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LOUIE GIGLIO

Sharing Godly science with children

Real Life Real People Real Christianity

The WAR for our YOUTH

Volume 29 Issue 01

...why creation still matters

Do you make excuses when God calls?

Symbols of the

HOLY SPIRIT

Godly Responsibilities of

HUSBANDS & FATHERS Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount

Farewell Reinhard Bonnke January 2020

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CELEBRITIES PROCLAIMING FAITH IN CHRIST

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CLOSED VIETNAM HEARS THE GOOD NEWS “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” – Isaiah 40:30

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Celebrities Coming To Christ

CONTENTS

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Interview with Louie Giglio

PRINTERS CTP

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JOY! Magazine seeks to serve the whole Body of Christ and therefore does not necessarily subscribe to all the views of its contributors.

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COVER PHOTO Kanye West:

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How Should We Respond To Celebrities Coming To Christ?

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DESIGNER Marina Hofmeyer

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PRODUCTION MANAGER Gillian Fraser

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GENERAL MANAGER Gawie de Lange

Issue 01

Why Creation Still Matters

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EDITOR Erin Georgiou

Pe a

Volume 29

17 30 32 38 48 52 60 66 68 72 74 84

Test Your Bible Knowledge – Fun Quiz Interview With Louie Giglio The War For Our Youth – Why Creation Still Matters Symbols Of The Holy Spirit Evangelism Resources For The Church – Barleyfield Ministries Keep On Growing In Personal Holiness Faith Is Taught Not Caught Worship God, Not Your Ancestors – Part 3 Pastors Need A Firm Biblical Foundation The Godly Responsibilities Of Husbands And Fathers Why Did God Allow Polygamy In The Bible?

An Age Of Global Discontent – Lessons From The Sermon On The Mount

MISSIONS & TESTIMONIES: 22 34 64 78 80 82

Trapped: How God Miraculously Saved My Life Khanyisa Ministries: Shining God’s Light To Broken People ‘You Belong And You Are Loved’ – Stories Of Hope Closed Vietnam Hears The Good News – FEBA Radio Offering Hope In The Midst Of Trauma – Open Doors SA Give A Goat To Refugee Christians In Uganda – Barnabas Fund

COLUMNS: 06 14 14 16 19 19 47 62 63 70 70 71

Editor’s Note Work Is Worship – Gillian Fraser Intentionally Grateful – Gawie De Lange God Has So Much More To Reveal And Share With Us – Andreas Kyriacou What Makes For A Good Year? – Tendai Chitsike Let God Use You This Year – Grant And Theunisina Neyt Owe Man Nothing But Love – Robbie Cairncross Letting Go Of The Past – Jews For Jesus Small Churches Vs Mega Churches – Nico Bougas Understanding Times And Seasons – Debbie Reddy Should Christians Suffer? – Audrey Hardy Violence Against Women – Pearl Kupe

REGULARS: 07 08 10 15 36 44 54 56 76 58

A Prayer For Those Seeking Reconciliation With God Is It Important To Know God? – Foundational Teaching Letters To The Editor JOY! Bible Fun – Wordsearch Characters Of The Bible: Nehemiah Excuses When God Calls – Nico Bougas The Altars Of Worship And Prayer – Siva Moodley Slaying Dragons – Biblically Sound Spiritual Warfare Ask Val – Biblical Answers To Tough Questions Why Doesn’t My Faith Work? – Andre & Jenny Roebert

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Real Life

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Real Christianity

Vision JOY! Magazine seeks to glorify God by educating and informing Christians of a Biblical Worldview and applying the Lordship of Jesus Christ to all areas of life.

“I know your deeds.

See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”

– Revelation 3:8

T

he scripture above is my encouragement.

It is the word that the Lord gave me when I started this magazine. I felt so unqualified at the time, yet I knew that the Lord had called me and anointed me for this task. In my moments of doubt, I prayed and God so clearly gave me this verse to hold onto.

Now, 15 years later, I reflect back over the years and think about how time flies. I marvel at what our small, competent, and committed team achieve each month. We try hard to remain relevant to our vision (above) and we constantly pray for fresh ideas, contributors, articles, and topical news input. God is good and I thank Him for the privilege of being able to serve in the body of Christ.

We have shuffled the order of the magazine around this year and have placed our news and topical articles towards the back, bringing our evangelistic content closer to the front. Please let us know if you enjoy the new format!

Happy New Year!

God bless you,

Editor

Values Strive for excellence and integrity in all things • Provide interesting, accurate, and honest reporting at all times • Respect all Christian denominations • Encourage reader participation • Take personal responsibility • Always seek to unite the Body of Christ • Evaluate everything in the light of the Bible • Provoke readers to fulfil the Biblical mandate to be salt and light in society • Motivate readers to action • Be solution-focused

A prayer for those seeking reconciliation with God If you have come to see your need for a Saviour, and you long to be reconciled with God through His Son Jesus Christ, then pray this prayer now from your heart:

God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

I have come to believe that You are the only God, the maker of heaven and earth. I have come to believe that Jesus is your Son, that He is the judge of the living and the dead, and the Saviour of the world. I have also come to see my own guilt before You, and I long to be made clean. I believe that if You are willing, You can make me clean.

Jesus, I believe that you died on the Cross for me. There You were wounded for my transgressions, You were bruised for my iniquities; and the punishment for my peace was upon You. I have been like a lost sheep, I have turned to my own way, but I believe that God laid my iniquity upon You. You died for me. Then You rose from the dead, You ascended into Heaven, and are now seated on Your throne as Lord of all.

Jesus forgive me. I now turn away from my sin and put my trust in You. Fill me with Your Spirit, cleanse me, and take me as your own.

Amen As you seek a relationship with God, your next steps are very important, especially learning the foundational teachings of the Gospel. Barleyfield offers a free 5 Foundations course. Reach out to someone who is a Christian and do the course together.

You can register online: www.barleyfield.org

FOUNDATIONAL TEACHING

IS IT IMPORTANT Introduction to basic

TO KNOW GOD?

Christianity A

T

he dictionary defines a religion as “the service and worship of God or the supernatural.” So, Christianity is obviously a religion.

But what makes it different to any other religion? If the only thing separating it from other religions is a set of unique rituals, or a collection of unique buildings where Christians meet, then Christianity really does not have anything to commend itself at all. What then makes Christianity what it is, and why has it changed the lives of billions of people throughout the centuries? The answer is that Christianity is defined by its unique message. This message is called “the Gospel.” It is the good news that although all people are guilty of sinning and stand justly condemned, God – in His great love – became a man in Jesus Christ, fulfilling Jewish prophecy. On our behalf, He lived a perfect, sinless life. He then suffered the punishment for our sin through His death on the Cross, reconciling us to God. Three days later He rose from the dead, victorious over sin and death. God has ordained Him to be the judge of the living and the dead, and commands all people to repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

bout 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, a Jewish man named Jesus was crucified by the Romans at the request of the Jewish leaders. Jesus was famed for His remarkable miracles and the astonishing authority with which He preached. The night before He died, He had gathered a small group of His followers and shared what has come to be known as “the last supper” with them.

On that fateful night, many dramatic things happened Indeed that night He was betrayed by one of His own companions. And yet it was also on that night that He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

These words cut the heart of our question today As we ask, “Is it important to know God?”

we hear the words of Jesus, still ringing through the centuries, telling us that to know God is to have eternal life. What could be more important than that?

The only tragedy is to not know Christ The French poet Charles Peguy was an atheist until he was 35, but then came to faith in Christ and used all his gifts to exalt the One whom he had always rejected.

Within five years of his conversion, World War l broke out and Peguy was shot and killed. Sometime before he died, he said: "The only tragedy is not to be a saint.”

A genuine sense of hope Many sad things happen in this sin-sick world, but truly the only real tragedy is not to have eternal life. I have had the sad privilege of walking with a number of Christian families through the death of loved-ones, and I have seen how Christians can grieve with a genuine sense of hope. Peguy was right: the only real tragedy is not to be a saint, for the saints “know God” and therefore “have eternal life.” 

Friend, let me encourage you today, though you may never have given it much thought before, seek to know God, for God has promised “those who seek me diligently will find me.” – Proverbs 8:17 STEVEN JOHNSTONE is the founder of Barleyfield Christian Ministries. Visit www.barleyfield.org

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

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etters to the Editor

Write to us: editor@joymag.co.za – please keep letters to 150 words

Old age homes are not good enough I thank you for your magazine, I really enjoy it. I want to raise an issue and hope that people reading this will ponder on it. Why do we build and maintain old age facilities? Not all the places are grand and extravagant, but they cater for the elderly only. The residents were once providers of their own families.

They carried responsibilities, provided, and cared for their families – but now that they have grown old, there seems to be no place for them in the family circle anymore. They seem to be just in the way. The fact that they have so much wisdom, time, and love that they can invest into the family seems to be disregarded. They are sent to these ‘wonderful’ places called old age homes. In 1 Timothy Paul gives guidelines on this issue.

There are no such institutions as far as I can find out in the Eastern world. Even in Africa, the generations stay together because of the

bonding between them. I think the devil has outwitted the western world and robbed them of great wisdom, love, and blessings.

Katy Coetser SERIES Investigating familiar aspects of the Nativity Christmas nativity scenes are so familiar to us that it becomes difficult to read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth with fresh eyes. For example, we often picture the “manger” (Luke 2:7) where Jesus was born to be akin to a modern barn on a countryside farm, but the manger was most likely nothing more than a hole dug in the ground where animals fed. Similarly, we all know about the “three wise men” or “kings” (Matt 2:1), even singing a Christmas carol about them. But the Bible never says there were three. This comes from western church tradition, mainly because there were three gifts brought (Matt 2:11), thus assuming three men. But eastern church tradition says there were twelve men. This is why it is important to stick to Biblical facts and not run wild with speculative details.

rs of the Bibl e Characte

—by Dr. Victor Kuligin

E

very December Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth. Most of us are familiar with the events concerning His birth. The baby in a manger, the shepherds visited by angels while tending their flocks, the appearance of the three wise men, and many other scenes are indelibly marked in our minds. These

Israel, marriage took two stages. Betrothal was the first stage, somewhat similar to engagement today, and normally lasted a year.

The couple could not live together nor have sexual relations, but were legally considered married nonetheless. At that point, if they wanted to break up, it would require a legal divorce. The final consummation of the marriage was the second stage.

Falling pregnant out of wedlock

Consider the character & integrity of Jesus’ parents.

pictures come from the early chapters of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels. However, we rarely pause to consider the character and integrity of Jesus’ parents.

And even when we do, we almost always concentrate on Mary, Jesus’ mother, giving short shrift to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.

With this article, though, we will take a closer look at Joseph.

First-century betrothal Joseph and Mary were “betrothed” to be married (Matt 1:18). In first-century

Joseph and Mary were therefore in the betrothal stage. The angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Despite some consternation at how this could be possible, since she had not yet been with a man (v. 34), Mary faithfully acceded (v. 38). For this reason, she is rightly praised as a Godly woman. However, thought is rarely given to what Joseph must have felt through all this. After all, the woman pledged to become his bride had claimed to be a virgin, yet here she was, pregnant!

Cultural stigma Today, bearing children out of wedlock does not carry the stigma it once did in many societies. In first-century Jewish culture however, few things were looked down upon more. In fact, the Jewish law even stipulated that if a woman had claimed to be a virgin but after her marriage was found to have

lied about it, she should be stoned to death (Deut 22:20-21).

But Joseph was a Godly man. Rather than expose Mary to public shame, he intended to quietly break the engagement (Matt 1:19).

For this reason, God sent an angel to Joseph to calm his fears (Matt 1:20-21). Accentuating his incredible Godliness, we are told that Joseph married Mary but did not even have sex with her until Jesus was born (Matt 1:25).

necessary to avoid any confusion as to the origin of Jesus’ conception.

Bearing disgrace If the disgrace of premarital pregnancy were not enough, raising a child who everyone knew had been conceived before the wedding day was equally dishonourable.

While Joseph and Mary knew of the miraculous conception of Jesus, it is doubtful

What can we learn from Joseph?

Joseph was a remarkable man. In reading the Biblical chronology, it is clear that Joseph had already been told by Mary that she was pregnant before the angel came and spoke to him (Matt 1:18-19). He could have made a public spectacle of things. It was his right, after all. But Joseph put aside any hurt feelings he might have had. He did not seek to harm Mary, but rather to protect her. This is genuine, Godly love. Only afterwards did the angel tell him of the miraculous pregnancy.

God didn’t just willy-nilly choose a couple to be the earthly parents of His Son.

Selfless Joseph

that anybody else would believe such a story. Because the Biblical account moves so quickly through the early years of Jesus, we don’t get a sense for what it must have been like for Joseph and Mary. Were they ridiculed or scorned for their “obvious” sin before marriage?

Not only this, but Joseph determined to not have sexual relationship with his wife until after Jesus was born. This is most remarkable, especially to us who live in what often look like sex-crazed cultures. For a man to forego his right to sexual union with his wife is amazing. While we don’t know precisely why he did this, perhaps he felt that it was

Yet, Joseph and Mary faithfully raised Jesus according to the law of Moses, presenting Him in the temple and providing the proper purification offering (Luke 2:21-24).

Throughout the nativity accounts, we are told that the couple did whatever the Lord

Faithful to the covenant

14 JOY! MAGAZINE

Characters of the Bible - Joseph the father of Jesus.indd 3

commanded them to do (e.g., Matt 1:24; Luke 1:38), highlighting their consistent, faithful obedience.

On the run And yet, the trying circumstances were not over! Warned in a dream by another angel, Joseph was told to flee Israel and head to Egypt (Matt 2:13). We are told that Joseph arose that night (v. 14) and took his family away. His obedience was immediate.

But why flee? Wasn’t God capable of sending angels to protect baby Jesus and the family? Of course He was! But He chose rather to put Joseph and Mary through even more trying circumstances, perhaps to strengthen their faith further.

Being faithful Integrity matters. God didn’t just willy-nilly choose a couple to be the earthly parents of His Son. Clearly He chose individuals who had a solid faith in God and were willing to do whatever pleases Him. And while we may never be called to a similar miraculous calling as Jesus’ parents, we must strive to be nonetheless faithful in the smaller matters God entrusts us with.  DR. VICTOR KULIGIN is an international author and speaker who served as a missionary in Africa for 24 years. His latest book Meeting Jesus is published in South Africa by Christian Art. He can be reached at v_kuligin@yahoo.com

JOY! MAGAZINE 15

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Love your Characters series!

Thank you for the lovely ‘Characters of the Bible’ series. It’s a firm favourite in our home. I love the fact that it is short, yet so informative. It makes for easy reading, yet I know I will carry the knowledge into eternity.

One day we will meet all these wonderful

souls and let them know how they impacted our lives. I love Jesus and am very blessed.

Joyce

Searching for true Christianity in Africa I am searching high and low looking for true pastors and true Christianity. Wherever I go, I draw a blank. I believe any pastor who thinks poverty happens only among black Africans is a fake pastor. I am personally tired of those photos of a famous personality standing in the sea of black faces and calling that charity. Charity begins in our backyards, right in the congregation we are pastoring. The day I see white pastors with poor white people showing hospitality or charity towards them, then I will have found true Christianity. Many of us are in churches tithing, offering, and pledging – yet the churches do not have welfare for their own members. Jesus had compassion for His

Church Gossip

JOY! Humour —Anonymous

Irene – the church gossip and self-appointed monitor of the church’s morals – kept sticking her nose into other people’s business. Several members did not approve of her extracurricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his blue bakkie parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon.

She emphatically told George, and several others, that everyone seeing it there would know exactly what he was doing.

George, a man of few words, stared at her for a few moments and just turned and walked away. He didn’t explain, defend, or deny! He said nothing!

Later that evening, George quietly parked his blue bakkie in front of Irene’s house, walked home, and left it there all night!

10 JOY! MAGAZINE

Talk to your families about socialism!

JOY !

Real Life

Volume 29 Issue 03

I just love JOY! Magazine. Your October issue was jam-packed with the most interesting, topical articles that any reader could ever wish for. I especially enjoyed reading about the Socialism vs Capitalism issue. There is not enough discussion about this in families, yet it is invading our youth at a ridiculous rate. Most young people don’t really understand the damage that socialism has caused worldwide and will continue to cause if they are ignorant.

Many of our government leaders in South Africa were trained under a communist/ socialist worldview. It has become evident in the laws being passed. We need to talk about this in our homes. I appreciated that the magazine addressed it from a Biblical point of view as this can only back up and support our discussions. Well done.

Kevin Bagley

JOY! MAGAZINE

followers to such an extent that He took it upon Himself to sit them down and feed them from the little that was there. Today, the scriptures about giving and tithing have been twisted to benefit one person and his family. The Lord said we should bring our tithes so that there may be food in His house – the church. The tithe was eaten, enjoyed, shared by members of the church.

It was not monetary and accumulated no arrears! Why have a ‘pastors appreciation offering’ in a church without welfare for orphans and widows? Why do pastors take tithes from single parents, orphans, and widows when the Bible says you should share it with them? See Deuteronomy 26 and James 1:27. Why, pastors, do you stand before the congregation that tries to look after you in fulfilling the scriptures, only for you to tell them that you are rich? How could you be so insensitive? Give us true Christianity in Africa.

Sina Mhinga

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“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” – Lord Acton

I thought it was very bold and progressive for JOY! to publish the article ‘Was Jesus White?’. The headline caught my attention straight away and I was very pleased with the content of this informative article. I am coloured and have always been forced to accept, in my perception, that Jesus was a white man. Reading your article makes a lot more sense as Jesus must have been Arab and I can totally relate to this perception. I have never thought about it much before, but somehow feel I have been liberated and now can visualise ‘my Jesus’ with new eyes. I am made in His image and I love Him. He cares and provides for me and my family. I hope this article affected others as much as it did me.

Betty Carolus FEATURE

n much of Western art, Jesus is portrayed as having white skin and light hair. Is that what Jesus really looked like? If not, why is He so often portrayed that way?

Jesus’ appearance is of no importance

Artist: Vincent Barzoni

First, it is important to remember that the Bible nowhere gives a physical description of Jesus. The Bible does not say anything about Jesus’ height, weight, skin colour, hair colour, or eye colour. Such things are not important to understanding who Jesus is. The closest the Bible comes to describing what Jesus looked like is a non-detailed sketch of what Jesus was not like in Isaiah 53:2: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” Essentially, Isaiah 53:2 is saying that Jesus was ordinary-looking.

Nowhere in the Bible does it give a physical description of Jesus.

What about Revelation?

The description of the glorified Jesus having white hair and bronze skin in Revelation 1:14–15 should not be understood literally, unless you also believe Jesus has seven stars in his right hand, a sword in His mouth, and a face as bright as the sun (Revelation 1:16).

ture. Europeans portray Jesus as a European. Africans paint Jesus as an African. Asians illustrate Jesus in a way that makes Him look Asian. People prefer to picture Jesus as looking somewhat like them, or at least like people they are familiar with.

Is it wrong to do this?

Not necessarily As long as we do not allow our preferred image of Jesus to become an idol, there is nothing in the Bible that speaks against imagining Jesus looking a certain way. Jesus is the Saviour for “all nations” (Matthew 28:19; Galatians 3:8). No matter a person’s skin colour, race, ethnicity, or nationality, he or she can experience forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God through the crucified and risen Christ. The love of Jesus transcends skin colour. Having no physical description of Jesus, people naturally imagine the Son of Man to be like themselves.

Jesus was from the Middle East According to the Bible, Jesus was a Jew, in other words, a Hebrew or Israelite. Jesus lived in the Middle East and was of Semitic descent. As a result, He very likely would have had light- to medium-brown skin, brown eyes, and darkbrown to black hair. While Middle Easterners occasionally have light skin, comparable to that of Europeans, such skin tones are rare in that part of the world. Was Jesus white?

The answer is that He was very likely not white.

Artist: Munir Alawi

Artists portray Jesus as they want So, if Jesus likely was not white, why is He so often portrayed that way? If you examine artists’ portrayals of Jesus from around the world, you find that they often portray Jesus in a way similar to what people look like in that particular cul-

Artist: John Campbell

People prefer to picture Jesus as looking somewhat like them.

The Bible is intentional So, we should not be dogmatic in our preferred image of Jesus.

The fact that the Bible nowhere gives a physical description should serve as a caution against arrogance and presumption on this subject. What Jesus looked like does not really matter. His physical appearance has absolutely nothing to do with His being the Saviour of the world (John 3:16).  GOT QUESTIONS provides Biblical answers to tough questions. For more info: www. gotquestions.org

38 JOY! MAGAZINE

Was Jesus white.indd 3

Artist: Greg Olsen

I

The Bible does not say anything about Jesus’ height, weight, skin colour, hair colour, or eye colour.

Such things are not important to understanding who Jesus is.

Artist: Stanley Rayfield

Was Jesus White?

JOY! MAGAZINE 39

2019/06/11 11:55:27 AM

Was Jesus white.indd 4

2019/06/11 11:55:41 AM

How should a Christian view SOCIALISM ?

S

ocialism is a societal system in which property, natural resources, and the means of production are owned and controlled by the state rather than by individuals or private companies. A basic belief of socialism is that society as a whole should share in all goods produced, as everyone lives in cooperation with one another. Various theories of socialism have been put forward from ancient times, including a form of Christian socialism.

The vision of Karl Marx The most prominent philosopher to argue in favour of socialism was Karl Marx, who taught that the driving factor behind all of human history is economics. Marx was born to German Jewish parents in 1818 and received his doctorate at age 23. He then embarked on a mission to prove that human identity is bound up in a person’s work and that economic systems totally control a person.

Arguing that mankind survives by labour, Marx believed that human communities are created by the division of labour.

Capitalism is the opposite of socialism Marx saw the Industrial Revolution as changing the basic lifestyle of humanity because, in Marx’s mind, those who had freely worked for themselves were now forced by economics to work in factories instead. This, Marx felt, stripped away their dignity and identity, and now they were reduced to mere slaves controlled by a powerful taskmaster. This perspective made

the economics of capitalism the natural enemy of Marx’s brand of socialism.

Marx hated religion Socialism seeks to do away with private property. Karl Marx surmised that capitalism emphasises private property and, therefore, reduced ownership to the privileged few. Two separate ‘communities’ emerged in Marx’s mind: the business owners / the bourgeoisie; and the working class / the proletariat.

According to Marx, the bourgeoisie use and exploit the proletariat with the result that one person’s gain is another person’s loss.

