Crimea

Автономна Республіка Крим

March 4, 2014

Colossians 3:5-11(NIV)
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”

The Kingdom of God often defies comprehension.  Most people think of kingdoms as countries, and countries as places.  However, if you look for a national border for the Kingdom of God, there isn’t one to be found.  However, the Kingdom of God can separate people – even though they may live under the same roof.  Actually, that’s not fair.  People often separate themselves from the people of the Kingdom, even though people of the Kingdom are intent on adding others to the Kingdom.  Countries have flags, but the Kingdom of God doesn’t have a flag, although people of the Kingdom often sing about the banner of love.  Speaking of singing, the Kingdom doesn’t have a national anthem.  There might be one waiting for us when all other countries are done away with (Rev. 14:3).  By the way, citizenship in the Kingdom is another oddity.  Everyone is related in the Kingdom of God, and there is no distinction among the children of God.  By the way, that’s how we were told to think of ourselves – as children of God.  We know that we are a strange and peculiar people, but you can find us everywhere, and speaking every language under the sun.  It’s funny how love has changed us.

We have some friends serving in the Ukraine.  Actually, fellow members of the Kingdom of God live and work in the Ukraine.  In other words, brothers and sisters in Christ are on the front lines of the conflict in the Ukraine and Crimea.  I know it’s in a land far away and most of us know very little about the country, the people, or the history behind the conflict, but we should care, because the Kingdom of God is affected by what’s happening there.  Part of your family is suffering.  The ministry is disrupted by the arrival of Russian invaders – some of whom may be part of the Kingdom.  Military service is required for those who live in the Ukraine, so some of our family is being forced to fight.  People have fled, and are fleeing from their homes and their work.  The Crimean region and the people of the Ukraine are suffering, and the people of the Kingdom are doing, and will do what the people of the Kingdom have done for 2000 years.  They will serve, help in healing, bandage the wounded, feed the hungry, take in the orphan and pray.  I think we can join them in that.  We should pray for our brothers and sisters in Simferopol, in Crimea and in the Ukraine.

I chose the passage above for two reasons; first, to remind us of the Kingdom of God way of thinking, and second, for the reminder of the Scythians.  In the Old Testament, the Scythians were known as Ashchenaz (Genesis 10:3; Jeremiah 51:27).  The descendants of the Scythians live in what we now know as Crimea.  “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.  Let us pray for our brothers and sisters there.