Kingdom Family 24 (KF24) is the congregation where I serve. Our pastor that I know as "oom Jan" started a pastors network about three years ago. In short pastors from all around Pretoria (Mamelodi, Soweto, Zeerust, Soshanguve, Refilwe etc) come to our premises and all we do is eat together and build relationship. We have done almost no ministry together but only encouraged each other and pray together. This year we felt that it is time to step it up a bit and start ministering together and see what the Lord wants to do. The reason we did this is to brake the poverty mentality in us and others so that we can all stand as equals and will have no fear whatsoever that the one will take over the ministry of the other. And more importantly that everything we do will be an outflow of a relationship based on love and mutual respect. Basic Kingdom principles!
Beginning of the year I was asked to go to Zeerust and meet with one of the pastors named Johannes. Johannes' story blew me away! He is an African pastor living and serving in the rural areas west of Zeerust. He and a pastor Diphatse works together. These men have vision and have asked me in the past to help them with businesses they want to start. I believe this day is still coming! They do not always want to be in the lack and just need a little helping hand to get them on track. The Lord showed me a plan on how to help them and I believe the time for this to manifest is drawing nearer. Serving and establishing the Kingdom gets practical!
To get back to pastor Johannes' story; He went 70km north of his hometown to a small village called Ramotlhajwe. Its toward the Botswana border. Now picture this story. Johannes arrives there with only the clothes on his body and nothing else. As their culture is, he quickly started conversation and discovered that none of the people know what Salvation means nor is there any church where they can go. Now in his mind with his logic, he decides that he cannot leave here until the people know Jesus and that a church is established here. With nothing on him but the Love of Christ on his inside compelling him to stay and plant a church. This bothers me! Isn't this how a normal Christian is suppose to think? I would have first went back and then in my own comfort bring a team there whenever we feel led to do so. But in his mind it is not even an option! Let's just say Johannes taught me a very valuable lesson that day! How to get out of my selfish way of thinking and into Love!
The first night Johannes had no place to sleep nor did he had any food to eat. The next day he went to the people's houses and started talking to them about Jesus and he shared on the love God has for them. He went from house to house. That night also, no food, no place to sleep. The next day he did the same and did his rounds again to share with the people. And the next day and the next. This went on for three weeks! Then when the voice of hunger was at its loudest, someone asked him where does he stay and what does he eat? The village then started helping him, gave him food and a small room where he can sleep. Unselfish pure Love is what compelled him I believe. This is a real life hero to me!
Then four months into the thing we arrived to help him where and how we can. It is only here where I heard Johannes' story! Now he has a small church and things are looking up slowly but surely. It was myself, pastor Jairos and a friend, Shane who went on this outreach. We arrived the Thursday evening and started ministering immediately. It was a very small church. The ground was hard and as I started the Holy Spirit just braked me and told me to take it down a bit. He stopped me again to simplify it even more! To explain it like this; when I tell you about Adam and Eve, you have some sort of picture or grid in your mind of what I am talking about. Our pictures and so might differ, but we at least know who we are talking about. These people have no idea who Jesus, Father and Holy Spirit is. They look at you with these staring faces. This was quite a challenge to explain the Gospel, but a challenge I welcomed with open arms! It made me realise that it is not about our fancy revelations, but it still is, just as it has always been, about the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus made the Kingdom for little children!
Our home where we stayed belonged to an ex sangoma. The hospitality is so amazing that they emptied an entire house for us to move in to for the weekend. They made you not only feel welcome, but we were treated as kings! The Friday started off with us praying at a old ladies house who couldn't walk up straight anymore. What you need to know is that everybody here is involved in witchcraft as it is considered as part of their tradition (which is a lie!). The Lord gave us word of knowledge on jewellery she wears that comes from witchcraft. We explained the difference between Jesus and the occult and she accepted Jesus. She also willingly destroyed the jewellery that placed a curse on her, and the end result was that she could stand up straight again! Completely healed!
