How Do You Build a Strong Network of Disciples? | Enzo & Mirella’s Story from Croatia

How do you build a strong network
of people who are committed

to following Jesus?

And what does it take to see that
happen in real life?

This is the story of Enzo and Mirella,

who've seen it happen
over the past few years in Croatia,

and it's very inspiring.
-Then here we have in Vukovar, Vinkovci,

Slavonski Brod, that's Slavonia.
Then Zagreb, Rijeka,

then all the way
down to the coast to Zadar.

I met Enzo, he was an
important part of everything

of that what God is doing in Croatia.
There is something what the Bible

teaches us about parenthood,
and he was an important part

of our growing of us
who was young disciples.

In this video,
we want to share their story.

Enzo's story starts when he got addicted
to heroin at a young age.

It was some friends from my street nearby.
They... how we were living at the sea,

how they work on those big ships.
You know, traveling six months or one year

and they will come back
and they will bring some,

you know, marijuana or hash.
And then I took it first time

at some party and my best friend,
actually, he took it like heroin

through the nose.
I entered very quickly then into that

like heroin life.
It was very expensive.

And that brought me to the basically
when I was 24,

25 to my breaking experience.
-At this breaking point,

he took an overdose of heroin
and slipped into a coma.

For Mirella, life was very different.
-Uh, through my life I was,

what we can, tell in the world.
I mean, a good person.

I was... I never had a problem
with any addiction.

I didn't even drink alcohol.
I didn't smoke, as the teenagers do,

trying the many things.
But, then I went to live for some time

in the UK, in London.
And I was there with some friends.

I didn't know they have a problem
with the police.

And then we'd been arrested
by the policeman.

And then the same thing happened to me.
It was for my life, it was a big shock

because never
and never in my life I did any mistakes.

Nothing wrong.
I was for a few days in a police station.

Nobody knew where I am.
I started to pray.

I started to weep deeply out of my heart.
And I pray day

and night. And I said, Lord, Lord,
if you are alive,

please save me.
Take me out of here from here.

And I said to God: please,
but if you save me,

I will give you my life.
I will serve you all my life.

I went to visit the mother
of my best friend,

who was already in a reto center,
trying to get rid of the drugs.

So she told me about the church.
And so I do remember I just was late

a little bit, which was normal
for my my culture of life.

And I entered already
when was the worship in the church,

and it was that old country songs,
but now with Christian lyrics 'Take me

home, country road, take me home'.
But with the Christian words

that how you know I was lost
but then found in the world and in sin.

And I don't know I cannot,
I cannot explain I,

for the first time, I sense
they're really peace and quiet and love,

and that song really touched my heart.
And that's how I actually God

started to work in my life.
-Then after the third day,

they just left me out.
They said: you are free.

You can go. But after that third day,
when I came back to the place in London

where I lived, I was in shock.
I didn't know nothing.

I was like a plant. Two months after,
it started to come to me like 'Bible',

and as it was coming to my mind,
a Bible, Bible, I thought, wow,

that I'm getting crazy.
I need a psychologist.

What started to happen to me?
As I bought the Bible,

I read the New Testament
two times so fast.

It was like...
I was so thirsty or hungry for that word.

It was something, well,
like, I want to eat that Bible.

And as I read a
second time one day,

it happened to me like the light,
it was switched on in me.

And I said, Lord, now I know you,
now I know you, now I know you.

But it was crazy to my mind,
and my mind said,

oh, you are crazy, you're crazy.
And I said, but yes,

but I know that I know him,
I know, I know in my heart.

And I knew that he can hear me,
and I could hear also God.

And then I promised to God I said, Lord,
whatever you will ask from me

and you want from me, I want to obey you.
-And then after some while, you know,

talking with this missionary from America,
he started to speak to me about God.

I told him, look, this is not for me.
I mean, this is like a love story.

I'm more... I'm full of the hate,
you know? I know this is done for me

in a way. And then he told me, yeah,
but he died for the sinners

because he went on the cross,
you know, on your place

that you can have a relationship with God.
And then I pray with him,

and I just, I just I knew to
whom I prayed with my heart.

