Being church...

As an Every Nation family we are really passionate about missions, about going TO the lost. We believe this reflects God's heart which He demonstrated when He SENT Jesus TO the fallen world...

On Sunday the 29th of May we took our congregation into the missions field. Practically putting our passion into action. We had four areas of outreach where we would go: Olievenhoutbosch, Laudium and City Center in Pretoria.

When we go on missions it's ALWAYS with long term in mind. In City Center we are working with the EN Pretoria team who is currently in the process of planting a church there. We are looking to do the same in Olievenhoutbosch and Laudium is a muslim community which has become really open due to a lot of engaging and praying!

The purpose of the mission was not to Bible bash the community, because that would have cerrtainly closed many open doors. We went in with the purpose of engaging people, building relationships with the people, where the oppertunity arose pray for people and prayer walk through the different communities. We also came back with many photos and testimonies and we are really trusting God that this will create a deeper passion for missions inside the church.

For many of the congregation members this was their first mission, so we are just excited to see what God will do further now that they have experienced a large piece of God's heart. We will actively be going back into the communites, building on established relationships, working with the men of peace and trust God for a changed community filled with God-honouring disciples!

Here are some of the memories...

Laudium

 

Olievenhoutbosch

City Center

Changing the campus.... from the inside out!

Every Wednesday evening we have "Praise and Worship" where I get together with Ds Christo Viljoen as he meets up with a couple of students from Centurion Academy. At the beginning of the year this has been such a great open door for me to build relationships with students on al three C.A. campusses.

My relationship with "Oom Dominee", as we call him, has grown to such an extent that we could chat about discipleship. The students have a real love for God, but their lives are passive. I shared with Ds Christo the concepts of discipleship from the Word. He completely bought into it, but we both new that this will be challenging to the students. Discipleship challenges every bit of passive religion we might walk with. But... despite the obvious challenges we will face, he GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT!

We have started with an introduction to discipelship from the Word (Mark 1:17 & John 15:8) that discipleship and making discples is not optional for a person following Jesus. And that discipleship and making disciples honours God! I am really excited to journey with the students and to see how they buy into Jesus' model of discipleship and give their lives for it.

Our vision is that the students will be discipled and equipped to go into their different campusses and make disciples! And all the fruit that WILL come from this will bring glory to God.

Our measure of death = Christ's measure of life

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...

Galatians 2:20

Jesus said that those who want to follow Him must take up their crosses DAILY and follow Him. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul sais, "I die DAILY"... So following Jesus is a daily act of denying ourselves, laying down our desires and our will and taking up the desires and the will of the Father. As Jesus sais in John 5:30, "I do not seek My own will, but the will of My Father who sent Me."

I've recently experienced, and I'll add that it hasn't always been a nice experience, that Christ can only be alive in areas in our lives where we are dead. Yes, Jesus IS the risen King and He HAS conquered death and sin, but He can only be the risen King in my life when I am dead. In my own life I've seen that Christ is Lord in certain areas of my life, but not in all. That I've died to myself in certain areas, but not in all. And it's exactly in those areas where I hurt relationships. Family, friends and above all, my relationship with my Saviour.

I think of it as a glass of water. And the aim for the glass is actually not to be full, but empty. And that is a diffycult concept to grasp for us humans. Empty means, well, empty. So we add something to it to make it appear less empty. I see myself as a glass that is half-full, as being half-dead. With the result that Jesus can only be half-alive through my life. The measure of the contents in the glass determines the capacity that's left for Jesus to pour Himself into. We have to be empty. Completely empty, that we can be completely filled with the fullness that is Christ.

Maybe you're glass, just as mine, is half full. Maybe you are also seeing the effects of the little areas in your life where sin is still alive. The solution is found in John 3:30 - He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

It's in dying to ourselves that Christ is alive through us...

Our measure of death = Christ's measure of life through us...

Discipling the schools... and the future!!!

Eldoraigne High School has about 1780 learners in the school and each year about 350 matrics leave the school and impact the world in one way or another...

God has graced us with the oppertunity to work with the small group leaders, to disciple them and raise them up to disciple THEIR school! We are trusting God that H/S Eldoraigne will not just send pupils out with matric certificates, but also as God honouring disciples who will impact their campusses, workplaces, cities and nations for the Kingdom of God!

We get together once a week on Mondays and spend time in the Word. Establishing Biblical foundation in their lives and challenging to practically apply the Word in their lives AND also to go and teach someone else. The following Tuesday they have their small groups (Discovery groups) and the leader then shares with the rest of the group EXACTLY what they have been taught the Monday. Also challenging them to not just hear, but obey AND to go and tell someone else.

I personally love working with teenagers! They have a passion and an energy that just rubs off on me aswell. When they are sold out to somthing they are an almost impossible bunch to stop and this is what I am seeing: Sold out students passionately, unashamedly and forcefully advancing God's Kingdom!

Watch this space for awesome testimonies of what God is going to do in H/S Eldoraigne...