Thesis
Pastor Mulenga Chella's testimony traces how God prepared him for fruitful ministry through unjust imprisonment in Tanzania. Wrongfully jailed for over two years, he learned that life is an opportunity God gives us to love, serve, and honor Him — even toward those who have wronged us. By obeying Matthew 5:44 and caring for the very man responsible for his imprisonment, he experienced God's peace, saw his enemy converted, and was ultimately released. His message calls every listener to surrender — whether that means receiving Jesus, forgiving an enemy, or obeying a specific call — trusting that what others intend for evil, God intends for good.
Key points
- 1
God uses painful and unexpected life experiences — including suffering and injustice — to prepare people for ministry and leadership.
- 2
Surrendering to God's will, even when it is frightening or costly, is the essential first step of obedience.
- 3
God's Word, read and prayed through daily, sustains, strengthens, and speaks to believers in the darkest circumstances.
- 4
Loving your enemy — not just in feeling but in costly, practical action — is a direct command of Jesus that opens unexpected doors.
- 5
Life is an opportunity God gives us to love, serve, and honor Him and others, regardless of our circumstances.
- 6
What God allowed through suffering He redeems for the saving of many lives, just as He did with Joseph.
- 7
God calls every person to some form of surrender — receiving Jesus, forgiving an enemy, sharing the gospel, or stepping into a specific calling.
Outline
Call to Ministry and the Prophetic Warning
Mulenga describes hearing God's call to ministry as a young man and receiving three separate, convergent warnings — from a seminary professor, a praying friend, and a televangelist — that he would be imprisoned in a foreign country. Initially resistant, he eventually surrenders to God's will in tears.
Arrest and the Horror of the Police Locker
Ten months after his surrender, Mulenga is deceived into traveling to Tanzania, where he is arrested alongside an international criminal. He is beaten and thrown into a filth-filled cell, where he cries out to God in confusion and grief — yet by morning leads his attackers to faith in Christ.
Life in the Main Prison and the Mentor's Example
Transferred to a severely overcrowded prison, Mulenga meets a godly man who had been wrongfully imprisoned since 1973 and had led over 40,000 men to Christ. The man's joy and perseverance stop Mulenga's complaining and inspire him to preach the gospel daily throughout the prison.
Loving the Enemy — The Turning Point
When the criminal who caused Mulenga's imprisonment attempts suicide and nearly dies, prison authorities advise Mulenga to let him die. Instead, guided by Matthew 5:44, Mulenga nurses the man for two weeks at great personal cost. In those dark moments God teaches him that life is an opportunity to love, and Mulenga experiences a deep, sustaining peace.
Release, Redemption, and the Ministry Born from Prison
The recovered criminal testifies in court that Mulenga is innocent, securing his release. Mulenga returns to Zambia, earns a full scholarship to Baylor University, and eventually plants Christ Life Church near a Zambian slum — launching schools, a girls' home, a feeding program, a medical clinic, a sewing cooperative, and a network of churches across Zambia and into India.
The Theological Reflection and Call to Surrender
Drawing on Deuteronomy 8:2-4 and Genesis 50:20, Mulenga explains that God used prison to humble, test, and teach him — and that his suffering has become the means through which many lives are being saved. He closes with an urgent invitation for every listener to surrender to whatever God is calling them to — salvation, forgiveness, or a specific act of obedience.
Memorable moments
Lord, I surrender to your will and your purpose for my life. Even if it means you want me to go to prison, Lord, I surrender
the Lord started teaching me that life is an opportunity that God gives to us. Life is an opportunity to love, to serve, to honor God and mankind
Lord Jesus, I love you. As I continue to care for this man, I'm doing it in obedience to your word. I'm doing it as an expression of my love for you. I love you
this man is an innocent man. He doesn't know anything about all my criminal activities. I simply carried him in the vehicle like an ordinary passenger
what you did against me, you intended it for evil, but god used it for good for the saving of many lives
Whatever the lord is calling you to, I want to encourage you to surrender to his will for your life
Application
Pastor Mulenga's closing appeal is simply this: surrender. He does not specify what that looks like for every person, because the shape of surrender is different for each life. For some it means receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior for the very first time. For others it means releasing a long-held grievance and choosing — at real personal cost — to forgive and even love an enemy. For still others, surrender means saying yes to a calling that feels too hard or too costly: sharing the gospel, going to another country, starting a church, or stepping into a season of discomfort that God is using to prepare you for something greater. Whatever that 'yes' looks like for you, Mulenga's testimony is the evidence that God meets people who surrender, sustains them through the suffering, and uses their obedience for the saving of many lives.