And I do experience actually his presence
and that some, some,

some heaviness just left me.
-At Teen Challenge, Enzo

got clean from drugs.
He wanted to be a missionary,

but there was a problem.
-Uh, being in Teen Challenge and,

wanting to live a radical life,
somehow for me,

like it was a hidden, like a cross,
you know and my new life,

like in Christ, basically trying
in my own strength to live, actually Holy.

So I do start to having my conscience,
you know, like

deep, deep guilt and condemnation.
And I try to please God with deep,

you know, like fasting, deep, you know,
not watching television,

not, you know,
being involved in coffee bars, alcohol,

nothing like that. That brought me almost
to even psychological problems.

And I didn't have actually help
at that time.

Being still working in Teen Challenge
and being more exposed to the churches,

which are how to say maybe more,
maybe in some other places in the world,

like in America, maybe those churches
are preaching

like healthy fear of God in a way.
But here in our part of the world,

somehow that was... took it as a,
you know, like you need to be like,

repented again,
like first time, all the time.

So, I mean, repenting in the morning,
in the evening,

you know, I said, when is enough.
You know, when it's something,

you know enough.
-A war broke out in Bosnia.

Enzo went to work
on a relief mission of YWAM.

There he met other Christians.
-All started working there in Bosnia

with those missionaries.
It was a bit different.

They live very also holy.
They didn't use, you know,

grace for some sin or something,
but actually

that was beginning where how actually,
bit by bit by bit,

my eyes start to be open
and somehow understanding

that the righteousness
in front of God, between me

and God, actually peace
with God that is not depending on me

on my performance, deptness
of my repentance, which is not perfect,

but actually on what Jesus did for me
on the cross.

Oh boy, that was... that was for me,
such a new, new world you know,

having peace with God, you know?

That was like beginning somehow
for the new step in my life.

Where I start to listen, you know,
those maybe through those television

like TBN and God TV
and some other internet things.

I figure it out...
I don't know why... some kind of error.

Because being in Teen Challenge
and in church

before I do have some healthy heritage
because never healthy fear of the Lord

actually left my place
because I saw some people around me

just using for the grant
that grace righteousness.

You know, I don't know,
they went just in the well-being of us,

just prosperity or something,
which I knew in deep of my heart,

you know, look, this cannot be,
you know, because

I tried to actually accept that.
But then I prayed to God.

I do remember
now I would like to share this.

I just fast and pray God
because I was on the crossroad of my life.

You know, what is the truth
and which direction to take?

And then God spoke to me.
I just have a strong thought here,

like in Nehushtan,
you know, I said, oh God is this you?

And then again,
it was a bit quiet again on that way,

sometimes God spoke to me and I again,
like a strong voice, was like Nehushtan.

I just knew it the second time.
This is the Lord.

And I started to think.
Nehushtan.. Nehushtan.

Where is that in the Bible.
And then I just remember

that that was the snake serpent
which actually Moses lifted up.

And and I start to see those concordances,
the Bible, you know,

and then like
because Jesus was actually lifted up,

but suddenly actually God spoke to me
understanding of that

what he wanted to understand to the same
cross... because Jesus

became for us
for our salvation, the very source of sin.

He didn't take just our deeds,
but he became the sin

that became righteousness of God in him.
But then God showed me

what some part of Christianity can go,
putting in the center all the time,

that cross where actually
I have the benefit

because God showed me
that actually Israel started to worship

for a while
that snake Nehushtan, and suddenly

just revelation
came to me, wow, this is the same

like those people, of course.
I mean, it's the cross, it is the truth.

But basically, in the end,
they are worshiping their own needs,

their own healing,
you know, their own salvation,

their own prosperity,
well-being, whatever.

But I knew that that cross actually,
I need to die together

with Jesus to by his grace to worship him
and to be allowed

to put him in the center.
-After finding these errors, Enzo

and Mirella decided to leave their church
that was part

of the so-called faith movement.
-We just was alone.

Alone. And then we'd been praying
for about a year and a half.

Really, God
did you want us to to be a missionary?

Or is it possible to be a missionary
outside of the church?

