The Sunday Mail
CHITUNGWIZA-based Glory Ministries commemorates its 14th anniversary from August 31-September 5. Its founder, Apostle Pride Sibiya, will be celebrating 20 years in ministry in an international convention dubbed “Footprints of the Legends”. In an interview with Tendai Manzvanzvike, Apostle Sibiya speaks about the need to bring together some of the older guys who have seen it all in ministry, to bridge the gap between the Moses/Joshua, and Paul/Timothy generations.
Q: The 14th Tiyambuke (Crossover) annual convention is a double celebration. What are you looking at this year, and what do you hope to achieve?
A: Tiyambuke International Christian Convention is an annual convocation of saints from the Sadc region meant to empower them through the Word of God. It is a reliving of the Exodus experience when Moses took the children of Israel from bondage to liberty. Life is lived in dimensions and we have to cross over into the next dimension or place of existence, “toyambukira kune zviri nane” (crossing over to better things or a fresh start). That is what Tiyambuke is all about.
This particular edition of Tiyambuke aims at bringing the older generation of Christian ministers and the younger and upcoming ones, so that there will be a bond, a synergy of the youthful ministers’ energy and zeal, and the older generation’s wisdom and experience in the Christian ministry.
Q: And the theme, who are these legends?
A: They include Archbishop A Gurupira; Prophet Blessing Chiza who is son to Archbishop Gurupira; Bishop Ngwiza Mnkandla, founder of Faith Ministries; Apostle Alfred Jaka; Evangelist Paul Saungweme; Apostle Alexander Chisango, a nation-builder and also my spiritual father. Of the confirmed speakers, we also have Apostle Mavis Gurupira, and yet to confirm is Professor Ezekiel Handinawangu Guti.
Q: What are “footprints” and “legends”?
A: In short, a legend is a person who against odds overcomes, or someone who does some remarkable feat in life that leaves a story to tell – a legendary story.
As they start, people say it’s not achievable, but that person through the Spirit of God takes the bull by the horns and moves and begins to do something, and after many years we look at them and say “maybe, these are people that we can follow, the heroes who made it against all odds”.
For me, these are legends because the biggest thing has to be the spiritual walk – the way they walked with God, the character built through that walk with God, whereby you look at them and you don’t hear about scandal-ridden lifestyles. They obviously have weaknesses, but you can see that they are striving to be more and more like Jesus. Apart from character, there is also their fruit, for the Bible says you shall know them by their fruit.
Footprints are marks left by the movement of a person or a thing. The prints are clear that it is easy to follow the person.
A print carries the identity of a person because no two people have the same print – meaning that a print tells us that someone once walked here, and that someone is traceable.
Legends can therefore be canonised based on their traceability, having overcome odds, keeping their integrity, towering as figures of influence who are worthy of our desire to continuously take a glance at their legendary life stories, to get inspired.
Legends are also champions in their right and most importantly, in their domains, like our President is a liberation war legend; Peter Ndlovu is a soccer legend; Ezekiel Guti is a spiritual legend; and, Oliver Mtukudzi is an entertainment legend.
The Christian legends in the Zimbabwean context suffered long years in the furtherance of the gospel and their names have sometimes been fogged in the dust of historical events, yet it is their patient persistence that has made this nation have over 75 percent of professing Christianity.
The spiritual atmosphere is now easier to penetrate, relative to years back, even in other nations. Today, God can raise a young preacher and within five years, they can command a 10 000-strong congregation. That is evidence that kune vakagobora tisati tauya and these must be respected.
Q: You are also celebrating 20 years in ministry. What has the walk been like and how do you connect with these legends?
A: The 20 years have not been an easy road. There were lots of challenges and set-backs in the ministry. A lot of things happened, yet we remained focused on God, always knowing that the devil is our enemy.
However, I must say the grace of God has taken us this far. We are saying Ebenezer, as we continue to enjoy the outpouring of His grace! The covering of my spiritual father and mother, Apostles A. and A. Chisango has also been central, together will my soul-mate, Anna Tendayi.
The celebration of this anniversary is married with this particular convention in that at 20 years in ministry, my sole desire, unlike when I was younger, is to genuinely influence humanity for the better. I have set my eyes on living a legacy, just like the legends, through investing in people. For me, at this juncture in my life, being legendary is about serving God through serving people.
Q: There is the controversy about spiritual fathers. What roles do they play? Is it necessary to have someone like this in one’s life?
A: A spiritual father is a spiritual covering on your life. Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:15 says: “Even if you had ten thousand guardians (teachers/mentors) in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.”
So, a person can only have one spiritual father. However, in life many fathers can be discerned. For example: God our heavenly and ultimate Father; the father who brought you to the knowledge of Christ; your biological father; substitute father who replaces your biological father (maybe a stepfather or foster father); father-in-law; father of a great movement like Abraham and others; spiritual father; and, every man or woman who is in your parents’ peer group.
Not everyone, not every minister, is a spiritual father, though all must have a fatherly heart. Fatherhood is a rare gift and blessing from God. A father is God’s extension of His ministry of love and the fatherhood of God on the earth.
According to Psalms, fatherlessness is a curse and Malachi tells us that if the hearts of fathers and sons do not come together again, then God will smite the earth with a curse. It is a blessing to be fathered. Life and ministry are not easy, therefore we all need people who speak into our lives.
Q: What message should people expect from these legends?
A: We are not looking for any new revelation, but just to follow in their footsteps. But obviously, they will bring a parental message to the body of Christ.
Proverbs 1:8 will be lived out: “My son hear the instruction of your father and forsake not the law of your mother.”
We did not give them topics. We felt that these are fathers to us, and we can’t give them limitations. But for the afternoon sessions, we have extended invitations to pastors and church leaders so that these legends will speak to them, and I believe that they know what to say to the younger generation.
I also hope that they teach young people not only to see ministry as a gifting, but as character – the character of Jesus Christ. We believe that as fathers, they will be speaking to sons.
I am a testimony of that father/son relationship. I started preaching at 17 and was very serious about it. Now I am 37. The past 20 years have not been easy for me, but what has kept me is the Word of God, the voice of God.
I feel that God spoke to me and whatever I encounter in life, I hold on to what God has spoken. And, the third thing that has kept me going is the issue of submitting to those that have pioneered this because I sit down with these greats and they tell me, “son, if you want to overcome you must do this,” and I listen to their words of counsel.
Q: So, they provide you with spiritual covering?
A: Yes, they do! But God is our ultimate Father. I believe that God has also released grace among earthly figures that become an example to us. When you see them overcoming, it’s a greater inspiration because we want to see the Bible lived out in our days.
So, I believe that when we submit, we are covered. I’ve been married for the past 11 years. There was a time when we hit a rock in our marriage, and both of us felt that it was not going to work. But because of these guys, we went and submitted and they taught us what marriage means. Since then, we have been enjoying our marriage.
Many people say experience is nothing, but you cannot substitute it. These fathers and mothers are people that have experienced that. At some point, they fell. So, they have something to say in our lives. They can teach us not to take a certain path lest we fall. This is the importance of fatherhood and I believe in that.
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