Kým si spal...

Dnes večer je Štedrý večer. Večer, ktorý si kresťania po celom svete pripomínajú ako večer, keď Boh zo svojej lásky ku svetu poslal svojho jednorodeného Syna, aby každý, kto v Neho verí mal večný život. Je to deň, kedy sa sám Boh ponížil a vzdal svojej vlastnej slávy a prišiel na tento svet. Aby našiel tých, čo od Neho utiekli. Aby miloval tých, čo jeho odmietli. Casting Crowns majú jednu pieseň, ktorá sa volá While You Were Sleeping. Pozývam vás k tomu, aby ste si ju vypočuli a zamysleli sa nad tým, čo nám hovorí. Síce ku koncu pesničky autor nahrádza mesto Betlehem s Amerikou, no ja som Betlehem nahradil Slovenskom. A tak sa pýtam sám seba, ale aj vás: Keď Ježiš znovu príde, nájde nás pokojne spať?

Ako by sme mali vnímať Pannu Máriu?

Kenny Stokes pred niekoľkými týždňami kázal na text z Lukáša 1:26-38 a pritom sa opýtal tri krátke otázky ohladom Panny Márie, na ktoré hneď v krátkosti odpovedal. Ak vás zaujíma, ako by sa mali protestanti vnímať Kristovu matku, tak si prečítajte aj zvyšok tohto článku...

Rady Jonathana Edwardsa I.

Jonathan Edwards bol mužom, ktorý sa narodil pred vyše 300 rokmi. Tento Boží muž zanechal po sebe mnoho kníh, spisov, poznámok, ale i dopisov, ktoré si Boh používa aj teraz, viac ako 250 rokov po jeho smrti, aby skrze prácu Jonathana Edwadsa povzbudzoval, napomínal, vyučoval a viedol svoju cirkev.

Advent

Toto je text, ktorý nám dnes pred bohoslužbami rozdali a rád by som sa s vami oň podelil.
Marek

Stopky

Hospodin, daj mi poznať, kedy skonám!

John Piper – Káž evanjelium [video]

Takže prinášam ďalší preklad videa, ktoré je podľa mňa užitočné si pozrieť. V ňom sa John Piper snaží odpovedať na otázku: „Čo by sme mali robiť, aby sme neveriacim pomohli byť znovuzrodení?“ Odpoveď je jasná hneď z nadpisu tohto článku: Káž evanjelium! No ale akým spôsobom? Pozrite si video. Pod videom sa nachádza prepis.
Marek

Ako predísť syndrómu prepadnutia sa

Pred niekoľkými mesiacmi som si prečítal tento článok. Bol som ním natoľko napomenutý a zároveň povzbudený, že som sa ho pred pár týždňami rozhodol preložiť. Získal som povolenie na preklad a tak vám ho tu prinášam.
Nech slúži dobre!
~ Marek

Úvod do Gideonovej Biblie

Asi poznáte také tie malé modré Gideónky, ktoré sa zadarmo rozdávajú a ktoré sa dajú nájsť na rôznych miestach (napríklad hoteloch). Čo ma na nich najviac zaujalo je ich úvod. Neviem, ako to je v slovenskej verzii, ale tu som napísal preklad anglickej Gideónky, pretože sa mi tento úvod veľmi páči a to práve v tom, ako sa snaží vykresliť podstatu Božieho Slova.

John Piper - Budeš trpieť [video]

Keď som sa pred nejakým časom rozhodol, že začnem písať iba po slovensky, súčasťou toho rozhodnutia bolo aj to, že sa budem snažiť Slovákom sprostredkovať také veci, ktoré by boli pre nich neprístupne a to predovšetkým kvôli jazyku. Tak tu je prvá vec: video Johna Pipera so slovenskými titulkami. Nižšie nájdete prepis videa.

John Bunyan: Cesta pútnika

Ako som na ceste z Banskej Bystrice počúval audio knihu od Johna Bunyana, zaujala má táto krátka oslavná pieseň, ktorú si šťastný Kresťan spieval po tom, čo našiel pokoj a radosť.

Posledná spasená generácia zomrela

Pred niekoľkými mesiacmi som napísal článok o poslednej spasenej generácii (tu je link – iba po anglicky). Písal som tam o svojej prastarej babke, ktorá bola poslednou veriacou v našej rodine. Písal som, že je už veľmi dlho chorá a že to s ňou nevyzerá moc dobre. A tak sa aj stalo – včera večer zomrela.

Nová kapitola...

V pondelok bol môj prvý deň na vysokej. Deň, ktorým sa mení mnoho vecí. Zrazu budem tráviť viac času mimo Trnavy. Nebudem tak moc doma, v zbore, s kamarátmi. Miesto toho budem viac v škole, učiť sa, hľadať nových kamarátov.

Poslušnosť bez radosti

V liste Hebrejom 12:2 čítame, že Ježiš pre radosť, ktorá sa mu naskytla na kríži pretrpel kríž. Počas môjho semináru na KMCB padla otázka, nakoľko to bolo pre Ježišovu poslušnosť voči Otcovi a nakoľko to bolo pre radosť. Mojou odpoveďou bolo, že radosť je nevyhnutá pre poslušnosť a že samotná poslušnosť je pre skutky nedostatočná. Je potreba radosti. Chcem dať príklad zo svojho života a potom sa to pokúsim aplikovať na Ježišov kríž.