Because we were not
in church in that time,

and actually we was alone.
Nobody from the missionaries,

nobody was in that way in contact with us.
And then history starts

when I met Jon, brother Jon, from TLR.
I was invited by one brother to help him

because he invited Jon. He and his family
suffered certain circumstances,

emotional in their life,
and I was amazed how he called Denmark

and how somebody promised to him
just to come to visit him and his family.

I said, wow,
those Christians are really great.

They decided to watch the movies
of The Last Reformation

and these movies touched them deeply.
-Especially after that baptism in the lake

when when plane passes and it was written
like a 'Real' in the sky.

Wow, that really was God for me
and my wife, Mirella.

We just look at each other
like tears was here.

We knew that God is answering us.
That yes, this is that

you wait for this moment.
I have plan for you, you know, use you.

So I just came and I was so pleased,
you know, with teaching

and everything with the group.
And I came back home

and my wife wait for me.
And I just told her what happened,

and she just told me,
oh, I just have some strange pain already

for a while, you know.
-I felt the pain in my back

because of the sitting long time.
And he asked me if he can pray for me.

And I prayed and God just done his work.
And after she stood up,

she said, wow, there is no pain anymore.
She's been doing like this, like that.

No pain.
-He was also amazed about it.

You know, he came from Kickstart
and... wow.

He just I was, you know,
first to practice.

And then after a while,
the after a couple of days,

you just call me.
We have people from the Balkans,

from this area calling us in Denmark,
you know, who are watching

like, Torben's movies and videos.
If I'm willing, like to help

and to visit those people
and maybe to work with them.

I told him, look, it's fine.
I told him, look, but I'm not like,

still, I don't know what still TLR.
I'm not like a part of that,

but I'm kingdom oriented man.
He said 'no problem'.

And I remember what he said,
and I liked that very much

because he said
we are not building like TLR.

We are building the Kingdom of God.
And TLR... it is just a platform,

a platform for the Kingdom.
I said, brother, yes. I will do that.

Then people started to contact us.
Then the kids were small.

We just jumped into the car
and go to pray everywhere.

Whereever people call us from,
from any part of Croatia,

we just go and spend time with them.

Even Bosnia and Serbia,
and a couple of places for Croatia

and we saw really how God is working.
We baptized some people,

we saw transforming lives
and this is how actually we started.

It was a great until one time
when actually whole persecution starts,

when actually a headquarters of the
of the Evangelical and Pentecostal Church

in Croatia actually wrote a letter
to the whole churches,

not just evangelical Pentecostal,
but all the other evangelical churches.

How TLR and Torben
are more like some extreme,

you know, heretic,
you know, teaching whatever.

So they really became closed,
and they even sent all that letter,

even to the people they knew it,
who are maybe in contact with us.

Sharing with Jon
I do remember speaking with him,

he just told me Enzo repent.
I said, why to repent?

They are just going after us.
He said, yeah, we need to forgive,

you know, and
to bless those who are persecuting us.

I just suddenly I just was, you know,
filled with the joy of the Lord.

I said, wow, yeah.
this is the truth.

I just suddenly, you know, bless them.
So I escaped this position,

being the victim,
you know, of that, you know.

And really, it was gladly,
you know, continuing working.

But we organized one kickstart
in one city called Rijeka.

We expect maybe more people to come
because we rent even a bigger hall.

But nobody came.
Nobody new came.

But then after I start to walk and to pray
and to ask God,

you know how to continue in a way,
because most probably just organizing

kickstarts will not be any benefit for us,
like Croatia

is small and people are completely close
to us and like churches are close.

And then I just again like same, same way
how God spoke to me

a couple of years ago about the Nehushtan,
I have strong thought,

you know, here about like 'one on one'.
You know, I, I expect maybe it's God.

I said, God, if it's you,
please can you like, like

repeat like tell me again and again
if it's a little like, you know, lower

like, let's set strength in
the way, the same

thought, strong
thought, you know, one on one.

But then for a while,
actually the whole revelation

came with that one on one.
What it mean?

God started to show me to actually start
to invest actually,

who I am in those people
we have now around.

But to try to establish like deep,
like a discipleship like relationship.

And that was the time of the switch
in a way that actually showed me

about that actually,
the church is a family.

