The year that was- 2015

The year 2015 is finally coming to an end. So much took place in this year. We saw the greatness of the Lord in our personal lives but also in the life of the church in general. Two more branches were born. Not because as Pastors we wanted to, but these communities hungry for God heard about the work the Lord was doing in Mushroom farm and they too asked that they too have a church were their spiritual needs can be met and worship together as a community.
We celebrated our first anniversary and were joined by Daughters of Destiny and ladies from Prayer is a lifestyle. The two blessed the members with the Bibles that are indeed a great need.
We were blessed by the selfless service of Pastor Lesego Mcwango- who took over the preaching in Bapsfontein Mushroom farm. Mrs Buli Mongalo took care of the children and without holding back met the needs of these young ones, including providing food for them every Sunday. Her commitment led to the 1st Christmas party with friends and colleagues buying school uniform and toiletries for the young. Ms Brenda Mahlasela- gave her time and skills. Providing refreshments; resources and time. We are truly humbled and grateful. To Him only be the glory. The word will continue to reach the unreached and transform lives...

Thabang: May you rest in peace

I remember it like yesterday, the day I walked within the Bapsfontein compound on a Sunday before church service as I normally do, to invite others and share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with the people and His love. As I called to this young man whom I came to know later as Thabang, the shock in his face was shocking to say the least. He actually asked “O mema nna mmamoruti hot la kerekeng? Meaning are you actually inviting me to church? True to his word he came and after church I got time to talk to him. It is then that I understood his shock, he was born-again from Lesotho. As is the culture from where he comes from he went for the initiation and was expelled from the church when he came back and never again allowed to fellowship. He was therefore surprised that I am extending an invitation to him. We spoke and I reassured him that though man ca find it easy to condemn God doesn’t. There is always a chance to be reconciled with him. A chance he gladly took.

A few months later he disappeared from the church, and could not find him even during my weekly walk about. When I finally found him and asked what was going on, in his usual loud and slow voice he said “mmamoruti ha key a wa, ke sekame feela” am not yet fallen but just bending over a little. Again we had a very serious talk about righteousness and encouraged him to rule over sin and not let it rule over him. About three weeks ago he came to church, very very drunk. I had never seen him in that state. In the middle of the service he stood up, took out his offering, left it at the table and off he went. My heart was very troubled that day. I asked one of the ladies-aus Connie to go check him and talk to him as I was very concerned about what I saw. By God’s grace I also managed to meet him during the week and again had a serious talk. He repented and asked to be forgiven. The last three weeks he again took his cross and followed Christ. Faithfully coming midweek with his note book and Sundays. Today we woke up to the news that he has been brutally beaten and murdered by allegedly some white men on his way back from work.

My heart is burdened and am saddened by his passing away so suddenly and so violently for no reason. I am, however, also grateful to God for having given us the opportunity to share the Gospel with him and followed up when there was a need. I pray for the day when Bapies’, rich and poor can worship God together under one roof. I pray for the day when Black and White will truly be equal and treat each other as such!

Galatians 4:19 “¹⁹ My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you!” May God give us the strength to travail for his souls until Christ is formed in them. May we never get tired of sharing the good news and praying that it bears fruit. None of us knew that Thabang will be no more today. I will personally miss him. I have fond memories of him. The short time I knew him, I thank God for his life….. May his soul rest in eternal peace!!

Hope and Restoration Time Volume 2 Issue 3

COME JUST AS YOU ARE

Today it is one of those when one is really humbled by what God is able to do. Things that we take for granted and yet have stopped many from embracing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am particularly grateful today when thinking of the change- small as it may seem- in one of our brethren’s life. The first time I invited him to join us for a church service, he had a beer in his hand and it was still full. He told me straight “Mamoruti I can’t leave this bottle like this because by the time church ends it would no longer be drinkable”.