Moreover, Marx believed that the business

The system of socialism is a clear contradiction of what the Bible teaches. owners influence lawmakers to ensure their interests are defended over the workers’ loss of dignity and rights. Last, Marx felt that religion is the “opiate of the masses,” which the rich use to manipulate the working class: the proletariat is promised rewards in heaven one day if they keep working diligently where God has placed them (subservient to the bourgeoisie).

No government is incorruptible In the socialism Marx envisioned, the people own everything collectively, and all work for the common good of mankind. Marx’s

goal was to end the ownership of private property through the state’s ownership of all means of economic production. Once private property was abolished, Marx felt that a person’s identity would be elevated and the wall that capitalism supposedly constructed between the owners and working class would be shattered. Everyone would value one another and work together for a shared purpose. Government would no longer be necessary, as people would become less selfish.

There are at least four errors in Marx’s thinking, revealing some flaws in socialism:

1

First, his assertion that another person’s gain must come at another person’s expense is a myth; the structure of capitalism leaves plenty of room for all to raise their standard of living through innovation and competition. It is perfectly feasible for multiple parties to compete and do well in a market of consumers who want their goods and services.

2

Marx was wrong in his socialist belief that the value of a product is based on the amount of labour that is put into it. The quality of a good or service simply cannot be determined by the amount of effort a labourer expends. For example, a master carpenter can more quickly and beautifully make a piece of furniture than an unskilled craftsmen can, and therefore his work will be valued far more (and correctly so) in an

economic system such as capitalism.

3

Marx’s theory of socialism necessitates a government that is free from corruption and negates the possibility of elitism within its ranks. If history has shown anything, it is that power corrupts fallen mankind, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. People do not naturally become less selfish. A nation or government may kill the idea of God, but someone will take God’s place in that government. That someone is most often an individual or group who begins to rule over the population and seeks to maintain their privileged position

Socialism ultimately seeks to eliminate the need for God in a society. at all costs. This is why socialism has led to dictatorships so often in world history.

4

Most importantly, socialism is wrong in teaching that a person’s identity is bound up in the work that he does.

Although secular society certainly promotes this belief, the Bible says that all have equal worth because all are created in the image of the eternal God. True, intrinsic human value lies in God’s creation of us.

God is the only one in control Was Marx right in saying that economics is

Socialism is not a Biblical model

Socialism, for all its popularity in some circles, is not a Biblical model for society. In opposition to socialism, the Bible promotes the idea of private property and issues commands to respect it: commands such as “You shall not steal” (Deuteronomy 5:19) are meaningless without private property.

Unlike what we see in failed experiments in socialism, the Bible honours work and teaches that individuals are responsible to support themselves: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” – 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

The redistribution of wealth foundational to socialism destroys accountability and the Biblical work ethic.

Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:14-30 clearly teaches our responsibility to serve God with our (private) resources.

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CAPE TOWN the catalyst that drives human history? No, what directs human history is the Creator of the universe who controls everything, including the rise and fall of every nation.

God also controls who is put in charge of each nation: “The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men” – Daniel 4:17. Further, it is God who gives a person skill at labour and the wealth that comes from it, not the government: “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labour in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God” – Ecclesiastes 5:18-19  GOT QUESTIONS provides Biblical answers to tough questions. For more info: www. gotquestions.org

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The Anglican Church’s BDS decision is disappointing I refer to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement approved by the Anglican Church where it is suggested that Israel and the Jews are no longer a relevant part of God’s plan, as they have been replaced by the church. Further, that the church has replaced Israel, and in doing so, has inherited the blessings promised to Israel.

How unfortunate that the Anglican Church “unanimously approved” a resolution to support the BDS campaign against Israel.

This movement is generally referred to as ‘Replacement Theology’ and has no place in God’s great plan for Israel in particular, as well as the future eternal Kingdom of God. Israel and the Church are not the same.

Israel is a unique nation, chosen by God to »

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fulfil His will and work in this world. Israel is a specific ethnic group descended from Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob, which is united by a covenant relationship with the Lord. This covenant made with Abraham is everlasting and unconditional – and it remains unfulfilled (at present). However, Israel is the only nation on earth that has this relationship. They have been chosen by God Himself out of all people who are on the face of the earth. Israel is called an elect nation. Because of Israel’s disobedience and unbelief, they have been temporary set aside in God’s great plan.

The Church, on the other hand, is distinct from national Israel. It is a new and different entity made up by believing Jews and Gentiles that came into existence on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Jesus said “I will build my church,” which is future tense.

The Church will remain on earth until Jesus comes. The Church is now representing God and His truth in the current age. The Church has been commissioned by Christ to carry the good news of His salvation throughout the world. However, this does not mean that God’s elect nation has been cancelled or replaced.

An unconditional covenant depends on God alone. He guaranteed that as long as the sun, moon, and stars existed, Israel would continue as a nation forever. One day, all of Israel will be saved. To conclude, Paul and other writers use “Israel” to mean ethnic Israel, that is, believing Jews within the nation of Israel. The church is simply not called Israel. Perhaps the Anglican Church should search the scriptures before clarifying theology on Israel.

Dave Griffiths

An anointed publication!

Blessings to the JOY! team. I love your magazine. It is very enlightening. I thank you

all for an amazing magazine, it inspires me to be a better Christian. I believe the Holy Spirit is in control of the entire magazine. I confess that I am lazy in reading my Bible, but I enjoy your articles as they help me understand the Word better and hunger me for Godly knowledge all the more. Bless you all and glory to God. Belinda Veldsman

Protect your children from the dark side of the internet Hi JOY! readers, please see the advice below on how to enforce online safety for minors when they search the web. There are three handy steps regarding how parents can easily enable Google SafeSearch.

Ivan Booth

Good news for parents is that Google has fine-tuned SafeSearch to make it more effective in blocking content unsuitable for children.

Google users can customise their SafeSearch settings and lock them with passwords. While all safe searching options can’t practically be presented here, this is how Google’s SafeSearch functionality can help filter sexually-explicit content from search results when properly-enabled on an internet browser:

1. Go to Search Settings.

2. Find the SafeSearch filters section.

3. To turn on SafeSearch, tap Filter Explicit Results.

4. At the bottom of the screen, tap Save.

Covenants, a misunderstood concept The most common example that we have today of a covenant relationship is that of a marriage covenant. It is a lifelong commitment. The God of the Bible compares His covenant with a marriage covenant.

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Here is God’s covenant with Abraham; in simple terms: Abraham, I promise to give a certain piece of land to your descendants forever. However, I expect them to obey Me. If they do not, the land will throw them out. At the end of days, I will forgive them and bring them back.

This was the only covenant that God made with a people group, according to the Bible.

The punishment for breaking it was severe – 2700 years banishment for the Northern Israelite Kingdom, 70 years for the Southern Kingdom of Judah, followed by another 1800 years of banishment.

The covenant through the Blood of Jesus Christ was never a covenant with a people group. It was a covenant available to individuals of all people groups through which those individuals’ sins could be forgiven.

While a person can be a member of numerous clubs or societies, a covenant relationship is an exclusive relationship. A person who is in another covenant relationship with other spirit beings – the gods of other religions, the spirits of secret societies, witchcraft, ancestor spirits, or anything of the sort – cannot also be in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ without first breaking off their previous covenant relationship. Yes, they can fake being a Christian or even a minister, but their sins can only be forgiven through a covenant with the Messiah.

What percentage of South Africans today are in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ? Twenty percent? Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant or the ‘renewed covenant,’ as some call it. Far more people have a relationship with a church. Baptism, or the minister, or the church itself by virtue of membership, has become the mediator instead. Jesus gets lip service only. Breaking God’s covenant has serious repercussions.

Henry Kirby *Letter shortened due to space constraints

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MEET THE JOY! TEAM Work is Worship

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id you know, the Hebrew word avodah is translated in the English Bible for both work and worship? Most people spend 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, sitting behind a desk or in an office. We are busy people, doing whatever we can to provide for our families. On average, you will spend more time at the office compared to time spent at home. You will spend more time with your colleagues than with your family. Unfortunately, often times work can become a burden. It can become the cause of stress and anxiety. It can become your priority, shifting your focus off God. But this is not what God has called us to do. He has called us to live a life of worship – this does not only mean in the good and happy times, but in all situations. We are to have an attitude of worship.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.” Instead of thinking, ‘Oh man, work is so tough at the moment,’ rather shift your focus and think, ‘Wow God, You have blessed me with a job that challenges me. Thank You for the opportunities that You provide.’ Working hard and being diligent are ways of honouring God. Working hard is giving an offering to Christ. It is sacrificing your time, your efforts. This means that your workplace is God’s place. It is where we get to express the compassion of Christ in word and deed. Remember, God has ordained your footsteps. He has placed you where you are, in the job that you are in, surrounded by the people around you. Some Christians are blessed to work in a Christian working environment, but the majority spend their days surrounded by unbelievers. Do you recognise this missionary opportunity? God has a plan for your life – you simply need to trust in Him and seek His guidance. And always, in all things, worship Him for who He is and what He has done for you. 

GILLIAN FRASER is the Production Manager for JOY! Magazine. She has a journalism degree from UCT, and a fiery passion for Christ.

Intentionally Grateful!

“Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” – Colossians 3:15-17, AMP

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s the New Year starts, most of us are reflecting on the past year and making plans for 2020. These are commonly referred to as our ‘New Year’s resolutions.’ Unfortunately, these resolutions don’t last – and before long, most of us are back to our old ways. The aspirations for that healthier lifestyle or stricter diet are, well, just a failed attempt. I have already heard friends and family say that they need a holiday to recover from the holidays – or that they are not rested and feel as if they are under immense pressure, even before the year is in full swing. As you read this, you may be feeling the same! Trapped in the rat race, answering endless emails, and trying to get ahead after the short break. I want to share a biblical secret to unlock a joyful heart and enter into God’s perfect rest – train yourself to be thankful. As the scripture above encourages, we have to fill our hearts and minds with spiritual songs (worship) so that our hearts can be filled with thankfulness. It has been psychologically proven that gratitude leads to a happier and more focussed life.

Let us start 2020 by intentionally being grateful for all that we have. Love God with all your heart.

I want to encourage you to: 1. Start each morning reading a verse on being grateful: Psalm 100:4, 1 Chronicles 16:34, and Psalm 118:1 remind us to be thankful and live with a grateful heart so our lives can honour God. 2. Take time in your commute to work to worship God. Sing His praises and watch your challenges become less intimidating.

3. Give thanks and be grateful in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18).  GAWIE DE LANGE is the General Manager of JOY! Magazine. He is passionate about sharing the message of Christ.

JOY! BIBLE FUN

WORD SEARCH MARK 1:1-8 MARK 1:1-8 J O R D A N J E Y A S S F

P U Y G N I Z I T P A B O

C M D K W A T E R V G N O

BAPTIZING

A O E E B T I E J D R O D

BAPTIZING CAMEL’S HAIR CLEAR CAMEL’S HAIR CLOTHES CONFESSED CLEAR DESERT FOOD

CLOTHES

M E C L I O S T A S I C A M H I K D Y E E A D U E S

L E A T H E R B E L T N E

S A Y I O T N U S M E T R

H R N T L S O G S H R I T

HOLY SPIRIT

FORGIVE GREATER HOLYISAIAH SPIRIT ISAIAH JOHN JOHN JORDAN JUDEA

JORDAN

A G K S Y U L O E V B E I

I O E I S C C L F R H D S

R N V A P O R L N P N V A

O M G J I G W Y I R L B D P H R O C N T E M Y O N D

PREACHING

LEATHER BELT LOCUST MESSENGER PROPHET PATH PREACHING SANDALS PROPHET SANDALS

U U R B I A P U J O H N A

S H O U T I N G O I S E L

T O F H J T H G I A R T S

SHOUTING STRAIGHT UNTIE WAIST WATER WILD HONEY

SHOUTING

CONFESSED

JUDEA

STRAIGHT

DESERT

LEATHER BELT

UNTIE

This word puzzle was crafted by Theresa Jones who is a local author.

JOY! MAGAZINE 15 Contact her on theresajones072@gmail.com

Preparing the head, head the heart and the hands.

God has so much more to reveal and share with us —by Andreas Kyriacou

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“Make your tent bigger. Open your doors wide. Don’t think small! Make your tent large and strong, because you will grow in all directions. Your children will take over many nations and live in the cities that were destroyed.”

– Isaiah 54:2-3

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he word of the Lord came to me recently while in prayer saying, ‘Son if you only knew how much I love you, and how much I value and care for you, you would never again have a bad day. You would never again be afraid, depressed, anxious, or stressed about your life or your future. People who are afraid, stressed, and worried don’t really know Me. They don’t really know how much I love them. They might be born again, but they have not experienced the depths of My love.’

Manifestation of God’s goodness

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I believe God’s message to the Church is very simple and precise as we embark on this year’s journey. He is simply saying that if we put away our small thinking – our words and deeds of unbelief – and open the doors of our hearts and minds wider and broader, we will see the manifestation and demonstration of God’s goodness on a scale that we have never seen before.

Time to stand up!

1974

2013

God has so much more to reveal and share with us – so much more to impart – if we could just receive it. The problem has never been with God giving, but with us receiving. We have been taught the Word, we have been prepared for years, and now it’s time to stand up, time to shine brighter and brighter in the midst of a darkened world (Phil 2:15). It is time for us to receive the fulfilment of those things that God has promised and spoken about.

Step into God’s light Church of the living God, hear the Word of the Lord and arise, come out of the shadows that you have been living in for so long, and step into His marvellous light. This is your time; this is your year!

Isaiah 60:1-3 NKJV Our Seminary is registered by the Department of Higher Education and Training for the qualification as shown on Certificate No. 2000/HE08/005

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” 

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FLAGS

GU E S S W

HO ?

See how many of these you can fill in before checking the answers on page 94. After you test yourself, try reading the questions aloud to a friend or family member and see how they do!

1. Who fell asleep during one of Paul’s sermons? _________________________________________________________ 2. Who recovered a lost axe? _________________________________________________________ 3. Which prophet asked the Lord to turn the sun’s shadow back ten degrees? _________________________________________________________ 4. Who was the first convert in Europe? _________________________________________________________ 5. Who was an eloquent speaker? _________________________________________________________ 6. Who had a school in Ephesus? _________________________________________________________ 7. Who was a wicked silversmith? _________________________________________________________ 8. Who sang when their backs were bleeding? _________________________________________________________ 9. Who asked God for wisdom? _________________________________________________________ 10. Who was attacked by three armies at one time? _________________________________________________________ 11. Who ridiculed Nehemiah? _________________________________________________________ 12. Who foiled an assassination plot? _________________________________________________________ 13. Who was hung on the gallows he had built to hang someone else? _________________________________________________________ 14. Who were Job’s comforters? _________________________________________________________ 15. Who was envious at the prosperity of the wicked? _________________________________________________________ 16. Who said, “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclear lips”? _________________________________________________________ 17. Who had a vision about a wheel? _________________________________________________________ 18. Who was cast into a lions’ den? _________________________________________________________ 19. Who married a fallen woman by God’s order? _________________________________________________________ 20. Who went for a ride in a fish? _________________________________________________________

Answers on page 94.

JUIG! TYDSKRIF XX JOY! MAGAZINE 17

TESTIMONY

Maureen’s 38 years at the pool of Bethesda —by Sophia Roman

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omething out of the norm happened on Saturday 28th September 2019. It was a beautiful day in the heart of Mitchells Plain, where Maureen and her husband Stephen live. Maureen had suffered excruciating pain in all her joints, bones, and in her spine for 38 years.

Pain was normal for her. She had been diagnosed with disintegrated discs in her lower spine. Her doctor had referred her to a surgeon as she needed an urgent operation to rectify the problem.

Too much pain to survive She was only able to move her upper arms to a certain height, but no sudden movements with any other parts of her body. She needed a neck brace. Her surgeon strongly advised surgery, but Maureen prayed and prayed and decided to manage the pain instead. She decided to learn how to cope with her situation. For years

“Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

– Psalm 106:1 she was bedridden and hardly managed to cook her daily food, which she had to do in stages so that she could take a break and get back into bed. Maureen’s bedroom became the place where she spent most of her life. Occasionally she managed to get to church, but would often leave early as she could no longer endure the pain.

Maureen

In sickness and in health Stephen has been her pillar of strength. His unwavering support

and assistance around the house has been invaluable. Stephen has stood by her side as he vowed to do: in sickness and in health.

Maureen had spoken to Stephen saying, “I would rather become paralysed on my own than having numerous operations paralyse me. I will not die of sickness, but of pain.”

Crying out to God Coming back to this Saturday, Maureen was proven wrong. As per normal, she woke up feeling sick and the pain was excruciating. She became so desperate for the pain to stop. Anger had built up in her, but she was not sure towards whom? She just had this deep anger and had enough of this suffering. In desperation she spoke to God as a child would a parent, “God, I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I serve the God who created heaven and earth. I serve and worship the God who became flesh and dwelt amongst man. I serve no other God and this body (pointing to her body) is the temple of that God. Now in the Name of Jesus I command that anything that is not from Jehovah to leave my body immediately and I ask you, God, that you deliver my body from anything that is not from You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

God is still in the business of healing The next day, Maureen sensed that something was not normal.

Her body felt different. It was Sunday morning and for the first time in 38 years she had no pain. God had honoured her faith.

She trusted Him and kept her eyes on Jesus, the Christ who is ever faithful. She was delivered from all her pain!

It has been 7 months now After 7 months, she can walk, jump, and do all her house work and other activities again. In fact, Maureen just returned from a tour of Israel where she walked every day. God is still in the business of healing. Hallelujah! What a story of hope, faith, endurance, and patience. God can do the same for you. 

SOPHIA ROMAN is a pioneer, visionary, and life transformation coach. Sophia and her husband Theo pastor the West Reach AOG Church in Mitchells Plain.

What makes for a good year?

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or those given over to a positive temperament, the new year brings a sense of optimism for the year ahead.

Conversely, for those among us on the ‘realistic’ side of things, it tends to produce the opposite reaction, as we think of everything that could possibly go wrong. Thankfully, we do not need to be enslaved to how we ‘feel’ about the new year. Over and above our natural inclinations, God offers us something more. Outwardly, things may get ‘better’ or ‘worse’ for us, but we would be badly mistaken to conclude that a good or bad year is based on outward factors like profit and acclaim alone.

We need a biblical perspective In describing the poor condition of much of the western world, Economist Brian Fikkert said the following: “We have greater material consumption than any people on the face of the planet throughout all of human history, and yet we are increasingly miserable. We need a biblical understanding of what success is and we need a biblical understanding of how to get there.”

Is God’s kingdom advancing?

Instead of our superficial assessments, we ought to look through the lens of God’s kingdom at work in us. Jesus spoke of a rich farmer who increased in wealth and had pleasant circumstances, but was not rich towards God. Conversely, people like Abraham and Sarah exercised faith for decades as they waited for a son from God. Outwardly, the farmer looked very successful and Abraham and Sarah quite the opposite. The message from Scripture is clear: Take a step away from human measurements as your ultimate guide. Decline the temptation to pursue the wrong treasure. On this different platform, if you can look back at the end of this new year and see God’s kingdom advance in and through you, it would make a good year, regardless of your outward circumstances or emotional temperament.  TENDAI CHITSIKE is the pastor of Every Nation Church in Grahamstown. Email: engrahamstown@gmail.com

LET GOD USE YOU THIS YEAR!

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elcome to 2020, a year filled with God’s plans, purpose, and blessing. There is something greater than merely surviving here on earth. We are running a race. Our race has a heavenly prize; eternity spent in the presence of God.

Philippians 3:13-14, NLT “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Reach out to those around you 2020 will no doubt have its challenges and victories, but press on there is a heavenly prize awaiting us who finish our race. Let our focus be on that prize. As we run our race, God brings people across our paths. These people are not hindrances or distractions.

They are opportunities for God to use us to love them by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in words and by our actions.

Let us focus and press on to reach the end of our race as we reach out to those around us!  GRANT AND THEUNISINA NEYT head up Evangelism and Fire Ministries.

Email: info@eandfm.org

Rest in Peace REINHARD BONNKE 19 April 1940 – 7 December 2019 A Legacy of Harvest

A tribute to one of the world’s greatest evangelists “Let my mortal lips preach the eternal Gospel, and my mortal hands build Your Eternal Kingdom – to the glory of the Father.”

– Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke

To honour Reinhard’s legacy, we are giving away 5 copies of his book,

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Email info@joymag.co.za to enter

20 JOY! MAGAZINE

TESTIMONY

TRAPPED How God Miraculously Saved My Life

—by Alvin Michie

Imagine this: You are all alone on a mountain – hiking, taking photos, and having fun hopping on top of rocks. It is a lovely sunny day, and the beauty around you overwhelms you. Then things take a turn for the worse. You miss your footing, fall down between boulders, and find yourself trapped with no way to escape. You are in pain, the sun that you were enjoying starts to set, and you are left hopeless, hurting, and afraid… This is the testimony of Alvin, and how the Lord miraculously saved his life.

I

t was the 22nd of September 2008, a day that I will never forget. It was a beautiful spring day, and the afternoon was wonderfully balmy. As a photographer, it was the perfect day to spend outside in nature. I was alone, photographing at the Mac-Mac Pools in Mpumalanga. I was sporting a new pair of bi-focal lens glasses, and hopping from rock to rock, planning for that beautiful photograph to take back home with me to Cape Town.

deep crevice between the boulders. Metres deep, I tried to get up, but realised that I was trapped. I could not move. I was on my back, with my shoulders wedged and my crossed arms locked firmly. My hands were out of

I tried shouting for help, but no one was around to hear my cries.

Trapped and alone With camera in hand and plotting to hop from one rock to another rock, the dream of actually landing on the target was short lived. I hopped, in a massive leap of faith, and realised that the first rock was not where it was first ‘seen’ to be. I missed my footing, slipped between the rocks, my feet went up in the air, and I fell into a 22 JOY! MAGAZINE

of the evening, I cried out to Jesus. I was a Christian, but I was not actively living for Christ. In my fear, I resorted to talking to God, repeating the Lord’s Prayer. I then prayed scripture, reciting Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd… He leads me… He guides me… and even though I walk through the valley of death, I will not fear. You are with me…” I repeated these words over and over, until I passed out. I do not know how long I was out for.

God saved my life reach of anything that I could use to lever myself out to freedom.

Crying out for help The sun was setting; the car guards had left for home, and I was unable to move. I tried shouting for help, but no one was around to hear my cries. I was all alone. In the silence

Hours later, I woke up in the darkness.

