Czech mate
In Czech Challenge I gave you the bad news about the Czech Republic. But that’s not whole story. What has God been up to?
Meet Martin Vesely.
Martin was 15 years old when the state police came to offer him a choice. You can go to jail for your faith or you can spend the next 15 years of your life working in the coal mines.
Martin had already seen his father imprisoned for his faith. He chose the coalmines. In 1989 the Czech people had their “Velvet Revolution” and removed the Communist regime. Martin was released. He had served 14 of his 15 years in the mines.
During that time he had received no formal education but he had managed to start a ministry to young people that had grown to 50 meeting in small groups in defiance of the authorities.
When freedom came he decided he wanted to be a pastor, like his father before him.
After his release Martin went to Britain to study theology. There he heard Bill Hybels speak on his dream for the church based on Acts 2. Martin’s heart began to beat rapidly. He felt a burning like fire all over. He heard God’s call to plant and grow dynamic churches all over his homeland.
His initial efforts were met with stiff opposition from within his local church and his denomination. They loved their traditions too much to change in order to reach new people.
Martin was forced to resign from his church.
One day he was out snowboarding and seriously injured his back. The doctors told him he would never walk again. After months in a hospital bed Martin began to doubt his calling. As he lay in his bed he felt God say to him, “Martin, call your denominational office. Tell them you have to start a new church.”
An influential leader who had been resistant came to visit him and Martin shared what God had said. The leader wept at the sight of Martin on his back and told him, if God had spoken, then he would be healed.
Six months later Martin was walking again. That same leader told Martin he would no longer stand in the way of the Holy Spirit.
Martin went on to plant a church called “New Chance”. That church has since started its first daughter church. He is now the leader of one of five European teams we are training in church planting movements.
Europe is a mission field. God is calling leaders like Martin Vesely who are not afraid to suffer for the Gospel to multiply healthy churches. Everywhere.
