When Jesus Came to Birmingham

Poem by G. A. Studdert-Kennedy

































When Jesus Came to Birmingham

When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.

When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by.
They would not hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street, and left Him in the rain.

Still Jesus cried, 'Forgive them, for they know not what they do, '
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall, and cried for Calvary.

by G. A. Studdert-Kennedy

Our Deepest Needs

/sermon by Dalton Alvis/

I. Intro

• I’ve been in Bulgaria for a little over a month now, and while learning just a
little of the language, I’ve come across some linguistic similarities. Of course
there are some words that are essentially the same like taxi or pizza. Each
language has their own slang, like a couple of weeks ago I learned spoko
which of course means like “chill or calm down.” But something else I
realized was that both languages have very definitive differences between the
words “want” and “need.” In both English and Bulgarian, wants are not the
same as needs even though they can be similar. A toddler may scream and cry
because he feels like he “needs” a toy, but he doesn’t actually need it; he just
wants it. I may not always feel this incredible desire for oxygen, but if I hold
my breath for very long at all, I begin to know I need it very quickly.
Sometimes it can be easy to get these two confused, but it becomes even more
difficult with the different kind of needs we have.

• Did you know that we sometimes perceive things as real needs, when they
actually aren’t? These perceived needs can be things we think we need, when
in reality, they may just be deep wants or desires. But then other times, a
person may have multiple very real needs, but some are just deeper than
others. Today, I want us to look at a couple different passages and I believe
we’ll see that not only is a relationship with Christ our greatest need, but he is
also the answer to every other need we may ever have. Until Jesus is enough,
nothing else will be. Until Jesus is enough if your life and in mine, nothing
else will bring any kind of real satisfaction, so if you’ll turn with me to Acts
chapter 3 we’re gonna start there . . . (Read Acts 3:1-10)

II. We Need Him for Salvation

• The first thing we need Jesus for is for salvation. Here we see a man who had
some very real physical and financial needs. V. 2 says he had been lame from
birth and had to be carried everywhere he went. This would obviously make
for an extremely difficult life in a variety of ways. He couldn’t work, so he
begs outside the temple in order to survive. He had to rely on friends, family,
or other beggars to transport him. What’s interesting is that Peter and John
don’t deny this man’s very real needs, but rather, when he asks them for alms,
they directed their gaze to him. They do not ignore the lame beggar’s
desperate situation, but they are able to see his most desperate need even if he
couldn’t.

• Beyond any person’s troubles in this world, their greatest need is always going
to be a relationship with Jesus Christ. Eternal life is the single most important
assurance we can have and that only comes through following him. No matter
what may come in this lifetime, the struggles of this world don’t come with us
after we die. This lame man had been in poverty and unable to walk since
birth, but Peter knew that what he needed above all else was the promise of a
new body and riches in glory in the life to come. There is this burning, innate
desire in us as humans to long for something - something outside ourselves.
We can know there is a God, and as the early church leader Augustine said,
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they
rest in you.” (repeat) The only true fulfillment we can experience in this life is
found in resting in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That is our
greatest need - to be saved from the punishment we so deserve, to be
graciously brought into relationship with our Heavenly Father, and to be
mercifully forgiven of all of our sins. But that’s also the Gospel, the good
news. We have all of that in Jesus. He paid the price on the cross for our sins,
through him we can be brought back to God the Father, and because of his
sacrifice, we can be forgiven.

• Peter and John obviously knew this was this man’s greatest need and so they
use this healing miracle as a way to exemplify their own faith in Christ, as
well as be a witness of Christ’s transforming power. In vv. 7-10, the man’s
spiritual transformation is seen through his joy and exuberance in worshipping
God. He even becomes an effective witness for Christ to those around him as
the last line of the passage says “And they were filled with wonder and
amazement at what had happened to him.” (Pause) So if you’re here and you
have never experienced this fulfillment through a relationship with Christ, or
maybe you don’t know what you believe, let me encourage you to keep
seeking. Keep searching for what that missing piece is in your life because I
believe his name is Jesus.

