[(Grace X Salvation) = (Justification + Sanctification)] = Mind In Christ = Agape Love


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Dear Mike,

I thank God for meeting you. You have helped me understand the Bible so much. And what a wonderful opportunity you gave me when you introduced me to the Men and Women of Action. I am attaching two files that describe some work that needs to be done here. Your building and evaluation skills are especially needed here. Show the article about the children to your
wife. She is needed there. We need the help of the Men and Women of Action and all other lovers of Christ's message. Have you had any success in forming a Methodist branch? Help me get Jake and others involved. There is a lot to do. With such volunteers we can have a victory over the
forces in Russia that do not want us to spread Christ's message. There is a real war going on here between those who want to promote Bible literacy and those who want to defend the status quo.

When I was shopping for souvenirs the other day at the hugh outdoor souvenir market at Izmailovo, I stopped to eat at an outdoor shish-kabob place in the food court area. I sat at the same table with a nicely-dressed man in his fifties. A colonel, he said, in the police. Eyeing the pretty young woman I was with, he asked what I was doing in Russia. "Pleasure or business? Or maybe, both," he smiled. I introduced my companion, Vika, the wife of a budding pastor, Roman, the youngest
member of the choir that came to Terre Haute. I explained our work with the United Methodist Church. Vika is an honorary member of the Seminary choir and sings with them on appearances throughout the city.  She also teaches handicrafts to women at her church. The colonel said he too was "a believer." To prove it he unbuttoned his dress shirt under his tie and pulled out the Orthodox cross hanging on a chain underneath. He went on to mention that literally "he goes to the cathedra,." But the phrasing he used was so ambiguous that you could translate it as "I've been at a church." Alas, this is the mentality of most Russians! They define their belief by the substance of the symbols they wear or of the rituals they perform. They do not define it by what they actually believe. They would be hard pressed to say what they do believe. As a matter of fact most of them do not believe in the beliefs associated with Christianity (that from sociological studies):God loves us, Jesus was born of a virgin, Christ died for mankind's sins, he rose in three days, miracles, etc. The friendly police colonel is just of the army of those trying to eliminate those who want to promote an understanding of the two-thousand year old source of western civilization. For the colonel to be religious it is sufficient to wear a cross and say "I am a believer." Saying so, to them, makes it so.

Thanks,
Pete
 

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