Very good evening to the church family here in Belize. It's a joy for me to be back again and a joy too to appreciate the wonderful messages and song that we have just been listening to. And I have no doubt God will bless those as well. As David said, we go back many, many years Of course, he's much, much, much older than I am, but I have grown over those years to love this dear man of God, and he has been a mentor to me for many years. He has prayed for us as a family, and he has supported me as an individual, and I consider him a friend, as God considered many of the great men of old in Scripture. David, thank you for your friendship and for your testimony as well. Well, dear friends, I want to take this opportunity to say Happy New Year. It's not too late, I hope. And maybe for you, 2024 was a difficult year. It was a year filled with struggles, uncertainties, fears. Maybe you stumbled spiritually and you're just getting back on your feet again and you're so glad the door to 2024 has closed and you're very excited about 2025 has in store for you. Well, I'm excited for 2025. There's lots of things I don't know about it yet, but I know God's already there. And as a mission, we're also very excited for 2025 because this year SGA, Slavic Gospel Association, celebrates its 75th anniversary. Now again, I must emphasize I was not there when it began. But I've been rejoicing in all that I've heard, all that I've read, all the people that I've met, all the things that God has been doing over the last 75 years. And the same God who has done this in the past, of course, is able and will do great things for us as people. in the year that lies ahead. So we're excited about that. And for those of you maybe who don't know an awful lot about SGA, now this church family does, but maybe you're visiting, maybe you're listening, and I want to introduce you just to a little bit of the work that SGA is involved in. And this is by way of celebration. This short video will give you an insight into just what God has done and what our vision for 2025 is. As SGA UK celebrates 75 years of ministry, we look back with thankfulness to God and forward to the future growth of gospel ministry. At SGA, we believe the most effective missionary strategy of our time is to support the local efforts of existing churches in their own country. We partner with local Christians to equip new church planters for ministry so that new people are reached with the gospel. We're marking a 75th anniversary by expanding the number of sponsored missionaries in Central Asia, supporting new pioneering missionaries serving in Mongolia and increasing gospel workers in Eastern Europe. We're aware God has placed us in a special time and has given us opportunities that He may choose not to give us tomorrow. The need is immense. Many gospel workers require financial assistance if they are to engage in effective church planting and pioneering missionary work. Join SGA supporters in continuing to pray, plan and provide for additional servants in God's harvest field. Partner with us in prayer and contact us for sponsorship opportunities. This is why we're excited, because the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to be at the very center, at the very core of everything that SGA does. And we're excited because when we preach the gospel, God by His Spirit speaks into hearts, transforms minds and lives, and makes us his children. And we long that many more in the Slavic nations would come to know Christ. Our four core ministries are familiar to the church family here at Beli. And we continue to focus on this. We continue to emphasize this. We continue to invest in these ministries as we move forward. When I think of training workers, currently over 1,000 students are being trained in the local mission schools, as well as a number of Bible colleges throughout the Slavic nations, and as well through the independent Bible training program. Men and women who have responded to the gospel, who have sensed God's call into ministry, are now seeking to train others as well and reach others. And this is why providing solid biblical foundations for sustained gospel ministry is extremely important to SGA. The sponsoring of leaders, those who have been trained, need to be encouraged and we seek to encourage them by walking with them. And currently SGA are supporting over 200 missionary families around the Slavic nations. We're talking of course about the areas where the Orthodox Religion is to the fore in Eastern Europe. We're talking as well about the Islam-dominated Central Asia. And, of course, there in the spiritual darkness of Far East Russia, God is at work. And we are sponsoring those who can take the gospel message to those who are still in need. And one such family is the Hensel family. They're working in Bulgaria or in Bratislava rather and in Slovakia and I love this guy's vision as he met with others just over ten years ago and they were planning and they saw God asking them to plant a number of new churches, ten new churches in this particular area. They currently have planted six and three more are going to be planted within the next month or two. So the gospel is on the move. God is at work, and God's people are seeking to reach others. As well as that, then publishing literature is too at the core, not only in providing Bibles, but also encouraging in-country writers now to do the work of translation and indeed writing Christian literature for those in need. We don't have the blessing of the faith mission or the evangelical bookshop just around the corner. And so we value and we are investing in this program as well. The word of God, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, and the word of God continued to increase and the number of disciples multiplied greatly. That's what we're seeing in the Slavic