Miraculously, I found myself starting my walk to my car in the distant car park. I do not recall waking up, getting free, or knowing the way back. I was in pain, yet I was determined to get home. I managed to find my way to my car. I drove back to the hotel where I was spending the night and tried, without

success, to obtain a stiff drink to sooth my night’s sleep. When I finally climbed into my bed, I passed out and slept peacefully. I woke up the next morning in massive discomfort, yet packed my bag, ate breakfast, paid my bill, and drove myself to the local airport. I caught two connecting flights home to Cape Town, where my loving wife, Chip, met me.

She was extremely worried about me and drove me straight to see the doctor for his diagnosis and treatment.

Knocking at death’s door The doctor briefly checked me out, and told to go home and pray. The next morning saw me at the local hospital being examined by a cardiothoracic surgeon. I was sent to the ICU for intensive care. It was suspected that I was running the risk of a blood clot on its way to my brain. The doctors dosed me with Warfarin, an anticoagulant that was intended to thin my blood. The doctors did not send me for any x-rays, yet my whole body was in pain. The following day, Chip visited me. She pulled back my bed covers and was met by a ‘ghost’ with an internal band of blood around his hips. I was feeling within a millimetre from death.

A divine experience

God saved me, again

I was at death’s door. I could not see anything but black. I lay in the hospital bed; feeling like life was slipping away from me. Then I had a noteworthy experience.

My vision restored and I saw a grey image of three heads in conference against a dark background. They were discussing my future. They asked me of my future plans, should I be healed? Was I going to continue with my multi-million investment brokerage? I interjected loudly, shouting

Fast-forward eight years; I had a MRI scan that revealed the true extent of my injuries:

Today I am healed by God, without any known medical assistance. that I wanted to do the Lord’s work and spread His Word. Within moments, the grey screen disappeared. My eyes were wide open and my healing commenced.

I instantly felt healed, and instructed the doctors to send me home. I was no longer in pain. Through all of this however, I was not aware of the extent of my injuries.

• • • • •

3 crushed vertebrae at the base of my spine, 3 broken ribs, a cut artery, a pierced lung, and my spine had been broken into two places.

Today I am healed by God, without any known medical assistance.

Living for Christ After my experience, I turned my life around for Christ and devoted my efforts to bring glory to Him. I am still an avid photographer, and have a website that displays my images alongside scriptures and daily devotions. You can find this at www.linchrist.co.za. All the beautiful images are in praise and glory to Jesus, our Maker. My life is no longer about me, but all about Christ and what He has done for me. Amen.  ALVIN MICHIE can be contacted on 082 454 7515, or emailed on almichie@iafrica.com

JOY! MAGAZINE 23

Kanye West

How should we respond to

celebrities coming to Christ?

—by Gillian Fraser

I

f you’ve been following the news lately, you will have noticed a significant wave of celebrities who are turning to Christ. In what is referred to as a massive spiritual movement, the sinful city of Hollywood is turning more and more stars away from the lifestyles of excess, immorality, and self-promotion as they are embracing a new hope in Jesus. The first question in most Christians’ hearts is how sincere Selena Gomez these conversions really are.

Many are quick to point out the bad fruits and lifestyle choices of the celebrities. Some are fiercely critical God can and will use anyone who makes and condemn them, calling them false themselves available to Him, for His glory. prophets. And others are filled with hope He is the Alpha and the Omega, there is and a wilful desire for the conversions to nothing that is impossible for Him. The be true. So, the question that many are Great Commission exhorts us to share asking is how should we – as believers in the Gospel and make disciples of all the Christ – respond to celebrities who claim earth. God’s heart is to win more souls to be Christian? to eternity in Heaven with Him. We also know that God is not a fool. He knows the importance of using key people for Questions to be considered Among the Christian public, these His purposes. We see this throughout the conversions fuel long debates. Is the Bible, notably in the life and conversion faith of these well-known figures really of Saul. It is foolish of us to be exclusive sincere? Do they have any hidden in our faith, thinking some people are interest or agenda in appearing as ‘too far gone’ to be saved. No one, I spiritual people? What church do repeat, no one is excluded from having a they attend? And, what do they really relationship with Jesus. believe about Jesus and the Bible?

God can use anyone The first thing to be cognizant of is that 24 JOY! MAGAZINE

Use discernment

The Bible does however warn us that in the End Times, false prophets will

Chris Pratt

COVER STORY

God can and will use anyone who makes themselves available to Him, for His glory.

Prisoners in Texas praying and worshipping as Kanye West brings Gospel message

Kanye West

abound. It is up to us as Christians to use discernment in all areas of life. Discernment does not mean exclusion, nor does it absolve us from loving our neighbours, but it does require us to use wisdom and judgement in all scenarios. Are these celebrities preaching a message? Is the message biblically sound?

Or is it simply tickling the ears of those who hear it? Are these celebrities changing their own lives and actions? Are they pointing their followers to Jesus, or are they promoting themselves?

the various responses that we have received.

Our first response, in all situations, should be to pray. However, it seems that the natural response for many people is to doubt. Upon reporting on Kanye West’s conversion, one

What is a biblical approach?

of the comments we received was, “Pffft.

Why does JOY report rubbish like this? Kanye and the whole Kardashian clan are from the pit of hell. Disgusting. Use discernment before you lead others astray.” Does this response

Over the last few months, we have done significant reporting on our JOY! News website on many instances of celebrities coming to Christ. We have been surprised at

sound like something that a Jesus follower would say? Is there grace? Is there love? Is this how we would respond to someone from our own town who has come to Jesus?

Is this how Jesus would respond?

Why are we so quick to condemn?

It is important to respond with caution, yet with grace.

Why is it that Christians are often the first people to condemn new converts? Kanye, who has been extremely open about his radical conversion last year, released a Gospel album that has more biblical content than some sermons that I hear in modern churches. His album, Jesus Is King, has led more people to Christ in only a few months than many churches are leading in their lifetime. God is clearly at work and using influential people to JOY! MAGAZINE 25

»

Chance the Rapper

How should we respond to

celebrities coming to Christ?

Brad Pitt

bring about His message of salvation. Yes, Kanye has a sketchy background, but this is all the more reason for God to use him. Look to the Bible, God has a pattern of using imperfect people to achieve His perfect will. David slept with Bathsheba and ordered her husband to be killed, yet God used him as one of the most influential men in the Bible, even bringing Jesus into the world through his lineage.

What would the Christians of today have said?

Melissa Joan Hart

What are we known for?

On Kanye’s Gospel album, he released a song called ‘Hands On’. His lyrics, albeit written in a rap style, share a sad commentary on the state of the church, “What have I been hearing from the Christians? They be the first ones to judge me. Make it feel like nobody love me. Told people God was my mission.

[They] make you feel alone in the dark and you’ll never see the light.” How absolutely heart-breaking that this is the overall impression that Christians have given off? Jesus’ final commandment to us was to love our neighbours, and it seems that we are doing the exact opposite?

Love covers a multitude of sins Jesus’ commandment was not to judge others first, then condemn them, then only if they survive in their faith, love them. No. 26 JOY! MAGAZINE

Jesus instructed us to love one another as He has loved us. God’s love is free and abundant. God’s love is overwhelming, and it covers a multitude of sins.

Christians, I encourage you, don’t be exclusive. Don’t get caught up in religion or in works, like the Pharisees did. And don’t miss this supernatural move that God is doing. So many are quick to point out the fruits of the spirit, noting that we can tell false prophets by the fruits. Well, this is absolutely true, but the first fruit is love. Make sure that you yourself are exemplifying this fruit in your comments.

God does not work from the outside in, starting with the external appearances or

Denzel Washington

COVER STORY

Godly fruits are a natural response to a life transformed, a heart changed.

Justin Bieber

Justin & Hailey Bieber

Justin Bieber

fruits that one produces. No, God starts from the heart – and changes lives from the inside out. Godly fruits are a natural response to a life transformed, a heart changed.

God always has a sovereign plan Another celebrity who has transformed his life completely is Justin Bieber. When he first went public about his faith, many Christians were sceptical and made comments about the sincerity of his confession. Now, two years later, it is evident that the fruits are real. Bieber – who was formerly known for drinking, partying, and being arrested – has since been baptised, got into a home church, married a Christian girl, and is extremely vocal about his faith in Jesus and his dependency on Christ. He is one of the

top-followed accounts on Instagram, and uses this influence to share sermons and sound biblical content. He has the biggest platform in the world to reach unbelievers with the message of Christ. Would Bieber

Thank God for every individual who finds the truth of the Gospel. have gotten to where he is today if he came out as a Christian in the beginning of his fame? Probably not. Yet God always had a sovereign plan for his life. God allowed him to go through the processes and situations

that he did to lead to him to where he is today. And now God is using him in a phenomenal way.

Don’t limit God Who are we to say whom God can and cannot use. Yes, we should not exploit grace nor excuse sin, but we should be the most welcoming and encouraging people.

When the world looks to us, they should want to be like us because we are filled with love and joy. When someone comes out and claims to be Christian, we should praise God and say Hallelujah! Then we should pray. And yes, many celebrities who come out as Christian may be insincere, but what an opportunity we have to pray for them regardless.

JOY! MAGAZINE 27

»

COVER STORY

Prayer pointers for celebrities who are coming to Christ: Pray for their families

Tom Selleck

Dolly Parton

Many celebrities, such as Kanye, come from families that are not Christian.

Pray for their families to support them on this journey, and pray for God to work in their lives too.

How should we respond to

Pray for their faith

celebrities coming to Christ?

Pray for their spiritual growth

Not great role models

Pray that these celebrities remain steadfast in their faith, and that they learn to surrender completely to God in all times.

Christianity is a journey. Pray that they put in the effort to grow in their walk with Jesus.

Pray that they fall in love with Him and seek Him each and every day, in all things.

Celebrity converts are not whom we should look to as role models, a trap that many eager Christians fall into. Celebrities are just people, like us, who will all sin and fall short. Unlike us however, their sins will be publicly broadcast, which may cast doubt amongst their followers. We are to use caution who we follow and believe, yet we are to show grace always. The only role model whom we should aim to emulate is Jesus. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, we are to imitate and follow the example of Christ.

Pray against temptations

Breath of fresh air

Pray against deception

This shift that is happening in Hollywood is something that has never been seen before. Hollywood is known for being immoral and completely antiGod. Celebrities who are coming forward for Christ stand to gain very little from a worldly perspective. They will lose many fans and supporters, and face the risk of being cut from movies or radio stations who don’t wish to align with Christian beliefs. Yet, many are coming forward. At a time where it seems like your career could be at stake if you publicly mention your religious affiliation, seeing celebrities come out of their biblical closet on social media is a breath of fresh air. Many are boldly putting their faith in Jesus. And many need discipleship, prayer, and support. Let us help our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us encourage them. Let us be their biggest supporters. And let us never cease to pray for them.

There is a massive supermarket of spirituality out there, and so many people are looking for an authentic meaning of life. Thank God for every individual who finds the truth of the Gospel. And thank God for every celebrity who truly meets Jesus. 

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Do you believe that God is working in the hearts of these celebrities?

Let us know: info@joymag.co.za

Hollywood is full of temptation. Everything is at their fingertips. Celebrities are constantly bombarded with temptations being thrown at them, such as drugs, sex, and money.

Pray for these celebrities to not stumble or get tempted.

Deception is rife in Hollywood, with many turning to various forms of spirituality.

Pray that critics won’t disillusion them

Celebrities who come to Christ, sincere or not, will receive much criticism from their fans (and other Christians). Pray that they won’t get discouraged or demoralised, but will seek their true identity in God.

Pray for a revelation of who God truly is All new converts need discipleship and teaching. Pray that they find a solid church and get sound teaching, and have a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

Pray for lasting fruit

Celebrities are in the spotlight constantly.

They are known for their actions. Pray that the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in their lives, and that the fruit will be lasting and sincere.

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FEATURE

LOUIE GIGLIO

Sharing Godly Science With Children

— interview by Gillian Fraser

I

n 2009, Louie Giglio released a DVD called, How Great Is Our God. This DVD went ‘viral’ and changed the lives of millions of Christians around the world. It was revolutionary content, showing God’s majesty throughout outer space. Louie was one of the first preachers to bring science into his message, which sparked global interest. This DVD was shown in Sunday Schools, Bible studies, Cell groups, churches, and even included in many high schools’ curricula. I recall sitting in my school’s classroom, watching the DVD with my classmates. We were so fascinated by the comparison of the sizes of the planets and the stars.

This DVD also sparked a worship movement, as Chris Tomlin

There is a devastating dominance of atheism in science today. released his song, “How Great Is Our God.” Now, a little over a decade later, Louie has brought out a children’s book based on this message.

Who is Louie Giglio?

Louie is the pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, USA. He is also the founder of the Passion events that occur around the world, and has held two in South Africa already. These events draw millions of young people and share truths from God’s word, combining science, worship, and preaching. I had the privilege to have lunch with Louie when he was in Cape Town recently, and had the opportunity to hear from his heart.

Q

When can we expect the next Passion event in South Africa?

We have not confirmed anything yet, but we are hoping to come towards the end of 2020, or early 2021, God-willing.

We love South Africa and we believe in this country. God has

30 JOY! MAGAZINE

If they universe was created simply as a home for us, then it’s far too great and far too big.

But if it was created to show God’s glory, then it’s just the right size.

opened the doors for ministry here. We didn’t plan to fall in love with this nation, but God had a plan.

Q

What do you love most about our country?

The spirit of the people is incredible. I know that a lot of people focus on the negatives in South Africa, but coming from America, this is really the most beautiful country. Cape Town is the hidden gem of the whole world – on any given day it could easily be the most beautiful city on this earth. The combination of the mountains, the water, the wine country, it is all just stunning. But my love is more for the spirit of this nation. This is a resilient nation that, against all odds, keeps moving towards the future. God has a plan here – I think He has a specific calling for this nation, these people. God is touching this nation, which will in turn touch the nations up in Africa. You feel that and sense that when you are here.

these Indescribable and How Great Is Our God messages when I saw how much the youth responded to this topic. I remember leading a youth camp – I was looking for ways to keep the kids interested.

I would start each message with a picture from the Hubble Space

It is important to train your kids in the way of the Lord, before the world trains them otherwise.

Q

You have just brought out your newest book for children. How did your passion for outer space develop into this?

Many years ago, Matt [Redman] and I always used to chat about space. It was a topic that really interested us. I started piecing together

Telescope, and I realised how much the kids loved the images. They would take out their phones and take photos of the screens. I took that encouragement and built a ministry out of it. The videos were never meant to be a scientific approach, but they were meant to show God’s wonder and creation, to share the awe. The message was created to show God’s magnitude, how big He is, and how much He loves us. It is about worship. Fast forward a decade, God placed a desire in my heart to turn this into a children’s book.

Q

And what can parents expect from this book?

We want to help kids share in this awe and wonder. This book is targeted to 6-12 year olds. It consists of 100 devotions, based on God’s magnificent universe. I share insights and facts about space and time, earth and weather, the human body, animals, plants, and so much more. In the future, we have an exciting plan to bring out an animated kids movie that touches on the same themes, sharing Christ’s wonder with the kids. God is using us to bring these messages – I don’t take any credit for this. This book is available from all leading bookstores in South Africa.  JOY! MAGAZINE 31

THE WAR FOR OUR YOUTH Why creation still matters

—by Mike Riddle

Countries around the world are engaged in the greatest war they have ever been in. It’s not a war being fought with guns and bombs; it is a war of ideologies. It is a war of worldviews. It is a war for the very heart and soul of nations. If we lose this war, we will lose our future. That is what is at stake.

W

e’re being told by public education systems, universities, media, some parents, and unfortunately many church leaders, that parts of the Bible are not relevant anymore and that we need to reinvent God’s word. So, with this situation, in order to understand how to fight this battle, we’ve got to know what battle it is we are fighting. What kind of things are we up against?

Look to scripture Let’s start with a case study right out of 1 Corinthians 1:23, “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block...”

Notice that preaching the Cross and the resurrection to the Jews was a stumbling block. But, look at the second part of that verse, “...unto the Greeks the cross and the resurrection are foolishness.” Why the difference? If we don’t understand this difference, you’re not going to know how to fight this battle.

Why the difference?

In Acts 2, Peter is preaching to the Jews, and 32 JOY! MAGAZINE

he preaches the Cross and the resurrection, but they only call it a stumbling block. Why? Because the Jews had a common foundation and a common background. They believed in Moses and the prophets. They understood

We must defend the Biblical account of creation. that there was a Creator God, so it was just a stumbling block. But, when Paul preaches the Cross and the resurrection to the Greeks, they see it as foolishness. Why? Because they do not understand Moses and the prophets, and they don’t believe in a Creator God.

So, what does Paul do?

He goes back and lays the foundation that our God is greater. There’s a foundation for our Gospel, and we forget about that. Many of the people in our churches and some of our Christian leaders do not believe the

foundation anymore. They are even trying to rewrite it! Our youth are not being taught about a greater God anymore.

Where do many churches stand today?

They avoid controversial topics such as the creation, sin, hell, and marriage. It’s called “soft teaching.” I don’t remember Jesus ever doing that. They let culture influence the church rather than the church influencing the culture with the Gospel. They make church growth their main goal, rather than the Great Commission. We no longer have teachers in our churches, and even in many of our Christian schools, who possess the knowledge to equip our youth about how to defend their faith. Christianity is in a lot of trouble!

The state of Christianity What happens when the Church stops teaching parts of the Bible? Well, easy, the world will supply the answers. And, that’s exactly what is happening to our youth today, because many of our Christian schools do not teach apologetics. They do not

FEATURE

“Young people are not getting solid answers from church leaders and parents. Sadly, they are often told they can believe in the big bang theory and evolution. They are then admonished to reinterpret or ignore Genesis while being told to trust Jesus.”

– Ken Ham

believe in the creation account. As a result, six independent studies concluded that over 60% of our youth today are leaving the Church. That’s a very high casualty rate!

Why are the youth leaving?

There are a few reasons why the youth are leaving.: Firstly, Christianity is perceived as being shallow and exclusive. I don’t mind exclusive, because we are exclusive. What does the Bible tell us? There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ, so we must be exclusive. But, shallow? Listen to most of the preaching going on in our churches today. Very sad!

Number two, Christianity appears to be anti-science. There is no reason for that assumption. Who created all the scientific principles out there? God did! He’s not contradicting Himself – true science does and always will support His word, because He is the Creator of all things. God is not in a battle with Himself.

Number three, our children are heavily indoctrinated into evolution. Our youth are often not prepared to defend their faith against evolutionary teachings because of all the soft teaching we are getting in our churches and the lack of believing God’s word in our Christian schools. Our Christian

institutions lack the teaching of the specific and scientific evidence for a Creator.

Moral relativism Our kids are also inundated by the teachings about moral relativism, and they are not ready to handle that topic as it relates to their faith. They are taught that there are no absolutes, and they don’t know how to answer that challenge.

Too many churches are adopting culture, rather than changing it.

Are there no absolutes? Are you absolutely sure? The statement about there being no absolutes is itself an absolute statement.

See, moral relativism is a self-defeating philosophy.

A viable solution Since so many of our youth are leaving the church, we need to understand why. I’ll give you the wrong answer: reinvent the Church to be more like the culture. That’s what a lot of churches are doing today.

The correct answer: understand how

the culture is challenging God’s word and train our people how to respond to these challenges. It’s called education. Real education! The Bible says we are to be doers of God’s word. Can they verbalise this truth?

That’s education.

Teach children the authority of God’s word Ken Ham and Avery Foley wrote in Why Young People Leave the Church: “These young people are not getting solid answers from church leaders and parents. Sadly, they are often told they can believe in the big bang theory and evolution. They are then admonished to reinterpret or ignore Genesis while being told to trust Jesus.” That’s a contradiction! No wonder they are confused and leave the Church. They lack confidence in God’s word. And, this error is coming right out of the Church!

This is the battleground that is killing our children’s faith. We need to understand this if we are going to wage the war for our children’s souls. We must defend the Biblical account of creation as the starting point if we are to win this battle.  MIKE RIDDLE is a writer for Lamb and Lion Ministries. This article first appeared on www.christinprophecy.org

JOY! MAGAZINE 33

TESTIMONY

Shining God’s light to broken people — interview by Gillian Fraser

Y

ou may have heard of the world renowned Christian band Khanyisa, the multi-cultural South African music group who have been touring across the world since the apartheid era, shining God’s light. This is the story of the visionary behind the band, their humble beginnings, and the life changing ministry that has grown out of this.

Always striving to do more for Jesus Rolf Weichardt is a man full of passion: passion for Christ, people, and music. This is evident when you sit down with him and listen to his story. His life is one of complete devotion to the Lord’s work and serves as a testimony of what God can do when you are obedient and trust in Him.

Q

Let’s start at the very beginning, who is Rolf?

I grew up during the apartheid era and was taught that white supremacy was correct. It was the norm in those days. As a teenager, I had a conversion experience during the Soweto uprisings that paved the path of my future. I immediately had a desire to be

a bridge-builder between different races.

I purposefully went into townships with a deep desire to serve oppressed young people – motivated by the love of Christ.

In 1981 I started my studies at UCT and was introduced to Youth for Christ (YFC).

My first meeting with YFC was a defining moment that changed my life. The leadership took me under their wings, discipled, and invested in me. Those formative years were

What we do matters, but who we are matters more. crucial in the nurturing of my passion for evangelism, justice, and reconciliation. After completing my degree, I married Lizzie, my high school sweetheart, and together we joined ‘New Song’, a full-time YFC multicultural music team that ministered in high schools and churches throughout Southern Africa. This was a wonderful season, amongst

all the challenges we faced. During the 80’s, as a multi-cultural team, we did not have the freedom to even go for a meal or have coffee together at a restaurant. Apartheid and segregation were alive and well and our black teammates were not welcome in many public venues. Not everyone welcomed the YFC message of racial reconciliation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through all of this, YFC persevered in their conviction and passion for justice and reconciliation. I truly believe that Youth for Christ was mightily used by the Lord to bring healing to people who were deeply wounded by racism.

Q

Khanyisa started out as a multi-racial Christian band in South Africa in 1991. This must have been interesting?

Khanyisa (the band) was birthed out of my deep desire for reconciliation between black and white people. Our passion and energy for ‘bridge building’ was high on our agenda. We encountered significant challenges, but the band just went from strength to strength. The team carried an anointing of Joy. Doors started opening for us and soon we were touring internationally. We toured the Indian Ocean islands and various parts of Europe. In 1995 we moved to the USA where we continued sharing our testimonies of reconciliation. Nashville became our home base from where we operated. It was here that we were privileged to work with well-known artists such as Toby Mac, DC Talk, Michael W Smith, Amy Grant, and many other gifted musicians. This season was definitely a highlight in our music career and we treasure those wonderful memories. After 10 years of active ministry in the States we moved back to South Africa.

