Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el, mishpachah and friends of Yah'shua (Jesus). I hope the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) is strong in you and that you have come hungering and thirsting for an even greater infilling.

Yesterday I got to thinking about all the different ways people I have known were raised, and how those who were raised in Christian homes have all been given different 'starts' to their spiritual life. Listening to the late Leonard Ravenhill highlighted for me just how different all of our beginnings in Yah'shua (Jesus) are, and whilst there are things we all share in common regarding our Christian or Messianic upbringing (like growing up in the West, or in a Western-influenced country), there are nevertheless enormous differences in the way our parents saw the Besorah (Gospel), how they put different emphases on different things, and perhaps even neglected things we take for granted as 'natural' or important now.

I was listening to the late Leonard Ravenhill relate the story of his upbringing in England in the first years of the 20th century. Just hearing him tell of his encounters with luminaries of the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905, and the even earlier one of 1859, of his encounter with Smith Wigglesworth and Charles Stud (the missionary to China) made me realise how very, very different my own experience was growing up in a nominal Christian household in the Far East.

How wonderful, I thought, that Leonard Ravenhill had a father who was on fire for Messiah, a man with a passion for prayer and evangelism, a passion that inevitably impacted his son so greatly, setting him on course for a successful mission as an evangelist. And we may at times be tempted to wonder why was we born in such-and-such a household, with such-and-such parents. Why? And I am sure we have all wished at times, especially if we have come from disadvantaged homes that were unhappy, that we had been brought up differently with more 'Christian' parents under happier circumstances. We may be tempted to think that all is random, that there was never any purpose.

The truth is, we were born into our several circumstances in order to develop godly personality traits through struggle and to help those in our generational lines break out of bondage. The truth is, we are not just here for ourselves. And even if you were to randomly gather a hundred Christians and Messianics off the streets you would find a tremendous range of childhood experience. I also believe, one day, when Yahweh explains everything to us, we will be greatly surprised, filled with wonderment, at the wisdom and brilliance of it all.

Now I admit that, listening to Ravenhill, part of me wished to very much to have had a father on fire for Messiah, someone who could have taught me the Besorah (Gospel) at a tender age by precept and by example, someone who could have taught me to pray, someone who could have enthused me by just being around him. And I don't doubt that some of my children have wished for better things of me. Neither of my parents were religious, my father was an agnostic, and my mother a very traditional and nominal Anglican who had dabbled in far too many unkosher spiritual things in her journey through life, and acquired far too many superstitions and untruths as the result of her travels through, and exposure to, the cultures of India and the Far East. And yet - and this is the important thing - Yahweh chose the kind of start I had in life with a purpose, a start some people like the Ravenhills of this world might consider disadvantageous but which others - knowing only heathenism, or abuse, or starvation, or any number of negative things - could only dream of.

Now you could, as I know some do, approach these things in all sorts of different but unsatisfactory ways. Someone I once knew, who brought much grief into my life and family, was of the belief that we are rather like the seed that a farmer randomly casts onto the ploughed field of life, hoping for the best. With such a casual attitude it is not perhaps surprising that he treated people in much the same way, people left to muddle their way through all of life's complexities, its harshness, contradictions and sorrows. It can certainly seem that way at times. Yet if we are to believe the testimony of the Bible, we are led to understand that planet earth is the intersection point between two very different worlds indeed, one of which is chaotic, violent, cruel and repulsive, and the other orderly, kind, nurturing, beautiful and delightful. The reason it is often so hard to make sense of things is precisely because two mutually exclusive existences somehow interlock like the antlers of fighting stags in a struggle for dominance and survival. So much of our time is necessarily devoted to keeping alive and out of harm's way.

If you have a philosophical penchant, as by now you know I do, it is difficult not to ask hard questions. The Queen of Sheba certainly did (1 Ki.10:1,3; 2 Chr.9:1-2). Most people seem content enough to stick around in the crowd and just muddle their way through life, trusting the herd (and therefore the herd-masters) to get it right for them. And, of course, that's never a solution to anything beyond the most primitive urge to find safety in numbers. Sadly, herds are easily manipulated, easily coralled, and easily slaughtered too. It takes courage to leave the herd and strike out into uncharted territory. Abraham did it. Moses did it. The first apostles did it. It required a lot more resolution and effort of them, and a lot more suffering, a lot more dealing with unforseen challenges, but also the exhilarating satisfaction of having overcome everything opposing them, in the certain knowledge that there was that 'other' world to sustain, guide and strengthen them, that other world that beckons us to leave the herd and join an everlasting family where every need is met.

So it is never a wise thing to regret our beginnings, or birth circumstances, because to do so is to question Yahweh's wisdom in starting us out that way. And what are His reasons? To force us, by prior agreement, to struggle and overcome, and in so doing help others do the same. Whether we struggle or not is, of course, entirely our choice. We can, if we wish, choose to drown in the herd and risk getting trampled. And yes, the herd tramples when it panics, as it will panic and trample when the collapse starts. To struggle is not a bad thing and it is a mistake to think otherwise.