Pre koho šiel Kristus na kríž?

V kázni, ktorú som kázal minulú nedeľu (22.8.2010) som povedal nasledovné (tu je úryvok):

To English speakers: Time of Transitions

Friends,
over two years ago I've started this blog to let people know about the things that were happening in my life (I thought this blog would become the most popular blog on Blogger, but it didn't - probably my life's not interesting enough). Slowly over the time the content has been changing and just recently it reached its right form. From just "What's going on in my life" and happened to be a tool I was trying to encourage Christians and non-Christians alike. I was even more encouraged by receiving some feedback on the posts I published and so the vision of encouraging people was even deeper. The first transition came...

Kázeň update #4: Ako uzrieť Božiu slávu a prežiť?

22.8.2010 - Marek Tomašovič - Ako uzrieť Božiu slávu a prežiť - stiahnite si kázeň - stiahnite si poznámky



The title of the sermon is: "How to behold God's glory and survive?" - use GoogleTranslate for the notes if you want to: GoogleTranslated notes.

Lecrae - Don't Waste Your Life

If you have 4 minutes now, please watch this video and make sure you're listening to the lyrics. If you aren't native English speaker and need the lyrics they're included right after the video (it's a fast song). I've been listening to this song over and over again for the past week. In the past, some Christians made hymns that were full of Bible, sound doctrine and full of Christ (like Solid Rock and such). I personally am not a big fan of rap but there's one thing I admire about it: It allows you to express yourself very freely and therefore it can be used as a great and powerful tool to share the message of Gospel.

God Loves Us Because He Loves Us

When I was preaching my first sermon back in December, I was talking there about God's love for us. Many times before that I asked myself: If I had an opportunity to ask God one question, what would it be? After not that much of thinking I found out that the question would be: Why? Why did you die for me? Why have you chosen me to be your child? Well, I tried to imagine this whole conversation with God and I think it would go something like this:

Mark Ashton - On My Way to Heaven

Mark Ashton wrote a little book called "On My Way to Heaven". Mark Ashton was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer and he knew it was terminal a year before he died. Before he died he wrote this book where he talks of the significance of Jesus' resurrection that happened 2 000 years ago for the people living in 21st century. It is a very small book (took me one lunch to read it all) and quite encouraging. You can read it for free here: On My Way to Heaven. However, I want to share with you one of the last things he says in the book:

The LORD of Time and Space

God has once again shown that He is God and He alone. On my way back home from London I was facing a situation where I had to decide: Do you really believe that with God all things are possible? Well, some background to the story will help you to understand…

Cornhill - London - Day FAIL

OK. I knew this would happen...that I would keep things updated. Well, I did say that it was a naive plan. Anyway, probably on Sunday (or Monday latest) I will write a post where I will summarize everything I've learnt and seen during this week in UK.
Marek

Cornhill - London - Day Update #2

I woke up in the morning and the headache was gone! I felt great. I slept awesome nine hours and was ready for Cornhill. Had some cornflakes and coffee with Sam for breakfast and then I headed off for Cornhill. However, there was a catch: I don’t want to use the subway if not necessary (since it’s expensive and I’m trying to keep my expenses as low as possible). So there was a trip ahead of me to Cornhill – on my own! But it wasn’t that hard, although one wrong turn could delay me enough to be late.

Cornhill - London - Day Update #1

This is actually an update of a day and a half. I left Bratislava on Saturday at 6pm. I was surprised because the bus full. I didn’t expected it to be that full. There were many gypsies, but the hardest thing was that they stunk. A lot! So my main job during the whole trip was to be loving and not hating. On the bus we were watching some movies, what would be OK if those movies were appropriate to watch – which they weren’t. So I ended up totally bored. I didn’t want to watch the movies and I could read (cause it was too loud). Finally they turned it off (at 12:30am!) and I went to sleep – actually, I tried to. Altogether I slept about three hours and didn’t feel refreshed the next morning. We went through Austria, Germany, Netherland, Belgium, France and finally (through the Channel Tunnel) UK.

But there was another problem: the bus was over 2 hours late and I ran out of all my water. So I ended up dehydrated – quite a lot actually. When I got to London I was suppose to meet Andy (I’m staying at his place) in other part of London. So I was going to take the Underground which was lots of fun cause I had no idea where I was going. I hoped I knew but it was much of a guess. In the end I made it and met with Andy.

So around 8pm I came “home” with Sam (Andy’s roommate) and I fixed me some water while I was drinking liters of water to try to get rid off the awful headache that was driving me crazy for six hours by this time. After the dinner I took a shower and went to sleep – finally (since I didn’t really sleep the previous night).

Cornhill starts tomorrow…

Cornhill - London

Tomorrow evening I’m leaving to London for a little over a week. Proclamation Trust has a school called Cornhill Training Course. They have a 1-year full time course for Bible teachers/preachers. At first, I wanted to take this course before I go off for seminary, but they told me that their experience tells them that it’s better for me to go first to seminary and then come to Cornhill. But in March there was a preaching conference here in Slovakia and the speak was David Jackman who founded Cornhill. We met and I was asking him some questions and then he invited me to come to Cornhill for summer school. It’s a one week long “school”.

