However to most Central Asians the perception is quite different.  Such a building is a symbol of oppression.  One of the worst insults a Central Asian can give to another  when they become a follower of Jesus is to call them a Russian turkey.  An impediments for all Muslims  coming to Christ is the perception that they must submit to the authority of the religious order represented by such a building in order to do so.

Fortunately we do not enter the Kingdom of God through submission to man, position or system whether righteous or corrupt, abusive or loving,  eastern or western.  We enter into the Kingdom through Jesus alone.  

The stories  from Tajikistan were especially challenging. One man came to their community from the Aids clinic.  He had been sent back out onto the streets to die.  They received him.  Jesus healed him and six weeks later he walked back into the clinic to share his story.  They reacted like they were seeing a ghost.  Today the man is married and a radical follower of Jesus.

Story after story of long term addicts, prisoners, street people, prostitutes healed by Jesus.  Sergi says they make the best apostles to send to the villages since they fear nothing, having nothing to lose.

Some time ago I wrote about Sergi's friend, also named Sergi, who was shot while worshipping Jesus.  When they went to wash the body and prepare it for burial they realized his material poverty in that he only had one pair of underwear  (thus no clean pair to burry him in) and his spiritual riches in that his knees were raw from wrestling in prayer for that region to know Jesus.  When the village realized how much he had prayed for them several wept, including the leader of the local mosque,  and began their own journey towards Jesus.

Through the generosity of many we were able to help Sergi set up a bee farm as the foundation for  a self sufficient, multigenerational, rehabilitation, discipleship,  community church for men.  He has seen the failure of rehabilitation which does not include work disciplines and self sufficiency and which pushes residents out the door after a period of rehabilitation.  The vision is to multiply communities where the disciples can stay and continue to be and make disciples.   Each bee farm should multiply to create one new bee farm per year.  I like those dynamics!

Will you help us set up a  community for women?  The economic foundation will be mushroom growing and bees.  The need is for $4,000. That will establish a self sufficient community for around 20 and provide the financial basis to create another similar community in one year.  With increasing poverty, family and social breakdown the number of women and children on the streets is growing.  

During our last conversation with Sergi at the Bishkek airport at 5:30 in the morning as we waited for his flight to Dushanbe, I felt impressed to ask if he had any personal needs.  Elena said she had asked the same question with no reply.  Well maybe he did....  The apartment where he, his wife and their three children live is on the top floor of their building and the roof leaks.  There is no property management and those in the apartments below feel no need to help since they are not getting wet so winters are miserable.  Living in Dushanbe is a challenge enough when the electricity only comes on an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening!  

They can repair the roof for about $400 if they do the work themselves.  Your generosity makes things happen and if this or the women's community project are over subscribed we will invest the funds in other ongoing projects in Central Asia.

A BBC link regarding migrant workers in Tajikistan news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8129851.stm

This link regards the plight of brides in Tajikistan news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8049981.stm

Harvest Now Steve & Marilyn

What does this look like in the western world where individualism is the norm and extended family relationships are not?  Does the teaching of Jesus in Luke 10 extend across all cultural boundaries?  Of course it does.  This is Jesus we are talking about!   In the west our families tend to be various sorts of interest groups.  The problem is not with the harvest.  Waiting for the harvest to come to you?  Jesus never said they would!  He commanded his disciples to pray for laborers who would go and then sent them out as the answer to their own prayers.   Some contemporary western examples....

The team leader of a multifaceted ministry in England joined the local cricket club and got involved in all aspects of the club.  The result?  Several club members baptized as followers of Jesus.

A friend in Germany heard clear instruction to go to her local pub.  "Lord, I have never gone alone to a pub in my life and now?"  She went and joined a table of several ladies who were esoteric seekers gathered for their weekly talk.  They accepted her into their conversation.  After a few weeks of listening and answering questions they invited her to take a whole evening and share about her relationship with Jesus.  She did so just last Thursday night. Interesting house of peace!

Another German friend began to hang out in a local park with the homeless, punks and other people on the edges.  The result?  Several baptized followers of Jesus and a community of Jesus in the park. One man has a story of horrific childhood abuse and had been living on the street for 15 years.

Want to be a pastor?  Why not become the pastor (well,  coach/trainer) of your son's sport team?  A close friend did that and met a dad that he felt drawn towards.  At a certain point that dad stopped showing up at his son's practices and games.  My friend kept calling  but the dad never picked up until  Christmas Eve.  He picked up and began to talk about being in total despair and on his way to commit suicide.  That was the first of many talks and now this dad has become a follower of Jesus.

