Two quick stints to Moscow and a growing expectation

Sitting in my hotel room in a renovated stalinesque building at Prospekt Mira in Moscow. It is past midnight and traffic is still heavy. This is my second visit in two weeks.

Last time was for the board meeting of Word of Life International, which was very creative and fruitful indeed. Part of it had to do with the planning of the next WOLI Congress, that is planned March 1-4 in Turkey. I will write more about this in a coming blog post. BUT, I believe this can actually become our best congress. We see a surge and sense upward winds and have concrete steps to take to strengthen and expand the work, not the least a new wave of missions as new doors open up.

Today we met with the missions leaders from the Word of Life Centers. So wonderful to hear about a work that touches China, Indochina (where new countries are targeted), India, Central Asia and the Middle East. Much is being done, but new steps are to be taken. Together we can do more!

Now a quick nap and off again!

A new season starts!

It took the lion part of summer season before the swedish summer weather manifested with sun and somewhat higher temperatures. Still it has been a good one. Good weather certainly helps, but there is so much more to summer in Sweden, which is also our primary vacation period.

Bad weather usually means more reading time, since you can't be out, either relaxing in the sun or tending to your garden. I have enjoyed some interesting books on varied topics as pentecostal missions and revival in Brazil, on the need for rest, on theology of missions, on writing, on forgiveness, on the Siberian Tiger plus a slow Grisham and some others. My bird book has not been so much in use, though.

Vacation means family time, which is invaluable. Life is often quite hectic and vacation time gives more space for quality time with all members of the family. A roadtrip on 7000 km through Europe and much to see. Two of my daughters have been living abroad, so it was nice to see them, both in their respective homes abroad and back home here as they have now returned Sweden. Relation spells T I M E. Thankful for that this summer.

Most northern inhabitants shrug a bit as they understand summer is nearing its end and a new season is to set in. Maybe it is because we in a modern society spend so much time during the rest of the year inside our working places, offices etc.

I am grown up on a big farm. End of summer was not a disaster. It actually brought us into a new, very exciting season, autumn. In english it is sometime called fall, maybe because the leaves fall off. The Norwegians have a more positive approach. They call it "høst", which is also their word for harvest. At our farm autumn meant harvest time. The fields were full of ripening crops. Autumn is also hunting season and the time when all the fish we grew in large dams where to be "harvested". End of summer was a time of anticipation.

We had a truly great Europe Conference this year. Glad to see the many guests from China, Russia, India, Ukraine and many other places. The conference touched hearts deeply, it manifested Christian unity, it urged to heeding the great commission, it inspired to dream bigger dreams and press on forward. I believe we are in the beginning of a new season where things will speed up and intensify, not the least in missions.

Right now forty pastors from the Word of Life network are in India. In about a week we have a team heading for Iraq, we have about 10 volunteers heading for Vietnam and India. About 15 bible schools will start up a new school years. Autumn is he start up time for a new fruitful year, with a multitude of transformed lives on the different missions fields.

I am full of anticipation!

A salute to unknown heroes!

In Hebrews 11 we have a list of the Old Testament heroes of faith. They all have their story of extraordinary challenges and how faith in God brought them victory. They are there to inspire generations of bible reading believers to new exploits in the faith. The author finishes by writing “ And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about …..”  Behind these famed heroes are unknown numbers of more heroes in the faith whose names are not known to us. Still their contributions live on.

Nowhere is this more true than on the missions fields throughout history. David Livingstone wrote – And although I see few results, future missionaries will see conversions following every sermon. May they not forget the pioneers who worked in the thick gloom with few rays to cheer, except such as flow from faith in the precious promises of God's Word. 

Behind the towering figures of David Livingstone, William Carey and Hudson Taylour there were countless committed pioneer missionaries that worked far away from the limelight. Few know of them except the first fruits of converts that would then carry the work on. They paved the way for future generations. Even if their names are not known to us, we owe them. The truth is, we are all the result of earlier generations' prayers, tears and toils. What they sowed with tears, we have harvested with joy. Without their efforts we wouldn't be where we are today!

In many countries there are graves of an unknown soldier. No one knows his name, nor what he went through in battle. He cannot be awarded for any certain heroic feat. But it is evident to all that he paid the highest price and that his contribution helped to bring the victory.  Therefore an entire nation honors him. He is not just an unknown soldier. He is an anonymous hero!

This is true today as well. On the missions fields there are anonymous heroes. Biographies has not been written about them. They might not be popular conference speakers. But they do a tremendous and important work preaching the gospel and establishing the church, for coming generations to enjoy.

A missionary cannot seek earthly glory. He will then undoubtebly be disappointed. There is an anecdote about a returning missionary. After decades on the field he arrived by boat to New York City. Eagerly he looked down at the quay as the ship was docking. Music was played by a large brassband and there was a red carpet. His heart started beating. What a welcome home! Warm surges went through his body. His was in awe. Soon his enthusiasm turned into disappointment, though. The red carpet was not for him, it was for a British Royal on a state visit to USA. The missionary started complaining to God. "Has this Royal done anything good for this world? He has lived in a palace while I was toiling in Africa. How has he earned this treatment?" His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice inside his heart. "Son, you are not home, yet".

