What Is Upper Room Gornja Soba?

What is Upper Room Gornje Soba?

House of Prayer

First Jesus said His House would be a House of Prayer.

Isaiah 56:7

Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.

  

Matthew 21:13

And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

Both Isaiah and Jesus were referring to the Temple in Jerusalem, but we can fairly establish that any place set aside for communion with God can be called a house of prayer.

Then we have the Tabernacle of David, where David set up 24 hour prayer and worship.

In both tabernacles the center piece was the Arch of the Covenant which was the presence of God. The Temple in Jerusalem was where the Jewish nation sacrificed to God to atone for their sins. The Tabernacle of David (ToD) was a preview of what worship would be like after God had completed the atonement through Jesus.

Since Jesus has completed the atonement (washed away our sins with His shed blood) we should follow the example of the ToD. Here at Upper Room Zagreb the ToD is our guide line. Why is the ToD our guideline? Because the prophet Amos and the Apostle James said it would be a key guide for fulfilling our mission on earth. Jesus commanded us to disciple the nations. (Matthew 28:19)

Amos 9:11 “On that day I will raise up
The ^[i]tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And ^[j]repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;

 Acts 15: ¹⁶ ‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
¹⁷ So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’

An important key here is “So the rest of mankind may seek the Lord”.

So why Upper Room Gornje Soba?

As you study out the Tabernacle of David you learn two things. First it made a way to accomplish Psalm 22:3 “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.” God is always with us but when we praise (worship) He comes in a greater measure. Second, it is very evident that when God is enthroned on/in His people, a canopy of protection and guidance is present.

Therefore, Upper Room Gornje Soba is set up to be first of all a place where Christians can gather and worship God. Second, we pray for His guidance and protection. Since we are located in Croatia and we as Christians are commissioned to disciple the nations, we feel responsible to pray for Croatia.

Upper Room Zagreb is here to be a safe place to worship God because He is worthy of our worship and to pray for Croatia. God is glorified and the country is blessed.

Personal Rewards

It is a well-established principle that when you honor God with worship and pray for others, you are blessed. God rewards those that diligently seek Him. Those that participate in the house of prayer have been physically and mentally healed. They have realized greater purpose for their lives.

Is Upper Room a church?

No.

URGS is a place for Christians to meet with God. Everyone is welcome, even those that do not know God. (For those that do not know God we hope they will experience Him in the prayer room)

Is URGS a substitute for a church?

No.

Everyone that participates in URGS is encouraged to be part of a local church of their choosing. All denominations are welcome. We do not teach doctrine in the house of prayer. (Principles of prayer and worship are shared to protect unity)

Key verses:

Matthew 6: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Isaiah 4: 5 then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. 6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

In and Out Lifestyle

Moses and Joshua

    Deut.31: 1 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. ² And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in.

    Numbers 27: ¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ¹⁷ who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”

    Joshua 14: ¹¹ As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. ¹² Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

King Solomon

     I Kings 3^:5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

⁶ And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷ Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. ⁹ Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

Come in one way and go out a different way.

      Ezekiel 46: ⁹ “But when the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. ¹⁰ The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out.

>>> 

Matthew 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

This is why the Lord shows up in a more powerful way when saints are together to worship Him.

Exodus 33:14-16  (NKJV)

¹⁴ And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. ¹⁶ For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

Why Pray For Croatia?

Matt. 28: ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Amen.

Isaiah 62:6-7

⁶ I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall ^[a]never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
⁷ And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

URGS is here as a ministry to Croatia.

Seven Mountains or Spheres of Cultural Influence: Family, Religion, Media, Education, Government, Arts and Entertainment, and Business

FAMILY

Family is the most basic unit of the culture. Family was instituted by God with Adam and Eve. Within the family children are to be nurtured and set on a path to adulthood.

Psalm 127:4  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.

RELIGION

Man’s search for a creator.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

All religions are man reaching out to God. Christianity is the only religion where God reaches back. All others connect with created objects or beings.