III. We Need Him Every Day

• But what if you’re here this morning and this is all old news to you? Maybe
you’ve been a devoted follower of Jesus for a long time, and thus, that deepest
need has been fulfilled. You know you rest in Him, but does that mean life is
now a smooth path and all our other struggles are taken care of? No, of course
not. What so many of us forget is that yes, our greatest longing is to be with
God through faith in Jesus, but that doesn’t mean that from that point forward,
we will never have another struggle. What is even more amazing though, is
that after salvation, Jesus is still the answer to all of our existing needs. And
that’s our second point which is We need him every day.

• Let’s look at a variety of verses which illustrate other continuous needs we
have of God.
- John 15:4-5 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in
me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Even
after we’ve begun following Christ, we must abide with him, or continue in
a daily, personal relationship with him, because apart from him, it says we
can do absolutely nothing of real, eternal value or significance.
- “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me
under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
We need Him as our Protector; He is our safe haven, our shelter.
- “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought of me. You are
my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” (Psalm 40:17). He is
where we must go when we need His divine, sovereign help.
- “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). We
need His mercy and grace.
- “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel
you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8). We need His Spirit to guide us.

• The Bible is full of verses like these exemplifying how we need God, not just
for one day of salvation, but every single day after as well. Let’s look at just
one more passage where the Apostle Paul so clearly depicts this need for
Christ. It’s found in Philippians chapter 4 and to give it a little context, Paul is
concluding his letter to the Philippians and thanking them for this gift, this
support they’ve sent him. (Read Phil. 4:10-13)

• Paul says he’s learned to be content no matter the circumstance, whether he’s
down and in need or abounding and has plenty, he is content. How? “Through
Christ” he says in v. 13. Christ gives him the strength to endure regardless of
what’s going on around him. We can be content in all situations because we
trust God. What exactly does Paul trust that He will do? (Read v. 18-19) “God
will supply for every need.” He and He alone can provide, satisfy, and save.

• These verses depict one of the most important truths I’ve ever had to grasp:
Jesus is always enough. That’s how Paul was able to be content through
everything that he faced - being hated and persecuted, beatings, and even
imprisonment. He knew that no matter what happened, Christ was enough and
he would supply every need. That’s why Paul is able to say earlier in this book
of Philippians that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Even unto death, Jesus
is enough. He is what we so desperately need, and he is always, always
enough.

• Now, that sounds simple, but in our day-to-day life, it can seem impossible to
comprehend and actually apply. Any time we feel like we “need” anything or
anyone else, we are sinning, we are turning our back on Christ. We tell him,
“You are good when I need you, when I’m really desperate, but now I’m good,
I’m alright. These other things will suffice.” When this happens, we turn that
thing we need into an idol, and we kind of set Jesus in the back till we “need”
him again. The greatest problem with doing so is that nothing in this world can
ever truly satisfy. When we feel like we “need” anything in this world outside
of Christ, we mistake the gifts for the Giver, the Creation for its Creator. Often
times, those things we feel we “need” the most, we actually need to fast from
the most. Put yourself in a position to go without that which you feel like you
need and replace it with something where you can find true contentment in
Christ.

• Until Jesus is enough, nothing else will be. (repeat) Until he is all you need,
nothing else in this world will bring contentment or satisfaction. But when we
have our priorities right, everything else seems to find its order. Psalm 37:4
says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your
heart.” The order of these words is everything. This verse does not mean as
long as we follow Christ, God is gonna give us everything we want. Rather,
when we truly begin to delight in who God is, find our contentment in Christ,
and love Him for Himself and not for what He can do for us, our heart begins
to change. As we delight in the Giver first, our desires change according to
what God wants. He gives us His desires, He reshapes our wants and desires
according to His own.

