Psalms of Discipleship. Principle #16 (Evangelism) April 28, 2013

Hello dear friends. Have you ever been homesick? Today's Psalms of Discipleship reminds us that we need to keep heaven on our mind and invite as many people as we can to join us.

On the journey with you,

Denny

Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #16

Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life

Key Scripture: 1 His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah. 4 "I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: 'This one was born there.' " 5 But of Zion it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her"; And the Most High Himself will establish her. 6 The LORD will count when He registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah. 7 Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say, "All my springs of joy are in you." Psalm 87:1-11

Some Background: This Psalm has a two-fold meaning. One, it is a prophecy of the future Kingdom where Jerusalem will be the center of the world. Two, it is a picture of heaven where every disciple of Jesus has his or her heavenly citizenship.

Core Value: Evangelism

As believers we are just passing through. Or are we? There are some of who have fallen in love with this world and all of its entrapments. We need to be reminded that the goal of our salvation is not to have the best that this world can offer, but to keep our eye on the prize and the place: eternity with the Lover of our soul. This prize is named Jesus and the place is called heaven.

My friend Pat Terry has captured this thought in a beautiful way when he writes,

They say that heaven's pretty And living here is too But if they said that I would have to choose between the two I'd go home, going home, where I belong

And sometimes when I'm dreaming It comes as no surprise That if you look and see The homesick feeling in my eyes I'm going home, going home, where I belong [Home Where I Belong by Pat Terry]

Why do we share the Gospel? We share it so those who are spiritually homeless will finally be able to go home too . . . where we all belong.

Principle #16 & Personal Application: Quality disciples are compelled to share the Gospel so that all may believe and inhabit Zion (the City of God).

• We need to share with the lost of a place that is built by God and the only way to enter is through having a relationship with His Son (vs. 1-3)

• We need to share with the lost of a place where only disciples of Jesus live forever (vs. 4-6)

• We need to share with the lost of a place where everyone who lives there enjoys the Lord’s abundant and eternal blessings (vs. 7)

Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…

How do I explain the reality of heaven in such a way where a person who does not know the Lord will want to do whatever it takes to go there?

When I think about going to heaven one day, what kinds of thoughts cross my mind?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for a place where I will go when this life on earth is over. May I have your burden for the lost and bring some of them with me too.

The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…

Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism

Dr. Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2013 All rights reserved.

You can learn how to live as a Quality Disciple and a DiscipleMaker4Jesus by visiting my website at www.dennybates.com and my teaching blog at http://www.dennybates.com/#!blog/c1a4e