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The Life of Surprise
Mr Sithole and me
On the third day of my visit at Iris Ministries South Africa, I was helping the men and children to cook food on a women’s conference. Suddenly a jeep with the Iris logo appeared, and out stepped a man whose big smile I recognized so well. “Surprise! Wow, I’m so glad to meet you! I’ve read your book!!” The smiling apostle shook my hand, told me I was welcome, guided some ladies to the jeep and then pointed at me: “Micael, get into the car!”
We dropped off lady after lady until we arrived to the house of the last one, where all three of us entered. There was a very, very thin and weak man. I didn’t catch what condition he was suffering from, but I eagerly joined Surprise in praying for his healing. Then we left, and Surprise drove me back to the conference.
I met this man’s wife last Thursday. He has had severe problems with his liver and kidneys as well as TB, and has not been working since October last year. However, now he started to feel much better, he went to the doctor last week – and the doctor pronounced him 100 % well. He started working again last Wednesday. Glory to God!
This first meeting of mine with Surprise Sithole was very Surprise-ish. In his book Voice in the Night, he shares his amazing life story. He was born in a family of witch doctors in a small village in Mozambique. At the age of 15, he heard a booming voice in the middle of the night: “Surprise! Get out of the house! If you do not leave, you will die.”
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The Danger of the “Sowing and Reaping” Teaching
Don't have to tithe
In my previous post, I wrote about how God does want to prosper the poor but not to bring them to a state of luxury and wealth but to a state of generosity and sharing so that there may be equality for all. I wrote that the dangers of the prosperity teaching is that it glorifies gluttony and despises simplicity. But I didn’t mention the, in my opinion, greatest danger of the prosperity teaching here in Africa – the theology of sowing and reaping.
I was listening to a pastor teaching other pastors about how to break poverty bonds. He talked about prosperity and giving. At first I thought it was a nice combination – sure God can prosper the poor but it’s also the responsibility of the rich to give. Then I realized that what he was saying was that it is the responsibility of the poor to give to the pastor or the ministry in order for God to prosper them, because you reap what you sow.
He was exhorting these South African pastors never to be afraid of demanding generous offerings even in very poor churches, because “no one is too poor to give”. His proof texts for these statements were 2 Cor 8:1-4 and 9:6, where Paul is telling the Corinthians about how the Macedonians, despite their “extreme poverty”, gave generously over their ability, and that if you sow generously you will reap generously.
I raised my hand and argued against him. Firstly, the Macedonians and Corinthians were giving to the poor of Jerusalem, not a pastor or a church building (the latter didn’t even exist). Secondly, 2 Cor 9:6 is not necessarily talking about a financial reward, especially in the light of Mt 19:21 and 1 Tim 6:5. Finally, while Paul seems impressed of the Macedonians giving so generously despite their poverty, he is careful in pointing out that he doesn’t want the Corinthians to do the same:
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Good and Bad Prosperity
In need of prosperity
The prosperity gospel is basically saying that God will bless you with money. A lot of money. In the West (especially in the U.S.), prosperity preachers often prove how blessed they are through buying luxuries, mansions and jet planes. This grotesque gluttony has spread to the African continent, where superstar pastors are “prospering” en masse while their church members are starving.
That was what I knew about prosperity teaching. And then pastor Jerry brought me to a shack church in the South African bush, where most church members are unemployed as well as have lost family members in AIDS. And he preached prosperity. God will give you a job. God will change your situation. God will lift you out of poverty.
I even started to like the prosperity message and preach it myself. Because it’s true, God wants to prosper the poor and break the chains of poverty. The Bible was written in a developing country, and the prosperity it talks about is not about cars or suits but about getting good harvests so that you’ll survive the winter, and to have a job so that you don’t have to be a beggar. Biblical prosperity is not about bringing people to a state of luxury, but to deliver them from poverty to a state of generosity and sharing, so that it may be equal for all (2 Cor 8:13).
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The Kundalini Myth
Andrew Strom is a Christian who believes that large parts of the global charismatic movement is demonic. In his video Kundalini Warning, as well as in the book with the same name, he claims that false spirits have invaded ministries like Catch the Fire (the “Toronto Blessing” church), IHOP, Bethel Church, Morningstar, and more. These false spirits originate in the Hindu kundalini cult in India, Strom argues.
Now, you expect some strong evidence to support these radical claims, don’t you? Perhaps Strom have discovered some documents proving that before the Toronto Blessing began, pastors John and Carol Arnott went to India to receive kundalini teaching from a guru. Or perhaps Strom have made an interview with Bethel Church’s pastor Bill Johnson and found out that his greatest inspiration is Lama Rama Ding Ding from Uttar Pradesh?
