“I experienced something different this year. I experienced an urgency of the hour,” said South African farmer evangelist Angus Buchan following his return this week from the Christian Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.
“I experienced believers from all over the world having an urgent desire to preach the Gospel and to speak up for Jesus Christ like never before,” said Buchan who was a keynote speaker at the festival for the fourth consecutive year.
The plight of persecuted Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere was in focus throughout this year’s festival, a traditionally joyous celebration of God’s provision and power and the anticipated return of Jesus, which was hosted in Jerusalem for the 35th year by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).
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The theme of this year’s festival was Restoration and Buchan who addressed thousands of delegates from about 80 nations at the Pais Arena in downtown Jerusalem on Sunday (October 12) morning, spoke on “personal restoration” a topic he said he felt the Holy Spirit placed on his heart.
“Basically, I was saying that if we are not personally restored to Jesus Christ we don’t have much to offer the world. Because the world is looking for peace and purpose and direction — and if they don’t find it in the believer we will never convince them otherwise,” he said in an interview yesterday.
Shining lights
With a central objective of the Feast being Jews coming to Christ, he said the Lord put on his heart that “unless we deal with sin coming into our own hearts and shine as lights in the darkness there is no reason for unbelievers to want to become a Christian — not just Jews but everybody — the ‘whosoever’ in Romans 10:13 .”
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He said he was moved when the whole stadium came forward in response to an altar call. People displayed “a brokeness as they repented before God for their sin”. Women from mainland China travailed for their country — crying out that Jesus would undertake for their nation and that the people of China would come to know Him.
“I’m an evangelist. I’m interested in people’s salvation not in politics because I reckon if you get you own life right then God can use you to get other people’s lives right. Revival starts with the individual — and the family.”
Immediately after addressing the Feast crowd, Buchan was taken to another venue in the arena to address a crowd of young Israelis, mostly Messianic Jews, who had asked to meet him.
“It was very touching. We prayed the sinners prayer; we asked God for strength for them to run the race and finish the task,” Buchan said.
Important lesson
He said an important lesson he learnt from the example Israelis he met was to live one day at a time being thankful for what Jesus has given, just as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:34
Expanding on this lesson, he writes in his blog: “Those very special people live life to the full and enjoy every moment of it. For they are only too well aware of the hard fact that anything could happen to them tomorrow!
“However, that kind of lifestyle is very beneficial to one’s faith, because when you don’t know what the future holds, you get to know the One who holds the future extremely well.”
Buchan said yesterday that God has given him a tremendous love for Israel and than he also believes it is very pivotal in the Last Days.
“And also my best friend is a Jew and yours is too,” he added. “He’s not a Scotsman or an Afrikaner. I know He is the Son of God but he is also a Jew and that’s probably more than anything else is why I love that place.”
He said over the years he has been attending the Feast of Tabernacles he has seen a “a real opening of hearts” of South Africans towards the festival. On Friday evening, which is the Jewish Sabbath, he ministered to about two to three hundred South Africans from various tour groups in Jerusalem. They met at St Anne’s Church at the site of the pool of Bethesda where on the Sabbath Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 38 years ( John 5:1-15 ). Before the service he asked people to come prepared for a miracle because Jesus was going to heal them. That night he anointed everybody with oil and prayed a prayer of faith with each one of them. Immediately afterwards it began to rain, a sign of confirmation he has experienced after a number of prayer events. The next morning his assistant, Clive Tedder testified that Jesus had healed him of a heart condition that had been troubling him for seven years.
We thank God for the healing.
Glory to God!
Regards
jonathan
wonderfully encouraging and inspiring: we are about to see the fulfillment of Isa 60:1-3 as His glory descends in ever increasing measure. The hour is far advanced and the final great harvest of the Gentiles is at the door. Amen Take Your glory Lord Jesus !!
Well I don’t know how long Angus Buchan has been going to the Feast but as for open hearts towards the feast and Israel, South Africans have been VERY visible in not only visiting Israel but being the backbone of many significant ministries there, at least in the last twenty years.Bridges for Peace, The International Christian Embassy, Ebenezer Emergency Fund and Christian Friends of Israel to name but a few, as well as many individuals who work there in an individual capacity. I believe many South Africans have avoided taking on board Replacement Theology in their understanding of the Bible and in consequence are blessed in their contribution and connection with God’s promised Land and chosen people.
What about the persecuted and oppressed Palestinian Christians. Were they invited, visited, prayed for and encouraged?
Im not sure why you would ask a question like this. It seems influenced by politics? The Israeli Arabs in Israel have freedom of movement and are aware of the event and most likely did attend. It was after all attended by people from over 80 nations. It was also not Uncle Angus’s responsibility to visit anyone in particular, he was a keynote speaker and that is why he was there. There are also many organisations that bring Arab and Jewish Christians together in Israel so again, Im sure they were represented. Blessings boet and, as Christians, we know this, Jesus died for all of us. even the Arabs.
Thank you Stuart for responding. No politics intended any more than Christians attending the Feast of Tabernacles is support for Israeli government policies. And I was asking not about Arab Israelis but Palestinians in Bethlehem, etc in the West Bank. Salam/Shalom, tg