Ta-Daa!

Mark 1:14 - After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Here we get to hear the first words of Jesus. The curtain opens--it is about to begin! The preparations for this event have taken thousands of years. From the first breath of Adam, this verse was known. The time has finally come!

Have you ever waited and waited and waited for something? Maybe a birthday? Maybe a vacation? Maybe graduation? For the moms, maybe the birth of your child! Imagine the heavens waiting for thousands of years for Christ to start his ministry!

Have you ever been stuck in the mode of waiting for tomorrow? Tomorrow I am going to change. When I leave on the mission team, then I will really be radical. When I go on vacation, I am going to take more time to pray.

Why is it that some of my greatest spiritual ambitions are usually connected with the future? What is it that you want to change? What is it that needs to be taken a notch higher in your life? OK, stop reading this blog and go do it. The time has come!

Be the man or woman of God you know you can be, and start today!

Pray for Sarajevo

Sarajevo is a beautiful city in central Bosnia-Herzegovina.  It is also the capital of the federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The city is famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism coexisting there for centuries.  Due to this long and rich history, Sarajevo has often been called the "Jerusalem of Europe." 

Sarajevo had long been a multicultural city, but war changed its ethnic and religious profile. In 1991, Muslim Bosniaks formed 45% of the population, followed by Eastern Orthodox Serbs at 38% and Roman Catholic Croats at 7%. Today, only about 18,000 Serbs (and a handful of Croats) remain in Sarajevo.

The church in Sarajevo was planted in 1999 by disciples from Croatia, the United States and Switzerland. Over the years, the church went thru many changes and mission plans. For disciples, it is a challenge to live in city that is in Europe but has a Muslim mentality and lifestyle. Evangelism is not forbidden, but war has done a lot of damage because it was religious war, and religious separation is still an everyday topic.

Over the years, the church decreased in numbers due to some disciples moving and others returning to their home churches. In 2009, Robert, Mateja and Alem prayed for God to show them if they should stay in Sarajevo or leave. They prayed that God would double the church after years and years of no baptisms.

God answered their prayer, and in 2009 they baptized 3 disciples and had one restoration! God has clearly shown that He has people in Sarajevo, so they should stay. Please pray for the Sarajevo disciples to be strong in faith while waiting for more of God's people, and for faith to see God working as they deal with health challenges.