At the true homecoming, there will be a greater fanfare. There the deeds that might have looked insignificant in the eyes of the world will be rewarded. They might not have made it into the books of history, but they definitely made it in to the historic records of heaven. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Cor 15:58  Welcome home you faithful servant, enter in to the joy of the Lord! Matt 25:21

Here a salute to all unknown heroes! Their contributions are priceless.

Anecdotes from a Russian steam bath

During my years of living in and travelling in Russia, I really learned to enjoy one of their most treasured social pastimes – the banya. The banya is the Russian version of sauna, but it is much more than just a sauna. It is an institution. It is an important social glue. It is also what close friends do together. In the heat of the banya, friendship is forged. Here everybody is on equal terms. There is a Russian saying - In the banya there are no generals. In this naked reality there are no uniforms, no stars. In Old Russian wedding tradition the groom would carry the bride into the banya for a first steam bath together to give the marriage a good start. One could say that “people that sweat together, stick together”, wether newly weds or friends.

Why the banya has gotten to play such a central role in Russian social life, has to do with traditional village life. Russia is a cold country with long freezing winters and which has an abundance of snow and wood. Until recent they often had no running water in the villages, even less warm water. In the heat of the banya you can regain the upper hand over the cold. You also get clean as you wash yourself in the heated water. It was therefore in old times also the chosen place for childbirth.

There are many rituals connected to this bath. You start carefully, get heated up, go outside, to chill a bit and then return for a tougher round. The harder you bathe, the harder you chill, either through immersing your self in cold water or rolling in the snow.  For real hard baths it is common to wear hats and even mittens as protection against overheating. After that it is time to cool off. I have personally rolled in the snow in temperatures down to -45C. And then in again!  The water that is poured on the hot rocks forms into searing steam. The steam can contain essences that will clear you airways as you breathe it in. And then it is time for the whipping. For this whisks of birch leaves are used. They are dipped into hot water to soften up. As you are beaten, the leaves bring heat to your skin, which is then refreshed.  It also serves as a form of massage. The aroma of the leaves is very pleasant and refreshing as well.

During the chilling pauses one usually drinks tea, juices, home made compottes or kvas, the traditional drink made out of fermenting rye bread. At the table there might be bread, salads, fishes, meats, fruit and nuts. As one has spent a few hours in the banya, one feels like a new person, cleansed, refreshed physically and deeply relaxed and one is full and is happy for a close social and happy social time.

There are legends, as old as the Russian Ortodox church, about how the Apostle Andrew visited the northern shores of the Black Sea to preach among the Greek colonies there and then continued north into Slavic lands up along the river Dniepr as far as to Novgorod. "I saw the land of the Slavs, and while I was among them, I noticed their wooden bathhouses. They warm them to extreme heat, then undress, and after anointing themselves with tallow, they take young reeds and lash their bodies. They actually lash themselves so violently that they barely escape alive. Then they drench themselves with cold water, and thus are revived. They think nothing of doing this every day, and actually inflict such voluntary torture on themselves. They make of the act not a mere washing but a veritable torment."

It might be difficult to verify the truth of these stories, but these words very well describe my own and my fellow missionaries’ common first impressions of our first confrontations with the banya. Very soon though, we learnt to appreciate it very much. It kept us warm during the ice-cold winters and there lifelong friendships were born. Many deep and sincere spiritual talks we have had there after services. The banya is not only part of Russian culture and history; it is definitely a part of the Russian revival we have experienced.

Новая волна миссии

Мы провели потрясающие дни в Москве. Русскоязычная часть Международного объединения «Слово жизни» собралась на пасторской конференции, посвященной миссии и лидерству. Я был очень рад служить вместе с Лэрри Стокстиллом, Маттс-Олой Исхоелом, Артуром Симоняном и многими другими. Около шестисот делегатов приехали из девяти стран для участия в богослужениях и семинарах, на которых спикеры преподавали практическое учение по разным отдельным аспектам миссии: как стать миссионером на полное время, как достигать Евангелием малые народы, как адаптироваться к культуре, миссия в Индии, на Ближнем Востоке и так далее.

Мы с радостью наблюдали, как чувство единства, принадлежности одной семье, веры и ожидания усиливались на протяжении конференции. На эти дни я получил место из Писания: «Утверждающий же нас с вами во Христе и помазавший нас есть Бог» (2 Кор. 1:21). Он утверждает нас, и Он помазывает. Я могу засвидетельствовать, что именно так и получилось. Отклики всех пасторов подтверждали это слово. Мы — одна большая команда!

Потрясающе было увидеть, насколько важна и жива работа в странах СНГ. Мы уже видим сильное миссионерское движение. Это начало нового шага в истории нашей миссии. Это начало новой волны.