Q

Li

zz

ie

We ich

a rd t

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

– Matthew 5:14

Q

Tell us more about Khanyisa International Ministries and your beautiful guest lodge?

This really is an incredible story. God connected us with amazing people in Robertson. One special connection was our neighbours, the Roux family. Oom Johan, a local farmer, contacted me one day and told me that the Lord spoke to him and his wife about helping us. He then opened his farm and renovated and built beautiful accommodation that could host a total of 24 people. All of this was given to us at no cost!

Oom Johan and the Roux family have been an

an

d Ro

You have spent most of your life working for YFC?

Upon returning, I served as the National Team Training Director and then headed up the Western Cape Division for several years.

My last 5 years with YFC were as the National Director and, after 37 years of active service, I retired as a full-time staff member.

In 2013, Lizzie and I were offered an opportunity to manage a game lodge in the Robertson area. At this stage we were ready for a ‘lifestyle change,’ not knowing the plans that God had in store for us. Daily we saw broken children right on our doorstep.

This challenged us to do something. We then pioneered a small, rural, grassroots YFC ministry and formed a partnership with YFC Germany. Through this partnership, young German volunteers started serving in our community as short-term missionaries.

My life has been deeply impacted by the ministry of YFC and I will be forever grateful for the privilege of having served alongside great men and women of God who truly modelled “unity in diversity”.

In the midst of tragedy, hopelessness, disillusionment, and confusion, we have a desire to make a difference through rural community based projects, mentoring programs, role modelling, and leadership development.

lf

enormous blessing to this young, fledgling ministry. During this time, a German donor also felt prompted by the Lord to buy land right next door to Oom Johan’s farm. In support of the Lord’s work, the dream then was to develop a guest lodge and ministry base that would serve the community.

God has a plan, we just need to be available for Him to use us.

All of this is now a reality. The Khanyisa Mountain Lodge officially opens in February 2020. This 5-star facility is a great retreat for the discerning traveller. It is also a venue that welcomes church groups, pastors’ retreats, conferences, weddings, family getaways, and rest for weary travellers. The focus of the lodge is far greater than just being a magnificent facility. It also serves as an active ministry base.

Q

J O I N U S I N 2020 A great learning opportunity for young graduates and gap year students.

Our goal for our young adult volunteers is to grow their leadership skills and strengthen their faith by serving the community through outreach.

We are blessed to be located in the beautiful Western Cape – with outreach into the rural farm communities in the Breede Valley. Our hearts desire is to enlarge our territory and have volunteers in other unreached and desperate areas of the province.

What does Khanyisa offer now?

Our vision is to reconcile and develop, through evangelism. We work with broken people, shining God’s light. We see ourselves as servants, here to do the Lord’s work.

Khanyisa Ministries has three sectors now: our music and creative arts programme, our volunteer and gap year programme, and our hospitality sector through the lodge.

The greatest thing that we offer, however, is not a programme, but it is love. What we do matters, but who we are matters more. 

REACH OUT TO US TODAY: info@khanyisa.com 082 870 9174

www.khanyisa.com

rs of the Bibl e Characte

—by Dr. Victor Kuligin

T

he Jews had returned almost a century earlier from their 70-year exile in Babylon. Their trek home had begun with so much promise, yet it soon bogged down in foreign opposition, in-fighting, and laziness. It was going to take someone to get these people back to completing what they started, rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. A godly person with integrity, leadership, and grit was needed.

That person was Nehemiah. In this article, we take a brief look at the life of this godly man, with the hope of learning some lessons ourselves.

Exiles return home After the Medo-Persians defeated the Babylonians in 539 BC, King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and its Temple. The Jews returned to Jerusalem in two waves.

They rebuilt the Temple, but the city walls remained incomplete. With the Persian king Artaxerxes’ approval, his cupbearer Nehemiah (Neh 1:11) returned to Jerusalem in 445 BC with a third group of exiles, tasked with rebuilding the walls (2:5-8).

Rebuilding the walls The post-exilic Jews had previously attempted to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, but opposition

36 JOY! MAGAZINE

from neighbouring countries forced them to stop (Ezra 4:23). This time, though, Nehemiah’s prayerfulness was instrumental in God mercifully granting his request to find favour with Artaxerxes, who supplied Nehemiah with soldiers (Neh 2:9).

Nehemiah inspected the walls and initiated the building plan (2:11-20). However, he faced consistent opposition from hostile neighbours, which continued throughout the project (6:1-13). Incredibly, the monumental task of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls was completed in just 52 days (6:15).

Nehemiah is a great example of godly leadership.

What can we learn from Nehemiah?

As a Jewish exile living in Susa (1:1), a Persian capital, Nehemiah served as King Artaxerxes’ cupbearer. He had daily access to the king and tested the king’s wine to ensure that it was not poisoned. The king had high confidence in Nehemiah’s trustworthiness. It was this trustworthiness that the Lord used in positioning Nehemiah to become the governor of Jerusalem. Being trustworthy in the little things is often a precursor to being used in even greater ways by God.

SERIES A growing city When King David established Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the city covered roughly 5 hectares, so it wasn’t all that big. King Solomon enlarged the city to 13 hectares, and later King Hezekiah expanded Jerusalem westward to a much larger 55 hectares. Archaeological discoveries have shown that he built a wall made of stone and mortar around the city, 5 metres wide and 5 metres high. It was most likely this wall and its gates that Nehemiah used. Thirty-five times in Nehemiah it is mentioned that the wall was “repaired,” so in all probability Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem upon Hezekiah’s damaged walls.

Man of prayer The book of Nehemiah opens with Nehemiah’s prayer for God’s suffering people.

When Nehemiah heard how Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins (1:3), he mourned, fasted, and prayed (1:4). His heart was for God’s people and God’s holy city, and he desired to oversee the rebuilding of the walls. His prayerfulness (1:5-11; 2:4) was instrumental in God mercifully granting his request to find favour with Artaxerxes.

Man of compassion Nehemiah not only rebuilt the walls, but he was also eager to revive God’s people.

Nehemiah feared God. Unlike previous governors, he did not exploit the people during his twelve-year governorship (5:1415). He never took the governor’s food allowance because he saw that God’s people were suffering (5:18). He encouraged the people (8:9-10).

Man of humility Nehemiah is a great example of godly leadership in his willingness to share administrative responsibilities (7:2). Often corrupt men in power are unwilling to share leadership, simply because it threatens their hold on that power, and also puts in jeopardy the many benefits they receive through corruption.

Nehemiah, on the other hand, was aware

of his own sinfulness (1:6-7) and a man of thanksgiving (12:31). This shows genuine humility and is an example to all those in leadership positions.

Man of action Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah inspected the walls secretly at night (2:12), even putting himself at personal risk (2:15).

When he faced opposition in the building effort, Nehemiah sought the Lord’s help (4:4).

Yet he also stationed armed guards at various portions of the incomplete wall (4:13-23).

Being trustworthy with little things is often a precursor to being used in greater ways.

For Nehemiah, dependence upon God did not mean laxness in overseeing his task.

Asking for the Lord’s help does not preclude action on our part to also address the difficulties before us. Similarly, Nehemiah exercised wisdom (6:2) and was not easily deterred (6:9).

of the community (13:7-31). Nehemiah, along with Ezra the scribe, encouraged the people to embrace God’s law once again (8:1-12), reminding them that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” – Nehemiah 8:10

Reinstating the priesthood The law reminded the Jews that they had overlooked covenantal obligations like recognising festival celebrations (8:13-18), provision for the Levitical priests (13:1013), and proper observance of the Sabbath (13:15-22).

Nehemiah returned the Levitical priesthood to its rightful place (e.g., 12:4447). The priests led the people in intercessory prayer and confession of sins (9:5-37) as they recommitted themselves to God (9:38; 10:28-39). They also reorganised worship in Jerusalem (chapter 12).

Godly leadership In all these ways, Nehemiah serves as a model of godly leadership, a man of action who prayerfully relied on the Lord and worked hard to complete his God-given responsibilities, a man full of integrity and one who delighted in honouring God (1:11). 

Man of godliness Nehemiah was not only interested in the people’s physical wellbeing, but in their spiritual health too. He held God’s Word in high esteem and used it for various reforms

DR. VICTOR KULIGIN is an international author and speaker who served as a missionary in Africa for 24 years. His latest book Meeting Jesus is published in South Africa by Christian Art. He can be reached at v_kuligin@yahoo.com

JOY! MAGAZINE 37

FEATURE

What are some of the

symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible?

The Bible presents various symbols of the Holy Spirit, each depicting different attributes of His nature or aspects of His work.

Doves The dove is perhaps the most recognised symbol of the Holy Spirit in Scripture.

“As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” – Matthew 3:16-17 (see also Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32) The dove is associated with God’s blessing and pleasure, and expresses the Holy Spirit’s gentleness, innocence, purity, and patience (Matthew 10:16; Psalm 68:13).

Oil Oil is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s approval, anointing, and power.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” –Luke 4:18 (see also Acts 10:38; 1 Samuel 16:13; Isaiah 61:1).

Biblical scenes of Israel’s kings and priests being anointed with oil are pictures of God’s choice and blessing. The New Testament uses the anointing with oil as a picture of the blessing of the Holy Spirit on all believers: “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.” – 1 John 2:20

A Seal The Holy Spirit is represented as a seal or pledge expressing God’s ownership of the believer.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14 (see also 2 Corinthians 1:22).

The Holy Spirit as a seal or pledge is the believer’s security in Christ, proof that he or she belongs to God forever (John 6:37; Ephesians 4:30).

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Fire

Wind

Emphasising purification, fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence.

The invisible, everywhere-present power and lifegiving influences of the Holy Spirit are expressed as wind or breath in the Bible.

“I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” – Matthew 3:11 (see also Exodus 3:2; Isaiah 4:4; Luke 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:19).

On the day of Pentecost, as the disciples saw “what seemed to be tongues of fire” resting on them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4).

Water Water symbolises the cleansing nature of the Holy Spirit’s new birth.

“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit’” – John 3:5 (see also Ezekiel 36:25–27).

Water also expresses the thirst-quenching, soulsatisfying, life-giving character of the Holy Spirit (John 4:14; see also Isaiah 12:3; 44:3).

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8; cf. 20:22 The meaning of the Greek and Hebrew words for “spirit” are synonymous with “breath” or “wind.” The powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit was accompanied by the sound of a mighty, rushing wind on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2).

Rain Similar to water, rain is a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s refreshing.

“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth” (Hosea 6:3).

Likewise, rivers in the Bible typify the abundance and prosperity that flow forth from the Holy Spirit: “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” – John 7:37-38 (see also Psalm 1:3).

Also, the symbol of dew illustrates the Holy Spirit’s refreshment, abundance, and fertility (Genesis 27:28; Isaiah 18:4).

Wine In the Bible, wine is sometimes a symbol of the joygiving quality of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

“These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’” – Acts 2:15-17 Some of the more cynical onlookers who observed the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost thought the disciples were drunk on wine. But in the Scripture above, the apostle Peter explained the Holy Spirit’s presence.

GOT QUESTIONS provides Biblical answers to tough questions. For more info: www. gotquestions.org

Clothing Clothing is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

After His resurrection, Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem “until you have been clothed with power from on high.” – Luke 24:49. The passive voice of the verb indicates that the individual does not dress himself. The apostles were to remain in Jerusalem until they were “clothed” by God with the Holy Spirit’s power.

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PROVERBS Insights for every aspect of life

CHAPTER 12 THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS LEADS TO LIFE PROVERBS 12:1-4

“

LOVE DISCIPLINE

Life rooted in Christ stands firm.

T

o learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. The Lord approves of those who are good, but he condemns those who plan wickedness. Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots. A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.

“

“Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.”

PROVERBS 12:3

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY “

T

he plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous. The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of the godly save lives.

The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm. A sensible person wins admiration, but a warped mind is despised.”

PROVERBS 12:5-8

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THE GODLY CARE FOR THEIR ANIMALS.

WORK HARD “

I

PROVERBS 12:9-14

t is better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food. The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot, but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit. The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.

Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.”

SCRIPTURE

Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.

GODLY QUALITIES

“

PROVERBS 12:25-28

W

orry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find. The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.”

FOOLISH PEOPLE ARE QUICKTEMPERED. PROVERBS 12:15-20 All Scripture in this feature is taken from the New Living Translation (NLT).

CHOOSE WISDOM

F

“

ools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!

“

WHAT DO YOU BROADCAST? PROVERBS 12:21-24

“

N

o harm comes to the godly, but the wicked have their fill of trouble. The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness. Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.”

“The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.”

PROVERBS 12:25-28

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Roaring TRUTH Thank You Abba Father!

By the grace of God and to His glory, 2019 was a breath-taking year of awe inspiring wonder as Abba Father took Roaring Truth Ministries from Bethlehem to Zambia!

As the sovereign hand of the Most High God touched His hungry children, those crying out in worship, we saw miracle upon miracle testify to the power and authority of the one living God. Abba Father is uniting His bride, calling us in one accord, and equipping His bride through the Holy Spirit to stand as the hour glass runs out before the Bridegroom returns for His bride. We can no longer afford to slumber or sleep!

Each and every Roaring Truth conference was uniquely planned in the heart of the King of kings. We want to thank everyone who attended a conference or supported us in any way, to enable us to walk in the mandate that Abba Father released over Roaring truth.

May the Lord bless each and every one of you.

Hope to see you at our 2020 conferences!

Thank You Abba Father for every door that was opened in 2019, every heart that was changed, every healing – seen and unseen – that took place. It is with great anticipation and humbleness that we await Your plans for 2020! Lead us where You desire us to go Abba Father.

We love and adore You Lord.

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Who is Roaring Truth Ministries?

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matthew 28:19-20

The heartbeat of Roaring Truth is taking hands with all South Africans to spread the truth of the Word of God, worldwide.

The heart of Roaring Truth Ministries is to carry out the mandate from Abba Father to unite the Bride of Christ. To teach, mentor, and equip believers – among all nations across the earth – in standing in the true authority of God’s Word. Biblical mentoring is the foundation for raising up spiritual leaders in the body of Christ. It is time to take hands!

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

– John 14:6

We host Roaring Truth Conferences across our beautiful country, South Africa, and abroad. Professor Gerrie Bester is at the helm of Roaring Truth Ministries. He has a PhD and is the author of two books – Virtuous Woman and Mighty Man of Valour.

It’s time for the Bride of Christ to UNITE! Truly unite!

Where can I find out about the Conferences?

Please check out our website roaringtruthministries.co.za for any information regarding a conference near you.

Should you want us to host a conference in your area, all our contact details are on the website and we would love to hear from you!

We will be hosting Discipleship Follow up Conferences after some of the world renowned Mighty Men Conferences in different provinces as Abba Father leads us.

Our conferences are for men & women and focus on equipping the bride of Christ with the TRUTH! For too long has the bride of Christ perished due to lack of knowledge. It’s time to rise and equip ourselves with the only sword in spiritual warfare – His word!

Reach out to us!

Visit our website to download teachings of Prof Gerrie Bester or visit our online shop for our Roaring Truth Merchandise.

roaringtruthministries.co.za For any other enquiries, please don’t hesitate to mail us: info@roaringtruth.co.za 

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you!

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EXCUSES WHEN GOD CALLS

—by Nico Bougas

E

xcuses. There is never a shortage of them. People throughout history have always been quick to find an excuse.

Way back in the Garden of Eden, Adam set the pattern of excuses when he tried to shift the blame to Eve and to God who gave him the woman. “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” And then Eve blamed the serpent.

Many years later it was Moses’ turn to come up with some ready excuses when God dramatically appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. God called him to the monumental task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt to a promised land flowing with milk and honey, yet he responded with multiple excuses, as found in Exodus 3:

Excuse #1

‘I am a nobody’ “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

I am sure most of us feel this way. We feel totally inadequate to serve God. We don’t feel empowered to stand before an audience and preach or to go to some foreign mission field.

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Jeremiah thought he was incapable You will remember that Jeremiah too thought he was incapable. Jeremiah tells how God had called him at a young age to be a prophet to the people. He replied, saying, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” And the Lord instantly admonished him, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

People throughout history have always been quick to find an excuse.

Moses was weak Things had changed a lot since Moses was a prince in Pharaoh’s palace. That was 40 years ago. Then he had power and authority. He killed an Egyptian and rescued a fellow Israelite from persecution.

He thought he was somebody who could lead Israel out of its bondage. But he soon found out that he was not fit, nor able to do this. God had to take him on a lonely

journey into a remote place where he could be prepared for the great task ahead.

It was there in the desert that he learned how weak he really was and he would not be able to deliver Israel by himself.

Moses’ whole attitude has changed. He was no longer filled with arrogance and self-confidence. He is humble and aware of his great weaknesses. “Who am I?” I am just a nobody. And God turned him into somebody. Somebody that God could use in a great way.

David was humbled by God God took a young shepherd boy, David, who could slay a lion and a bear as well as the giant Goliath, and then humbled him by forcing him to hide in caves to avoid being captured by the king’s armies. It was there that he found out how weak he was before God made him king of Israel.

God taught Elijah lessons Elijah the prophet was brave enough to walk into the court of Ahab and Jezebel and tell them, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” – 1 Kings 17:1. But, it wasn’t long before God had to put him out into the desert and

SE

RM

ON

Have you ever stopped to think that one of the reasons why God doesn’t use us is because we consider ourselves too strong and capable? We are not ready or willing to let God take over and work through us.

teach him lessons on absolute dependence.

God had to bring him to the place where he had to depend on the ravens to feed him each morning and evening and drink water from a brook that dried up. Then God sent him to a penniless widow to provide him with a handful of flour from an empty barrel.

He was soon to realise that he had nothing, but God could provide everything. It was then that God was able to use him to face the prophets of Baal in a showdown and bring down fire from Heaven.

Learn from Paul As Paul put it, “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:10. Moses had to learn that he could not be the one to deliver Israel on his own. He could not depend on his own strength and abilities. But God was able to use him when he was ready.

Are you too strong to be used by God? Have you ever stopped to think that one of the reasons why God doesn’t use us is because we consider ourselves too strong and capable? We are not ready or willing to

let God take over and work through us.

It is out of weakness that we are made strong. As Paul put it, “God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful.” Moses and Paul discovered that God could use them and work through them when they were weak. It is a lesson that many men and women of God have to learn, sometimes painfully, that God can do great things through weak people.

God can do and does do great things through weak people.

equipped him. He was there representing the Almighty God, the one who knew the end from the beginning. This was the same God who knew Moses – He knew that the Israelite elders would accept Mosses as their leader and was about to free them from their time of slavery in Egypt. The king of Egypt would reject God’s message and as a result, suffer judgement. The people of Israel would be freed from the land of Egypt and would enjoy the favour of the Egyptians and receive the reward and wages for their years of slavery.

Excuse #3

They won’t believe me “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me?

What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

Excuse #2

‘I don’t know your name’ “They will say to me ‘What is his name?’

Then what should I tell them?”

Moses had to be in a position to tell them that it was God who had sent him and

How am I going to convince them that I am the real deal and that I really did have an encounter with God? Moses was understandably concerned that the Jewish leaders would have difficulty believing him.

After all, he had spent the past 40 years in the desert isolated from his people and their problems. » JOY! MAGAZINE 45

EXCUSES WHEN GOD CALLS

Persuasive arguments Paul reminds us that, “the Jews require a sign.” – 1 Corinthians 1:22. God promptly provided Moses with 3 signs that he could use to convince the Jewish leaders. First, he turned Moses’ staff into a snake, then back again into a staff. Then he ordered him to put his hand into his cloak and it emerged with a severe skin disease. When he put his hand back into his cloak it was restored to normal. And, if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.

and willing to share God’s message to people when our hearts are right and we are in walking with God. “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” – Matthew 12:34

Excuse #5

‘There must be somebody else who can do better’ “But Moses again pleaded, ‘Lord, please! Send anyone else.’”

Are you ready and willing to let God take over and work through you?

Excuse #4

‘I am not a fluent speaker’ “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

Many of us feel tongue-tied and fearful of sharing our faith. But Jesus gave us a special promise: “I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!” – Luke 21:15 In order for us to claim this promise, we need to have our hearts right. Moses needed to get his heart right. We too will be ready 46 JOY! MAGAZINE

Sadly, Moses was in error when asking for somebody else to be the spokesperson.

True, God did grant Moses’ request and allowed Aaron to become the spokesperson for the Israelites, but it was the cause of major problems for the children of Israel as they made their way to the Promised Land. Sometimes God grants us an answer to our persistent prayers, not because it is in His Will but because we are determined to get what we want without stopping to hear what God wants. Psalm 106:15 says, “He gave them their desires but sent leanness to their souls.”

It was Aaron who arranged for the children of Israel to worship the golden calf when Moses was on Mount Sinai. Aaron was not God’s plan. Moses was God’s choice and God’s man. But because Moses was reluctant to follow God’s specific call, He had to go with Aaron and this proved to be problematic.

God will prepare you adequately It is a good thing when we recognise our weaknesses because this makes us more dependent on God. But if God has called us to a specific field or duty, then He will provide us with the necessary strength and ability to perform the task.

He called an uncouth fisherman to lead His rough band of disciples. He called a man aggressively opposed to the message of the Gospel to become the greatest of all the apostles. He called a simple cobbler, William Carey, with a mentally unstable wife to go to India as a missionary –he became the father of modern missions.

Whatever your current status and gifting, if God has called you to a specific ministry then He is able to help you succeed in it. For where He guides, He provides. 

NICO BOUGAS is the International Director of Development of Hellenic Ministries. Email him on Nico@bougas.info, visit hellenicministries.com

Owe Man Nothing But Love “The borrower is always slave to the lender.”

– Proverbs 22:7 —by Robbie Cairncross

H

ousehold debt is at 72.7 % of disposable income in South Africa. In other words, about three quarters of household income is spent on debt. In SA, 25.85 million people are in debt, 10.3 million are behind in their payments, 5 million have judgements.

Preparing Christ-centred leaders for every church.

Debt is at epidemic proportions Debt is singularly the greatest thief of one’s progress. It weighs one down like an anchor of an ocean going vessel. It is powerful enough to make one feel hopeless and powerless. It removes the value of money. It drives one into survival mode exchanging a quality of life and liberty into being enslaved. One becomes its servant. The currency of debt is anxiety and stress, changing one’s character every month end. There is an answer.

