Ukraine pastor remains amid war to bring God's hope to the suffering

Preaching in a most desperate hour, while he could hear bombing in the distance, Sergey Nakul, pastor of Grace Reformed Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, delivered the only message he believes will keep people safe, no matter what.

"God is with me right now. God is with us … and He says, 'Don't be afraid, I am with you."

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Ukraine has a vibrant faith community through a media outlet called The Far East Broadcasting Company, also known by its initials, FEBC.

Pastor Sergey is one of the hosts. 

He shepherds Grace Church.

The pastor sent his wife and two sons, ages 16 and 6, further west, away from physical harm as Russia continues its bloody campaign against his country. 

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But Nakul stayed behind, bringing people a message that safety comes in more than one form.  

"People are so open to right now, when they understand that their life could just end any moment — and nobody knows who is next."

The pastor believes that Psalm 23 is being lived out in real time: "Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."

Together with a few members of his congregation, he is holed up in the basement of the church, now a bomb shelter. He ventures out to minister to people who did not or could not leave.  

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He walks the streets of Kyiv taking pictures of the damage and talking with both soldiers and citizens to broadcast out to the world. 

For him, the message of Psalm 23 is now being lived out in real time: "Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."

Nakul exhorts, "The Lord is my shepherd. And if Jesus is my shepherd, if he is my pastor — I cannot imagine that my pastor could just leave me or run away."       

"Vladimir … repent. Repent of all of your evil deeds because you're not God."

That is why he stays — to give comfort to those who may think that God and the world has abandoned them.

"I just cry with them. I just hug them, and I just hold them."

He continued, "I don't know all the answers, but what I know for sure [is] that God is with me, God is with them now … This is most precious. And this is most important."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, by all accounts, ironically, sees himself as the defender of Christendom and the Orthodox Christianity. 

But Sergey Nakul, who is spreading the message of the Gospel in the middle of artillery fire, has one message for Putin: "Vladimir … repent."

"Repent of all of your evil deeds," he adds, "because you're not God."

And Nakul also has a heartfelt message for the American people: "I'm very proud of you and in both your prayers and about your support and for everything that you're doing."

He also says about Americans: "You're always fighters for freedom. You're in the nation [that] started as a nation of those who are fighting for freedom. So continue to do this."

PRAYERS FOR UKRAINE

With Easter just a few weeks away, Pastor Sergey Nakul is reminded that death does not have the final say. 

So he does not fear for his life. 

And regardless of what happens — his faith assures him he will see his family again.

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To learn more about the pastor's work, watch the video at the top of this article, or access it here.