Summit

We recognize that God's heart is for reconciliation and restoration - with Himself, with ourselves,
seeking wholeness in body, soul, and spirit, and with one another. Hebrews 12 states:
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord...

You could say that God wants to lift us up, to strengthen "hands which hand down" and "feeble knees."  He wants to heal us and heal the breach that had come into existence through the sin of humanity.  He desires for us to pursue holiness, to recognize that God wants to transform us completely, to take what doesn't honor Him and replace those desires with His divine nature. He wants to transform relationships with one another as well, so that God's love is expressed and He is glorified.

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The Bible gives us the admonition to pursue peace, and in Romans 14, we can read:
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

The recent summit in Helsinki, Finland, has raised a number of questions regarding the relationship between the U.S. and Russia.  And, at the risk of sounding ultimately simplistic, by and large, those who support President Trump have been either positive about his performance there, based on the news conference; and of course, the event gave those who are generally negative about the President more ammunition to criticize him.

There are some, like Newt Gingrich, who, presumably based on the press conference, believe that the President was not tough enough on Putin.  Michael Brown of The Stream, after mentioning the complimentary comments from Rand Paul about the summit, wrote this:

Yes, it’s true that our president allowed partisan politics to play into the Helsinki news conference. But those very politics — specifically, the Mueller investigation — were about the only thing the media spoke of for days. And these were the issues raised by the media in the immediate aftermath of the summit. Why is it so shocking that Trump addressed it from his perspective, with lots of distrust towards our intelligence?

The big thing for me is this: Did Trump positively engage an adversary? Did he open a door wider that previously had been almost shut? In 5 or 10 years, will our countries be on better terms?

It could well be that some of Trump’s public comments were ill-advised, if not indefensible. But maybe, just maybe, he also did something very positive. Maybe he worked toward befriending an enemy. Time will tell.

I mentioned Al Perrotta's column at the same website yesterday.  He wrote this:

For those who still can’t understand Trump, let’s translate what Trump really said.

I’m not going to stand here and bash Putin in public. I know you people. The minute I do that, you will run headlines shouting “Trump Admits Putin Helped Him Win Election.” I gain nothing. Showboating against Putin does nothing. He’s a fighter. I know what punches he threw. He knows what punches he threw. But publicly, I’d rather say he didn’t lay a glove on us.

Here’s the thing: I don’t trust Putin. But what reason do I have to trust the U.S. intelligence community either?

And, of course, the President's revision of his Helsinki comments yesterday included his endorsement of the current intelligence community.

Gary Bauer of American Values, in Monday's End-of-Day Report listed actions taken by America against Russia during the Trump presidency:

Trump is sending anti-tank missiles -- serious military aid -- to help Ukraine thwart Russia's aggression.

Under Trump, NATO forces conducted military exercises near Russia's border with Poland and the Baltic nations.

Trump has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia. (Here, here and here.)

He added, "When Russian-led mercenaries approached U.S. positions in Syria, Trump authorized our forces to defend themselves. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Russian mercenaries were killed."

Plus, Bauer notes the increase in defense spending and, "he got commitments from NATO nations to boost their own military spending to counter Russia's aggression."

But, the media and some lawmakers are pounding the President for looking "weak" on the world stage.  I have a question, and this is instructive for believers in Christ: were you in the room?  

There, amidst all the speculation, people are drawing conclusions based on the press conference.  

And consider this, perhaps the President's performance was less-than-stellar, but what did you expect?  To bash and denigrate an adversary - what would that accomplish?  

In our own interactions, we have to learn that hearsay and second-hand statements are not to be the basis for our responses.  The two leaders met one-on-one; how do we really know what was said?  There could have been any number of subjects addressed.  But, for our lives personally, we have to consider that just because so-and-so said such-and-such about someone else, that doesn't necessarily make it true or actionable.  We have to be measured in our response when we receive information.

We also have to make sure that we are following a path of peace. The President tweeted out concerning the summit, "I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace, than to risk peace in pursuit of politics."  There is a pattern developing: in his dealings with China, North Korea, and Russia, it does appear that he is committed to strike a conciliatory tone - publicly.  Yet, privately, it may or may not be a different story.  I think there is a takeaway for us: we can be prone to criticize another person to someone else, without ever taking direct action with that person.  The Bible does not teach public rebuke - first - rather, Jesus teaches going directly to a person with whom we have conflict.  Not renouncing them or spreading harmful information about them, but speaking directly. Personal confrontation is far superior to public condemnation.

But, in the summit's aftermath, we do need to consider what is unfolding on the world stage.  We do read in Scripture, in Ezekiel 38, about an alignment of nations. I believe Russia is part of that alignment that will come against Israel in the last days, along with an Islamic alliance.  So, ultimately, we recognize the sovereign hand of God in bringing about the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

We also acknowledge that Russia's set of values and worldview are not compatible with our own. Even though there may be opportunities to work together, there are still remnants of the Cold War, and we can't trust them completely.  We also recognize, spiritually speaking, that Christianity is in peril in Russia. But, the Lord is working there. A recent Christianity Today article documented evangelistic work taking place in the nation during the World Cup.  Mission Eurasia was involved in what was described as a "striking evangelistic project."  The article said:

That project—a nationwide effort to use the tournament as a platform to share the gospel—has already reached hundreds of thousands of Russians, according to Mission Eurasia, a ministry that has equipped Christian leaders in the former Soviet Union for the last three decades.

Across Russia, about 400 churches have attracted more than 10,000 people to live screenings of World Cup games so far. The screenings and their accompanying programs double as outreach events. Over the course of the tournament, half a million pieces of evangelistic literature, including Russian Bibles and special editions of John’s gospel that include directions to local churches, have been handed out.

Pavel Tokarchuk, director of Mission Eurasia’s Russia office, is quoted in a recent press release: “People are excited, and that has provided a real opportunity for sharing the gospel..." The article states, "National pride, both in hosting the world’s most popular sporting event and the success of the home team, has fueled an optimism around Russia. People are more willing to engage in spiritual conversations, Tokarchuk said."

The article does say that:

The evangelistic uptick comes amid increasing persecution from the Kremlin.

The Yarovaya law, a 2016 policy that bans evangelism outside of government-approved churches, has hampered believers from sharing the gospel—and landed scores with heavy fines and even some deportations.

It adds, "...for the second year in a row, Russia was listed as a Tier 1 country of concern for religious freedom in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom annual report."

Even though three evangelical teams were "detained by Russian authorities," the enthusiasm remains strong, according to the president of  Mission Eurasia, Sergey Rakhuba, who, according to the article, "said the backlash hasn’t been as intense as anticipated. Nor has the missiological zeal waned."