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Our Calling and Mission

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Guest Blogby Herman GroenewaldI have been reading one of my favourite passages that reminds me again of a calling I received in 1992 in reading Isaiah 61.We see an Israel at the time under the shadow of Death, the sound of mourning, the ashes, and a spirit of heaviness. Considered as a “worm” by the nations, they had to come to believe in themselves. They needed freedom from these fears. For this the “The Servant of the Lord" has his redemptive work spelled out. Reflecting on it and looking back at Isaiah 49 & 61 there is such a clear message for all of us. [Read Isaiah 49 and 61 here]We are all called to servanthood as set out in Isaiah 49 when scripture points to Israel. These passages in Isaiah are very insightful prophecies.At the centre of history is THE MESSAIAH, God’s chosen instrument through whom redemption will come, not just for Israel but for all nations.All are called to hear the calling as we read the Word. And so many of us have answered the call. Not only to hear but to take the message to others. 49:6b.” I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach …”God is the one who formed the nation Israel which is called to be God’s servant. The Messiah is formed from the womb and named before birth.  (Isa 7:14). Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.And so, the vocation of the servant is also given in the passages.It follows on in Isaiah 61 (The song of the Servant) where we are shown and told about His role and calling. The fact that Jesus quoted this passage for the announcement of His public ministry (Luke 4:17–19) confirms the connection between Isaiah’s prophecy and Christ’s fulfilment.I believe that these opening verses of the Song of the Servant give us a model for vision, mission, and of leadership for all generations. This also applies to us as His followers, to follow in His footsteps.If we were to write a task description from this it can be analysed into a model for others to follow:His Mandate: • “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me”His Motivation: • “The LORD has anointed Me:His Method: • “to preach”His Message: • “good tidings”His Market: • “the poor… broken-hearted … captives … those who are bound”His Measure: • “preach good tidings to the poor … heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound”His Mood: • “to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God”No leader, spiritual or secular, has ever accepted and announced such a detailed and demanding task. A task calls for accountability, and we can see that Jesus fulfils the tasks. And so, we also will be held accountable to our own task.It is one…

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Pray for Our Nation

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by Graham MolIt's almost too much to take in, almost surreal. As I sit here at my computer looking at the images and videos of the violent protests and looting, as I see the destruction. It feels like I am in a different nation, even on a different planet. I am grateful that we have not experienced the looting in our area... yet. I could stop reading the news articles, stop looking at the photos and videos, but even then I see the WhatsApp's and social media posts of friends, family and the community. There is no getting away from what is happening and I don't think we should bury our heads in the sand anyway. If you are able to, I encourage you to look at the photos, watch the videos, watch and weep, look and pray. Allow the reality of the situation to motivate you to plead before God for our nation. We cannot, we must not be apathetic. Yes there are the humorous posts and jokes - humour is often how we as people try to deal with things that are shocking, painful and unpleasant. But let us not settle for mere coping mechanisms. Let our hearts break over the suffering, over the violence and anger, over the hardening of people's hearts."I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people," (Jeremiah 8:21 CSB)Let us bring our tears before the Lord. Let us weep as Jesus wept. Let us mourn for He will comfort us (Matthew 5:4). We need to feel, we need to struggle with what we see so that it will not be forgotten. There is much pain and brokenness in our nation. Times like these are a stark reminder of that fact. Let us therefore not brush past, trying to forget and move on with our lives.Rather let this change us. Let this make us pray all the more and allow those prayers to shape us into agents of righteousness. May we be motivated to be the light of the world we are called to be. We may not have the power to stop the riots. We may not have the resources to alleviate the desperate poverty. But we can make a difference, and more than we think because we have the Lord "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us," (Ephesians 3:20).Let us take a stand for we know that the enemy is not flesh and blood. It's not the people that we see looting and breaking and burning. No, our fight is "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," (Ephesians 6:12). We fight against the evil that has gripped men's hearts, we fight against the greed and selfishness. We fight against the lies."Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power," (Ephesians 6:10 CSB).Weep but don't tremble. Mourn but do…

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Jesus – Our Greatest Treasure

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by Luke KincaidA few nights ago, at a petrol station, I had such an encouraging conversation with someone I have been building a friendship with. This man’s main source of income is derived from collecting recycling on a daily/weekly basis. He has had a really tough life but as we stood talking, he could not help but openly and publicly declare how amazing and powerful God is. As we chatted, he was reminded of the chorus of the song “Give Thanks” which says:And now let the weak say, "I am strong"Let the poor say, "I am richBecause of what the Lord has done for us"After quoting these words he told me to look at his friend who he was with. He pointed out how worn his clothes were and if you had to just look at his outward appearance you would conclude that he was poor. BUT when it comes to our identity in Jesus, we are not defined by what we have but rather who we have – Jesus! It was so encouraging to be reminded that Jesus is the greatest treasure we have in this life:8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. – Philippians 3:8-9 NLTWe ended this conversation by praying together and I went on my way so happy to know that disciples of all walks of life are furthering the kingdom of God in meaningful ways! Much love,Luke

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Life is Hard, but, God is Good

https://youtu.be/i5EpEo7eDwk?t=1184 Audio Recording Life is hard. No matter who you are, we all experience difficulty. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, none of us gets to skate through life problem free. In fact, it sometimes feels like life is just a series of problems. And yet God is good even when life is hard. God can change the circumstances of life, but, the circumstances of life will never change who God is. Sermon by Calven Celliers

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