In January, the Beirut Church of the Nazarene in Achrafieh, Lebanon, celebrated the second anniversary of its “Discover Bible Study” small group program.

The weekly Bible study began when church leaders realized their members and community had questions about the Bible. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, the church had to get creative and split the group into several smaller gatherings. Two years later, what began as a group of 15 participants and three leaders has grown into a ministry with 98 weekly participants.

At the celebration, members shared their testimonies.

“I am a mother of three adult daughters who attend the Nazarene church in Achrafieh, Lebanon,” she said. “They were baptized around six years ago and, since then, have been inviting their father and me to join them. They encouraged me to attend a small group where people gathered around to study the Bible, and in the past, I refused but would occasionally go to the church’s main meetings. Then Jesus began to work in my life miraculously.”

This family experienced the church in action when church members showed up for them in tangible ways. The woman’s husband became ill and was taken to the hospital. While he previously did not have any health problems, suddenly, his lungs were full of fluid, which affected his blood pressure and oxygen.

“When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors were shocked and said that this was a really bad situation,” she said. “My daughter and I prayed, our pastor and church members prayed, and I knew that Jesus would protect him. My husband stayed in intensive care for two days, and then Jesus healed him.

“The doctor was surprised that his lungs cleared so fast. Jesus was our answer to that! I thank the Lord for the miracle that we witnessed, and I want to thank Him also for the church that was there to encourage us.”

--Church of the Nazarene Eurasia Region