The week that followed (he is only able to attend fortnightly due to work commitments), I found him seated in a shack not far from the church, again with his beer but almost halfway. When he saw me he said, “don’t worry Mamoruti by the time church starts, it will be finished. I am coming today”. 

A few more occasions his target was just to ensure that his bottle is finished before church starts. However, as God is the One who changes people, the last two occasions that he has been to church, he came very sober. Instead of finishing the bottle, he came early to ensure chairs are packed and cleaned. He gave a testimony which really moved me. He said “I love this Jesus, I know I have accepted Him, and I am fully aware that I am not yet where I am supposed to be in my walk with Him, but all I know is that everyday my life is changing and one day I will be fully transformed”

What a wonderful God we serve! When He said come just as you are, He knew His Gospel is able to change lives. We celebrate God and are grateful that we can witness these miracles in our time.

JESUS HEALS A MAN SICK FOR 38 YEARS AND ONE BORN BLIND-

In John 5:1-10 Jesus went to the Pool of Bethesda. There were several pools there with many sick people waiting for healing. They all waited for an Angel to stir the water and when the water is stirred, whoever goes into the water first received their healing. It was a survival of the fastest. You had to be fast and first.

This was an untenable situation for this man, he had no capacity to be first and fast. For more than 38 years he tried his luck and no one felt pity for him to give him a chance. Christ had to come and impart healing to this man.

When Christ saw him, the Bible records that Christ could see the man had been sick for a long time, his facial expression showed a long sickness. It probably showed a lack of hope, he never saw himself leaving the pool side whole. He couldn’t imagine a point where everyone around him would be slower than him.

Christ moved into the scene and Jesus asked him “ Do you want to be well?” the man must have been perplexed at the question: It’s like Christ was saying after all these years you want to tell me that you couldn’t possibly jump in quickly? Are you really serious about the healing? Of course I do, but I don’t have the means to go first, the strong and fast go in quicker and therefore I’m still like this after all these years.

Those with a higher priority are able to have appointments before me, I’m always bumped to the back of the queue. Those with better medical aid options get enrolled for their healing operations than me. I want to be well but unfortunately I have no means, there’s no one to help me, I don’t have the right connections to get the jobs, always someone with better connections and qualifications gets in first and takes the job from right under my nose.

I’m almost giving up all hope of ever working, someone more qualified than me always comes. I’m desperate but there’s nothing I can do, Sir if there’s something you can do for me to appropriate my healing I’m ready. I’m ready to accept my healing if you will give it to me whatever it takes and whatever it costs. It might be the Sabbath but if you say I must pick up my mat, I will do it.

Christ says to him “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk.” The man responded. When Christ speaks, nature responds, when He spoke to the storm it became quiet, He created nature and therefore nature knows and understands His voice. He is Lord and master over it. He speaks to disease and it responds to Him, He is Lord and Master over all. Everything that is created obeys Him, everything that has a name responds to Him He has a name above all others.

Jesus is here to change your situation, He wants to turn your circumstances around, He wants to bring the healing to your life that you so much desire. The answer to your prayer is here today, Christ has come that you may have life. You might have lost all hope before, but in Christ that hope can be restored and realised. Christ is your connection to your healing, progress and salvation He’s the one you need for your circumstances to change for the better once and for all.

 

Stand up, pick up your mat and walk in Jesus’ name. Stand up and go and take that job that you desire, stand up and go and access the healing that has eluded you and cost you so much in life, your life savings and all. Jesus is here just for you, to announce that you are healed, you don’t have to have the connections and strengths of others. He loves you and came to the pool just because of your pain. No matter what you’ve done in the past to cause you the pain that you are suffering He says” Stand up, pick up your mat and walk.”

We learn in John 5:14 when Christ comes into contact with the man he had healed the reason for his long sickness. Christ says to him: ‘See you are well now. Stop sinning so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” Somehow this man’s sickness (whatever it was) was a result of his sin, still this didn’t preclude him from being a beneficiary/ candidate of Christ’s mercy. Christ healed him inspite of the cause. This suggests that there are conditions (even sicknesses) that are a result of sin.