nations. And we praise God for that. This is why we celebrate our 75th anniversary. But amidst all of this, there are, of course, of course many people who are hurting. There are those who are widows and orphans that need help. There as well there are families who are struggling and indeed we see many believers facing opposition of one kind or another and as a result materially and physically they need our help and it's a joy to be able to show the love of Christ as such. So these are the four core ministries of SGA as we provide even material help Of course, at the very center of all the ministries through the local church is the proclamation of the gospel, ensuring that people get God's word. As we see God's word getting into hands and hearts, we see lives changed and we give him all the glory. The challenges are real. The opposition is indeed inevitable. Needs are unending, but the gospel is all powerful because it speaks of an almighty God who through his son sought to redeem and seeks yet to redeem a lost world to himself. Now I want to spend just a minute or two talking about the country of Ukraine, no longer on our television screens or on our social media platforms. And yet we are only too aware, as we hear reports time and time and time again, that the war in Ukraine continues. Indeed, the war is raging in Ukraine. Lives are still being lost in Ukraine as we come to marking the third anniversary of this conflict. When we realize that behind every life that is lost now, over half a million casualties, it is believed, exact numbers are very hard to pinpoint. The devastation continues. Major cities are being destroyed. Infrastructure is being destroyed as well. And there's despair. There's despair almost at every hand and in every street corner. We need to keep on praying, dear friends, for our brothers and sisters in Christ in the land of Ukraine. There are so, so many needs. Graveyards are, as it were, popping up. And Ukraine flags are appearing indicating a fallen loved one. And this is happening every single day. And so we need to pray for the widows and for the orphans as we are commanded to do so in scripture and seek to meet their needs with God's help. I think of Tatiana. Tatiana, just a short while ago, lost her mother. And just five months later, she lost her husband. Her world fell apart. Her world was in pieces and she had no idea what to do or where to go. And the church reached out. And this is what Tatiana records for us. Oh, it was a painful, a very painful blow. She says, at the time it seemed I had lost everything. All I wanted was to lie in bed. I had no future. I wanted nothing. I dreamed of nothing. Maybe some of you can identify with such a situation. But the church reached out to Tatiana. She says, I can't even remember who brought me to the church, but I am very thankful to those people because to be honest, if it weren't for the church, I don't know where I would be. You see the importance of the church today in personal lives such as this one. Now, when the war broke out in Ukraine, There was a tremendous need for generators, and SGA had the joy of being able to support the churches in Ukraine by helping to supply generators. The infrastructure, the electrical and power plants were being bombed, and so the churches needed generators to be able to function, and the churches were one of the few buildings that remained open. And we praise God for that. They became known as centers of help and heat and hope. Many coming to charge their phone, to heat up some food, and of course, to hear the message of the gospel. Now, they're not asking for more generators, but they are asking for help to buy fuel for such generators. There's a particularly harsh winter now has befallen the country of Ukraine, which always makes things even more difficult, but the church doors remain open. And God's people are seeking to bring the light of the gospel in such situations. As well as needing fuel for generators, there's a tremendous need for fresh water. And one of our pastors discovered a well on his small site, and so he began digging and providing fresh water for individuals, as well as tanks like this for local churches. And so people were coming to church again. for fresh water, but of course hearing about the one who is the living water. And not only individuals and churches, but also hospitals. And so what a tremendous opportunity God is providing in this season of despair. But there's also a tremendous need for Bibles. And in the west of Ukraine, one of our printing places there always was providing food boxes and Bibles in those food boxes. But now there's an even greater need for Bibles. And so we want you to pray that God will help us as we seek to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to get more Bibles printed. And these Bibles are being taken over into the east of the country where people there who have been unable to maybe flee and they're asking for God's words. The tremendous opportunities and in 2025 we're seeing ways in which the gospel is making progress. We are enabling gospel expansion even in the country of Ukraine. And, you know, when the churches got together and the pastors were thinking of how to move forward the ministry of God's word and that of the gospel, at Earpin Bible Seminary, they met together for a strategic conference. And at that strategic conference, the conclusion was the ministry of the gospel will not stop. And that thrills us. And how can we not get behind our brothers and sisters in Christ as they seek to preach the gospel, the only message of hope? wherever you are in the world, even if you're sitting here tonight or listening at a later stage, the message of the gospel is your only message. of hope. And this is why our 2025 75th anniversary theme or vision is to enable gospel expansion, not just in Ukraine, but