In the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class, missionary statesman Ralph Winter observed that throughout history when the people of God have failed to share the gospel with the peoples around them, He has often brought those peoples to the gospel, sometimes even with great force. Israel’s idolatry and selfish failure to take the good news to their neighbors led to the siege of Jerusalem. Today’s church has failed to take the gospel to all the peoples of the world, and so God has brought the peoples to the church’s shores
KYRGYZ People in Ukraine
by JS
Today we are seeing more and more people groups moving away from their traditional homelands. Sometimes it is for economic or educational pursuits. Often it involves fleeing from oppressive regimes or persecution. These people miss their culture, their former lifestyles and their foods. The Kyrgyz of Kyrgyzstan who live in Ukraine must long for the mountains and grasslands of their homeland. As nomads they herded their animals searching for suitable pastureland. Kyrgyzstan is a far cry from the flat-forested land of Ukraine.
But, Kyrgyzstan offers little opportunity for its people to hear the gospel. Most Kyrgyz are nominal Muslims, only adopting the religion about 100 years ago. They know little about Muslim traditions, and their traditional ancestor worship still plays a large part in their lives. The small number of Kyrgyz in Ukraine are fortunate to be there. Ukraine has been dubbed “The Bible Belt” of the former USSR because of its strong Christian heritage. Learn more at joshuaproject.net
Pray for the Kyrgyz of Ukraine to be set free from the delusions of spirit worship and the false hope of Islam. Pray that evangelicals will reach out to this small community and share the gospel message with them