MEDIA

Media is the announcement and publishing of information.

EDUCATION

Where knowledge is taught. Facts are truth – opinions are just opinions.

GOVERNMENT

To control the un-pure motives of man. Regulations that set the expectations and procedures of the culture.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Celebration and display of man’s creativity. To lighten the heart, fun.

BUSINESS

Exchange of goods and services. Build honest relationship centered around fairness.

Tabernacle of David 1

Tabernacle of David Teaching 1

King David tapped into what is happening in Heaven at all times. God opened his understanding to what worship is like before God’s throne. See Revelations chapter 4

So what did David do when he became king, he set up “worship as is in heaven” on Mount Zion. 1 Chr. 15: 16, 16:4-6
 And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

This begin 33 years of worship in the (tent) tabernacle David had set up on Mount Zion.
Psalm 22:3
But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
Isaiah 63:7
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord And the praises of the Lord, According to all that the Lord has bestowed on us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.

From these scriptures we can see that God extends favor to a nation or people that bring Him praise. Israel became a great nation during David’s reign and then even greater when Solomon took the throne.

When we worship God here on the earth as it is in heaven, then we should expect the blessings of the Lord to be upon us. We see that during the reigns of David and Solomon there was great favor from God upon Israel. I am convinced that this favor was because of the 24/7 worship in the Tabernacle of David. It was as if a canopy was put over Israel while worship was happening. Why not have the same thing today over our nations?

The first thing you are going to say is, “Impossible in this time and age.” Remember nothing is impossible with God. We even have a worship song we sing, "Nothing is impossible with God" I am convinced God wants us to dream big with Him.

We should strive to worship the Lord with our lives. As more and more worshipers gather, then the greater the power of our worship.
Joel 2:1
Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand:

As the worship went up to heaven from Mount Zion, God caused proper alignment to occur in Israel. All that goes into maintaining a nation, lined up into proper order. If this happened back then for Israel, why not now?

It is the duty of the Church to bring this about in individual lives and in the nations.
Acts 15:13-17  And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.  And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
 ‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’

Did not the Lord have the Apostle James quote this verse from Amos 9:11-12 as a command to the church? It was a prophetic word of what God wanted to do with the Church.

We as the Church should cooperate with God to see this type of worship instituted upon the earth.

In the Lord’s Prayer did not Jesus ask us to pray:
“Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.”

We are seeing more and more Christians and churches across the earth beginning to understand this revelation and move out in faith to facilitate as best they can this worship.

Personal Opinion: I believe the Lord wants every nation to have a National Tabernacle of David and it is the responsibility of the Church to cooperate with the Lord to build it. When “worship on earth, as in heaven” is functioning, then the Lord will come back to claim His sheep nations. (Matt. 25:31-33) By-the-way, this is an over coming attitude rather than waiting around for the rapture.

URGENT - Pray for Bulgaria

Bulgarian evangelicals alarm about religion law “threatening rights and freedoms of churches” 

The European Evangelical Alliance and the World Evangelical Alliance issue statements calling to stop a legislation that would give “huge and unnecessary powers to the Bulgarian State to interfere with faith communities”.

Bulgarian evangelicals have called international bodies to respond to a new legislation that could severely restrict religious freedom and the rights of faith minorities.

“The Bulgarian State is wrongly assuming power into the internal life of religious communities”, the Evangelical Alliance Bulgaria (EAB) denounced in a letter sent this week to the European Evangelical Alliance.

“Almost every single article in the newly proposed bills erroneously and unfairly claims political authority over religious life”, writes Pastor Rumen Bordjiev.

In the last months, the parliament has discussed a new legislation that will enable a “state policy of interference into church affairs”, the President of the EAB says.

WHAT DOES THE NEW LEGISLATION SAY?

These are the main problems with the new legislation:

 - Only Bulgarian citizens will be able to carry out liturgical activity if they have had theological training in Bulgaria or their foreign school is approved.