also throughout the Slavic nations. And we praise God for those who have been faithful ministers of the gospel down through the years in Ukraine. Some have been forced to flee, some have remained. I can think of this last guy, Pastor Sergei, over 70 years of age, and despite having a cardiac condition, refuses to leave East Ukraine, to get medical help in the United States where some of his family is. Who will feed my people, he says, if I leave? Dear friends, this is what humbles us. This is what excites us. This is what challenges us. This is what inspires us. Those who are so convinced of the message of the gospel is a message from God alone. not just faithful members in the past, but I can think as well of this incredible couple here. This is, let me introduce you to them. This is Yuri and Victoria Maslov, and they're in the Sarachanka village in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 150 miles southwest of Kharkiv that you will have heard of there in the center of Ukraine, a village of approximately 8,000 residents. And this young couple, only in their 20s, Well, I see them as a new generation of workers, those who are now moving out with the gospel, who have taken up the baton, as it were, and sharing the gospel in three neighboring villages. There are opportunities to share God's word with children, not just with children, but also with their parents who come along to listen to God's word. Isn't God amazing? And you see, isn't the message of the gospel amazing? It changed you and me, right? And we must never, ever take for granted. We must never, ever presume anything other than share this gospel with others. And yet we thank God that in one particular instance, one family opened up their home, this is them here, and they invited Uri to come and share God's word. And this particular couple and the lady's brother, I can tell you tonight, they have now accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. but Urey in Victoria, not just here, but in other places as well. This is a place, he tells us, a nursing home for those with disabilities. Now, those with disabilities in these countries very often are marginalized. Little are thought of them. Nobody pays much attention to them. But you see, when you have the gospel, the gospel is for everyone. And in this nursing home, there are 160 residents. And they come and they hear the gospel every Wednesday. And you know what? Already 13 of them have trusted in Jesus Christ and been baptized. Amen. Thank you. What a wonderful God we have. And this is what the gospel does. But Urie and his wife and the believers there, they're saying this to us. There are plans to plant more churches in the two villages where we already serve. This would allow more people to attend meetings in their own village, hear the word of Christ, and have the opportunity to believe and join the body of Christ. An amazing young couple in their 20s. longing to share the gospel with others. You see, there are lots of new churches throughout the Slavic nations, but even in Ukraine, as such as the demand for churches, listen to this, hundreds are coming to know Christ, they're needing somewhere to meet, and this is the vision of the Baptist Union of Churches in Ukraine, listen to it, 1,000 new churches by 2036. Over the next 12 years, there's a need in Ukraine for 1,000 new churches. We can praise God for what he's doing despite the darkness, despite the despair, despite the devastation, despite the death. God is at work. we get the joy and the privilege of being partners in such a work. Now new churches, you've already worked out I'm sure, new churches need new workers and this is why this program is so important and why biblical leadership as I mentioned before is absolutely critical. You can read more about that and you can also read more about how we are seeking to expand, see the gospel expand in this area. Finally, I want you to pray. Please pray with us that the growing number of widows and of orphans will find hope in Jesus Christ. Please pray too for the printing of more Bibles in West Ukraine that will transform lives there as well as in the east of the country. Please pray that fuel will be provided for churches so they can be places of light and heat and hope. Please pray with us for more missionary families to be involved in sharing the gospel in the country of Ukraine. Now that's been a whirlwind tour of, and a little update of what we seek to do with God's help throughout the incoming year. But everything that we seek to do, I come back to the wonderful message of the gospel. And I want us to take just a few moments this evening because we can worship God, We can think about the work of God and we can rejoice. But dear friends, when it comes to the word of God, this is what bringeth light into a sinner's heart. This is through this word, the Holy Spirit works and speaks and transforms. Even the one who thinks, if only you knew, if only you knew just where I am at, if you only knew the sins I've committed, Dear friend, no matter how deep you are in sin, and can I say how few sins you may have committed, you need to hear the gospel. You need to hear about the God who so loved this world that he gave up the very best that he had in the form of his one and only dear son who came to die on the cross. So as we think about the message of the gospel tonight, I want to remind you, when we do think of it, that statistics will tell us that there are some 7.8 billion people in our world today. Statistics go on to tell us that 3 billion people live among unreached people groups of the world, and 1.6 are un-evangelized. They're in the same position as you, dear sinner friend. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, oh, you may know a lot about him, but lovingly I pray that you will go further and that this knowledge will cause you to seek him with all of your heart and know what it is to have sins forgiven, to be right with God, and to have that assurance should you die tonight, you will be with God and in heaven forever. Our world is in great need today. Do we as believers, do we as a church, do we have a message of hope? I want us to turn to Romans chapter one. We're going to read just three verses here. I would encourage you to read the whole chapter when you get home. These are familiar words. Many will be able to recite them from memory, I'm sure. But I want us to think about them in all of their simplicity, and yet in all of their preciousness as we come to God's word this evening. Romans chapter one, Romans chapter one, and we're going to read from verse 15. through to verse 17. This is the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Rome, and what an incredible letter it is. Verse 15, so as much as is in me is I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is a part of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. Loving Father, we thank you for your precious word. We recognize it this evening, its authority, we recognize its power, but we recognize that by your spirit, you're here amongst us, that to speak and that to bless. Come, bless your word, we pray. because we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. One Christian commentator said that these verses are the most important in the entire letter and perhaps in all of literature. They are the theme of this epistle, he says, and the essence of Christianity. This is what Christianity is all about. And the Apostle Paul here in verse 15, we read, he loved the message of the gospel so much that he couldn't wait to get to Rome to preach this rescue plan. This message of hope that would change the world. And dear friends, this message of hope is still changing the world today. I've mentioned just some instances in the Slavic nations where the message of the gospel is transforming lives. And Paul was so keen to get to Rome to keep on preaching, to keep on seeing lives being changed. I am not ashamed of the gospel, he says. Why does he say this? Well, he goes on to clarify the reason. He goes on to explain, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Now, what if we were to live in the light of these words? What if you and I believing that there is only one message of hope for every human being, that there is only one way to be set free from sin, that there is only one savior? I don't think we would take much time to go and reach those loved ones, friends, and neighbors who are still outside of Christ, who know nothing of this message of hope. What a difference. If we were to take such words seriously, this would make a difference in our families, amongst our friends, and in our communities. And dear friends, we would be so on our knees for the rest of the world who are still outside of Christ. I love that song. that I've learned just a few months ago, there is one gospel to which I cling. All else I count as loss, for there where justice and mercy meet, he saved me on the cross. No more I boast in what I can bring, no more I carry the weight of sin, for he has brought me from death to life. I stand in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a message powerful enough to save sinful people from every tribe and language, people and nation. Dear friends in Believe Baptist Church this evening, this is a message that demands a response from us as believers, as well as a response for those who are listening yet today. Unbelievers. And so I want to say three things very very briefly this evening because these are familiar words they speak for themselves. We see here that the gospel is the power of God in verse 16. Paul recognized that in the midst of great sin he had a message that had the power to change men's lives. How did he know this? Well it had changed his life. You remember the story so well on the Damascus Road, one who was so opposed to the gospel, who hated Christians and the church, authorizing indeed their death, met with Jesus, was transformed by the power of God, and became the Apostle Paul that we love so dearly. The message of the gospel, as one commentator puts it, was and still is God's dynamite. for breaking down sin's barriers and setting the prisoner free. Dear sinner friend this evening, this is only possible through the power of God. You see, the power of God was unleashed when Jesus went to the cross for you. He bore the sin of your sin and mine, the sin of the world, when he died on the cross. But then we see the power of God in action again when he raised his only son, Jesus Christ, from the dead. John Blanchard said on one occasion, the gospel is a glorious declaration of the mighty acts of God when he invaded this earth in the person of his eternal son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this should not surprise us really that God has the power to save, God has a power to heal, remember? God has a power even further back to create the world that we know out of nothing. Therefore, why should we ever doubt that our God is a powerful God and that his word is a powerful word? And so when Paul says here, it is the power of God, therefore, we can trust it. Absolutely and completely. This is the God we worship. You see, only God has the power to control the universe. Only God has the power to heal. Only God has the power to restore and forgive and yes, make us right. There's no limit to his power. There's nothing our God cannot do. No person he cannot help, no disease he cannot heal, no situation he cannot change. And we praise God, no nation he cannot transform. So I ask a question this evening, are we experiencing God's power as we live for him? Secondly, The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Therefore, we can rejoice in