Debt is a cash flow problem Many people say, in a numb state, that they are unable to pay their debt. They then rush off to a debt counsellor and pay them with money they do not have, to be kept in debt. Sometimes for life. Debt is nothing more than a cash flow problem. In other words, too little income and too many costs. The simplest way to get out of debt is to increase one’s income and cut one’s expenses. There are a number of ways to do this.

Spiritual vs natural In my courses, I provide 3 practical ways and 1 spiritual way to get out of debt. Buy and sell, get a second job, and cut costs. Very often the spiritual is the inverse of the practical. An example of this is that the more one saves, the more one will have, and this is logically natural. In the spiritual realm, the opposite is true. The more one gives, the more one will have. This is supernatural. 

Be Set Debt Free!

I have just written a book called Be Set Debt Free in which we go into so much more detail to help you.

This book costs R200 and can be ordered by emailing info@gosetfree.com

ROBBIE CAIRNCROSS is available to minister.

Visit his website www.jesusbesetfree.tv or email robbie@jesusbesetfree.tv Call 083 989 8149

Ph.D. M.Th. B.Th.(Hons) B.Th. Higher Certificates

www.sats.edu.za +27 11 234-4440

study@sats.edu.za

Registered with the Department of Education as a Private Higher Education Institution under the Higher Ed. Act 1997. Registration Certificate No. 2001/HE08/05

EVANGELISM

Evangelism & Early Discipleship Resources for the Local Church —by Steve Johnstone

D

o you ever sit in a church, hear a great message, see people respond to the preacher’s altar call and hear them pray the sinner’s prayer, only to see the majority of them disappear with the crowd afterwards, never having spoken to anyone?

Our role as the church is to make disciples of people, and so while I am in favour of altar calls, I believe that they can be used much better to achieve our disciple-making purpose. Evangelism and early discipleship need to be seen as a unified pursuit, and I believe this understanding can help us do our Gospel preaching far more fruitfully. This is why I started Barleyfield, an evangelism and early discipleship ministry. We work hand-in-hand with local churches to help you grow through evangelism, but to do so in a way that also ensures the effective early discipleship of your converts.

Do you want to see more lives changed?

Pastors, elders, leaders (and readers who feel encouraged to share this with your pastor), do you want to see more people come to the Lord through your ministry? Would you like to revitalise evangelism in your church, AND achieve a better early discipleship strategy for

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people who do respond to the Gospel? Do you feel like your church may be somewhat stagnant? Or that you could be doing more to reach lost people within your community in such a way that they are quickly discipled and become committed, growing members of your local church?

Altar calls are great, but I believe that they can be used much better.

Problems that churches face One of the biggest problems that many churches face – when it comes to evangelism and early discipleship – is not knowing how to mobilise their congregation for evangelism AND how to disciple new converts to maturity in the early stages of their Christian walk.

Holistic evangelism At Barleyfield, we love the Lord, we love the local church, and we love the Gospel. We exist to help you (local church leaders) to implement a holistic evangelism and early discipleship strategy into your church. We’ll help you mobilise your entire church to reach the people in their spheres of influence. And then (using a set of world class resources) we’ll help you put a plan together which is not only Biblical, but will be effective for shepherding responders into a discipleship journey.

Working hand-in-hand with local churches, we help you grow through evangelism. And by using a proven Biblical model with a set of world-class resources, we help you ensure the effective early discipleship of your converts.

Here are a couple of things that will happen: 1. Your church will grow and you will baptise many more members into membership.

2. You will regularly launch new home groups and cell groups in the life of your church by using video-based content that quickly establishes new believers in the Scriptures.

3. You will begin standing up on a Sunday with a confidence and expectancy in your heart that people will not only respond to the Gospel today, but that from there they will seamlessly be shepherded into a Biblical and effective discipleship journey within the life of your local church.

Now, if that all sounds good, can I encourage you with the words of Jesus: “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields,

for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life,” – John 4:35-36. Our mission is to put a Biblical strategy and world class tools in your hands, so that you in your local church can begin to “reap,” “receive wages,” and “gather fruit for eternal life.”

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“Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men.

The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.�

- Philippians 4:4-7 (NKJV)

“We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

– Romans 6:8 -11

TeAchinG

Keep on Growing in Personal Holiness —by Dr Japie Malan

H

oly on Sundays and unholy during the week – Is this the motto we live by? Has holiness become something of the past, something not required now that Christ fulfilled the law? Is holiness even possible in a corrupt world and with the old flesh still clinging to us?

What is holiness?

Holiness means to be separated from sin, unto God; to be put aside to Him and for His use in everything. Holiness is to put off the old self and to put on the new self that has been created for us in Christ Jesus (Eph 4:23-24). Only a selfrighteous person thinks he is without sin. But to honestly face your sins is another matter. It is a humbling experience that implies we must do something about them.

The plan of God There are two sides to growing daily in holiness; passive and active. First, what God did for us in Christ and, secondly, where we must discipline ourselves to conquer. It is to build on what Christ did; it implies that building requires effort; it is a discipline. Let’s look at these two sides.

Looking to Jesus We must always grow in holiness within the 52 JOY! MAGAZINE

context of the Gospel. It is easy to forget that God has already forgiven our sins through Christ’s death and resurrection (Col 2:13-14). Don’t begin to work on an area of sin in your life and forget the Gospel. Not only has God forgiven our sins, He has also created in us the new self after His likeness in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24).

We must always grow in holiness within the context of the Gospel.

• Are we anxious? Jesus perfectly trusted His Heavenly Father.

• Are we filled with revenge? Jesus was completely forgiving.

• Are we speaking unkind words or gossiping? Jesus spoke only words fitting for each occasion.

All this is true for every sin and for every unholy situation that you struggle with.

Keep in mind while struggling that you are forgiven and being recreated in righteousness and holiness.

Striving for holiness To grow and continue growing in holiness requires perseverance and discipline. This means we must strive for holiness: • Apply the Gospel continually in our battle against sin.

• Walk by the Spirit; to rely on His enabling power in every situation. We cannot fight sin with our own strength because we are too weak. Like the light in the room, we can only light up the room if plugged into the source. Grow the attitude of continual dependence on the Holy Spirit.

• Allow the Spirit to guide us. He will show us our sin and patterns of sin. By dependant on the Spirit in prayer, He will show us which situations and areas to shun. Grow a prayerful attitude by walking with the Spirit.

• Memorise specific Bible verses. Reflect on them prayerfully to be enabled to avoid or deal with those sins that rob us of holiness. Our minds and hearts must be like a storeroom, full of the Word to use in the building process (Ps 119:11).

When tempted to indulge in sins, the Spirit will bring these verses to our mind.

Apply the memorised verses prayerfully in such situations and that will guide us in how to respond.

Only a self-righteous person thinks he is without sin. But to honestly face your sins is another matter. It is a humbling experience that implies we must do something about them.

• Pray non-stop against persistent sins. Through prayer we wilfully recognise our need of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer we constantly admit the presence of those persistent sin patterns in our lives. Pray against those sins in your daily quiet time with God, but also those short cries to God for help throughout the day when under attack of Satan (Neh 2:4).

• Maintain mutual relationships with other believers (Eccl 4:9-10), even in our struggle against sin for holiness. The Lord honours the fellowship of believers. We must pray for one another (Col 3:13), love one another (1 John 4:7), and encourage one another (1 Thes 4:18). We need the mutual openness and accountability with one another to assist each other in the daily growth in holiness.

The battle for holiness As you strive to apply these pointers, keep in mind that your heart is a battlefield between the flesh and the Spirit (Gal 5:17). The flesh will occasionally get the better. As you seek to put the sin to death, things could get worse before it gets better. This

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Holiness is to put off the old self and to put on the new self that has been created for us in Christ Jesus. is normal. The Spirit will use these setbacks to help you see how deeply rooted your sins are and how totally dependent you are on His power to help you.

But don’t give up!

Constantly apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and depend prayerfully on the Holy Spirit. Recognise your own responsibility to strive for holiness, even as you involve other believers in your personal battle and as you look to Jesus.  DR JAPIE MALAN is the Dean of Academics at Mukhanyo Theological College. He has served as a leader in several churches and community development ministers for more than 35 years.

www.mukhanyo.ac.za Mukhanyo Theological College is accredited by the South African government. The College is registered with the Department of Educa�on and Training as a private higher educa�on ins�tu�on under the Higher Educa�on Act, 1997, Registra�on Cer�ficate No.2009/HE08/002.

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TEACHING

The Altars of Worship and Prayer

W

hen the Apostle Paul travelled to Greece, he encountered the Corinthians (Greeks), who loved to worship their “gods” by lavishing them with expensive offerings upon the specially-built altars. Their altars, shrines, and temples were tall buildings made by the hands of men, richly decorated with exquisite designs, tall statues, engraved ceilings, marble columns, granite floors, hand-carved woodwork, gold, silver, and with burning incense filling the air. This was not a holy place, but a place of fornication, adultery, idolaters, extortionists, and the like.

We are God’s workmanship In Ephesians 2:10, however, the Apostle Paul teaches us that we are God’s workmanship.

We are His temple and His home. God is our architect and builder. We are not made with man’s hands, but by His. He is not a dead god, but the only living God. Because He lives in us, our lives have been transformed by Him. He has given us life in place of death; salvation in place of sin; healing in place of sickness and disease; and He has turned our darkness into light. His Presence in our lives brings renewed, restored, and beautiful worship unto Him. Our lives transform into an altar of incense to God when we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. Our worship and surrender now become 54 JOY! MAGAZINE

—by Dr Siva Moodley the incense that rises into the nostrils of God that pleases Him. And when God is pleased, He descends upon us, releasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon us, as well as developing the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us.

Examples from scripture As Moses was given specific instructions to burn incense daily upon the altar in the Tabernacle as a symbol of continuous prayer rising up to God – God wants our lives to be a sweet-smelling incense of continuous prayer

Because He lives in us, our lives have been transformed by Him. before Him. Psalm 141:2 says, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Even before the throne of God, Revelation 5:8 says, “And when He had taken the book, the 4 beasts and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.”

And, Revelation 8:3-4 says, “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a

golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.”

What a glorious sight!

Nothing pleases God more as a Father than when we, His children, lay our lives down on His Holy altar in total surrender. When we surrender we die to ourselves, die to our will, die to our desires, and allow Him to live in us.

A covenant-keeping God God loves it also when we worship Him with all our heart, mind, and strength. He is a covenant-making and a covenant-keeping God. His covenant (made with His own blood) is established in us when we worship Him. This is a God who desires to have a relationship with us and who wants to be the “I am who I am” to us – the Father, the Provider, the Protector, the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Healer, the Shepherd, and so much more. Our God is a giver of good and perfect gifts to all who are in covenant with Him.

Wordly fake gods Those who don’t know the God of Heaven (as these Greeks) worship a dead “god” with

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many vain repetitions and earthly riches offered on altars to “gods” who desire profanity and the defilement of their bodies, fulfilling the lusts and the desires of the flesh. They have no covenant with “their god,” only slavery to sin. Their reward is the destruction of their soul and eternal damnation.

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Paul warned us

We are not our own – we are His God does not want us to be ignorant of the wiles of the devil, but to be spiritually educated, wise, and alert. For as long as we remain dead to sin on the altar, we are alive in Christ. Our bodies now become that altar of worship and prayer. 

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God loves it when we worship Him with all our heart, mind, and strength.

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The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19 cautions us by saying, “What?

Know ye not that ye are the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which you have of God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price, therefore you must glorify God with your body as well as with your spirit.”

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BOOK REVIEW

The real fight is the one you can’t see —by Daniel Kolenda

T

he supernatural realm is very real, and it directly impacts our day-to-day lives. Often spiritual battles lie behind our everyday struggles. Though the spiritual world is invisible, we are not unaware of the enemy’s schemes. Through God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are equipped to be more than conquerors through Christ! It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture as we focus on our everyday struggles. But our daily battles are part of a much bigger war, and we have been given all we need to win.

An overview

The cosmic battle we are engaged in It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture in our day-to-day lives. The small battles we face are part of a much bigger war. Understanding where we fit in God’s cosmic strategy will help us to take our individual assignments more seriously. Also, understanding what our enemy is trying to accomplish will help us recognise his devices and resist him with wisdom.

Demystifying spiritual warfare

Often Christian books and teachings have presented highly superstitious ideas about spiritual warfare.

Some of it has become spooky and weird— closer to a Harry Potter novel than anything Often spiritual battles in the Bible. I teach biblical principles about lie behind our everyday spiritual warfare that are both doctrinally struggles. Discover what sound and practical.

In this book we look at what the Bible teaches about spiritual warfare. First, we examine what the Bible has to say about angels, demons, and the spiritual world. the enemy is doing in Are there Putting on spiritual armour your life and FIGHT IT! different I also write about the armour that kinds of God has provided us, and the mighty angels? weapons of our warfare. I cover casting What purpose do they serve? out demons, both from scripture and from my own experience.

Who is satan, and where did he Finally, I give you some parting words of wisdom come from? How are angels that will help you to walk in victory every day. and demons similar? How My prayer is that through this book you will be are they different? What equipped to slay every dragon you encounter—not are demons, and where only in the world but also in your life.  do they come from? How can demons influence DANIEL KOLENDA is a missionary evangelist who has led more humans? What authority than twenty-one million people to Christ through massive open-air do demons have in this evangelistic campaigns in some of the most dangerous, world? What kinds of difficult, and remote locations on earth. As the successor evil spirits are mentioned to world-renowned evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, in Scripture? What does it Kolenda is the president and CEO of Christ for All Nations, a ministry that has conducted some of the mean to be largest evangelistic events in history, has published “demon-possessed ” over 190 million books in 104 languages, and has or “demonised”? offices in twelve nations around the world.

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FAITH SERIES

Why Doesn’t My Faith Work?

Part lll

Do Not Doubt

O

ver the past few issues, we have been looking at our walk of faith, what it is, how it works, and how we can discover God’s love and grace through faith daily. One way our faith can be hampered is when we doubt the Word.

Signs of doubt Often, when we don’t see the results we want, when we want – doubt sets in. The first tell-tale sign of doubt is in our words.

Just as faith is carried on our words that align with scripture, doubt is carried out on our negative words, and has the power to make our faith completely inoperative. The book of James says that we mustn’t even expect to receive anything if we have doubt. James 1:6-8 says, “Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers ( h e s i t a t e s,

—by André and Jenny Roebert doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].”

Keep watch over your words The Bible says that we must keep a vigilant watch over the words we speak. Determine to never allow your words to carry doubt, because they will disagree with God’s own words. Another deterrent of active faith is the way we perceive God’s Word.

The Bible says that we must keep a vigilant watch over the words we speak.

See God’s Word as Himself Something that will help you counter the temptation to doubt is to change your perspective of God’s Word. It’s easy for Christians to fall into the trap of seeing the Word as a mechanical formula, instead of a personal representation of the person of God. Our confidence and expectation must lie in our trust of the God we intimately know. Our dependency is rooted in understanding His absolute love and faithfulness towards us. Not a mechanical formula. When we give ourselves to God’s Word, we give ourselves to truly knowing 58 JOY! MAGAZINE

Who He is. This is where we see that His ways are perfect and His promises are true – we fall in love with Him and His Word. Loving and embracing God through His Word begins a transformation process in us from the inside out. We are changed by knowing Him. Our thoughts become influenced by His thoughts (His Word), as do our attitudes, our words, and our actions.

Words of power So now, when we speak words of faith, they aren’t just empty recitations, or wishful declarations, they are full of power because we speak from lives that have been Divinely influenced by our relationship with the Word Himself.

Meditate on God’s truths I earnestly encourage you to take the time to purposefully give yourself to God’s Word this month. Each day, determine to find out more about Him as you spend time meditating on His truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the person of Jesus to you and make His Words come alive in your heart, so that the transformation process can begin inside you.

As you delight in His Word, you’ll delight in Him and His ways. This is where He places His pure and wonderful desires for your good in your heart and mind, so you can walk in them.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.” 

ANDRÉ AND JENNY ROEBERT are the founders of Faith Broadcasting Network South Africa. For more info visit: myfaithtv.com

FEATURE

is Taught not Caught —by Natasha Crain

A

s Christians, we have all kinds of pithy sayings that make their way through churches and establish themselves as generally accepted truths. Some end up on bumper stickers, some on wall decals, and some just get repeated so many times that people think they’re actually in the Bible.

There’s a popular one among parents that I keep hearing lately, and each time I hear it I cringe. Not only is it false, but it’s particularly damaging to the discipleship of the next generation. It’s the idea that ‘Faith is caught, not taught.’

We have to clearly understand what faith is Faith, in its most basic sense, is trust. A blind faith is a trust that has little or no justification. For example, imagine that I claimed there’s an invisible unicorn living outside my house. When you ask me what reasons I have for that belief, I tell you, “I

Biblical faith is trusting in what we have good reason to believe is true.

An excuse for intellectual laziness When people say this, they’re usually trying to emphasise that faith is a matter of the heart, not a cold belief in a set of facts that someone has taught them. And of course there’s truth to that sentiment. But nine times out of ten when someone relays this to me, there’s an implication that our kids’ spiritual development has little to do with the “intellectual stuff ” of apologetics, but rather everything to do with how well we live our faith in front of them (apologetics is the study of why there’s good reason to believe Christianity is true). This belief is desperately wrong. At best, it results in a passive approach to discipleship. At worst, it’s an excuse for intellectual laziness. Let’s look at why.

60 JOY! MAGAZINE

don’t need reasons. I just have faith.” In this case, I would be acknowledging that I hold a blind faith in my invisible unicorn—it’s a faith without reason. At the other end of the faith spectrum is a person trusting in something they have good reason to believe is true. For example, I’m willing to get on an airplane because I have faith that it will safely get me to where I need to be.

I can’t be certain, but I know there is good reason to place my trust in the process.

Faith is not a way of knowing something Importantly, this means that faith is not a way of knowing something. It’s how you

respond to what you know. This is such an important distinction. Atheists often suggest that faith is inferior to science as a way of knowing about the world, but faith isn’t a way of knowing about the world at all. It’s trust that we place in Jesus in response to what we know about the world (and that knowledge comes from many sources). In short, biblical faith is not blind faith. Biblical faith is trusting in what we have good reason to believe is true, based on the extensive evidence God has given us.

Now that we’ve established an accurate understanding of what faith is, we can see two major problems with the idea that “faith is caught, not taught.”

1

It emphasises passing on our trust rather than the reasons for our trust

If faith is trust, then what this saying effectively states is that our trust is something that should rub off on our kids as they see how we live our lives. Our trust in Jesus may or may not rub off on our kids, but regardless, that shouldn’t be our primary goal in discipleship. Instead, we need to pass on the good reasons

As long as Christian parents think all they need to do is model what it looks like to put their trust in Jesus, kids will keep struggling when challenged on the justification for such a life.

that should lead to our kids’ trust in Jesus.

Otherwise, they’re just borrowing our own trust without knowing the justification for it. That’s a faith that’s waiting to crumble as soon as it’s significantly challenged.

Pass on your reasons for your faith It’s worth a side note here that parents shouldn’t assume a well-lived Christian faith is even desirable to their kids. There are numerous kids who grow up in loving Christian homes, with parents who truly “walk the walk,” but abandon their faith.

Why? Those kids might admire the sincerity of their parents’ convictions, but feel no desire to “catch” that same faith because they don’t believe it’s built on good reason. Once again, this points back to the need to pass on the reasons for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15), not simply our own trust.

2

A deep understanding of the reasons for faith is not something that’s simply “caught” Even if we restate the saying as “Reasons for faith are caught, not taught,” it still doesn’t work. Here are just a few major concepts that will never be passively caught based on how you live out your Christian faith: • What objective evidence is there for the existence of God? • Do science and God contradict one another?

• Can all religions point to the same truth?

• What historical evidence is there for the resurrection?

• Was Christianity copied from pagan religions?

• How do we know that the Gospels are based on reliable eye witness testimonies?

• How do we know that the Bible we have today hasn’t been corrupted in the copying process over hundreds of years?

• How can a good God permit so much evil and suffering?

There’s good reason the Bible tells us to teach and train our children.

And the need to proactively teach is woven throughout Scripture: • “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” – Deuteronomy 4:9 • “…He commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.” – Psalm 78:5-6 • “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

– Proverbs 1:8

• “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4

Much needs to be learnt There’s good reason the Bible tells us to teach and train and not just keep walking with the Lord while kids look on. Those eyes can’t physically see all that needs to be mentally learnt. And as long as Christian parents think all they need to do is model what it looks like to put their trust in Jesus, kids will keep struggling when challenged on the justification for such a life.

Teach your kids to develop their own faith Does passing on an understanding of all the good reasons for faith mean a child will necessarily follow Jesus? Not at all.

But when we’re obedient in our calling to be teachers (not just walkers), we can be confident that we have given our kids the opportunity to develop their own trust in Jesus and didn’t simply encourage them to borrow our convictions. A borrowed faith is readily handed back. 

NATASHA CRAIN is speaker, author, and blogger whose passion is to equip Christian parents to raise Godly kids. This article was originally published on her website, christianmomthoughts.com. This has been reprinted with permission.

JOY! MAGAZINE 61

LETTING GO OF THE PAST #identity

—by Aden Friedman

T

his is for any reader who desperately wants to let go of past hurts. A truth I have learnt is that “hurt people, hurt people”. I find our inability to let go of our past and forgive ourselves is becoming an increasingly large obstacle in our identity and in our service to God.

Holding on to what was Tucked away in British Columbia, about an hour from Vancouver by boat, is Keats Island – on which the Barnabas Family Ministries retreat centre is located. I was fortunate enough to spend an entire week on the island, just focusing on God. On one of my days there, I heard a story about an orca – not far from the island – that had given birth to a calf. Many people were excited at the birth of the calf, and many more were devastated when the calf died shortly thereafter. The mother had carried the calf for eighteen months, only to see her die when she was born. The story made the local news, mostly because the grieving mother was unable to let go of the dead calf. A couple of days after the unfortunate incident, the mother was still dragging the calf wherever she went.

After a week, locals were astonished at the devastated mother’s relentless pursuit of her

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calf. The orca would hold the calf in her teeth, push the calf with her nose, try her best to keep it right beside her, and even had to dive into the water when it slipped into the deep.

The enemy’s lies We all have a past. Before we became children of God, we were sinners condemned to eternal separation from the Father. When we are born again, God tells us that we are dead to our past. We bury our former selves because of Jesus the Messiah’s work on the

When we are born again, God tells us that we are dead to our past.

