I was born in 1975 in Humenne in east Slovakia. When I was six we moved as a family to Presov, in search of work. My mother raised me as a Lutheran, although my father tried to persuade us to embrace Roman Catholicism.
I regularly attended the local Lutheran church after being ‘confirmed’ but had only a superficial knowledge of Christianity and the principles that lay behind the Protestant reformation.
For four years I studied at secondary school and became enmeshed in a carnal, semi-lawless lifestyle. Computers were my main interest and I progressed well in understanding and using them.
In 1993 I began studying information technology, economics and management science at the University of Zilina in north Slovakia.
Salvation
In 1994 I was mightily saved by the grace of God, after the Spirit had opened my eyes to my sinfulness. I obtained a Bible and studied it with great hunger.
For the next four years I ministered as a teacher/preacher in the Lutheran youth group in Presov. While growing in the knowledge of the Lord I became aware of the Lutheran church’s apostasy. This church is at the forefront of Protestant ecumenical relations with Rome and its ordained ministers ignore the teaching of the Bible.
Opened eyes
After an inward struggle I decided to leave the Lutherans. I joined an independent church as assistant pastor, giving up working for a computer company in order to serve the church full time.
During the summer of 1999 the Lord opened the eyes of this church’s leaders to the truths of his sovereign grace. We accepted five-point Calvinism as our soteriology. It was like being born-again once more!
But the change of view was not welcome news to the American church that had originally planted this church. As time progressed, my involvement there came to an end. We are now likely to form an independent Baptist church.
Darkness
My country is in spiritual darkness. It is no less Roman Catholic than Spain, Italy or Poland. People in Slovakia look to the pope as their ‘Christ’ and bow down to Rome’s idols. It is like living in the Middle Ages.
Almost no one in Slovakia preaches the true gospel. Many of our ‘Evangelical’ churches are, in fact, neo-Evangelical. They preach psychology and self-love, and their message can neither hurt nor save. It is worse in the region of Slovakia where I live.
Over the last 18 months I have been translating reformed Christian literature into Slovakian. This literature has already opened up new evangelistic and pastoral opportunities.
My desire is to propagate the reformed faith and help the Lord’s people throughout my needy country. There is currently very little ministry of this kind either in Slovakia or the Czech Republic.
