The work of salvation was discussed at the Sunday meeting of the church “Philadelphia” on 14 February. Senior pastor Pavel Zhelnovakov called everybody to think about the Great Commission that Christ gave us — to bring the good news to all nations.

God knows that we, believers, sometimes get tired. Jesus also got tired physically and spiritually. God realizes that many things influence our spiritual state: people around us, work, weather and what not. He warned us that the love of most will grow cold. But God can renew us if we are tired. “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

God is ready to revive us so that we can let people who don’t know the Savior enter our heart and we can tell about Christ. God wants everybody to be saved. He is not satisfied with our outer piety, snobbishness, our unwillingness to feel sympathy. Our hearts can harden, but we should be ready to let God change them. He doesn’t do it against our will. We should ask God to show us what prevents us from doing His will. And when He shows it, we should ask Him to give us courage to be reformed.

Then there was time for a particularly solemn occasion — Maksim and Inna Zhelnovakov’s wedding ceremony. The day earlier they got married and on Sunday they got God’s and church blessings. In his speech Pavel Zhelnovakov as a pastor and father reminded that in the garden of Eden God said that it is no good for the man to be alone and made a helper suitable for him — the woman. Senior pastor spoke about God’s order in families that apostle Paul mentions: the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man. After this instruction that was useful not only for the newly-wed but for those who got married long ago, there was a prayer for the new family couple. The instruction will be useful for the young people who announced about their wish to be husband and wife — Maksim Haritonov and Daria Zaitzeva.

Next Sunday the church will have a holy communion.