As you pray -28 April 2009

My dear friends

We are thankful that Dr Peet and Andra Botha are back safely from the USA. On Sunday Peet gave a moving report on God's working during the trip. The challenge that stayed with me was the importance of living what we preach and for the congregation to live the blessed word they hear.

Dr Albu van Eeden who joined the Bothas in the USA for the latter part of the trip, stayed on a bit longer for more services. As he prepares to fly back home we pray for travelling mercies.

Our prayers are with Onkel Friedel and the team as they minister in Europe.

Since I am writing this letter on Jan de Bruin's birthday I would like us to join his family in thanking God and wishing him His blessing.

Jan requests that we pray for their choir from 'de Cederborg' which will be singing and sharing for 90 minutes in the Middelstum area, Northern Netherlands, tomorrow.

Talking about our brethren in the USA and Europe we wonder how the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and its spreading to the USA, Canada, Europe ... are going travel world-wide.

Most of you would have seen my 'Just a thought = Swine flu.'

"Swine flu has been confirmed in Mexico, USA and Spain. It's feared that it might reach epidemic proportions. In our fast-pace globalised world many countries could get their share of the epidemic.

It's not as if one would like to spiritualise anything and everything but when such catastrophes send shockwaves around the world three questions keep coming to my mind:

Is Someone saying something?
Is anyone listening?
Does anyone understand?"

Since I wrote that yesterday the number of countries with confirmed cases of swine flu has increased.

Joseph Greyling and the TNT team request prayers for two important meetings in Durban on Thursday and Friday and a campaign in East Rand, Gauteng, for the whole of next week.

And so ...?

Thank you for your prayers for the national and provincial elections in South Africa last week. In spite of some isolated incidents, on the whole the elections went peacefully.

In the aftermath of the elections there is an aspect that I would like us to pray about.

During the electioneering period politicians went out of their way to visit as many churches as possible. Believe it or not, they challenged the church to be the conscience of the nation. Heavyweights from the ruling party invited the church to engage the government on policies and legislation that the church has objections about.

Of course, some might dismiss this as an empty election gimmick. They might claim that any discussion on such critical issues as abortion and same-sex marriages would on the government's side be 'filibustering' until the next election.

Some will justifiably remind us that our primary problem is not the objectionable legislation but the very foundation of this country, the constitution, which is said to be one of the most liberal ones in the world.

Be that as it may, invitation from the government or not, our calling is to be the conscience of the nation. Invitation or not, we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Invitation or not, we are called to be watchmen on the walls of Zion.

May the Lord go before us in every way.

How Can a Christian Become a Christian?

Soren Kierkegaard once asked how a person who is already a Christian can become a Christian. Think about that for a moment. How can a person who already is a Christian become a Christian? Kierkegaard was directing his thoughts toward those of us who have grown up in the church. He was saying that second-hand faith is not enough. It is easy to take the faith we have grown up in for granted, isn't it? After all, it is like the air we breathe. It's always been there. We need something more than that. Baptism reminds us that a fresh experience of God's grace and God's love is always available to us if we seek it.

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.comc

Have a blessed week.
 
Pressing on!
 
In His love
 
Fano Sibisi