At first I thought it impossible that in my already busy summer schedule there would be a free week that would also be the same week when the summer school takes place. But guess what? I was so!

So I stated some talk and investigation cause I was interested in going there. But then I came to another “catch” – money. The course itself would cost me some €90 and then room and board would be really expensive (since Cornhill is in the very center of London). But Jesus said it best: With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27).

People at Cornhill were so helpful and kind that they offered me the entire course for free! And not just that, they also found me a place where I can stay and eat! I mean, seriously, if this is not God taking care, then tell me what.

You see, all the problems with money come because of the ministry I’m involved in. Because it would be seriously impossible for me to do school, have a part-time job and do ministry at my church. So could of years ago I stood before a decision: ministry OR money. I put my trust in Jesus’ words: seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). And I can tell you one things for sure: He does take care of his own!

Then there was yet another problem: how do I get to London? Having about €10 in my wallet (that’s about all I have:) I figured that it would be enough to get me to London and back! Could of days after I got the news from Cornhill that they will help me in these ways I was on the phone with grandpa and I was telling him how awesomely has every worked out. To my surprise he said: Well, that being the case, you can know that we will pay your travel expenses.

Friends, God has shown great mercy by allowing me to come to Cornhill. Even though it will be only a week I believe I will learn a lot and that every step it took to get there will be well worth it. My (naive) plan is to post a “day update” at the end of every day. There are two reasons why I’ll be doing so:

1. I want to share with you about the wonderful things God is going to do,
2. It will “force” me to reflect every day on what God was doing and so I won’t go to sleep being ignorant of his grace.

Well, that’s all for now. The first “day update” should be up on Sunday evening.

Marek

Sermon update #3: You loved them even as you loved me

Today I preached again (this is not complaining:) The text was from John 17:20-26. The question was: What does Jesus mean when he says of the Father: You loved them even as you loved me. What kind of love is he talking about and how to get it?

20.6.2010 - Marek Tomašovič - You loved them even as you loved me
Download the sermon - Download the notes



I'm sorry, but the sermon is only in Slovak
(but there's Google Translate;)

Sermon update #2: Joy comes by hearing

Last Sunday I preached my second sermon. It was on John 17:13 what is part of Jesus' High priest prayer where Jesus prays: But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

13.6.2010 - Marek Tomašovič - Joy comes by hearing - download the sermon - download the notes



The sermon as well as the notes are in Slovak. 

End of the Spear

Couple of days ago I watched a movie End of the Spear. It's based on a true story of five American missionaries who met a tribe of Waodani in Ecuador. One of these missionaries was Jim Elliot, who's famous quote is: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

These five men die in the quest of bringing the Gospel to this lost tribe. But what is extraordinary, their wives take up where they left off. They go to the tribe that killed their husbands and they continue where they stopped.

Trailer for the movie End of the Spear


A little more info of Jim Elliot.

There are two quotes I want to share with you. Son of one of those missionaries asks his father just before he leaves for his last journey:

- If the Waodani attack will you defent yourself? Will you use your guns?
- Son, we can't shoot the Waodani. They're not ready for heaven. We are.

The other one comes when one woman from the Waodani tribe (that meanwhile became a Christian) is confronted with a man from her tribe. This is the way she tries to explain him the Gospel - in their language:

They came to tell you…Waengongi has a son. He was speared…but he didn't spear back. So the people spearing him…would one day live well.

I find it extremely beautiful how she related the Gospel to her people without stripping it of its power. Oh, if we could do just the same to our own people.

God's Offspring

When Paul stood in front of "very religious men of Athens" on Areopagus he quoted one of their writers (Aratus) who wrote in his poem Phainomena: "For we are indeed his offspring." (Acts 17:28). Paul takes this statement as very true and immediately confirms this by saying: "Being then God's offspring..." (v. 29).

So knowing that we are the offspring of God, what does it mean? Paul says in Romans: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God...The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:14.16-17).

So when the Bible speaks of Christians being sons of God and God's offspring, it really is talking about being real children of God. What is a child in the Bible?

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate
(Psalm 127:3-5)

So if we take what God says about children and apply it back to Him, just then we really get to see the picture of what it means for us and for God that we are His children. God considers us as His heritage, "treasured possession among all peoples" (Exodus 19:5). We are the fruit of His labor (death on the cross) and His "reward". We are what makes Him look glorious - like arrows in the hand of a warrior (for His love and justice is vindicated in the death of His Son Jesus Christ).

Let's look at the patriarchs and their sons. Let's take Abraham and Isaac as an example (but this works even for Isaac and Jacob or Jacob and his sons). Abraham saw in Isaac a fulfillment of the promise God gave him (land and descendants). We can even say that Isaac was something in what Abraham could boast in. Abraham loved his son above everything else in this world but not more then he loved God. And let's now look at God whether we can find any parallels. God sees in Christians the ultimate fulfillment of the promise once given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for now (literally and more fully) they are a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:3 - in you all the families [nations] of the earth shall be blessed). Jews were to be a blessing, a lamp, to the world but they were centered in Israel (thus their influence was limited) and eventually they failed in this mission. But Christians are nowadays spread all around the world and so the promise of being a blessing to all the nations of the earth is fulfilled even more. God loves His children and "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Abraham offered his son Isaac as a proof of his love for God. God offered His Son Jesus as a proof and means of His love for us.

