TRANSCRIPT

NATHAN JONES 

Today, we meet Ruslan Zagidulin. Ruslan grew up in the Soviet Union, came to faith in Jesus as a teenager, and has been serving Him ever since. Ruslan lives in Kyrgyzstan with his wife and four sons and now serves, among other things, as the Eurasian Co-regional Director of the Lausanne Movement.

I'm your host, Nathan Jones, and I want to thank you for joining me once again on the Inspiring Stewards podcast.

Ruslan, thank you so much for your time and I'm looking forward to diving into this time with you, so thanks for being with me. Let's start it off with a question of where you grew up, a bit about your family life, that sort of thing.

RUSLAN ZAGIDULIN

Thank you, Nathan. I'm actually from the former Soviet Union, from the country called Kyrgyzstan, which is a part of Central Asia. So, I was born in the Soviet time. In that time, we all were at one country with 15 different republics.

So, I grew up in a very typical, ordinary family. I would say Soviet family and some philosopher called us “Homo Sovieticus.” It's kind of a specific type of humanity, which means that my whole ideology when I was growing up came or rooted from communist ideology, which is primarily about collectivism.

And in terms of ethnicity, I am mix between Russian and Tatar. From my father's background I'm Muslim, from my mother's background, I am Orthodox Christian. But from both sides, I was like a nominal Christian.

So, first of all, we were Soviet people and then, with the kind of cultural religiosity, which did make a real impact in our daily life. But what happened when the Soviet Union fell apart, that was something! 

And at the same time, I was a teenager in that time – at the end of 80’s and beginning of 90’s. And the huge crisis of identity occurred in my life. So, who I am. It was a huge question for me. So, everybody should figure out or identify their own identity from the religious perspective. So, from my mother's side, I'm Christian. From my father's side, I'm Muslim.

So, from that time, I just hate any religiosity. I thought that religiosity or religion was invented by some leaders of societies just to rule the people, just to control the people. So, I became like kind of atheist. So, every discussion, every conversation about religion, I just hated.

And what's happened in my circle with my friends, one of them started listening to some TV show, actually, with some preacher. And his life a little bit changed. His name – Eugene.

At some point, he said, “You know, guys, I'm not going to do what we used to do. I'm not going to live the same life we used to live.” So, I was like, “What? You became one of those fanatics, so you're crazy.”  

In the beginning, I thought, “It's okay. It's just a matter of time.” But he was continued to grow in that sense. And I was really angry because I thought that some people just took control over him.

And at some point, when I turned 17, I decided with my friends, non-believers of course, just to correct him in our own understanding. That wasn't a punch, actually. In some sense, it was more bullying. It was interesting what happened in his school. So, we attended different high schools.

And one of the friends who saw what's happening from the school building, he was angry about me. He told me, “You know, Ruslan, if we have such friends, we don't need enemies, you know. Because you beat your own friend. It's bad.” So, he didn't want to talk to me. You know, you can imagine what's happened with teenager: losing all friends, being in an identity crisis. And two months was really, really difficult for me. 

So, every day, I tried to escape in my understanding. So, after two months, I just surrendered. I said, “I need to talk with my friends.” And we found a time and there's another friend – his name, Dennis – he agreed to talk with me. And we found a place and he started to explain me the gospel. I was like, “Come on!” He knew that I hated that stuff. But from very beginning, I was calm, just trying to overcome everything because I want to have my friends back.

So, he explained me very simple drawn on the ground, the one diagram that we're in the one side of the gap and God in another side and the cross between them. You're probably familiar with this picture. And he said, “You know, all our troubles is just because we have had this gap called sin.” I was like, “Come on!”

And then, I just spent time with him, we shake hands to each other greetings. And I was back home and I was like, first time in my life, surely start to think, “Come on! What's going on?”

In my home, there was a little book like in the cartoons called, “Life of Jesus Christ and the History of the First Church” and I just opened this book and there was the first picture. So, disciples of Christ was shouting, rejoicing and there was indication that we are so joyful because we suffered for Christ. And I was, “What! How you can be joyful when you suffer?”

So, I started to look over this book and I found out the story about Saul. He was against Jesus, when he was persecuting the church. That's like a light in my mind, “Come on! I wasn’t against Christians, or even Eugene. I was against Christ.” So, at my home apartment, I just fell down, ask Christ to forgive me.

