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Advancing the Kingdom of God
(January 2001)

The city we live in is one of the oldest in our country. William Penn came to America and started Philadelphia in 1681 to be the "City of Brotherly Love." Too bad that today many people see Philadelphia as a place to avoid. We take a different view. We are Rock of Israel, a Messianic ministry reaching out to the Russian Jewish immigrant community of Philadelphia with the love of Jesus.

William Penn was a follower of Jesus. He had a concrete vision of God's kingdom come from heaven to people living on earth. This vision was not his, but came from the words of Jesus, "The time has come. The kingdom of heaven is near" (Mark 1:15). The Son of God came to this planet to inaugurate this kingdom, and His Holy Spirit is still among us.

That sounds like pretty holy stuff, you say. But what does it really amount to? I think its this - you don't have to live your life worrying about "number one" (you!) as your first priority - you can live here as if you are already going to live forever (which you will, if you trust in Jesus!). And if you live forever, you can do unselfish things that you wouldn't normally do. Like get to know immigrants, single parents, and neglected kids (the Bible talks about strangers, widows, and orphans) and helping them out. Like building bridges of compassion between people with a history of not getting along, for example, Jews and non-Jews. Like helping people grow spiritually by hooking them up with Jesus the King.

There is a growing number of believers in Philadelphia who are catching this kingdom vision. One group has formed something new called CityNet Ministries Inc. (They're so serious about this they got themselves officially incorporated!) These are folks from 6 different PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) and OPC (Orthodox Pres) churches. They want to see more congregations in Philadelphia that will put out the good news of Messiah. These people believe that entire communities, like the Russian Jews of Northeast Philadelphia, can become totally different when the amazing message of Jesus comes to rest in their midst.

We at Rock of Israel know we need the prayers and the help of God's people to move into the Russian Jewish field. And CityNet is one of the first groups to offer substantial help. The pastors of the CityNet churches are already helping with prayer and encouragement, for myself and my friend Ilya Lizorkin, our future Russian speaking pastor. We look forward to working with leaders and gifted believers from the CityNet churches. There will be opportunities for one-on-one Bible studies with Russian Jews, music outreach, helping immigrants adjust to life in America, and learning about Russian Jewish culture, history, and language. Please pray that God will raise up fearless people to share in the job He is giving us, to advance His kingdom!

With Glory to Messiah Jesus, the Rock of Israel!
Marko Malyj
Congregational Planter, CityNet Ministries