So what is the conclusion? How is this to affect our lives? Many times we hear saying: We are the children of God. But many times we lack what it really means to be His children. How is He looking at us? How does He relate to us and we to Him? Being children of God means much more then just a status. It means a reality. Reality which we are to live in. Reality where God loves us and considers us as His treasured possession, heritage, fruit of His labor. Reality in which we are His true children.

Does My Life Matter?

In the past half a year I was strongly struggling with one problem. I asked myself a question: If I died this very night, would there be any eternal difference in this world that was made through my life? I was discouraged when I realized there wasn't. I don't mean there wouldn't be any difference at all, but there wouldn't be any that would last forever. That I would get to see the fruit of it in heaven when I would meet a person in whose life I was used by God as an instrument for salvation.

Maybe you yourself are asking that same question from time to time. Does my life matter? Has I changed anything in this world? These thoughts can be very discouraging and therefore let me tell you something. Something I thought of the other day and would like to share with all of you.

But first I think it's important for me to state what is the purpose of this article and what is not. The purpose of this article is not to give you a reason for not spreading the gospel. The goal of this article is to encourage you so that you will spread the gospel.

There's a short saying and it goes like this:

Only one life 
'Twill soon be past 
Only what's done for 
Christ will last.

And Paul says: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Only what's done for Christ will last and do all to the glory of God. That's what matters. That's what makes the eternal difference. It's not about keeping a score of how many converts I "made". It's about: How have I glorified God? Preaching the gospel and making disciples of all the nations is our secondary goal (of responsibility if you want). The primary one is God. In Matthew 22 Jesus is answering the question:

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and FIRST commandment. And a SECOND is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 
(Matthew 22:36-39)

We don't love God because we make disciples. We make disciples, because we love God.

One day everything will be gone. All the difference we think we made on this earth will disappear and the only "thing" that will remain will be us and God. Therefore everything we do must somehow relate to God - namely, everything we do we are to do to the glory of God. And because it's done for God, it will have the eternal difference because it shall remain. An 88 years old man that today became a Christian and will die tomorrow can make an eternal difference even if he didn't get to share the gospel once. How? Simply: he lived those 24 hours as a Christian - to the glory of God.

May we all live our lives in such a way that God gets all the glory!
Marek

What is the Power of God?

Today I started reading 2 Timothy where Paul is giving last instructions to Timothy. Paul is encouraging Timothy not to be ashamed for the gospel in spite of all the suffering that proclaiming the gospel might bring upon him. But Paul knows that if we decide to stand for the gospel we will suffer. We read in verse 8 (chapter 1): 

Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in SUFFERING for the gospel by the power of God.

Paul is saying there, that the way we handle these sufferings is by the power of God. The phrase "power of God" is certainly one of the favourites for Paul. Paul uses this pharase seven times in his letters and it's always implied that the power of God is the gospel. The clearest instance of this is found in Romans 1:16, where Paul proclaims:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

the Gospel = the Power of God

So when we go back to 2 Timothy 1:8 we realize that the way we handle suffering BECAUSE the gospel is the GOSPEL itself. Then this verse could be read like this:

Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord,..., but share in suffering for the gospel BY the gospel.

Many times we are moked and made fools of because of the faith that is in us. At least that's my experience at school and many times when people find out I'm going to study at a semminary. We are being shamed BECAUSE of the gospel. But the way we fight this shame is the GOSPEL itself - The Power of God! For when we realize what we have in the Gospel (forgiveness of our sins, eternal life and Father who loves us with everlasting love) then there's nothing else in this whole world that is strong enough to put us in shame. And then we can say together with Paul:

I am NOT ashamed of the gospel

And that is the very reason for this blog.

God the Savior

In my today's devotion I was reading 1 Timothy 2. But when I came across the verse 3, I was stunned by what I saw there. We read:

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

It's more obvious in Slovak translation where it's written: "in the sight of our God the Savior". There are many gods in this world that people have made for themselves. Whether they call them gods (ancient Egypt) or they make gods out of them (money, success, etc.) they are distinctively different from the God of the Bible, for He Himself is God the Savior (or put it another way: Saving God). All those made up gods let people serve them. When people sin "against them" it's a man who needs to fix it. A sacrifice or another act that will bring about peace. Something that will please their gods. But it's only the God of the Bible who's different. He fixes what men messed up. He says of Himself: I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior (Isaiah 43:11). It is the very nature of God that He's our Savior. That's who He is: Saving God.

It's even more clear when we look at God's Son - Jesus Christ. Even His own name reveals the greatest act He came to accomplish here on earth. For the name Jesus means: Jahve is salvation!

If we look back into 1 Timothy 2:5-6 we'll find a confirmation of the fact that God is Saving God: ...Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.