Cross. But one of the enemy’s greatest lies is having us believe that we should hold onto our past transgressions. He would have us drag around our old selves, dive deep into our hearts and pasts to ensure we don’t bury what Jesus has paid for, and live a defeated life in condemnation.

Letting go of what is dead After 18 days, the orca had still not let go of

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Jews for Jesus South Africa

her dead calf. Marine biologists feared that, eventually, the orca would die too – as she had stopped feeding herself while pursuing the calf. It had reached the point where it was becoming increasingly unhealthy to not let go. We too are at risk of focusing so much on who we used to be that we can’t allow Jesus to show us who we are and can be in Him. Let’s pray that 2020 would be the year that we let go of what is dead and rise together with Jesus to a new life. Focus on the following sentence and meditate on its truth: God is madly in love with you, and your identity is forged in Him loving you.

A message from God’s Word “Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in scripture…”

– Romans 8:35-36, MSG  ADEN FRIEDMAN is a missionary with Jews for Jesus, stationed in JHB.

@JewsforJesusSA

011 880 7956

DEVOTION

SMALL churches VS MEGA churches —by Nico Bougas

J

esus gave a promise to the church in Philadelphia, “I have set before you an open door.” He noted that they had “little power.” This may sound like a rebuke, but it wasn’t. It was merely a statement of fact.

Compared to the other churches, they had only a little power, and limited resources. They were small in size, and had little clout. This was not a high-powered church. It was not a welloiled, high profile, hotly wired megachurch.

They had no respected community leaders on their church boards. There were no high profile celebrities attending their church, nor any successful businessmen to underwrite their budget. They lived from hand to mouth – God’s hand to their mouth.

We live in the day of the megachurch Large, towering churches dominate the landscape and make the headlines. For those who worship and serve in smaller congregations, that can be discouraging, even intimidating. We must remember that spiritual success is not dictated by the size of a church’s buildings, budgets, or parking lot. Rather, it is determined by having great faith in a big God.

What matters?

What matters is not how big or small the church is. What truly matters is how big your God is. It is far better to be a little church with a big God than to be a big church with a little God. Little churches accomplish great

ministry when they serve a holy, true, and sovereign God – a big God who can open big doors. Faithfulness to God opens great doors.

Even for the smallest churches, even for the weakest saints and most ordinary people.

Never get complacent Having said that, this is not a reason for small churches to be complacent and devoid of any plans for growth. We should always be striving to be bigger and better.

As D.L. Moody, the famous evangelist of the past, said “If God is your partner, make

Spiritual success is not dictated by the size of a church’s building. your plans big.” We should be people with a worldwide vision. But clearly some people are more gifted and better equipped to lead megachurches and some people will develop better within a smaller fellowship.

Caring for each other There is something to be said for the small intimate fellowship where there is a genuine sense of caring for one another. The danger with small groups and house churches is that they can become very insular and isolated from the rest of the community. Guests and

newcomers are not easily accepted into a tightly knit little fellowship. Visitors are not genuinely welcomed and there is no vision for reaching beyond their little group.

Megachurches concentrate on growth, and this is good, but they can miss out on the fellowship aspect. It is possible to come to services for months without actually speaking to anyone. It is possible to skip church for weeks at a time without anybody noticing. There is no actual involvement in the ministry as everything is left to the pastor and the leaders of the church, and most of the attendees become simply spectators.

God can and will use both There is a verse hidden in Zechariah 4:10, “Do not despise these small beginnings.” Small churches can become very meaningful and can greatly impact their members and the neighbourhood. As long as they don’t get into a rut and go through a weekly routine that becomes a meaningless ritual.

Thus, small churches and megachurches both have challenges and need to address them. But both have the potential to be greatly used by God. Wherever you find yourself, ensure that you are getting the best out of it and are doing your best to be a meaningful contributor.  NICO BOUGAS is the International Director of Development of Hellenic Ministries. Email him on Nico@bougas.info, visit hellenicministries.com

JOY! MAGAZINE 63

STORIES OF HOPE “You BELONG and you are LOVED” Changing lives through Jesus’ unconditional love

—by The Sozo Foundation

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ife in post-apartheid South Africa sees Vrygrond – one of the oldest informal settlements in the Cape – desperately overcrowded and under resourced. It is a one square kilometre home to 45 000 residents with no high school, no police station, and no clinic. Every day young people battle the dangers of crime, violence, addiction, abuse, and gangsterism.

Breaking cycles of poverty In the midst of these challenges stands The Sozo Centre – a facility and skilled team bringing hope by creating pathways to employment through education, skills, and social enterprise. Many of these young people become the only breadwinners in their household, and most of them are first generation graduates in their families.

Generational cycles of poverty, rejection, and neglect are broken.

Jesus is the foundation The golden strand that weaves itself though every member of the Sozo tribe is the unconditional love of Jesus, which they embody. It is the highest value in every training, tutoring, and lifeskill session – transforming lives from the inside out.

Against all odds, the script for thousands of young people is rewritten when they encounter the truth that in this tribe, “You belong and you are loved”.

A testimony of hope Tracey Mungofa is a happy, bubbly, young lady. Having completed her matric in Zimbabwe, she relocated to Cape Town in 2014 and settled in the community of

Generational cycles of poverty, rejection, and neglect are broken.

Vrygrond with her mom. After finding out about the Sozo Youth Café based in Vrygrond, Tracey decided to sign up. She successfully completed the first month of the programme, which includes the Heartlife programme. Heartlife helped to unlock Tracey’s potential, dreams, and purpose.

Other life skills addressed in the first month include dealing with conflict, social issues, domestic abuse, health issues, teamwork, leadership, and personal finances.

in partnership with

Developing a passion Upon completing a month of life skills training, Tracey had to decide which of the six different vocational skills training courses she would choose to complete: Hair and beauty, Construction, Graphic Design, Artisan baking, General Education Diploma, or Coffee Barista.

“At first I was not sure which one to take, so I ended up going for Barista – which I think was the right decision,” Tracey told us. The warm and welcoming atmosphere at Sozo gave her a sense of belonging. She found it empowering to share her journey with other students because she felt safe to be vulnerable. Tracey felt a connection with the other students as they shared their own life stories and challenges. She was motivated to work and achieve alongside her fellow Barista students, and developed a hunger to get to know the espresso machine.

Investing in her skills Tracey says, “The Sozo Youth Café is a unique place – the environment feels like you are in a different city”. The Sozo Barista training is interactive and focuses on crucial skills that students require to build confidence in their ability to produce restaurant-quality coffee.

Tracey learnt about the history of coffee, the

Mergon is an investment group that exists to create Kingdom impact & equip others to do the same.

The Sozo Foundation is a non-profit organisation on a mission to see the young people of Vrygrond Township equipped and empowered to access employment and live a life filled with dignity, purpose, and hope.

different coffee regions around the world, different types of beans, and the harvesting and roasting processes. She had the opportunity to visit a variety of coffee roasters in Cape Town, giving her valued insight into bean sourcing and roasting processes. Tracey learnt how to perfect the art of pouring the perfect espresso, texture milk, create latte art, as well as how to set grinders, serve customers, and keep the coffee equipment safe and healthy for everyone.

Upskilling and growing Tracey received on-the-job training at Sozo’s various local coffee shop partners including Knead, Joon Coffee, Lorenzo Marx, and Xpressions on the Beach. Sozo also helped her to develop her CV and gave her some interview preparation training.

“I knew that this opportunity would transform me for good,” said Tracey, who is now a qualified Barista and was employed by Lorenzo Marx and as Head Barista. Lorenzo Marx is also training Tracey to be a chef.

year back I didn’t know what I was doing with my life, now I’m standing among the big people.” She believes that the Youth Café skills training course gave her hope, enabling her to have a clear path in life. Tracy continues to grow her skills as a Barista and believes there is always more to learn. She lives by the language of coffee, saying, “It is about quality, not quantity.”

The training gave Tracey hope, enabling her to have a clear path in life.

Get in contact!

Tracey is one of the many beautiful people who Sozo has upskilled.

To learn more about this organisation, please visit www.thesozofoundation.org.za 

Quality, not quantity “I have a monthly salary, I moved out of my mom’s house, and I now stay on my own,” says Tracey excitedly. “One

Tracey Mungofa

SERIES

WORSHIP GOD NOT YOUR ANCESTORS PART lll

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—by Nkanyiso Zulu

ver the last two issues of our series, we concluded with a question based on Deuteronomy 18:9-22. Who is the Prophet that is to come to show us how to worship God?

What is an ancestor?

Before we look at the answer to our question, let’s look at what an ancestor is. According to Africa Mhlophe, ancestors are people who have lived and died and from whom we can trace our lineage (ancestry). The Bible embraces ancestors as people who have existed (Leviticus 26:4245), but not as people who after having died play any fatherly or motherly role in the lives of those who are alive today.

‘The dead know nothing’ Look at Ecclesiastes 9:4-5, “The dead know nothing.” This implies that the dead no longer have any knowledge of the living and/or any relationship with those who are still alive. Solomon even makes his point by using an illustration in verse 4 that a living dog is better than a dead lion – implying that a dead lion cannot protect or care for his or her young ones, but a living dog can.

Ancestors can’t provide protection Thus, our beloved and long dead grandparents and family members who have died do not protect us or care for us – simply because they can’t. Since they are dead, and according to the Bible, they are either in joyful peace in heaven if they believed in Jesus and repented from their sins while they were still living (John 3:16-21) or are sorrowful in hell (Luke 13:5).

Lingering questions Given this understanding, the following questions will linger in some of our minds: • How are we – as Christians and non-Christians from South African and African black backgrounds/communities who grew up being taught to worship our ancestors – to worship the God of the Bible, who calls us to worship Him alone?

• And, who is the Prophet who defines how God wants everyone (from all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages) who trusts in Him to worship?

For the answers to these questions, we will look at the Gospel of John and other letters in the Bible.

Answers in the Gospel of John It’s important to note that the Old Testament was preparing the coming of Jesus. In the Old Testament, God was preparing His people – Israel – and the whole world (nations) for the coming of His Son in the New Testament (NT). This also means that the NT is a continuation of God’s story, from Matthew to Revelation.

Preparing the way So, we read in John’s Gospel of John the Baptist who comes to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. He describes Jesus as one “whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27) and one who existed before he existed (John 1:15-30).

Pointing to Jesus John the Baptist was asked if he was the Prophet whom God promised in Deuteronomy, and he said no he was not (John 1:19-23), but pointed to Jesus as the one who was. John continues to point his listeners and followers to Jesus in John 3:25-36 as the one God promised, through whom all people should worship Him.

No one else spoke like this Jesus Himself speaks and says that the Father seeks worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-26). Everyone who hears His words (listens to Him, believes Him, and does what He says) and believes God who sent Him, will have eternal life (John 4:24). He says that the words He spoke are not His own, but the Father’s who is in heaven (John 14:10). This is the fulfilment of Deuteronomy 18:18.

God the Father put His words in Jesus.

This makes Jesus and God the Father ‘equal’ Read John 1:1-4 and John 1:14. Jesus also says that Moses wrote about Him (John 5:39-46). Jesus claimed that He is God (John 10:32) and lastly, Jesus was worshipped by the blind man He gave sight to (John 9:38). We see God, saying of Jesus, that He is His Son with whom He is pleased and that they (Israelites) should listen to Him (Luke 9:35).

Therefore, when we read Deuteronomy 18:15, we understand that Jesus is the Prophet. Jesus is the one who now defines how God is to be worshipped. And God approves of Jesus because God sent Jesus to not only please God by living a perfect life for us, but also removing our sins by His death on the Cross. We are able to worship God when we believe Jesus’ death was for me and for you (John 12:32).

How are we to worship?

So, how are we as Christians to worship the God of the Bible, coming from a South African and African black community? We have grown up being taught to worship or give honour to our ancestors by sacrificing to them. Our answer can be found right in the Bible.

Jesus is our only mediator In Hebrews 10:4 the writer says that the blood of goats and bulls will never take away our sins. In our culture we’re taught to sacrifice the blood of cows and goats to our beloved ancestors (as our mediators) and that this will please them (or may not, as one can never be certain). Yet, this will make them communicate/mediate to God for us, for our protection from evil. The Bible however says that this is not true because only the blood of Jesus protects us. Not just from evil (satan and his influences) but from God’s wrath because of our sins (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Only Jesus is our mediator before us and God (1 Timothy 2:5).

Trust in Jesus Therefore, we are simply to trust Jesus to assure us of God’s protection from evil. Jesus taught His disciples to simply trust Him to mediate for us when we’ve wronged God. There is nothing that Jesus can’t do for us when we trust in Him. When we trust Jesus, God is pleased and therefore we worship Him.

In conclusion, this is what we have learnt from our series: • Consulting the dead is not a new thing. It’s been happening even from the times of Moses. We’ve seen that God did not, does not, and will not approve it. No matter what culture you’re from – we should not embrace everything in our culture, and even more so when it comes to ancestral worship.

• If you’re a Christian and you say you believe Jesus and still consult the dead through diviners (Sangomas – amaXhwele, witch doctors, spiritual healers) you are sinning against our Father, but remember 1 John 2:1-2, there’s hope for you.

• If you’re not a Christian, and are also practicing ancestor worship, I would encourage you to find a relationship with God by believing Jesus’ death was for your sins also – that He is your only mediator.  NKANYISO ZULU is a Durban-based writer for Living Legacy Movement. Visit livinglegacymovement.com for more resources.

Pastors need a firm BIBLICAL FOUNDATION — by Stephen Gachengo

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he Gospel is the most powerful force on this earth. The transformative power of the Cross changes lives around the world daily. If the Gospel is not changing hearts, then it is not the full Gospel that is being preached. In Africa today we see a number of pastors at the pulpits who share the message of Christ, but this is not accompanied by their lifestyles.

If we look to Paul in the Bible, he says that our lives should imitate that of Jesus.

The power of the message is portrayed through the life of the

messenger. That is why Jesus Himself gave the example – He lived a life that was an example to the disciples, making a disciple of Himself. And this is the great calling! The Lord is calling us to make disciples of Him by living that life.

A house built on a weak foundation won’t stand.

Focusing on what unites us Through this transformative message, we have seen many churches change. As we travel across Africa bringing this truth, we see the Lord is changing lives, changing marriages, changing relationships, and we can see pastors who could not previously work together, coming together. I believe that before the return of Jesus, we are going to see many things change. In Kenya, we are working with over 2000 denominations – not even churches – denominations! And the denominations are coming together. For too long there has been much division, focusing on the things that separate us rather than those that unite us. We are living in a time

where the Lord wants to bring the people within one heart, one mind, and one vision to work together for His Kingdom.

Churches need to change And this is the same message that has made me come here to Cape Town. I came to meet a couple of pastors who are involved in organising a life-changing conference that is happening in February. We are calling all pastors and leaders to attend. In Africa, and South Africa too, we are seeing much deception in the church. Many leaders are not following the teachings of Christ, yet are attracting crowds by using His Name. This needs to stop.

The original message Pastors, Apostles, Evangelists, Teachers, and Prophets – you are called to a higher standard. Your lives need to lead others to Jesus, by imitating Him and allowing the Gospel to transform your heart. If this nation is going to change, we need to first see change happening in the churches. We need to return to God’s word. We need to allow the Cross to work in our hearts. We need to be led by the Holy Spirit. This is the only message that we are bringing to this conference in February – it is not a new message, it is the original message of the Cross.

God is calling all pastors to a higher standard.

SA is not the only nation with deception This trend of deception from the pulpit is not unique to South Africa. The Bible says that in the end days we will see many false prophets. Church Team Ministries International (CTMI) is reaching out to many countries in Africa. We are taking this conference to Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and several other nations. This Build conference brings pastors and church leaders together for three days. We feel that if the church is going to change, the man behind the pulpit must change. We are having a lot of different leaders preaching other gospels, and these other gospels are not changing the lives of men. That is why the Lord is calling the men of God to go back to the foundation of the Gospel. Jesus Christ crucified, that is the message! It is simple, it is powerful, it can change people, we have seen the change. In Galatians 1:6, Paul challenges the Galatian people.

He had come and preached the message to them, but they started drifting. He says, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.”

Solid foundations

the right foundation stands. That’s why we see the church and many men of God falling today. In 1 Corinthians Paul warns, “I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.” Now we see people building on sand – people building on their own mind and intelligence. Today people are trying to build a church with all types of philosophies, forgetting that there is only one Biblical foundation that Jesus left.

Changing nations Jesus’ message was simple – “If you want to follow me, If you want to be my disciple, if you want to be like me... deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” That is the message! And that is the foundation of the church. Our message is one. He is calling Africa, He is calling the world, and He is calling everybody who loves Jesus – to come back to the right foundation: the message of Jesus Christ. We are going to see our countries change, we are going to see relationships change, we are going to see our families change, we are going to see our children change. God is calling us to come back to the message that changes our lifestyle, our character, our behaviour, our mentality.

And when our character and mentality changes, we are going to change society. Because when God takes over, the nation is blessed. 

The message of the Cross is the foundation of the house. Today we see men of God have been trying to build a roof and the walls without the foundation.

If you build a house without the foundation, what do you expect to happen? Jesus spoke about two houses. One built on sand and one built on the rock.

STEPHEN GACHENGO is the East Africa Co-ordinator for We know what happens when the storms come. The CTMI Ministries, and the senior pastor of Harvesters Christian house built on sand crumbles, but the house with Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Email info@ctmi.org

“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…”

– 1 Chronicles 12:32

Debbie Reddy UNDERSTANDING TIMES AND SEASONS

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n the book of Ecclesiastes it says that there is a time and a season for everything under the heavens. It is amazing how change in seasons can affect people differently. As children of God, we need to learn to not only go through our seasons, but to grow through them. We all understand the chronos time. But do we understand the Kairos time – your God-ordained time? What time is it spiritually? What time it is prophetically? What is God saying about this time that you are in? Just as there are seasons in the natural, there are also seasons in the spirit.

As spiritual people we must find out what time it is spiritually. The sons of Issachar were men that had understanding. Understanding is the ability to comprehend, become aware, and have good insight. It was a difficult time in Israel. There was confusion after the death of Saul.

The sons of Issachar had analysed the times. They knew what to do because they flowed to the rhythm of God’s heartbeat. They had spiritual insight and knew that God said in Genesis 49:10 that the sceptre would not depart from Judah. In Matthew 21:18 Jesus came to the fig tree and cursed it because it did not understand the season it was in, nor did it understand its purpose for that season. There are many seasons in life that we have to go through. The key to being effective in your season is to understand and recognise which season you are in. Do you understand the time that you are living in? It has been prophesied from the time of eternity what the year 2020 has in store for you. This year is yours to discover and recover. Don’t allow the blessings and breakthroughs that God has ordained for you this year to elude you. This season, co-operate with God as He orchestrates your seasons and times. This is your time and season – own it.  DEBBIE REDDY is a Senior Pastor and Co-founder of Cornerstone Christian Family Church situated in Heidelberg, Gauteng. She is a dynamic preacher, intercessor, and prophetess who is actively involved in empowering and shaping the lives of women. Email: dsreddy@mweb.co.za

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”

– Philippians 1:29

Audrey Hardy SHOULD CHRISTIANS SUFFER?

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n the church today, there is a strange understanding about ‘suffering’. This exists mainly because while dying on the Cross, Jesus said, “It is finished,” which Christians believe to mean that we don’t have to endure suffering at all. Yet, the New Testament has a lot to say about suffering. In 1 Peter 4:12, we see Peter encouraging the early church to not consider it something strange to find themselves in the ‘fiery trial,’ and that this is absolutely normal for Christians. In 2 Timothy 3:11, Paul names a few places where he endured suffering and persecution. He goes even further in Colossians 1:24, declaring that he would be glad to add to the sufferings of Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:3 he exhorts Timothy to endure hardship as a soldier of Christ. Isaiah 53:3 refers to Jesus as ‘a man of suffering’. Are believers greater than the Master? If Jesus instructs us to take up our cross and follow Him, how can we somehow be exempt from suffering? Brothers and sisters, we are called to identify with Christ in His suffering, His death, and in His resurrection. Suffering is an integral part of that, and it is an honour and a privilege to do so, giving glory to God through these times. Our family has experienced much persecution throughout our walk with the Lord. Yet, by His grace, we have been able to keep our hearts from getting hard or bitter. I can only say that through it all, we have grown – and, as Paul says, ‘He has delivered us from them all.’ Therefore, we should not run away from suffering, instead, let’s understand that while undergoing it, we are growing more and more in His likeness, even as Christ is being formed in us.  AUDREY HARDY is an international speaker and songwriter. She’s married to Miki Hardy and co-founded CTMI. For more information email: audrey@ctmi.org

VIOLENCE

AGAINST WOMEN The Challenge

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—by Pearl Kupe

outh Africa has one of the highest gender based violence (GBV) statistics in the world. They are so high that they have been compared to countries that are at war. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a state of emergency in September 2019 to enable Parliament to urgently address the matter.

The danger of being a woman in SA Statistics SA drew up a Crime Against Women in South Africa report that shows that femicide – the killing/murder of women – is five times higher in South Africa than in other nations. In simple terms, a woman in South Africa is five times more likely to be killed by a man than in another nation. This prompted a social media hashtag #AmINext to go viral. It’s alleged that statistics are actually much higher because of under reporting by women due to fear, intimidation, and other related reasons. South Africa is not unique with its high GBV statistics. This is a global trend that must be addressed immediately. Any nation that wants to prosper economically, socially, politically, and otherwise must treat its women well.

Biblical response It is appalling that many men who abuse women are professing believers in Christ. Some are even pastors and leaders in the ministry. Such men are not only expected to refrain from such behaviour, but should model the appropriate behaviour and treatment of women to others. 1 Timothy 5:2 instructs men to treat older women as mothers and younger women as sisters, in all purity. 1 Peter 3:7 instructs husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way, and show honour to women.

Colossians 3:19 instructs husbands specifically to love their wives, and not be harsh with them. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 instructs ministers and leaders to be above reproach.

The solution The solution is not just in tightening legislation. As a lawyer/ former Prosecutor, I’ve found that we also need to teach nonviolence and educate different stakeholders to bring change.

Let the body of Christ get involved in changing wrong mindsets and dysfunctional culture.  For training on gender-based violence for the body of Christ and communities, contact Pearl – pearl.kupe@gmail.com or Christine – comms@gfwe.africa DR. PEARL KUPE is an attorney & International consultant to world leaders & International organisations. Pearl is the President of Global Forum for Women Entrepreneurs.Email pearl.kupe@gmail.com

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ADVICE

The Godly Responsibilities of

Husbands & Fathers

—by Noel Cromhout

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major problem in our country today is the malfunction or non-function of men as husbands and fathers.