IV. Conclusion
• So both wants and needs are important. We have God-given needs and desires,
but we must not forget why we have them in the first place - to point us back
to Christ, back to the Giver. Whether your here today and hearing some of this
for the very first time, or maybe you’ve heard this a thousand times before, we
all have one need that is deeper than any other, and that is to surrender to
Christ and follow him, but even if you’re living your life totally devoted to
him today, we must always remember just how desperate we are for him every
second of every day. So maybe you’ve never taken that first step in giving
your life to Christ, maybe today was your first time hearing his good news,
quit trying to find real satisfaction in this world. I’ll save you the search, it’s
not there. Maybe you want just a little of what that lame man had, find Trif or
Vanya after the service and ask them about what it means to really follow
Christ, because he is the only way we can find true contentment. Or if you are
a believer here this morning, but you’ve tended to put Jesus in the back at
times, be reminded that until Jesus is enough for you, nothing else can be, and
then identify those things, those idols you’ve replaced him with. Be comforted
today knowing that Jesus is all we need, he is what we should want most. In
the good days and the bad, in the darkest trials and the happiest victories, he is
enough.

Wealth and poverty in Luke and Acts and its implication for the Church's mission today

/essay/

1. Intro

2. What might the material on wealth and poverty in Luke-Acts suggest about his readers?

3. What might it suggest about Luke’s understanding of the church’s mission?

4. What might Luke’s view on wealth and poverty imply for the Church’s mission today?

5. Conclusion

  

Title: What might the material on wealth and poverty in Luke and Acts suggest about Luke’s readers and his understanding of the church’s mission? What might that imply for the Church’s mission today?

1.          Intro.

“Money makes the world go round” is a famous saying that the majority of people would agree to, if not in its literal, at least in its metaphoric sense. In our age of consumerism most people would like to be rich. The ‘I want it all and I want it now’ mentality is not only today’s youths’ favourite credo, it has been the inner drive for many generations all over the earth. The drive to accumulate wealth and have power and standing is what really makes people live![1] Even Christians have succumbed to the pressure of materialism and have started preaching the ‘health-and-wealth’ gospel, instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But what does the Bible have to say on the subject of wealth and poverty? Is wealth really a sign of God’s blessing? What was the place of wealth in the world of the New Testament and how it related to the Church’s mission? How does it relate to us and our role in Christ’s Great Commission? In order to answer to all these questions I will try to discuss the material in Luke and Acts on wealth and poverty. First I will tackle the question of weather we can rely on this material in order to identify Luke’s readers and their situation. Then I will try to see what Luke’s theology of wealth and poverty is and how it applies to his understanding of the mission of the Church. And lastly, I will point out some practical suggestions regarding our use of material riches for the Church’s mission today.

2.          What might the material on wealth and poverty in Luke-Acts suggest about his readers?

Before identifying what the experience of poverty in Luke’s ‘community’ was, it will be helpful for us to take a glimpse on the development of the attitude to property and poverty in the Old Testament times. A thorough study of the many respective passages leads us to the following conclusions. First, property is not wrong in itself. It is the way God has chosen to provide for his chosen people, Israel. Its purpose is to provide all that is necessary for all the people of Israel to live. Property belongs ultimately to God and human beings are only stewards of it, not owners[2]. Secondly, and just because of the above-mentioned, the rich members of society who take the liberty to afflict the righteous and misuse their own status are criticized and warned by the prophets that they will be judged[3]. Thirdly, even though the Essenes turned poverty into a spiritual virtue[4], and this is something particularly evident from the Mishna writings, pre-Christian Jewish sources still looked at material riches as a God’s blessing or part of God’s deliverance, whereas poverty was seen as something to be avoided.[5]

Later, in the Roman society, аpart from the tiny aristocracy, the remaining majority were merchants, day-labourers, beggars, slaves and debtors. Poverty was at times striking, and was further deepened by high inflation and occasional famines, ‘resulting in begging on a relatively large scale throughout the eastern parts of the Roman Empire’[6]. In spite of the occasional acts of charity of the wealthy citizens, in each big Roman city there were homeless people begging on the streets.

