Lighthouse Trails Research Journal
21
“If Only I Could Be Sure I Was in the Right Church.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is from Harry Ironside’s book
Full Assurance.
BY HARRY IRONSIDE
comment put to me: “If I could only be sure I was in the right
church, I would feel secure; but there are so many different
churches that I get all confused and upset.”
My response: The church is not the ark of safety. The church
is the aggregate of all who believe in the Lord Jesus and who have
therefore been baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body. This is
not a mere organization, however ancient and venerable. If you
were sure you were in the right church (some earthly organiza-
tion) and trusted in that for salvation, you would be forever lost!
Your trust must be in the Head of the church, the risen Christ.
A
Natasha Vins—continued from previous page
comrades. Is it true you believe in
God?” I felt a sudden panic. Like a
little animal being hunted, I wanted
to hide, to become invisible. “Well?
How long do we have to wait?” the
teacher repeated in a stern voice.
Slowly I walked forward and turned
to face the class. Tense silence hung in
the air. Quietly, almost in a whisper, I
said, “Yes, I believe in God.”
“What’s wrong with you?” the
teacher exclaimed angrily. “Are you
that ignorant? Didn’t you read what
Yuri Gagarin said after he returned
from his space flight? It was in all
the newspapers. He did not see
God anywhere! You’re in the third
grade already! The Soviet State
is making every effort to give its
children the best education in the
world, and here is the result. How
shameful! Go to the principal’s
office.” . . . My classmates had
discovered that I was strikingly
different from everyone else, and
our relationships changed. (pp.7-8)
In 1979, when Natasha was 27 years old,
her family was released from the U.S.S.R.’s
hold, and they resettled in America. How
VOLUME 8—NO. 1
He is the only Savior. All ecclesiastical pretension is vain, and to
rest in any kind of church membership is an empty deception.
Christ alone is the ark that will carry you safely through all the
storms of judgment. No matter what denomination you turn
to, you will never find salvation in allying yourself with it, but
when you come to Jesus, you are then prepared to enjoy fellow-
ship with His people.
I love Thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of Thine abode,
The Church our blest Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood.
this came about is chronicled in Children of
the Storm as well as her father’s book, The
Gospel in Bonds. Once settled in America,
Natasha’s father started a ministry called
Russian Gospel Ministries, which aided
those still suffering persecution. Natasha
worked by her father’s side until his passing
in 1998 at the age of 69. Later, she worked
along side her husband, Alexander, travel-
ing to Siberia each year to share the Gospel
with the people of remote rural villages.
Natasha’s paternal grandparents, Peter
(who was executed in a Soviet prison in 1937
at the age of 39) and Lydia, and Natasha’s par-
ents left a legacy to their children and grand-
children of devotion and commitment to the
Lord even in the face of extreme persecution
and suffering. Natasha did not squander
that legacy given to her but rather carried it
throughout her own life, serving Christ and
testifying to His faithfulness and goodness so
that others might be partakers of the same
unwavering faith that was passed on to her.
Today, we rejoice in knowing that she is
now reunited with those who shaped her life
and share in her life’s hope that many will
come to Christ and follow Him all the days
of their lives. To read more about Georgi
Vins and his daughter Natasha, visit www.
georgivins.com.
1963—Natasha (back right) and her family shortly after her
father’s release from his first arrest for preaching the Gospel
SPRING 2020