Ministry In The Czech Republic

Introduction to the Czech Republic and the Speaker’s Family

Well, good morning, it's a it's a real privilege and joy to be with you this this morning. I'm really sorry. Like I I pay a lot of attention when pastor Mike is speaking especially in the class and everything but I'm a little bit nervous today because I'm using PowerPoint and I didn't use PowerPoint for like 15 years and And it wasn't working but then your brother from your church made it all work and it's all it's all good now.

So I'm super thankful to God that we can be here with you this this morning. This is our family at least on a picture we are from Czech Republic. I was born in Czech Republic in Right before a communist regime and ended there.

My grandfather was a pastor in a Baptist Church. And then preach the gospel he ended up in a prison Underneath a communist regime and in a work camp for a couple years. But when they released him he went back to preaching the gospel and was a was a hero of faith of mine.

And I was very blessed to have him as a grandfather. Laura my wife. She's from Maine. Well, she would say that she's from all over but uh, but she's from Maine and God blessed us with six children. We have five of them here with us.

The sixth one oldest oldest one David. It's not here with us today. And he's he's he's back in the main and uh, and we are super happy to be here with you. I was born and raised in Czech Republic. We are married with Laura for 20 years and I'm super thankful that God gave me a wife that loves the Lord loves to minister loves Czech people and You know people sometimes say that we are missionaries.

I'm not a missionary. My wife is I'm a national I was born and raised in Czech. I preach in Czech I I grew up in Czech and I do everything in Czech, but Laura is the hero. In our marriage because she left her school her family her church her culture her language friends and everything 20 years ago to come to check in and And and support me in the in the ministry that that God placed on on my heart.

So that's our family. That's our name up there. And we are very very happy to be here with you this morning. So Czech Republic is in the in the heart of the heart of the Europe. If you never been to Europe, you are more than welcome to come.

We would love to have you at our house. If you ever come probably not all of you at one and at once, you know, like try to split it up but we are right there in the in the heart of the Europe and You know, those are the countries that are around us.

I was born and raised in Prague, which is the which is the capital. And right now we are living just like 10 minutes north from Brno, which is the second largest city in the Czech. There's a major highway.

So it takes you like two two and a half hours. To go there. There's 10 ,000 10 10 million people in the Czech Republic. And and people often say that Czech Republic is one of the most atheistic countries in the world.

I don't know if that's true, but it's that's I guess that's what Wikipedia says. But it sure looks like it. There is a lot of people who do not believe in God they say that there is only one there is less than 1 of evangelicals born-again people in our in our country and.

Then when somebody is a believer when somebody is a Christian. It's it's it's a Roman Catholic and and we are we love Roman Catholics. But unfortunately the Roman Catholic Church is preaching a different gospel and then the biblical gospel.

And we have a lot of people in our church. Who got saved from Roman Catholicism and who are so thankful to God that even though they grew up under in the Roman Catholic? Religion that got freedom and saved them and and show them that you know.

It's it's only through Christ only by grace only only through faith. So so 10 million people in a in a Czech Republic you might have heard about John Huss. John Huss was some hundred years before Martin Luther, so so we have like a rich Protestant history.

Martin Luther said that we are all Hussites when he was reading Huss's works but then the Roman Catholic Church took over and and for many centuries and and We were we were we were in that. Kind of like an environment.

So the good news is there is a lot of mission to be done in a Czech Republic. There are always people who need to hear about Christ. And we are super thankful that you know God God has faithful churches and faithful pastors.

And and we are so thankful, and I'm not saying it because pastor Mike is here. But we are so thankful for people who are willing to come from states and and help us you know teach us disciple us encourage us and.

And.

Partner with us, so we are super super duper thankful for that, so that's a Czech Republic and then I Think I have like 30 minutes now, or maybe 35 40 so so you know like I'm supposed to like introduce ourselves.

And and tell you about us, and and I was thinking about like telling a little bit about a story like What we do in our town how it started to give you some kind of ideas that is that is that cool? And I have some pictures and some of them are like just like a you know like a little different.

