ALF JAMES writes that at the very heart of a call to South Africans to gather on a farm near Bloemfontein to pray against violence and crime in our nation is a call for believers to come together not as blacks or whites, rich or poor, or a language group — but as brothers and sisters in Christ united by His love.
The love of God for man manifested in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son to save us sinners by the washing away of our iniquities with His innocent blood is the love that we are called to extend to our fellow believers no matter their race, gender, culture, class, language, tribe, nationality, or denomination.
It is this love of God for Jesus and for us that unites and defines us — we are first and foremost brothers and sisters in Christ, not white or black, rich or poor, Afrikaans or Xhosa, English or Zulu — we are first and last children of God.
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National day of prayer against violent crime
It is in the power of this unifying love of Christ that we are called to a National Day of Prayer against violent crime by Angus Buchan on April 22, for without being of one accord in one place, unified by the love of Christ and praying in His name in faith, our prayers will not result in God’s will being done according to our supplications.
The importance Jesus places on His love for us and our love for each other is revealed in His expression of it as a directive: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: as I have loved you, that you also love one another (John 13:34) and His emphasis of it by restatement in John 15:12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
According to Andrew Murray in his book Abide in Christ, this love of Jesus is the great evidence of the reality of the new covenant, of the power of the new life revealed in Christ.
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He says it is the one convincing and indisputable token of discipleship: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).”
Murray says that in our daily dealings with one another, Christians are making a display to God, to angels and to men; and in the Christlikeness of our love for each other, we are to prove what kind of spirit we are made of.
“Amid all diversity of character or of creed, of language or of station, they are to prove that love has made them members of one body, and of each other and has taught them to forget and sacrifice self for the sake of the other.
“Their life of love is the chief evidence of Christianity, the proof to the world that God sent Christ and that He has shed abroad in them the same love with which He loved Christ.
“Of all the evidence of Christianity, this is the mightiest and most convincing,” says Murray.
Called to display unifying love of Christ
This unifying love of Christ and presence of the Holy Spirit that was displayed in the first Christian Church of Acts, is the love that we are called on to display at the National Day of Prayer against violent crime and thereafter.
Although living under the persecution of the Sanhedrin after Jesus’ resurrection, the followers of Christ in Acts were of one accord and continued to witness boldly and minister powerfully among the people performing many signs and wonders.
We are told in Acts 2:44-46 that, … all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those were being saved.
If the body of Christ is to act in the same power as the first Christian Church of Acts then it is requisite of us to be together in one accord as followers of Christ on April 22 with the same emphasis on being brothers and sisters sharing responsibility for each other in Christ as the Church of Acts did.
Reverend Moss Ntlha, General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa agrees that it is only by uniting in Christ that South Africans will rise above the divisions of race, class, tribe, and language, and overcome violence in our land.
“Christians of different races, classes, nationalities and ethnicities are invited by Christ to deepen their sense of who they are in Him, which is a very deep Christian calling.
“It is only through a spiritual transformation that we can be the light of the world in the area of reconciliation and show the way of freedom in Christ,” says Ntlha.
He urges South Africans to come together in prayer as brothers and sisters in Christ and not as black, white, coloured and Indian citizens.
South African Christians stand up and be counted
Likewise, in his message calling for the National Day of Prayer Uncle Angus said he had heard from the Lord that: “It’s time … we really need to get together … we really need, as Christians, to stand up in South Africa and be counted”.
“I am talking about white South Africans, black South Africans, coloured South Africans and Indian South Africans.
“I am saying to you that God is calling us to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘Devil, no further than this’.
“I am addressing the horrific murders that are taking place, not only among white farmers, but among black farmers, among black and white citizens. I am very concerned about the rape and abuse of women and children, especially black women and children.”
The Mighty Men Conference founder said if we do not stand up and come against the powers of darkness through collective prayer, we are going to reap the whirlwind.
“Only Jesus Christ can save this nation and He will save it if His people call upon Him.”
Uncle Angus emphasised that we need to come together to seek the Lord: “I am talking about farmers, I am talking about workers, I am talking about businessmen and miners, I am talking about sportsmen, students and housewives … when we stand up united as one people God will change the paradigm and dimensions of this country”.
The unity that Uncle Angus calls for can only be brought about in Christ, not in race, language, class, nationalism or any other reason and without unity among Christians we will achieve little and go nowhere, but through repentance and united prayer in faith God will change the nation to His ways.
Intentionally extending prayers into actions
However, Ntlha cautions that while prayer is a powerful mechanism to resist and overcome the demons of xenophobia, tribalism, racism, and classism, we must intentionally and consciously extend our prayers into actions.
“We need to go beyond prayer to resist through our actions at a personal level,” says Ntlha.
“The demons that we face must be resisted both in prayer and actions. For example, if we want to cast out demons then we have to actively command them to go in Jesus’ name, in faith, and not only pray to God to remove the demons.
“We can’t merely pray then leave everything to God. Our prayers have to be active; we have to become God’s prayer instruments.
“We need to cooperate with God through prayers of engagement rather than leaving it all up to God through prayers of disengagement,” he says.
