It's Supernatural

Sid: We want everyone everywhere to have as much Shalom as we have right now.  The only way that you can have this Shalom this supernatural peace is to have intimacy with our supernatural God.  And when I talk about the One New Man to me the most beautiful picture of the One New Man is a Jew and an Arab knowing the Messiah, loving God with all of their heart.  That’s the Sh’ma Deuteronomy 6:4 and loving their neighbor as their self. A literally new creation; the true Body of Messiah.  That’s why I am so excited to be interviewing my new friend, his name is Akef Tayem. And Akef is an Arab, a Palestinian Arab; born in Haifa, Israel. But shortly after Israel became a modern day nation his parents who were very prosperous immigrated to the Island of Cyprus. He and his family, his brothers and sisters were in some of the best schools. As I was kidding with her yesterday but actually was very serious; he’s got some pretty good genes. Because all of his brothers got scholarships to American universities. So he gets to college; he meets a Christian girl who wants this Palestinian Arab to know her Jesus and she’s witnessing to him and she finally talks about something that was totally foreign to him, miracles, healings.  And so there was a tent evangelist and she invited him. He decides to go, and so he’s watching.  He doesn’t even like what he sees because in the mosque women don’t have shorts and you can barely tell it’s a woman because she’s so covered up. And there’s a much more respect for God and he doesn’t… he’s mystified by what he sees.  And then comes the time for miracles.  Akef, what did you see with your eyes? What was happening?

Akef: Well, the first thing I’d seen happen is a lady in a wheelchair. The evangelist walks up to her and he prays and he asked for this miracle for her to happen, for her to get out of the wheelchair.  And he mentions the Name of Jesus.  And the lady gets up and everyone starts clapping and….

Sid: Stop, did you think this was a pretend, fake?

Akef: Of course, of course.  It looked like the audience was somehow were cued somehow because they clapped at the same time.  They say these things and speak in this I don’t know what it is gibberish language that I didn’t understand some of them. And to me it seems that it’s orchestrated because you can’t really tell. I couldn’t tell if the lady was part of the show or I mean… I didn’t know that for sure she was crippled.  I didn’t believe the miracle, not at all.

Sid: So what happened next?

Akef:  Well then this gentleman comes on this stretcher and the minister again builds up like a chorus the crowd, etc, and the gentleman does not respond.  Supposedly he’s given up for dead, he’s given a few days and that he’s going to pray for him; and Jesus will heal him again. And the same thing happens again; the gentleman get’s up and walks and everyone is clapping and what have you.  It didn’t impress me at all; it just didn’t look right, it didn’t sound right.  The third miracle was something else though, it was a child and that child was only like 4 or 5 seats from me, perhaps 6, 7 years old.  And I could see that when I first walked in matter of fact I had to pass the child to sit down in my chair. One of his legs was withered, shorter than the other one and very skinny, skinnier than the other one.  And it was in a brace like a leather brace. Somehow this minister as he was walking around in the tent he seen the guy and he told his mother to bring him on the stage.  So they took the child on the stage and he set him in a chair and he sits in a chair across from him. He says, he made a very interesting statement, he said “Everyone who does not believe in miracles or everyone who thinks that this is all fake and is not true come on the stage, come and see this.”  And I felt that that was my opportunity and so I run to the stage, and he held the child took her brace off.  He held the child withered leg; he was holding both the legs.  And he began to pray and I was right there and he mentioned the Name of Jesus. And the leg Sid begins to grow; it absolutely fascinated me.

Sid: Now, I have seen legs that were one leg is shorter than the other.

Akef:  Yes.

Sid: I have seen this grow out myself but what you told me the leg did not only grow it was withered it was very much thinner than the other leg.  What happened with that thin leg?

Akef:  Well, what’s amazing is… I tried to think about this later on.  As the leg was growing it looked like it took it maybe a little time I don’t know a second, two or three. Yes, because it gave my mind and there was some duration there because I was wondering at one time if that leg was going to outgrow the other one because it was… I was looking at it but it stopped when it reached the length of the other leg the healthy leg it stopped.  And I remember too, how on earth did it know to stop when it stopped? And then I saw someone blow into it it’s amazing like a (sound of air blown into the microphone), the leg just filled up in front of my eyes.   

Sid: So tell me, this is a pretty good trick.  Did you think this was a trick or did you say “Oh, my God, this is a miracle?”

Akef:  That’s exactly, that I could not deny. This I couldn’t. And this is what tore my life.  This is what tore my life, turned it upside down is what I’ve seen that day on that stage.  That I could not deny anymore.

Sid: From the time you saw the miracle how long did it take you to make Jesus your Messiah and Lord?

Akef: I did immediately, I did immediately.  I felt a weakness in my knees; which was amazing I don’t understand it.  I don’t know how it happened but I felt a weakness in my knees and the next thing I know I was on the my knees and I wanted this Jesus that this minister was talking about.  Now it took me some time to reconcile my Islam and where I come from and all that stuff but I accepted Him as soon as I’d seen this miracle.  I could not deny.

Sid: It must have been… now I know for me being Jewish and having come to know the Messiah, the most difficult thing was telling my family that I now believed in the one that I was always told not to believe in as the Messiah.  How was it with you with your family?

Akef: Oh, it was very odd. It was very painful; very painful.  Matter of fact I was sophomore in college at the time and of course my… we had money.  My dad supported me very good, I had a nice place we were staying at college, kids party and what have you.  And he stopped my allowance, he asked my brother of course to get me to change my mind again and again. And when I couldn’t I told my brother, I love you and I don’t know why I’m doing such a thing, it looks like it’s beyond me but I cannot.  I just cannot deny what I’ve seen.  And within about 6 months or so my dad made a special trip to the United States to disown me. You know the tradition is that the parents spits in the son’s face.  It’s tradition to do that.

Sid: Well, you know that in Judaism they actually go even further, they have a burial; a mock burial. So to speak and they say “My son is dead, I have no son anymore.” So it’s similar though.

Akef:  Yes.  And I remember and I appreciate him so much.  He came between us and he got most of that out on him; bless his heart.   

Sid: Okay, there was a special moment in your life when all of a sudden a fire or a heat came on your right hand.  Tell me about that.

Akef:  Okay, there was a… I was very distraught now with what happened, there was a battle going on inside me.  And I decided to just to be by myself for awhile. I drove I got in my car and I ended up in some friends that I knew in Birmingham and I meant to go visit them. But I ran across a little church in the woods outside Birmingham, Alabama. I decided to just stay there for a little bit.  And during this time it was a difficult time actually.

Sid: Now you say that you decided to stay there.  They let you stay there?

Akef:  I asked the lady, it was a very small church and I had a van and I asked her; I told her I was going through some difficult times and if she doesn’t mind me just living in my van for a few days until I see what happens. And she was perfectly…

Sid: Akef, I’m sorry we’re out of time.  Mishpochah, oh does he have a mighty miracle.