This week, we were privileged at FGB Chapter Jaya One to have Pastor Daniel Tavackolian share with us.
Pastor Daniel was born in Tehran, and trained from young to be a suicide bomber in the Iran-Iraq war. Children were brainwashed in school and thought from a young age about tanks and military camps. Daniel himself, because he was tall, was made a group leader of ten, and carried a flag heavier than himself. In those days, it was not uncommon for a young teenage boy to sacrifice himself by rolling down a hill full of mines to clear a way for the troops to advance. For sacrificing themselves, they were promised by the clerics that 75 virgins would be waiting for them in heaven. Deeply concerned for his safety, his parents decided to send him to his uncle in Stockholm, Sweden.
Now, from 5 years old, Pastor Daniel shared that he had already met the Holy Spirit and often talked to Him, though he did not really understand about Jesus and Christianity. When he went to Sweden, he again felt the presence of God in his room. From that time, he no longer used his prayer mat or prayed towards Mekkah. Having some interest in graphic design, he went on to study in Seattle, America, and there very providentially, God only gave him Christian friends. They were not spirit-filled, they did not evangelize to him, but he was touched by their love, and visited their churches. He felt happy when he saw people worshipping and lifting their hands to God, so he also followed. Two of his favorite songs to this day are “Open the eyes of my heart” and “Our God is an awesome God”. He proceeded to go for Bible Studies, Camps, and visited 8 churches in his time in America, but he was not a believer yet.
In his last semester, around May 2000, he happened to attend a service at a small Methodist chapel. The Pastor preaching kept on mentioning the name of Jesus, and somehow he felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest every time he heard the name. The Pastor gave him an NIV Bible and told him to go back and read John and everything would be ok. He went back and read but nothing happened. Angry, he called up another Pastor friend, who told him to read it 3 times. The second time, read it in Jesus name, and the third time, read it after praying to the Holy Spirit. Still nothing happened. Nevertheless, he attended a Christian camp and was greatly intrigued went the Speaker spoke from the book of Daniel, mentioning King Cyrus and King Darius. Daniel had always been intrigued by his Persian roots, and studied the history of his country deeply. Coming back from the camp, Daniel continued to have a bubbly feeling inside him, and when he entered his room, the glory of God filled his room. There was a sound of rushing wind in his room, but when he went out, there was nothing. The Lord spoke to him in Swedish. “It is not by chance that you got Christian friends. Receive me into your heart before you go back to Sweden.” Daniel had no doubt that the living God had spoken to him. In obedience, Daniel went to a Methodist church, kneeled down and repeated the sinner’s prayer.
Upon going back to Sweden, Daniel began to seek out a church. The first church he went to was a 1000 year old Lutheran church with a tower of 99 feet. The priest instructed him to spend 11 weeks reading the Bible and some Christian teachings. Somehow, he was not comfortable being baptized in the Lutheran church and searched out other churches, before finding a Pentecostal church, where was baptized by the Pastor there. Initially he asked if the Lutheran pastor could baptize him in the Pentecostal church. The Pentecostal Pastor said no, but said the Lutheran priest could read a Scripture. Daniel gave a testimony for 45 minutes, and there was a congregation of 2,000 there with the unusual incidence of having a Lutheran priest presiding over his baptism in a Pentecostal service. As David came up from the waters, he saw himself in the spirit being carried up by 4 angels.
Not long after that, Pastor Daniel was led by God to write 61 poems in only a few weeks, and the poems were so powerful that Media and TV Networks came to interview him. In heavily secularized Sweden, less than 2% of the people go to church. Every time he was interviewed, Daniel prayed that Jesus Christ might be known. One particularly memorable incident was when he read his poem “Church Phobia” on live broadcast to his city council.
Church Phobia
Non believers and logical thinkers
Prejudice and judgements, diverse
They all suffer from one disease
One that never seem to cease
Blinding all of their senses
Imprisoning and building fences
Provoked and encouraged by mass media
No true perception, merely phantasia
Seek the truth from the source
Reject others’ opinions’ force
Loving thoughts, human philia
The cure for thy church phobia
Today, Pastor Daniel pastors a church in Stockholm, Sweden consisting mainly of Persian speaking Ex-Muslims. He has his own radio ministry Nejat4stockholm which is broadcast in 24 countries.
After sharing his testimony, Pastor Daniel continued to share with us deep and insightful teachings for our contemplation and learning.
Happiness is feeling good about one’s self. There are 2 forces vital for happiness, relationship and achievement. There is the Son of God and there is the system of God. One is heart, and one is mind. Mind management is the first priority for the over comer. A productive life is not an accident. Goals should have order. Never speak words that make you think you are losing. Words are life. Everything that is created is a solution to a problem. Successful people solve problems. Have something that meets a need. Doctor solve health problems, mechanics solve car problems. Take inventory of yourself. What would you do if you could do something where it was impossible to fail? Doubt is deadly, believe in your brother. Thoughts are life current moving through the air. Thoughts draw people towards us or chase people away. You won’t succeed in any business until you really know it. If you promote Jesus, you must believe Him. If you want to sell a product, you must take the effort to know a product, even if it is boring and laborious. Do you have an awareness of your business? How much have you invested in being informed? Speak and act the truth. Anyone who does business seeks the truth. People fear misrepresentation. Focus on the advantages of your business. An honest relationship is worth 100 sales. Give another what he cannot find anywhere else, and he will keep returning. Your integrity will be rewarded. First impressions last. Be content in all that you have. The more debt you have, the more you spend. It costs more to have more. The grass is always greener on the other side, because the water bill is higher. Don’t starve today for the salary you dream of having. A laborer has a good night’s rest but a rich man is worried about his many possessions. Don’t do what and when thinking i.e. when I get married, then I will be happy, when I get children, then I will be happy, when the children grow up, then I will be happy. Happiness is not getting everything that you have but enjoying what you have. Use what you have to create what you want. Don’t be bogged down by something that you don’t have. Plant seeds for a specific harvest. If you plant seeds of diligence, your harvest will be promotion. Everything begins with a seed. Seed is anything you can multiply. Love is a seed. Money is a seed. The solution to your problem is nearer than you think. Sometimes you have to do something you hate to gain something you love. Goals and dreams last longer than reputation. Not everyone will like you. Your contribution is necessary for someone’s success. In sales, if 14 out of 15 say no, keep going so you can reach the 15th faster. No means no. No means to ask again.
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