- Only Eastern Orthodox & Muslim believers will be able to train clergy and run schools.

- A foreigner will only be able to preach if doing so with a Bulgarian ordained minister.

- Foreign donations will only be allowed for building construction or social aid and will need government approval. No salaries of pastors for example could be paid from abroad.

- No religious activities can take place outside of buildings designated for them.

- Only religious groups with +300 people will have legal status.

ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS OPPOSE THE LAW

After receiving the “green light” in its first reading in parliament last October 4, a period for possible objections and discussions was opened. The parliament has allowed an interim period for possible objections that will end on November 16. In the meantime, a task group comprised by politicians and religious representatives is supposed to work on the wording of the suggested articles. By now, however, the task group has not yet started its work.

After carefully analyzing the law, the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance has said the legislation “is so flawed, amendments cannot solve the problems - Instead, it should be scrapped”.

“Literally no religious community has expressed agreement with the proposed changes”, the Bulgarian evangelical body said. In fact, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Muslim religion, all Protestant denominations, the Armenian community, the Jewish community, and the Catholic Church, have all issued statements of protest.

EVANGELICALS STAND UP IN DEFENSE OF FAITH EXPRESSION

Evangelical Christians are one of the minority faith groups that would see their rights and freedoms affected. This is why the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance “insisted on being invited to the committee discussing the amended articles of the law (…) We have also demanded a special meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Mr. Boyko Borisov in order to express our explicit refusal to agree with such an intervention of the government into religious affairs”.

Furthermore, “various NGOs are also considering joining efforts and possibly even taking legal actions, led by the unanimous opinion that the law is discriminatory, anti-constitutional and unjust”.

PEACEFUL RALLIES AFTER SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES

This coming Sunday afternoon, November 11, evangelical Christians all over the country will go out on the streets after their worship services in peaceful rallies for their right to practice their faith. Churches from various denominations in the towns of Sofia, Ruse, Burgas, Silistra, Dobrich, Kotel (among others) mobilize their members to join the street protest.

They will carry signs, saying “The new bill on religion brings us back to communism!”, and “Religious freedom in Bulgaria is in danger!”

‘WRITE LETTERS TO THE BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT’

The Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance has also called fellow believers to take the following actions: “pray” for the situation; “alarm” other Evangelical Alliances about the situation in Bulgaria, contact “European institutions, Members of the European parliament and international human and religious rights organizations”; write letters to the Bulgarian government.

EEA: SITUATION IN BULGARIA IS “ALARMING”

In response to the letter of Bulgarian evangelicals, the European Evangelical Alliance expressed its concern over the “alarming developments in Bulgaria”.

According to the body representing millions of evangelical Christians in the whole continent, the new legislation would give “huge and unnecessary power of the Bulgarian State to interfere with all faith communities”. Therefore, “if the Parliament wishes to continue discussions, then representatives of the churches should be involved”.

The EEA calls “to pray and encourage others to pray” and to “contact the Bulgarian embassy in your nation and write to the politicians in Sofia. Write a short letter/email explaining the main problems in the proposed legislation as outlined above. Politely but firmly ask why Bulgaria would introduce legislation that is so excessive and also harmful to all faith communities. Demand that the legislative proposal be scrapped”.

For those in European Union Member States, the EEA encourages to “write a short letter to the MEPs of your nation, explaining the main problems in the proposed legislation and asking them to speak urgently to their Bulgarian colleagues to ask why Bulgaria would introduce legislation that is so excessively controlling and would cause great difficulties for all faiths. Click here to find the MEPs of your nation”.

WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE: STRENGTHEN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The World Evangelical Alliance’s also reacted to the letter of Bulgarian evangelicals.

Secretary General Efraim Tendero said: “At a time when governments worldwide face the challenge of strengthening freedoms while maintaining security, we call on Bulgaria and other democratic countries to lead by example and to strengthen the right to religious freedom rather than to weaken it”.

