Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR002035S
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00:02 I'm John Carter in Moscow.
00:04 In Havana, Cuba. 00:07 Now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. 00:10 I'm John Carter in Petra. 00:13 Right here in Communist China. 00:16 Reporting from India. 00:18 Hi, I'm John Carter in the Solomon Islands. 00:21 I'm John Carter in Soweto. 00:24 From El Salvador. 00:26 I'm John Carter in Sydney, Australia. 00:29 My heroes and what they taught me, 00:32 a personal message from John Carter. 00:39 Hello, friend. 00:40 I'm John Carter 00:41 in the great city of Los Angeles. 00:43 Welcome today to the program. 00:45 Andrei Sakharov was one of my great heroes. 00:49 I'm going to tell you the story of the man 00:51 who created the greatest hydrogen bomb blast 00:55 in the history of the human race. 00:57 In spite of that, he became one of my great heroes. 01:01 Today, we're going to talk about heroes, 01:04 some of my heroes. 01:06 I've met some remarkable people. 01:08 And I'm going to tell you their stories, 01:11 what they taught me 01:12 and maybe what they can teach us together. 01:16 We went to the city of Gorky in the year 1992. 01:21 That was the city of Andrei Sakharov. 01:24 Why we went there and how we went there 01:26 is quite an interesting story. 01:28 I can't tell you the details, but I can tell you some things. 01:33 We had just run the first ever full evangelistic campaign 01:38 in the history of the Soviet Union. 01:40 That was in 1991. 01:43 And it took place 01:45 just down the road from the Kremlin, 01:48 in a place that was called the Palace of Culture. 01:53 And there we saw, I believe, the mighty power of God, 01:55 there we saw the glory of God. 02:00 By the grace of God, we had a tremendous breakthrough. 02:05 I even spoke one evening on Good Evening Moscow. 02:09 I mean, this was sort of astounding. 02:14 This is Andrei, the director, the producer, 02:18 went on the set of "Good Evening Moscow." 02:22 This is when the Communists were still in power. 02:26 One of the most amazing stories, 02:28 I still get goosebumps thinking about it, 02:31 because this was the time of atheism. 02:34 Andrei said to me, "Tell us about God? 02:37 We don't know anything about God. 02:39 And there on the set of Good Evening Moscow 02:43 that was broadcast from Moscow right across to Vladivostok. 02:47 Millions of people were watching. 02:49 He asked me, "Tell us about God?" 02:52 I talked to him about God. 02:55 And then on the set of Good Evening Moscow, 02:57 it's my privilege to talk to them about prayer. 03:00 I said, "Does anybody here know about prayer?" 03:02 "We don't know anything about prayer." 03:04 "Does anybody, do you know any?" 03:05 "No, we don't know anything about God." 03:09 I was talking to atheists, 03:12 at the heart of the evil 03:13 and at the heart of the evil empire, 03:15 right in Moscow. 03:17 And this is when the Soviet system 03:19 was still in charge. 03:22 So we had a tremendous breakthrough, 03:24 we had tremendous crowds. 03:25 We saw the power of God. 03:27 We saw professors coming from Moscow University. 03:30 We saw people who were strong atheists, 03:35 finding God for the first time in their lives. 03:40 Then Pastor Kulakov, the president of our church, 03:44 asked us to come back the next year 1992, 03:48 and run a campaign in the Great Hall of Congress's 03:52 right in the very heart of the Kremlin, 03:57 the heart of the evil empire. 04:01 We were successful in booking this place. 04:05 Amazing, a miracle. 04:07 We raised the money, we got to deposit, 04:11 Danny Shelton helped me to raise the deposit. 04:13 And so we booked this place. 04:15 And I want to tell you, folk, something. 04:19 I want to tell you, folk, saying, 04:21 I thank God for Danny Sheldon, 04:22 how he stood by me in those days, still does. 04:25 But I want to tell you something. 04:27 I have seen the power of God. 04:31 I don't just talk about it. 04:32 But then something happened, and I can't tell you about it. 04:38 I can't tell you about it 04:39 because it's better to let some things 04:42 just be forgotten. 