A Prayer For Your Doubts
Risen Master, help us like your apostle Thomas, to be honest enough to admit our doubts and not to affect a faith we do not possess; and enable us, like him, so to experience your living presence and power that our doubts may be dissolved and we may inherit the blessing promised to those who have not seen you and yet trust in you, our Lord and our God.
Heavenly Mindedness Should Produce Earthly Good
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” Colossians 3:2
We are no doubt all familiar with the saying “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good”. Normally this saying is intended as a criticism of those who seem to have their heads in the clouds and who are oblivious of the realities of life or, perhaps even worse, uncaring about them.
Sometimes the phrase is used as a criticism of Christians and their apparent lack of involvement in the issues of the day. And sometimes, it has to be said, the criticism has the ring of truth about it. The question must however be asked. If a particular Christian person is in fact uncaring and uninvolved in the issues of daily life, is the problem that they are too heavenly minded or is the problem in fact that they are not heavenly minded enough?
In Colossians 3:2 Paul commands all Christians to set our minds on things above. This is not a command to fill our minds with higher, more noble thoughts though elsewhere the Bible does urge us to think about whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, lovely commendable and excellent (see Philippians 4:8).
The ‘things above’ in Colossians 3:2 are clearly heavenly things for they are to be understood in the light of the preceding verse where Paul says “seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). It is clear therefore that since Christ is at the right hand of God in Heaven, the things above in our text must refer to heavenly things. Paul is thus commanding us to be heavenly minded.
Furthermore, the command to set our minds on things above is strengthened by the words “not on the things that are on earth”. Does Paul mean that we should not think about daily life and it challenges and spend all our time thinking about heaven? The context of Paul’s words suggests the very opposite. For when we read on, we discover that we are to put to death that which is ‘earthly’ in us, namely sexual immorality, impurity, passion (in the negative sense of the word), covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk and untruth (Colossians 3:5-9).
Thus for Paul the things of the earth are not the ordinary realities of everyday life such as family life or work (see for example Colossians 3:18-25). For Paul, the things of earth are those attitudes and patterns of behaviour which are unwholesome and destructive, both for ourselves and for our relationships with others. Bearing this in mind then we can say that setting our minds on things of the earth must mean being controlled by our fallen nature. And so we can conclude that to set our minds on things above must mean to be controlled in our daily lives by the new realities of our Christian experience.
This is in fact exactly what we find when we read Colossians 3:1-4 as a whole. For Paul reminds us of two things that are true for every Christian. First, every Christian has been raised with Christ, that is given new birth and new life by the Holy Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead. But second, and very important, every Christian has also died with Christ with the result that our lives no longer belong to ourselves but to God in Christ.
What this means in practice is that day by day we are no longer to live for ourselves and our own agenda as if we were still the controlling force for our life choices; rather we are to live day by day as those who belong to God, trusting Him both for the power to make good and godly choices and for the outcome of those choices. Putting it differently, since we belong to Jesus, we now need to live our lives modelled on the life that Jesus lived – a life of self-sacrificial love for the good of others.
The question therefore becomes “would a life of self-sacrificial love for the good of others” be of any earthly good? And surely even the greatest sceptic would have to agree that it would. What a difference it would make in our personal relationships and in our country as a whole if people truly did not put themselves first, we givers rather than takers and were willing to sacrifice for the good of those who needed help.
This is in fact what being heavenly minded should produce. And since this is true, what we need is not fewer but more people in our country who are truly heavenly minded. And since this cannot be accomplished without the grace of God, the saving work of Christ, and the power of the Spirit, what we need is for the gospel of Jesus to grow and spread across our land and then for those who believe this gospel to live it out day by day.
Stewardship of Time
O God, teach us to view time in the light of eternity, and help us to remember that no one of us knows how many or how few days may be left to us. So keep us faithful to our stewardship, that when our Lord comes we may be found using wisely our time and talents, our life and strength, and may merit his own "Well done"; for the honour of his name. Amen.
What Kind of Listener Are You?
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11
In Acts 17:11 Luke gives us a very striking description of the Jews who heard Paul preaching in the town of Berea. Comparing them to the Jews in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9), Luke says that the Bereans were ‘more noble’. This description is of course of historical interest helping us to follow the progress of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8).
But it is also of personal importance, for as we read of the noble Bereans we are challenged to think about our own response to the gospel message. The question is a simple one: When we hear the gospel proclaimed from the Scriptures, will we be noble hearers as the Bereans were?
Luke’s comparison between the Bereans and the Thessalonians encourages us to look back at Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica. Acts 17:2-3 tells us that Paul attended the synagogue on three Sabbath days and that he “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying ‘This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ.’”