The WEA’s statement added: “We call on the Bulgarian authorities to reconsider its draft legislation aimed at amending the Religious Denominations Act (...) And we call on evangelicals worldwide to accompany our brothers and sisters in Bulgaria in prayer as they dialogue with their political leaders to identify the best path forward”.

 

See more: http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/3983/Bulgarian_evangelicals_alarm_about_religion_law_threatening_rights_and_freedoms_of_churches?fbclid=IwAR2Xy7tIagFxWbPWuUNLM8ESQHFd4oH_qKzHxoBgcipv4BjBOaDXb55RN5k

Update 11-24-18: http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/3936/Despite_vehement_protests_Bulgarian_state_moves_new_religious_legislation

Related News:

http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/4017/Bulgaria_religion_law_3000_members_required_for_faith_group_to_obtain_judicial_entity

http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/4000/Bulgarian_evangelicals_The_testimonies_of_faith_of_our_brothers_and_sisters_who_suffered_before_us_are_still_strong_in_our_memories

http://evangelicalfocus.com/multimedia/3988/Rallies_in_Bulgaria_Religious_freedom_is_in_danger

http://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/3983/Bulgarian_evangelicals_alarm_about_religion_law_threatening_rights_and_freedoms_of_churches

Two Weeks of Ministry

Prayer points:
1.    May the impact of the just held workshops (see below) be far reaching and bring lasting change in awakening the hearts of the believers.
2.    We continue to ask for Levites for the URGS House of Prayer. Musicians and singers who can lead live worship sets. Please pray with us for young people who would be willing to give 1-3 months of their time and resources to come to Croatia and help cultivate, train and raise up Croatians to take the lead.
3.    God is opening doors wide for us with the Charismatic Catholic youth. Pray for wisdom and to know what and how to collaborate and cooperate with them.
4.    There is continued forward movement in the acquisition of property in the town of Gračac. Please pray for favor in all negotiations.

From Jerry’s Desk

Past Two Weeks of Ministry
The last two weeks has been wonderful and a true advancement in ministry for the Lord’s work here. It amazes us to watch how God loves and touches people. Perhaps most of all, it is remarkable to see them respond to His love. Transformation is happening in lives here in Croatia.

We were blessed to host a team from Upper Room (UR) Denver, Colorado. They spent three days teaching on intimacy, worship, encounter, song writing and more. We had over forty Croatians attend the Worship and Prayer Workshops from throughout the country. The teaching was above and beyond everyone’s expectations. Perhaps the greatest of all was that the team taught from their personal life experiences. They showed sincere love and encouragement to all they encountered.

The team consisted of two couples with their three children and a single lady. They stayed in our home, doing all they could to serve us. The UR Denver teams who come are always a cut above and it is such a pleasure to have them in our home. We are so very grateful to UR Denver for their investment into us as their missionaries and into the people we serve here.

Since the end of the workshops, we have been receiving testimonies from many of the attendees. They speak of how their lives have been blessed and enhanced. The core team that regularly attends the Upper Room Gornja Soba (URGS) House of Prayer has also been encouraged, challenged and energized by the Workshop. They seem to have entered into another level in their intimacy with the Lord.

This past Sunday we also met with our team in Gračac. Our team just purchased fire wood for an elderly lady in town.  Igor, who is a prayer leader in the URGS in Zagreb, and Roni who lives in Gračac, chopped all the wood. We love it that our team is practicing the lifestyle of “in and out”, where we come in to the presence of God and pray, but then we also go out and allow the Spirit of God to spill over onto the communities we serve through practical ways.  At the same time, the rest of the team blanketed the town with a prayer walk. As we walked, we spoke blessing over the city. What a powerful day; praying for and serving the city of Gračac.

