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This is an incredible interview with my friend Sami Awad who is an evangelical Christian who lives in Bethlehem.  I thought you might enjoy it.

Click to see Interview with Sami Awad 

I am in what’s called a “pastors covering” group with Pastor John Jenkins of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland.  Pastor John went to the church almost 22 years ago and it has grown from a few hundred to around 12,000 in attendance each weekend.  I met him a few years ago and we have preached in one another’s pulpits and shared what God has taught us.  It is an African-American church.  John is an exceptional expositor, leader, administrator, visionary - he’s got the whole package wrapped up in one person.  You see it in his church.  There are several things that stand out as I’ve just returned from a group of around 60 that meets annually. 

First, the level of hospitality is unparalleled from any church anyone has ever attended.  Anyone who visits the church knows that - any pastor who goes there.  It’s incredible how you are treated, and it’s not just you, its visitors, members, everyone.  There simply isn’t another place like it on earth in that regard.  One of the keys of the early church was hospitality - it’s why the church grew - the doors weren’t just open - they were filled with people serving each other.  It starts with John.  Yesterday, there was a delay in someone picking Nikki and I up to go to the airport.  I resigned myself to the fact I’d be spending the night at the Baltimore Airport.  John, himself - took Nikki and I, with his wife Trina, to the airport.  I told him, No, just wait someone would come.  My bags were in the car that was late.  John wouldn’t hear of it.  He took Nikki and I, had someone come another route to get our bags, and then had us wait inside the airport.  Once we were in the airport at the security line, he comes sprinting in with our bags.  I was humbled by it.  Its NO WONDER his church is hospitable. 

Second, John is always learning.  Our church is no where near as large as his, but when it comes to missions, globalization, engagement, etc. he actually listens and implements some of the things we talk about.  At our pastors covering group he had Sam Chand come and speak to us.  That wasn’t free!  Sam is one of the sharpest consultants out there working with huge churches - they’re the only ones …

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For the first time in history - the eyes of nations and cities are waking up and looking at one another.  I’m not just speaking about governments and businessmen - they have always seen each other from the market routes of the silk road to the emperors who would conquer the entire world.  What is different is, because of travel and internet we are all connected.  We all feel each other sneeze.  We are like a bunch of little kids at grandma’s house in bed together and when one rolls over - we all feel it. 

Because I’m a pastor, I’ve seen first hand how the church in the West in many ways is being left behind in terms of growth, influence, and impact as the church in the East and South is increasing.  As connected as we are, we don’t necessarily understand cultures and pluralism in a world of diversity.  Business is somewhat better because you have to see the bottom line.  But I would say we are in dire need of the “reengineering” of diplomacy and diplomats. 

No one should be more versed in global issues than diplomats.  But I would say just knowing foreign policy and nation-state issues is not enough.  If that’s all we know, then we are going to make many mistakes and they are going to be far more costly in this world that we live in.  Diplomats need to understand culture, religion, and life in the countries they serve.  The current philosophy is for a diplomat to serve somewhere 3 years and then move to a totally different part of the world.  They may be good for making sure you have people parrot your nations party line - but it’s horrible for building lasting peace and understanding between nations. 

If I were re-engineering diplomacy and diplomats - based on 17 years of working in Vietnam, and 10 years in the Middle-East I would do the following:

1.  Have a diplomat live in the country with the people a minimum of 6 months before they begin to serve.  They would read history, culture, hang out with the people, visit sporting events, art galleries, see the sights, get to know the people and hang out.  Most of our problems with Vietnam was a failure to understand culture and communication.  We swung in with a Western paradigm of philosophy and governance and not …

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May 6, 2011
This article was written by Nguyen Van Kien, Vice-President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and long-time friend of NorthWood and GVI. It originally appeared in Vietnamese in the online edition of the Vietnam Times (Thoi Dai) and was translated by GVI staffer Vu Thanh Tra.

“Be Patient to Love”

About ten years ago, I met an American senior pastor (B.R. - Bob Roberts) who founded GVI, a Non– Governmental Organization (NGO) to carry out humanitarian assistance and development projects in Vietnam. When he first went to Vietnam, he was full of suspicions about a country that still restricted religion and human rights. However, after each trip to Vietnam, he met Vietnamese people who were hard working, hospitable, honest and peace-loving; he saw church bells resounding and welcoming devout Christian believers. They love God and live in freedom in their country. B.R saw that this was a small country where more than 50 ethnic groups have lived together in harmony for thousands of years. They united together to build and protect their country: a country with many cultures, religions and peoples; a country of peaceful landscapes and full of energy.

