Two Weeks of Ministry

Prayer points:
1.    May the impact of the just held workshops (see below) be far reaching and bring lasting change in awakening the hearts of the believers.
2.    We continue to ask for Levites for the URGS House of Prayer. Musicians and singers who can lead live worship sets. Please pray with us for young people who would be willing to give 1-3 months of their time and resources to come to Croatia and help cultivate, train and raise up Croatians to take the lead.
3.    God is opening doors wide for us with the Charismatic Catholic youth. Pray for wisdom and to know what and how to collaborate and cooperate with them.
4.    There is continued forward movement in the acquisition of property in the town of Gračac. Please pray for favor in all negotiations.

From Jerry’s Desk

Past Two Weeks of Ministry
The last two weeks has been wonderful and a true advancement in ministry for the Lord’s work here. It amazes us to watch how God loves and touches people. Perhaps most of all, it is remarkable to see them respond to His love. Transformation is happening in lives here in Croatia.

We were blessed to host a team from Upper Room (UR) Denver, Colorado. They spent three days teaching on intimacy, worship, encounter, song writing and more. We had over forty Croatians attend the Worship and Prayer Workshops from throughout the country. The teaching was above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Perhaps the greatest of all was that the team taught from their personal life experiences. They showed sincere love and encouragement to all they encountered.

The team consisted of two couples with their three children and a single lady. They stayed in our home, doing all they could to serve us. The UR Denver teams who come are always a cut above and it is such a pleasure to have them in our home. We are so very grateful to UR Denver for their investment into us as their missionaries and into the people we serve here.

Since the end of the workshops, we have been receiving testimonies from many of the attendees. They speak of how their lives have been blessed and enhanced. The core team that regularly attends the Upper Room Gornja Soba (URGS) House of Prayer has also been encouraged, challenged and energized by the Workshop. They seem to have entered into another level in their intimacy with the Lord.

This past Sunday we also met with our team in Gračac. Our team just purchased fire wood for an elderly lady in town.  Igor, who is a prayer leader in the URGS in Zagreb, and Roni who lives in Gračac, chopped all the wood. We love it that our team is practicing the lifestyle of “in and out”, where we come in to the presence of God and pray, but then we also go out and allow the Spirit of God to spill over onto the communities we serve through practical ways.  At the same time, the rest of the team blanketed the town with a prayer walk. As we walked, we spoke blessing over the city. What a powerful day; praying for and serving the city of Gračac.

IST Prayer 7-17-18

Prayer Points

1.    1)  God is bringing us emerging Christian leaders to the URGS house of prayer here in Zagreb. Pray they will continue in the faith from glory to glory.

2.    2)  Our efforts to bring transformation to Lika, a destitute area of Croatia, is going slow but a good foundation is being laid. Pray for the Lika team to walk in unity and expectation.

3.    3)  Having mentioned expectation, Croatian Christians have long suffered from doubt and apathy. Pray they would learn to walk in God’s promises.

4.       Is. 66:8 says: “Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day or a nation be delivered in an instant? In light of the World Cup this past Sunday, this verse is being played out on the world scene. As though the nation was just born. So much hope, expectation and unity has suddenly emerged in this little nation, this is remarkable. Pray that this truly is the beginning of a spiritual breakthrough. 

5.    4)  Pray for the IST Learning Program in the Roma (gypsy) village in Romania. It will cost $7,000 this next school year to help these poor children continue to excel and someday graduate. Pray for the funds to come in quickly. 

6.    5)  Pray that IST, and its leaders Jerry and Zuzanna will strategically execute God’s will in this land. The needs in the Balkans are overwhelming. Pray that we always hear clearly what we are to be involved in and be able to say no to all other demands.

From Jerry’s desk

The Church

In my studies of Church history this is the way I have come to understand its evolution.

The disciples of Jesus where together in Jerusalem (about 120 of them, Acts 1:4). They were in unity because after Jesus’ resurrection He spent forty days with them, teaching them. Jesus had clearly inspired them, and they were being obedient in waiting for something called the Holy Spirit to come. They did know something of the Holy Spirit because Jesus breathed the Spirit on them earlier. (Jn. 20:21)

Then the Day of Pentecost came, and like dynamite the Holy Spirit came and rested upon them and the Church was born. (Acts 2) That day a great many were saved; from many nations. This indicates the first spreading of the Gospel through these foreigners. They likely returned to their countries with a wonderment in their minds of good news. They were the first seeds planted into the nations. Likely they did not become evangelist but rather people that would recognize the Gospel when it did come to their area.

Then we have the book of Acts or Acts of the Apostles. Here we see how the Early Church functioned.