Such was the context of Luke’s readers. The first time the word ‘poor’ is mentioned in the gospel of Luke is in Jesus’ synagogue appearance[7]. If we agree to the suggestion that this makes this reference especially significant for Luke’s readers, we should try to answer the question ‘What does Luke mean here by ‘the poor’?  As Nolland suggests in his commentary[8], it could be interpreted both literary as ‘beggars’ and parabolically, as ‘the powerless’. Having in mind Jesus’ overall teaching in Luke’s and the other gospels, and his concern for people from all social strata[9], it seems to me that the latter interpretation is much more convincing. Thus ‘release’ in v. 18 would mean not just setting people free from physical prisons, but freeing them from both physical and spiritual oppression. The latter opinion is supported by the existence of many other verses pointing to both dimensions of the word ptochoi (‘poor’) in Luke and Acts[10]. So, both should not be separated. Moreover, it is a well-known truth that poor people are more willing to confess their need before God and to respond to the good news, so the two levels of meanings can be related.

But it is one thing to interpret the text, and totally different – to try to reconstruct what the community to which the text has been written have been like. For example, Esler points out to Luke’s literary artistry, the numerous references to rich people and all Jesus’ warnings against the dangers of riches and takes them to be clues suggesting that there were quite many people of noble status among Luke’s community. He even interprets Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 1:26 as a hint that the number of people of noble birth in Corinth has grown significantly and takes it to suggest that the same holds true for Luke’s community.

To this we could answer that the fact that Paul says that at the time of their conversion not many of them were wise or of noble birth suggests nothing more than what it says, namely, that the majority of them were poor! Besides, it seems to me that Esler implies that Luke was adapting its message simply to make it adequate for the needs of his readers. But although Luke was a brilliant writer and redactor, he was also a reputed historian. In the prologue to his gospel he had made sure his readers knew that his real intent was to give a just ‘account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by … eye-witnesses’[11] So, to try to reconstruct Luke’s community using only the arguments of Luke’s redactional emphases is going too far. We may presume that among Luke’s readers there were people of different social status, but we can say nothing more than that.

3.          What might it suggest about Luke’s understanding of the church’s mission?

The question of the relation of the material on riches and poverty to Luke’s understanding of the mission of the Church cannot be answered without first considering Luke’s theology of wealth and poverty. The latter can be best done by the means of the comparative study of the texts of the synoptic gospels. For lack of sufficient space for a thorough study, we shall consider only a few examples.

Most of the references to the poor in Luke don’t have synoptic parallels. Where there are such, Luke elaborates more on the theme of poverty than the parallelled verses. For example, in 6:20 ‘poor’ are, as Nolland puts it, ‘the literary poor who presently have a hard life’ characterized by hunger and weeping[12]. The latter characteristics are not present in Matthew. So, even though the poor here are not spiritualized in meaning, they are clearly shown to be Jesus’ disciples,[13] so their poverty is related to their decision to follow Christ.

Another interesting example is Luke 7:21f. Unlike Matthew, Luke mentions twice the details of Jesus’ liberating ministry. The emphasis on this is meant not to show that all who believe in Jesus’ name can hope to have liberation from their physical sicknesses, but rather as a statement confirming Jesus’ messianic identity in answering John’s disciples’ query.

And if indirectly the gospel of Luke depicts the desperate conditions of the prevailing members of society, in Acts he is ready to show the renewing power of the Holy Spirit, working in all spheres of life, including the believers’ economic situation.  When referring to the poor, we can see that Luke is concerned to show that after Pentecost the Church was empowered by the Holy Spirit and came to a position to be able to take care of the needs of its poor members[14].