04:45 I believe in the text 04:47 that all things work together for good, 04:48 but something happened. 04:52 And we couldn't follow through with our plans 04:57 what the Russian church wanted us to do, 04:59 and preach in the Great Hall of Congress's. 05:02 We were told to go to the city of Gorky. 05:06 And that was the city of Andrei Sakharov. 05:11 And we went there 05:12 because God had something far better in store for us. 05:18 Our disappointments, my friend, are often God's appointments. 05:23 And we went to Nizhny Novgorod, 05:25 that's what it's called today or the city of Gorky, 05:28 the city of Andrei Sakharov, 05:30 and there we saw the mighty power of God. 05:35 It had been a closed city. 05:38 No foreigners were allowed to go to Gorky 05:41 since the days 05:43 of that evil man Stalin. 05:49 Sakharov, one of my heroes 05:51 had been sent there as a prisoner. 05:54 He was the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb. 05:58 And yet he became one of my great heroes. 06:02 He was the leading 06:03 nuclear scientist in all of Russia. 06:06 He was brought up as a Christian. 06:11 And after he made this infernal monster, 06:13 the hydrogen bomb, 06:15 he became a conscientious objector, 06:18 a dissident who opposed 06:20 the totalitarian government of the Soviet Union. 06:24 That, my friend, 06:25 took an immense amount of courage. 06:30 Andrei Sakharov 06:33 then went on a great campaign for freedom. 06:38 He campaigned against war. 06:40 He said, "If we have a nuclear war, 06:42 we're all going to die." 06:44 He campaigned against nuclear weapons, 06:47 and racism, and pollution. 06:50 He campaigned for freedom of speech, 06:53 let freedom ring. 06:55 Freedom of speech, freedom of thought, 06:58 that a person's got the right to think 07:00 what he wants to think 07:01 and to say what he believes he should say. 07:04 He campaigned for freedom of the press. 07:07 He campaigned for an open society, 07:11 freedom of information, freedom of, listen to it, 07:15 freedom of conscience, 07:17 the right to travel and to live where you want to live. 07:21 And so he was branded a dangerous man. 07:25 He was branded a heretic, 07:30 and an enemy of the state. 07:33 Now, while this was going on, 07:35 he was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. 07:41 But he was not allowed to go to Oslo and pick it up. 07:43 His wife was allowed to go. 07:46 Then his three children rejected him, 07:49 because he was threatening their privileged lifestyles 07:53 because this man was such a big shot. 07:57 He was vilified as a traitor to the state 08:00 and that is always dangerous. 08:03 He was arrested in 1980 in White Fred. 08:06 He was sent to Gorky, the city where we were sent. 08:12 When we could no longer hold the great meetings, 08:15 because the meetings somehow were taken from us. 08:17 But I can't tell you that story. 08:19 The Great Hall of Congress's that we had booked, 08:22 we paid for it, all the rest of it. 08:25 Can't tell you that story. 08:26 But in the grace of God, 08:28 we were sent to the city of Nizhny Novgorod 08:32 or the city of Gorky. 08:35 And this was the best thing that had ever happened to us 08:38 because it was a God thing. 08:44 Sakharov had been sent there. 08:46 Placed in isolation in a small apartment, 08:48 not allowed to take any phone calls. 08:51 One of my heroes 08:52 because of his courage and his great integrity. 08:55 Oh, God, give us today men of courage, 09:00 give us men today of integrity, 09:03 who will stand up for the truth. 09:05 What do you say, my friend? 09:07 We need to have men like this. 09:10 Then another one of my heroes comes on the scene. 09:14 His name was and is Mikhail Gorbachev. 09:20 In 1986, 09:23 he called Sakharov in Gorky, 09:27 where we were sent 09:28 and said, "I want you to come back to Moscow. 09:32 And I want you 09:34 to become a member of our parliament." 09:36 Gorbachev, my friend was a real, real hero. 09:41 I respect him immensely. 