Willem is another friend of mine, who also came through just for the day to observe and participate in what we are doing. What a blessing he was! It was easy to see the calling for missions on his life! We also heard about a man that had passed away. This story still grips my heart. The man was ill for I think something like three years. He tried everything and couldn't get healed. He then heard that these men are coming to his village who can heal the sick. He wanted nothing more than to see us! He heard the message of Hope! We arrived Thursday evening at around six o'clock. The man passed away about two o'clock the afternoon. We were four hours late!! This was just not acceptable for me so we insisted to go to his house the Friday morning. Unfortunately the body was already gone when we arrived. I was very confident to wake this guy from the dead and now he was gone!
At the house the widow was lying on the ground mourning as tradition tells her to. The daughters and other family were also together in the room. I had opportunity to share the Gospel with them. I tried my best to be sensitive to their loss and comfort them, but I also tried to get them to hear that Jesus can raise the dead. The story of Lazarus came to my heart as Jesus was four days "late" but He still raised Lazarus from the dead! Afterwards I made an altar call and four of them accepted the Lord Jesus! I then asked if I could pray with them.
The lady that I wanted to pray for first was ill with flew or something. You could hear it in her voice. When I asked if her if I could pray for her she refused. My first thought was that she took offense and I extended my hand with my biggest smile telling her that I am sorry for her loss, trying to bring some sort of comfort and show her I really do care. She didn't even want to shake my hand! I was a bit puzzled but didn't take too much offense in it. She just gave her heart to the Lord and now this? Then a pastor came and told her that she must allow me to pray for her so that she can feel better and he grabbed her hand. The girl dropped to the ground as if dead! Now I was puzzled! The family told us that she has a curse on her that whenever someone touches her, she would pass out like this. She will be out like this for two days. We immediately started praying for her but it was as if we were praying to the wall and as if she was dead. There was no life what so ever! I turned her on her side so that she doesn't choke. I have no medical experience and this was all I could think off to do. What went through my mind was the rejection and lack of love she must have went through all these years. Not being able to come close to any of her loved ones and people how they must have mocked her because of this. My heart filled with compassion for her.
With no success or movement whatsoever the Spirit led me to go and pray for the widow on the ground. I spoke a few words with her and prayed with her. The Lord showed me what was going on in the spirit and that she was the new authority in the family. I asked her if this is true. She confirmed and said that she is now tired of the things of the sangomas. They did so many things for protection and prosperity, but nothing but the opposite has come true. She wants something else. I explained the ways of the Kingdom to her and said let's put it to the test. She must pray after me and I believe she will be convinced of Truth after our prayer. Then she can decide herself who to worship and follow. She agreed! I didn't let this opportunity pass so I first made sure she is born again and then turned our prayer towards what I saw in the spirit. I didn't bind demons or any of that. We simply went to the Father through Jesus just as we were and repented of witchcraft which we allowed in the house. We gave it to the Lord and accepted His forgiveness and asked Him to judge it in the family. The second we prayed this, the girl who was suppose to have been passed out for two days, immediately sit up straight and was perfectly healed! The whole family witnessed this and praised the Lord! They couldn't believe their eyes! The Truth has set them free! Now they asked us to pray for her husband to be raised from the dead! Unfortunately the body was back in Zeerust (70km) away and we couldn't get there. Pastor Diphatse said he is going there the following day so we prayed over a cloth which he must take to the body and her husband will be raised from the dead! To jump the timeline, the uncle or other man in the family heard of this and he refused for pastor Diphatse to come near the body and said the sangomas must go there, not the pastors. This broke my heart again! But one thing is for sure, there was a whole room full of people who witnessed Truth that day! Jesus will make all things work for good because we love Him!
We then went to two more homes where we could share the Gospel. The first home we could prophesy and pray for every family member. This was a great joy to be received in such a welcoming manner. The second home as well. We were seated under a tree sharing the Gospel. The Lord gave us words of knowledge and we could pray for the sick. It was a real good day in the Kingdom! Long but very well worth it!
The evening we set up for the Jesus Film and pastor Jairos preached the Word. His testimony of his parents being witchdoctors and the way he grew up, most people could relate to. When the people saw the Jesus film, that grid in their mind finally also got up to date and they understood the message that was being preached to them the last four months. Many gave their lives to the Lord that evening and received healing! It was a very Powerful evening in the Lord!