As for the passages referring to ‘the rich’, only Luke 18:22-25 has synoptic parallels in Matthew and Mark. Some of the texts show that Jesus deems it possible for the rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven[15]. But the major thrust of these texts is that wealth is dangerous for those who want to become Jesus’ disciples because it creates in them the deceptive feeling that they can live independently from God.[16] Thus becomes evident, that the heart of the matter is not so much wealth in itself as this independent attitude to God that stems from it. That’s why, when another wealthy character, Zacchaeus, declares that he is going to give half of his property to the poor, i.e. repents of this arrogant attitude to God and people, Jesus promises to grant salvation to him.[17]

At the same time, by ‘rich’ Luke does not mean necessarily people who possess lots of money or considerable property. His definition is much broader and includes also those for whom money is a higher priority than God. Preoccupation with money is in fact not only characteristic of materially rich people, but also of the poor. The first recorded sin in the life of the Church, caused by love for money, was committed by people who apparently did not possess that much – Ananias and Sapphira. Even the poorest and most pitiful members of the society, such as the beggars and the crippled are not immune from materialistic desires[18].

So, both the gospel of Luke and Acts show that the mission of the Church is incompatible with materialism. And here Luke speaks from the vintage point of the whole Bible. The Church of Christ can only be effective in its evangelism when there is unity and love among its members,[19] whereas materialism is a deadly enemy of love. Its children are ‘bitter envy and selfish ambition’; they come ‘of the devil’ and lead to ‘disorder and every evil practice’[20]. Love of money, in the last analysis, is the deadly poison that threatens to and can very easily extinguish all the life and joy from a Christian’s life and ministry. For, as Matthew puts it, ‘where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’[21]. And, as many treasures there are, so many obsessions that can sever our relationships with God. Luke, as the rest of the Bible, tells us that the Church’s mission is actually incompatible with all other ‘-isms’ – with anything that can separate or distance people from God.

4.          What might Luke’s view on wealth and poverty imply for the Church’s mission today?

As shown above, materialism can hinder evangelism and render it ineffective. Furthermore, it can prevent people from renouncing their old lives and reaching the point of genuine conversion. However attractive prospects life with Christ might offer and no matter how gifted the evangelist, the attraction of material riches can blind the person and render him or her a bad soil for the good news[22].

Secondly, materialism also puts off the poor non-Christians from the Church. This holds true especially in cultures such as Bulgaria where people in general are very sensitive to and suspicious of other people’s wealth. In such context pastors and ministers should refrain from demonstrating a high standard of life if  they want to reach out to their poor communities[23]. Usually those who do that are proponents of the prosperity gospel. It is used by them not merely as a theological excuse for their lavish styles of living, but also as a ‘proof’ for the effective application of this doctrine in their lives of Christians. But the health-and-wealth gospel is just another name for Mammon, the god of money, and worshipping it means breaking the first of the Great Commandments[24].

Instead of teaching and practicing this doctrine, the Church should encourage rich Christians to support the poor within the community. This can be done by organizing special sell-outs, or creating a team that is responsible for connecting people in need with their prospective donors. The church should learn to invest primarily in people and this should be done wisely and carefully. Giving should be directed not simply to relieving the symptoms of people’s poverty, but towards ‘people and causes grappling with the systematic powers that hold people in bondage to a cycle of poverty’.[25] And here the local churches and every individual Christian need a good deal of discernment for deciding ‘when, where and how to give money away.’[26]

And, lastly, evangelism is not only proclamation, but presence. For the Church’s mission to be effective she needs to combine the oral proclamation with the practically-expressed love of social work. Local churches might fundraise for holding lunches or dinners for homeless people or beggars. Second-hand clothes could be collected for children in orphanages or other people in need. A decision, made by the church board, for using 50 percent of the money allotted to evangelism to be spent on social projects for needy non-believers, could make the evangelism of the church much more effective and fruitful. Examples can be multiplied and adapted to the different contexts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Luke tackles the theme of the wealth and poverty in a much bigger detail then in the other synoptic gospels. He is particularly interested in Jesus’ teaching on material wealth and how it relates to evangelism. Luke shows that poverty is not a virtue in itself, but sometimes it may lead to a contrite spirit. On the other hand, he demonstrates that riches are not a sin in themselves, but also that more often they lead to independence from God. Luke believes that whenever the rich are challenged by the gospel they should respond in sacrificial giving to the poor. At the same time, Luke makes it clear that this would not result in overnight solving the problems of all poor Christians. Rather, he states that the rich people’s response (or lack of it) will show whether they have really genuinely accepted the good news of Jesus Christ. Materialism, like all other “-isms”[27] is the real issue as it can be a stumbling block not only for the rich, and because is completely incompatible with Christian discipleship and evangelism. Thus Luke and Acts challenge us to humbly consider once again what the real priorities of our lives are, ask God for forgiveness and courage to set them right.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