Prayer Points & A Life Formula

Prayer Points:

1)    Intentional Strategies for Transformation is hosting a Prayer and Worship Workshop in Zagreb. Please pray for this event. We are expecting many, not only from the evangelical churches but Charismatic Catholics also. (Dates: Sept. 13th – 15th)
2)    Pray for the team from Upper Room Denver who will be teaching on worship, intimacy with the Lord, the prophetic, song writing, etc.
3)    There has been a health issue to attack the team, so pray healing will come quickly.



A Life Formula
 
Joy + Discipline + Vision + Convergence = Legacy & Eternity

For me this is a formula for life. This is a principles that have helped me live an overcoming life as a Christian.
Let’s explore what this looks like for us in our walk with Christ…

Joy
When I gave my life to Jesus, He gave me joy. I am not talking about happiness, but something deeper that has a measure of assurance in it. Jesus was so real to me in my conversion, that deep down I have never doubted Him. I may have had the thought but my confidence in God dispelled it. I am talking about a gift of joy because of confidence. The non-Christian will not have this. They will move in and out of happiness.

Discipline
Second comes discipline. Oh, wow, I sure fought this one. I had some bad habits that were destructive. I thank the Lord for His patience with me. It was the Holy Spirit speaking to me in one of those awe moments that got my attention. One day I found myself saying something out loud that revealed a deep inter passion I was carrying. Then immediately the Holy Spirit spoke, “You are not ready”. Also, “It may be years before you are ready”. So, I asked, “How do I get ready”? “Discipline son, discipline.”

Vision
As the years passed and I stumbled through learning discipline, vision began to form. Vision was driven by passion. I begin to get insight of my inter desires. Once you understand the vision in your heart you must fight for it. In that fight you develop the life skills you will need. I was listening to James Goll the other day and he said, “When discernment and revelation meet, insight occurs”. Oh, how you will need God’s wisdom for a clarity of vision.

Convergence
Then the time comes, when God puts it all together for you, that is convergence. It is when everything lines up. Your passion is being fulfilled. You have great joy because you see ultimate purpose. You have enough discipline that God can trust you. There is a peace of mind that rules your steps. It could be just the right job; one in which you are meeting all your needs physically, financially and emotionally.

There is a great joy in knowing you are pleasing God, your loving Father and you are doing what He has designed you for. See this has been His plan all along to bring you to your greatest potential. You are content because you know God is pleased.

Legacy
So, what does all this get you? How do you benefit? You leave a Legacy that others can follow. The Apostle Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Legacy will live on as long as people remember you. If your deeds are published, your legacy could live many, many years.

Eternity
Then comes Eternity. Eternity, according to the Bible, is heaven or hell. God’s ultimate justice is heaven or hell. At death you are in God’s bliss with Him or in a place of eternal punishment, separated from Him and His Kingdom. All these steps culminate in your destiny.

Here is the good part, you don’t even have to work out this formula in order to get to heaven. You can be a failure in every point. Your eternity is decided by this, have you accepted Jesus or not?
By the way, I am still working on this formula. I think we work on this all our lives.
Ask yourself, "Where on this journey am I?

8-27-18 Prayer Points and Kosovo

Prayer Points
1)    Jerry and Zuzanna just returned from a month in the USA. It was great to see many old friends and to make new ones. Pray that we all grow in our partnership to see the Balkans won for Christ.
2)    The IST Banquet was a success and we are grateful for all God did to raise the awareness of the needs in the Balkans. Pray that Jerry and Zuzanna will be obedient and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they lead Intentional Strategies for Transformation.
3)    Pray for the Upper Room Denver team as they come to minister at URGS (Zagreb House of Prayer) September 13th thru 15th. As they teach and model the deeper-life concepts of prayer and worship, may all participants grow in Him and be transformed.
4)    Pray for Croatia. After the great victories of the Croatian Soccer (Football) team in the World Cup and the visual unity that swept the country, may there be unity seen across all spheres of the culture.
5)    Pray for the IST Learning Program for the Roma (Gypsy) children in Romania. We have a gap of $4660 still needed for the 2018-2019 school year.