В юности я пытался заниматься серфингом. Нужно оттолкнуться, чтобы занять положение перед волной, когда она приближается к берегу. Сначала волна может выглядеть незначительной, но постепенно она поднимается выше и выше. Когда она приближается к берегу, нужно оттолкнуться, чтобы набрать скорость и поймать волну. Не сможешь оттолкнуться — упустишь волну. Когда же поймаешь волну, то она сама подхватит тебя, и внезапно ты почувствуешь себя во власти огромной силы, и тогда начнется приключение.

Вот что происходило в «Слове жизни» в конце 80-х и начале 90-х при зарождении русской миссии. Назвать это историей миссии не будет преувеличением. Родилось более тысячи церквей, более десяти тысяч человек прошли через библейские курсы, преобразились жизни бесчисленного множества людей.

Теперь пора всем этим церквям шагнуть вперед в международную миссию. Они помещены стратегически, чтобы шагнуть на юг на Ближний Восток, Центральную Азию, Индию, Индокитай и Китай. Начинается новое приключение!

Вместе до края Земли!

A new wave of missions - Word of Life International takes a new step into the future

We have had tremendous days here in Moscow. This time the Russian speaking parts of Word of Life International had a Pastors and Leaders conference focusing on Missions and Leadership.  I was glad to minister together with Larry Stockstill, MatsOla Ishoel, Artur Simonyan and many others. We had about 600 delegates coming in from 9 countries and participated in the services and mini seminars with very practical teaching about different aspects of missions as; How to become a full time missionary, How to reach ethnic folk groups, Cultural adaption, Missions in India, in the Middle East etc etc.

It was great to see how the sense of belonging together, the unity,  faith and expectation were strengthened further during the conference. I had a verse of scripture for these days - And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us. 2 Cor 1:21. He establishes us and He anoints us. I can testify that this is exactly what happened. It was fantastic to hear all the feedback of the pastors! We are a big team together! 

It is wonderful to see how vital and alive the work in the C.I.S countries is. We already see an emerging missions movement. It is the beginning of a new step in our missions history. It is the beginning of a new wave. 

In my youth I tried surfing. You need to paddle out there to get positioned for the wave as it is approaching the shore. At first the wave

might look really insignificant, but step by step it rises higher and higher. When it approaches the shore it is time to paddle to gain speed in order to catch the wave. Failure to paddle means missing the wave. As one catches the wave, the wave catches you and suddenly you find yourself pushed by an enormous force and that is when the real adventure begins. 

This is what Word of Life experienced late 80:s and early 90:s at the birth of Russia Inland Missions. It is not an exaggeration to call that missions history. Over 1000 churches born, over 10 000 bible school student and countless peoples lives transformed.

Now it is time for these churches to step in to foreign missions. They are strategically placed to reach south into the Middle East, Central Asia, India, Indochina and China. A new adventure is starting!

Together to the ends of the earth!

Celebration at the shore of the Danube.

The first time I saw the Danube was 1989 as I came to Bratislava to preach in an underground emerging church. The Iron curtain was still in place, but freedom was around the corner.

The Danube is Europe’s greatest river passing through 5 countries on the way to the Black sea. It has been part of and has shaped many years of European history. Together with the Rhine it formed a northern border of the Roman Empire. Out of the deep forest at its north, starving Germanic hordes strived southward and put pressure on and finally succeeded to cross it to invade the at that time Christian Empire. Christian missionaries had also crossed it as they headed northward to evangelise these barbaric Germans.

The Danube was later an important artery passing right through the mighty Austrian-Hungarian empire that was broken up by WWI. During WWII  Jews from the Budapest ghettoes were thrown in tied two by two, while Nazi Allied Pilkorsary played games trying to hit their heads in shooting contests.

On this blood soaked river, Word of Life organised a historic gospel boat tour. 1993 in the Slovak capital Bratislava, 150 church members from Uppsala and newly formed WOL churches in Eastern Europe, embarked on the Soviet era cruiser Druzba – Friendship, for a three week tour . These were tense times. The civil war raged in Yugoslavia through which the boat would go. Serbian snipers were known for trying to shoot boat captains on board the passing ships. Swedish authorities, including the Minister of defence, were quite worried about having 150 swedes coming in the line of fire. At some points the engines were turned off for the boat to quietly glide pass the most dangerous spots.

This last weekend we had a great celebration in Bratislava. 1500-2000 people from different denominations and countries joined in at Word of Life Bratislava’s 20 year jubilee. Such a contrast from my experience 1989 when we secretly met to worship the Lord! Now a large crowd praised the Lord, led by excellent worship groups. John Bevere, beside myself, Joakim Lundqvist and local pastor Peter Curic, ministered to a hungry and very responsive crowd. The conference was not marked by nostalgia. Rather thankfulness for what has been and a hunger and a resolve to press on into the future. A very good sign is the strong unity of among the churches. They do more than tolerating one another. They actually like each other and have fond a good way to relate to one another.

There are of course also strong bonds of friendship between Uppsala and Bratislava and we look forward to serve together in the future, both in central Europe as well as in distant missions fields.