On my way to Czech

This week I head to Prague/Pisek Czech Republic  for a weekend of teaching in the local church. I’m traveling with a very good friend who I’ve known almost 20 years, Larry Stratton. We’re going as emissaries of our church as both Larry and I are on staff. The ministry opportunity is unique and very exciting. What amounts to a Bible conference, we’ll be teaching through the Bible’s narrative over the course of 6 sessions. The purpose is to present to Czech believers, mostly 20-somethings, a thick Gospel.

The picture is of a place called Café Lourve in Prague where the likes of Albert Einstein frequented. Sasa Flek, a new friend, has planted a church in Prague and it meets in this historic location. Sasa comes to church planting as a 40-something after spending his 30’s translating the Bible into contemporary Czech language. It was one of the few new translation into Czech in I think centuries! Sasa can correct me if I’m wrong.

For me the ministry opportunity is unique and very exciting. What amounts to a Bible conference, we’ll be teaching through the Bible’s narrative over the course of 6 sessions, the sixth being the sermon on Sunday morning. The purpose is to present to Czech believers, mostly 20-somethings, a thick Gospel, a message of the good news of the Kingdom of God, which cannot be compartmentalized into simply religious spiritual experience. The message of the Gospel is not that God is rescuing us from this earth to a place in heaven. By tracing the story of God through the narrative frame of the Bible we hope to help the believers understand how God is saving, but also enlisting people for mission in this world. Ultimately, our purpose is to call believers to follow Jesus, to surrender to his kingship in every area of life.

Then on Sunday night at Sasa’s church at the Café Lourve, I’ll be talking about “Christian faith amidst Cynicism, Skepticism and Disillusionment”.

Also, while I’m in Prague I’m going to meet up with Viktor Ber. He is a professor of OT at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Prague. I am very interested in what the seminary is doing in regard to theological education for pastors and church leaders.