom He had appointed for missionary work, saying to the disciples of Christ: “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:2‑3). These, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, came to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Saul, filled with the Holy Spirit, overcame the resistance of Satan, who was working in the sorcerer Elymas, for he opposed the word of the apostle who was preaching to the proconsul. Elymas sought to turn the proconsul away from the faith. “But Saul, who is also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.’ Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had happened, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord” (Acts 13:9‑12).
Guidance of the Holy Spirit

After they passed through Phrygia and Galatia, the apostles were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’” (Acts 16:9). Thus the Spirit of God called Paul to preach the gospel in Macedonia, and Paul, obeying His command, immediately went there. Arriving in Philippi and entering a place of prayer, he spoke to the women who had gathered. Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, was listening, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. Paul entered the house of Lydia, and baptized her and her household. Led by the Holy Spirit, the apostles stayed many days in that city, and as they were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met them. The apostle Paul cast out the spirit of divination, for which he was beaten with rods and thrown into prison. At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. What the power of prayer can do! There was a great earthquake, the doors were opened, and the awakened jailer, supposing that the prisoners had escaped, was about to kill himself. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” The jailer brought them into his house, washed their wounds, and was baptized, he and all his household. And he rejoiced that he had believed in the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Spirit oppresses no one; He must be received voluntarily and willingly. He does not force His way into the life of a person, family, or society! No! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (see 2 Cor. 3:17), there is love and peace. Through Paul the Lord gently asked the believers in Ephesus: have you received the Holy Spirit? And they received Him and began to speak in tongues and prophesy; they became a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Blessed is the man who opens the door of his heart to the Lord! The Lord makes him free from sin, alive to the Lord, holy, as Jesus is. Amen.

Ivan Fedotov,

presiding bishop of the OTsKhVE

Ivan Fedotov gives an interview on Alexander Shevchenko’s program “Corner.”

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