OTC, Distance Learning Degree in Theology, Acts

Marshal, I.H., Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Acts, IVP, 1980

NIV Study Bible, Hodder & Stoughton, Zondervan, 1985

Hughes, K., ed, L2/NT1: Luke-Acts, ОTC

Nolland, J., 35A Word Biblical Commentary, Luke 9:21-18:34, Word, 1993

Nolland, J., 35B, Word Biblical Commentary, Luke 1-9:20, Word, 1989

Green, M., Evangelism Through The Local Church, Hodder & Stoughton, 1990

Banks R. & Stevens R.P., The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity, IVP, 1997

---

[1] Banks & Stevens, The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity, p. 1102.

[2] Distance Learning Degree in Theology, L2, Luke 15.20, Guidelines, 1.

[3] See Isa. 5:8-9; 10:1-3; Amos 5:12, 8:4-6, etc.

[4] Distance Learning Degree in Theology, L2, Luke 15.4.

[5] Ibid., 15.5.

[6] Ibid., 15.6.

[7] Luke 4:16-30.

[8] Nolland, J., World Biblical Commentary, Luke 1-9:20, p. 197.

[9] See Luke 19:10, Matt. 9:12,13.

[10] Luke 14:13, 21; 16:20,22; 6:20; 7:22; 16:20; 18:22; 19:8; 21:3; 4:25f; 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18.

[11] Luke 1:1-4.

[12] Ibid., 6:21 – see Nolland, J., World Biblical Commentary, Luke 1-9:20, p. 282.

[13] Ibid., 6:20a.

[14] See Acts 3:2-10, 6:1-6, 9:36, 10:2, 11:29.

[15] Luke 18:25-27; Acts 10:2.

[16] Luke 6:24-26; 16:14f; 18:10-14; Acts 5:1-11; James 2:6f;

[17] Luke 19:8.

[18] Acts 3:5.

[19] See John 17, 1 Cor 12, 13, Eph 4, etc.

[20] Jas 3:14-16.

[21] Matt 6:21.

[22] Luke 14:18-20.

[23] Very often the pastors boast with their expensive western cars, nice homes and churches, whereas this puts off common people.

[24] Deut 5:14.

[25] Banks & Stevens, The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity, p. 1105.

[26] Ibid.

[27] See Luke 12.21; Deut. 5:14.

Възкресенски поздрав от БПЦ "Нов живот"

Исус дойде при нас, за да можем ние да отидем при Отца. 
Исус стана човек, за да може ние да станем христоподобни. 
Исус бе арестуван, за да бъдем ние свободни. 
Исус бе осъден, за да може Варава и ние да бъдем амнистирани. 
Исус умря, за да можем ние да имаме живот. 
Исус бе прободен, за да можем ние да бъдем изцелени. 
Исус стана беден, за да бъдем ние богати в Него. 
Исус изпи горчивата чаша, за да можем ние да пием Живата вода. 
Исус взе нашия грях, за да облечем Неговата праведност. 
Исус каза: „Свърши се!”, за да можем ние да имаме ново начало. 

Да имаме Нов живот. 

Христос възкръсна! Наистина възкръсна!

БПЦ "Нов живот" Варна 

www.varna.novjivot.com

Do you want to make a name for yourself?

After the mission’s week in Armenia some students sent to us their questions about God and Christianity. Here is my answer to one of them.

Question:

I will consider myself succeeded in case  I do a cultural revolution immortalizing my name. I think it will be possible if I could find and present a new perfect figure in a way that all could understand.

Answer:

We all want to succeed. The question is how we define success. It seems that to you success is to do something for your nation and the world that will be remembered by the future generations.