An American Obsession With Ukraine

 In 1992, a young man from Hillsong Church came and spent time with my wife, Andra and I on his way to join a team planting a church in Kiev, Ukraine.  The church plant was to be a partnership with an American leader who had been broadcasting contemporary Christian music across the former Soviet Union via television that resulted in many Russian speaking people being open and receptive to hearing the gospel for the very first time.  The impact of this work resulted in a need to plant churches in all the former Soviet Union States of which the Ukraine had been a part.  The Ukraine, historically, has played an important role in spreading the gospel prior to the founding of the Soviet Union for over a thousand years. However, when Lenin-Marxism came on the scene, the Leninist political state sought to remove the Christian faith from all aspect of life and influence throughout its empire. In fact, it burned every Bible and outlawed the Christian faith from public life.  All of its endeavors were stepped in Marxism and atheism became its religious foundation. So, to hear that the former Soviet Union was an now an opening field for the gospel was an exciting venture for those of us who grew up in the period before communism fell.  When the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, began dismantling the union of his nation and opening it up to the West; CBN president, Dr. Pat Robertson, took the opportunity to run his networks "SuperBook" cartoon series on television, along with a contemporary music program all across the former Soviet Union's television network.  This result in 30,000 letters a day coming from children, young people and families responding to the messages that were presented through these programs.  
It was great to to hear about the stories behind CBN's efforts but I had no idea that it would result in my journey and participation in joining Hillsong in its church planting efforts in the Ukraine.

    As the vision was presented in my office one day by Hillsong's original youth pastor Darko Culjak, I heard some very challenging word's from the Holy Spirit. The Lord had me share what he said to me with Darko who was staying with me at the time.  The Lord said, "the American team that Darko was sent by Hillsong to support was not going to turn up in Kiev and that Darko would find himself left alone there with no help to plant the church and I was to come along side of him and help him in this endeavor.  The result came about in October that year with hundreds and thousands of people responding to the gospel and Darko planting a church on his own.  Over the next few years I assisted him in many ways and Hillsong saw to it that the church was firmly established in that city.  All this is rich history and focused me in new ways of presenting the gospel to the unchurched world in my own nation as well as other endeavors I have participated in throughout the world.  Darko became a close friend and was a great inspiration to me personally.

Let me be clear, neither Hillsong, Darko, or myself were ever focused on the development of the Ukrainian government as it emerged from communism.  However, it has always been clear from the beginning of it's independence from Russia that many of the former communist leadership assumed power in the new government as it emerged.  In my personal view, I viewed this newly formed government as being corrupt from its beginning and would not change until we reached the people with the gospel.  All of us involved in this outreach never really thought about how this newly formed government would develop because our focus was helping those we ministered to daily.  Obviously this nation, like all other former Soviet Union nations in Eastern Europe would have to carve out its own path - which brings me to the point I would like to share.  Our job, as believers, it not disrupt a culture and replace it with ideologies, western ideas, or political philosophies. We are to present "The Gospel" and disciple the people to Christ and trust them to incorporate it into their own cultural contexts - without Westernizing their thinking.  Our western countries have their own problems - which is why I think American's need to stay out of toppling or taking sides in disputes that our not our business.  Our country is in trouble enough as it is and we need to address our problems first by example to demonstrate to others how to bring about changes in our own cultural context before we lecture anyone else on theirs.  Our nation in order to be "a city on a hill" needs to lead by example not by military campaigns.  We have no business spending our tax money on anything right now but getting rid of the 34 trillion dollars debt we have as a nation.  Our nation is now 4% Christian and as Christians were are being called to win people to Christ.  In my view, we all need to be activity involved in our governmental processes because it was designed to work that way as a democratic Republic. However, legislating the Christian faith will never change the heart of a people. As the early Quakers of Philadelphia rightly pointed out, "There is only one who can speak to our condition - Jesus."  This begins with presenting unchurched people with the gospel - not church.  Church going is not the gospel.  Jesus is the transformer of individual hearts and lives, families, communities and nations.   

    I am so thankful to have played a small part in Darko's journey into the Ukraine and seeing so many your people come to the Lord through his faithfulness to his calling to reach people.  What a great story these Ukrainian people have. They are wonderful people and need our continued prayer support as they navigate themselves forward through this difficult period.  We too, need to hold our nation in prayer as we navigate our lives through this period of change with a focus of introducing a generation who has never heard the gospel like those in the Ukraine experienced some thirty years ago.

     

                                                           Hillsong Church Kiev, Ukraine