Focus on Capro Missions - 04 November 2014

November is here and that means our Missions month at THoHR is kicking in. On the 04th of November we will be having the following servants of God as they share with us their journey with the Lord as missionaries. Please pop in to learn more about them and missions. Time: 18:00 - 19:15

Venue: 628 Hofet street, Elardus Park (Pretoria)

Bush & Lebo have been missionaries for the last 5 years serving through CAPRO MISSIONS SA. They served in the mission fields of Nigeria & Kenya respectively. They are currently based in Pretoria serving in administration & Student Ministries. They are called & are working towards doing church planting missions among the Maore people of the island of Mayotte who are 98% Islamic.

Selemela Thabang Selemela

From Pentecostal Holiness Church in Mogwase

Saved in 2007, learned about Missions in 2008/9

Helped start a youth organization called ARMY CAMP OF CHRIST, through which he grew in Evangelism. He would passionately gather youth from various Churches to train EE3 for Evangelism.

Joined CAPRO in 2011

Has burden for Muslims.

For more information about CAPRO, please click HERE

To the ends, then the end will come

November is Missions month at THoHR. Every Tuesday at Elardus Park (628 Hofet Street) we will be hosting different Missionaries from different Mission organisations to talk more about Missions. Please come join us if available. More about each Missionary that will be coming with be posted here a few days before they come, keep checking the blog, or put in your email on the right where it says "follow by email" so that you can get updates timeously. If you are or twitter, please follow our twitter handle as displayed on the right hand side.

"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) and "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

These are some of the verses we will be seeking ways to put into practice. Covering the ends of the earth with the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ as a matter of urgency. See you there...

ELARDUS PARK - 09 NOV: We would love to see you there

Restoration Time

Receiving the first newsletter “Restoration Time” of the House of Hope and Restoration is indeed a humbling experience. Not only is one once again reminded of the faithfulness of God upon our lives, but it is a confirmation that all He needs is a willing heart. His provision thus far has been beyond measure. Ke Modimo wa dimakatso indeed.

Restoration Time Newsletter - October 2014

 

Come join us as we reach Bapsfontein with the Good News

I WILL DIE HERE

Benaiah went to the sacred tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king orders you to come out!" But Joab answered, "No, I will die here." So Benaiah returned to the king and told him what Joab had said. 

(1 Kings 2:30)

In 1 Kings chapter 2, we find the touching story of Joab, a faithful commander of David's army. Joab has clearly come to the end of his life's journey. Benaiah is ordered by king Solomon to kill Joab and Joab, utters these touching words as he holds on to the horns of the altar (v.28), "I will die here". Joab faithfully served David all his life and one would expect him to die in a better position than to be murdered at the instruction of Solomon, his master's successor. One would expect him by now to be eating with princes on the king's table.

There are a few lessons that we learn from Joab's story, let us look at five points:
1. He was so committed to the temple and understood the significance of the altar that even though an instruction is issued that he be murdered, he decides not to run away but rather to run to the temple and hold on to the horns of the altar and be killed there. He remains unshakeable until he is struck dead.
2. It was David in v.6, who when he realized he was about to leave the world of the leaving, ordered Solomon concerning Joab, to " not let him grow old and go to his grave in peace". This is despite the fact that Joab served David faithfully as the commander of his army
3. It is intriguing that Joab, who has been a commander of an army his whole life is now accused of shedding blood as a reason to have him never to enjoy peace, v.5. 
4. He is accused of shedding blood during time of peace, yet it is the same king David that taught Joab that it is okay to shed innocent blood. David made Joab make sure Uriah, a devout and committed soldier of Israel, die at war, because David wanted to cover his adultrous relationship with Bathsheba.
5. Joab was so committed to David, he would do anything and everything ordered by David without questioning it, as long as it was ordered by David and it would make David happy, but he never knew nor strengthened his relationship with the God of David. He never learnt to be a man after God's heart, as David did, all he did was to honour and please David. In this same chapter we learn that Joab got a worse sentence than Shimei who cursed David when he was hurting running away from his own son, all this despite Joab's unsurpassing commitment to David. Joab king David faithfully and never seemed to care about God despite him knowing the importance of the temple and significance of the altar. He decides to die in the altar, whose God he does not have a relationship with.

Unlike Joab, Nathan the prophet, had a close relationship with the God of David, that is why when David was no longer walking well with the Lord, God told him (Nathan) and he was able to wisely find a way to warn David about his relationship with Bathsheba.

It is important that everything we do that we have a clear relationship with our Heavenly Father that will guide every decision we take. Serving at the altar, does not make us anyway better. The same, unreservedly serving those who serve at the altar, is insignificant as long as we do not strengthen our relationship with the God of the altar. It is actually dangerous to serve those that serve at the altar more than God, as we see in the case of Joab, when they are no longer in right position with God, we are not able to assist them as Nathan the prophet did.

IF ONLY WE COULD SEE THE SPIRITUAL IMPACT OF OUR WORK

As I was meditating upon the word my mind went to Luke 10:1-20, this is the event where Christ sent out His 70 disciples two by two to do ministry work in the towns and villages. He gave them power and authority to preach the good news, heal the sick, and cast out demons.

The disciples went out in obedience to the Master and did what He commanded them to do. On their return they were excited as they gave Him testimony after testimony of what happened. They said even demons obeyed us when we spoke in your name, miracles happened during our outreach, the sick were healed.

Christ agreed with all the things they said and He said: I also saw something else happening as a result of your crusade,

Verses 18-20 “I saw satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because the evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven”.

It was like Christ was saying to them:

1.       There was much more impact and power in what you did than you saw the enemy is shattered and angry

2.       Do not be fearful of this powerful enemy for I have given you authority over him

3.       Rejoice over the eternal

Christ saw something the disciples didn’t see, the disciples only saw the physical manifestation of what they were doing, they didn’t see the spiritual impact of what happened as they preached the Word, as they went from town to town healing the sick and casting out demons. They knew people were freed from the power of the devil but didn’t see how far reaching this simple act of obeying the Lord went. The devil fell like lightning from heaven, incensed at the great work, heaven was cheering as they continued from town to town doing the great works they were instructed to do.

There was a shifting of powers and principalities in the heavenly realm, the enemy was deposed. Christ further says to them: it is good that you are happy or rejoicing at what happened. But you have an even better reason to rejoice. In short the reason for your joy is misplaced I will give you a better and reason to rejoice over.

·         The miracles shouldn’t be your focus of joy. Miracles can be performed and faked by false prophets, so miracles in themselves do not make you distinct and those who follow after miracles run the risk of following false prophets.

·         What you should rejoice over is what the enemy cannot fake and do: that is to be registered in heaven

Christ was challenging them and showing them the heavenly impact of their work and the things they should focus on- an eternal relationship with God.

The enemy cannot fake a passport to heaven though they can fake the miracles. Christ also alludes to the authority given to the disciples and says this authority is above all the power of the enemy. The enemy has power to do things but we have authority to allow or disallow him, we can stop him and cast him away.

Christ was telling them who they are. He wanted them to know what has been deposited in them, the power and authority given to them. He knew the enemy would throw all sorts of things to them but He wanted them not to be fearful of the ‘powerful’ enemy and to take their stand against him in authority.

If you know who you are, you will act appropriately. If you know you are a lion, you do not look back when a small dog is braking behind you, you only respond to animals which might pose a threat to you, and when you do, you demonstrate why you are the king of the jungle.

Lessons:

·         Know who you are

·         Know the impact of your work

·         Focus on the things that matter, do not follow the fashionable seek the eternal