You Are Worthy!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians [2:10]

He sat at his kitchen table, desperate, and knew that time had run out. He was faced with eviction, and in a few days would have to leave the house that he had lived in for over two decades. While some of the issues that led up to this moment were self-inflicted, many were from a life that hadn’t always been kind to him.

His family had tried to help, but it wasn’t the right answer for him. Sure, he had passed on other opportunities to solve his problem. Now, sitting alone at his kitchen table, he silently cried out, “Why isn’t God helping me? Why have I been abandoned?” He knew the answer was in turning to God, but how would God help?

He did have to move out.

Disabled for over forty years, he ended up living in a hotel room. He could only stay for two days, forcing him to look again for housing. On the third day, in a new hotel, he woke up early to once again search for a place to live.

It was six-thirty in the morning, and he saw it on Craig’s list—a house that he could afford in a nearby town he loved. Immediately, he sent a note asking if he could see the house. The poster wrote back and said, “Sure, meet me at eight-thirty.”

When he arrived, he met a gracious man whose kindness emanated from everything he said. He knew from the owner’s behavior that he was Christian. The kind man listened to his story and said the house was his. No credit application or background check—he could move in right then and there.

The house was better than his previous home and addressed the issues of his disability. The neighborhood was filled with people and not isolated in some dark off-the-grid place. In a moment, his life changed. God had heard his plea.

By noontime, his family was bringing his belongings.

His mother and father showed up to help him arrange the boxes and his house. And, as only a mother could do, everything was made to look like and feel like a home.

That night, he reflected on the dizzying events that had transpired when all seemed lost. He was tired and feeling exhausted. He didn’t know that his body was being ravaged by a deadly infection; the fatigue and exhaustion of the last few days had worn down his immune system.

Soon he was lying in a hospital bed and had IV drips pouring antibiotics into his body. Once again, he was desperate. Why had his luck changed so quickly?

Forty years earlier, he had been in a terrible accident and nearly died.

It had left him disabled. For those forty years, he’d had to live in a world built for the able-bodied. People didn’t always understand the loneliness of being disabled. They just said, “Keep your chin up,” leaving him trying to figure out how to fit into a world that isn’t made for the disabled.

His sweet and kind behavior exuded warmth, but his rebellious nature forced others to turn away, which created many of the issues that had left him homeless. His need for attention had caused many problems.

Within a week of finding his new home, he now had one more prayer for God. He was told he needed to go to rehab to prevent the infection from returning. He now wanted to go back to the same place that had restored his life forty years earlier after the accident.

Again, this prayer was answered. When he was well enough to be transported back, he went to the organization that helped him so many years earlier.

It was a familiar place filled with kind and professional people who cared.

He is in his new home today.

He now knows God considers him worthy because of his restored health and home. I remember him asking me, “Am I worthy in God’s eyes?” Undeniably he is…as we all are. His question is one we all have at some point in our lives: “Are we worthy?”

A formed of mine, Will, says that to ever think we aren’t worthy of God’s love is bad theology. God loves all humankind, regardless of our past.

He had received his answer of his worthiness, through God’s answers to his prayers. He was worthy. I pray deeply now that he remembers this and doesn’t need to cry out any longer. God is always with him. I pray that he holds tight to God and does what he needs to continue to heal.

His is a tougher road than the one for those of us who are able-bodied. Perhaps his rebellious nature will be soothed by this knowledge.

He is worthy. You are all worthy!

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

Photo Credit: Dalene Johnson

 

The Apostle Paul: Three Journeys That Would Change the World: Part II of III

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

Acts [15:36]

In our previous blog about Paul, he was converted to serve Jesus and went on three extensive missions throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. We pick up the story where Paul has now retreated to Tarsus, his hometown, and is waiting for a sign of what to do next. As a professional tent-maker, he was kept busy tending those who needed his services. For a zealous person like Paul, sitting and waiting for his next path in service to Jesus was certainly hard. But events had to line up before Paul could precede.

