This note is written as part of the weeklong 7 Nights of Possibilities Programme taking place at RCCG National Headquarters with the theme: Surpassing Surprises. Please join us.
The Music stopped and the preacher mounted the pulpit – a make shift wooden platform, and began to preach ferociously to the large crowd that had gathered. It was in the town of Gadara near the Sea of Galilee. The crowd was surging forward; it seems they were more interested in seeing the preacher than hearing what he had to say.
Someone asked, ‘is he not the demoniac that lives at the cemetery?’ another answered ‘it looks like him, but how can that be?’ He was madly mad! As I listened, he told the story of how he became mad and was fully possessed by thousands of demons. How he was tormented to cut himself with sharp stones, the sleepless nights, the nightmares etc.
So he is the popular demoniac after all, but how come he is fully cleaned, properly dressed and preaching? He said he met a man coming from the Sea of Galilee, he was a Rabbi, or so it seemed, with his disciples.
In his own words he said “for a moment I went forward to attack him as I would do to every man that crossed my kingdom, but I don’t know what came over me, in a flash I saw that He was the Son of the Living God. All the demons in me were terrified at His presence, they bowed - I bowed, and cried for mercy. All he said was “come out of him” and all the demons inside of me fled, I became sober in an instant. All of you listening to me, if you believe in Him, this Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah that is to come, you will have all your problems in this life solved and you will find eternal life”
Many believed that day and regretted that they had sent Jesus away from their land for sending the demons into their herd of swine which drowned in the Sea of Galilee. They longed for the day he would come again. Others went in search of Him. The preacher quickly finished his sermon and moved to the next town in the 10-city territory of Decapolis. He was eager to tell of his surprised encounter with the God of Surpassing Surprises. The popular mad man of Gadara became the popular preacher in the Decapolis. What a surpassing Surprise our God can give.
This same Jesus is about to surprise you even as you read this. Lift up your voice to Him and say “Father, surprise me with your deliverance right now in Jesus name”
I went on in my journey and came to the City of David. As I walked about I saw a crowd gathered and they seemed to be arguing among themselves and dragging a middle-aged young man along. As I came close I heard some say “he is the one” others said “no he is not”, a few said “it looks like him but we can’t be sure”.
Upon further enquiry I began to fix the pieces of the story together. There is a man known to have been born blind, he normally begs by the way side. He was however sighted close to the Pool of Siloam walking and seeing clearly or so it seems because some in the crowd argue upon their Father’s graves that it is not him. The man himself said to me “don’t mind them, I am the one, I used to be blind, but this morning a man I don’t even know met me where I sit to beg and then he put something like clay on my eyes and asked me to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. People around me said his name is Jesus from Nazareth, they urged me to do as he said. I just gave it a try and to my greatest surprise – as I washed the clay from my eyes, I could see for the first time in the 40 years of my life.”
Well then let’s accept his testimony, but the crowd will have none of it, so they dragged him to the Temple and handed him over to the priests, his parents were invited and all testified that he was their son that was born blind. They told him Jesus was a sinner and could not do such surpassing surprises, the man was adamant because no theology or threat could change the fact that Onise iyanu which is by interpretation - Miracle Worker; had met him and surprised him with a miracle.
I prophesy to every reader of this message that, a miracle that will surprise everyone around you is on your way right now in Jesus name. Lift your voice to God and say “Lord Jesus, please give me a surprise that will surpass everything anyone has seen before in Jesus name”
Time will fail me to tell you of my encounters with this God of surpassing surprises. I would have told you of when He opened the Red Sea for His people to walk on dry ground. And when their enemies pursued after them, the waters closed them in and drowned them all. If you don’t know why the civilisation of Egypt was lost, I tell you it was because most of their men of renown either died in the plagues or were drowned in the Red Sea! This God will surprise both you and your enemies. Lift your voice to God and say “father, please give my enemies the kind of surprise you gave Pharaoh in Egypt in Jesus name”.
The Surprise packages of the Almighty God come in different shapes and sizes. He surprised Israel and Goliath of the Philistines with teenage David and his sling. He surprised Israel in the wilderness with manna for 40 years. He pleasantly surprised Hannah with Samuel, Elizabeth with John the Baptist. Money in the mouth of a fish was a surprise for Peter.
My surprise package will surpass everything you have ever seen or heard! This week it will show forth. If you also believe that for yourself then open your heart with faith and great expectation. Pray and don’t stop until you are pleasantly surprised beyond measure.
Welcome to your season of Surpassing Surprises!
