Personal Boundaries

Okay, so this last question that I'm going to post on Lebanon might get me in trouble with some of you. So be it. We will all feel better tomorrow.

What were some of the things that stretched your boundaries?

First let me make clear that I believe that there is only one way to God, that being through Jesus Christ and His work on the cross and His resurrection. You can’t move me off of this position. (If I didn’t say all that then you wouldn’t have read past the next paragraph and I would lose you as a reader for good!).

Now having said that, I find it amazing how God leads people differently to that same knowledge and understanding, and He seems to do this through the culture in which you find yourself living within. Before this trip I would have not accepted the term “Muslim Believer”. Today I believe that God is bringing Muslims to himself and showing them the finished work of Christ, yet not asking them to give up their Muslim culture, just their Muslim beliefs.

It’s true, they are slowly giving up those rules and laws that have bound them for many generations, but the traditions and key cultural points remain very important to them. For most of these new believers, it’s still a very long road to move from rules and regulations to a practical view of grace and freedom in Christ. But it’s still happening. They will always respect the Koran but they have a new love of the Bible and the words of Christ and it’s changing them.

So I come home thinking how many times I was quick to judge the bartender that came to know Jesus that was still bartending, or the couple that came to Christ and still lives together, or the . . . . well, I’ll let you finish the line with your own judgments. The fact remains that the Holy Spirit changes us all into the likeness of Christ at each our own speed and not necessarily everyone at the speed that I think it should happen, or God forbid, we would all be in trouble.

For our Muslim brothers and sisters in Christ (did that hurt your head?!), they will always feel uncomfortable around “Christians” but very comfortable around “believers” no matter where you come from in this world. (The word “Christian” means something completely different to them than the word “believer”.)

Pray for them with me. Many are losing their lives for Christ, for they are not ashamed of this new Gospel that has completely set them free.

If you made it this far in this blog then I'm sure I just stretched your boundaries a bit. Smile, take two pills, read some scripture and call someone in the morning.

jp

Student of Jesus

Up early here in Lebanon. I started writing this around 5:30. Kathleen and I had a bad night’s sleep. I think it was something we ate last night that didn’t quit agree with our stomachs.

Kurtis and I had a great conversation with a fellow yesterday while we were painting. By the way, the Arabic word for “painter” is “dehan”. “De” as in the sound you make for a d. . . . “Du”. . . . and “han” is pronounced “hun”. Dehan. Say it! Dehan. So Kurtas and I were a couple of dehans yesterday. So you wouldn’t say “Jordan the dehan”, you would just say “Jordan dehan”. It’s got a ring to it that Kurtis Dehan does not. I was proud of that and Kurtis spent most of his day laughing at it all. Okay, maybe me too.

So back to the conversation with this young fellow. This young man is 28 and loves Jesus. We use the term “follower of Jesus” and he uses the term “student of Jesus”. That was sweet. So we get talking about marriage and discovered that all three of us would be shamed in their culture. I’ve got no boys (Faye and Ami! I love and adore you! No need for a boy!) and both Kurtis and the young man are single at such an old age. The importance of having a family here is huge and not just in a Muslim culture, we are talking about a larger culture that encompasses many people groups here in Lebanon. When I sit around the table with Matthieu and Siham I am struck by the family atmosphere, the love for one another, and the attention they give one another. It’s very hard to describe.

This young man is a Bedouin. There are few believers among their tribe. His heart is determined to find a women that has the same heart as he does towards Jesus. A student of Jesus. The rarity of a female believer is much higher than finding a man that has become a believer. In this culture the men come to Christ first, then the family follows but the wife has to confront the fears and realities of telling her Muslim parents what she has done. Because the life of a female is less than that of a male, it is not a safe thing to do. So Kurtis and I were able to drop our dehan titles for a while and prayed for him and asked Jesus to bless him with a wonderful wife that was a student of Jesus like he was.

If you think you can, please take a moment right now to pray with me for this young man.

(Maybe Kurtis too!)

jp