The #Sho'tLeft Campaign...

During our planning week for 2014 we felt God lead us into focussing on 3 areas: Prayer, Engaging Lost people and Leadership. This was really encouraging as it gave us a simple and clear focus and we were ready to end the year off with great expectation for 2014...

Then came God's intervention:
Open Window, the venue where we hold our Sunday services, contacted us to let us know that we won't be able to use the venue for 4 weeks as they have student exam exhibitions and a charity event. Also during our planning week while we were praying we sensed that God is leading us into a time where foundations will be shaken that only that which is unshakable shall remain (Hebrews 12:27). So we knew this was from God and we knew this is something we need to embrace...

After praying into this the whole team felt that we should do community church, to break into different groups and go into 4 different communities : Doringkloof/Irene, Eldoraigne, Moreleta and Olievenhoutbosch. We are going to Pray for and Engage our communities - exactly what God is leading us into for 2014. This was a massive step of obedience (not just faith, because we knew that God has already spoken), because it goes against the traditional culture. It goes against our comfort zones...

What I was really trusting God for during this time is that peoples' hearts will be cut for their own communities. That hearts will be stirred for the people who live around them, the people they work with, the people we see every day. Often we can assign reaching lost people to an outreach event or a mission, but God has placed us where we live and where we work to be salt and light, to be ministers of reconciliation right there.

The first Sunday we had a family service at Centurion Academy where we braai'd together, fellowshipped together, played sports together and we also got into the Word together. This was a great kick start to the campaign and it was incredible to see the excitement among the people. Frans (a disciple from Olievenhoutbosch) also baptized John (also from Olievenhoutbosch) and it was a special moment to see the next generation of disciples standing up and obeying Jesus' command - Go and make disciples and baptize them...

The following 3 Sundays we went into the different communities.  We got together at parks in Doringkloof and Olievenhoutbosch, at a high school in Eldoraigne and at a shopping centre in Moreleta. At the 4 different locations we broke into groups, got into the Word, ministered to each other, prayed together and then...
 
We went into the communities to prayer walk. Praying for the different communities as the Holy Spirit guides us. And then after each Sunday we would have practical application for the week eg. Engage 2 people in your community (just start a conversation, get to know people) and meet a need in your community.
 
The testimony for me is to see how God came and shifted hearts. Many people were a bit scared at first, but as they obeyed they saw how God wants to use them for His Kingdom, how He equips us to be ministers of the gospel. Peoples' eyes were opened for their neighbours - the one family has been living next to their neighbours for years and they looked like a happy family, until one of the parents moved our a couple of weeks ago. Their hearts were cut to not just exist, but to be involved, to live the life God has saved them to live...
 
As we stepped out in obedience we saw how God is just so faithful and I am really excited to see how people have tasted something of living a lifestyle of following Jesus - every day - and how that will have an impact in their communities, the city, the nation and beyond!!!
 
Here is a short video clip from the 4 different locations.
 

 

End Year Celebration 2013

 

As an Every Nation family we believe in building the church not on full time staff members, but on the people, the volunteers!

Each member is called to be a disciple and to make disciples. Each member is called to be a minister of reconciliation. The work of the full time staff is to equip the members for the work of ministry (Eph 4) and that is exactly what we see - people in love with Jesus and passionate to see others added to the Kingdom.

Every Sunday the power team pitches up at 06h00 AM to set up for the service. Then the last people to leave to leave again are the volunteers...

So every year we celebrate the people who make church possible. We organize an evening to honour God for what has happened during the year and to celebrate every disciple maker and every volunteer!

It's an evening where we put on our party shoes and celebrate life together! Celebrate the life that is in Christ!

 

 

 

 



Eldoraigne in progress....

We have been intentionally reaching out in Eldoraigne for a couple of months now and I must admit that it is a bit more challenging than I initially anticipated. In Olievenhoutbosch you could walk into someone's shop/business or even their home and start a conversation - in Eldoraigne I'm afraid that if I walk into an accountants office I might walk out with a bill =)

 

As I mentioned in one of the previous posts we started with an action cricket team to start building relationships with the people who stay in the area. In this we have seen and learned a couple of things: We definitely need to practice our fielding; there are MANY lost people at the indoor sports arena; people are much more open and hungry for truth than what we think and if we want to reach lost people with the gospel - we have to be intentional in reaching out to them!

 

During our first week we had a girl join us on our team (because we had a shortage of female players, so Riëtte engaged with her and invited her to join the team) and she has been an integral part of the team so far - playing every game! We have been trusting for an opportunity to reach out to her and bring truth into her life and after one of the games I had to drop her off as her boyfriend played action cricket at a different venue. During the drive she asked my what I did and I explained to her what I do and also why I do it - that society is broken and needs to be restored into God's original image and purpose. She then said that her life can testify of that - of the brokenness. In the end In managed to share the essence of the gospel with her and she is so open for truth and basically said that she needs someone who can disciple her. So Riëtte will follow up with her - but I am just so thankful of how God opens peoples' hearts to receive truth!

 

One of the teams we played against also had 2 people get injured during one of our games. The next week both of them showed up with crutches to support their team. After the game about 3 from our team just asked if we could pray for them. Corinne (the girl from the above paragraph) asked if she could also stand with us when we pray!! They were really thankful and we trust that a seed was sown into their hearts!

 

The lifestyle approach is definitely slower than standing on the street corner, but through this we are seeing how God is the orchestrator of salvation, how He draws people unto Himself. We just need to continue to be bold in living Christianity and grabbing hold of the opportunities God creates where we can share the gospel!