And then, I back to Eugene and told him, “Forgive me, please.” He told me, “I knew that it wasn't you. It was Satan behind you. So, every morning, I prayed about you that Jesus can show the light for you. Here we go, we are brothers now.” 

And even he was immigrated and moved to another country, we are brothers. That is how I became a Christian. I started to attend the local evangelical, Baptist evangelical church. That's the story of how I became a Christian.

NATHAN

That’s good. So, quick question: you were around what age? Around 17, 18?

RUSLAN  

Yes.

NATHAN

And the church you then started to go to, how long after the fall of the Soviet Union was this? And was that a church that had been around for a while or was it a newer?

RUSLAN

Well, the Soviet Union fell about in 1991. That happened in 1993. So, that was in the middle of the chaos.

NATHAN

Wow. You know, obviously it’s a tremendous impact on your life, that decision coming to the Lord. Now, walk us up to then, kind of His story in your life from then until today, and what He has you involved in.

RUSLAN

So, being an active attender or member of the church, so, I was baptized. I was very active. And it was a very conservative church. Spiritual formation was kind of a very clear message from James, “If anyone know the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.”

For me, from very beginning, it was not about to identify my gift, identify my way, identify my call. It's more about just to find a way to be in love and compassion with people and just to do what I came to do. 

So, I tried to be involved in different projects, being a young man. At the same time, I just graduated in university with a bachelor's in engineering. And then it was a question for me: how I can spend my life?

And it was like, a really hard question for me. I prayed to God, and there was an answer from again from James: That every man who have double minded, he will not stand. So, I just need to figure out what I'm really wanting to do to be in a profession or to be more involved in the church.

Of course, now, I would probably make a different decision, I don't know. But in that time, I decided just to be like a full-time minister. So, I attended the Bible school, graduated then, and became a minister within the church.

Being also involved in different organizations, such as Bible League, Mission Eurasia, TearFund, and then One Hope. So, I graduated in Master in Theology in International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague. So that, if I can say, that's my career.

I got married. Now I have four boys. So, that's how I developed. But let me back to the question how I start to work. And that's really important for me, and I really want to share with people who is listening us.

So, I'm really, really concerned that so much sermons, preaching, speeches about the specific personal call that you need to identify. And I do think that young people are really stressed, don't know what they are really called to do. So, they don't have a kind of personal calling. And some of them is just waiting for something.

And, as I said, from very beginning, I do think there is two issue or two points need to keep in mind. So, one of them is compassion and another one is to be open. So, compassion and openness: it's very important. So, if you have open eyes, you may see the people who needs you. 

And you probably don't need to do huge stuff. It's sometimes very simple, just to be open. Sometimes, you think that we need a lot of resources, energy, whatever just to change the world. But we are not called to change the world. God is changing the world!

Recently, we had one meeting in Ministry Fundraising Network. One guy said – I really like this and I want to quote this – “God has purpose. We have an assignment.” So, we don't need to be nervous what the purpose of our life. We just need to do what we're ought to do, as James said.

So, if you're open and you have compassion, you definitely will be able to apply your skills in the daily life, in simple way, just to speak to people, just to help people, just to be at work where you are. So, that's very important for me.

At the moment, I'm Co-regional Director of Lausanne Movement in Eurasia. From very beginning, I didn't think that I would be in such position. So, working with a different organization with a global impact. So, I just started to do small things, and God was with me. And just to be a vulnerable, just to be open. That is very important to me. 

NATHAN

So, give us a sense kind of your daily work and activities now – what life looks like.

RUSLAN 

Now, I would be happy just to say I dedicated my life to specific stuff. So I’m teaching. But it wasn't true, because I am teaching in a couple of seminaries or institutions. But it's not main purpose.

So, let me put in a different way. I'm really concerned about Central Asia. You probably may know that we are really tiny Christian evangelical community in Central Asia.

In total, we have 0.01% of evangelicals here. And I'm really concerned about the future of evangelical communities. From the sociological perspective, where it actually doesn't exist, because we have to be at least 2%. That's like sociological view that we can impact the society. So, it doesn't exist actually. 