After this pastor went to Vietnam, he shared his observations and experiences with his church in Texas. In front of all his Christian believers, he said that Vietnam is not an atheist country at all, but one of the world’s most religious nations. In addition to Buddhism and other religions, more than 80 percent of Vietnamese citizens worship their ancestors. He asked, How could anyone say Vietnam is an atheist country? Who could say Vietnam didn’t have freedom of religion? (And one more interesting thing about B.R.’s church that he leads in Texas: 80 percent of paintings that decorate the church were bought in Vietnam.)

The first time I met B.R., I knew that he was a prestigious pastor who wanted to contribute to peace, heal war wounds, and mediate religious conflicts. But in his country, most of the information about Vietnam was distorted. This information was repeated many times in public media and was aimed against Vietnam. So in light of this, how can someone who has not come to Vietnam and has not had contact with Vietnamese people possibly understand Vietnam? His hometown has many people who misunderstand Vietnam. We spend a lot of time and take opportunities to make everybody understand Vietnam. …

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I was asked the same question last week by a young pastor, I’m asked frequently - “How do you stay fresh and make it over the long haul?”  It’s a critical question.  A pastor named John Bisagnio was once told he should make a list of people he was friends with in seminary and by the time he was 50 there wouldn’t be near as many in the ministry.  He did it, and the story goes there were only 5 left.  That’s not God’s will for our life. 

There are so many models of ministry, the changing world, different life and ministry stages ministry, and ups and downs, but the call is a staying force - fruit that remains.  The challenge is to finish strong.  I like to challenge church planters not to be church starters but church finishers - that’s what God expects.  That’s the whole point of hearing God say to his children upon arrival, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  There are some things that every pastor and church leader does to stay focused:  read current books (and old ones), listen to successful people in the ministry, go to conferences, etc. or the mechanics of ministry if you will.  I’m astounded at how few really have a powerful daily worship & prayer life.  That’s my answer to the young pastor - daily spend time in prayer worshipping God. 

When I was starting out in ministry and I’d be asked to speak at conferences to tell what we were doing, that was the highlight.  Even more so now, I’m asked to speak and explain issues of globalization, faith, engagement, etc.  But I’ve got to tell you, nothing excites me as much as when doors open to not tell past stories, but to be in the middle of an active story of how God is working.  That is God’s will for your life.  Your entire life, he wants to move and work, connect and use you for his glory.  I’m convinced one of the reasons we don’t worry about the Holy Spirit that much or debate him more than experience him - is that we have a plan for our life and don’t need to live in the moment.  If you live in the moment, as a child of God, you must have the Holy Spirit to guide you, recognize opportunities, respond properly, see the open doors …

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I hear all the time that Islam needs a reformation like Christianity did.  The statement is made flippantly, like, just do it, any religion can reform.  I can’t speak to Islam on whether that is possible or not - I’m not part of the Islamic religion.  But I believe there are some unique things that allowed Christianity to reform that Islam doesn’t have in its arsenal.  If Islam does reform, it will not be for the same reasons or from the sane theological basis of Christianity.  Why?

First, Islam has the Quran which is from one author and is viewed as the literal words of God coming down to one person.  The Bible, we believe as Christians, is a book God inspired like no other book - but it involved multiple authors all divinely inspired by God.  In some places it was the exact words of God, and in other places it was stories, morals, theological explanations that were inspired and written.  This is critical, because what that did was cause multiple authors to be inspired and also caused people to look at context and multiple meanings which allowed space for interpretation.  You don’t get that same space with the Quran since it is viewed as the exact words of God. 

Second, you also see in the bible in the Old and New Testaments how things changed over time, which keeps open the reality of context and God’s plan throughout history.  The Quran is a book written in the span of one man’s life from one man’s revelation. 

Third, because we believe in the Trinity - and revelation is given through the Spirit both special and general - that led to the ability for personal enlightenment that the Holy Spirit could give.  Christians call that “The Priesthood of the Believer” - it’s the concept that when you pray, read God’s Word, study, then God speaks and reveals things to you directly.  You don’t have to have a priest or someone above you.  You don’t have to go to seminary for God to speak to you. 

Fourth, research using scientific methods has been able to help us verify earlier documents or question some in the canon through comparison of the Dead Sea scrolls and other fragments.  The message of the Bible stays the same, only a fraction of details that deal with numbers, etc., are in question.