It's like you know 20 years ago. You take a picture, and it's a bad picture, but it's the only picture you have. And then you come to the United States and somebody's like hey, can you show us pictures?

They're like?

Yeah So.

So so the handsome, that's me. This is my best friend. And I was like man like I'm I'm gonna be showing like how we started inclusion. And that's the only picture I have is a cool to show and he's like yes.

It's all right, so so anyway, so uh so the way how we started in our town, so I Was born and raised in Prague when I was 18 years old there was opportunity to move to the other town. I showed you to work there with mission organization and.

And and I volunteer with them then then I volunteered some more with them. And then I started working for them and in the year 2000 these two guys Roman and Martin they came to our camps and God saved them they were like 14 15 years old.

God saved them regenerated them. They went back to their town, which is like 15 minutes away. That's the town where we are right now currently and they started reading the Bible and from the reading the Bible.

They realized like hey We should be going to a church because you know it seems that that's what Christians are doing so they founded only Church. There was in our town, which was Roman Catholic Church, and they started coming to the Roman Catholic Church and a couple of weeks later.

They are like you know it's probably not safe to be coming here because it's not the same like what we read in the Bible. It's not what we hear Here even though they say Jesus and Bible and God so so they stopped going there.

They returned the next year in 2001 in the summer back to the camp they asked the director and my boss. You know do you have somebody who would be willing to come to our town and teach us Bible and and Loisa?

My best friend and I who were working there. We volunteered we started coming to this town of course in 10 ,000 people know Bible teaching Church. But a lot of people who are who are hungry, and I just just by the way that you would know Roman now you know 20 years later.

He's a pastor in a church north from Prague. Martin is a it's like a huge help to a pastor in a church west from Prague. Liza he's a great pastor and a director of a Czech Bible Institute and so so God has done a lot of work.

You know through through through some of these guys when we when we first started in a cousin. We basically were meeting with the guys. Outside in the woods and in a summer in a park in a town on a bench.

In a winter we would meet in a car because we didn't have a house. We didn't have a church, and we were not living there. You know we were just like commuting to come and teach those guys Bible. And God was gracious enough that you know when when the guys invited their their other friends they would come they wanted to learn the Bible and.

And God would provide us with like a place that we could use like for an hour or two hours during the week so that's that's that's one of the places and and. The idea was you know like we are going to try to reach these these young people that.

That that are still moldable like we know God is sovereign and in salvation. But if you are talking with somebody who was for 50 years in a Roman Catholic Church. It's a little bit harder than be talking to like a 16 17 18 year old guys who are trying to figure things out who are.

You know like trying to find answers. So so we wanted to be focused on on the young men and and and hopefully through them get to their parents. Hopefully through them get to the older generation. So one of the things that we did 20 years ago 18 years ago.

Whatever it was was that uh you know we rented a gym. Got got kids from the streets together played some soccer played some sports and and and the purpose of that was to make relationships to invite them to a Bible study and.

And and to be with them to spend time with them so so those are some of the kids. Later on we had a lot of Gypsies come in as well, and we love them. And they are super nice and super cute and and and really sweet the nice thing is that you know these guys now.

They have like tattoos on their faces and and tattoos everywhere. And they go to gym so they're like like that and when they walk through our town everybody's going on the other sidewalk and by the way in Europe we have sidewalks and people walk on them and.

And you know you don't hop in a car unless you have to drive to like a I don't know six hours away. So so you do a lot of walking in Europe even in the town and and it's really nice because like now these guys some Of them are in a prison already, which is unfortunate, but it's hopefully God will save them.

But they walk on on a street. You know with their tattoos and and like really big guys and everybody's like stepping on the other side and and Laura. And I we go on a sidewalk, and they're like hi. She's the one who made us the cookies you know 15 years ago.

We like you so we are safe in our town. We have no problems so uh you know so so that was kind of like the beginning that was the idea. That's that's what we were trying to do and then by God's grace I got married, and I married up and and Laura was willing to leave everything here here in the States and come to Czech Republic and Her heart was for China.