1)    The disciples were bold even in the face of death. (Stephen, Acts 7)
2)    They went forth with signs and wonders following them. (Acts 5:12)
3)    In Jerusalem they would go to the Temple, the main meeting place of the Jews and preach the Gospel.
4)    They took the Gospel to Samaria and after some persecution, to Antioch and beyond. (Acts 8:1,4-5)
5)    They would minister to the Lord and the Holy Spirit would speak direction to them. (Acts 13:1-3)
6)    After a few decades, they had turned the world upside down. (Acts 17:6)

Then came the second generation of disciples. They had not seen the Lord in the flesh and only had stories from those who had. They did have the written Gospels and letters from apostles Peter, Paul, John, etc., but there begin to be many other so-called Gospels and sayings being written. This was the start of some problems. The stories begin to differ from region to region. Some believed in the Trinity some didn’t. There were issues about Jesus’ nature; was He God and man or was He just a man. By the end of the 2nd century they set up bishops in the regions of Antioch, Alexandria, Ephesus, Rome, etc. These bishops tended to set the doctrines in their areas.

Throughout the 2nd and 3rd centuries the Gospel was having a great impact but there begin to be fights or heated disputes about the different doctrines. Of course, the devil’s divisive spirit is at work here.

Then the Roman Emperor Constantine got saved. Maybe he got saved and maybe not, but he did realize Christianity was spreading like wildfire across his empire. Constantine also recognized the divisions among the Christians and knew that was not good if you wanted to make Christianity the state religion. He called all these bishops together in the city of Nicaea for a council meeting. He basically said: Hey you guys, come to an agreement on these doctrines. And that is what they did. What really solidified their efforts was the canonizing of the Bible. The books we have now were accepted and other books or written works that were questionable were left out. Overall, there was a united front and Constantine put his seal on the council.

From the time of Constantine, the bishops were given great statue and authority. They were considered heads over their regions. Although some had pet doctrines they held on to, mostly they were in agreement. There even followed many more councils over the next four or five hundred years to decide on matters of doctrine.

Then came the great divide between the Eastern Church and the Western Church. It started with the Western Church in Rome. With so many Bishops, each having their authority, there begin to be disagreements again. The Western Church said that there just had to be a Bishop with final authority, so they declared the Bishop of Rome to be that authority. The bishops elsewhere did not agree. The Western Church declared their bishop to be Pope and the Eastern churches grouped together against Rome.

Over the next seven to eight hundred years the Western (Roman) Church and the Eastern Church became institutions. Legalism became so strong in these churches that anyone who differed would be persecuted. Christianity had become rather dead.

Then the Reformation came about. The Bible was translated into the languages of the people. In the west there arose a protest against the Church as an uncaring institution. It came to a critical mass and it could not be contained any longer. These reformers or Protestants begin to get revelation from the Bible that was different from what the institutional churches taught. Protestant groups begin to pop up all over the place.

After a hundred or so years of breakaway reform, denominations being to be established in almost every country. These denominations not only disagreed with the Roman Church and the Eastern (Orthodox) Church but also disagreed with each other. Although there had been religious wars before, these diverse denominations took their countries into many wars.

Then the New World opened up. A lot of Christians that were fed up with denominational bickering, fled to North America. They had a healthy respect for freedom and it was incorporated into governments; especially the American. While most nations in Europe had state churches, America protected freedom of religion.

I think that because of freedom of religion a third movement of the Church happened. Although there had been outpourings in local areas in the past, at the beginning of the twentieth century the Pentecostal movement marked it’s beginning. It started in America and before the end of the century had reached around the globe. Though many say that the Pentecostals are protestants, I believe they were not exclusively against the Catholic church but rather a coming-out from all the denominations. 
To summarize: (Remember these are mainly my thoughts)

The First century Church closely walked in spirit and truth. Their motives were pure and they resolved conflicts in a respectful, God honoring way. They were bold in their witness, understanding they were living completely for an eternal Kingdom. Because of that they walked in signs and wonders.

Just as Paul and Peter had warned, the second and third centuries brought disputers and false doctrines. (2 Peter 2:1, 2 Cor. 11:13, etc.) Then when Constantine unified the churches under the state, that is where the Church begin to be institutionalized as an earthly kingdom not a heavenly kingdom. The counsel in Nicaea should have been a time of repentance and bishops honoring each other’s differences. At Nicaea, maybe the Church could have healed and returned to the first century model.

The next seventeen centuries are times of the Church losing its power and ‘Jesus as the head’ as its focus. Although Jesus was always highly honored, the Church did not follow Him in all things. Therefore, they rarely walked in signs and wonders. Humanism and atheism took deep roots in the cultures because of hypocrisy and lack of power.

