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This month’s missions spotlight is on the recent resignation of Russian President Boris Yetsin and the rise of Vladimir Putin and how this event relates to missions activity in Russia.

Persecution

As most of you know, the loose collection of nations known as the Commonwealth of Independent States formed after the breakup of the Soviet empire in 1990. Russia had been ruled by communists since 1917, and for all practical purposes all missions activity had stopped in that part of the world. After the breakup, many missionaries were able to return to that field and were able to gather in a great harvest of souls. To a man, however, those missionaries all heard in their spirits that the door of opportunity to win souls in Russia would not last very long.

Foreign missionaries were welcomed after the fall of communism in Russia, even to the point where Westerners were asked to come to Russia to teach the Bible in the state-run schools. This however was not at all a comforting thought to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Orthodox establishment (similar in many respects to the Roman Catholic Church) pretty much ran the show as far as religion in Russia was concerned, and felt threatened by missions from the West. Persecution of non-Orthodox Christians by the Church had always existed, but increased markedly after Yeltin’s decree (at the behest of the Orthodox leadership) in late 1997 outlawing all religions except the established Orthodox Church. Systematic persecution of national believers has been carried out since then by the secret police. House churches are routinely broken up and national pastors are suffering for preaching the gospel.

How acting President Putin will deal with the issue of missionary activity in Russia remains to be seen, but it is this writer’s opinion that under his rule persecution will grow even worse and foreign missionaries will be declared persona non grata. At any rate, the door of opportunity will close, either under Putin or some future Russian leader. The reader is asked to pray for believers in Russia and also that this field will remain open as long as possible to foreign evangelistic efforts. Jesus said that the fields were white unto harvest, and that we should be about our Father’s business of winning the lost before they perish.

The evil empire

Ronald Reagan made many references to Russia as the “evil empire” (and justly so) but there is another empire or kingdom that concerns the Christian that is known as the kingdom of darkness which is ruled by Satan. Satan and his forces have been arrayed against the Lord of heaven since the beginning of creation and Satan’s main ploy is to attempt to stop the preaching of the gospel. The rise of communism and its spread over much of the earth’s surface was just such an attack against the work of God.

One must always remember that souls hang in the balance, for men that die without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ do not make it into heaven. Many of what we call historical or current events can be interpreted in the light of the gospel. Communism, Marxism, Nazism, fascism, Mohammedism --- all of these political movements were orchestrated by the devil to hinder the work of missionaries called by God to win souls on the foreign field. When evil dictators arise the first thing that happens is that foreign missionaries are forced to leave, then the national church is repressed. This has happened in scores of countries throughout this century (most notably in Sudan as of late) and will continue to happen until Jesus returns to this earth to set up His kingdom and put down all unrighteousness.