The lady in who's house we stayed also lost her brother to death and it was his funeral the Saturday. Johannes asked that we would go there to support the family and also because we stayed in her house. The funeral started at seven in the morning and was a hour's drive from where we stayed. I was a bit negative because in meant us getting up at 430 in the morning and in my mind with African time we will just arrive there and sit and wait. When we arrived at minutes before seven at the funeral, everyone was seated and they were just about to start. So I learned that Africans can be on time if they want to! I also had to repent for my selfish heart! :)
At the funeral we had no role to play but to just be there. So we went to sit at the back and just observe. Had no understanding of their language or traditions, but we were blessed to be there. It however doesn't take long for two white guys to be noticed and soon the important people sitting on the stage started discussing us amongst each other. It didn't bother me at all and we just kept our cool. One of the older men stood up and approached us. He greeted us very friendly and then re-arranged our chairs so that we sit next to each other. We were seated in front and behind each other in a small group. He was very friendly though! I thought that this must be important for them and we gladly obeyed. The man went back to the stage. Few minutes later he returned and gave us a Scripture. The Scripture was from where the preacher was busy preaching from. We later learned that they had a debate to change the entire funeral into English so that we could also understand. But there were quite a few people who objected and said that they don't understand English. This blew me away!!! They wanted to change the entire program of the funeral just to accommodate to strangers that is not even from their culture or area! This is hospitality and I don't know what else that we can certainly learn from! After few minutes the old man returned again, every time extremely friendly and humble, and asked me if I would please share a few words to the people. Only few minutes. I couldn't believe it! I took the minute to just share who we are and Who we stand for and thanked them for their AMAZING hospitality. I told Shane while we were there that I cannot see how there can be racism in SA, if people had experienced this. I learn a massive lot from these people. Their views and worlds differ from ours a lot, BUT we can learn from each other a whole lot more!
We assisted them to the grave where I noticed the singing. They are constantly singing! After the grave we returned to house where the funeral was and were asked to sit with the VIP guests on stage. Their tradition is that everybody must now eat together. We received glass plates to eat from and glass glasses to drink from where the other people received plastic. They gave us their very best! After eating we were asked to pray for a lady in a room in the house. The room was full of ladies and there were at least one or two of them who was sangomas. We could feel it in the spirit. But we are not intimidated one bit for we have Christ in us the Hope of Glory and He loves them all, so we went in and prayed for the lady. God healed her and everybody in that room saw it! So we were greeted very friendly and we went back home. The afternoon we had time off so we drove to a small lake close by to have a swim and braai!
The evening we couldn't show the Jesus film due to load shedding, but we still shared the Gospel. A smaller group showed up that what we hoped for, but it was perfect for what God wanted to do. I preached and I knew something was about to happen. I know witchcraft when I feel it and I know that someone was not happy at all with us being there. It was a battle in the spirit over the village and we will not back down! The Kingdom of Heaven is here to stay and to set the captives free! The translator was new and she couldn't correctly translate my message to add to challenges. But the Gospel is not of word but of Power and that Power came! Holy Spirit, Love, never fails!!! We made declarations over the villages and repented of witchcraft. The atmosphere got filled with the Peace of God in a instant! It never gets old for me, no matter how many times I experience this! I remain in awe of Him! Everyone there got prayed for and touched by the Power and Love of the Holy Spirit!
The Sunday morning however the African time thing was back in place and the 10 o'clock service started at 12. Jairos preached and we laid hands on all the people. Again the Holy Spirit healed those who needed and shared His Love to the people. Many testified of how they encountered the Lord and experienced a living God. They also testified of the Lord healing them from different pains in their body. After church we greeted and returned home. The following day Johannes spoke to me and said that right after we left it started raining and a long drought broke! The people worshipped God for it!!! Maybe the rain is prophetic for a new season in Ramotlhajwe, an era of the goodness and blessing from a Father Who Loves them so much...
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