When I met her she's like I need to be a missionary in China. I was like if you are in China, then we're gonna get married, so how about check right like maybe God was saying check. Not China. It starts with a C.

So.

So by God's grace she ended up in a check and and she ended up teaching English and in a in a high school in The town where we were and that opened up a door for like another another ministry because now she's talking to like hundreds of students.

To teachers she's teaching English to businessmen and and all different kinds of groups, and and we were able to have them you know for four different classes. Laura was teaching them and and The really nice thing was that in her free time she would be teaching English and the deal was I'll teach you English for free.

But uh at the end of the class I'm gonna talk about Jesus you know and all these people were like hey, well, we'll take a free English from a native speaker and and. So you know so so the gospel was spreading.

Laura started teaching the English and and as I said before like and and and I really mean it I don't say just because my kids are here and Laura's here, but she she is. I'm super thankful for her and and as you men know like you know that God gave us a helper like that's that's that's.

That's a huge blessing by God's grace. You know some sometime around this time. We had to come to a decision you know will we keep working with a para church organization which was a Christian and which was preaching the gospel, but which wasn't a church or.

Will we will we do more like a church? You know and if you read the New Testament God's plan for a church is to plant new churches. And and it's church or church and para organizations. They can be great.

You know and praise God that they preach gospel and that they are helping churches. But they are not a church right so it's like you know somebody would get saved at a camp and it's like Hey, yeah, we cannot baptize you, but you want to throw a stick to the fire.

It's like hey or Yeah, like we are not gonna. See you for a year because you are like living six hours away. Hope to see you again next year. You know what I mean. It's like you preaching the gospel which is great and God is saving people which is great.

But a plan is local church, and and there was this opportunity now in a cushion. There are people who are hungry for the Word of God. There is no Bible teaching church. So we talked to different people we have a church in the main that send us.

We were underneath the elders in the check. So so you know it seemed wise to try to plant the church in a in a cushion. So so we stopped working with a parachurch organization. God provided a house for us in this in this town.

We were able to move there open up the house. You know so now you are not a meeting in a rental. You are not meeting in the high school or something. But you can open up your living room people come your wife makes cookies you teach the Bible and and.

And it was really it was really really sweet, so. This was in our living room. You know meeting meeting with people meeting with youth a lot of focused on you know teaching teaching.

Ladies.

She learned Czech within two years that you know people often ask like does your wife speak Czech so so she speaks Czech and. And she teaches our kids Czech and when our kids have a question about Czech.

I send them to my American wife. Why don't you ask your mommy and? And that's how it works. I know the language. I just do not know how the language works. So you know it's like if you have a grammar question.

It's like that's how it is, but your mom has the answer because she studied the gram. So so that was a huge blessing because uh you know there is there's a lot of work to be done among men. And there is a lot of work to be done among among women.

And and it you know if you if you have somebody who loves Christ, and it's willing to Teach the ladies so so those are some of our ladies years and years ago. That's that that's the youth and and the kids meeting in the garage.

We had a garage at our house and after we were not being able to meet in the Living room we were constructed a garage and and that kind of became like a church or youth room or English classroom. So this this is like a half of the garage you are you are looking at so that's where we were and Here's the thing so uh so we are in the town right you're working with with teenagers most of them might be like Roman Catholic because 15 18 years ago grandma took me to church they baptized me there and.

And now I don't go there for years. You know it's like I'm a Roman Catholic but I really do not know what it even means and. And now I'm met these Christians. And they're telling me about Jesus and they're telling me about church, and they are telling me about baptism and all these kind of things and we wanted them to kind of like a you know see a Mature church a real church.

You know show them like hey church. It's not just like in a living room with Radek and Laura. But uh you know they're elders and their baptisms. And there's a Lord's Supper, and there is there's like a wider congregation so so even though we did like a lot of work.

During the week in our town in our house. We also wanted the the students to see the real church so on Sundays We would either load them up in a train or on a bus or in a car and and go to Brno to a church where we were members and.

