Prior to 1990's there were no Presbyterians in Russia. But because of one man's willingness to serve Christ, there are over more 10,000 Presbyterians in Russia today.
This is the story of that one man. His name is Heung Rae Lee.
Elder Lee was a junior in high school when he was at a church revival. There he heard the testimony of a pastor who promised to lead 50,000 people to God in his lifetime. It was at that revival that Elder Lee discovered his purpose, passion, and destiny in life. While he might not be able to lead 50,000 people to Christ like the guest speaker, certainly he can lead at least 10,000 to Christ!
Elder Lee went off to college and entered the seminary to become a pastor. It was while he was a student at the seminary that he realized that it would be easier to lead 10,000 people to Christ in the marketplace than in the church because that’s where the non-Christians were. So after graduating from the seminary, he started his own business. He became quite successful and prosperous. During this time, he was an active member of his church as an elder and was a generous giver of his time, talents, and finances.
Life continued this way for a couple of decades until one day his wife suffered a massive stroke and was hospitalized. At his wife’s bedside, the promise he had made to God as a young man become ever more urgent as he was reminded of how precious and short life is. There at the hospital, he resolved himself to do something about keeping his promise to God.
The year was 1992, and the old Soviet Union had collapsed and Russia was ripe for revival. Surely, if there ever was a place where he could lead 15,000 people to Christ, it would be Russia.
Elder Lee sold his business and made plans to leave for Russia. When he left Korea for Russia, he had no contacts, did not know where he might stay, did not know a single word in Russian, did not know the culture or its history, and had no idea how he was going to fulfill his promise to God. All he had was his vision to claim his God-given destiny.
Once he arrived in Russia, he began praying and planning how he might proceed. There, God gave him the realization that if he established 100 churches with at least 100 members, then he could accomplish his goal. That was the reason why Moscow Presbyterian Theological Academy was born. In order to establish 100 churches, he would need to train at least that many pastors.
To date, God has established over 130 Presbyterian Churches where over 15,000 have come to discover their place in the Kingdom of God.
What can God do through just one person?
You tell me.
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