Sid: We want everywhere to be red hot for the Messiah; the truth of the matter is that most of us don’t even know what red hot for the Messiah means. Where are our role models? Here in this unreal moment in history called 21st Century America; where the average person lives like a king of former generations. Where we don’t know what persecution is for the gospel. Where we have more Bibles per square Christian than any country that has ever existed. We have more tapes, more Christian teachings, more Christian television, radio, more church buildings; but something is missing. And I have a gentleman on the telephone that knows what’s missing. His name is Kevin Turner; President of Strategic World Impact. He works in 3 areas: war zones; disaster areas, and where Christians are being persecuted. I’ve caught up with him at his base in Sudan, Africa. And he’s there with his family; his wife and his 3 children. His daughter we found out yesterday almost lost her life and she pleaded when they wanted to get on the first plane out of there “Dad I want to stay here!” Kevin you were talking about a 3rd World Country that some American’s said “What can we pray for you; what did they say?”
Kevin: Oh they were actually being asked… this was actually in Vietnam with of course massive persecution from the Communist Party there of any type of what they would call unsanctioned church activity, in other words, where the Holy Spirit is moving. It was so amazing because they’re being asked if they you know wanted the envoys to bring back a message of “Should we have the American church pray for open borders and that everything would open up for you?” And almost in horror they said “Oh, no pray instead that we have open heavens!” And in that response you see the difference of why the church is growing in Vietnam like wild fire and why it’s stagnating in America. Because what they realize is that it’s about a spiritual blessing. In America we have this mentality of “I will have it and I will have it now; I will have heaven on earth I will not have delayed gratification; I will not endure hardship; I will not suffer loss.” The average Christian in America if I tell them that my daughter was attacked and we stayed they look at me as if I’m a horrible father because I would subject my family to that. And instead what we have is we have the blessing of the presence of Jesus comforting us. And you know what me and my wife did, and some people might find this unbelievable; but we gathered hands in our bedroom and we prayed. We said “Jesus you loaned these children to us and we give them back to You; and God You know our hearts would be utterly broken but if You see fit that their lives be taken then we give all glory to You.” Now to some people that’s incomprehensible; but when you meet the King of Glory in the way that He’s touched my heart no price in my hand I bring simply to the cross I cling.” I love Him!
Sid: Mishpochah you’re not listening to a man talking theory; you’re listening to a man that because of his work for the gospel in these areas that are terrorist based there have been contracts for his life. Tell me about one circumstance.
Kevin: Well, we actually were up in area north eastern Sudan where Osama Bin Laden had his hide out terrorist training camp for 2 ½ years. We actually showed in fact CBN Christian broadcasting showed the video. We showed the Jesus film on the wall of Bin Laden’s former compound. We were sharing it there in a Muslim Islamic training school sharing the Jesus film on the wall there. It was utterly divine! And because of our continued work in this heavily just fundamentalist Islamic area of course it’s aroused attention. The Saudis out wonderful friends have; the backed the money they put up half a million dollars for a Jihad faction group.
Sid: Does it bother you when, and I know you said that tongue and cheek, but does it bother you that the US has friends so much to speak in bed with Saudi Arabia?
Kevin: Oh you have no idea and working so much in the Middle East I know see and learn so much of the if you want to call it the conspiracy against America. And what I mean against America I mean because they can’t differentiate between a born again believer and then Madonna who wears a cross and then dances nude. They don’t understand the difference. And so it’s a target against America in their mind is a target against Christianity. And that was the same reason that 3 and many terrorists came to take up this half a million dollar fatwa that was put on my head this contract and kill me. Well for 5 years working in this area we’d been reaching out to this other Muslim tribe that’s unreached and we built great friendships with them. And in the midst of that they spared my life because while I was out there with my family these 3 terrorists came through the desert coming to kill us. They had our ID badges; they knew what they were and they knew my name the whole shot. And they captured by this Muslim tribe; well two of them were interrogated and beaten so badly I couldn’t meet with them. But I did meet with one of the 3; this man was blindfolded in a hut with his arms tied behind his back and let me meet with him way out in the desert.