09:42 He gave us glasnost, openness, and Perestroika, 09:47 a reorganization of the wicked communist system. 09:51 So with God's help, 09:52 because of Gorbachev and Sakharov, 09:57 we went to Gorky, 09:58 the city of the famous dissident. 10:00 The man who thought for himself, 10:03 the man who believed in freedom of conscience, 10:06 the man who believed in the individual. 10:10 One of the reasons 10:11 I love the United States of America 10:13 is because of the emphasis upon the individual 10:17 that all people are created equal. 10:20 And they have the right to freedom of speech. 10:24 And there in the city of Gorky, 10:25 we ran a great evangelistic campaign 10:28 that influenced the whole Russian nation. 10:30 Hallelujah. Amen. 10:32 And that's where I met 10:33 another great Russian hero, Boris Nemtsov. 10:37 He was the governor. 10:38 I just admired this man so much, 10:41 Governor Boris Nemtsov, a man with a PhD in physicists. 10:45 And when we started the meetings in Gorky, 10:48 firebombs were thrown on the stage. 10:51 As I was preaching, they were out to get me. 10:54 It's often dangerous to preach the Word of God 10:57 and Boris Nemtsov came to our aid. 11:00 He sent the militia and delivered us 11:03 out of the hands of the mouths of the lions. 11:09 I met him '92. 11:12 I think I touched his life and he touched mine. 11:15 He was a great defender of freedom. 11:18 I met him at the Kremlin. 11:22 We were invited to go up to the Kremlin, 11:24 and meet the governor. 11:27 It was quite just an amazing and astounding meeting. 11:33 More recently Boris was murdered on the bridge, 11:36 next to the Kremlin, 11:39 a hero and a fighter for freedom. 11:42 Now, today, we're talking about my heroes. 11:45 But you've got heroes too. 11:47 But I'm talking about the people 11:49 that I personally knew. 11:51 This is Dr. Julia, Dr. Julia Outkina, 11:54 she was there at the funeral of her brother in Moscow. 11:58 I want to read a text now. 12:00 I want to come over here to Hebrews 12:1. 12:05 Hebrews 12:1. 12:09 And Hebrews Chapter 12, 12:11 as some of you will know, is a chapter on Hebrews. 12:17 Hebrews 11, the chapter on the Hebrews, 12:21 on the Hebrew heroes, the great heroes of faith, 12:25 but Chapter 12, is a bit of a summary. 12:28 And I want to read verse 1. 12:30 It says, "Therefore we also, 12:34 since we are surrounded 12:35 by so great a cloud of witnesses, 12:39 let us lay aside every weight, 12:41 and the sin which so easily ensnares us, 12:44 and let us run with endurance 12:47 the race that is set before us." 12:50 The Bible says, "We're surrounded 12:51 by a tremendous crowd of witnesses." 12:56 And it's talking about the great witnesses of faith, 13:01 these great heroes. 13:04 It's talking about the heroes, 13:05 the Hebrew heroes of Hebrews 11. 13:10 It talks about Abel, it talks about Enoch. 13:13 Look at Hebrews 11:5. 13:16 Hebrews 11:5 says, 13:19 "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 13:25 'and was not found, because God had taken him, 13:28 for before he was taken he had this testimony, 13:31 that he pleased God." 13:34 He was one of God's Mighty heroes, 13:38 Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 13:44 Joseph, Moses, mighty heroes. 13:48 And today we're talking about 13:50 some of the great unsung heroes, 13:52 not so much the heroes of the Bible. 13:55 But heroes that nobody, almost nobody knows about. 13:59 I want you to notice Hebrews 11:32- 33, 14:04 "What more shall I say? 14:07 For the time would fail me 14:09 to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson, Jephthah, 14:14 also David and Samuel and the prophets, 14:17 who through faith subdued kingdoms, 14:21 worked righteousness, obtained promises, 14:25 stopped the mouths of lions." 14:27 You listening to me, friend? 14:29 We're talking today about ordinary people, 14:32 but ordinary people who did extraordinary things. 14:39 I'm talking today about some of the heroes 14:41 that I've known. 14:43 Men and women whose faith, 14:46 whose actions changed the course of history. 