Some men try hard but don’t get it right; some don’t try at all – they are bachelor boys whose wives are no more that servants to care for the home and mistresses to satisfy their sexual appetites – hopefully! All this is at the expense of true intimacy and satisfying companionship, which is what God intended when He instituted the marriage covenant.

Turn to the word of God If we are to be the kind of husbands that our wives long for and the kind of fathers our children need, we have to go to the word of God and seek to apply its principles to our lives – both for our sakes and the sake of our families.

In Ephesians 5:25-33 we are counselled, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church ... the husband is the head as Christ is...” Clearly, the model for manhood is not some TV hero (or anti-hero) or sports star, but the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s examine some features of our Lord’s ministry and see how these principles can be applied to us as husbands and fathers.

72 JOY! MAGAZINE

Old covenant economy Under the old covenant, God governed His people Israel through three offices – namely prophet, priest, and king. The prophet spoke to man on behalf of God. “Hear the word of the Lord,” was their frequent preamble to their inspired addresses to the nation.

The priest spoke to God, for the people. He interceded for them – offering up sacrifices

We have to go to the Bible and seek to apply its principles to our lives. for their sins and putting their needs before the Lord. The king ruled over the people for God – he was responsible for them, and as such, accountable to God for their welfare and for the way he ruled them.

New covenant When Christ ushered in the new covenant, He embraced all three offices in his person; He is our Prophet, Priest and King. As prophet, He came bringing the word of God to man.

In fact, He is Himself God’s word. “God spoke in times past by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” – Hebrews 1:1-2 As priest, He offered the sacrifice of Himself for our sins and now lives forever “to make intercession for us.” – Hebrews 7:25 As king, He rules for God, He is our Lord.

He exercises that rule in protecting, guiding, and providing for our needs (John 10:30, Jude 24, Heb 13:5).

We are to resemble Christ If we are to enjoy marriage and family as God intends, a major factor is how much we resemble Christ. Remember in Ephesians 5: “Husbands as Christ...” We need to become prophet, priest, and king in our homes. We may be pleasantly surprised at the changes this action may bring about!

The husband’s role as a prophet As a prophet, the man of the house needs to bring the word of God to the family (Deut 6:6-9). Notice, the word of God is to have prominent place in the family life, at table, at leisure, and at bedtime. Fathers should see to this and initiate the process. This way the children begin to realise that the Bible

A major problem in our country today is the malfunction or non-function of men as husbands and fathers.

is not only for church – it must govern and direct our lives in all areas. Furthermore, the fact that the father takes the lead in this, and that he initiates family prayer times, brings a healthy spiritual dimension to the home. He doesn’t necessary have to be a modern day replica of the prophet Isaiah! As long as he takes a lead in giving God’s word prominence, he is in a small way acting as prophet, and can grow into a more mature function of that role in due time.

The husband’s role as a priest As a priest, he is to pray for his family. In Job 1:4-5 we have a lovely account of the priestly concern of Job for his family. Your wife and your children need your prayers, so take your place as a prophet and priest in the family. God will honour you and make you grow. There’s also another benefit: try praying for your wife and then fighting with her, it’s very hard to do so! Prayer, apart from enlisting God’s aid in our lives, gives us something of God’s perspective on matters, thereby enabling us to make wise decisions in family matters.

The husband’s role as a ‘king’ The husband is the head of the family, and

God requires him to exercise that headship in a Christ-like way. But wait! Before we go further, let’s be sure we understand headship.

It is not domination; it is not overbearing or dictatorial. Your wife is not your servant or your underling, she is your covenant partner and you are responsible to the Lord for the way you exercise your headship over her and the children. Let me, as a fellow traveller

If we are to enjoy marriage, a major factor is how much we resemble Christ. on this road to Christ-likeness, suggest the following pointers: • Headship is leadership – most women prefer to have their husbands take the lead.

• Headship always seeks the welfare of those under purview.

• Major decisions in the family should only be taken after discussion with the wife – she is, after all, your helpmeet. In the wisdom of God, she often has insight that

we don’t have. A Christlike man will not feel threatened or demeaned if he has to admit that he is wrong in a certain situation, and that she is right.

• Headship encourages development and gives freedom to grow. It is protective rather than restrictive.

• Headship recognises accountability. Our Lord and King had charge over “the twelve” during His earthly ministry and he “reported back” to His Father concerning them (John 17:12-19). You and I have to report back to our God at the end of this life for the way we’ve exercised our responsibilities as a prophet, priest, and king in the home (2 Cor 5:10). That prospect need not terrify us – God promises to give grace to those who come to Him in true faith and humility.

Let’s determine that we will be men who will be what our families need us to be – Godly leaders and models of true manhood – Jesus’ style. 

NOEL CROMHOUT is pastor, preacher, trainer of Pastors in USA, South Africa, Malawi, India, Mozambique. He is also a talented musician, born 1937, still going strong.

JOY! MAGAZINE 73

Why did God allow POLYGAMY in the Bible?

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he question of polygamy is an interesting one in that most people today view polygamy as immoral, while the Bible nowhere explicitly condemns it. The first instance of polygamy/bigamy in the Bible was that of Lamech in Genesis 4:19, “Lamech married two women.” Several prominent men in the Old Testament were polygamists. Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others all had multiple wives.

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (essentially wives of a lower status), according to 1 Kings 11:3. What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the Old Testament? There are three questions that need to be answered:

1) Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament?

2) How does God view polygamy today?

3) Why did it change?

1

Why did God allow polygamy in the Old Testament?

The Bible does not specifically say why God allowed polygamy. As we speculate about God’s silence, there is at least one key factor 74 JOY! MAGAZINE

to consider. Due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself. Women were often uneducated and untrained.

Women relied on their fathers, brothers, and husbands for provision and protection.

Unmarried women were often subjected to prostitution and slavery.

Nowhere in the Bible does it explicitly condemn polygamy.

So, it seems that God may have allowed polygamy to protect and provide for the women who could not find a husband otherwise. A man would take multiple wives and serve as the provider and protector of all of them. While definitely not ideal, living in a polygamist household was far better than the alternatives: prostitution, slavery, or starvation. In addition to the protection/ provision factor, polygamy enabled a much faster expansion of humanity, fulfilling God’s command to “be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth” – Genesis 9:7.

Men are capable of impregnating multiple

women in the same time period, causing humanity to grow much faster than if each man was only producing one child each year.

2

How does God view polygamy today?

Even while allowing polygamy, the Bible presents monogamy as the plan that conforms most closely to God’s ideal for marriage. The Bible says that God’s original intention was for one man to be married to only one woman: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife [not wives], and they will become one flesh [not fleshes]” – Genesis 2:24. While Genesis 2:24 is describing what marriage is, rather than how many people are involved, the consistent use of the singular should be noted. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God says that the kings were not supposed to multiply wives (or horses or gold). While this cannot be interpreted as a command that the kings must be monogamous, it can be understood as declaring that having multiple wives causes problems. This can be clearly seen in the life of Solomon (1 Kings 11:3-4).

In the New Testament, 1 Timothy 3:2, 12

FEATURE

Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others all had multiple wives. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (essentially wives of a lower status), according to 1 Kings 11:3.

What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the Old Testament?

and Titus 1:6 give “the husband of one wife” in a list of qualifications for spiritual leadership. There is some debate as to what specifically this qualification means. The phrase could literally be translated “a onewoman man.” Whether or not this phrase is referring exclusively to polygamy, in no sense can a polygamist be considered a “one-woman man.” While these qualifications are specifically for positions of spiritual leadership, they should apply equally to all Christians. As Scripture says, should not all Christians be “above reproach...temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” – 1 Timothy 3:2-4? If we are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), and if these standards are holy for elders and deacons, then they are holy for all.

Ephesians 5:22-33 speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives. When referring to a husband (singular), it always also refers to a wife (singular). “For the husband is the head of the wife [singular] …

He who loves his wife [singular] loves himself.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife [singular], and the two will become one flesh....Each

one of you also must love his wife [singular] as he loves himself, and the wife [singular] must respect her husband [singular].” While a somewhat parallel passage, Colossians 3:18-19, refers to husbands and wives in the plural, it is clear that Paul is addressing all the husbands and wives among the Colossian believers, not stating that a husband might

Monogamy is the plan that conforms most closely to God’s ideal for marriage. have multiple wives. In contrast, Ephesians 5:22-33 is specifically describing the marital relationship. If polygamy were allowable, the entire illustration of Christ’s relationship with His body (the church) and the husband-wife relationship falls apart.

3

Why did it change?

It is not so much God’s disallowing something He previously allowed as it is God’s restoring marriage to His original plan. Even going back to Adam and Eve, polygamy was

not God’s original intent. God seems to have allowed polygamy to solve a problem, but it is not the ideal. In most modern societies, there is absolutely no need for polygamy.

In most cultures today, women are able to provide for and protect themselves—removing the only “positive” aspect of polygamy. Further, most modern nations outlaw polygamy. According to Romans 13:1-7, we are to obey the laws the government establishes. The only instance in which disobeying the law is permitted by Scripture is if the law contradicts God’s commands (Acts 5:29). Since God only allows for polygamy, and does not command it, a law prohibiting polygamy should be upheld.

Are there some instances in which the allowance for polygamy would still apply today? Perhaps, but it is unfathomable that there would be no other possible solution.

Due to the “one flesh” aspect of marriage, the need for oneness and harmony in marriage, and the lack of any real need for polygamy, it is our firm belief that polygamy does not honour God and is not His design for marriage.  GOT QUESTIONS provides Biblical answers to tough questions. For more info: www. gotquestions.org

JOY! MAGAZINE 75

Biblically based answers for tough questions New Year’s resolutions are difficult to keep, but I want to be a better person this year. I am a believer. How can I improve my life and experience without inevitably breaking my resolutions?

ASK VAL Email questions to: joyquestions@valwaldeck.com

A.

Our will power is very weak. Paul said, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong” – Romans 7:21. He answered his heart’s cry. “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” – Romans 7:24-25. Spend quality time daily with the written Word and the living Word – Jesus. “Submit to God [and] resist the devil” – James 4:7. Meditate on the Word of God and let His standards transform your mind “with the washing of water by the Word” – Ephesians 5:26.

Peter gives us a great blueprint to work on in 2 Peter 1:5-11. Start with the foundation “virtue” [goodness], which means “living right” (high principles of conduct and ethics) and being kind (friendly, generous, and considerate). Then take the next steps.

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How can I stand against things that the Bible condemns, such as homosexuality, without ending up in major trouble? I want to take a stand, but am afraid to speak out.

A. The Lord once commented that “the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light” – Luke 16:8, NLT. We need to be open and transparent, yet at the same time, ask the Lord for wisdom in our dealings with the world. “Don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said” – Luke 12:11-12.

There is a significant difference, for example, in saying XXX is evil (my opinion), and saying “The Bible says XXX is evil.” The first is perception; the other is fact. Present God’s Word clearly with a godly attitude.

Should you be persecuted, follow the example of the early Christians: “…rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” – Acts 5:41, NLT

I am a Christian, but I have never seen a miracle. I have read about many, but long to experience one myself.

A . Jesus said that when someone is ‘born again’ it is a supernatural miracle.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” – John 3:8. You are a living miracle! God wants to use you to bring about miracles in the lives of others, through the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

Try this exciting experiment: Pray personally for and with 100 different people. Faith works by love, so ask the Lord to increase your faith and give you genuine love for each one. Make a note of the date and time. Record the answers and you will be amazed at the miracles that God does in their lives.

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them...”

– Romans 12:6 

Val Waldeck is an author, kindle publishing consultant, and Bible teacher.

If you need help writing, or with your book, see valwaldeck.com

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e r o m t u o d n i F Send an email with your details to editor@joymag.co.za including your name, contact number and email address.

Include a short paragraph on why you believe why you would make a good Ambassador.

Closed Vietnam

hears the Good News —by Liezl Erlank and Eva Pretorius “

I

am a fisherman on the island where I live and because of my work, I cannot attend church services regularly. Only once a month or every two months. I love listening to FEBC’s programmes. The series I am currently listening to, is The Pursuit of Holiness. I like it a lot. I pray that God will bless FEBC Radio.”

Finally within reach of the Gospel Vietnam continues to be one of the most challenging ministry areas for FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company), as less than 2% of the country’s 98 million people know Christ.

Yet, we are thrilled about the fact that millions of people – living in spiritual darkness, that are Buddhists, or are worshipping ancestral spirits and who would otherwise never have the opportunity to hear about Jesus’ love and salvation – are now within the reach of the Gospel!

The groundwork for the harvest has been done

hard to do the groundwork for this great task in Vietnam, and we know it is working, because more people are converting now despite all the daily challenges they face.

Well-equipped as a Bible study leader “I use FEBC’s technology and watch the wonderful Bible programmes with my university group. Everyone loves the programmes and we use them to study the Bible in our group. The good quality visual

Less than 2% of Vietnam’s 98 million people know Christ. content makes the lessons interesting and easy to follow. We sometimes pause the video to discuss the points further. Everyone participates in the conversation. We also have

For many years we have worked very Vietnam is one of the last communist countries in the world

some unbelievers in our group. They have many questions about the Bible. I can answer their questions well because the videos are very effective. We will continue to use these video lessons in our Bible study group.”

Innovative evangelism FEBC’s dynamic global media ministry is constantly evolving and reaching lost souls in innovative ways. Many people’s lives are being touched by God and by our ministry as we introduce the world to our eternal Lord and Saviour.

One of the last communist countries in the world Vietnam is one of the last communist countries in the world today. Although this country’s constitution allows freedom of religion, the government has implemented legislation that prohibits various religious practices. All religious events are being monitored by the government and people attending church services are regularly questioned about their comings and goings. Churches are regularly visited by the authorities and the government is suspicious of everything churches do. Even the way in which they conduct their services is under scrutiny. These are the circumstances in which Christians in Vietnam are forced to live.

Censorship cannot stop the Gospel Dr. Jurie Vermeulen, the national director of FEBA (Far East Broadcasting Association) South Africa, recently 78 JOY! MAGAZINE

More than half the world still needs radio to hear the Gospel.

Audio devices that are distributed amongst listeners in Vietnam

visited FEBC Vietnam, where he discovered something interesting.

Although FEBC broadcasts in Vietnam using short wave frequencies, they are not allowed to operate a radio station in the country.

Unfortunately, the various media platforms we use in other countries have been censored. As a result, FEBC’s team in Vietnam had to employ other methods to spread the Gospel. A group of young programmers found a way to disseminate technology with evangelical content so that the government cannot detect the content. In this way, thousands of Vietnamese people are being converted.

Buy a Degen DE13 solar wind-up radio for R650 and we’ll donate the second radio or the funds to one of our FEBC fields where people have little, or no exposure to Christ.

Sign up to receive our monthly E-Newsletter and Prayer Focus by email.

R650

One Radio Purchased = One Radio Donated

FEBC’s global media ministry is constantly evolving and reaching lost souls in innovative ways.

Feedback from listeners all over the world We honour God for His leadership that gives us innovative ideas to convey the Gospel, but the radio remains one of the most effective mediums for this great task. This is evident in the feedback from millions of listeners from all over the world.

“One day I was visiting my neighbour and he was listening to FEBC on the radio. In my opinion, every single programme feeds my soul and that is why I listen to FEBC regularly. Please pray for us. Many of us who are believers are being persecuted. The government sees us as a threat. However, we know that no matter what they do to us, we will continue to declare Jesus’ Name. Our only hope is in the message you bring through the radio, and our faith in our Lord. Please do not stop your broadcasts, because we rely on it daily.”

Take hands with us in the Great Commission Our ministry is constantly using innovative methods to reach people with the Gospel. Everything we do is to the glory of God. To join us in the Great Commission, please contact us at our office in Pretoria on 012 335 5708 or visit our website for more information: www.febaradio.co.za 

Help us make it possible for them to hear the Gospel in their own language!

Banking details: Standard Bank Gezina Branch Code: 014 845 Account no: 20 10 84 77 5

ABSA Bank Ben Swart Street Branch Code: 632 005 Account no: 40 55 31 35 41

Contact us at info@febaradio.co.za or +27 12 335 5708 Your gateway to bring hope to

the unreached

MISSIONS

Offering HOPE in the midst of trauma —by Open Doors SA

I

n recent years, Nigeria has become known as an area of conflict with extremist wars, targeted attacks on religious minorities, and where our family in Christ – especially women and children – experience various kinds of trauma due to this persecution.

“We have different kinds of trauma in Nigeria. We have Boko Haram.

We have war. We have ethnic crises. We have religious crises. And everywhere people are traumatised” – Patience*, an Open Doors worker.

Debora’s story

the family of the deceased husband must take care of his wife and children, but far too often families do the exact opposite.

"They tried to make me leave the house where I had lived with my husband so that they could make financial gains with it. So, I gave in and rented another house. My baby and I were paying rent instead of living in our own house.”

Mistreated and abandoned Soon after her husband died, Debora's in-laws also began to mistreat her. Nigerian culture dictates that Open Doors | Nedbank | Branch Code: 198765 Account: 113 750 4552 (Business) | Reference: JE2001

You can make a change!

With the ongoing violence, kidnapping, and persecution in Nigeria – many women are left alone, traumatised, and without hope.

Stand with persecuted women today by giving a GIFT OF HOPE. For as little as R65, you can help marginalised women learn essential life skills, so they can support themselves and continue to shine their light for Jesus. With your support we can make sure that even though they are persecuted, they are never alone.  Open Doors | Absa | Branch Code: 632005 Account: 160 340 568 (Current) | Reference: JE2001

Photos: © 2020 Open Doors International | *Name changed for security reasons

Like many Nigerian widows, Debora was one of the women affected by the persecution and violence in Nigeria. Debora’s husband was killed during religious violence Open Doors’ trauma in 2008 when Muslim extremists counselling opened fire on Christians in her Many widows face the same fate and “We have different kinds of trauma hometown in north-eastern Nigeria. they are left to deal with the trauma, in Nigeria. We have Boko Haram.

“When we heard the gunshots, my loss, and abuse alone. In March 2019, We have war. We have ethnic crises. husband called me, ‘We should go out Open Doors opened a trauma care We have religious crises. And of the house because they will come centre in Nigeria, a first in the region! everywhere people are traumatised.” and burn us here,’ Debora explained.

The centre is a place where people “I quickly who suffer various kinds of trauma wrapped my can come for extended care to find baby on my back. Immediately when we healing, hope, and peace. When Open Doors heard of Debora’s trials, we went out, they shot me in my arm. My husband got in contact and invited her to attend trauma counselling. was in front of me. They shot him in the chest, he fell and shouted, ‘Help! I’m not going to live.’

Touching lives through Christ “It disturbed me that my husband was "I saw plenty of other widows around me and realised I’m not alone. leaving me. He told me that I should take heart, that The way they talked with us and showed concern. My husband’s I should forget about everything. If he family never showed any concern. When I sit down, I [always] think had offended me, I should forgive to myself, ‘God, You are alive!’ him. But I should not think that “Whenever I look depressed or when they do not see me for a he was going to just leave me. while, these people from Open Doors call me to ask if I'm alright.

God was going to stay with me.

They helped me with food. When my baby grew up, they paid my And when he finished talking, boy’s school fees. They changed my life and they changed my story." my husband died."

Visit www.neveralone.co.za

Over 245 million Christian men, women and children experience high levels of persecution because of their faith‌

Jina from Aleppo, Syria

They are our family!

They are our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters who continue to choose Jesus, no matter the cost.

Stand with our family in Christ today to remind them that even in the face of the worst persecution, they are never alone!

Scan* here to give online: *Use your phone’s camera or a QR code reader app.

NS O SI IS

M

Give a goat to refugee Christians in Uganda

Families are required to pass on the first female kid born from their goat to another “goatless” family who, in turn, will do the same once their female goat gives birth. And so, the wonderful multiplication process begins with the average female goat producing one to three kids twice a year. Thousands of Christian families will gain nourishment and a means of income as the goats are distributed.

The road to self-sufficiency opens up to them, restoring both sustenance and self-respect.

Life-changing help for an orphan boy

South Sudanese refugee women in Camp Rhino, now on the path to self-sufficiency thanks to their cherished goats sent by Barnabas Fund supporters

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:19, ESV) The living gift that grows and grows and grows …

Our Christian brothers and sisters in South Sudan have experienced terrible trauma and suffering in their war-torn country. As many as two million of them have been forced to flee conflict and famine, to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.

Many of these stricken Christians settled in Camp Rhino, a vast refugee camp in Uganda. But, though now safe and far from the violence, these Christians are destitute with no means to become self-sufficient, for they had to leave behind not only their possessions but also the land that was so essential for those who were subsistence farmers.

82 JOY! MAGAZINE

Gideon lost both his parents to the violence in South Sudan. We can only imagine the distress that must have engulfed him, orphaned and alone in the vast refugee camp. For many poverty-stricken children like Gideon, being able to attend school is something they long for, and their only hope of a better future, but simply have no means to achieve. Gideon could barely survive on the meagre food rations he received in the camp let alone find a way to pay for school fees.

But the Lord made a way for him.

While attending church, Gideon received practical Christian love in the form of a goat gift, sent by Barnabas supporters. Gideon now has not only a means to survive and thrive on the nourishment his new companion will give him, but

The gift of a goat can change everything for destitute refugee Christians

Through Barnabas, Christian refugee families are each getting a female goat that will enable them to rebuild their lives and livelihoods once more.

Feeding on waste scrubland, the goat provides nutritious milk as well as manure to fertilise crops. By selling the excess milk or offspring, the refugee families are able to make a modest income that can buy them food and medicine and send their children to school. Selling just one young goat provides the family with enough money to pay for a child’s school fees, including all their school essentials, for a whole year.

Orphaned child Gideon told his story to our partner as he received his goat. With the income he can make from the goat he will be able to go to secondary school

will also have an income to realise his dream of going to secondary school. For Gideon, this goat has truly been a life-giving gift of love. He told us, “I am very happy for being given this goat and I pray that God will use [the goat] to be a source of income to support me every day.”

The gift of a goat has helped many refugee orphans such as Gideon gain access to school.

Janet, an orphaned refugee, gratefully told us, “I thank God that I was among the goat beneficiaries … Thank you so much Barnabas Fund!

My goat has produced a she kid which gives me hope for income.” The income from her goat has enabled Janet, who dropped out of school due to the conflict in South Sudan, to return to her education, setting her on a path to a brighter future.