Note the words Luke uses to describe Paul’s preaching - reasoned; explaining; proving – words that tell us that Paul wanted his audience first to think about what he was saying rather than to blindly accept his words and then, having considered his words carefully, to accept the message and to put their faith in Jesus.
Some of the Bereans did that, but sadly many did not. We might say that the majority of the Thessalonians were ignoble hearers because notwithstanding the truth of Paul’s message and the lengths to which Paul went to explain and convince, they rejected the gospel. One can only imagine how this grieved Paul’s heart (see Romans 10:1).
What then of the Bereans?. Luke tells us that their response to Paul’s ministry of proclamation and persuasion was a noble response. First we are told that they “received the word with all eagerness” (Acts 17:11). The word translated eagerness speaks of ‘readiness and good will’. And this tells us something about the attitude with which the Bereans listened. While not gullible, as we shall see in a moment, they were also not closed minded or antagonistic in the way they listened. They were not like those people who decide in advance that they will not give the Christian message a fair hearing, no matter how clear or convincing the argument is.
Rather they were open minded, willing to listen and ready to receive the word, provided of course that what was being said was true. How we should pray that we and those with whom we seek to share the gospel have the same attitude to listening!
Second, Luke tells us that the Bereans “ examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). What an important statement this is, for it tells us that the Bereans’ open mindedness was not an easily impressed gullibility. Paul was without question a capable orator, but in the end it was the content of his message and the fact that what Paul was saying agreed with what the Scriptures taught, that persuaded the Bereans to become Christians. Nor would Paul have had it any other way, for we read in Acts 17:2 that all of Paul’s reasoning, explaining and proving was based on the Scriptures and not on his own opinions.
The fact that this examination of the Scriptures took place daily reminds us that conviction about the truth of the gospel is something that grows over time and through diligent effort. To put it in personal testimony terms, I can well remember hearing the gospel at St James and wanting to believe the wonderful truth about God’s grace to me, a sinner.
As I look back I realise that the Lord was giving me open ears and a willing, open mind. But I needed time and the answers to many questions before I finally believed. During that period I listen eagerly to the preaching. And for the first time in my life, I began to follow up what I was hearing for myself in the Bible. The more I studied the Scriptures, the more answers I found and the more questions I had. I was making progress toward genuine, Bible based faith but it took time and a lot of patience on the part of those whom I kept peppering with hard questions.
By the grace of God I came to the point where I moved from being a eager hearer and inquisitive seeker to being a true believer. And having believed, I discovered an even greater joy. For the truth is that even as believers we are keep imitating those noble Bereans. For every day is a day to grow in the gospel and to discover for ourselves from the Scriptures that these wonderful gospel truths are indeed so!
A New REACH Bishop is Consecrated
New REACH Bishop
October 6th, 2019, was a day of great celebration in the town of Ondangwa as Rev. Lukas Katenda was consecrated Bishop of REACH-Namibia.
Over 1000 people attended the grand occasion and many visiting clergy and government dignitaries were also present.
The consecration of Bishop Katenda and strengthening of REACH Namibia, amongst other events that are taking place, are the happy culmination of many prayers through long, challenging years. For decades, the small and scattered REACH-Namibia congregations stood bravely for the gospel with limited support. Clergy and members from REACH-SA (Church of England in South Africa) regularly visited to minister and fellowship with their northern Namibia brothers and sisters. Visits by GWC (George Whitefield College) and CFN (Churches for Namibia), for training and mission, have also continued through the years.
In recent times, the ongoing disruptions within the Anglican communion have seen a number of realignments taking place around the world. GAFCON is the largest evidence of this global repositioning. REACH are signatories to the GAFCON Jerusalem Declaration and participate in this global fellowship of faithful Anglicans. REACH-Namibia is further evidence of this Anglican realignment, with a number of laity and clergy now finding a spiritual home in this church. These believers seek to unite under a Reformed Evangelical Anglican heritage that holds to the ultimate authority of the Holy Scriptures both in faith and practice.
There are now over 20 congregations in REACH-Namibia with ongoing plans for evangelism and church planting.
Faithful minister in REACH-Namibia for many years.
We praise God for the gospel centred growth evidenced in our growing REACH churches across several countries in Southern Africa.
The Lord grows His church through all seasons. Praise be to God!
Christ Church Christian Care Center
Just imagine for a moment you are a 4-year-old child with no single relative on earth.
The only person you had was your mom who died through AIDS related illness when you were 6 months old.
You don’t even know that you are HIV positive and may not live to see your 10th birthday.
What kind of future will you have? If you even have a future.