14:50 Now, the heroes I'm talking about today 14:52 are not written down in the Bible. 14:55 I'm talking today about unsung heroes. 14:58 Perhaps you've never heard of them, 15:00 largely unknown, unrecognized, not famous, 15:05 but heroes just the same, 15:07 people I personally knew or met 15:11 who touched my life in a powerful way. 15:16 One of these unsung heroes or two of these unsung heroes, 15:22 Pastor and Mrs. Murga. 15:26 You say to me, "Who on earth are these people? 15:28 We've never heard of Pastor and Mrs. Murga." 15:32 Well, they've worked in the city of Kiev in Ukraine. 15:36 Pastor Murga was imprisoned by the communists. 15:42 Why was he imprisoned? 15:43 Because, my friend, 15:44 he wouldn't inform on his church members. 15:48 Now back in those dreadful days, 15:50 they were informers 15:52 who used to tell the government about the sheep of the flock. 15:56 What a disgrace. 15:58 But Pastor Murga 16:00 was one of the great soldiers of the cross, 16:03 there he is with his wife with Beverley and me. 16:07 One of the greatest people I've ever met. 16:10 I want to tell you 16:11 just a little bit about Pastor Murga. 16:14 He was thrown into prison, he was beaten up, 16:17 he was mistreated. 16:18 He was there for years. 16:20 And the communist guards would say this to him, 16:23 "Just tell us about your church members. 16:26 Tell us everything about them. 16:28 Just tell us what they do and their friends, 16:31 and we're going to let you out. 16:33 And we're going to make you an officer in the KGB. 16:37 We'll make you a colonel. 16:39 And you'll get special rewards." 16:41 This is what the communist did, tried to do to the Christians. 16:45 But Pastor Murga said, "Nyet, nyet, nyet, 16:48 never, never, never." 16:51 He was there in prison for years. 16:54 I got to know him. 16:57 He's one of my great heroes. 16:59 When I was threatened 17:01 by the state authorities in 1995, 17:03 in the city of Kiev, in order to go to town hall, 17:07 he stood by me. 17:10 What happened? 17:11 We were running these meetings, 17:12 the Spirit of God was being poured out, 17:14 tens of thousands of people were coming to the meetings. 17:16 You say that doesn't happen anymore? 17:18 Yes, it does. 17:21 I've seen the power of God. 17:22 I'm not an armchair theologian. 17:24 I'm not just talking about stuff banging up. 17:26 This is the truth. 17:28 And so the city authorities are so afraid 17:31 of the success of the meetings, that I was called to city hall, 17:35 and interrogated and threatened. 17:38 Even threatened me with my life. 17:41 But Pastor Murga was waiting outside the door. 17:45 And when I came out, 17:47 and he was there with his colleagues, 17:48 he said to me, "What happened? 17:51 Did you surrender?" 17:52 I said, "By the grace of God, we did not surrender." 17:55 You know what he said to me? 17:57 I'm embarrassed to tell you, you want to hear? 18:00 He said, "I was afraid 18:03 that because you were living in the West, 18:06 you would have surrendered. 18:08 Because I know that they were threatening you." 18:11 So he said, "We've been out here praying to God, 18:14 that God will give you courage not to deny Christ." 18:19 I told him by the grace of God. 18:21 I said to them, one word. 18:25 And I said it over and over, 18:27 and I said it over and over again. 18:29 I said, "Nyet, nyet, nyet, no." 18:33 I said, "You can lock me up, you can throw me in prison, 18:35 but by the grace of God, 18:37 we are not going to close down the meetings, 18:41 we will not forsake Christ." 18:45 And the man who was standing by my side is Pastor Murga. 18:51 Later, I stood beside the commanding officer 18:54 at a military march-past. 18:57 I've had some amazing experiences. 19:00 I've just been amazed. 19:02 I was asked to go and stand up beside the General. 19:05 And he said, "Would you like to take the salute?" 19:07 I said, "Look, really, I'm not into too much of that stuff. 19:10 I'm just a beaten-up old pastor." 19:12 He said, "We want you to come up here 19:14 and the troops marched past." 19:16 This, my friend, was in Kiev. 19:19 People say, "We can't believe these things." 