As you pray - 15 September 2007

My dear friends

It is heartening to hear from different people how blessed and encouraged they were at the CFT Conference last weekend. By God's grace may much fruit come out of the good seed that was sown at the conference.

It is always a joy to have our brethren from other countries come over long distances to join us at the conference. For Dr Francois and Almarie Louw a drive from and back to Namibia is quite a challenge.

Our prayers also accompanied Juerg Laederach from Switzerland and Klaus Alius from Germany who flew back immediately after the conference. Jan de Bruin should be landing back in the Netherlands today and Daniel Schobben heads for Belgium on Monday. We pray for God's further guidance and blessing.

In prayer we accompany Rev Erlo Stegen and the team on their Europe Preaching Tour. The planned itinerary is as follows:

Fri-Sat 14-16 Southern France

Tues 18 Limburg, Germany

Wed 19 Bensheim, Germany

Thur-Fri 20-21 Lindach, Germany

Sat 22 Schorndorf, Germany

Sun 23 Kaltbrunn, Switzerland

Onkel Robert Maeder is part of the team on the preaching tour in Europe. When he came by to say goodbye both of us had pleasant memories of our travels in Europe, especially in his beloved country, beautiful Switzerland. Without hankering on the past, I have much to look back and thank God for. Indeed, I am surprised to see what the Lord has done.

It was good to hear from Hans Koller in Romania. He requests prayers for their youth conference in Voiteg this weekend. He would also like us to think of their four Romanian students that are at Cedar College of Education at KwaSizabantu

There are also quite a few Romanian visitors at the moment. May they be blessed and be a blessing.

We join the families of Ulrich Heckel and Lydia Moses in wishing the new couple God's blessing as they tie the knot today.

We pray that the meeting of the Governing Body of Radio Khwezi tomorrow will be blessed and fruitful.

What a joy it is to have Onkel Helmut and Tante Carmen Trinkle from Australia visiting us. Their love for God's work is borne out by word and deed. Over the years, Onkel Helmut has brought his world-class expertise in baking and bakery management, gained in Germany, Canada and Australia, to South Africa for the benefit of the Lord's work. May the Lord keep blessing and rewarding the Trinkles.

Joseph Greyling from TNT (The Naked Truth About Drugs) requests that we pray for their outreach to Brits.

"TNT has been invited by Mrs Josephin Mogole, a social worker for the Dept. of Social Development, North West Province. Together with Dieter Claassen, meetings were organized in 6 schools in the Brits area. We will be leaving Sunday, 16 September and our last meeting is on Tuesday. So far the team will be Gert de Vries and Joseph Greyling. Albertus Bodenstein might join up with us there."

Dorothea Killus alerted me to the fact that today is the annual "Dank-, Buß- und Bettag" (Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer Day)in the Reformed Church of Switzerland. How we need more such days in our personal lives, families, churches and countries, not as part of a dead tradition but a genuine turning to God.

'O Gnade nur'

Recently, a good friend presented me with a DVD on the leading Reformer Martin Luther. I am fascinated by what God did through that man. His song 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott' (A mighty fortress is our God) echoes in my innermost being.

A part of the film that got me thinking was the spreading of the belief that some godly people during their earthly lives had done so much good that they had more than enough good works to see them through to heaven. So, the living could on paying the right price for the 'surplus' buy the souls of their dead loved ones out of hell into heaven.

If you asked me on what scriptures that belief was based then I would say that your guess is as good as mine.

We thank God for His men and women through the ages whose lives inspire us but I am not aware of anyone of them who at death marched off confidently, knowing that they had a treasure chest of good works to present before the Lord - plus a spill-over for those who died in their sins.

It is my belief that saints would identify with John Newton's 'Amazing grace':

"’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home."

I was reminded of a German song that I heard many years ago. The recurring phrase in that song was "O Gnade nur" (Oh grace alone). Yes, it is by His grace alone that we are saved and sanctified.

Our Lord and Master has sobering words for us, His servants,

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’" (Luke 17:10)

Have a blessed weekend.

Pressing on!

In His love

Fano Sibisi

As you pray -15 September 2007