Sid: Now why did 1 Muslim tribe beat up these terrorists?
Kevin: Because they wanted to know what they were about and as they were trying to find out they found out that they come to kill me and I’m their friend.
Sid: Hm.
Kevin: And they’re thinking they wait a second this guy has spent 5 years on the front-lines with us risking his life; bringing food, medicine and help to us. He’s actually prayed for rain and in the midst of a 4 year famine it rained in 20 minutes. I mean we have seen incredible things where we’ve joined hands; we walked outside of a Bedouin hut and they said their greatest need was rain. And I said “Look I know the rain maker” I said please I have a small team my wife was at my side. We walked out from this Bedouin hut after drinking a big slug of camel’s milk. And we joined hands and there’s not a cloud in the sky and it’s about 120 degrees 4 year drought. We joined hands and said “Jesus glorify Yourself and if it be Your will send rain on these people” And within 10 minutes the sky was clouding and overgrowing black; in within 20 minutes there was such a hellacious downpour that my truck got stuck several times just trying to get back out to our base.
Sid: Hmm, so let’s take you back to that hut these terrorists; Muslim extremist terrorists. Their terrorists they’re always extremists. They were sent there to kill you; your Muslim friends caught him beat them up and you now are in front of one that was sent to kill you; what happened?
Kevin: Well, he’s there blindfolded and I’m asking him questions and he said “He had come to kill an enemy of Islam.” He didn’t know that it was me asking him the questions and finally I said “Do you know whose questioning you?’ And I said I’m the man that you were sent to kill. He immediately began to tremble and I put my head on his hand and I said, “I want to explain to you the difference between Islam and Christianity. In Islam you’re taught to hate and kill; in Christianity we’re taught to love and lay down our lives. I said “I can’t let you go and I can’t keep you that’s not in my power but the power I have I give.” I said “In the name of Jesus Christ I forgive you of this sin and I beg God to forgive you now in Jesus Name.” This man began to utterly weep; he was begging in Arabic crying out for mercy. One of the men smashed him in the forehead with his AK47 because and they began to stomp on him because he was crying, and they pushed me out of the hut. I began to scream and holler and I said “Stop beating this man,” He hears me pleading on his behalf when he’d been sent to kill me. When I went back into the hut he was on his knees and he staggered was crawling on his knees and his arms are tied behind his back. When he did he fell forward no arms to stop him his forehead landed on the tops of the soul of my shoe. Then immediately the Lord spoke to me (crying) He said “Surely the Lord will make your enemy a footstool.” And instantly I realized that Jesus loved this man so much that he allowed him to come to try and kill me that there in the mud hut in Sudan I could lay my head on his hand and pray the Holy Spirit touch him and share the gospel with him. And I thought this is how you set Paul the Apostle free; this is how you desire to seek and save that which was lost. And I thought Jesus You’d send a terrorist to kill me just so he’d be blessed to hear the message of good news. Over and over again for the last 15 years of my life I’ve seen one miracle after another by just simply walking with Jesus. It’s amazing.
Sid: You’re listening to Kevin Turner President of Strategic World Impact. I’m speaking to him at his base just outside of the Sudan area in Africa. Kevin why did you do this special teaching we call it “Kevin’s Teaching” that we’re making available this week?
Kevin: Well, it was a burden that was on my heart and I believe of course put there by the Lord. I call it compliance of principal; and it’s this infection that has seeped into the church. And what scares me is the fact that we’ve been inoculated and we can’t even get the disease anymore. Now were blinded; it’s not simply that we turn a deaf ear we can’t even hear it any more. And basically I just challenge the believer to say “What is the discipleship truly mean?” Could it be so radical as laying down your life and it’s about living your life in simple compliance to the letter of the law or living your life in principal through love?” There is a puritan proverb that says “Love binds without a cord and it rules without a sword.”
Sid: We’re out of time.
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth