It's not my responsibility to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Rather, it's my responsibility to join the Church in her efforts to make disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, it was never Jesus' intention that we would make disciples by ourselves. The original commission on the hill in Galilee was to all eleven gathered in front of Jesus.
This is one of the reasons why your partnership with us is so important to what we do in Zagreb. It may go without saying, but Petra and I would not be able to devote full-time work to the local church, camps and the seminary if we had other jobs. Unlike the situation at many similar institutions in the U.S., the local church and seminary are still not in a position to pay us. This is simply the way things are in a country where evangelical denominations make up less than 1% of the population.
Another reason why I emphasize the role of the whole Church in making disciples though is because over the last two Sundays, we witnessed significant events in the lives of two young men who have become close friends.
I met Tomislav in 2017 as a young Christian when a mutual friend asked me if I could mentor him. Tomislav didn't yet have a church home but soon after our friendship began he started attending Stijena spasenja (Rock of Salvation), the local church where Petra and I serve. Tomislav got plugged in immediately, eventually leading our youth and just last Sunday being ordained as a deacon.
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| Tomislav becomes a deacon at Stijena Spasenja on June 9th |
Tomislav has grown into a mature disciple whom God has used to mentor others. Our relationship has turned into a deep friendship.
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| Jeremy together with his mentor Tom and Tomislav on a hike in Hungary |
Last fall, Tomislav asked if I'd be willing to mentor a young college student named Luka. He had been coming to our church off and on for more than a year but had recently become more serious about his faith. He's dedicated himself to the Lord and wanted to get baptized and become of member of Rock of Salvation.
Over the last 6 months or so Luka and I have been meeting regularly, going through Sinclair Ferguson's The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction which has been translated into Croatian. Luka's also been attending worship services, youth group meetings and Intervarsity events. Several of his close friends have been instrumental to his maturity in the Lord. It's beautiful to witness the way the whole church is involved in the disciple making process. Luka was baptized the Sunday before Tomislav became a deacon.
So, whether it's through prayer, financial contributions, sending an encouraging email or simply your friendship, we are so thankful for your partnership. You are indeed part of building the Kingdom of God in Croatia.
