Shalom, dear friends, dear brothers and sisters in Y’shua.

I thank the Lord that I am honored to represent the messianic ministry of Belarus at this conference. This is my second time at this conference. First time I was privileged to be a speaker in Helsinki over twelve years ago.

I thank the Lord so much for calling me to minister to my people, Jews, when the messianic movement started in Belarus. It all began in the 1990s. Since that time I have witnessed the history of ministry among the Jews of Belarus.

Today we can see a big difference between the beginning of ministry to Jews in Belarus and our time. I would like to mention two periods: from 1990 to 1999 and from 2000 until present. All communities and churches had to go through these periods.

The 1990s is the very beginning. This is freedom which came into our country. This is freedom for preaching the Gospel (Hebrew Besarah) and the start of ministry among Jewish people in Belarus. This is also the formation, birth and development of messianic communities, churches and organizations. This is the All-Belarus Messianic Community (a public association), our community (it was the first one to be registered as a religious messianic community) and then Bethlehem Star Community and New Covenant Community.

The beginning is also the first evangelistic events in Minsk, evangelistic Jewish song concerts in 1994 (Jonathan Bernis), the first J for J conferences (AviSnader), the beginning of CJFM, the Finnish group Friends of Israel, as well as the creation of a community through the ministry of Finnish missionaries Hannelle and Hana Suorrti.

We had good events at that time, but we also faced problems and mistakes. But the Lord expanded His Body among His people and took care of it.

The second period was a very difficult and challenging time in all respects. It began in the first days of January 2000. The authorities kicked out all churches and communities which rented cultural centers, theatres and other buildings like that. This was an attack on freedom of religion. There was some persecution against the Body of the Messiah. Many churches and communities could not rent buildings. This also affected our ministry. A number of communities and churches lost their people. Many were not prepared for difficulties. But God restored everything step by step.

In 2002, a new law on freedom of religion was adopted. This was a draconian law. But before this, an important event took place in Minskin 2001. “Jews for Jesus” had an outreach event in Minsk. This was a huge risk. Many churches and groups joined forces in preparing this event. The Lord showed at that time who was who. The leaders of some Protestant denominations wanted no conflict with the authorities. Some were simply anti-Semitic. But the Lord gave us His fruit.

The situation changed completelyafter 2002. The new law on religion was directed against Protestants – first of all, against Charismatic and Pentecostal churches. The law was also against messianic communities. We all lost the status of messianic communities. According to the new law, we had to join Christian unions. This new law did not allow us to create our own messianic union. The city authorities were happy that now there was no official and legal messianic Jewish ministry or groups. But the Lord led us on in the ministry to the Jews of Belarus.

Well, it is true that at this time new groups of messianic ministry were started in Bobruisk (two assemblies), Brest, Baranovichi and Mogilev. I heard that New Covenant communities appeared in Vitebsk and Gomel. Praise the Lord! All this is our history.

Now I would like to discuss briefly some of the features and problems of messianic ministry. Today’s messianic ministry is very different from the movement of Jewish Christians before World War Two.

In Russia and later in the USSR, Jewish Christians had 100 per cent Jewish communities. Preaching was in Hebrew. Everyone had a Jewish lifestyle. Communities had a biblical foundation in their teaching on faith, sin, salvation, new birth, sanctification and spiritual growth. This was God’s stewardship.

Today’s messianic movement has a greater focus on Jewish roots and Jewry. Many communities have laid aside fundamental principles of a believer’s spiritual life, such as faith and salvation.

Should we talk about the Jewish roots of our faith? Of course! We must know the origin of our faith. This is the foundation which God provided through Moses and the Prophets. We should preach it among our people and among Gentile Christians. We should not stand on the Greek frame of thought, but on the foundation of biblical Judaism, true Christianity, which is the mind of Christ and the wisdom of the Messiah.

But there are many errors today. For many, Jewry comes first. I am not against Jewish traditions and Hasidism. But many made an idol out of them. Much of their teaching is taken from rabbinism. That’s why many preach reincarnation or that Y’shua is the Messiah, but He is not God. Such concepts as Jews and Jewry now often compete with God’s priorities. We have abandoned simplicity in Y’shua. His simplicity is not Greek or Messianic theology, but the Gospel (Besarah). The Gospel is found in the beginning: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near…” and in the end of time, in the Book of Revelation: “Fear God...” We live in the end times. And this leads us to God’s priority in teaching about sin, repentance, salvation, sanctification, the life of holiness and righteousness, and the law of the Spirit of life. This is our Jewry! All the rest is our ego, pride, arrogance, haughtiness, error and heresy. This is the biblical position. This is my position. I hold on to it, especially after I was healed from cirrhosis in 2009.

In conclusion, a few words about our ministry. Our ministry, “Kidush-Sanctification”, targets both Jewish and non-Jewish people in Minsk since 1992. We preach the Word of God and provide pastoral care for people in their spiritual salvation and growth, as well as take care of their needs. Quarterly we help them with humanitarian packages and food. This is not an easy thing to do. AlekseyShepelev from Moscow and I help disabled people, former ghetto prisoners and elderly Jews. We give them the bread from heaven with one hand and daily breadwith the other.

I personally seek humility before God so that His glory would shine in my life. I want to show the living God, not myself or my talents.

As a pastor, I have close spiritual fellowship with brother ArkadyMargulis (pastor of a messianic ministry in Zhitomir, Ukraine). He is my senior pastor. I was healed from liver cirrhosis in this city in 2009. The Lord allowed me to work with “The Apple of His Eye” in Belarus. I am very thankful to God for my friendship with brother Aleksey Shepelyov. He invited me to join Mashiah.info, a messianic Internet radio, where I serve as a sound producer. Together we distribute “Shalom”Magazine, and Aleksey is the editor of this magazine.

I thank my Lord so much for friendships, prayers and supportNCMI.

My prayer and challenge for everyone is to understand what historical and prophetic time we live in; sincerely leave everything that does not bring glory to God; place God’s priorities in the center; find God and His power; achieve unity with God and all those who walk in His light; preach nothing else but Besarah (Gospel) and wait for the Lord’s coming!