Conclusion: Christianity is not just another religion. In fact, it's not a religion at all. Because though an important point in Christianity is what people have done (sinned) even more important point (actually, the most important) is what God has done - died for us - and thus became the Savior of all.

Therefore, our God is Saving God

God the Savior

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less

I just love Bible saturated hymns. Especially this one.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteous;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.


When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
In every high and story gale
My anchor holds within the veil.


His oath, his covenant, his blood
Sustain me in the raging flood;
When all supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay.


When he shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in him be found,
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Redeemed to stand before the throne!


On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand. 

KPM 2010 and me

Konferencia pre Pracovníkov s Mládežou (Youth Workers Conference) is a conference that happens every year in Žilina. It’s done by TCKompas (the same people that run School for Youth Leaders – ŠPM – that I’ve gone to last year). The first time I went for this conference was two years ago. A year later, last year, I worked as a volunteer since I was a student of ŠPM. And this year is not any different. Again, I’m volunteering and looking forward to serving side by side with my close friends from Žilina and others from all around of Slovakia.

The theme of this conference is “Pay It Forward” (Podaj to ďalej) and the main idea is to pass on the baton in a race of discipleship. Jesus basically said in the Great Commission: Disciples, now it’s your turn, pay it forward! Spread the gospel to the ends of the earth to all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). This is the trailer:


KPM 2010 Trailer from Marek Tomašovič on Vimeo.

Let me tell you in short what I’ll be doing there. I leave to Žilina on Tuesday afternoon and I will come back late on Sunday. This year I will be in charge of many things. One really new thing for me is that I will lead a seminar (lecture) on small groups. I’ve never done this kind of thing before. It is a great responsibility, mainly when I realize that at the conference will be youth leaders all across Slovakia and some of them will come to my seminar for help, encouragements or guidance. I feel like I should be the one going for lectures and not to be the one giving them.
Another thing I’ll be doing will be translating. I will translate two another seminars and I have already done some ahead-of-time translating (songs, transcript for a video) and just now I’ve finished making Slovak subtitles for one video. Then I’ll be an MC for activities that will be every day during the main meetings (Thursday & Sunday once, Friday & Saturday twice). Also on Friday I will be in charge of two hours long “game” for people. Also doing some stage help king of stuff and all the random things that will pop up as the conference goes.

The reason why I say all this is not to boast. To show off how much of stuff I do. That is not the case. I don’t want you to feel pitiful about me. On contrary, I am more than happy to do it all. The very reason why I go to Žilina next week is the serve. I’m gonna come there and say: Here I am – what do you have me to do? That’s the reasons why I go there. I admit, it’s a lot and I fully realize that, but that even increases my joy to come and join by friends in this ministry to our fellow youth leaders. I believe that God will sustain us with His love, grace and power throughout the whole week.

But that’s where I need your help the most. As you know, I am very young. In both ways, physical and spiritual. And I’m aware of the responsibility that is laid on my shoulders. But I am in a great need of God’s grace because I know how easy it is to take all the credit to myself. How to become proud and how to glorify myself instead of God. So I want to ask you, my friends, would you pray for me in the coming days? Would you pray for my heart? That it would be humble, ready to serve and help. But never to boast and grow in pride. I’m coming to Žilina to serve our Lord and not myself!

If the activities will be awesome, if the lecture will be great and the big “game” will be just brilliant, but my heart will not be in the right place, everything fails!

Just as the apostle Paul has said in 1 Corinthians 13:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have a prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Heart – the center of our being. If it’s corrupted, everything that comes out of us is corrupted as well. Please pray for me and others that I will be serving alongside with, that our hearts would be focused entirely on God and manifestation of His glory through spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to all the nations.

For His name sake,
Marek

Good Friday - Ah, Holy Jesus

The Good Friday is here. But the only thing that is good about it is that Sunday will be here soon. For on Good Friday, the ultimate sin - rejection of God - has happened. By Jews and pagans in Jerusalem 2 000 years ago and by us even today, when we sin against the Most Holy One.
Yet, we can still call this day a good day, because it's the day of God's grace, when Jesus laid down His very life for those who rejected Him, so there would be a way for the sinners to come to forgiveness and turn back to Him. Jesus Himself said it best on the cross: Father, forgive them (Luke 23:34). So lets mourn for a while. But not for long. Because Sunday's coming. And Jesus knew what He was saying when He said: So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you (John 16:22).

This is a hymn I found of DesiringGod.org this morning. As I read it (and heard it sung) it helped me to realize the reality of this day. 

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted. 

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied Thee.
I crucified Thee.

For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For our atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee.
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving. 

You can listen to the hymn here: http://songsandhymns.org/player/?hymn=ah-holy-jesus-how-hast-thou-offended 

MTW Slovakia

Hey guys,
I was just reminded about a video we've made last summer about the mission that MTW is doing in Trnava. If you want to watch it, here it is:

Why Do I Blog, Tweet and FB - and why in English?