I believe it is because of this incident that a few chapters after this in John 9:1-3 when the disciples saw a man born blind they were buffled, they had an internal dialogue which they later verbalised to the Lord. They said Lord, a few days ago you said to the man who was sick for a long time at the Bethesda Pool that He must stop sinning else the sickness will be severe, now we are confused- this man we see before us was born blind, could it be that his parents sinned, or was it him who sinned. Christ said to them: This particular man was born blind so that God’s power could be shown in Him.” There are those who are the way they are so that God’s power could be demonstrated, whatever the cause of your situation without exception you are a candidate for God’s touch and healing.

Christ spit on the ground, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes and told him “ Go and wash yourself in the pool of Siloam and the man came back seeing.” This emphasises the importance of taking instructions from God and obeying His word, when you obey God you will reap the benefits/ fruits of His word.

Many people make sure they take and follow instructions of people, professionals (doctors and others) and even inyangas to the letter but when God asks them to do something, they disobey or are filled with unbelief. They cannot follow simple instructions from God no matter how simple and straight forward they are. Professionals can give them the most complex set of instructions, inyangas can give them the most awkward rules and instructions they will follow, just look and live, follow Christ and live.

 

 

Welcome function for up and coming Missionaries

OM hosted a function to welcome new missionary trainees. The service was held at the OM farm in Boschkop on sunday the 22nd of February 2015. Our own Bro Cedric Maunatlala was one of the 37 new missionaries who have signed up for this 5 month programme. It was a great moment to witness mainly young from 6 continents getting together with the aim of preparing themsleves to advance the kingdom of God through active service in Missions.

We look forward to tapping into the expertise of Bro Cedric and working with him as he journeys to impact the world with the Word of God.

Hope and Restoration Time Volume 2 Issue 2

Ai after Jericho

Joshua 8: 1- 8
When God told the Israelites about the Promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey, He did not go into finer details explaining the nitty gritties of how they are going to take over the land and what they are going to encounter along the way.

The first three cities they had to conquer, gives us a glimpse into the three broad scenarios one encounters when embarking on a spiritual assignment.

The first city they had to deal with was Jericho, a very fortified city which they overcame mainly through Worship and paying close attention to instruction as well as fully obeying the instructions. Despite the city being heavily fortified, they seem to take it over without much effort. The other catching aspect about Jericho is the saving of the prostitute that hid the servants of God. There were other people in the land, but she alone was spared because, despite her trade, she hid the servants of God.

After the great success of Jericho, they were faced with Ai. In comparison with Jericho, Ai was much smaller and easy to overcome. Instead of seeking direction from the Lord as to how to take over Ai, they just go and plunge on it and even recommend that only few soldiers are needed and most of the soldiers should remain behind. To their dismay and surprise, more than thirty of their soldiers were killed in Ai. It is after this that they went to enquire from the Lord with fasting and prayer and it became apparent that they have foreign idols in their midst. Despite the fact that, Achan was the one who harbored these idols, but God addresses them corporately that there are foreign gods among them. It is only after Achan confessed and he as consequently killed and buried under a heap of stones that the Israelites managed to conquer over the land and people of Ai. We need to always remember that what one of us does in secret or in the open, affects all of us. There is an individual responsibility as well as corporate responsibility. We need to be our brother's keeper and also caution each other of our secret sin that put all of us in danger as it was with Achan, his hiding of foreign gods, cost Israel more than thirty precious life of fit and able soldiers.

