The main theme of the Pentecost Retreat is “The righteous will live by faith”. Romans Chapters one to four were meditated on by the attendants. All sinners are under the wrath of God, as humans are ungodly and unrighteous, and even those who believe in God also have many sinful habits, as written in Romans 2. There is no other way or other name by which people can receive salvation, but only by grace, through Jesus, can they be saved.

There were Opening Service, Bible Studies on Romans 1–4, Prayer meetings, table fellowship, and other activities during Pentecost. On May 28, Pentecost finished with abundant grace and many testimonies. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully through the time of preaching and prayer. Many local CIS members testified that this amazing work of the Holy Spirit changed their hearts, and they hoped to serve more when they returned to their own countries.

]]> https://olivetcis.org/pentecost-retreat-2023-held-in-the-cis-oc-successfully/feed/ 0 https://olivetcis.org/summer-retreat-is-full-of-tearful-testimonies-in-cis-region/ https://olivetcis.org/summer-retreat-is-full-of-tearful-testimonies-in-cis-region/#respond Wed, 16 Sep 2020 09:44:30 +0000 https://olivetcis.org/?p=773 On August 28-30, 2020, Commonwealth and Independent States held regional Summer Retreat online. Congregations meditated Romans Chapter 5-8. At the last day, they also heard the presentation of Ministries Introduction. And then attendants gave tearful testimonies to conclude the Summer Retreat.

Here are some testimonies from attendants.

“These three days is like miracle for me, it’s amazing that I could join this spiritual feast with profound food. I even appear desire to preach gospel like all preachers at this retreat. Really the message can satisfy our soul. I recognized that how much I should learn patience and persistence on the way of sanctification on the first day. On the second day, I understood I need rebirth through water and spirit, ” one sister shared.

“On the third day, I know I’m on the position to save the world following the guidance of Holy Spirit. I also recalled all memories when God has come to my individually and helped me and comfort me, I can tell that God is really my Father, He is always good to me, He is always my power, no one or no any power can separate His love from me basing on Jesus, ” she added.

“I couldn’t stop my tear when I heard Romans 8. I don’t know how to pray, but Holy Spirit helps me to pray. I also understand I am the son of God because I’m guided by Holy Spirit. I’m so joyful that we have Holy Spirit to comfort me, and guide me,” one Sister living in Turkey shared and she married with Turkish Christian brother, but now she is attending Service and serve in Moscow Immanuel Church.

“Holy Spirit is also God! I can prove that in my personal life, I can not live without Holy Spirit. In my past seven years in Turkey, an unfamiliar foreign country, there are uncountable times I felt I was going to give up, give up my marriage, give up everything here and go back to my own country. But what helped me to stay, that is only because of the accompany of the Holy Spirit everyday. Holy Spirit even helped in very small things like helping to find my lost passport, another time is lost bank card, I can’t tell how much love I received from Holy Spirit. I encouraged everyone here to welcome and communicate Holy Spirit everyday” she concluded.

The first and the second Bible Studies were preached by pastor from Moscow on themes of  The Precious Cross and It Is Finished. one pastor preached My Resurrection on the third Bible Study. pastor from Moscow preached 153 Fish and led the Prayer Meeting, attendants prayed more than one hour for the world pandemic, and for each individual.

Some attendants shared it was very graceful that in this difficult quarantine time, only abiding in God, we can dance and be joyful, and we should pray more for patients and the doctors who work in hospital. One brother said he was touched when he received prayer for his health, he heard one pastor said “this brother’s body is not his, but God’s temple”.

Attendants are filled with repentant heart when they heard the message about cross, and then God turned tears to joy and peace when they heard the message about resurrection. May all of them can experience resurrection and have eternal love in their heart.

The Retreat was held on two online platforms at the same time, with two languages, Russian and Chinese. Congregations from Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and China attended. They learned The Prayer in Gethsemane.

Jesus is King and God, but He still prayed when there was difficulty, with His freedom, He didn’t escape from cross, but through prayer, He overcame. Now the whole world especially needs prayer, but God’s children fall asleep,  as sons and daughters, they should resemble Jesus, to pray and save all people in the world, because God don’t hope any one to be perished.

Congregations had a touching prayer time after the Sermon, and they expected for the following two days’ transforming work of Holy Spirit.

The Sunday sermon is Phi.2:1-8, only be filled with God’s love which showed by Jesus, human being can know their purpose of life, and their heart can be satisfied. So that people can be like-minded and bear each other’s burden like Jesus bear ours.

Among the four friends, two are teenagers, and two are twenties, the two teenagers have just received Jesus for several days, and they hope to know Bible more deeply.

Current senior members of church served the newcomers with joyful heart, as they understood one lamb’s back home is more joyful than 99 lambs at home. They prepared Kazakh traditional food for friends afar and the newcomers. Church minister and senior members are already inviting them to join in Bible Studies. Pray that they can be a new powerful wave in Kazakhstan’s mission.

Through this Christmas, the churches of the region have significantly strengthened spiritually, God led new people in Moscow, and in Kyiv and Almaty, regular visitors and new members of the church received strong encouragement from the Lord.

Leaders of the churches of the region continue to go forward with the belief that God will strengthen the churches even more in the coming year.

Among attendants, there were guests from Moldova and newcomer from another Ukrainian city Nikolaev.

After the Bible studies, attendants meditated on the meaning of the salvation and faith and finished the retreat with grateful prayer, thanking God for graceful retreat and asking God to help them to “work out own salvation with fear and trembling”(Philippians 2:12) building the Kingdom of God.

The message was about being watchful because we don’t know the exact moment of our Lord’s coming. In the first century, people from the Middle East held wedding ceremonies from evening into the night because of the hot weather. The groom was always late so people who met him should always watch carefully because they don’t know what time he will arrive.

The same also applies to nowadays because God promised that Jesus is coming again and what time he will arrive, we don’t know. So there are many people saying that “I am still young and I have enough time to believe in Jesus Christ” but the Scriptures say that “your life is like a cloud and you don’t know what would happen tomorrow”. If we look at what is happening every day, we can see there are many catastrophes and thousands are losing their lives unexpectedly.

The Bible says that you should remember your Creator while you are still young. And as Christians, we should always check ourselves if we are ready to meet the Lord when he comes again. Sometimes we think we are ready but actually, we are not ready.so we need to “be the wise virgins who took oil in jars along with their lamps and live a life of readiness and alertness”.