19:21 Of course, you can't if you don't have faith. 19:25 But, my friend, without faith, it's impossible to please God. 19:30 But Jesus said, "If we have faith in God, 19:32 everything will be possible." 19:35 But what am I telling you about the story, 19:37 the story here about the soldiers for? 19:40 Because after I had spoken 19:42 to a vast number of these soldiers 19:47 that I had inspected on parade. 19:51 The General said to me, 19:52 "These people here need to have Bibles 19:55 and they need to hear the Word of God." 19:57 And so I preached to them a sermon. 20:02 But this is not the end of it. 20:04 There was someone who stepped forward 20:06 like an apostle to preach and teach to the soldiers, 20:11 and to the general and the colonels 20:12 and all the rest of them. 20:14 That was Mrs. Murga. 20:16 Pastor Murga came along with his wife. 20:19 He said, "I'm giving, I'm preaching here, 20:21 I'm preaching there. 20:22 We don't have any more preachers, 20:24 but we've got someone here, 20:25 who's prepared to come and stand in the breach 20:30 and answer the call. 20:32 That was Mrs. Murga. 20:35 I just want you to know, I get a lump in my throat 20:39 when I think about these people. 20:43 These are my heroes. 20:45 Another great hero, Pastor Mikhail Kulakov. 20:51 He became the president of our church, 20:53 and he was the person who asked me 20:55 to go to the Hall of Congress's. 20:58 I felt so bad about this, 21:01 but it was just taken out of our hands. 21:03 But we can't tell you that story. 21:06 It's best to let some things just die 21:09 and realize that God is bigger than men, 21:14 and God can overthrow the crafty council of men. 21:19 And if we trust in God, it's going to be okay. 21:22 But when Pastor Kulakov was a young man. 21:27 He used to go along to church with his father. 21:30 His father was preaching one day in the pulpit. 21:33 And the communists came, the KGB came, 21:36 and they took him away, and he never saw his dad again. 21:41 You know what this man did? 21:43 This is almost too hard to believe. 21:45 This man, Mikhail Kulakov, 21:48 he said, "I'm going to be in the pulpit next Sabbath." 21:53 And so next Sabbath, he was there in the pulpit, 21:56 and he was preaching the Word of God, 21:58 that takes a lot of courage. 22:00 What would you do? 22:02 If the government says you're not allowed to do it, 22:04 what are you going to do? 22:05 Let me tell you, my friend, 22:07 something, I want you to hear this loud and clear. 22:09 God is our first authority, not the government. 22:14 God, it's better to obey God than it is to obey men, 22:17 the Bible says. 22:19 So this man, Pastor Kulakov, he was sent to Siberia. 22:23 I've been to Siberia many times, 22:25 it gets terribly, terribly cold. 22:28 I've been in Siberia when it's minus 40 22:31 without the wind chill factor. 22:33 It's cold. 22:35 If you spit, the spit hits the ground as ice. 22:38 You say that's the story. 22:39 Yeah, but it's a true one. 22:42 So he was thrown into prison, 22:44 and he had to work in the daytime 22:47 had to go out in the forest and cut down trees. 22:50 Down the road from this prison, 22:52 there was a little village 22:55 and there was a Christian family, 22:57 Adventist Christians, beautiful young woman, 23:01 and she was praying that God would send her a husband. 23:04 Where do you find a husband in that part of the world? 23:08 Then you heard about this young man in prison. 23:11 And he was hungry. 23:12 And so they used to take him food, 23:15 bosch, hot Russian bread, 23:20 they fell in love, she became Mrs. Kulakov. 23:24 When I went there to Moscow, by the grace of God, 23:26 when communism is still ruling, 23:28 this man became my translator. 23:34 I want to tell you, folk, 23:35 something, I salute these people. 23:38 Look, we are simply, 23:40 we're babies compared with these people. 23:42 We don't know how, what suffering is like. 23:45 But some of these people 23:47 have been through absolute hell. 23:51 And they've stood for Christ. 23:54 What can I learn? 