Check out this video from Christ Church Christian Care Center about the amazing work that they are doing as they "seek to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus in a practical way to the homeless, needy and destitute."
http://www.5cees.co.za/Video.html
Till Now the Lord has Helped Us
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer for he said “Till now the LORD has helped us”. 1 Samuel 7:12
For most English speakers the word Ebenezer will prompt memories not of the Bible but of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation from miser to benefactor, thanks to the intervention of three persuasive spirits. The fact that the old misers name was Ebenezer is deeply ironic, for his name is based on a Hebrew word which means ‘stone of help’, a name which in Israel’s history became associated forever with the grace and kindness of the LORD who had helped and would continue to help His people.
Helpless Nation, Helpful God
The events described in 1 Samuel 7 came at a key moment in Israel’s history. Failed leadership and a faithless nation had led to defeat in battle and subjugation to the Philistines. The nation which was meant to be holy and distinct from the surrounding nations had become just like them and were worthy of the LORD’s judgement. What the LORD in fact did was to remember His covenant and to raise up a faithful leader in the person of Samuel.
This was part of the help which the LORD had provided ‘till now’ as Samuel puts it. But more than that, the LORD had brought the nation to repentance and, as 1 Samuel 7 records, had led Israel to a mighty victory over the Philistines. Once again the God of grace had provided help for His people. It could thus be said in truth – “Thus far the LORD has helped us” and the Ebenezer stone was a memorial to this great truth.
But the stone symbolised more than remembrance and a cause for rejoicing. It also stood for the LORD’s promise of future help. For the LORD who had helped was and is the Living God, the Creator and Ruler over the world, the faithful Redeemer of His people. The stone thus stood as an invitation to trust in the LORD for the future and to renew commitment to the LORD of the covenant.
Helping our Faith
In the great spiritual battle against the world, the flesh and the devil and in the midst of the trials of life, we can say with confidence “till now the LORD has helped us”. We can say this in our personal lives as Christians and we can say this as a church. The buildings in which we meet, the people we see week by week, the testimonies we hear – all of these are like the great stone which Samuel set up. Ebenezer – a reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness and a cause for rejoicing in Him.
They are also an invitation to renew our faith and our commitment to Him. Birthdays are times for joy and celebration. But they are also times to take stock and to look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the future. Birthdays are moments for reflection, for repentance and for faith and for renewal.
Scripture tells us that “they who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). These words were spoken not to the mighty and the strong but to those who had come to the end of their natural strength, to the weak and the faint, to the weary and the exhausted.
In life and in the good fight of the gospel we often feel precisely like that. But that is when we are to look back at the true Ebenezer, not a stone but a cross of wood, a demonstration of God’s love for sinners, for the weak and the weary and the powerless.
Helped at the Cross
As we look at the cross in faith, we do renew our strength. And in the power of the Spirit, we declare with confidence – “Till now the Lord has helped us” and we can trust Him to help us again. May God grant that on the day when Jesus returns in His Father’s glory and with the Holy Angels, that there will be myriad upon myriad of communities of believers declaring in faith and with great joy: “The Lord is our helper and He has done it and it is indeed marvellous in our eyes”.
Faith in Times of Perplexity
Almighty God,
in your wisdom you have so ordered our earthly life
that we must walk by faith and not by sight:
give us such trust in your fatherly care
that in the face of all perplexities
we may give proof of our faith by the courage of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
4 Reminders When We Face Our Fear and Anger
Uyinene was a 19-year old student, just like us. In the last week of August, Uyinene went missing. On Monday, 2 September, the news broke that a post office worker had been arrested for her rape and murder. Her story leapt to the forefront of a news cycle already saturated by daily reports of gender-based violence. Her name has joined the endless and ever growing list: Jesse Hesse (University of the Western Cape); Hannah Cornelius (Stellenbosch University); Lynette Volschenk; Meghan Cremer; Leighhandre Jegels; Ayakha Jiyane. These are the reported names, in an ocean of unreported ones.
Uyinene’s murder has left students, and especially our young women, overwhelmed with feelings of fear and anger. Students are scared because they don’t feel safe in their communities, in their homes, or even at their universities. On Wednesday, Graça Machel, widow of Nelson Mandela and Chancellor of UCT, speaking to thousands of students gathered for Uyinene’s memorial, expressed this with tremendous clarity when she declared: “there are no more safe spaces”. Our society has failed its women by tolerating any unsafe spaces, but those spaces which have been ‘safe’ have now diminished to the extent that every space is an unsafe one for female students. Now, women are asking #AmINext?
This fear has been accompanied by a tremendous anger. The difficulty is that the enemy is unseen and this has left students uncertain as to where to direct their fury. Some have directed it at the university, others at the government, and others towards the president. There is an intense anger directed towards men for perpetuating gender-based violence, and also for permitting it. The expression #menaretrash has once more become a rallying cry for many angry students.
