Read the incredible testimony of Sasha Tsutserov, a former KGB Agent who became a full time minister, and is now working to raise a whole new generation of Christian leaders in Russia.
“I became a member of the Communist Party in Russia and secured a position in the KGB. I had a bright future. One day, my daughter befriended an American girl whose father was a missionary in Moscow. I felt obligated to investigate these foreigners who had made such an impact on my family. I was irresistibly drawn to their joy for life, for each other and for the Lord. Step by step, I began to realize their generosity and joy stemmed from their love for God.
At first, I gave God a 50/50 chance: since no one could prove God’s existence, then no one could deny Him either. I stepped away from my aggressively atheistic realm. One day, I was attending a church retreat, and while I was praying, I had a vision. I saw God standing on the top of a mountain. I felt I was a jar of clay. God was pouring down pure gold of the Holy Spirit right inside of the jar- me. From that moment on, I needed no evidence for God’s existence. For I knew God in Jesus Christ.
When I returned home that day I met Jesus, my wife asked “What’s wrong with you? You are smiling!” You see, I had never smiled before. But that day, Jesus made me smile. I admitted that I had become a Christian. She, in turn, confessed that she had become a Christian even earlier than I did, but she had been scared to tell me, a KGB agent!
In July 1993, I was baptized and openly proclaimed my faith in Jesus Christ. I soon realized I could not keep both my faith and my job, so I quit working for the KGB. We, as a part of a team of 10 converts, then planted a church in Moscow. I knew God had called me to a ministry in education. But there was no school in Russia offering a degree in Biblical studies because the Communists had prohibited theological training. Therefore, I had to study abroad. In 1997, I graduated from Asbury in Wilmore, Kentucky, with a Master of Divinity degree, and in 2004, I earned a Ph.D. in New Testament at St. Andrews, Scotland.
Today, I serve as Director and Professor of the Moscow Seminary. I am raising a new generation of Christian leaders. I dream of training men and women to evangelize the lost and to plant churches across Russia and the former Soviet Union!”
Despite the hard conflicts happening right now, Sasha and Natasha are continuing their work with the Lord guiding them every step. Sasha Tsutserov often sends out updates and testimonies of students who are studying at the Moscow Seminary. To hear of the amazing work God is doing in the lives of Russians and those studying at the Seminary, you are welcome to be included in Sasha’s support mailing list. Send us a message if you’d like to know more!
Originally written 10 July 2019.
Revised May 2024.
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