ccm Cross 0029 – The Holy Land | Christian Cross Ministries

ccm Cross 0029
March 23, 2012

Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church
The Holy Land
ccm Cross #0029

GPS/DMS Location

01 Bethlehem Baraka Church WEB

Additional photos after Testimony

2980 cdd The TentMakers
Cyber Daily Devotion
Volume 13 Number 069

Today’s Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: Acts 18:3
“Paul moved in with them, and they worked together at their common trade of tentmaking” MSG

My name is Reverend George Habeeb Awad and together with my son Danny we Pastor Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church, in Bethlehem.

I was born and raised in Bethlehem the fourth oldest of six boys. Our Father and mother were Christians and every Sunday like clockwork we were in church. As a young child I was active in every activity of the church — such as boy scouts, Sunday school and choir. My dad was a manly Christian who made sure each of his sons read the Bible and participated when the church doors were open.

In the mid 1950’s when I was 19 years old I met an American Medical Missions team that came to Bethlehem to open a TB hospital. The hospital was full of Christians who were different. I was a Christian but Jesus was not my focus. The Jesus they followed allowed them to care for others and extended love to the most difficult of medical cases. There I met Jabra who was a Christian elder in the Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church. He was different too — always talking about and praying to Jesus.

For the next five years I stayed at the TB hospital and became a nurse. I learned all about medical things and saw tremendous miracles. This TB hospital was predominately for Muslims. They would come in sick and leave well. But medicine had nothing to do with their healings.

The medical staff would pray for their patients. And when there was no hope — Jesus showed up and healings took place. Many Muslims came to Christ as a result of these healings.

Then I received an opportunity to go to Bahrain which is just East of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf — also as a nurse. While there the Lord led me to the Reformed Church of America and I became an Elder. We grew as a church in a Muslim country by holding Sunday evening services so Royal Air Force Pilots who were stationed there were able to attend. In 1964 I returned to Bethlehem and at 27 years old married my wife Widad.

We returned to Bahrain and had our first two children and then moved with medical missionaries to the (now) United Arab Emeritus. Here my wife had a close call with death just after the birth of our son Danny — her fingers and toes turned dark blue — she was diagnosed with a heart problem. Medicine could do nothing for her condition. Jesus showed up and healed her. We sensed it was time to return to our homeland in Bethlehem. But the boarders remained closed in the after math of the 1967 Middle East war. We prayed and the Lord opened a way for us to return.

When we returned the Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church had lost many of the missionaries who attended and many other people fled the country because of the war. They had also lost their pastor. We prayed about our participation in the church as an elder.

All this time I was like the Apostle Paul in the Bible. Paul was a tent maker to provide for what he did. I was a nurse. The church could not support me as an Elder or Pastor but as a nurse I had a steady income to provide for my family and could still minister to the flock.

So began my adventure with the Lord at Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church. From 1974 to 2006 — more than 30 years tentmaking as a nurse and ministering for the Lord at every opportunity.

In 1985 the Bible Presbyterian Church from Singapore — who was our contact church — decided to ordain me as pastor. Which I am today with my son Danny.

My heart has always been for telling the Muslims about Jesus. We have used the Jesus film and special outreaches but over time we learned it took one of two ways for a Muslim to receive Christ.

1. A personal relationship with a Muslim and allow him to see a Christian from a new light as a friend. And 2. The incredible signs and wonders Jesus is doing in the Muslim communities. Dreams and visions of Jesus have become rampant. What started 30 years ago as a whisper in the community has now reached gigantic proportions as Muslims are coming to Christ in huge numbers by these signs, wonders, dreams and visions.

And the difference Pastor Danny sees is those who have had a dream or seen a vision are on fire for the Lord. They are immediately ostracized from their family and threatened with death. Danny says, “A commitment to Jesus cost them something.” And the fact that they are willing to go through with building a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ tells him that the next generation of Christian leaders in the Middle East will come from these new Kingdom believers.

The Baraka Church is active throughout Bethlehem with three separate facilities. The main church and a secondary church near the Shepherds Field and the Baraka Educational Center where they house a nursery, day care and computer center. It is a hub of local activity. 35{438a7d4fb4d553ed786f81e925bb4b9cef0198d2b00cf400ab4e959f6d826bb6} of the participants are Muslims and through kind and loving patience the plan is to win them over for Christ. All the staff is Christian and they share the gospel at every opportunity.

The favorite Bible verse of Pastor George in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” NKJV

The vision for Pastors George and Danny is twofold.

1. That Baraka Church will become a shining light for Jesus Christ throughout Bethlehem and many will come to Christ.

2. Freedom in Christ will replace the bondages of Sharia Law imposed on the Muslim people. And that this freedom will expose Islam for the terror, darkness and bondage it imposes on the people.

This Cross planted reflects the fact that Jesus paid the price for our salvation and that our works are worthless. It is belief and faith in Jesus Christ that makes the difference. Jesus lived, Jesus died and Jesus rose from the grave for me.

Prayer:Father thank you for the explosion of signs, wonders and visions for Muslims introducing them to your Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

02 Bethlehem Baraka Church WEB
Laminating the Cross to give it strength