And what that means somehow I start
to understand through the teaching,

but not just doctrinally,
but experientially what that means.

What is the family?
That means... Like even came to me

also what Paul been doing
after doing evangelism

in his second and third mission trip,
he will come back first

before he will start the second one.
He will first visit all those he brought

to the Lord in the first one. And suddenly
all that like start to have sense.

And I receive really inner
like understanding and faith for that,

you know, out of which
I start in those places

where we are visiting,
you know, me and my wife,

just to gather them,
you know, and to start to establish

like a union in a way, explaining
and understanding

like revelation, what is the church?
Not as a, you know,

building or some system or something,
but what is a church as a body of Christ,

as an organic, not organization,
but as an organic body of 2,

3 or 4 or 5 people,
there is a part of, of, of will of God.

And then also, God provides,
because even my wife was invited

by one missionary from Bosnia in Sarajevo,
to the one like a DMM like seminar

run by the people who was in Iran,
even from there was very radical.

Yeah, very, very, very similar.
She told me also like TLR

that's just in the same time for us
actually that understanding

actually tools actually
not we didn't change like our DNA

or, you know, gospel or something.
But just some of those tools

really came on the right time and help us,
you know, how to how to continue still

going out on the streets
during the ministry, you know,

finding persons
of peace, but also starting

to build that actually a second
wing of the same bird, you know,

like churches as a organic families.
And later on, of course,

to be families on a mission,
not just families just for us, you know,

like what I experienced before in church,
that actually church was pretty much self

as a self-sufficient in a way,
whole program

of the church was to to serve itself.
You know, like program us

you know, pastor
and teach us just to the church or church.

But it was missing this part
of the reaching out

to the world which Jesus commands us.
And we took some healthy tools,

like I do remember,
like the healthy circle of church.

What is healthy circle of church?
Where actually in the middle,

the dots in the beginning was kind circle,
not connecting dots, just dots.

And then inside was like all those seven,
eight parts,

what first church been doing
from book of acts chapter 2:36-38.

And they've been doing like having
like Lord's Supper,

Apostolic teaching, prayers, worship,
multiplication of the disciples,

because Lord will bring out the disciples.
Giving, you know, and all that.

But what was very, very fantastic,
it was actually connecting those dots.

Actually, all those things
they've been doing.

But still, you can do that.
Or maybe, you know, it is optional.

You know you can do that,
but you don't need to do that.

But then somehow ringing our ears,
that actually the word said actually

there was dedicated in that.
So that actually dedicated dedication,

it was the word which make actually
connecting all those dots

that are part of our disciple life,
obeying to God

because he created
us to be dependent on him.

And that's how we as a body,
as a not organization,

but as an organism,
we are also called to work together

to be in a way, depending on each other,
coming together on that certain location

and on that way also worship him.
So we just understand, wow,

this is the church.
Like this must be the church.

So we became dedicated also to that
and then became the family on the mission.

This is how we are doing
the last couple of years since 2021.

And now we also grow together,
how to establish the family God,

shows us to me and our team,
that we are teaching them, of course,

the basic things of faith,
teaching them in faith,

teaching them how to follow
the Lord, how to pray for the sick,

how to preach the gospel.
But as well we understand

one more also vital part together
with mentoring them

also we understand
to actually to fathering them.

Because most of.. it fits really amazing
like... most of are now almost 45,

as I said, us in Croatia
are not having any,

uh, church background, church history
at all, mostly

like New Age
or just, you know, unbelievers.

Or maybe some are Catholics,
but more like traditional,

not really practicing Catholic religion.
So basically all of them

don't have any like church background.
And as a new believers, you know,

we figure it out
that they need some time also of growth.

So in that way, me and Mirella,
we invest our life

in our five, six disciples who was,
you know, the most dedicated, passionate,

you know, to invest our life
and to teach them also

in that part, being the fathers to them.
And of course following that principle of,

you know, looking towards God, uh,
building up relationships together.

We basically are having
those six families,

which are completely they have autonomy.
They are just as they need to be.

You know, they're not the same,
but at the same time,

but our free will actually we choose
and decide to be

even one big family on six places.
In that way,

we just have nice relationship,
accountability in a way.