What about your work?  Live your life, do your job, meet needs, share simply and see what God will do.  Dutch friends did that as personal trainers at sports club.  One lady began asking questions and on a trip to her home, my friends noticed a bible on the table.  "Why do you have a bible on your table?"  "We are trying to understand it but we need someone to help us."  That  couple will be baptized this Sunday and renew their marriage vows as well.

We have had a great time with friends in Western Europe.  July 2 through 10 we will be in Central Asia sharing with our team there.  Your prayers and financial support are deeply appreciated.  

Steve & Marilyn

We will be in Europe and Central Asia from May 27 through July 15.  Our hope is to go to Tajikistan for the first time.  That is one of the poorest places on the planet but the team there is doing very well.  Would you consider helping us help them?  A little multiplied makes a lot!    They run a small discipleship, rehabilitation community  for ten to twenty and that requires some four hundred dollars a month for food and necessities.  That need would be covered if any 15 of you gave $30 per month.   Why not? 

As always your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.  

Every blessing

Steve & Marilyn

The Wilderness

Many feel that a lack of trusted leadership to relate to, a lack of any community or movement to identify with, a lack of miracle in provision or healing would be evidence of their being in a wilderness.  

The children of Israel had an anointed, powerful leader and they were still in the wilderness.  They were part of a great movement and still in the wilderness.  They lived by supernatural provision and miracle but were still in the wilderness.

Star leadership, miracles and multitudes are not proof that you are in the promised land.  

They may be  proof that you are still in the wilderness of immaturity and codependency.

Jesus went into the wilderness alone to fast and pray.  Maybe the true purpose of the wilderness is to wean us from our addiction to the approval of others, our addiction to the sensational, our addiction to equating numbers with success?  Maybe the true purpose is for us to connect with Jesus alone?  To settle our needs in God so that we can freely give to others?

When the children of Israel reached the promised land they dispersed to their own portion and each had to begin to take responsibility for their own lives, to manage their own affairs and to provide for themselves.  They could no longer live by Moses and miracle.  

You may feel alone and isolated..

That may be your promised land...

That may be the place you fully engage with Jesus.

Although it may feel like a wilderness, it is not only a good place.

It is the best of places!

______________________________

Would that be Ezekiel due to the intensity of his visions?  Would that be Isaiah due to the accuracy of his revelation of Jesus?  Would that be Daniel due to his wisdom and ability to interpret dreams that kept him at the power centers of two world empires?  Would that be Enoch who had such a powerful encounter with God that he literally was not here anymore?  

According to Jesus the greatest prophet was John the Baptist who came preaching "repentance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand".  So far as we know John never had a vision, dream or angelic encounter.  Yet Jesus called him the greatest prophet!  

How many prophets do you know who are preaching repentance?  

It is difficult for them to preach repentance from the practice of casual divorce and remarriage since such would close "ministry doors" to them and offend folks who pay for their conferences and buy their books.  But Jesus did so in Matthew 19:9!

It is difficult for them to preach repentance from selling the gospel and making merchandise of the people of God since most have embraced the same values.  But in Matthew 10:8 Jesus commanded us to freely give as we have freely received.   In II Corinthians 11:5- 21 Paul said that the  difference between the true and the false was not in message, anointing or gifting but in how they related to the people and money!  

It is difficult to for them to preach repentance from self promotion,  the love of position and title since most have embraced celebrity status but Jesus did so in Matthew 23:1- 12.

It is difficult for them to preach repentance from seeking special experiences and angelic encounters since those experiences are their tickets to "prophetic" status in a world that values experiences above obedience.  But Paul did so in Colossians 2:18- 19.

You cannot preach repentance from inside the camp!  You support the camp.  You can only preach repentance from outside.  The court prophets support the court.  The prophets from the wilderness are free to preach repentance.  That is why Hebrew 13:13 calls us to follow Jesus outside the camp.

Jesus said that "the pure in heart shall see God".  

The result of true repentance should be a pure heart to see God.

Once you see God the claims for revelation from the prophets will literally be seen in a different light.  Once you see God all dreams, visions and words will take their proper place.  That some talk about third heaven experiences as casually as a trip to Pizza Hut  and claim to be able to teach others how to have them, shows that they have never been farther than their own imaginations. 

Maybe the fascination of the general church world with the supernatural experiences, dreams, revelations  is simply because few of them have ever seen God?  Maybe we put prophets in a wrong place because we do not have God in the right place?

Maybe we would be less fascinated with "supernatural experiences" if we understood the vision of God that Jesus presented to us?  Yes, He came to show us the Father but He also said that if we served the least, we served Him.  

He placed the face of God on every suffering child. 

The pure in heart will see God and when they do the whole religious game of status, money, recognition, book sales and numbers will fade away.  They will see God and they will see His face as the face of human need and they will serve.  

Jesus is the greatest Prophet!

Hear Him!

Steve