Those are questions I've been asking myself a lot lately. The reason why I do this is simple. Paul says: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). So even blogging, twitting and facebooking can be done in such a way that it's glorifying God. For several times I've been told that people were encouraged by what I wrote and therefore I see it as something worth of doing. As other things, even this has a downside - pride. It's really easy to slip and make these "holy tweets and posts" just another way how to boast. It's easy to publish something so that people would think how "smart and holy" I am. That is a great danger of this blog, Twitter and Facebook. As anything else, even this can miss the point it was created for - to glorify God (as Paul says "For by him all things were created...all things were created through him and for him" - Colossians 1:16).

Another question I've been asked is why I blog and tweet in English. The reason is simple: vast majority of people that read this blog speak English, but very few speak Slovak. Thus, by having this blog in English I am able to reach more people than in Slovak. But there are few changes:

1) Slovak version of my blog was launched: http://www.tomasovicsk-sk.blogspot.com. My friend Maťa has undertaken to translate it. The plan is that it will be a mirror version of English blog (although not always).
2) From now on I've decided to tweet and facebook only in Slovak. Why? Because things have changed and now I believe I can reach more people if I do it in Slovak than in English.

And so what do you find on my blog and twitter? I will post articles on my blog to let you know about my life. What I'm learning about God and what is He teaching me. Where He's leading me and what's going on here in Trnava. On Twitter (and Facebook - they are linked) I publish things that I found interesting to share. It comes from my devotions, books I'm reading or just thoughts that were in my mind.

Feel free to comment on anything. Blog posts, statuses, whatever... Also, please hold me accountable if you start sensing a prideful attitude behing my "online work".

For His glory,
Marek

The Story of Zac Smith

This I do know: If God chooses to heal me, then God is God and God is good. If God chooses not to heal me and allows me to die, God is still God and God is still good. To God be the glory!
~Zac Smith

By Your Side

In Psalm 139 David prays:

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
Psalm 139:7-12

Surely, there's no place where you would go and God would not be right there BY YOUR SIDE.

Tenth Avenue North - By Your Side

The Last Saved Generation in Slovakia

After watching people in Slovakia, various generations and their relationship with God, I came to a conclusion that right now there’s the “last saved generation”. What I mean by that is this:

The last generation is the oldest people in my culture. People that are really old and are about to die quite soon. People, that are 70 and above. Yes, I know there is no entire generation that was ever saved, but what I mean by that is that the last generation that consists of saved people, is about to die out. They are too old and there’s no other generation that would succeed them in their faith. Now, the fact is that about 99% of those people are Roman Catholics, but in spite of that I believe, that there are many (can’t even compare to any other living generation) that are going meet the Lord in heaven (and that very soon). Are you asking how can they be saved if they’re from the Roman Catholic Church (RCC)? The answer is simple – by God’s grace and through Christ’s blood! In spite all of the wrong doctrines and teachings that the RCC holds and teaches (which make the RCC practically a false church), they are saved even through the confusion of their hearts that came on them in the RCC. I believe, that when God will look upon them when they stand before Him the day they die, He will justify them because Jesus died for them. He will look into their hearts and He will find an honest, true and real desire to find Him and surrender their lives to Him. Unfortunately, under the influence of the RCC their view of God and Christianity has been distorted. But their hearts were not – they remained honestly seeking God.

Now don’t get me wrong – this cannot happen without God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Also, I don’t mean to imply that all those 70+ yrs old people are going to heaven. What I mean by that is that there are many that will go. Many, that we could say of: Oh well, if they would have just heard the real Gospel that man is justified by faith alone through grace apart from the works, they could have been saved. But the reality is that many of them have not heard that! And that’s, I believe, where God steps in with His grace and justifies them on the basis of His unconditional grace.

---------------------------

I want to tell you my story, because just now I realize how this hits close to home:

For a long time I have thought I’m the only believing Christian in my entire family. Knowing that I felt alone and alienated from all those people. Of course they are my family, but none of them was a part of God’s family. But I forgot about my great grandma. She’s 86 and she’ll soon die. About a month ago she was taken to a hospital in the town and some people thought she wouldn’t make it. For over 30 years she was taking medicine and her body is now weak and old. That made me ask this question: where is she going to go after she breathes her last? As I recalled old memories and heard people talking about her I was pleased to find out that I will get to see her in heaven.

She got better and after three weeks spent in hospital they sent her back home. She is still weak and has pains but is alive. My family went to see her today. The last time I saw her was about 6 years ago. I feel really bad for not seeing her for such a long time. But on one hand I was afraid. After I became a Christian she heard I joined this Protestant church and I heard she was scared. She said she was afraid for me and that she’s praying for me. That’s why I was afraid. I didn’t want this thing to come up cause she was feeling bad already and there’s no point in talking to 86 yrs old woman that it’s not a sect.

So we went there today. My mom, sister and I were all in her small room. I could have seen she was glad to see me. When I looked around I saw these pictures of Jesus hanging on the wall. Beside her bad was a book called “Prayers for seriously sick”. I let my mom and sister leave the room and I was left there alone with her. I was on my knees right beside her bed looking into her old eyes. She said how much I’ve grown up and that she’s always thinking about me. One thing she told me and that was: THE MAIN THING - BELIEVE IN JESUS. To witch I replied: I do believe! Suddenly I saw tears in her eyes and I felt some arising in mine. Then it hit me: I am not alone; I’m not the only one! I am not the only Christian in the family! I felt this close and deep connection between us - I felt Christ uniting us. I can't really describe what I felt. It was this new feeling of somebody who is God's child and your family. Something I'm longing for ever since I believed...