Nope. On the contrary, none of these ministries have ever preached kundalini teaching, nor have they had any association with Hindu groups whatsoever.
So how does Andrew Strom then know that the spirit through which these ministries experience miracles isn’t the Holy Spirit but a kundalini spirit? The answer is of course: YOUTUBE VIDEOS! In Kundalini Warning, Strom shows us recordings from a kundalini meeting, where people according to him behave just like charismatic Christians. The guru lays his hands on people, and they start to shake, laugh, cry and praise the gods. Thus, when John Arnott lays his hands on people and they start to shake, laugh, cry and praise God, it is the work of the devil. If they are quiet, say amen and go and drink coffee afterwards, it’s the Holy Spirit, I guess.
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“I Saw You in a Vision”
Tryphina Sithole
Two weeks ago, Surprise Sithole took his kids to Kruger National Park to look at the wild animals. His wife Tryphina and their oldest son Enoch stayed at home in Nelspruit. Suddenly, they saw something amazing through the window: a castle levitating in the sky.
When Tryphina told us about this in Iris Revival Church, she emphasised that it wasn’t a vision. Both she and Enoch saw this castle with their very eyes. They went away quickly to get a camera, but when they came back to the window the castle was covered by clouds. When the clouds disappeared, the castle was gone.
“What do you think it means?”, one church member asked. “Well, a castle belongs to a king”, Surprised said, and revealed that he actually had seen the same thing a couple of years ago in Florida. The Kingdom of Heaven is near.
God is truly speaking to His people here in South Africa. Shortly after I had arrived to Block B where I am currently staying, I was attending a cool wedding. Cool because it was lead by a “prof. apostle” and included prophetic messages and prayer for healing. As a European I’m however not so used to eight hour weddings, so after a while I went outside.
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Village of Hope
The story of Iris Ministries South Africa is to a large extent the story of Surprise Sithole, a man of God who has experienced many miracles. In the mid-90’s, shortly before he connected with Iris, he received a prophetic word from the Lord about moving to a white river. At first he didn’t understand what it meant, buy then he found out that there’s actually a place named White River in South Africa. So he and his wife Tryphina moved from Mozambique to SA.
God continued to speak to Surprise about ministering on “the mountain” – Backdoor, a township outside White River. Back then, Backdoor was known to be a very dangerous place, where the crime rate was very high and robbery was a part of daily life. The Sithole family moved there anyway, and they were severely tested – once they were almost killed by a violent gang. But as their church plant grew and their social ministry expanded, the community started to change.
As I wrote in my previous blog post, there are still many problems in Backdoor, but the crime rate really has decreased a lot since Iris started working there. Of course, it’s hard to tell if that would have happened anyway, but surely Iris has contributed a lot to the good trend. Its community center, Village of Hope, includes a preschool, a bible school, a feeding programme, a sowing center, a youth ministry and soon also a carpentry. Everything they do is aiming to bring help and hope to the people.
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Crushing the Spirit of Apartheid
Nelspruit
I knew SA would be unequal, but this is ridiculous. White River is a 100% Western town, with supermarkets, KFC:s, cinemas and luxurious houses with large fences. 15 minutes from it you will find Backdoor, an informal township where thousands live in favelas without running water, where there is 80 % unemployment and where so many are suffering from HIV.
Backdoor
The contrast is so painful. It’s obvious to all that the poor aren’t poor because of lack of resources, but because they have been oppressed and neglected for decades.
White River
However, it would be wrong to say that apartheid created Backdoor’s poverty. The swati people living there were probably just as poor before they immigrated to Backdoor, or even poorer. What apartheid does is that it ignores people and denies them their rights. And even though there has been some progress during the later years, the spirit of apartheid is still alive here, separating people based on their colour.
But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness…
Luke 11:11-13
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks you for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Pray for Moldova
The poverty is devastating in Moldava. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe. You can help easily.
This video is made by “Serve East”, founded by brothers and sisters from the Vineyard in Bern, Switzerland. They pour out their hearts and lifes into this country.
Pray for the people of Moldova to encounter a God who gives them hope, acceptance, justice and restoration.
Visit “Serve East” here: http://www.serve-east.ch/
or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stepout.goeast
The Book of Psalms
The Book of Psalms
The book of Psalms is a devotional worship section of the Bible. It records some of the most intimate prayers and worship songs of Biblical saints. When we read the book of Psalms, it is as though we are stepping into God’s house and reading his private love letters. There is something very sacred about them. They reveal not only the character and yearnings of the sender but also the receiver. Reading these verses, not only gives us encouragement to speak to God with boldness and honesty, but also gives us a glimpse of the magnificence of our God through his communication with these saints.