Will you give a gift that keeps on giving?

The Barnabas programme aims to provide longterm sustainability for 2,400 Christian families from 35 congregations in Camp Rhino. A total of 2,000 female goats and 66 male goats have been distributed so far. Their offspring will continue to bless as more and more families benefit from the gift of a newborn kid.

“May God bless Barnabas Fund,” said Pastor Scopas, one of the church leaders in the camp.

“Our children will have meat and milk. This will contribute to eliminating malnutrition among the children and breast-feeding mothers. It is amazing that many of our Christians that had lost all their animals in South Sudan have some animals to graze.”

To give hope for the future, it is crucial that these Christians at Camp Rhino, including many orphans, can become self-sufficient again. This gift of a goat will meet this need, to the glory of God.

A gift of R600 will provide one female goat for a Christian refugee family in Camp Rhino, Uganda

Donate now: Your donation of any amount will help provide a life-changing goat for a South Sudanese Christian refugee family in Camp Rhino, Uganda Help Barnabas send financial support to projects that help Christians where they suffer discrimination, oppression, and persecution as a consequence of their faith.

You can partner with Barnabas through donation:

Electronic Transfer (EFT) Barnabas Fund NPC Acc: 62722422756 First National Bank (FNB) Branch: 210202

Swift code: FIRNZAJJ *reference 1403J01/20 + your surname

Zapper

Scan and donate with zapper R600 buys one goat, but any contribution towards this project will be appreciated.

Credit Card donations can be made by phone to 021 808 1668 or online at barnabasfund.org After payment, SMS 081 525 3865 for your FREE thank you gift We reserve the right to use designated gifts for another similar project

For regular news and prayer information from the persecuted Church, please contact us:

021 808 1668 bfsa@barnabasfund.org

www.barnabasfund.org.za

– HONG KONG violence – IRAQI demonstrations – EGYPTIAN unrest – ECUADORIAN protests – SOUTH AFRICAN xenophobia –

AN AGE OF GLOBAL DISCONTENT Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount

— Compiled by Mike Burnard

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like ignorant people, but like wise people. Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days.” – Ephesians 5:15-16

H

umanity is currently under siege by mass protests, acts of terror, a deep-seated discontent, and a generation with an ‘inherited’ anger.

A common denominator in the current uprisings is that most protesters are disillusioned young people seeking an uncorrupted future, who are willing to go to any length to secure it. The ‘Arab Spring’, which was limited to a region, a culture, and a faith, has now turned into an age of global discontent.

The voices of young ‘rebels’ are shaping nations like never before in history. The newfound global culture of protest – magnified by social media and manipulated by local media – might result in a new season of political disillusionment. Regardless of the reason or the outcome, every incident of unrest provides an opportunity and the Church cannot afford to be found wanting.

Hong Kong’s non-stop protests Hong Kong has now entered its 7th month of ongoing protests. More than 2000 people have been arrested, 4100 canisters of tear gas used, and 1730 rubber bullets fired. Sadly, masked protesters have also unleashed their anger on the public, beating up civilians and destroying buildings and property in what was once a peaceful city.

Iraq’s potential internal war In Iraq, the scenes are no less concerning, with more than one hundred people killed and over 6000 injured, in just a week (1-6 October 2019) of protests. The nation is facing the prospect of another destructive war – an internal one. Violence has gripped the hearts of the discontented young people who are tired of pleading and are now fighting for a better future.

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Egypt’s ignitable explosion In Egypt, an ominous uprising was halted when President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi clamped down on protesters and closed down Tahrir square (where massive protests were a feature during the ‘Arab Spring’) after a previous week of protests, the first such uprisings in four years. Crowds haven’t been as large as during the ‘Arab Spring’ of 2011, but they were large enough to cause Mr Sisi to order the arrests of more than 2000 protesters and activists.

Egypt remains a ‘powder keg’ waiting for a spark to ignite another explosion.

Ecuador’s worst unrest in years In Ecuador, indigenous protesters paralysed roads and blocked highways into the capital. The unrest – the worst in recent years – resulted in the arrests of more than 450 people.

Haiti’s violent outbursts In Haiti, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the latest challenge to President Jovenel Moise, amid months of protests over corruption. Some of the demonstrations turned violent as protesters clashed with police, who shot tear gas and live ammunition into the air. In the capital, Portau-Prince, several cars were torched, including four police vehicles.

Regions in the midst of war provide the opportunity for peace to prevail. Only Christ is the answer and only the Church can provide solutions.

Zimbabwe’s continued struggle Current protests are simply a continuation of a year of global discontent that began last January with uprisings in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The police and military responded by raiding the homes of some residents, arresting around 200 people and killing eight citizens.

Europe did not escape the discontent In May 2019, police and protesters clashed violently across Europe as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. Paris witnessed the worst confrontations, as part of the ‘yellow vest protests’, which have been going for over a year (since November 2018). Riot police fired teargas and sting-ball grenades at crowds with more than 250 people being arrested after police were attacked with stones, bottles, and other projectiles.

FEATURE

Sudan’s massacre On 11 April 2019, the protests in Sudan (after eight months of continued and sustained protests and civil disobedience) saw President Omar al-Bashir finally deposed after thirty years in power. During the protests that followed, the Rapid Support Forces and other security personnel killed 128 people, raped 70, and injured others in what became known as the Khartoum massacre (3 June).

Uproar in Algeria In Algeria, thousands protested when an ailing Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his candidacy for a possible fifth presidential term.

The list goes on and on In Moscow, nearly 50 000 people attended protests demanding a free city council vote in the country’s biggest political protest in years. In South Africa, violence was aimed at foreigners, when hundreds of shops were destroyed and police had to intervene. The UK saw Brexit protests, the USA saw gunrelated protests, and even a neutral and peaceful country like Switzerland saw climate protesters taking their fight to Swiss banks.

Few countries were spared Few countries were spared the ‘global discontent’ of people seeking a better future: anger knew no borders; discontent no restraint; and violence no discrimination. Within this global context of intensified evil, the words of Ephesians 5:15-16 become particularly relevant: “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like ignorant people, but like wise people. Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days.”

Scripture is clear: Days of evil will present moments of opportunity. Times of darkness provide the perfect setting for light to penetrate. Hearts without hope provide fertile soil for the message of hope to be shared. Regions in the midst of war provide the opportunity for peace to prevail. Anger can only be nullified by the ‘key’ of forgiveness. Only Christ is the answer and only the Church can provide solutions. This is a global opportunity that the Church needs to identify, respond to, and actively provide solutions for. It is now or never. » JOY! MAGAZINE 85

FEATURE

AN AGE OF GLOBAL DISCONTENT Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount

How do we respond?

As Christians, we either give life or we drain life, there is no neutral exchange. Through our posts on social media and our informal communication with friends we become messengers of hope or messengers of fear.

What lives in our hearts ultimately contributes to the upliftment of our communities or, alternatively, the destruction of society. To understand the warning, “Be careful how you live” – there is no greater guideline than the Sermon On The Mount, a blueprint for Christian lifestyle, and seen by most scholars as the best summary of Jesus’ teachings.

The following are excerpts from a series of devotions by Richard Rohr from the Center for Action and Contemplation: “Jesus taught an alternative wisdom— the Reign of God—which overturns the conventional and common trust in power, possessions, and personal prestige. The Gospel of Matthew sets the stage for the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus sees the crowds following him and heads to ‘the mountain’ (symbolic for the new Moses giving a new ‘law’) with His disciples. This is His opening line, which necessarily must be central to His entire message; it is a key to everything else:

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT “How blessed (or ‘happy’) are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” – Matthew 5:3 86 JOY! MAGAZINE

“Poor in spirit” means an inner emptiness and humility, a beginner’s mind, and to live without a need for personal righteousness or reputation. The higher up and more visible you are in any system, the more trapped you are inside it. The “poor in spirit” don’t have to play any competitive games; they are not preoccupied with winning, which is the primary philosophy in the West today. Jesus is recommending a social reordering, quite different from common practice. You are only free when you have nothing to protect and nothing you need to prove or defend.

The voices of young ‘rebels’ are shaping nations like never before.

BLESSED ARE THE GENTLE “Blessed are the gentle [or the meek, humble, non-violent, unassuming]: they shall have the earth as inheritance.” – Matthew 5:5 This is the unique power of the powerless, which people who have always had power never understand. There is, of course, an irony here. If there was one hated group in Palestine of Jesus’ day, it was landlords, those who possess the land. Nobody possessed land except by violence, by oppression, by holding onto it and making all the peasants

pay a portion of their harvest. Jesus is turning that around and saying no, it’s you little ones who are finally going to possess the land. Jesus is undoubtedly redefining the meaning of land, building on what every Jew would have known. Private property forces us behind artificial fences, boundaries, and walls. People close to the earth know that only God “owns” the earth, and that we’re all stewards, pilgrims, and strangers with a duty and privilege of caring for it.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN “Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4 Tears are therapeutic and healing, both emotionally and physically. Crying helps the body shed stress hormones and stimulates endorphins. Weeping is a natural and essential part of being human. Most of us think we know God—and ourselves— through ideas. Perhaps weeping will allow us to know God much better than ideas. In this Beatitude, Jesus praises those who can enter into solidarity with the pain of the world and not try to remove or isolate themselves from its suffering. This is why Jesus says the rich person often can’t see the Kingdom, because they spend too much time trying to make tears unnecessary and even impossible. Jesus describes those who grieve as feeling the pain of the world. Weeping over our sin and the sin of the world is an entirely different

Hearts without hope provide fertile soil for the message of hope to be shared. This is a global opportunity that the Church needs to identify, respond to, and actively provide solutions for. It is now or never.

response than self-hatred or hatred of others.

Grief allows one to carry the dark side, to bear the pain of the world without looking for perpetrators or victims, but instead recognising the tragic reality that both sides are caught up in.

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER FOR JUSTICE “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice: they shall have their fill.” – Matthew 5:6 This Beatitude is surely both spiritual and social.

Most Bibles soften this Beatitude: “hunger and thirst for what is right” or “for righteousness” are the more common faulty translations. But the word in Greek clearly means “justice.” Notice that the concept of justice is used halfway through the Beatitudes and again at the very end. The couplet emphasises an important point: to live a just life in this world is to identify with the longings and hungers of the poor, the meek, and those who weep. This identification and solidarity is in itself a profound form of social justice. Righteousness is not just the private practice of doing good; it sums up the global responsibility of the human community to make sure every human being has what they need, that everyone pursues a fair sense of justice for every other human being, and that everyone lives in right relationship with one another, creation, and God. Jesus instructs us to be passionate for social, economic, and racial justice.

How do we hunger and thirst for justice?

By making global justice a priority in our lives. This Beatitude requires us to join a grassroots movement that fights one or two issues of injustice and to get deeply involved in the struggle. Since all issues of injustice are connected, fighting one injustice puts us squarely in the struggle against every injustice. Befriend the victims of systemic injustice, side with them, listen to their stories, let their pain break your heart, join the movements to end injustice,

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Every incident of unrest provides an opportunity for the Church.

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BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL “Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.” – Matthew 5:7 I believe with all my heart that mercy and forgiveness are the whole Gospel.

The Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79) says we’ll have knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sin (1:77). The experience of forgiveness or mercy is the experience of a »

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FEATURE

AN AGE OF GLOBAL DISCONTENT Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount

magnanimous God who loves out of total gratuitousness. Salvation is God’s lovingkindness, a loving-kindness that is “forever”.

Read Psalm 136 for an ecstatic description of God’s faithful mercy. The mystery of forgiveness is God’s ultimate entry into powerlessness. Withholding forgiveness is a form of power over another person, a way to manipulate, shame, control, and diminish another. God in Jesus refuses all such power. We become what we receive, what we allow into our hearts. Mercy becomes our energy and purpose. Perhaps we are finally enlightened and free when we can both receive it and give it away—without payment or punishment.

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART “Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8 When the heart is right, Jesus says, seeing will be right. He ties together heart and sight.

Consider the saying, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” So is God. All we need to do is keep the lens clean, the heart pure.

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS “Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 In Jesus’ teaching and in His life, we see modelled nonviolent, peaceful action. He encourages us to likewise “turn the other cheek” and not return vengeance with vengeance. There is no way to peace other than through peace-making itself. But many think we can achieve peace through violence. We say, “We will stop killing by killing.” Sadly, that is the way we think, and it 88 JOY! MAGAZINE

is in opposition to all great religious teachers.

Our need for immediate control leads us to disconnect the clear unity between means and ends. War is a means of seeking control, not a means of seeking peace. Violence, you see, will always create more violence. It is not real peace.

How can we be peacemakers?

It begins by being peace ourselves, by connecting with the source of peace within.

It means standing up in nonviolent resistance to systems of injustice. It involves learning the skills of nonviolent communication and conflict resolution. Jesus next warns us that we will be hated from all sides. When you’re

Times of darkness provide the perfect setting for light to penetrate. working outside the system, when you work for peace, you will not be admired inside the system. In fact, you will look dangerous, subversive, and unpatriotic. One thing you cannot call Jesus was a patriot. He was serving a far bigger realm.

BLESSED ARE THE PERSECUTED

generally. Now He says happy are “those of you. . . .” Very likely Matthew is conveying that this scene is happening directly in front of Jesus. His small community is being persecuted, and Jesus tells them to “rejoice and be glad”! Persecution for the cause of justice is inevitable. Instead of seeking to blame someone for their well-earned scars, He is telling them two clear things: You can be happy—and you can be happy now!

‘Bad’ people didn’t kill Jesus; conventional wisdom crucified Him Jesus Himself clearly knew that His teaching would turn conventional values on their head.

Jesus taught an alternative wisdom instead of the maintenance of social order. Prophets and wisdom teachers like Jesus have passed through a major death to their ego. This is the core meaning of transformation. Yet most of Christian history tried to understand Jesus inside the earlier stage of law and order.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is anything but maintaining the status quo!

The path of transformation of which Jesus spoke leads from a life of requirements and measuring up (whether to culture or to God) to a life of relationship with God. It leads from a life of anxiety to a life of peace and trust. It leads from the bondage of self-preoccupation to the freedom of selfforgetfulness. It leads from life centred in culture to life centred in God. 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of justice: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” – Matthew 5:10 We should not be surprised that this Beatitude follows the previous ones. The first and last Beatitudes are present tense: Theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Until this statement, Jesus has said “happy are the . . .” speaking

MIKE BURNARD is the founder and head of InContext Ministries. Sign up for his free newsletters by emailing mike@incontextministries.org

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Learn how to benefit from life’s challenging experiences and understand how God prepares you for His divine purposes in this 90-day devotional.

In Crushing, #1 New York Times bestselling author T.D. Jakes wrestles with the ageold questions: Why do the righteous suffer?

Where is God in all the injustice? Now, in Daily Readings from Crushing, Bishop Jakes wants to encourage you that God uses difficult, crushing experiences to prepare you for unexpected blessings.

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Sudanese Christians promised the right to worship freely

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udan’s new minister for religious affairs says Christians who suffered and endured “very bad practices” under previous president, Omar al-Bashir, have the right to freely practise their faith and should no longer be considered a minority group. “They are Sudanese and their religion is heavenly with its values and beliefs,” said Nasreddine Mufreh, who is part of the transitional joint military

and civilian council now running Sudan.

He pledged that property stolen from churches and Christians during the 30-year rule of dictator al-Bashir will be returned.

Al-Bashir, ousted and arrested by the military in April 2019, deported Christians to South Sudan, closed Christian schools, demolished churches and forced Christians to live with a second class status under Islamic sharia law. 

American Bible Society ships out 10000 free Bibles to Kanye fans as requests exceed expectations

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anye West has been dominating headlines in the Christian world since his very public conversion to Christianity last year. A Bible giveaway programme in the USA that was sparked by Kanye West’s Gospel album has surpassed expectations. More than 10000 free Bibles were given away as part of a “Bibles for Kanye Fans” giveaway that launched after Kanye released his album, Jesus Is King. Originally, the goal was to ship out 1000 Bibles. American Bible Society got the idea for the giveaway after noticing a spike in Google searches for information about Christianity when the album was released. “Kanye West’s album has had an immediate effect on the current news cycle. ‘Jesus is King’ was a trending internet search in its first week with over 1 million queries on Google alone,” John Farquhar Plake, director of ministry intelligence at American Bible

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Society,, said. “Kanye West” was the No. 1 trending topic on Google on the day he released his album, while “Jesus” ranked No. 4, according to Google data.

Among specific search queries, “Jesus King”” ranked “ is King fourth. “What do Christians believe?” also saw a spike that week. Kanye’s album has led thousands of unbelievers to Christ, and sparked a global interest in Christianity amongst many who may not have been willing to go to church.

Please keep Kanye in your prayers, and see our prayer pointers for celebrities who come to Christ on page 24 

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Evangelical Christians double in Argentina over last 10 years, become largest faith group

A baptism service of an evangelical church in Argentina

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he government of Argentina published the figures of the Second National Survey on Beliefs and Religious Attitudes. It is a detailed research that compares the social and religious evolution of Argentinians in the last 12 years (from 2008 to today). According to the data of this survey, the number of people who identified as evangelical Christians in Argentina increased from 9% in 2008 to 15.3% at the end of 2019. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church of the Latin American country has lost members. In 2019, 76.5% of the population identified with Catholicism, now

the figure has fallen to 62.5%. The decline is starker if the Catholic affiliation is compared with the 1960 decade, when over 90% of Argentinians identified as Catholics. In contrast, almost 2 in 10 Argentinian citizens now say they do not identify with a religion (18.9%), a significant increase compared to 2008 (10%). Argentina continues to be a country with a majority that identifies with Christendom. 82.9% say they have some degree of devotion for Jesus Christ, 81.9% believe in God, and 75.9% in the Holy Spirit – although all three beliefs have decreased since 2008. It is the faith group with the highest church attendance. 

Ugandan Government closes nearly 12 000 churches and faithbased NGOs in huge blow to religious freedom – Religion Unplugged

Philippians 4:6 was the most popular Bible verse of 2019, YouVersion says

The UN is usually biased against Israel

‘Unprecedented’ UN report confirms shocking levels of rising anti-Semitism around the world

Churches must go through much red tape to require a license

P

hilippians 4:6 was the most popular Bible verse of 2019 on YouVersion, the free Bible app that launched in 2008 and grew by 50 million unique installs last year alone. The verse reads, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” 

– Bridges For Peace

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NEWS

Russian Christians have welcomed the ruling

Christians win landmark case in Russia over right to worship in private homes, a new ruling that opens doors for Christianity

China bans African students from worshipping in churches to prevent ‘foreign infiltration’

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he Chinese government has banned African international students from worshiping in Christian churches under the pretext of “preventing foreign infiltration through religion,” a persecution watchdog group has revealed. A group of over 80 African students who are residing in a city in the northeastern province of Liaoning told Chinese persecution watchdog Bitter Winter that the person in charge of the church they attended received a government order prohibiting foreigners from participating in gatherings at the church. “We just want to have a place to congregate,” one student told the outlet. A similar incident occurred at a univer-

sity in the central province of Hubei, where a church attended by over 40 African students received repeated threats from government officials who demanded the church’s director drive out the international students. The students now are forced to worship in secret, disguising their gatherings like birthday parties, according to Bitter Winter. An administrator at a university in Jiujiang said that the government secretly monitors African students. “If any people are discovered to be too close to them, both parties will be watched and investigated. But most African students are completely unaware that they’re being monitored.” 

– Barnabas Fund

Rugby Australia settles with Israel Folau over unlawful firing

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srael Folau has reached a settlement with Rugby Australia (RA) after he was controversially sacked over posts on social media. Folau took legal action against his sport’s governing body after his playing contract was terminated over a social media post quoting the Bible.

RA claimed the Instagram post – which said hell awaits “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars” and others, and called them to repent – was a ‘high-level breach’ of its code of conduct.

A joint statement said that Folau had posted “genuinely held religious beliefs” and had not intended to hurt or offend people. RA also apologised for “any hurt or harm caused to the Folaus”. The parties settled for a confidential payment. The former rugby union star had been suing Rugby Australia for A$14m (£7.4). Religious liberty group the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) said that this was a “welcome result” for all those who “value freedom”. Managing Director Martyn Iles said: “People of all faiths need clear protections to speak openly about their beliefs … The true meaning of inclusiveness, diversity, and tolerance is to accept differences, including differences of faith and belief”. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged to introduce new laws on religious liberty. Morrison said: “Religious freedom is one of the cornerstones of what we are as a country, and it’s important our laws reflect that.” 

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Publishers in China celebrate production of 200 millionth Bible – China remains the largest Bible printer in the world.

– Barnabas Fund

Hundreds of Rabbis thank Trump for new Judea and Samaria policy

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Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of Chabad of Poway thanks President Donald Trump for his support

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ollowing the Trump administrations announcement that U.S. policy concludes that Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria does not violate international law, hundreds of rabbis, including Israel’s Chief Rabbis, sent a letter to the US president, thanking him for his pro-Israel decision. According to the letter, after the US had the privilege of being the first to recognise Israel’s establishment, Trump had the great fortune of recognising Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights for the first time, and can now do the same for the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria.

Trump will be remembered in Jewish history as a “man who stood on the front lines, unafraid,” the rabbis said. The rabbis said that, as God had promised to the prophets, Trump’s decisions will be a source of blessing to him.

“To the Prophet Isaiah, God promised that He will not rest until all the nations of the world recognise the righteousness of Israel, and the righteousness of your decisions will be a source of His blessings for you,” they wrote. The letter called his decision historic, saying he would be remembered in Jewish history as a “man who stood on the front lines, unafraid.”

SA Doctor who advised unborn baby is a human being pleads ‘not guilty’ to absurd charges

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he hearing of Dr Jacques de Vos resumed early December in respect of counts 1 and 2 (that he tried to persuade a mother not to kill her healthy 19-week-old baby). As the hearing started the lawyers for Dr de Vos indicated that the HPCSA still had not complied with the ruling of the Disciplinary Committee on 30 August 2019, i.e. they had not provided the information needed for Dr de Vos to plead. The Committee Chairperson indicated that, as a result of the prosecutor failing to provide the information, the

Committee wanted to relook at whether there is any bad faith on the part of the HPCSA. Dr de Vos then waived his right to claim that the HPCSA were acting in bad faith in order to proceed with the hearing. His reason for waiving this right among other things was that after two and a half years of bad faith by those driving the matter against him, the time had come for the truth of the matter to be heard. The hearing then proceeded and De Vos pleaded “not guilty” to counts 1 and 2. The hearing has been set down for 2, 3, 22 and 23 April 2020. 

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