Then we moved into kitchen and sometimes I saw her eyes filled with tears. As our eyes met across the room I saw her lips moving and quietly whispering: I love you. You know, she’s going to die soon. It hurts to imagine, but that’s how the things are. God showed us tremendous grace that He still keeps her here. But eventually, He will call her back home to Himself. And when I’ll go to the funeral – in weeks, months, or if God wills even years – I will probably be the only one, who will mourn with hope knowing that it’s just a matter of time till I’ll see her again.

But I am more than happy to know, that when she’ll be gone, believers won’t vanish from the family line. And I am also happy to know, that even though I thought I was the only one, I wasn’t.

Marek

How great is God's grace toward us?

I started reading book by Timothy Keller called The Prodigal God where he's giving a new way of looking at the parable Jesus said in Luke 15 - Prodigal son. Keller says that the name of the parable is not the best and he suggests it should be rather called The Two Lost Sons - because it's a story of both, the younger and the elder brother.

This is one of the things that I read today and would like to share:

God's love and forgiveness can pardon and restore any and every kind of sin or wrongdoing. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you're deliberately oppressed or even murdered people, or how much you're abused yourself. The younger brother knew that in his father's house there was abundant "food to spare," but he also discovered that there was grace to spare. There is no evil that the father's love cannot pardon or cover, there is no sin that is a match for his grace.

Nejaké komentáre po tom, čo sme dali Švédov

...co boli na SME.sk fore toto rano, hned po zapase...:)

ak nedostanem infarkt teraz, tak prezijem aj vysledok junovych volieb

prezident by mal vyhlasit den pracovneho pokoja..

sa mi ruky trasu, idem na cigu, i ked nefajcim :-)

toto je napínavejšie ako finále Rusko - Slovensko

uf, zimomriavky na chrbte

Good bye Sweden !

Za tie nervy by si naši hráči zaslúžili na holý zadok...

Kolegyňa plače a nevieme prečo, lebo vôbec nerozumie hokeju, ale plačeme už aj my. Huráááááááááááááááááá

no a ja to balim, 4 zapasy v TV na dnes mi stacia

cely sa od nervov trasiem a smejem sa okolo celej hlavy!!! Dakujeme!!!!

...radšej Kanada ako Nórsko...proti silným to vieme lepšie...

skveleeeee, mozem konecne zacat pracovat!

dúfam že Kanada nás podcení...

hokeju figu drevenu rozumiem, ale aj tak som po tomto zapase na infarkt .-)

No konecne do prace, zatial som sa k nicomu nedostala, napinavee to boloooo :))

A poem

How great and stunning it is to have God

Who Himself is called Love.

See Him hanging on the cross in pain,

But He knows none of this shall be in vain.

His mighty Counsel has said and willed,

That He Himself shall be killed.

For His love toward sinners like us,

He hangs on the tree and dies.

What a greater proof we need than this?

He laid down the very life of His.

Jesus bled and cried out loud:

It is finished! – He announced.

What shall we say to such an act?

One thing I know – it is great,

That the Lord would will do die,

For such a man as I.

An Apology To Louie Giglio?

Today I've seen the official version of Giglio's message How Great Is Our God. Yesterday I gave three things I didn't like about his message. My biggest point was that Louie missed the main greatness of God - the cross - the gospel.

I must say I was truly pleased seeing the official version of his message- HE SAID THE GOSPEL! Now I can say without an hesitation: Thank you Louie for the message.

So this might sound like an apology - and in fact it is. Although I still claim the same about the YouTube version that I had seen at first. All of my three points apply to that one and the first two apply to this one as well.
All in all - good to watch:)

Louie Giglio – How Great Is Our God

I just watched the video of Louie Giglio’s message called How Great Is Our God. And I’d like to share with you my opinions and impressions from the message.

Giglio uses great illustration about our universe and the way God created it. He also makes it really clear and plain to people who aren’t in love with the science (students are the main targeted audience). I like that he makes the contrast of how small and “unimportant” we are in the scope of entire universe, yet on the other hand how wonderful and “important” we are in God’s sight as His image-bearers.

Although there are three things I didn’t like about his message:

1. Sometimes I thought he was going too far in the illustrations he made. What he said was still biblical and true (I agreed on that with him), but I’m not sure whether I would choose the same way of presenting it.
2. Also, for the majority of time he was using background music as he was speaking. For your information, I am not a big fan of it. Why? Cause I believe in the supreme power of preaching that doesn’t need any emotions-affecting-background-music improvement. Because we want people to trust in Christ on the basis of their decision, not on the basis of their current feelings. I myself could have felt the effect of the background music on my processing of the message. It should be the Holy Spirit affecting us, not the music (although HS can [and I believe sometimes He does] use these kind of things).
3. I didn’t hear the Gospel to be preached. He was talking about how significant we are for God (for He took a great care when He made us) and how great He is, but I think he missed the most important thing where His greatness is revealed the most – the Gospel – how Jesus Christ took on himself our likeness (nature of “insignificant” servants) and was willing to lay His life for us (and thus made us the most significant of everything else that was ever created!) – so we can have the significance we were once made for but fell short of. And he missed that…

So what is my conclusion? Watch it if you want to. It’s wonderful to know how our Lord and God has created the world we live in and our bodies we move in. It’s awesome. But keep in mind at least my third argument. Without Jesus’ death on the cross none of it would ever be possible!

