God loves question
and answer time with us. As we have travelled through Bosnia,
and walked the streets of its cities, we have been asking many questions. Some
questions are more important than others, but thankfully God cares about each
one of them. In Psalm 25, verses 12-15, we are able to eavesdrop into one of
king David’s Q&A sessions with the Lord. His question is one of utmost
importance, and one that may well define our lives and ministries when
personally applied. In our context, the importance is two-fold: Firstly, does
this passage describe our lives, our conduct, our reputation here in the
Balkans? Secondly, are we praying for this passage to be a
reality in the lives of future believers of the church we will plant next year
in Sarajevo? I will highlight these verses in the context of
Sarajevo2013, but the
principles are relevant for all our lives regardless of our home address or our
public ministry.
THE
QUESTION.
12 Who is the man that fears the
Lord?
Unless we understand the value of having the fear of the Lord in our lives, discipleship will be impossible. I will say it again: Without the fear of the Lord in a person’s life, they will be impossible to disciple in the ways of the Lord. Discipleship, without the fear of God, is a waste of time. Without the fear of the Lord, we will be disciplining unbelievers, disciplining the unholy, disciplining the rebellious. As ministers of the Gospel, we are not to discriminate to whom we preach the Gospel, but we must have discernment whom we are to disciple.
My prayer: “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who have the fear of the Lord as their foundation.”
ANSWER #1: THE
STUDENT.
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
Having a teachable spirit and attitude is essential for discipleship.
My prayer: “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who are hungry for Your Word, thirsty for Your Spirit and hearts that are yielded to Your will.”
ANSWER #2: THE
DISTRIBUTION.
13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
The most basic principle of managing wealth, prosperity and resources is revealed in Genesis 12:1-3, where God taught Abraham the purpose of blessings: you are blessed to be a blessing to others.
My prayer: “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who will faithfully develop and manage their spiritual gifting and material resources for the purpose of generously blessing others to the glory of Your Name.”
ANSWER #3: THE
INVESTMENT.
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
Our calling is generational; we are called to invest our lives into raising the next generation, who will explore, conquer and establish.
My prayer: “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who will be intentional on serving the younger generation of believers in Christ as spiritual fathers and mothers.”
ANSWER #4: THE
SECRET.
14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
14 The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
We should position our hearts and spirits to receive the ‘secret of the Lord’, which is a prophetic revelation of what the Lord is doing in our lives, our families, our churches, our communities and our nations. The ‘secret of the Lord’ is revealed only in the secret place when we are one-on-one with the Lord. Do you share your secrets just with everyone? No, only with those who safeguard your heart. It comes in a place of intimacy, a place of surrender, a place of closeness.
My prayer: “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who will know You in the depths of their hearts, who can receive in their prayer closets and carry from there the secrets of the Lord for their generation.”
ANSWER #5: THE
COVENANT.
And He will show them His covenant.
And He will show them His covenant.
A generation without understanding of the covenants of God is destined to become enslaved to depression, aimlessness and unfulfillment.
My prayer, “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who will faithfully honor and protect the covenants of marriage and parenthood, and live out their daily lives transformed by the New Covenant established by Your redemptive blood.”
ANSWER #6: THE
FOCUS.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
Our eyes must be focued upon God every day of the week, every hour of the day. Being a ‘Christ follower’ is not like following someone on Twitter or FaceBook account; it is not a part-time interest or hobby. It is having a real 24/7 personal relationship with the Lover of your soul, with the King of your life, with the One who knows you inside out.
My prayer, ”Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who are not distracted by the things of this world, but who value more the eternal reward rather than the temporal satisfaction.”
ANSWER #7: THE
BATTLE.
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
From the moment we fear the Lord more than we fear man, the battle is on. The demonic powers of darkness will set traps to ‘steal, kill and destroy’. The promise given to the one who fears the Lord is deliverance at the moment when the enemy is wanting to spring the trap.
My prayer, “Lord Jesus, build the Sarajevo2013 church with men and women who will daily wear the armour of Christ and faithfully fight the good fight.”
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