How …

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I spoke at the Q conference in Portland, Oregon, last week that Gabe Lyons puts on.  9 minutes goes fast - so here are the notes I told you I would give you.  This is probably going to be a book - maybe! 

We live in the 21st century and we get that.  But when it comes to understanding the world and engaging it as well as other faiths we act like it’s the 18th century.  Postmodernism knocked the breath out of the American Church - but Globalization is going to take it to her knees if we don’t wake up.  The reality is, we don’t get globalization in the West beyond the exporting of our economy, western culture, and tourism - and globalization is far more than those three things.  In the West today, we are trying to redefine the church - but sadly apart from the world and apart from the explosion of the Eastern & Southern churches.  That we can find ourselves and reinvigorate the Western church apart from its global paradigm and context is foolishness and more sadly stupidity. 

Religion will continue to grow.  Because of separation of church and state - faith has to sustain itself, not the government.  Because of secularization - the church has been forced to go to its essence and DNA versus models and institutions.  Because of globalization - everyone is everywhere and all religions are all places so everything is spreading everywhere. 

The people I feared most are the ones I’ve come to love and care about and and are the ones who have taught me many things about the world that I didn’t know or understand.  From working with atheist, secularist, and communist Vietnamese - what I was forced to do was to develop my understanding of philosophy.  From working with Muslims, near east and Middle East places - I was forced to develop a deeper yet simpler understanding of theology.  From working with people who hurt around the world, it took my faith more to a kingdom perspective of the gospel.

So, if religion will continue to grow - and none of us are going away - then how do we relate?  We can ignore it - stick our head in the sand until there’s a major blow up.  We can fear - that leads to fighting, terrorism, etc., or we can engage as Christians.  …

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While I was speaking at the Q Conference in Portland - I sadly found out about the death of David Wilkerson in a car accident.  David, and more particularly his son Gary - have had a life long and profound impact on my life.  My Dad pastored First Baptist Church, Lindale, Texas when I was in Jr. high and high school.  I remember when I was 14 that this man who wrote “The Cross and the Switchblade” that had become a movie was coming to live in Lindale.  Lindale was a town with a population of 1044 people.  It was quite a big deal.  Teen Challenge, one of the ministries David Wilkerson had started, was buying land to have a center for people who were coming off drugs and being discipled to live.  Because we were Baptist and they were Assembly of God - and the divisions back then were so strong - (thank God that’s changed) - we were shocked when they would come to our church.  With them, over time, came Leonard Ravenhill, Dallas Holm, Keith Green, and lots of other people that at the time I didn’t understand who they were or what they had done.  But it didn’t matter, to me, they became people that I admired greatly and looked up to. 

I remember growing up with Gary and a lot of my friends - our High School class had only 88 - when I tell people here I was #44 in my class it sounds good - until, they hear how small it was.  Gary was a groomsman at my wedding.  We wound up doing some ministry together in Florida and other places.  I did a research project for them while a student at Baylor.  He’s spoken at our church and to our planters, and I love him deeply and am grateful for who he is. 

But I’m also grateful to his dad.  My Dad had just left the pastorate of FBC Lindale and was going into evangelism when he became very ill and was hospitalized for a few weeks.  I was a student at Baylor in my last semester and came close to quitting so I could come home and help my family through that crisis time.  David Wilkerson felt the best thing I could do was stay in school and not quit - so he paid my last semester.  Whenever I …

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A friend of mine, Maria Ebrahimji, along with Zahra Suratwala, have just completed their book I Speak for Myself:  American Women on Being Muslim .  It is exactly the kind of book we need so desperately right now in America.  It is a collection of 40 personal essays written by American Muslim women. 

Take a moment to check it out.  Buy a copy.  Read it.  You’ll be surprised to see what we all have in common.  We may not be as different from one another as you may think.

Listen to the sermon, Teachers Among Us here.

2 TIMOTHY 3:10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work . . . . . 4: 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Acts 2 said they continued in the Apostles teaching – now keep in mind they were apostles, but they were also teachers.  Where and what did they start with?  What Jesus wanted them to be and do – all teaching flowed from that.  It wasn’t a western model of give the information and good luck – it was this is how it’s done.  This is critical for NorthWood for 2 reasons – first, all 5 are equipping gifts to grow and engage and we have to have them for cell life , and second – in leadership and how our church moves forward there is the 5-fold team.  It’s how …

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