From Jerry’s Desk

Question: Is Kosovo becoming its own country?
In 2008 Kosovo declared total independence from Federal Yugoslavia. This came about in the aftermath of the Kosovo war of 1999 where NATO intervened to help the Kosovars achieve their separation from Serbia. I still have many questions about that war and the procedures taken by NATO but I/we may never learn all the answers. I go back to my original question, “Is Kosovo becoming its own country?” That remains to be seen.

Most of all, as an intercessor, what I seek is that Serbia and Kosovo will come to know the liberating peace that only the Gospel can give. I recently read a somewhat unbiased article titled, From Enver Hoxha to Bill Clinton. Although the author, James Robertson, never mentions Bill Clinton by name in the body of the article, it was his administration that led in these actions. I seriously ask for prayer for Serbia and Kosovo. Currently there is deep hatred in both peoples toward the other. May the Lord take what was meant for destruction, confusion and hatred and turn into a miracle of reconciliation. At one time, King David was able to reunite Israel. To see God unite these two countries in our life-time would  be an amazing mircale. To help you understand the transformation Kosovo has went through, I suggest you read the full article mentioned above. Link: https://www.balkaneu.com/op-edfrom-enver-hoxha-to-bill-clinton/

8-6-18 Prayer Points

Prayer Points:   
1)    Pray for the on going Upper Room Gornja Soba HOP in Zagreb, Croatia. New prayer leaders are taking their place in the prayer room.
2)    Jerry and Zuzanna are in America sharing the vision of IST. Pray that the Lord would move on many hearts to partner in this work.
3)    We have several projects before us for the upcoming year, stretching from Romania to Serbia. Please pray that heavens resources would be released.
4)    Pray for the Intentional Strategies for Transformation banquet. Date: August 11th

From Jerry’s desk:

Destiny
 
⦁    What is Destiny? We all have one. There is self-made destiny and then there is divine destiny.
⦁    Here is how the dictionary defines destiny:
     1)    the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future.
            "she was unable to control her own destiny"
     2)    the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.
           "he believes in destiny"
⦁    Will your divine destiny be accomplished? – It is really up to you. (I propose that the outcome is only really known, after one has moved on to eternity)
⦁    Which destiny will you accomplish?
⦁    Through Strife and Struggle – do it yourself destiny – who will you step on to get to your final destiny
⦁    Through Rest – knowing that God has prepared your destiny and ultimately it is He who will get you there – you making decisions from a place of peace and divine counsel.
⦁    Of course we should desire a divine destiny.
⦁    Do you have to fully know your Destiny?   You will always be living toward your destiny whether it is clear to you or not. Blessed is the young man/woman that knows their destiny; it can help to steady their direction in life.
⦁    The path toward destiny is solving problems (Personal view: This is a broader subject but everyone has a contribution to make while they are on earth. God has designed and equipped you to solve one of humanities’ problems – actually more than one but one for sure.)
⦁    How do you find His destiny for you? Ask these questions:
⦁    What do I like doing?  God has given you skills and aspirations that line up with your destiny.
⦁    Do you receive positive recognition from others? (Are you fitting in? Does your skill set enhance those around you?)
⦁    Not only does God have a destiny for you here on earth but in eternity also. Your final Destiny is to actually “rule and reign” with Christ for a thousand years and then for eternity.
⦁    God has made available His eternal manual, the Bible. Within the Bible we can find the principles that guide us to our destiny. (You should be consulting the manual every day.)
⦁    The Bible says, Heaven or Hell is the final destination. You can choose.

John 3:16
 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life
Revelation 20:4
 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Revelation 22:5
There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Revelation 5:10
And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
If I know that I will reign with Christ for a thousand years and beyond, why would I live a life of selfish ambitions?

Notice the last verse (Rev. 5:10) says we shall rule here on earth. So let us take our position for Him now and let our ultimate destiny be practiced in this earthly realm.