My heart was pierced last year when I saw the report of the massive explosion in the port of Beirut.
I knew I could not just sit back and watch; the Holy Spirit moved me to take action. I reached out to my colleague, Bishop Raffoul Najem—a fellow member of Christ Covenant Coalition who is also a Lebanese pastor in the Boston area. As a result, God has begun a significant work in Lebanon that has not only given evangelicals a spot on the national stage but allowed us to partner with pastors there in meeting humanitarian needs and bringing the gospel to this beautiful and historic nation.
Najem connected us to key pastors in Beirut, and within a few weeks, we sent them approximately $50,000 from our U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and CCC coalitions to use for humanitarian work.
This resulted in organizing an apostolic team of 18 to serve the nation of Lebanon from Sept. 14-24. Through the tireless efforts of Najem and the immense generosity of our coalitions, the Lebanon Project was birthed.
We went to an impoverished nation, currently suffering from more than 50-80 % unemployment in some areas. Lebanon has an inflation rate of more than 1000%, inconsistent electrical power and a huge gas shortage, resulting in cars lining up for more than five blocks at a time overnight to purchase fuel.
In addition to holding a two-day conference to strengthen the minority evangelical church, our team engaged in robust dialogue and shared the gospel with many high-level officials in government, education, religion and the military. We also visited three refugee camps on the Syrian border to bring care packages and pray with Muslims and share the love of God.
Several of the pastors also united for joint meetings to preach the gospel. This included our final evening, when more than 1,200 came together for a worship service that concluded with many coming up for prayer for healing and salvation. God is truly bringing revival to Lebanon in the midst of its dire economic situation.
The culmination of the trip took place on Tuesday, Sept. 21, when our delegation became the first-ever evangelical group to meet with Lebanon’s current president, Michel Aoun.
This was reported on national news, including television reports, and immediately elevated the status of the minority evangelical church in this nation.
We are building a long-term relationship with this historic nation mentioned over 50 times in the Bible. We don’t intend to tell the nation’s leaders how to fix their problems but endeavor to wash their feet and offer our hand in friendship.
We believe that Lebanon, as the only country in the Middle East in which it is legal to preach the gospel, is a key in reaching that region with the Good News of Christ.
I am also working to have some of the books I wrote on the kingdom of God published in Arabic to empower Lebanese Christians to positively influence every aspect of their culture.
If you want to help financially support our Lebanon Project please go to uscal.givecloud.co/vision-fund and indicate if your gift is for humanitarian aid or for the Arabic book publishing expense. {eoa}
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