South Africa prayer leaders have responded swiftly to the proposed launch of “Ancestors Day” on Saturday, calling for Christians to unite in prayer for the nation.
WATCH: Explaining ancestral worship — Pearl Kupe
Africa Day response — Patrick Zvikomborero Kuwana
The inaugural Ancestors Day is an initiative of The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA) in partnership with poet and cultural activist Zolani Mkiva and Castle Milk Stout. It is aimed at promoting African religion and the organisers want it to become an annual celebration and public holiday.
Responding to a recent call made by Mkiva on national television for South Africans to use Saturday to petition ancestors on behalf of themselves, their communities and the nation, Bible teacher and national prayer leader Dr Arthur Frost made an urgent call on Christians to participate in a campaign to release the power of God in prayer from 9am to 9pm on Saturday.
He said that every hour, on the hour, prayer leaders will release five minute prayers through his Facebook page “Dr Arthur Frost”. He asked Christians to listen and agree with the prayers and share them via WhatsApp.
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“We are going to create a spiritual blanket over South Africa and we are going to reverse every single curse that is released,” he said. Earlier he explained that appeals to ancestors were appeals to demons and that Satan was trying to get a grip on SA but that through prayer “the Church of Jesus Christ is stronger than that”,
Dr Pearl Kupe and Patrick Kuwana of Global Voice of Prayer have issued “Call To Prayer Tshwane” and “Call to Prayer Cape Town” events from 10am to 11am on Friday at Moreletapark Church mini auditorium in Pretorius Park, Tshwane and the Mowbray Baptist Church, Mowbray, Cape Town to address “the rise of ancestral worship and Ancestors Day”.
The programme includes worship, teaching, prayer, communion and blowing of the shofar. Prayer pointers can be downloaded here. You can also contact Anja Letsatsi of Global Voice of Prayer at +27 71 373 7197 or info@globalvoiceofprayer.com for more information/resources.
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“As an attempt is being to dedicate May 8 as Ancestors Day, we invite all sons of God to join with us in prayer to pray for the Nation on Friday 7 May, 2021 for one hour from 10-11 and dedicate the nation to it’s Creator. Jehovah Shammah. Come and steward your fathers estate in prayer and prophetic action!,” says Pearl Kupe.
Explaining the timing of their prayer response, she says: “Sacrifices and activities related to the ancestral worship, however, will actually begin on Friday the 7th May with the slaughtering of an ox. This is why we have dedicated prayers on Friday 7 May, 2021 from 10h00-11h00. It is critical that prayers be made timeously.”
Jericho Walls International Prayer Network has also published prayer guidelines which can be viewed online here or downloaded as a pdf here. In an introduction to its guidelines JWIPN says that in contrast to the ancestral worshipers’ belief in praying to ancestors: “As Christians we believe that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins and reconciled us with God. He died, was buried, was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God as the only Mediator between God and man. He conquered death so that we can inherit eternal life.”
The JWIPN prayer guidelines include prayers for South Africans who are currently trying to worship both Jesus and ancestors to choose to serve Christ alone and “to renounce all evil practices, including the veneration of the ancestors”.
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Amen to the name of Jesus, our Saviour and protector against all that is evil. We pray for the power of JESUS CHRIST to be our defence of all that is evil. God will bring down the walls of Jericho and set South Africa free in the name of JESUS, the name above all other names. Amen
Why is this such a surprise?Is this something new?Some have been fighting this war for years! Slumber and sleep dear Church in South Africa.
“Jesus the Name high over all,
In Hell, or earth, or sky;
Angels and men* before it fall
And Devils fear and fly.”
*= humans
Rhodes is right. This is not a surprise. Ancestor worship has been around longer than Christianity. But this our sudden awareness is very surprising! Note the importance of ancestors in God’s covenants with Israel (Deut 6:10 and many more), and in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1). But worshiping the ancestors instead of God is a serious sin under the judgment of God. We must pray that those who respect their ancestors will give their worship and trust to Jesus alone.
Put this into context: Ancestral Worship is evil. But so is Islamic worship, Hindu worship, the worship of Mammon (Money) among many in the West, including some Christians especially in the Prosperity movement.
We should pray that people be delivered from ALL these false worship practices.
In fact, except for ancestral worship, we Westerners can applaud aspects of African indigenous culture that put us to shame. Africa’s innate Value of Respect. No penetrating sex outside of Marriage. But – Right now our government proposes a Single Marriage Bill that makes every relationship equal to “Marriage”, thereby destroying Marriage as God defines it. Co-habiting, Same-sex, informal relationships are all included in the new Western definition of Marriage. But no African culture would consider same-sex marriage. No truly African man would pay lobola for another man. Marriage is not so loosely regarded in African culture. Now THIS is something to pray about!
Meanwhile we must preach Jesus, and call all sinners to repent, turn from every other trust and trust only in Him. This is far more Christian, far more positive and Biblical than praying against a certain cultural practice or holiday. This was Paul’s strategy in addressing the Athenians (Acts 17:16-34).