The Unchangeable Order

One of our Russian translator recalls these events as a little girl being raised by her Nanny near the capitol city of Moscow.

The guards at Lenin's mausoleum located in the heart of Moscow's Red Square have been changed every hour for the past 60 years. The Russian people had to stand in line for hours if they wanted to view and pay their respects to Lenin. But a question then arises: why was Lenin so exalted by the Russian people?

Born in the nineteenth century, Lenin became a revolutionist, and eventually, Russia's idol. In later years he rejected God, trusting only in himself. Lenin proclaimed to the masses that God did not exist, and the Russian people willingly believed him. They scoffed at Christians, calling them fools. Anyone who disagreed with Lenin could expect a violent death. If a church refused to deny God, the church would often be ransacked and burned-- often with people trapped inside. If people wouldn't put their trust in Lenin's teachings, thereby denying God, they could expect to be executed in public. The purpose of such threats was to convince people to follow the leader. Lenin's time was seen as a kingdom of evil and terror.

People began to believe that there was no God, and therefore, no sin. And since there was no sin, they were free do anything. Crime soon ran rampant. Lenin had to realize that his denial of God may have been a mistake. He stopped viewing God as an unfortunate, but necessary, opiate for the masses. But could he change his message? Strange as it may seem, that's exactly what he did. Lenin tried to make Jesus' Words his own, teaching the message of God as if it had come from him. The leader would selectively quote the Bible, always making himself the author. He demanded obedience and trust from all people. But he soon understood that the masses couldn't live without faith in God. Faith gave them the strength to survive.

When Lenin died, he was placed in a mausoleum in the center of the Red Square where people could view him. People believed Lenin was not really dead. They believed he continued to live in the hearts and minds of everyone. Lenin's cause was still alive, and he would live forever. At the time of his death, it was common to say, "Lenin lived, Lenin lives, and Lenin will live." The person of Lenin was turned into a cult. His pictures were everywhere. Every building and home carried his image. It was a special honor for children to become a "Pioneer" at the age of nine and receive a red tie around their necks, awarded to them in the museum of Lenin. Children would recite from memory their faithfulness to Lenin's cause. They were taught that Lenin was always watching, looking after them from his portrait, so they would be sure to be on their best behavior. Just as important, they were taught that everyone needed to be faithful to Lenin, not God.

There are no guards watching Lenin's mausoleum anymore. In the past, when it was still guarded, orders to the new guard never changed. The new guard simply acknowledged previous orders. In doing so, Lenin's mausoleum has remained "protected" for over 60 years.

The true Jesus Christ guards the Christian faith. Jesus has given an Order to His followers. He gave this order just before He returned to be with His Father in heaven as recorded in the book of Mark, chapter 16, verses 15 and 16:

And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned."

To this day this order by Jesus, the Christian's Commander, remains unchanged. After being saved from the penalty of sin, believers need to acknowledge their Commander's order as something that naturally follows their new birth. But things often go awry as complacency sets in. Before long, there is no sense of urgency. Soon this order from Jesus is ignored, minimized, or forgotten.

All too often believers experience waves of Christian enthusiasm, only to be followed by the inertia of long-term indifference. It's as if sharing one's faith is an option for the believer rather than a command. Only physical death frees a believer from the responsibility of sharing his or her faith with others. Any decision not to share one's faith when given the opportunity (the sin of omission), is willful disobedience as recorded in the book of James, chapter 4, verse 17 of the Bible:

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. See also John 9:41 and 2 Peter 2:21.

In the Christian life there is a battle continuously being fought with the forces of evil. But Christians are never to fight this battle under their own power. They engage the enemy, relying on the strength and power of Jesus Christ, the One in whom they place their trust. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 10-18 we read:

A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Few of us have, or ever will have, the preaching power of Billy Graham. However, that doesn't release us from the responsibility to share our faith with others. The church, by preparing people to share the Good News with others, acts as a motivator. Unfortunately, some so-called Christians find themselves wandering through life searching only for financial security, popularity, and material success. All too soon, these "professing" Christians pass from life into eternity having missed the one supreme reason for living - that of personally knowing the one true God.

Once you truly know God, you incur a life-long responsibility; a responsibility to share your faith with others. That's why you may have been given a personal card directing you to this website. The purpose of this website is to help visitors, such as yourself, develop not only an effective, but a consistent way to share their Christian faith.

The church is to prepare and encourage its members to share their faith with an unbelieving world. All believers including church leaders are responsible to personally share their faith with that world.

We hope you'll continue with your website visit. When you're finished, e-mail your comments, good or bad, to: The Christian Way. Thanks for your feedback, and we hope you find the remainder of your website visit not only helpful, but encouraging!

{top of page}