Serving on-the-go

This is a kind of late update, but anyway. Let me tell you what I am up to these coming days. Few weeks ago I’ve been invited by a Lutheran church in Košice to come and be their speaker at KEcy klub. It’s an after camp ministry for kids that went to an English camp in the summer (but not only for them). I’ll be talking about “Who are you a fan of?” Or another sub-title is “On whose side are you on?” The Bible verse I’ll be using is Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”.

It is my first experience of traveling somewhere for the purpose to serve. So far I have always served here at home and never traveled in order to serve. It's gonna be different this time even because I know maybe two people in Košice and so I will serve to people I've never met. But I am really excited about it. Therefore there are some things I would like to ask you to pray for (if you can still make it since this post is kind of late:) Please pray for:

• safe traveling (I’ll be traveling all together over 500 miles – and that’s a lot for Slovaks:)
• arrival on time (we’ve got lots of snow here and the train might be delayed and it would not be the best if I were late)
• the talk not to be boring (I’ll be speaking to teenagers in the age between 15-18 yrs old)
• God using me for His glory

Later this week I will write about how it all went…

Marek

House

A week ago I started watching a new TV show - House. In today's episode there was this conversation that, I thought, was funny and worth sharing. But you really need to watch it on your own in order to get the same experience. It's first season third episode.

House: Make a note. I should never doubt myself.
Another doc: I think you'll remember. You know, it would hurt you to be wrong every now and then.
House: What? You don't care about these people?

That's what I call a healthy self-esteem:)

House of God Forever

A music video our our new band that we haven't named yet:) But it was lots of fun recording and (especially) editing :D

Btw, yes we know that the lyrics aren't related to what's going on in video in any way...but hey, it was recoded at our church...so goes the title: House of God Forever....:)

Voice: Kristian Lundgaard and Jeni Williams
Video and editing: Marek Tomašovič

Enjoy! :)

That's a ministry!

About a month ago I read how one can minister in a prison (even if you're a part of the prison). This is an excerpt from the article that was published at DesiringGod.org, that you can read HERE:

This prison (Angola Prison in Angola, Louisiana) is the largest maximum-security prison in America. It is one of the most famous prisons in the whole world. It has only murderers, rapists, armed robbers and habitual felons. The average sentence is 88 years, with 3,200 people in one place serving life sentences. Ninety percent of the inmates will die here. This is a place of hopelessness, so if Angola can change, the rest of the country’s prisons can’t say, “We can’t do this.”

There is a local extension of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the prison and about 140 prisoners are enrolled. There are six churches in the prison and they train their own pastors. They send trained “missionaries” to other prisons to plant churches. They do this without using any tax money. But O the money—and lives—it saves!

Violence in the prison is rare. Courtesy and respect is pronounced. The ministry team of women who were visiting at the same time we were said they were treated with more respect from prisoners here, than in many places on the “outside.” Public profanity is not allowed.

The 42-inch church bell hangs high over the chapel in a prisoner-built tower. They rescued the bell from storage where it had been put after falling and killing a man. Some of the prisoners say: The bell killed a man and we killed a man, but now the bell and we serve the Lord Jesus.

I preached with all my heart to those who could fit in the chapel, and to the rest by closed circuit television. G.B. (and three others on Death Row) told me they’d be watching. I pulled no punches:

For 90% of you the next stop is not home and family, but heaven or hell. O what glorious news we have in that situation. And believe me it is not the prosperity of Gospel. Jesus came and died and rose again not mainly to be useful, but to be precious. And that he can be in Angola as well as Atlanta. Perhaps even more.

Does this game work? :)

Dominik and I as we're trying out a game for Dorast (we had to make sure it's playable:) And it was! :D

John Piper on prosperity Gospel (new one)

This is a transcript I made of Q&A that John Piper gave at Angola Prison, LA on November 19, 2009:

Satan has two ways to destroy your faith. 

One: pain
Two: pleasure 

He can kill you either way. He can make you so painful you curse him. Or so pleasurable your forget him. I think pleasure kills more people in this world, way more, then pain. Way more! Have you ever heard anybody say: I got to know Jesus more deeply in the bright sunny days then I did any other day. You never hear anybody to say that. What is hear every day of your life, almost, is: When the lights went out in my life I found Jesus. When the things got hard in my life Jesus showed up. So I just don't buy the prosperity thing. I don't buy that you have to be well, you don't have to be out of prison, you don't have to get a good job, you don't have to get a good wife. None of these prospers things are the sure signs of God's blessing. Blessing comes in forms you never dreamed. And if you're a child of God I'll tell you in what form it comes in: every form!

All things work together for good for those that love God according to his purpose. So you keep loving God and you know that everything is working…everything's working. 

Source: DesiringGod.org