Kholofelo Mashiloane – a son given as a sign of hope

[notice] A monthly column in which Kwakanya Nazo shares stories, interviews and testimonies of young people from all walks of life who are radical for Jesus and live to see change and transformation in and around them.[/notice]

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Kholofelo Mashiloane, a son given as a sign of hope, is one of the radical young people we have the privilege of getting to know on the corner this month. When you sit and observe the character and heart of Kholofelo, you liken it to that of David’s; a man after Gods own heart. While some of us may allow the seasons we go through to leave us with an absurd knowledge of who Christ is and who we are in Him, Kholofelo remains in high spirits as he looks back on the lessons he has come to learn of the nature of God.

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“This is what I learnt about God; He is a PERFECTIONIST. He never uses what is incomplete, misplaced and untested. And even more, God is JEALOUS. He wants you all to Himself.” – Kholofelo

29 year old Mashiloane shares with Gateway a little about himself, his journey with Christ and on singleness.

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Tell us about yourself
Kholofelo: I am the third born of four boys. My eldest brother, whose name was Grace, passed away on the May 5 and a year later I was born on May 6 1987, today I am sandwiched by my older brother Theto Praise and my younger brother Tshegofatso Blessing. I did my primary education at Eureka Project School which is located in my hometown Lebowakgomo and then proceeded over to Polokwane, where I did my secondary schooling at Tom Naude Technical High School. After matriculating in 2004 I then studied for my National diploma in Biomedical Sciences and a Btech in Quality. I am currently studying towards a Public Relations degree at Unisa.

What are your passions and desires and what gets you out of bed every single morning?
Kholofelo: Ever since I was a boy child, I always felt a ‘presence of greatness’ inside of me. It is something I have always found difficult to explain but I have known from a very early age that I wasn’t an ordinary guy. Jesus Christ is the centre of all my passions and quite honestly the origin of them all.

I desire so much to live a great and complete life, whilst becoming a true example of the unfailing works of FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?
Kholofelo: I see myself well established in my divine purpose, travelling the world to engage great minds and ministering in the teaching of the Word. Oh … as a married man of course!

What is your family set up like?
Kholofelo: My brothers and I have been favoured and blessed to have been nurtured in a solid and stable family. Both my parents are God-fearing Christians who preach more in action than with words. They have managed, only by grace, to build a home and family upon the unshakeable and solid teachings of the Word of God. The combination of a loving, honest and humble man, plus a gifted, wise and virtuous woman united in Christ, has created quite an enriching atmosphere for our upbringing.

What were the challenges that came with being born into your family – while growing up?
Kholofelo: We had to understand that our parents are not just ours because of their ministries; we had to accept that we must share them with many other children and that took some getting used to. Many people saw us as a perfect family and that was a lot of pressure put on a family that was well aware that it was far from being perfect.

When did you come to know the Lord?
Kholofelo: I was 12 years old when I genuinely accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Saviour; it was in September 1998. My parents had already done the ground work with bringing me up in the ways of the Lord, teaching me about Jesus since I could remember. On that appointed day I remember being overcome by a Love I had never known. It completely engulfed my heart and I gave myself away to it and received my salvation.

My walk with Jesus has been quite an intricate and intriguing one, more than anything it has been a very intimate experience. I mean, I can be quite a nuisance to walk with but Jesus never grew tired of me. I have received the grace of being baptised with the Holy Spirit and since then my life has taken an extraordinary turn.

What does GRACE mean to you?
Kholofelo: Grace is the best gift of LOVE, the very embrace of Love itself. Grace is for me the opportunity to move, live and come into being freely.

Who is that ONE person that inspires you?
Kholofelo: My parents, they are ONE after all. My mother and father together make up a model I look up to. But believe it or not, the first name to pop up in my mind was Jesus Christ.

Single, Saved and Satisfied

What does it mean to be single and satisfied?
Kholofelo: Just as one must embrace a gift from another and consider most the thought that motivated the gift; so do I believe must one appreciate singlehood. It is a GIFT and being satisfied with it requires one to consider the thinking of the one who gifted it. Singlehood for me speaks to one taking up their rightful position of preparation (being in position to having every one of the storages of life being poured into until full). In essence, singlehood is where one’s essence is cultivated and revealed.

What is purity?
Kholofelo: The discipline to say NO to yourself, keeping and maintaining integrity.

What are the challenges that you are faced with as a single male?
Kholofelo: Many are the challenges that one engages with as a single male but the most difficult ones are those that confront you alone when nobody is watching. You constantly have to guard your heart and shield your mind to remain sober through the days. Too often you must wrestle yourself to submission because you can become your own worst enemy.

How, do you think, is singleness being viewed by the church?
Kholofelo: I think the church views being single as being alone, and since nobody wants to be alone; nobody wants to be single. Furthermore the church has perpetuated marriage as a privilege over it being a blessing and a show of God’s grace; alternatively if marriage is a privilege, this places singlehood as an opposite and that is quite sad really.

In general, what every day-life encouragement can you give to the readers of Gateway News?
Kholofelo: We are created to do more than just live; we are designed to do more than just survive and we have been fashioned to subdue rather than to be subdued, but that is if we remain true to the image we have been created after. Only in Christ Jesus are we realigned in focus with this image, only through Christ can we finally be true to the image we have been made to be like.

For too long we have held on to things and have allowed ourselves to be mastered by what we were to master. IT IS TIME TO BE GREAT AGAIN. It is time to forsake it all and hold on to Christ Jesus and only then – WE WIN.