As you get older, and look back with hindsight, you begin to realise how Yahweh's planting of your life in family, country, culture and time period, was necessary. Do not suppose that the likes of Ravenhill had it easy, for they did not. His was an extremely poor family but I don't think that he ever considered that to be a disadvantage. The vetinarian, James Herriot, who began practicing in pre-war Yorkshire, England, and got to know the local people very well indeed, made the interesting observation that those people more remote from the main centres of social interaction, isolated as they were geographically in an age where there were no computers, iPhones, and very few landline telephones, the more generous and real they were.

There is a charming account in his book, If Only They Could Talk, of a family in a remote place in the Yorkshire Dales, who were about the most genuine, laidback and unhurried people you could hope to meet, relaxed in manner and character, and quite worried about other people's behaviour or about things that needed to be done. Coming as I do from a very overpopulated 'hurried' place in England to a very spread-out and laidback place in Sweden, I can appreciate this. Herriot was all stressed out being with these people, to the point that he nearly had a nervous breakdown, because he was initially unable to tune in to their lifestyle. I do emptahise with Herriot because I used to be a lot like him myself but years in the Norwegian and Swedish wilderness have taught me the value of the 'other way' too. In reality, if we are to both survive and thrive, we must come to learn multiple ways of being.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that 'disadvantage', as viewed through the lenses of one community, often turns out to be an advantage when viewed in another. Hindsight can, of course, teach us a lot of things, but how much more efficient and satisfying is it if we can learn to trust with an eye of emunah (faith) those things for which our flesh demands evidence before we will act. Abraham did not ask for a roadmap out of Mesopotamia to Canaan. He just set off in emunah (faith). So did Moses and had to learn to switch from living as a pampered prince to living out all the challenges of being a poor, peasant herdsman in Midian. The great men and women often had to experience this kind of contrast. David certainly did, and remained very much a 'people's king' because of his humble beginnings as a shepherd. Solomon's supreme disadvantage was that he was born with the proverbial 'silver spoon in his mouth' and yet that was the life Yahweh chose for him with all its challenges and obstacles to overcome. As you read his book of Ecclesiastes, you soon realise the hell he went through in having to see through the illusiory benefits of wealth and living for his fleshly appetites.

To be successful and content in the midst of struggle, you must acquire an eye to spirituality. If you have started your live at a seeming advantage - by whatever criteria you personally use to measure 'advantage' - understand that such measurements in the eternal perspective rarely match up with the reality of the spiritual sphere from which we came and to which we are called to return. It all depends what kind of 'advantage' you are seeking, and what it is you prioretise in life is. One thing I guarantee is this: you will be greatly surprised - you will marvel, be filled with wonderment - as you glimpse into the ways of our Elohim (God), both as you look back from experience and as you look forward with emunah (faith).

I have titled today's sermon, "Do Not Be Surprised", because those are the words given to me by the Ruach (Spirit) as I sat down yesterday evening as I asked for direction in what message I should give to you today: 'Do not be surprised'. In other words, if you had trusted Yahweh from the beginning, you would not have been so negatively surprised as you have been, or are, or will be, because of a lack of emunah (faith). Being surprised is integral to life. We are surprised both positively and negatively through good and bad experiences, respectively. So what does it mean to be 'surprised'? And why is surprise such a 'human' thing?

Surprise causes us to feel amazement or wonder. We are surprised when something happens unexpectedly or suddenly. We are surprised by all sorts of things, and not just us, but animals too, whether it is of the unpleasant variety because of the sudden danger caused by a predator, for example, or a pleasant surprise when the anjimal's master gives it a treat to eat. We get surprised because we are not prepared for something, when things unexpectedly happen that we may, or may not, like. Life is full of surprises - literally because none of us can be prepared for every eventuality. Surprise is so important that Yahweh wants us to experience it - negatively, as part of life course corrections; positively, in discovering how good He really is in this world of contradictory realities that intersect resulting in skirmishes to outright warfare. Surprise is important because it is integral to spiritual growth. It is part of the way we learn. And the way we react to being surprised will determine whether our hearts and spirits expand or shrink. That's the bottom line: will you choose to grow or shrivel up? Will you get up and try again or just give up?

Now maybe some of you don't like surprises. Maybe you would just prefer a quiet life with nothing much happening. Maybe you just like to drift aimlessly, going with whatever current grabs your boat...until you get carried out to see. I learned my lesson not to 'drift' when, as a boy growing up in Malaysia, I went to sleep on an inflatable rubber raft and woke up to find myself about a mile away from the shoreline and being circled by a shark! Most people like pleasant surprises but none that I can think of like unpleasant ones. So there it is.

Let's see what Yahweh gives us advance warning about, let's see what instruments He supplies to us in helping us navigate life. I mentioned Solomon, the one born into opulence who very foolishly decided to allow sensual pleasure to overwhelm his capacity for spirituality. Here's an example of something we all grapple with. The question is: how do we respond to it?

"If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still" (Eccl 5:8, NIV).