The last one is the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites deceived Joshua into having a treaty with them. Having heard of the great things the Israelites were doing and how God was working among them, the Gibeonites pretended as if they come from very far and asked to enter into a covenant with the Israelites. They displayed torn shoes and rotten food and said they have been travelling for a long time. Ignorant of the fact that this was the next nation they were to overcome, Joshua entered into a covenant with the Gibeonites, a covenant that stretched for a long time even king Saul and David (2 Samuel 21) is recorded that he had to deal with the problem of Gibeonites living among the Israelites, Saul tried to exterminate them but the Lord fought for them. We should be very careful who we enter into covenant with and also always enquire of the Lord when we go on a spiritual assignment. Let not the glory and success of yesterday, predetermine your approach and therefore serve as an enemy of your future success. God always has fresh Grace for each assignment He gives us, let us always enquire of Him and seek His guidance.

Hope and Restoration Time Volume 2 Issue 1

MINISTRY LESSONS FROM JOHN THE BAPTIST

Luke 3:3-20

John 1:19-29

While meditating about ministry work the other time, my heart was drawn to John the Baptist and about the immense lessons we can learn from his life. John was a man whose ministry preceded the ministry of Christ. He was sent for the purpose of preparing the way for Christ. A ministry akin to a ‘ganda-ganda’.

Know your calling

A powerful tool (vehicle) going into a forest to make a way for the most beautiful of cars to be able to drive there. The ‘ganda-ganda’ only prepares the road and is not really meant to catch the attention to itself but focus on preparing the road for the coming ‘mzeke-zeke’ (Porsche cars).

John had this experience in his life. In his ministry many were convicted of their sin even the synagogue leaders of his time knew someone great has arrived and they sent people to enquire who he was. His answer was “I am not the Messiah, my job is to prepare the way for the one coming, there is one more powerful than me that’s coming. I’m not the main man. I count myself fortunate to have been chosen to be the one to herald His coming”.

John knew and understood his calling, he knew the boundaries of his ministry. When Christ appeared he said I need to give space to Him, He must increase and I must decrease.

John was forthright and bought no favours from anybody.

Fearlessness

Whatever God told John to do, he did without fear or favour. He chastised Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. The Bible records that Herod was uncomfortable with John. It appears the mere appearance of John the Baptist reminded Herod of his sin. John’s life was judgement to Herod’s actions. Despite the power and influence of Herod, John wasn’t intimidated to sugar-coat the truth to suit Herod, he spoke with all honesty leading ultimately to his beheading.

John knew his place, he bowed before Christ and stood before Herod.

Relevance

In his ministry John impacted society, many were convicted and converted. John’s ministry experienced phenomenal growth. Many came to him because of his witness. Soldiers, tax collectors and the rich. His message was relevant to each and everyone of them. Touching on the cancer that was eating society: corruption and greed. He told those who have to give to those who don’t have, the soldiers to be satisfied with their pay and not demand bribes, and the tax collectors not to collect more tax than necessary. A relevant message even for our generation.

Humility

We can learn a lesson of honesty and humility from him. The temptation with power is to exaggerate your role and feel you were chosen because of something great you have done or earned God’s election but it is by His grace.

With ministry growth and wonders happening we often let accolades and testimonies to make us big headed about the things we are able to do and forget it’s all about God. It is the Lord doing the work in and through us and sometimes we take the credit for His doing. We need to know and understand our place as instruments in the hands of an able God. A garden tool in the hands of an able gardener can never take credit for a well- manicured garden but many of us tend to do so.

Accolades and praises should never distract us from our purpose and calling. Many due to the desire for accolades have played to the gallery. We must not allow growth and wonders to graduate into self promotion and praise.John never allowed accolades get to him, even while others suggested he might be the Messiah.

What needs to consume us is the need to know Christ and the power of His resurrection like Paul, to have a deeper and closer relationship with him. To know and understand His heart for the nation and the world.

May God help us, give us the courage and boldness to speak truthfully what He lays in our hearts, to be uncompromising in our actions and not to choose the convenient path but tread the one He chose for us.