I think the Pentecostal movement is an attempt to return to the first century. There has been Pentecostal denominations form and they do lash out at the Catholics and older denomination, but in the past 30 to 40 years there has been a real change sweeping through the churches. These changes take on two main aspects. 1) Unity; honoring others even in our differences, and 2) focusing on Jesus as the head of the Church. The Charismatic movement has greatly helped to bring these two changes about. Many Catholics are experiencing renewal. Mainline denominations are being baptized in the spirit. The future looks good for the Church.

I personally am in favor of getting as close to the practices of the Early Church as possible. I do feel we will always be diverse in doctrine because each person, local church, region and nation have different callings. Therefore, since no one can absorb all of God’s knowledge in our fallen state, God will make sure we have the information, skills and opportunities for the divine task He has assigned for us where we are at. My finger will not do what my ear does. Although I will scratch my ear sometimes.

The only legitimate judgement we can make of other Christians is found in 1 Jn. 4:2-3a
    By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. …

Pray for IST Group

Pray for IST Group

Praise Report: This past week was amazing at the Upper Room Zagreb, House of Prayer. New people came and they were ministered to. Monday night, a young man experienced the presence of God for the first time and amid tears declared: “I have only seen religion in the Catholic church and did not want that. This here is something totally different. Your relationship is real with God. Whatever this is, I want THIS.” Thursday evening was also special. Two young ladies, neither one knew the other, but after worship, they both confessed depression and a lack of self-worth. In both of their lives it was due to absent fathers. The young man form Monday night was back and ministering to them as well! These ladies went away not only touched by the Holy Spirit, but a deep work had begun in their lives. As a matter of fact, we are getting crowed in the house of prayer! Praise God.

On another note, Jerry went to the doctor on Monday for his heart check-up, and he received a good report! Praise God!

Tidbits:
The Lika initiative is progressing well. We have our next meeting with the team on the 26th and some individual meetings the week prior to that. It is wonderful to see this team beginning to take shape and get really excited.

The third week of February, we will be traveling to Greece for a meeting with Balkan Networks. Balkan Networks is a loose network of like-minded ministries that meet to encourage one another and coordinate resources. We will be in Athens for 5 days.

The ministry is growing! We are currently in the vetting process of a young couple. We are looking for them to join us here in Croatia and help in various ways. They have lots of cross-cultural ministry experience and we are excited about this possibility.

God is beginning to open doors for us to minister and speak in churches. This has never been something we sought after, but as the Lord is opening doors we feel Him releasing us to take the opportunities.
 
Prayer Points:
1)    We thank the Lord for new people who are coming to Upper Room. May this growth continue, and may the authentic presence of God be experienced by many more here in Zagreb.
2)    Pray that the HOP will attract more Levite worshipers and musicians. We believe that having a bigger variety would bring a new level of growth to the Upper Room.
3)    We are starting to outgrow our current space. We have an attic which has been offered to us free of rent, but it requires about $25K upfront cost to renovate. We appreciate your prayers specifically in this direction.
4)    Keep the Lika team in prayer. Especially the family of six, as they prepare to move to Lika. Each family had tremendous attacks ever since the first meeting. Pray for discernment and protection over each of the families.
5)    Pray for Balkan Networks. We want to strengthen each other and hear from the Lord as to how to properly minister to the region.
6)    What an exciting opportunity for us to lock arms with others to bring the love and presence of Jesus to the Balkans. Please keep us in prayer through the vetting process. Pray for this couple  specifically.
7)    We are happy for these open doors to minister in the churches. Zuzanna is preaching this coming weekend. Appreciate your prayers for the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for your prayers. They truly strengthen us.

Pray for the Balkans

Pray for the Balkans


Heroes and Villains

Heroes and villains is what the Balkans is all about. One ethnic group’s hero is another group’s villain. One nation’s war criminals are another nation’s victorious heroes. Keeping the peace in the Balkans is very complex. Due to the many past wars and the multi-national populations of each country, this is the reality here. There seems to be a war somewhere in the Balkans every 25-40 years. This is a curse which has devastated this region and this cycle must and can be broken by the power of Jesus Christ.