And just wanted them to experience that and and be there so when when God saved some some of them. That's where they were baptized in a you know in a in one of the Baptist Baptist churches in a Brno. Sometime around that time and my wife knows all the dates.

I.

Remember the names of our kids. She remembers the birthdays. It's like she's the number person and the memory person so it's like yeah. It happened sometime in last 20 years, and she's like no it was Monday midnight.

You know so it's like great but anyway, so uh you know as the work grew and God God also provided another family, and that's that's Peter and Anna here here here on the left side. And they moved to our town as well, and we knew them before and God also laid on their hearts.

There would be great to have a church in that town so so now God provided another family who was like-minded close friends loving Christ. Also members of the of the Brno Church. And and we started meeting in their living room, and you know one Sunday in their living room on Sunday in our living room.

But it's that's that's like that's like the very beginnings of the of the work in a in a in a cushion. And we are so thankful for this couple really sweet family. Great great heart for God, so so does the yellow nose.

Then some 14 years ago. We outgrew the living room and then we outgrew the garage kind of a thing where we started meeting in the church. And we were able to rent a place which was a old disco disco hall so.

So the first couple of Sundays there would be a disco ball here. And I preached under in the disco ball, and then my wife was like hey. It's probably you probably should take it down. I was like yeah, you're probably right.

So we took it down.

So uh you know just like a place right in the mainstream in our in our town. And we were able to start renting it. And and and God was gracious. You know like God was gracious. He was he was adding see no disco ball anymore.

That's where it was. It's where it was not there anymore 15 years ago, but God was adding adding people. You know we try to evangelize we try to disciple. We try to preach the word. We would do English camps so Laura's death would bring a couple people from their church in the main.

They would come for a week. We would teach English. We would have 50 60 70 80 80 number living students come for a week of English in the morning sports in the afternoons and then preaching gospel in the evening and.

And and and God was just bringing bringing other people You know to to his kingdom and and to our church, and it was it was it was pretty neat. I think it was in 2012.

When.

So in 2012 We actually became like an official church with a bit of membership and eldership and and we became a part of a Baptist Union and. The reason why we became a part of a Baptist Union is because in a check you cannot have independent church unless you have 300 members, so I think here in the States if you have like.

You know it's almost like in the Bible like where two or three of you are gathered. You can have a independent church. I think that's the verse in a check. It's like you have to have 300 members to have like an independent church.

And it's hard because the largest Baptist Church in a check has like 200 members. You know so it's like so you have to join a some kind of a denomination in order to be in the in the church box. And I grew up in the Baptist Union.

I I love it. I have a lot of friends a lot of pastor friends there my grandfather was it was a pastor there. So it was like well You know let's let's be part of the Baptist Union. Because you can still be independent you can you can preach whatever whatever you want nobody stunning you what to do that the church is.

You know independent in that kind of a sense so so that's what we did in around 2012. But uh, but then a couple of couple of years later 80 years later. We had to leave the Baptist Union. Because you know if you are a member, and I'll try to make it short if you are a member you see this side but then when you become a part of the Union and you are a pastor and you go to the pastors meetings and you go.

To.

You know to the. You know the big meetings with all the other leaders like now you start seeing the problems. And what they are dealing with and and it's probably the same here. You know like you know should women be a pastor.

So it's like oh, I thought it was decided 2 ,000 years ago. It's like okay, or Homosexuality or you know can can we partner with the Roman Catholics and and can we have a Roman Catholic priest preaching our church?

You know because they are bigger, and they are stronger, and and we are small and and we need like a big brother. You know it's like Yeah, big brother is fine, but a big cult is not you know it's like Like like you know and that they were like the the sufficiency of the Bible or inerrancy of the Bible.

So so there were churches who who fought a battle before us for many years and and when we joined we we kind of like I joined them in trying to Reform it and and for our conscience and and other churches for their conscience.

They couldn't stay there anymore, so so 80 years later. You know we left and and we have like-minded churches that we work with in a Czech Republic.