God bless you

Breaking nets, sinking boats and overtaken by blessings

Luke 5:1-11
Jesus was busy ministering to people and the crowds were pressing him on every side, He needed some space and platform to teach from. He saw a boat next to the shore. He didn't first go and ask for permission to use it, He needed a platform to minister, so He went into the boat.

He sees the owner and instructs him to push Him into the water. Jesus in His typical fashion takes charge of the situation, even when He needed a donkey or wanted to have the Last Supper with His disciples He just gave instructions that The Lord needs to use it. When He wants to use you, you can't dodge Him He will pursue you and use you. He is your creator and when He needs your service He demands.

The people relented for they recognized that all they have is His, it was created by Him. Going into the boat Peter pushed Him into the water. Jesus does His business of preaching, and after the sermon, the focus of the sermon isn't even mentioned but what happened next is what becomes the subject of this portion of scripture. Jesus gave another instruction to Peter, launch into the deep.

Peter was reluctant, he had just spent an entire night trying to catch fish and caught nothing. Jesus was about to change his fortunes. God sometimes will take you to the things you know very well and turn them upside down, things you know are not possible to take you to a new dimension- a dimension where all things are possible. A place where nothing is impossible. That's a dimension and place of faith.

There is a blessing in believing in the word of God and obeying Him. It was when Peter obeyed that His blessing came through.

An instruction from The Lord, a word from the Master mixed with your faith -a belief that He will do what He promised to will make you walk victoriously in 2015, His promise is all you need to change your health situation whether it has persisted for long or not. Whether your business has been struggling for years and not being profitable when He commands you to launch into the deep and fish once more all you need to do is to obey Him and see what happens next. It might even be in the same place where you spent all night toiling.

Peter obeyed and what happened next was beyond description. His nets were full, after a night of toil and not being fruitful, one Word from The Lord changed his fortunes.

When The Lord commands you don't say I've tried all the doctors and inyangas, I've approached everyone who knows and can help, I've done all there is to do and nothing came out of all my efforts. Just say at your word, I do and expect a wonder from Him.

Your efforts to evangelize before, your foray into business in times past, your efforts in the family, your efforts at school might not have been fruitful before but now The Lord instructs you to launch into the deep again, obey and see why He's capable of.

The very nets and boats that disappointed you for the whole night will be the ones to enable you to have a catch that will almost break the nets and almost sink your boats. You will be overcome with blessing you will need others to help you enjoy. God always blesses so we are able to share with others.

Peter was overtaken by blessings, His nets were breaking (overladen with the catch), his boat was sinking (full of blessings he couldn't contain), his storehouses( the boats ) couldn't contain the blessing.

When God blesses you this year, you will have no room to contain the blessings, they will overtake you, you will feel inadequate and undeserving of so much love, blessing and favour. You will be awestruck like Peter.

Sometimes God will direct you to do the things that you've done before, and says to you that you must expect different results - a phenomenon the world calls insanity- but if you take Him at His Word you are destined for a greater blessing. Faith is insanity- it's doing the things the world considers unthinkable. The things that normal and intelligent people cannot make sense of.

When He does so He prepares you for elevation and promotion. He says I can take you to heights you can never think of. For some of you it will be a sign that Christ has set you apart for a higher calling- ministry. You perhaps have been saying I can't accept your call at this level I first need to achieve 1,2,3 what He's about to do in your life is confirmation and you need nothing more than this to validate you.

The disciples had reached the pinnacle of their fishing career, the next logical step was expansion after a great catch and the Lord says its time for a transition of a different kind- from fisherman to fishers of men.

It may be time for a transition from fisherman to fisher of men, from being a shepherd of sheep to shepherd His people. You seek no other earthly success to validate your readiness to accept the call to ministry.When Peter, Andrew and the sons of Zebedee experienced much harvest, it wasn't for them to expand their business but for them to take a new direction ministry-wise. So for some of you it might be ministry-time. Peter & Co forsook all their success for a higher calling.

God bless you