In Psalms, God is portrayed as omnipotent and omnipresent. He is the creator of all things. He is full of love and has compassion for all he has created. As a ruler, he is just. He has deep concern for the world and listens to the righteous, forgiving those who humbly repent of their sins and turn to him.
By praying the eloquent words of the Psalms, we are able to bare our souls to God in a spirit-led way that brings healing and encouragement, especially in times of personal crisis.
The book reveals that Biblical saints did not just think positive and be happy, when faced with doubt and depression but expressed their honest feelings and confessed their transgressions. In doing so, they brought everything that weighed upon their souls into the light, both their joys and sorrows.
God wants an honest relationship with us, not a false one. He does not value us singing empty words of praise if that is not what we’re really feeling. Although we should praise him at all times, even when full of doubt and disillusionment, we should not pretend to be happy if we are not. In a superficial relationship, people will put on a smile and talk about things which they feel will be acceptable to each other but in an intimate friendship, people will bare their souls to one another. It is clear that the writers of the Psalms, not only bared their souls to God, but were also aware of God’s feelings towards them, which shows us they were trusted friends of God.
By Andrew Meakin http://outreach7.webs.com/
Joseph
This is the story of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jacob who was the son of Issac, who was the son of Abraham who God had made a covenant with that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars.(Genesis 15:4) Joseph was son number 11, Jacob had 12 sons(Genesis 35:23-26). Joseph’s brothers hated him because Jacob favoured Joseph and gave him a coat of many colours. (Genesis 37:3-4).
One night God sent Joseph a dream and in this dream, he and his brothers were binding sheaves of grain, when all of a sudden, his sheave arose and stood upright, while his brothers sheaves gathered around his and bowed down to it. The dream showed him he would one day rule over his brothers. So when he woke from that dream, he immediately shared it with excitement with his brothers, who not surprisingly did not share his enthusiasm and they hated him even more. Then he had another dream in which the sun, the moon and 11 stars bowed before him, representing his father and mother and 11 brothers. When he shared this dream, even his father was offended. (Genesis 37:5-10).
So his older brothers went out to feed the flock. Jacob told Joseph to go and see how his brothers were doing. So Joseph went searching for his brothers and finally found them but when they saw him coming from a distance they said “Here comes that dreamer! Let’s throw him into a pit and say a wild animal devoured him, than ripped off his coat of many colours and threw him into a deep pit to die. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” So when he came, they grabbed him, ripped off his coat of many colours and threw him in a pit. (Genesis 37:19-23).
Pacifism in the early Church
Pacifism:
The principal support for the view that the Bible advocates pacifism comes from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:39-44, He states:
But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
In addition, in Luke 6:27-35, from Christ’s sermon on the plain:
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. And just as you want men to treat you, treat them in the same way. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
John 6:15:
Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
Mathew 26:50-52:
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
Walk with New Heart Vision
Lately I felt that one of my greatest wishes is to have everything I say or do or even think coming right and unfiltered from my heart.
I’ve grown quite confident in that wish, because I feel that the promise given in Ezekiel 36:26 becomes my reality:
“But… I mean… what happens when I forget to make this choice one day? Would I be ignorant then to the Spirit? Isn’t this really another religious rule to apply?” – Well, yeah. If you put it this way it kinda is. Which brings me back to my wish uttered in my introduction. It is also a prayer:
God, change my heart
and let me be so fully aware of it
that I can not live any other way
than out of the vision
I have through my new heart of flesh.
Until I see that this has also become my reality, I choose to follow – everyday.
Focus
Oh well, here I am writing again, although I’ve wanted to post something days ago. I just have so much going on in my head that I find it hard to write coherent texts. Focus…
In times like these I tend to be content with shots of wisdom. Tiny relevations shoving my heart and mind into some direction. However, I realize now that this is not enough. This is what most people are open to (to get changed a little bit… you know), but it leaves me in between finding importance in my day-to-day life and at the same time wanting to have a greater impact on the world. In conclusion I change nothing really.
The truth is it’s not one or the other: It’s changing your day-to-day life so that it can change the world!
Focus… sure, there are more things you want to see changed, but there is only so much time and resources you are given. Use it wisely and effectively. If you feel there are more time and resources needed – get more people on board!
That’s how it’s done. Choose your path – wholeheartedly.
And remember that major changes in your day-to-day life cause major changes in the world.
I guess this is what I’ve had on my heart today. My next post is going to be more spiritual/biblical – I promise, haha!
Be blessed!
The author
Micael Grenholm, a Swedish charismactivist, apologist and author.
A Living Alternative
God vs Inequality
Charismactivism 