As you pray - 9 August 2007

We are thankful that Rev Erlo Stegen, Hulda van Tonder and Jerusha Olsen are back safely from Europe. Onkel Friedel and Tante Rita stayed on a little longer for further duties. We pray on.

We rejoice and thank God with the families of Christoph Schneider and  Rebekka Mueller as they will be getting married on Saturday. The service will be in Wetzikon and the feast will be at Kaltbrunn. May the Lord bless the new pair.

This is indeed a very busy time for my Swiss nurse's family. In two weeks' time Christoph's younger brother, Joel, will be getting married to Hanna Mertens in Belgium. May the Lord lead on.

Today is Women's Day in South Africa and there are political functions across the country to mark the event. CFT is riding the wave to convey a pro-life and pro-family message. In KwaZulu-Natal CFT women gather in Durban to highlight issues such as abortion, pornography and women abuse. May God grant us the grace that truth triumphs over lies.

At Radio Khwezi the ladies are marking Women's Day by 'manning' the station for the whole day. As we applaud the ladies I have a feeling that some of the listeners will miss the deeper voices.

From Smithfield, Gideon Jacobs requests prayers for him and team as they will be holding services on a farm in Burgersdorp from Friday evening to Sunday evening. On Sunday morning Gideon will preach in two Dutch Reformed Church branches, in Burgersdorp and Venterstad.

During the KwaSizabantu Youth Conference Rev Erlo Stegen introduced a special campaign that will see co-operation between KSB and young people from different areas to tackle youth-related problems like drugs, crime, immorality and  teenage pregnancies. Co-ordinators from different areas were chosen.

It is encouraging to see what has happened within a short space of time. Meetings have already been held in some areas. Teams from KSB, local leadership, representatives from the police service, health and welfare departments take turns in addressing the young people.

A further bonus for me is the good coverage that Radio Khwezi is giving to these meetings, thus the messages are being heard by many more people.

This weekend there will be meetings at KSB for the co-ordinators from different areas. Let us remember this campaign in our prayers.

Linda Magqabi from Johannesburg will be visiting us this weekend with a work colleague who has a special need. It is his prayer that the time here will blessed.

Ds Koos Combrink has been invited to preach in the Dutch Reformed Church in Ballito on Sunday. He will appreciate your prayers.

Our prayers go with Peter and Bonnetta Roos as they will be flying to Europe on Monday to visit their family and the brethren.

CFT is encouraging Christians all over South Africa to attend Public Hearings next week that have been arranged by the National Council Of Provinces in all 9 provinces. The public is invited to air their views on two proposed bills. The one is on the amendment of the current abortion law, which will in effect liberalise the law even further. The second one is on traditional healers (izinyanga and izangoma) and its aim is to incorporate them into the health system as 'health professionals.'

Next week still, there will be Public Hearings on the Children’s Amendment Bill before the Porfolio Committee for Social Development, in Cape Town. One of our main concerns about the proposed legislation is its equating of corporal punishment to child abuse. After outlawing corporal punishment in the schools, the legislators are seeking to ban it within our homes.

South Africans have openly expressed their misgivings about the significance of their contributions at  Public Hearings since it would seem that at  the end of day powerful politicians push through their predetermined positions. In spite of that, I believe that as Christians the 'word of our testimony' must go out, in and out of season.

The plight of the 21 (2 have been murdered already) Christian Aid workers who are still in the hands of Afgan Taleban rebels was brought closer home when a visiting South Korean missionary couple requested the congregation at KwaSizabantu last Sunday to pray for our brethren who find themselves in a difficult predicament in Afganistan.

Shares

Sometimes when I hear public statements by some leading figures I wonder whether they are just being irresponsible or deliberately blasphemous.

Recently, a promoter of a scheme aimed at encouraging the Blacks to move into the economic mainstream of South Africa by investing in shares in a reputable company trumpeted the benefits of the shares. He claimed that those who buy the shares will reap their benefits "until Jesus comes back, and for those who believe in eternal life, into eternity." How misleading!

People should be to told that as advertised, those who want to buy these JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange) shares can do so at the Post Office, but those who want eternity JESUS shares must go to the Cross of Christ. It was at the Cross that the greatest transaction of all time took place.

Mat 6:20 But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."