Dr Möller senior, a previous president of the AFM church of South Africa, said that demon possession is not the church’s biggest problem (although Christians in Africa may experience it differently). His argument was that when a demon manifests in a person, a Christian sees it and then rebukes it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. A greater danger for the church however, is the world’s philosophies (world views) that enter the church unseen and undermine the truth of the Bible and Jesus.

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In essence, the philosophies of the world are antagonistic towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their root is rebellion against God. According to Desmet – professor of clinical psychology at the University of Gent – our world’s biggest threat and the root of our problem lie in our delusional belief that the essence of life (the mystery of life) can be produced and understood by our own rational thinking. It is this dominant rationalistic and materialistic view of the world that many scientists of our time (e.g., John Lennox – mathematician, bioethicist & Christian apologist; Iain McGilchris – psychiatrist & neuroimaging researcher; Mattias Desmet) believe, that should it remain unchallenged, that Western civilization may collapse.

It is our responsibility to challenge this world view on multiple fronts, such as a scientist speaking truth to their own kind, or theologians speaking truth about God, Jesus, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. And then there is also “over the garden fence” or “at the coffee table” where it should be challenged. Hoekendijk argued that this last-mentioned area might be very powerful in changing world views as it is communication that does not have to penetrate through an ideological barrier to be relevant – it comes, so to speak, under the radar.  It is real-life God-stories delivered over the garden fence or at the coffee table, stories that honestly and spontaneously tell of what God did for me and my family. These heartfelt true encounters are very powerful (to my mind potentially the most powerful) in challenging this prevalent materialistic and rationalistic world view for different reasons, such as:

  • it takes place mainly in interpersonal contact (heart-to-heart);
  • they often arise in moments of conflict, crisis, and anxiety (on hearing of someone’s  loss you tell your story of how God helped you in a similar situation), but importantly…
  • it contains hope – it is not an introspective session where you take your own pulse (how are you feeling?), and therefore…
  • it is very effective to change, or at least influence, opinions (such as an exclusive rationalistic/materialistic view of the world), and
  • it fosters true relationships as it makes us connect on a very personal and real manner.

These are truths and events created by God himself with original God-given content.  ATS has compiled a compilation of these real-life stories that we also call “soft wonders” (refer to the book “Ordinary People: to think anew about revival”).  These are stories (right brain images) that a family: father, mother, and children, or a home cell group can read or listen to, and reflect on.  These are stories that will give hope and challenge the materialistic and rationalistic world that wants to suck the very life out of our souls. These stories resonate with the words of the old song:

“It is no secret what God can do,

what He’s done for others, He will do for you…”

These stories have been recorded in English and Afrikaans.

We hope you enjoy these stories and may God bless you and your family.