RUSSIA/UKRAINE: “The War Accelerated Our Ministry”

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The Voice of the Martyrs

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🗓️ 5 April 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

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Summary

How is God at work amid ongoing fighting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Eric Mock, from the Slavic Gospel Association, wants to remind us that the gospel is going forth as Christians stay faithful to serve the Lord in spite of difficulties and hardship. He’ll share stories of Ukrainian pastors who kept up their ministries, even with Russian tanks outside their homes.

The Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) started in 1934, built on a foundation of prayer with a heart to reach those behind the Iron Curtain with the gospel. One of the ministry’s early effort was a dictation-speed recitation of the Bible broadcast over shortwave radio—allowing believers in Russia and other Soviet nations to create their own hand-written Bibles. (The Voice of the Martyrs has a similar broadcast reaching into North Korea today.)

Hear more about SGA’s history and how the Lord brought Eric to serve there in 2002 to support local churches and other ministries in 13 countries. He will describe how the fall of the Iron Curtain led to revival but then how consumerism later lessened revival fires.

Eric challenges all of us to see the examples of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are ministering and risking their lives for the sake of the gospel. Pray that the gospel would continue to go forth in Russia, Ukraine and other nations in the region, and that Christians would stay faithful through hardship.

The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Transcript

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0:00.0	As others were fleeing the country as the bombs and the missiles came, the faithful believers in Ukraine pushed forward, both rescuing people and helping them.
0:13.5	I talked to a pastor there that literally had a Russian tank in his front yard, and I said, why did you stay? And he said, here is where the
0:24.7	Lord called me. Here is where my people are. And as long as my people are here, I will stay.
0:34.9	Jesus never promised his followers an easy path.
0:38.3	In fact, he told his disciples that the world would hate them.
0:41.3	He sent them out as sheep among wolves.
0:44.3	Jesus' words came true in the life of the Apostles,
0:47.3	and they're still coming true today in the lives of his followers around the world.
0:51.3	Join host Todd Nettleton as we hear their inspiring stories
0:55.1	and learn how we can help right now on the Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network. Welcome again to
1:00.4	the Voice of the Martyrs Radio. My name is Todd Nettleton. We are not in the studio today in
1:05.0	Bartlesville, Oklahoma. We are actually connected through the wonder of the internet with Eric Mock.
1:11.5	Eric is the senior vice president of ministry operations for the Slavic Gospel Association.
1:17.3	We are going to talk about what that is and what they do.
1:21.6	Eric, welcome to the Voice of the Martyrs Radio.
1:24.1	Todd, I am honored to be with you and your listeners.
1:26.9	What a history what a history
1:28.5	voice of the martyrs has in serving faithful churches and advancing the gospel. And I'm honored
1:35.4	to be on the program with you. Well, we are honored to have you. And you talk about history.
1:41.5	And I want you to give a little bit of history of the Slavic Gospel Association, because you have quite a history as well.
1:48.8	Last summer, I was at Maranatha Bible Retreat and conference centers, a really neat place.
1:54.1	And an older lady came up to me and said, hey, we need to go to the prayer tower.
	...

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