23:56 I can learn many, many lessons and one lesson is courage. 24:02 Like Paul, the prisoner had. 24:06 Paul the prisoner. 24:08 Goodness me, Paul, the prisoner. 24:10 There he is. 24:13 Became one of my great friends. 24:15 Why do we call him Paul the prisoner? 24:18 Because he was thrown into prison. 24:20 Why was he thrown into prison? 24:22 He was thrown into prison, 24:24 because he was running in secret 24:26 a little printing press. 24:28 That was a big no, no, 24:29 because once you start putting stuff out, 24:30 people may find out about God. 24:34 He was turned in by a leader of the church. 24:36 You say, "Those things don't happen." 24:38 Of course, they happen. 24:40 Back in those days, 24:42 there were people who were betraying each other. 24:44 People in the church 24:46 were betraying their brothers and their sisters. 24:48 There's a text about this, Luke 21:16-17. 24:52 And I'm going to read this text and then I'm going to tell you 24:55 a little bit more about Paul, the prisoner. 24:58 Okay, are you still with me? 25:00 Are you listening? 25:01 "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, 25:07 relatives and friends, 25:10 and they will put some of you to death. 25:13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake." 25:18 You say, "I can't believe this." 25:20 What Jesus said it's going to happen. 25:22 Even your loved ones are going to be betray you. 25:25 But Jesus said, now listen to me. 25:27 Jesus said, "Be faithful unto death. 25:29 And I'm going to give you a crown of life." 25:32 I want you to know this. 25:34 We are living in the time of the apocalypse. 25:38 Now I'm going to tell you the story of Paul the prisoner, 25:40 how he was thrown into a refrigerator cell. 25:44 How they freeze him up, and throw him out, 25:48 freeze him up, throw him out, then beat him up, 25:52 and knock his teeth out. 25:53 All this is coming up in the next segment. 25:56 I've got so much to share with you. 25:58 I'm talking today about God's mighty heroes. 26:03 Stay with me please. 26:05 I'll be back with you just a moment. 26:20 The Carter Report is now streaming 26:22 on demand for you. 26:25 Now you can have the teachings of John Carter anytime, 26:28 day or night. 26:30 By streaming the Carter Report, 26:32 there is more content for you to choose from, 26:35 and it's easy. 26:37 If you are new to streaming, 26:39 all you need to do is purchase a streaming device. 26:42 It doesn't really matter which one, 26:44 you can buy a Roku, 26:46 Amazon Fire or Apple TV from any major retailer. 26:50 You or a family member 26:53 can plug the device into your TV 26:55 and sign in to your internet connection. 26:58 Do a search for the Carter Report 27:00 and download the app to your device. 27:02 From then on, your device and the Carter Report app 27:06 can provide you with hundreds of on demand programs. 27:10 You can also take the Carter Report with you 27:12 wherever you go. 27:14 The official free Carter Report mobile app 27:16 can be downloaded to your phone or tablet. 27:19 Go to the App Store or Google Play Store 27:22 and download the app. 27:24 Additionally, you can find Carter Report programs 27:27 on your favorite podcast. 27:30 You can also watch us on Vimeo or YouTube. 27:34 Type the Carter Report in the search box. 27:38 You can watch 27:40 hundreds of uninterrupted John Carter teachings 27:42 whenever you want, for as many hours as you want. 27:46 Travel with John Carter as he circles the globe 27:48 to bring the gospel to millions of people. 27:51 Watch the Carter Classics from over 50 years of ministry 27:55 and gain knowledge from stimulating interviews 27:57 with Christian leaders. 28:00 You now have multiple ways to watch the Carter Report. 28:03 And once you start streaming, 28:05 you'll find comfort in having these teachings 28:07 readily available to you 28:09 whenever and wherever you want for free. 28:13 Welcome to the inspirational world 28:16 of John Carter. 28:22 For a copy of today's program, 28:24 please contact us at P.O. 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Revised 2020-11-09