Peter, the leader of The Way, had a dream that showed him the next step—it was time to spread the word about Jesus beyond the confines of Judea. Peter began to visit other cities outside Judea and realized that the message of the Gospel was a universal one by saying:

“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

All the world needed to hear the story of Jesus.

Also, by now, people outside of Judea had heard about Jesus and had begun to believe on their own. Peter felt they needed help with the message of Jesus and Peter turned to Barnabas.  So Barnabas went to Antioch to help investigate this phenomenon of the growing desire to know Jesus outside of Judea. Realizing he needed more than himself, he went to Tarsus to get Paul.

Finally, Paul had a way to pitch in and work for Jesus.

The last few years had humbled Paul and cut away the clumsiness of his overly exuberant approach. He was ready and now was his time. Thus began the first missionary trip of Paul.

On this trek, Barnabas and Paul first went to Antioch. They continued to minister to the faithful there but eventually left to go Cyprus and then on to southern Asia Minor before finally returning to Antioch.

While in Antioch, they were invited to speak at the local synagogue on Sundays. Paul took the lead and accurately depicted the history of Israel—from the wanderings of Abraham to King David. Paul then introduced Jesus as the continuation of this story. He explained the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Many were amazed, and Paul and Barnabas were invited back the next Sunday to preach. The next Sunday, most of the town showed up to hear Paul. Again, many were converted. This upset the local Jewish officials, who spoke against Paul.

For Paul, this led to an important decision.

No longer would he preach in front of the traditional Jewish community, but only to the Gentiles. This left Paul with a problem to solve.

Many of the followers of The Way in Judea viewed themselves as a sect of Judaism and, as such, all those who converted must also agree to continue the prevailing Jewish customs—things like circumcision and eating only kosher foods. Paul’s argument was that Jesus wasn’t looking for obedience, but for a conversion of the heart. True belief didn’t rest with adherence to customs, but to a heart that loved God.

It was hard for those in Jerusalem to agree with Paul.

After a lifetime of following the prescribed rituals, this was a big hurdle. At a council meeting, of which there was much debate, they eventually agreed to let Paul proceed.

Paul’s first Journey is estimated to have lasted as long as eight years. But in this journey, two thoughts developed that clarified Paul’s direction. First, his mission was to convert the Gentiles. The second was that a heart for God was more important than following local customs and traditions.

Paul’s second journey would take him further.

Starting in Jerusalem, he would visit places like Athens, Corinth, and Philippi. Before the start of this second trek, Paul and Barnabas went back to Antioch. There they had a disagreement about a fellow traveler—John Mark. Paul was disappointed that John Mark had left them during the first journey when things got tough and didn’t believe he should join them on the next trip. Barnabas disagreed with Paul. They agreed to part ways, and now Paul was on his own. The last vestige of connection to the group in Jerusalem was now gone. Paul would join up with Silas and Timothy on his subsequent journeys.

But Paul thrived.

In Athens, he was invited to speak at the famed Areopagus—a place where the intellectual elite of Greece gathered to hear speakers and philosophers of great reputation. As Paul roamed the city of Athens, he noticed the many statues of the Greek Gods. One of these statues was of the unknown God. The statue of the unknown God became the centerpiece for Paul’s message to the Greeks. After he presented the history of Israel and the story of Jesus, Paul asserted that because they didn’t know the story of Jesus, perhaps this unknown God was Jesus. The full sermon can be read in Acts [17:22]-31.

While not all were converted, all were amazed at Paul’s gift for oratory. Later, the Greek Orthodox church became an important part of Christian history. In fact, during the Dark Ages, many of the forward movements of Christianity came as a result of the Greek church’s involvement.

In Philippi, Paul met a fortune-teller of great repute. She was the servant of a few locals and generated a substantial amount of income. Paul converted her, and she immediately gave up telling fortunes, which naturally upset her masters. They turned the city against Paul and his companions, who were jailed. An earthquake opened the doors to the jail, and Paul escaped, converting more people, including the jailor who was an eyewitness to the doors being opened by the earthquake.