But of course,
teaching them that us who are maybe

lets say leaders or something,
that we are not owners of their faith.

Here in Zagreb,
we have a house church here.

We meet at our homes.
The city gave us a place

where we can meet.
we go out we do kickstart seminars.

We do DBS with the non-believers.
When I met Enzo,

it was very strange for me
to see that in one country

you have a few cities
and they are all as one family.

So although we are in different cities,
we come together and it's so natural.

It's like we know each other
for a very long time

and such love and peace.
And it's a Kingdom,

it's a kingdom on earth,
I never experienced that.

This family,
this church is pretty stable, I would say,

because all around
you can see different people

still doing what God wants them to do,
but maybe they are alone

or they're just connected
to some brothers or sisters.

There is a sense of family and fatherhood
that I think

is very important for all of us to grow.
In Enzo we have father,

father like who is for us really,

we can always talk to, we can connect,
we can ask for advice.

It was difficult many times
persecution, problems, oh boy.

Many problems. Sometimes mess, you know,
and it was very, very difficult.

Everybody will have a different opinion,
and especially some of the disciples

not understanding
this actually relationship

and recognizing the functions.
God showed us that actually individualism,

which can be very like
how to say like a problem in a way.

And not everything was great
because where is a lot of people then,

it can be messy
because lots of expectations

and not everybody's expectations are met.
We kind of not

split, but a few of them leave the group,
a few of them leave the church.

And it was really hard.
We thought we are going to break apart,

but no, we haven't broke.
And but we became more and more stronger

and more connected to each other.
And actually, we became more like family.

Yeah, it's... I sometimes I feel more like
that they are my family

than my real family.

Having a lot of the challenges,
basically when people

were so much individual
wanted to do their own thing,

trying like to work together.
But when you have like for example,

ten people and ten approaches
and ten visions,

it was very difficult
to keep something what we learned,

walking together, actually, God showed us
spiritually actually:

what is the body of Christ?
What we are to each other?

So God reveal us actually what church is
as a spiritual body of Christ.

Until then we just thought,
you know, churches, you know,

like gathering or assembling
or coming together

or does not matter in building
or at home or something.

But God showed us that actually church
is much more and more and more deeper

and so much important to the Lord.
The church is his body.

So we are in him,
created to be members to each other.

So we start to understand and to share
and to teach each other, actually,

what is Christ as the head of the body
and who we are?

So basically we understand
that we are called to work together,

to be together,
not just for the sake of the ministry

and the Great Commission to do the work,
but as well in our character,

because we found that actually
Lucifer opponent

to God, he was actually individual.
He wanted to be, you know, by himself.

But we understand that we need to also for
the growth of our character,

a Christ character,
to be together and to serve each other

and to love each other
and to recognize the functions.

In the kingdom of God,
it is not about the leader

or somebody who is
like ruling or something.

It's completely opposite, Jesus said.
So basically,

when we recognize the function of Jesus
in the body,

then we actually
recognize Christ, Christ in that,

and we start to recognize that,
to teach that,

and that's how we actually
maintain and start to work

together and to rejoicing
in each other's callings.

And what is natural,
like the same with our kids,

when they will be 18 or 20 years old,
they will start a new family.

It is a natural actually,
that they will after they will grow up,

that they will be sent out.
And to start a new family.

So in that way also, God showed us
that multiplication

and actually fulfilling of his will,
go to the whole world and multiply,

you know, and actually subdue the earth.
So as a great, great commission in a way.

And also what I would like
to encourage you:

be yourself as a father and shepherd,
just be free to create.

To create the atmosphere at your home
like a family atmosphere

where people will be accepted and loved
and teach with deep passion

for their growth.
But always keeping in mind

actually whole picture the apostleship,
the calling of God,

always with your gifts,
being Shepherd and father,

use that and serve that
for the actually higher vision

which is actually the making disciples,
if this have sense to you.

So the final vision:
it is God centered making disciples.

But this part of the truth,
which is God's love.

We are investing and making happen
that people can grow.

And on that way also some other people
who are also called to be the shepherd,

or be a father
will actually draw that from you.

And that's how your ministry
and your calling will be,

will be fulfilled.

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