The following stories are rooted in this problem. A small portion of each article will give you a taste of the challenges. You can open the links to read the full articles.
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Croatian Anne Frank Tribute Commemorates Fascists’ Victims
The anti-fascist association in the town of Sibenik will mark Holocaust Remembrance Day with a reading of Anne Frank’s diary after a local school director barred an exhibition about the WWII diarist. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatian-museum-marks-holocaust-with-anne-frank-01-26-2017
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Albanians Await Access to Communist-Era Police Files
State institutions and individuals have started applying for access to information kept confidential in secret police files for more than 25 years after the Albanian Communist regime fell. - See more at: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-institutions-request-communism-secret-police-check-ups-01-26-2017#sthash.8X11R4lo.dpuf
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Montenegro’s Bosniaks Thwart Njegos National Holiday
Montenegro’s government dropped plans to declare the birthday of Petar II Petrovic Njegos a national holiday after opposition from Bosniaks who accuse the poet-prince of glorifying the killing of Muslims.
The Bosniak Party said at the time that certain ideas in Njegos’s works “were used to justify genocide against the Muslim community in both the 19th and 20th centuries in Montenegro and in the region”. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosniaks-oppose-memorialisation-of-montenegro-s-royal-poet-njegos-12-29-2016
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Defiant Bosnian Serbs Celebrate Banned ‘National Day’
Celebrations in the Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska saw a ratcheting up of independence rhetoric as well as high-level spats over the participation of members of the country’s armed forces.
Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik used the occasion of the biggest-ever celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska, which went ahead on Monday in defiance of a ban by Bosnia's Constitutional Court, to demand greater autonomy for the entity.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnian-serbs-hold-national-day-despite-ban-01-09-2017

Prayer Points:
1)    The “Peace Maker” must be welcomed in every Balkan country. Only Jesus can bring permanent peace. Lord, let Your presence come to this region and bring true transformation.
2)    Pray that ethnic groups in the Balkans would learn the power of forgiveness. This must be supernatural, as hatred is such an intricate part of the Balkans. 
3)   Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. This verse comforts us as Christians and it shows the depths of God’s love. Pray that all Christians in the Balkans would be able to accept God’s forgiveness so they can forgive others.
4)    Pray that Christians would be the example to their countrymen in showing the freedom of forgiveness.
5)    There are Balkan-wide Christian efforts that are displaying unity among ethnic groups. Pray for Brother’s Keepers and Daughters of the King. Two annual regional gatherings which have done much to bring healing in the past 10 years.
6)    The battle is not against men but against spiritual principalities in high places. 6)    Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Let us stand in the gab against these spiritual host of wickedness that have been stirring up hatred in the Balkans for centuries.

Please leave a Comment or Reaction so we will know you Prayed.

Pray for IST Group

Pray for Intentional Strategies for Transformation

This is the beginning of a new year, 2017. Many churches and ministries, stop and take time to look back on the past year and look forward to the year ahead. What was accomplished last year in ministry?  What and how to move forward in the new year with the vision the Lord has put in our hearts to accomplish?

Habakkuk 2:2
Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

First, we acknowledge that it is His vision, He birthed that vision in us and He is working to accomplish it. Therefore, in order to know His vision, we must prepare ourselves to hear His voice.  Here at the IST Group, we have chosen to fast and pray this week, in pursuit of Him and to hear His plans for the ministry this year.

Psalm 103:7
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

Although the children of Israel saw the acts of God, He made His ways known to Moses. It is very important to us that we are found to be trustworthy. God does not just trust His ministry to anyone. Ministry is handling people’s souls. Jesus died for them and they are precious to Him, so we will fast and pray for a door of grace to be opened to us for 2017.

Prayer Points:
1)    Revelation 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” Pray that IST will obtain a greater measure of the above verse this year. 
2)    Joshua 22:5 “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Pray that we would walk in all His ways.
3)    Also, as we pray for an open door, we must be ready to face down the adversary by walking in Jesus’ victory.    1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
4)    We see God moving in ever increasing ways. We are very encouraged with what He has done this past year at the Upper Room Zagreb. There are opportunities presented to us for growth this year in human recourses as well as geographically and at the House of Prayer facility. Pray that we as a ministry take the leaps of faith which He requires of us.
5)    IST is moving forward to develop a plan for mentorships throughout the region. Pray with us for all the details and plans to flow in line with His heart and come to fruition at the right time. There is huge potential for impact with connecting mentors.
6)    Doors continue to open and there is forward movement with the Lika project. Pray that God leads our monthly meetings with the Lika team and that He would speak to their hearts confirming to each their involvement with this project. We need much prayer as we walk through the “landmines” of the planning process.
7)    Pray with us that the funding for everything He is asking us to accomplish would materialize.


We know that 2017 is an important year for what God has called IST to. We walk humbly and in the fear and the admonition of the Lord. We invite you to continue partnering with us, lifting us up to His Throne of Grace.