And.

And we love the people in the Baptist Union. But but for our conscience we couldn't be there anymore so so God was adding people. This is one of our church lunches that's the that's the disco room from from the other side and and we were having lots of baptisms because God was converting people and.

This is this is Veronica and Martin they joined our church, maybe I don't know five years ago I think it's now and and it's it's really neat. Because Martin he's a super smart guy. He's like a mark margaret we Had you know super smart guy.

Engineer a teacher like like super super educated guy, and he was a hardcore Roman Catholic. He would go to like these special places on his knees. You know like like anything you can do as a Roman Catholic.

He would done it and and that's his wife Veronica and. And for 32 years 35 years he would be going to the Roman Catholic Church in the Roman Catholic thing and then one day He was sick, and he's like well.

I'm sick. I'm at home I might just read a Bible for the first time in my life. For my own because he was never encouraged in his church to read a Bible right like this. That's why you have the priest so so he's sick.

He's home. He opens up the Bible. He starts reading the Bible and like a week later. He thinks I'm crazy. I must be crazy like I went nuts because I'm reading the Bible the same Bible that they preach from every Sunday.

But I'm reading it, and I'm understanding it this way. So I must be crazy because when they read in the church. They always explain it this way right like and the way how we understood it is you are saved only through Christ.

You are saved only by grace. You are saved only through faith like there's nothing you can add to your salvation. Christ has done it all right like he lived the perfect life. He died the substitutionary death and and he was rose again.

And there is nothing you can add to your salvation and and he literally thought he went nuts. So he started reading Bible with his wife. God saved her now both of them thinking that they are crazy and.

And and and and he had no idea there is like any other church in a Roman Catholic Church even though He's like a you know like highly educated. Great guy engineer, so he started researching online. And to his great surprise and joy he found out he's not crazy.

He found out there are other believers there are other other churches other people who understand the Bible the very same way how he understands It so he started looking for a church nearby. He found a Baptist Church.

They came there, and they're like well You know we do ecumenical think with a Roman Catholics. And and he's like we cannot stay here like we are so thankful to God that he just saved us from there. Like how can we be in the church that doesn't understand the difference you know and they would try like maybe three or four different Churches and that would be the deal-breaker for them.

It's like we cannot be in the church. It doesn't understand that Roman Catholic Church even though. There's a lot of great people and a lot of like you know friends and family and really nice people. But but but a teaching the doctrine is False and then one day by God's grace.

They showed up in our church, and they never left. They got baptized a couple weeks later and and and Martin is one of the pillars of our church. You know huge heart for God huge heart for evangelism.

You know he would be he would be going to Brno. Once a week or or every other week then a couple of our guys from our church started going with him to Brno. Do like a street evangelism you know just talk to the people tell them about a hope we have in Christ and and his specialty would be like you know he would find out where different Roman Catholic churches in Brno and their.

Thing and.

He would be like oh this church ends up this time that church ends up at that time. And he would go there and wait for the people to come out and and very politely very lovingly very kindly. Just be like hey like you know I was one of you, but this is this is what I found in a Bible.

You know would you like to hear. So so he has a huge heart for reaching out to the Roman Catholic community. And and the area where we live that's like like everybody is a Roman Catholic. So so he has a he has a lot of work, so yeah, so they were actually.

Well I'll tell you.

So so They're just parents heavily Roman Catholic. They were living in the same house. You know like a one floor the the parents another floor like another generation. That's how we do it in a in a Europe so you have your own kitchen you have your own everything.

It's just like you live underneath the same roof even though you are like separated and and America was like the favorite of the family until. She became born again right and then like really, but even even her own parents like really like Turn against her and against him, and they were giving them such a hard time that they finally I kick them out of the house.

And by God's grace they ended up being our neighbors in our town, so we have great neighbors. I do not know if they have a good neighbors, but we have a great neighbors. So and and they are helping in the church.

