Dear Friends and Supporters in Evangelism
I found that the Day of Prayer we held in Milton Keynes on 21st January was a great encouragement to me. Spiritually I found myself personally at the new level I am seeking in my ministry, a closer fellowship with Jesus. I know that we can still go a little higher, but it’s getting better all the time.
For me this is important because I am very conscious that my life and my ministry are moving into a whole new level, both on a personal basis and also in my ministry. I am seeking greater power and a closer relationship with the Lord for the next phase of ministry. So I came away from the meeting with such a powerful experience, deeper and higher than anything I have experienced before. I felt for days that I was walking on air. I know that it is God’s confirmation that what I will experience this coming year will be more powerful than anything I have experienced before in my ministry.
Right now, the situation in Ukraine needs our prayers. If Russia succeeds in destroying Ukraine it will lead to further attacks on the Baltic States and Poland. If she fails and is forced to withdraw from Ukraine, it will be the end for Putin and lead to the breakup of the Russian Federation. This could, with God’s help, open a massive door for evangelism! It is this weakness of Russia in the present conflict which is enabling us to have greater freedom to evangelise in former Soviet controlled Central Asia.
God is in control. I am praying and believing that Putin will be removed from power, God only knows how, and that the war will be over before June. This may appear impossible, but our God is the God of the impossible who created Heaven and Earth! I am praying – and God is listening!
As you know, I was in Ukraine over the Orthodox Christmas. Our staff there are under a lot of pressure, but the work continues. We continue to send humanitarian aid, much of which is distributed in the needy areas by the Military Chaplains; Katie and I are now officially Military Chaplains, as are some of our staff. This gives access to the Frontline – without guns!
Sadly, we have just heard from our staff that one of our pastor friends in Slovyansk, who lost two of his sons, tortured in the fighting in 2014, has just lost a third son, a chaplain, not a soldier, killed by Russian shell fire. This is how the war is affecting Christians; as also the deliberate destruction of a large number of evangelical churches, the persecution is clearly seen.
Following the Day of Prayer in Milton Keynes, I went to Poland. God had gone before me; the opportunities in Poland are opening up in a remarkable way, as if a great barrier has been removed. We are being asked to work with both the Catholic and the Pentecostal Churches and our staff represent both in a unique way as we never had before! I am being asked to speak at a large Catholic Rally and other meetings. The Catholic head of Alpha is working with us, and we support them as they set up Alpha courses following our evangelism. As our work expands, we are opening an official office in Poland; we need experienced Polish staff who have a relationship with both the evangelical and Catholic churches.
The opportunities in Central Asia are miraculous. Following the tremendously successful evangelism last year in Georgia, the government are inviting me back to Batumi and assisting the organisation! In Armenia we are expecting to have a National Day of Prayer with all denominations at the end of April – this needs much prayer. In Uzbekistan I am booked for meetings March 24-26. If we ask God for the right connections, we will have the support of the government and local TV – it needs prayer, but a door is slowly opening! In Kazakhstan, which is now re-opening to the Gospel, we are planning evangelism in four cities, probably July and August. I already have the necessary religious visa which they forced me to have last year, but this does not expire until September!
All of this has either opened or been confirmed since our time of prayer on January 21st. But you can see that we are very active with a clear programme, major evangelism in several countries, and, where this is not yet possible, we call for United Prayer! God has given us a clear strategy which worked in Ukraine. Interestingly, 30 years ago we simply evangelised in stadiums and large venues, which opened the way for revival and planting new churches. Now, together with the churches, we are able to use strategic prayer combined with evangelism to reach even more.
Interestingly, after 62 years of working in the former Soviet Union under massive persecution, now we get the support of members of government! In both Ukraine and now Georgia, government ministers not only attend our evangelism but say, publicly from the platform, ‘David used to be public enemy number one, now he is a friend of our nation!’ God is so good, and I am so thankful that I am living long enough to see the results of the seed ‘sown in sorrow but reaped with joy’.
As I write this I am preparing for my annual time of prayer on the mountains in Switzerland from February 12th to 20th. One of our very strong supporters is paying for this visit to my prayer mountain, as he has done before. Thank God for people like him!
Be encouraged, God is at work! I am experiencing it in my life even more as I get older! There is always opposition, but significantly, I have always found that, if Satan attacks, it means that something big is about to happen! We need your support both in prayer and with finance more this year than ever. Our income is growing slowly, but our programme is larger, and costs are higher, so we value your continuing support more than ever. We are all living in a difficult time economically, but the seed which you sow will reap an even larger harvest in eternity because God Himself will reward you! The urgency is because the converse is also true, the small seeds of sin and unbelief which are sown so liberally and increasingly today will reap a harvest in Satan’s kingdom. This is why we desperately need to preach the Gospel in today’s world. And yes, it was fear of hell that brought me to Christ and made me an evangelist!
The older I get, and the more that I do for Him, the closer and more personal my relationship with Jesus becomes. You and I together, as partners and co-workers in this vital ministry, are about to experience something incredible, exciting, and powerful. I can’t wait to see what it is! I thank God for you and your gifts, especially the ‘widow’s mite’. May the Lord bless and keep you and answer your prayers.
David
‘I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.’ (Philemon 1:4-7, NIV)
The relief work we do in war-stricken Ukraine is an expression of our love. Thank you for continuing to support our work. Daily our staff provide humanitarian and spiritual aid to the vulnerable and displaced. During January, David ministered in Ukraine. He prayed with the displaced, met with government and military officials, and preached Jesus to the hurting. In this New Year, we are expecting to do more than in previous years. We need your support more than ever! To fulfil all that God has put in David's heart will necessitate much prayer and financial support. To make a gift: eurovision.org.uk/donation