it, right? Do you remember that moment when you realized that you were a sinner? When you heard maybe for the first time or the umpteenth time, and God in his mercy spoke to you again. And that moment when you asked God to forgive you. And he did. He kept his word. He transformed your life. And he has blessed you in innumerable ways. And he has given you that hope of life eternal, a place in heaven with him. Oh dear friends, we can rejoice that this power from God, of God, for salvation is ours tonight. The Bible makes it very clear that all of us have sinned. There's not one righteous. But I love how Timothy Keller explains this. He says, we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe. That's so true. Not one of us dare lift our head before a holy God. But he says, at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. Isn't that amazing? It's not something to say amen. It's not something to rejoice about. And so if men and women, young people, boys and girls are to be saved is only through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They must realize their need. They can never save themselves. And that this gospel message is the only message that can change them and make them right before a holy God. The righteousness of God is only received by faith. And this makes it possible for us now to live right before God. But again, let me ask you another question. Have you received God's free gift of salvation by trusting alone in Jesus Christ? And if you are a Christian this evening, are you rejoicing in so great a salvation? Is it so incredibly precious that you can't help telling others about it? I trust it is. The gospel, it is the power of God. Therefore, we can trust it. The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Therefore, we can rejoice in it. But thirdly and finally, the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Therefore, we can and we must share it with others. This was not a message Paul says earlier for the Jews or for the Greeks or for some special kind of people. The message of the gospel is a message for all people of every nation and this is why Jesus gave that command to his disciples in the gospels and to each one of us go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole of creation. Dear friends we must remember that as followers of Jesus Christ This task is not an option, nor do we get to choose who this message is for. We are therefore to take this very same message that transformed our lives, and we must take it to others who need to be rescued, who need to be delivered, which is what salvation means, irrespective of who they are. Now, I'm gonna push this a little bit further here, bear with me. We need to take this message of hope to those who look differently, to those who think differently to us, maybe those who behave differently, speak differently, yes, even those who dress differently to us. We must take this gospel message of hope even when there's opposition, even when there's rejection, even when there's frustration, and yes, even when there's intimidation. We are not ashamed of this gospel, and so must take it to those who need to hear it, without discrimination. For Paul, again in Romans 10, reminds us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, I love this, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. See, this is why the message of the gospel is precious, it's personal, because it's for everyone. From every culture, from every language, as well as those in faraway places. I love how C.H. Spurgeon encourages us to take this message to others. This is what he says, when we preach Christ crucified, we have no reason to stammer or to stutter or hesitate or apologize. There is nothing in the gospel of which we have any cause to be ashamed. And I want to close this, these three points, very simple points this evening by sharing a story with you that some of you will probably have heard before. I have no doubt, but it challenged me a number of months ago when I read it afresh, and I thought I would include it. In October, 1857, J. Hudson Taylor began to minister in Ningpo, China, and he led a Mr. Nye to Christ, we read. The man was overjoyed, and I love what happens next, and he wanted to share his faith with others. How long have you had the good tidings in England? Mr. Nye asked Hudson Taylor one day. Taylor acknowledged that England had known the gospel for many centuries. My father died seeking the truth, said Mr. Nye. Why didn't you come sooner? Taylor had no answer to that penetrating question. And I don't believe you or I have an answer either. Others need to hear about Jesus. Others are waiting. And we have the message of hope that will change this world. There's no person that our God cannot and will not save. And dear believer in Christ, there is no believer that God cannot and will not use. And so I ask you this evening, can you hear God's call to go? My prayer as I come to you this evening is this response, that I will respond and that you will respond to God's word. Our response must surely be to boldly, confidently, eagerly, lovingly, and urgently share the message of the gospel with everyone, for it is God's power to save. I want to close with one final quote. And this is a quote by a guy called David Platt. He writes in a little challenging book called Something Needs to Change. And before the men come and sing to us again, we ask God's blessing again on their ministry tonight. This is what David Platt said. For Jesus' sake, let gospel reality in your head fuel gospel fervency in your heart. that leads to gospel urgency in your life. I'm going to say that again, because this is important. For Jesus' sake, let gospel reality in your head fuel gospel fervency in your heart that leads to gospel urgency in your life. And may his name be glorified now and forever. Thank you.