Ukrainians believe that the Apostle Andrew, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, came through their nation in 55 A.D. He carried with him the good news of the existence of Jesus.
In 988 A.D., Vladimir the Great installed Christianity as the state religion after leaving paganism for Christ. Idolatry was abolished and Byzantine missionaries were allowed in. The Slav tribes were uniting as the Kievan Rus—a federation of Christian states, now known as Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus.
Christians in the highest levels of government are good for a nation.
Vladimir had been influenced for Christ by his grandmother, Olga of Kiev, who was first baptized in about 955 A.D. She began the building of churches in the region.
Believing grandparents make a spiritual difference in the lives of their grandchildren.
The modern church in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus are the descendants of one early church. They are one people in Christ.
The Kiev Rus first received Scriptures translated from the Koine Greek and written in Glagolitic script, which was developed by two devout believers in 862 A.D. for the purpose of bringing the Slavic peoples the written Word of God. “Glagolitic” means “utterance” or “word.”
Glagolitic script was the precursor of the Cyrillic alphabet, named for Cyril, one of the two believers. Many of Cyrillic’s letters are rooted in the foundational languages of the Scriptures, coming from Hebrew and Greek. A few are Aramaic.
Cyrillic is the alphabet for 50 different languages. God has used two men to reach generations of believers across Eastern Europe and into Asia.
The Cyrillic alphabet is now used in the Church in the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The Gospel is the foundation of literacy and culture throughout Eastern Europe and into Asia.
The modern church in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus are the descendants of one holy Scripture and one early church. They are one people in Christ.
Approximately 41 million Ukrainians are of the Orthodox Church, but are divided by political problems and war, yet they are one people, one body, one language, one faith in Jesus Christ.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, while the Lord sweated blood, he prayed:
“ I am no longer going to be in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.” (John 17:11)
Belief in Jesus and the Scriptures unite nations, the church, and the family.
To honor the Lord and the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian words “This is me,” meaning— “I AM” from John 18:5 have been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”
Listen to the “Lord’s Prayer” being sung in the beautiful Ukrainian language: