Change is Contagious

Mark 1:32-33 - That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.  The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Imagine you've just come home from a long day's work. You are tired, hungry and ready to sit in front of the TV and do nothing. Just unplug and rest. Now imagine the whole neighborhood showing up at the door, wanting your help. What would you do? 

Have you ever wanted to join in with the crowd, just because they were the crowd? Having people around us that all seem to want the same thing has a strong impact on our confidence and sense of belonging.

Sometimes change can be scary. I know all of us would love to spend a day with Jesus, but to be honest, it might make me a little nervous.  There would probably be a challenge in there. Change would come from a meeting with Jesus! That's what this crowd was looking for--change!

Is your small group excited about change? Do you gather at the door with Jesus, wanting to see your life changed? I seem to have different seasons in my spiritual life. There are times when I am eagerly seeking input and wanting to change. There are other times I find myself being defensive, and resisting change. 

Let us strive for this atmosphere that Jesus created. The whole town gathered, and they wanted to see change in their lives. God has blessed us with a great church! Lets make sure we do all we can to make it a place where everyone comes looking to Jesus for change!

Pray for Belgrade, Serbia

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. With a population of 1,630,000, Belgrade is the third largest city in southeastern Europe, after Istanbul and Athens. Its name in Serbian translates to "White City."

Belgrade was the birthplace of the largest prehistoric culture of Europe, the Vinča culture, as early as the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, the area of Belgrade was inhabited by the Thraco-Dacian tribe of Singi, who would give the name to the city after a fortress was founded in the 3rd century BC by the Celts, who named it Singidun (dun, fortress).

As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars, and razed to the ground 44 times since the ancient period by countless armies of the East and West. Although there are several historic religious communities in Belgrade, the religious makeup of the city is relatively homogenous. The Serbian Orthodox community is by far the largest, with 1,429,170 adherents.

The church in Belgrade has been planted several times in the past with limited success, mainly because of the hard-lined Orthodox mentality which excludes all other religious options. Serbians tend to be responsive only to people with similar religious backgrounds to their own. Now in Belgrade there is one sister, Nina, and she is keeping her faith waiting for God to make one more visit and plant the church again.

Nina visits other churches in the region--Zagreb, Croatia, Sofia, Bulgaria and Athens, Greece--to get strengthened and encouraged. Our main prayer request is that disciples from around the globe, if possible Serbians with Orthodox backgrounds, form a mission team to preach the gospel to Belgrade and Serbia with its population of 7.3 million people.