“So, we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.” Col 1. 28,29.
This verse is 4G3’s plumbline. It is what we strive for; it is the essence of our ministry. We all rejoice when any person accepts Jesus as their personal Savior. Jesus said, “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” Luke 15.7
However, accepting Christ is just the beginning of a long journey of discipleship. True, that person is saved, but discipleship is the core and crux of the Christian walk.
What is discipleship? It is achieving God’s purpose for our lives; and what is that purpose specifically? We read in Romans 8.29 that our ultimate goal is “..to be conformed to the image of his Son.”
Discipleship is developing day by day to look more like Jesus; it is remodeling our lives to resemble Jesus’ way of life.
God could have taken us to heaven the very instant we accepted Him as Savior. But He decided otherwise. Why? Because He is giving us the opportunity and the chance to become more like Him daily.
God permits hardships. He allows us to go through challenging times. God brings others to encourage us and make us grow in our faith. Some seasons will be pure bliss; others will be unendurable.
Yet, everything works in tandem for one sole purpose: for us, as Christians, to be conformed to Jesus.
Conforming to Christ is not a one-day voyage; it will neither happen in a weekend nor a week. 4G3 believes that true discipleship needs time. The 15-month leadership institutes help Christians grow deeper day by day in their relationship with God.
We help them mature through hard times and good times, in their home country or if they are displaced to another country. 4G3 helps refugees hold on to Jesus and stand firm in their faith until that glorious day when they meet Jesus face to Face.
4G3 Leadership Institute graduate: Hala Nasser
Amman, Jordan.
Hala Nassar, 52, grew up as the daughter of a prominent lawyer in Jordan. Although her father was loving and caring, his law firm and his position kept him from spending enough time with his family.
Hala grew up in a family with several siblings, yet she always felt that she was a lonely child. Her siblings were much older than she was, so she never quite fit into the family dynamics. Her older sisters fought with her, bossing her around, which added to her feeling of isolation. “This is why, at a very early age, I considered God as my only friend; He was my supporter; He was there whenever I needed Him.” Hala stated. Whatever happened, Hala knew Jesus would protect her.
It was the small flame that God ignited in her soul, preparing her for the moment she gets to meet Jesus as her Savior.
As she grew into womanhood, Hala felt she had no purpose in her life. She joined law school to fulfill her father’s dream and her family legacy, yet she still felt unfulfilled and was never sure what her life dream was.
At the age of 19, Hala was visiting one of her school friends. She noticed that there was a new radiance, joy, and satisfaction she had not encountered before. Questioning her friend about her newfound beauty secret, her friend told her that she had accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. She encouraged Hala to do the same. “I know Jesus too.” Hala blurted out. Her friend explained to her that knowing about Jesus and accepting Him as a personal Savior are two completely different things.
Coming from a Catholic background, Hala could not grasp the concept of merely accepting Jesus without having to do any good works to earn salvation. It sounded too easy. And, yet, in her heart, she knew that her belief system was not working. She knew that she was never sure of her salvation and that her relationship with God depended on performing rituals that never brought about any change or peace to her life. Suddenly, the life she was living became evident to her: sin, confess to the priest, pray the prayers the priest tells you to pray, calm your conscience, sin, confess, etc.
It was a never-ending cycle producing no change. She certainly was not experiencing the intimate relationship with the One who created the Universe that her friend so obviously displayed.
Hala remembers which sofa they were sitting on at her friend’s home when she decided to give her life to Christ. Her friend led her in prayer, and Hala began her journey with the Lord and never looked back since.
Hala is a scholar by nature. She loves to learn and study so much so that she finds herself reading several books at the same time. Law school also taught her to understand everything meticulously and scrutinize for accuracy and authenticity.
“I received an invitation to attend 4G3 leadership Institute. Looking at the well-thought subjects, we were going to study for over 15 months. I was immediately drawn to enroll. The sequence of the ten core courses made so much sense to me. Although attending the leadership Institute would put more pressure on my already tight schedule, I decided to join.
Each course impacted me differently. After going through this leadership Institute, I will never forget what I learned.” What impressed Hala the most were the two courses that spoke about the different types of personalities and how to deal with others who are not like-minded. The course is ‘Solving the People Puzzle.’ The other class is ‘S.H.A.P.E.,’ which clarifies where you fit in ministry in the Body of Christ.
As a lawyer, Hala perpetually wondered why some lawyers act the way they did. She questioned why others did not react to a specific situation the same way she did. She queried why some of them were very aggressive when she tried to present the minutest details, while others asked for more information.
“My eyes opened to the fact that we’re all uniquely created. We all have our strengths and weakness. The fact is: we complete and complement each other. I’ve come to discern that my expectations of others had to be rectified to become in line with God’s word. This newfound knowledge applied both in the church as I minister to others as well as at my law firm.”
When asked what she would like to tell others about the leadership Institute, she quickly responded, “I encourage everyone to make time for this leadership Institute. I urge you to study and learn all the books.
Don’t procrastinate.
Be focused.
Take the training journey seriously.
This leadership Institute will change your life. It will change the way you think, and will give you a Kingdom-focused worldview.”