During his second journey, Paul established himself as an independent street preacher who converted many around the Mediterranean world.

Paul went back to Antioch to rest before he started his third journey. From here, he went back to many of the communities he had previously visited to strengthen their faith.

The importance of the third journey was that many of Paul’s writings come from this period. Notably, Paul’s great letter to the Romans. While Paul didn’t visit Rome, he knew that there were many who believed there, and the letter was instructional. But it stands today as the first book in the New Testament after the book of Acts. Its placement is symbolic of the encompassing story of our faith.

Paul returned to Jerusalem after the third journey, where he was initially warmly received. This would be his fifth and last visit.

To be continued….

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash

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Heart for Lebanon

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:2

On a recent Sunday in a refugee camp in Lebanon, 300 people of Muslim and Lebanese heritage showed up at a worship gathering (church), many saying they had never heard the story of Christ. These refugees were part of the 2 million people who have fled Syria and are now semi-permanent residents in refugee camps throughout Lebanon.

We all have read about war-torn Syria and the devasting impact of ISIS there. Many of its citizens have fled to other countries. After eight years of war, more than half of the pre-war population— eleven million people—have left their homeland. They are now nomadic people looking for a place to live. Many hoped that, by now, they could have returned to their native land, but after eight years, hope is abating that they can ever go home.

Time for change

In 2011, Lebanon adopted an open-border policy, and two million people flocked there. But things changed in 2014 as the amount of people fleeing to Lebanon grew. Their borders are now more tightly watched, and refugees now have to promise they won’t work and are required to pay for a six-month residency permit.

So here they sit, in tent communities, in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. Many have been there for all of the last eight years. There are few regulations controlling local practices. Many work without pay and the women are exposed to gender violence. The children are not allowed to go to local schools and after so long, many have fallen far behind.

There are no formal UN camps, and help only comes from the non-profits of other nations.

These are desperate people—three quarters live below the poverty line. Half live in substandard housing, and 75 percent do not have a legal residency. Women and children are the majority of those who reside in these camps. Husbands and fathers—the main protectors within the Syrian culture—have been lost to the war or have abandoned their families.

So why would 300 of them show up to a worship gathering, especially when you consider they are Muslim and, in their culture, Christians are not looked upon favorably? They came because of the wonderful work of an organization called Heart For Lebanon. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Heart For Lebanon has set up a very sophisticated network of relief in Lebanon, paid for through the donations of many in our country.

Their Vision

Their vision states: “Driven by the compassionate heart for Jesus Christ, Heart for Lebanon exists to see lives changed and communities transformed.” They live this vision every day. They distribute mattresses, diapers, hygiene items, clothes, rugs, and food through their on-the-ground support network.

They also run a program called Hope On Wheels that provides a safe environment for children to play and learn, allowing them to just be children again. A majority of these children are orphans, and their only source of schooling is through this wonderful organization. They are trying to help these children lift themselves up out of poverty through education.

At the same time, Jesus is introduced to them through Bible studies and local chapels. Just attending a Christian church can be dangerous for them.

What is also remarkable about Heart For Lebanon, is that almost 90 percent of the money they raise goes directly to help the refugees. The remaining amount largely pays for the administrative efforts of organizing the relief and the cost to raise money. They have received a perfect four-star rating from a national charity evaluation firm.

There are many things we see and hear on the news about the refugees. They are desperate people and mostly the weakest of their society. These people aren’t marauding pilferers or criminals, they are just dads, moms, and children like those of us in America. They got caught up in a cruel game of power and lost their homes.

They all want to go home but can’t.

Thankfully, Americans are coming to their aid and trying to help, and donors are hearing the story of their plight and ignoring the image portrayed by some. They are giving of both their time and money.

Will, a friend of mine, told me about this organization, so I visited their facility in Asheville and came away impressed with the faithful commitment of the staff. They are sensible and humble people who believe in the mission of mercy that is requested of us by Christ. They blush when you say how wonderful they are. They are a connected team committed to the mission of service in the name of Christ. They aren’t looking for personal glory but for the glory of helping Christ tend the flock.

