Maxim Achkasov is a teacher of Evangelical Christain Theology at Kyiv Theological Center (KTC). He gives all major Systematic Theology classes, which include Angelology, Anthropology, Hamartiology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology and Soteriology. To find out more, please, proceed to the Kyiv Theological Center page.
My interests in Religious studies dates back to the age of 13. It was in 1991, when my family moved from Russia to Ukraine. It was the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union and hyperinflation. I was one of three children, my family didn’t have any income, my parents couldn’t find a job, and we were going through an extremely difficult time. The family was in both economical and emotional crises. Soon after our arrival we found ourselves in a small local Christian community. Having no money to even buy bread or any clothes whatsoever, being a stranger at school with no friends, this small church and faith in God seemed to be a place of peace, safety and acceptance. It felt it was where I could truly be myself. I dove into the service, ministry and religious practices. I eagerly wanted it to be my identity. I admired sermons, preachers and all those who showed a complete devotion and dedication to church teaching. As the community we attended belonged to a Pentecostal movement, practicing various spiritual gifts, I was particularly impressed with the idea that I could relate and be a part of something really supernatural. What’s more I was absolutely sure that I found a place where I will have all the questions answered - about the meaning of life and what happens to us after our death.
So, in the midst of severe economic and emotional crises of the family I was happy. We attended church about five times a week. Starting from the age of 14 and till 19 held regular sermons. According to the tradition of the community a sermon would usually be about 10 to 30 minutes and given by four to sixs “brothers” who were considered to be in union with God. It gave me the possibility to learn how to study the Scripture, express my thoughts, build a story, develop an argument, and communicate with an audience. From that time I dreamt about becoming a preacher and I very much wanted to go to a Theological college. I used to apply to all distance learning Bible courses I could find (e.g. “Emmanuel”) and tried to study as much as I could. At the age of 17 I was given access to more than 100 hours of audio records in cassettes of the course “The School of Christ” by Bert Clendennen. I diligently went through the whole course, took notes and tried to follow all the recommendations they gave in the ministry. It was a very transformational time for me.
I wanted to know more and two years later I got my parents’ permission to go to Theological seminary. I enjoyed it very much. I studied Ecclesiology, Bibliology, Anthropology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology, Homiletics, Ancient Greek, the History of Christianiy, Cults and Religions, and many other subjects. To be honest, I studied all the time. I literally tried to memorize all the data we were given during the classes and be well prepared for the tests and final examinations. By the end of the first year I got the highest average score in all subjects and was awarded as the best student at the seminary. It happened again at the end of my second year of studies, and I was proposed to go to study at the Regents Theological college in the UK. There I completed Bachelor's degree in Applied Theology and Master’s degree in Pentecostand Charismatic issues. Since that time I have taught various subjects of Systematic Theology and run a web-resource that is dedicated to the study of the Pentectostal movement in Ukraine.
Education
- 09/2020
- Certificate EF SET; 82/100 C2 Proficient (Listening Section - 80/100 C2 Proficient, Reading Section - 83/100 C2 Proficient) by EF Education First
- 11/2015
- Teaching Adult Learners; Open2Study от Open Universities Australia (OUA)
- 3/2011
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Listening 7.0, Reading 7.5, Writing 6.5, Speaking 8.0, Overall Band Score 7.5; University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations;
- 7/2001 - 10/2005
- Master of Arts in the Study of Pentecostal and Charismatic Issues, The University of Manchester, Regents Theological College
- 8/2000 - 6/2001
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Theology (degree with honors), The University of Manchester, Regents Theological College
Academic writing
The Role of Jesus’ Healing According to John’s Gospel
It is generally accepted that the events of Jesus’ ministry had been already set for the authors of the gospels.[1] Therefore, to “convey the significance of the story, [evangelists] shaped, and arranged material so that its sequence established a certain progression and causality ...to cooperate in conveying the meaning of the story”.[2] Thus, the selection of the events, including healing miracles, reflects the author’s purpose. In the gospel of John there are three healings: of the official’s son (4:46-54); of the paralytic (5:2-47); of the man born blind (9:1-41); and one resurrection of Lazarus (11:1-46). John does not record the acts of casting out demons, or healing of multitudes. One possible explanation for such a selection is because these had not been recorded in the circulated Synoptics. However, this is difficult to assume that it is the only reason. At the same time, it is clear that healing is important for John’s purpose. John’s own statement is, “these [signs][3] have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31a). Therefore, healing, being a major or prominent part of the ‘signs’,[4] must play significant role in bringing the readers to faith in Jesus.[5] The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of healing in the presentation of John’s Gospel.
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Experience
- 11/2021 - today
- Teacher of Christian Theology at Kyiv Theological Center;
- 7/2005 - today
- Private teacher of English as a foreign language at the Language School English4real;
- 9/2002 - 8/2005
- Teacher of Systematic Theology, Apologetics, Ancient Hebrew, Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary, Kyiv.