We are called on as followers of Jesus Christ to unite in one place as one body in prayer against violence in South Africa on April 22, but then when we leave the gathering it is up to us to remain united in spirit and to persevere in that prayer extending it into the rest of the country through our words and deeds.
Roep God Afrikaner-Christene om hul volkskap te versaak en soos Angus en Alf eentalig-Engels te word? Nee, beslis nie, druk ten spyt.
Thank you for your comment Hanno,
My faith is that we are children of God in Christ Jesus before we are Afrikaans, English, Zulu or Xhosa.
I believe that you and I are brothers in Christ even though we speak different languages.
Defining ourselves by our relationship with God, first and foremost, instead of by our relationship with race, language, culture, nationality, denomination or class, we are able to see past all divisive characteristics and appreciate them as the diversity of the material qualities of the members of the body of Christ that is one in spirit and in truth, and we are able to find union with each other instead of separation from each other.
God het my geskep as heteroseksuele man en lid van ‘n spesifieke gesin, familie, volk en ras. God verwag nie van my as Christusdissipel om my samelewingsverbande te verloën nie, soos hy dit nie van Moses, Paulus en ons Here Jesus Christus verwag het nie.
I have posted the same comments on a similar post.
Again it is so wonderful that the people of South Africa are at last starting to wake up, even more so than ever before.
God really does have an expectancy for South Africa, above and beyond any other country in the world today.
It will take love and trust from all involved and if all three (3) men of God (Black, White and Coloured) can get into the Spiritual Boat and row in the same direction, and in unity, then Revival will start. This including Women and Children of course, but with Mighty Men of God leading the way.
There will be so many going to this event and many, many more people praying in other areas, supporting this, but there is also a but, and it is a big BUT too.
After the event I see that we are being encouraged to spread the word and keep praying. This is good.
It is therefore imperative that a ‘follow up plan’ is continued through unity.
Also do not wait until the event to pray. Do it now and get the heavens above, vibrating in anticipation, then continue as has been highlighted; never giving up, for our very existence depends upon it spiritually speaking.
This simply cannot be a Word from God to Angus to then be conveyed to the people, to just have a one day gathering.
This cannot be a ‘hit and run’ evangelical platform that closes at the end of the day, on that day.
A Nation Contingency Plan for Regional ‘Generals’ so to speak; needs putting in place as a matter of urgency to keep it all alive, to help keep encouraging the masses to keep praying.
This is the very thing that Jacques Malan from Fathers Voice in the Western Cape has been doing with Mighty Men Western Cape for months now? Learn from him without delay.
Working hard to cover up to over a hundred and eighty villages, towns and cities, whatever there title may be in the Western Cape.
Please let us know so if there is such a plan to keep this moving forward, then we can also help in keeping the momentum going after this Million gathering in April 2017.
Regards from Piperjames
Head of Public Relations Mighty Men Western Cape.
Oneness is the key that will lock and unlock. The prayer of Jesus was NOT for unity. There are three that testify in heaven and the three are ONE. We are baptised by ONE Spirit into ONE Body. Oneness is the heart of God. Anything else is a counterfeit. In a body (as our own) every part is DEPENDENT on the other parts. There is no room for independency. The one part cannot tell the other part “I have no need of you” We must turn away from our sin of independency. Unless we realize and demonstrate in every town and city of our country “There is only One God,there is only One King , there is only One Body we might as well cancel all our planning. Our divisions plays right into the hands of the enemy. Let all believers who attend Wilde als and those who cannot attend seize this God given opportunity to respond to the original plan and purpose of God for His Church. Let this be a time for a National Repentance from following our own ideas and intentions of our own hearts. It is time for the Final Reformation (500 years after Luther) Let the Head of the Church take His place as the Head. It was not when they were together but when they were together in ONE accord that they experienced His manifested presence.
Totally agreed Sydney ! In heaven we will all be expected to get on with each other in love and peace. Let’s start now. We are His children, His Bride first and foremost . Amen
Thanks Babara . “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven ” was the prayer Jesus taught His diciples. If we keep on boasting “I am from Apollos (this denomination) and I am from Paul (that denomination) and speak of MY church and THEIR church and ignore what Jesus said to Peter after the revelation from His Father,that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God we will run in circles, have endless prayer meetings without any earthshaking results. God has a plumbline in His hand Amos 7 which will test the accuracy of everything that we building “in His name” . We need the spirit of the sons of Issachar and a plumbline as in the hands of Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4).This is the day for accurate building. For the past almost 1700years of church history “we have turned every one to his own way ” (Autarkès ) We have missed the mark (Hamartia) and we hope that the Head of Church will lower His standard. It will not happen. Noah built the ark according to God’s instructions (Genesis 6:22). Moses built the Tabernacle precisely following God’s instructions (Exodus 40). The instruction/Plan for the “ARK” who is Jesus Christ and the Final Temple is spelled out in the Bible. Stop preaching the Gospel of salvation. Follow the instruction from Jesus CHRIST and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and a let the Redeemed avail themselves to the building of the Final Temple (spiritual house) 1 Peter 2 so that Revelation 21 verse 3 can be fulfilled. Selah