So, what’s the future for the evangelical church? Sometimes, we just can’t replicate what's happening, especially in the Western countries. It doesn't apply in many places. You will suffer without any meaning or people will not react to you. So, what does it mean to be from the global Christianity, part of the Central Asian community?

So, I'm always interested about the future, in terms of theology and missiology. And then, you can easily understand that I'm concerned about the next gen, specifically about Gen Z in Central Asia. So, these two things, it's very important for me.And I'm involved in different projects related to that within Central Asia. 

So, if I have a possibility to participate in the theological project, writing articles. For example, we produced a couple books with a collection of articles about mission. It is in Russian, about mission in Eurasia, in the former Soviet Union. So, I was involved there. There was Central Asian Bible commentary, I was involved there. So, I'm trying to be useful in a different project from the missiological side.

And then also, I'm involved in the different movements and projects related to the young generation, specifically with teenagers. I'm really interested to see how the next gen will develop, and how the church will flourish in understanding their perspective. 

NATHAN

That’s tremendous! Related question: any other groups that you work with regard to the next gen? Are there other ministries working in the area that you partner with? Or is it somewhat isolated?

RUSLAN

No, we have a local movement. There is actually informal relationship with those who are influencers among young ministries. And then, we're related to such organizations like One Hope, YFC. And I'm personally involved with Next Move. There was Converge International, which was born out of the Youth Commission of World Evangelical Alliance. We are part of that.

So, we're definitely related to others. Like Dare to Share, for example, it's well-known in United States. That would be a big mistake to create on Christianity. We don't want to create a sect, you know. We want to be a part of the global church with all the impression and expression.

NATHAN

Well, you've begun to answer this question, but I'll ask it and give you a chance just to kind of respond directly. But how are you seeing God move and at work in the world? If you had to summarize, what's unique about the way He is impacting our world today?

RUSLAN

So, I do think God has a really good sense of humor. We're always trying to doctrinate everything and to put everything in the scheme, on the paper, on the diagram, and to feel that we're in a safe place, because we now understand what God is doing. And immediately, when we jump to the conclusion, God changes something.

And we’re again and again ought rethink, re-reflect, re-pray. Everything “re”, you know. It's really amazing. COVID – it’s huge example. So, everybody pretty much understood what does it mean to be in the community, what does it mean to have relationships. Okay, good. If you don't have a physical ability to interact, what does it mean to be a community?

So, everybody started to rethink. Even the communion started to be re-thinkable, you know. For ages, everybody figure out for own denomination what does it mean, communion.

So, I think that the main point is just to be in the same rhythm with God's heart. And that's a huge danger to identify this because you ought to, in daily life, to pray, to read, to think, and to gather together to share the prayer again, to share the thoughts.

And again, back to the question about the calling, personal calling: I think that there are a lot of a lack of discipleship or discipline, to be precise.

So, when we talk about Christianity, we too much talk about grace. And everybody have own kind of understanding or definition, “What is grace?” And sometimes, I think this term: abused. We are trying to escape what we ought to do just saying, “We live by grace.”

So, we need to disciple ourselves, to discipline our life in routine. You see the difference. That's always tension. So, you need to be faithful to some small thing but you cannot trust all the small thing. You always need to re-reflect.

So, I would put discipleship and encouraging like, we need to balance it. So, when you disciple yourself, so in a routine, you always need kind of encouragement. God is just doing what He is going to do. The only question: how you’re connected to Him. 

NATHAN

Well, Ruslan, as we're wrapping up, you've shared a lot and so much that is encouraging and helpful. You know, this is the Inspiring Stewards podcast. So, any thoughts on the concept of stewardship? And then, just leave us with any final thoughts you have for us.

RUSLAN

So, if you would follow the whole conversation, you can identify four key words from me: compassion, openness, discipleship, and encourage. If you put all these four words in abbreviation, there will be CODE: Code of Stewardship. That helps me to understand what does it mean to be a steward in daily life.

To have compassion, to be open, disciple yourself, and encourage from the Bible, from prayer life. So, especially for young people, just to do small steps with this Code of Stewardship and see how God will flourish your life. That's what I'm going to say.

NATHAN

That's tremendous. The CODE of Stewardship. Ruslan, thank you for your time.

RUSLAN

Thank you.