So much and and we are praying for their parents and and hoping that God will save their parents. This is another baptism and and the reason why I have this picture. The reason why I have this picture is so is this Pavel God saved him a couple years ago he has a lovely wife Nellie.

God bless them with two children and. You know they're one of the one of the families in our church. That would be traveling like two hours by car one way. To come to church on Sunday, and and there are churches in the area where they live.

It's it's just that churches or churches that don't preach the gospel so so you know like like he's my hero because. For you know for the years when they were members of our church. He was willing to pack up his family every Sunday morning and and be in the church.

Before people who have it like five minutes to a church. You know it's like dude like he can he brings two kids, and he lives two hours away, and you are late again. You know so so so we have some some great people like that and.

And that's that's that so by the way, that's that's our baptismal. I don't know if you have a baptismal here. Oh. It's back there. Okay. Well. We have the biggest one in the check. We even have like swans and ducks and and stuff like that.

It's it's it's really cool a lot of people are jealous. But it's that's that's what we do. Yeah, so oh well. Yeah, yeah, okay, so when it's winter. Yeah, we hope that nobody wants to get baptized in winter.

Yeah, we'll just leave it at that. No, so uh so yeah, we got a question yesterday, so when it's winter. So so so this was in the winter they got baptized in February. But where just she has like some really really really really serious health issues, so even if it would be a summer.

We would not be baptizing her outside. You know so when it's like winter and. And people have like a medical condition. Then we go to Home Depot. We alone one of those and and give it back the next day and.

And.

And use it as a baptismal, but then we have people and and you can see Pavel is not praying. He's he's shaking. You know this is this is not prayer, and this is not a smile. It's like I hope this is gonna be over soon, and I have the easy job because I don't go under.

But uh yeah, so we baptized we baptized in the winter, but but you know what I was I was done in I think Mark or Jonathan yesterday. You know like you you see Russia. And you see them like cutting eyes that is this deep you know and and and and and baptizing people.

So like for us. You know that there might be a little bit of ice or the ice just melted so it's super cold but it's that's what we do and and then. Yeah, that's that's the baptism outside that's what we have done and.

You know over the years God was adding people to the church. Still the same building. It's it's growing so you you can see you can see the you can see the progress you can see. What what God is doing?

At our church that there are some visitors there's as well, but uh that's that's where we are and and the thing is you know like Here is our strategy. That this is this is what we learned from Crazy Americans like Pastor Mike you know you just take the Bible.

You just start in one book in the first chapter in the first verse and you go verse by verse. Chapter by chapter you read the passage you explain the passage and you you help the people to to apply the passage to their life you know and and This this is this is to God's glory.

We have people come into our church that that find the sermons online. And they are coming to our church saying like you know what we are. We are just tired and hungry. For like last five years in our church like we hear stories.

We hear like crazy things and this and that and nobody opens up the Bible and if they finally open up the Bible they spend. Like one minute in the Bible, and it's like my story about this and my story about it and people you know who are Christians.

Are just starving, and then they finally find somebody you know like a Opens up the Bible, and they are so thankful, and it is the you know I think that's what I say in the Grace Church. It's like it is the work of the word.

You know it's it's not about a pastor. It's not about the Personality it's not about like this guy or that guy. It's just about you know trying to be faithful with a word of God that God gave us and it's his word who does the work it's his work word that convinces people and encourages people and and builds up people and and.

And and does that so so that's what we are trying to do. That's what I'm thankful that that I was able to learn and that's what's what's happening in a check. So uh yeah, so the church grew. We don't meet in a park anymore and then a couple other things.

Hopefully they will make sense so. You know that there was a war that started in Ukraine almost two years ago, right so well, so Even before the war we already had some people from Ukraine in our church that are members in our church.

And we love them, and they're they're super awesome. And when the war started we had probably some 40 people including children. Coming to our church because they lived in the heavily bombarded areas.

And and they came over and they already knew our our Ukrainian people. So this is some of them and and we have them in our church for last Two years 40 of them. This is a Czech class we have we have Misha and Anna teaching them teaching them Czech and.