If you want to know more please visit https://heartforlebanon.org/

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

 

The Apostle Paul: God’s Wandering Preacher (Part One)

I Can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians [4:13]

Saul was lying on the side of the road. He had been blinded by a bright light and thrown from his horse. Lying on the ground, he heard a voice that said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul answered, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what to do.” The others with Saul were speechless. They had also heard the voice but saw no one. This band had been on the way to Damascus to chase down those who belonged to “The Way.”

The Way

The Way was the original name of those who believed and followed the teachings of Jesus. It was the first century, and this event happened about ten years after Jesus had risen on Easter morning. They were a backwater sect of Judaism and were growing faster than the local religious leaders liked. Saul, a leading member of the Pharisee’s, was the main pursuer and sought them out to be arrested, or worse, stoned.

Saul was blinded by this event, but he did find his way to the city of Damascus, where he remained blind for three days. In Damascus, a man named Ananias received a vision from Jesus to cure Saul of his blindness. Jesus had told him in this vision to go to a street named Straight to find a man from Taurus named Saul. Jesus also told Ananias to lay his hands on Saul’s eyes to make his blindness go away.

Ananias knew about Saul and his mission to find and bind the members of The Way, and he questioned Jesus as to whether this was a safe thing to do. But Jesus said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”  Ananias obliged and went to Saul to cure his blindness.

Why had Jesus picked the great persecutor of The Way?

Because Jesus saw in Saul the great gifts he needed to spread the word of the Good News throughout the world. Saul was a strong biblical scholar and at a young age had risen up through the ranks to become a well-respected member of the Pharisees in the first century. Saul was a determined person; when he believed in something, he could eloquently state his positions. Saul was fearless and zealous in his activities. These were all traits that he would need for the rest of his life’s journeys.

Saul was also known as Paul.

Many think Jesus had him change his name to Paul. However, the real story behind his name is that Saul was his Jewish name and Paul was his Roman name. His father was a citizen of the Roman empire, and Saul translated to Latin is Paul. So, in some quarters he was called Saul, but later, as he traveled throughout the Roman empire, he was referred to as Paul.

Paul’s first steps into becoming the great preacher for Jesus were awfully clumsy. While in Damascus, he zealously preached the power of Jesus to any and all. But many in the local Jewish community became furious at Paul for what they viewed as blasphemy. He had to be saved from Damascus by being lowered in a basket at night over the city walls.

The Book of Acts

Much of Paul’s early conversion and preparation comes from the Book of Acts. But like most things in the Bible, you have to connect stories from other books. In this case, we have to make a detour to Galatians to fill in an important piece. Paul, who wrote Galatians, describes the period right after he left Damascus. Tradition says he went straight to Jerusalem which is mostly driven by the fact that in Acts this was his next step. But according to Paul’s own words in Galatians, he instead spent three years in Arabia alone.

For those three years, he stayed and meditated on his next steps. In verse [1:12] he says, “For I did not receive it from any person, nor was I taught, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” For three years, this man of zeal and a desire for action was alone in a desert contemplating his next path—to minister to the Gentiles and expand The Way outside of Judea.

He had to be saved once again

He left to go back to Jerusalem where he tried to get the members of The Way to like him, but there was a great deal of distrust. Barnabas, an influential member of The Way interceded and supported Paul. Reluctantly, they accepted him. However, Paul preached against the Hellenist and created more enemies. He had to be saved once again, and he left for his home town in Tarsus.

Like most Christians, particularly the new ones, he had to wait once again for God. In his waiting, events began to line up that would send him on three magnificent journeys that would change The Way into a world-wide belief of the value of the Gospel. And it would eventually change the name of a backwater sect in Judea to Christianity.

To be continued…

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Dr. Bruce L. Hartman is the author of Jesus & Co. and Your Faith Has Made You Well.

Photo by Christoph Schmid on Unsplash

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