Does injustice upset you? Here's a reason it exists. And Yahweh tells us, though Solomon, not to be surprised. There is injustice because people are willing to make compromises with unrighteousness in order to defend their position in society. If you want to resist injustice, there is usually a heafty price to pay. Then you face choices - do you become a militant revolutionary, as so many have done, and do, and will continue to do, thereby fuelling more injustice in the long run? Or do you seek out Yahweh's way for dealing with it? Like most people who get upset by injustice, both because it has been served out to me in large dollups, and because I see it being served out to friends, I have been idealistic and fervent about wanting to do something about it. It has taken me a long time to realise that injustice is here to stay so long as there are fallen, unredeemed people on this earth.

I have fought for a number of causes in my time. I have fought, as a member of Friedenstimme, for persecuted Baptists in the former Soviet Union. I have fought for the unborn. I have fought to the righting of historical injustices (such as the fate of the Prussian people) and have always been drawn to the underdog. And I continue to fight for family justice and against the cruel social services systems that are run by some very evil people, especially here in Sweden. I have had to be selective because there is a limit to how much one can do. I long ago abandoned any thought that acquiring political power would do much good, because most politicians have been utterly corrupted. So you have to be selective - you only have so much time in the schedule of the many responsibilities that Yahweh requires of us - and be led by the Ruach (Spirit). And sometimes, however heart-breaking, we must simply walk away from some injustices because we have other callings, or it's beyond our hands-on capacity to help. So, yes, I have been greatly 'surprised', mostly negatively, by the injustices in this world. This is not a happy world, and whilst we can, and ought, to do something to help alleviate the suffering caused by injustice, it usually has to be very selective. We have to bear in mind that this world won't be reformed, that we are travellers passing through, but that we must help those in need, as we are able to, whom Yahweh intersects into our lives.

Nicodemus was surprised what Yah'shua (Jesus) told him he had to be born again:

"Do not marvel (be surprised) that I said to you, 'You must be born again'" (John 3:6-7, NKJV).

Yahweh's solutions are radical and so very different from the world's way of doing things. People would rather not be reborn because it first means dying to the flesh's way of doing things, and we would be far rather do thyings the way our peers do so as not to appear 'strange' or 'different'. But that is not an option for believers. One of two of my closest friends have been made in fighting for righteous causes for in doing things Yahweh's way, people are drawn to find out more about what makes us tick as Christians or Messianics. I have sometimes wondered about one or two of the causes I have been involved in (like my involvement in Prussian affairs) but these have often resulted in some very fruitful opportunities to witness. In fact, He told me a long time ago that there was a reason I was called to minister to these people.

There are divine and human solutions to every issue, to every problem, to every injustice. Yahweh's ways frequently surprise us, so take this as a forewarning. If you think according to the fleshy nature, you will get lots of unpleasant surprises. There are, as I have said, two totally and diametrically opposed realities, and we have to get onboard with the right one. That will both surprise and horrify our carnal self: "Love your enemies" and "pray for those who despitefully use you" (Mt.5:44) come immediately to mind immediately because our natural (and devilish) impulse is usually to bash the bad guts instead of trying to save them. Not so the way of the Ruach (Spirit). We are called to make the alternative, spiritual reality visible, and we can only do that by incarnating it.

Returning to upbringing for a second, sometimes we can be greatly surprised when Yahweh wants us to break the social conventions we were raised in, even if they were 'Christian', so-called. Take this example:

"Just then His talmidim (disciples) returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman..." (John 4:27, NIV).

How many of you think that your country is better than all others? How many of you look down with pride at other nations because they're 'different'? Now I am not, as you must surely know, saying you should compromise moral standards. Some nations and cultures have attrocious moral standards. I have lived in four. The issue at hand is any sense of personal, national, racial or ethnic superiority we may think we have. Yes, some cultures are more advanced than others in the moral sphere, but we are here not to condemn people for 'belonging' to one, but to elevate their awareness and standards, whilst making sure we have the appropriate guard rails around our own Torah values. There's a right way to do things and a wrong. We're not here to lower our standards in order to accommodate those with lower standards. We are ambassadors for the right way by demonstrating the right way by our lifestyle.

Peter said:

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12, NIV).

"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you" (1 John 3:12-13, NIV).

"You, brothers, are not in darkness so that this ... should surprise you like a thief" (1 Thess.5:4, NIV).

Quit living in the mindset of darkness. Live in the light so that you are not surprised by all the evil round about! Acknowledge its reality. See things from Yahweh's perspective. Now I realise learning how to do this is all part and parcel of the spiritual maturation process, and that's fine. We must all grow up. We must all leave fleshy thinking patterns behind and learn to live in the Ruach (Spirit) but we can only do that by cultivating the Ruach (Spirit) and dying to the flesh. We will be in for a lot fewer unpleasant surprises if we commune with Yahweh and saturate ourselves with His Davar (Word) and prayer because He forewarns us what is coming and what to expect. That is why we must be born again because then we are given a prophetic eye to see things as they really are, and what we can and cannot, should and should not, do.