The 4th youth conference “Heart Restart 2012-2013″ took place in the Bible Missionary Church “Source of Life” in Zdolbuniv, Rivne region with the topic “Born to win.” Including the team, it was attended by 180 people. There were guests from Belarus (Minsk, Stolin), Russia (Moscow) and the different regions of Ukraine (Kiev, Mariupol, Arciz, Colomiya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Sarni, Dneprodzerzhinsk, etc.). Each day was full of spiritual preaching and fellowship.
Besides brothers from Zdolbuniv, such as Alexander Kalinsky and Andrew Bortniych, other brothers from the Rivne church “Community of a Good Shepherd”, Taras Prystupa, Artem Prystupa, and Sergei Kirilenko, and from the church “Eternal Gospel”, Vinnitsa were sharing the Word of God. On New Year’s Eve we had a game “What? Where? When ?”. On the 1st of January we had a singing and worshiping evening and on January 2nd youth were divided into small groups and shared the Gospel.
The participants of the conference “Born to Win” were asked a few questions: What is memorable for you from the New Year celebration? Did you enjoy the event? What was new for you or what inspires you the most? What sermons have you remembered the most? What are you going to practice?
“The best part of the conference is the sermon. Taras Prystupa’s sermons were important for me: ‘Christian schizophrenia’, ‘believe – do not believe’, ‘Pharisaism – Christianity’, ‘flesh – spirit’” (Stanislav, Zdolbuniv).
“I remembered Artem Prystupa’s sermon ‘The nature of a man in 4 states.’ I have not heard other sermons yet. I realized our current and future nature and, generally, all the way of a person from one state to another “(Igor, Zdolbuniv).
“People were opened to communication as brothers and sisters. I learned how to determine the state of human nature. I belong to the ‘saved’ state and head for the heavenly state of ‘glorified.’ Most of all I liked the sermon, where we were talking about the danger of teachers who pervert the Gospel. We all need to be constantly reminded of the true Gospel “(Vladimir, Zdolbuniv).
“Taras Prystupa’s sermons about a process of sanctification and the struggle with the flesh were especially interesting for me. He explained the growing awareness of God’s holiness and human sinfulness very clearly. The more people understand the distance between God’s holiness and his own sinfulness, the more they appreciate what Christ did on the cross “(Vitali, Zdolbuniv).
“I remembered the preaching ‘Icon of the super-Christian’ While listening, I realized that I myself live on the model of made-up icons of the Christian. I saw that I find comfort in what I do, but not in Christ. I realized that what Christ made on the cross is sufficient for my life and joy. Salvation is achieved long ago! “(Roman, Colomiya).
“I was renewed in understanding God’s grace, because sometimes I had suspicions that I am a Pharisee. Also I saw that I worry about what people think about me, and often seek a compromise solution about how to please God andpeople at the same time. The last sermon ‘Go to Jericho’ by Alexander Kalinskiy was a kind of summation, and there was enough practical advice on how to seek God and grow in Him “(Andrew, Ivano-Frankivsk).
“As for me, I would single out the preaching of Sergei Kirilenko about the instruments of spiritual struggle, about the equipment we need to have and use (Eph. 6:10-18)” (Luba, Moscow).
“The conference is a continuation of further changes in the heart and following Christ. The strength of Jesus, who lives in my heart, helps me to say ‘no’ to the sin. I liked the group discussions, a quiet time in the prayer room. In every sermon was a word to me, especially in the last one: the secret of victory over sin is sorrow for God “(Lilia, Minsk).
Written by Anastasia Ushinska
Photos of Roman Sandulsky
