Pastors and bishops tell CityServe leaders their greatest needs are helping young mothers who are now widows, the elderly and traumatized children. CityServe President Wendell Vinson is grateful to Ukrainian pastor and churches. “We get to link up with the church Jesus already has in Ukraine; it is moving forward, and the gospel is advancing throughout eastern Europe,” Vinson said.

The little known story of war in Ukraine is how churches are turning what the enemy intended for evil into glory for God through ministry to millions of people traumatized by Russia’s aggression.
With support from Christians in America, Ukrainian churches have shared the gospel with millions of people, filled empty stomachs, sheltered the homeless, and prayed for peace.
A prayer leader in Ukraine, Vitaliy Orlov, is thankful for spiritual and financial support from American intercessors for neighbors and a family member who’ve suffered as a result of the war.
“It is true that daily we are being bombed, especially my city and region, along with thousands of other towns in Ukraine. I know that almost every Ukrainian is traumatized today,” Orlov told American prayer warriors.
Orlov, the leader of Intercessors for Ukraine, said his brother expressed doubts that he will survive the war as a member of the army.
“There are hundreds of thousands like my brother,” Orlov told Intercessors for America (IFA). Watch here: Watch – Intercessors for America (ifapray.org)
People without food for months heard the gospel and received prayer booklets, thanks to IFA, which  provided one million meals after the war began.
Still, spiritual, emotional and physical tolls mount for Ukrainians in the second summer of war, according to a pastor whose church’s doors are open to hurting people.
“It’s tough to see families that have lost fathers and homes,” said Pastor Maksym Bilosouv, who weekly serves hundreds of refugees at his church in Dnipro.
Praying for and over refugees, church members lead them to the Lord around tables set up for meals and conversation, said Bilosouv, who calls it a starting point.
“When I look ahead, I see problems in the future that only God can deal with,” said Bilosouv who, despite adversity, retains joy.
Though the church responded wonderfully at the beginning of the conflict, fatigue is now a factor.
Both leaders ask prayer for the military, more prayer book resources, and care for orphans.
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The resurrection of Jesus began the final days. The resurrection was the central hope of the apostles’ preaching. In fact, the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1: The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Why was this verse used so frequently in the preaching of the early church? It’s because the resurrection of Christ truly happened, and they believed it with their whole being. King Jesus laid down his life for the penalty of sin, and he took his life back up to defeat the power of sin and death.

This week I was talking to a dear friend who contracted COVID. In fact, he and his wife both had it. I’ve made it a purpose lately to spend time with or call any of my friends who have had this virus because their opinion of the virus matters experientially. It’s been really helpful to hear from those who have felt the symptoms, have gone through the sickness, and come out of the other side. Most of my friends have shared that their main conclusion after having COVID, which goes something along the lines of: “The virus is real, I was sick, let’s wear our masks, and let’s get back to normal life.”
Now, I realize that there is a missing group whom I can’t interview—those who have died. Tragically this virus has taken the lives of nearly two million people. I’ve wondered what those who have died, who were followers of Jesus, would tell us? I think they would say the same thing that followers of Jesus from the first century who died due to sickness would tell us: “Jesus was resurrected from the dead to defeat death. Don’t hide in fear from death. Carry the good news of eternal life to those who are afraid.”
Many believers seem to have forgotten the resurrection.
Honestly, I’ve been a little saddened by the response of many Christians during this pandemic. I know that may sound a bit arrogant, but some believers seem to have forgotten the resurrection. Perhaps it’s due to sermons on the resurrection often being limited to the Easter season. Maybe, at best, it’s due to an emphasis on the cross (1 Cor. 2:2) without its resurrection counterpart (1 Cor. 15). Whatever it is, we need to recover the resurrection and let it drive us to live and love the way our savior taught us. We can only do this when we realize that death is not the final end.[1]
If we are honest—and I think it’s good to be honest with this topic—many of us do fear death and are doing everything we can to live in the now. I don’t like the thought that death can come and take my family at any time. I want to protect them from death, but I’m not powerful enough to stop it. Enter in a global pandemic and death feels like more of a possibility than before.
Where the reality of death confronts us is also where resurrection hope is to be proclaimed.
As we contemplate these realities, how often does Christ’s resurrection comfort us? When we see our unbelieving neighbors terrified to go outside because the popular media fuels a fear-driven narrative, what else would they believe? Maybe this is where the resurrection hope is meant to be proclaimed.
When Peter is writing to a dispersed church, he starts his letter by grounding everything he is about to write in the resurrection:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pet. 1:3-5)

The historical church has faced numerous struggles that tested their faith in the resurrection to come.
Jesus truly rose from the dead and is our hope, a living savior who continually gives life. Church history tells us over and over how the resurrection of Jesus began this new creation life in his people. Pastor Jason Harris describes how the early church dealt with plagues.
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Life, relationships, teaching sound doctrine, practicing church discipline, etc. can present complex challenges. Pastors need to maintain the simple practice of remembering Christ as they engage knotty and complicated issues. The glory of Jesus and his resurrection outshines and outweighs the problems of this life. Just one glimpse of Him in glory repays the toils of pastoral ministry. 

Pastors face a myriad of trials and struggles while shepherding the flock. People they love and trust unexpectedly leave the church and cut off communications. Relationships can leave painful scars. Elders must routinely broach difficult topics and engage in uncomfortable conversations. Shepherds often help members address complicated issues in their lives. Exegeting difficult texts and clearly explaining doctrine regularly pose frequent challenges. Moreover, the faithful pastor must maintain his own commitment to family and personal spiritual disciplines. “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor 2:16) can easily become their life verse (it’s a good one!).
This is part of a series of blog posts encouraging pastors to persevere in their labor (please share these posts with your pastors). This entry will highlight a very simple truth from 2 Timothy to help pastors endure. Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy to exhort him to continue in what he had learned and believed (2 Tim 3:14). Throughout this epistle, the apostle gives several instructions and commands to help church leaders persevere in their work. One of the simplest, clearest, and most profound of these commands is, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel” (2 Tim 2:8). Following this simple command keeps pastors grounded in the truth of the gospel as they navigate the challenges of shepherding the flock.
Remember Jesus Christ, Risen from the Dead
A high school football coach I know was invited to watch the Indianapolis Colts workout and practice. He hoped to learn some new drills or special plays from the professionals. In the practice, however, the NFL coaches focused on the fundamentals of stretching, running, blocking, and tackling. He left a bit disappointed, but then realized an important lesson he had already known—even the greatest players at the highest level must practice the fundamentals of the game.
In Timothy’s distress, Paul reminds him of the fundamentals of the gospel and commands him to remember them. “Remember” is a present imperative verb meaning, “continually remember.” We specifically remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. Paul uses the perfect tense of the verb “risen,” which describes a past event with abiding implications for the present. This points to glorious spiritual realities associated with the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was raised for our justification (Rom 4:25). Jesus’s resurrection fulfilled the Scripture and vindicated his teachings (Luke 24:26–27). His resurrection further identified him as God (John 20:28). His resurrection proved he had overcome the world and was given all authority in heaven and in earth (Matt 28:18). His resurrection gives us powerful truths to meditate upon—weighty realities to remember in the midst of our struggles.
Remembering requires mental exercise (as in the previous verse, 2 Tim 2:7). Thus, we must intentionally remember the resurrection of Jesus and the benefits we receive from him. In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges offers practical means of preaching the gospel to yourself every day.
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