But, Christian students, despite also being affected by the fear and outrage of these past weeks, are choosing to respond differently. And non-Christian students are not only taking notice, but they are also asking why. These students admire the way their Christian peers have been disturbed but unshaken. Some students, for the first time, are being confronted with death and the prospect of eternity. Now, they are turning to their Christian friends to help them make sense of the world we live in.
As Christians what can we offer to a generation who are scared and angry?
Remind them of God’s love and comfort. Then remind them of His justice.
Our students need to know that God cares about them deeply. For all the moral confusion in our universities, events like this reveal clearly that we still recognise injustice. Students are desperate for justice. How beautiful is a God of justice in such a time!
He said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble”.
Luke 17:1-2 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Jesus told his disciples that those who cause his little ones to stumble should be warned. Jesus was on the offensive, teaching against those Pharisees, who, through their false teaching, are leading people away from God. Woe to those whom through offences come! Why? Because God cares profoundly for the ones he loves. Our God loved Uyinene, he loves each and every woman in our country. For this reason, he acts with justice.
For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favouritism.
Colossians 3:25 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Remind them of God’s righteous judgement
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NIV)
Just as God acts for those He loves in the face of the Pharisees’ wayward teaching, He also loves and acts for those who are the sufferers of gender-based violence. Students have begun to call for the re-introduction of the death penalty. Jesus replies that the death penalty is a lesser penalty than the one which offenders should expect from the God of justice. Jesus does not outline a punishment, he outlines what would be preferable to the actual punishment. This is a terrifying and powerful image, and it’s one which our students need to be told.
The god of the secular world is perpetually weakened in their eyes. That god is distant and powerless, but that is not our God. Our God will act for Uyinene, for Jesse, for Hannah, Lynette, Meghan, Leighhandre, Ayakha, and every other little one. God’s love is our comfort in fear and despair and his justice is our comfort in our anger.
Remind them and ourselves of Jesus’s warnings
“Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Luke 17:3-4 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Jesus continues by setting out the correct response to God’s love for his ‘little ones’ and his fearful justice: “Be on your guard”. We must keep ourselves from sin, and because we love others, we should seek to keep them from sin as well. So, all of us, and especially men, need to rebuke our peers and our Christian brothers when they objectify women. We don’t do this to climb the moral ladder, or to remind the world how much better ‘we Christians’ are. We do this because we desperately want to keep our fellow believers, our friends, and our classmates from the wrath of our God. For this reason, let us be ‘on guard’ against gender-based violence, and against rape and abuse, and against pornography, crudeness, lust, and catcalls. Let’s warn others, out of love and out of a healthy fear of the justice of our God.
Remind them of our God’s mercy and forgiveness
Forgiveness was not mentioned once at Uyinene’s memorial service. The very idea is outrageous to students. Yet Jesus tells us that as we challenge our friends and classmates we can expect that sometimes they will repent. Let us pray, that at a time like this, many do repent!
Jesus calls us to forgive those that do, and not just once, but again and again. Every time there is repentance we are called to forgive. By dying on the cross Jesus has demonstrated the extent to which he requires us to forgive. In this moment he displayed the full and glorious extent of God’s love, justice, and forgiveness. In that moment we are awed by the love of God. He will not relent in his justice, but he cares so deeply for us that he has made a way for all of us: students, professors, ministers and rapists to be forgiven. At this very moment, He is calling for us all to repent. Amazingly, because of Jesus, he is ready to forgive us.
On the night of Wednesday 4 September, around two hundred Christian students from different Christian Societies at UCT gathered on the steps of the central plaza, where the memorial took place earlier that day. These students too were full of fear and anger, but these students prayed together to the God of the cross. They looked up, towards the God that loves us, that acts for the justice of his ‘little ones’, who calls us all to repent of our sins and, who has made a way for us to be forgiven. Together, as the sun set on those university steps and as the whole country was covered with darkness, they sang:
‘Malibongwe, Malibongwe, Malibongwe, Igama leNkosi’
(Praise it, Praise it, Praise it, the name of our God)
Tim Gertzen is an English and Law student at UCT. He is the Chairperson of the Reach Students Society there. The society is affiliated with the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (REACH-SA) and exists to reach UCT students with the gospel and get them plugged into local bible-believing churches.
Motion Relating to our Stand Against Xenophobia and Violence Against Women and Children
From the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church – South Africa, Synod 2019, Cape Town, RSA.
This Synod notes with grave concern the increasing levels of violence, gangsterism and lawlessness in our country. We are distressed at the ongoing xenophobic attacks as well as horrific violence against women and children. We commit to ongoing prayer for our country and urge our government to respond firmly and justly to all criminality. As men present, we especially feel shame and repent of our complicit silence and failure to call out any disrespectful behaviour. We call on all God’s people to pray and to practice godly citizenship and Christian conduct, respecting all people, without prejudice. May our God be merciful to South Africa.