09 June
2023

perry@bizg.hr

One Monday night this past spring, a group of pastors from eight different Zagreb-area churches met at the Institute. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss BIZG’s research into how Croatian churches approach discipleship. The picture above shows Assistant Director Ervin
Budiselić leading that conversation.
We spent the evening in animated discussion of the place of the Bible in these churches. Most of the conversation focused on WHY these churches study the Bible. What is the goal of Bible study? What are those shepherds trying to accomplish by having their people study the scriptures?
It is important to keep the focus of Bible study on discipleship, application of biblical truth to everyday living and witnessing. Bible study is part of the Croatian strategy for evangelism, because Croatia is historically a Catholic country, and Croats have deep respect for and interest in the Bible.
One result of the meeting is a questionnaire that will go out to participating churches, a tool for measuring believers’ Bible knowledge.
“Knowing and applying the Bible is one part of the lifelong process of being shaped to be like Jesus, which Paul talks about in Romans 8.29,” said Perry Stepp, the Institute’s director. “Paul says, ‘God is working ‘to conform us to the image of his Son, so that he [Jesus] would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.’ The goal is not just for people to know facts about the Bible, or pass a test. We want to take the Word into our lives so that it changes us.”
It’s also significant that representatives of so many churches are working together selflessly on this project.
In Acts, Luke uses a Greek phrase that is literally translated “in the same place” (e.g., 2.1, 44, 47). The phrase doesn’t just refer to people being together physically; it refers to being united in heart and purpose. (The phrase is used this way six times in the New Testament and multiple times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.)
At the Institute, we work to build unity and cooperation. God is best glorified when his people work together and don’t care about who gets the credit. That’s why we “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12.10).
An update on our financial needs:
We have needed to increase our budget for 2022 by about 12% over our 2021 budget. We face increased costs for utilities and facilities costs, in addition to finishing the repairs of damage from the March 2020 earthquake. We are also quite involved in raising money for our partner groups who are dealing directly with Ukrainian refugees in Zagreb.
If God blesses you financially and moves your heart to participate in the work of his kingdom in Croatia, please consider making a gift online at http://cecef.net or by sending a check to 1045 Overton Lea Rd., Nashville TN 37220.