Bruce’s Conversion

I look back over my life with much gratitude to God for the examples that were set for me when I was growing up.  Both my parents loved Jesus, and still love Jesus, with all their heart. From before I was born, they were committed to serving God and always looked for ways to do that.  What this meant was that throughout my life, church played a major part.  I can’t remember a Sunday, when growing up, when we did not go to church.  I have come across a number of people that have had a similar upbringing as me who have resented their parents for taking them to church – I don’t resent mine, but I am thankful to God that they took the time to invest in eternity.

Growing up in a church also meant that a major part of my life was being involved in church activities, especially the youth ministries in the church. The church that I spent most of my childhood in was a church that, most of the time, invested in the next generation. I remember Sunday School classes, Sunday School picnics, Christmas parties and many other fun activities.  Yet, despite church being a major part of my life, I remained an unbeliever.  If you are not a Christian and you are reading this blog, you must realise that many people go to church without ever having come to know Jesus Christ as their own Saviour. This was where I was!  No one has ever been born into this world a Christian.   Just because you have passionate Christian parents does not make you a Christian.  Jesus said, “You must be born again!” This is what I never knew.

When in High School, I even made attendance at the school SCA (Student Christian Association) a standard feature in my school week.  I did this primarily because of the fact that my oldest brother was very involved in the SCA. Even when he wasn’t there I continued. In my standard 7 year, I began to play badminton and another friend who played with me, began to speak to me of my relationship with Jesus Christ.  As I write this and think back to that time, I am not sure that too many people had taken the time to speak to me about my own relationship with Jesus.  But God was at work because in the following year, something radical happened in my life.

For the casual reader, what I am about to tell you may not seem all that radical, but I can assure you that it was.  When we only see things on a human level apart from the activity of God and without an understanding of the seriousness of the human condition apart from Christ, we cannot understand the work of God in salvation as being radical, yet it is the most radical experience anyone can have.  Let me tell you why and what happened to me.

Part of the heritage that my parents had passed on to me was the importance of reading the Bible.  The Bible was a major feature in our home.  After Supper we would have “Bible Time” where, before even leaving the supper table, the Bible would be brought out, Scripture read, and some instruction given.  After that, one of the children would pray and we would be allowed to leave the table.

From a young age, my parents would also buy Scripture Union’s Bible reading notes so that we would learn to build a personal relationship with Jesus.  This was what God used to speak into my life because one evening, when reading my Bible before going to bed, the Lord opened my eyes to see myself as I truly was and helped me realise my need for a Saviour.  I came to realise that I was a desperate sinner who was dead, blind, rebellious to God, and even the best things I was doing were as filthy rags in the sight of God.

I remember sitting on my bed that evening, weeping at the realisation of my sinful and helpless condition and calling upon God for grace and mercy, asking God for forgiveness for my sin and surrendering my life to Him.  The Bible says that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That night a lot of things happened that I am still getting to understand. That night God saved me from my sin and from hell.  That night God made me His own son. That night God forgave my sin and cleansed me. That night was the beginning of my new life in Jesus. I stand now before God, humbled and yet grateful for His mercy and grace because He has given me what I have never deserved – Salvation.  In actual fact, it was God, in His kindness, bringing me to repentance.  He had made me for His glory and I had rejected His purpose for my life and had been living for my own glory.

That is why I say that what took place in my life was radical. I believe that any true conversion is radical because it is God at work in the life of a sinner and transforming him into a saint.  It is God working the miraculous by taking what is dead and making it alive, taking what is blind and giving it sight. It is God take one who is rebellious and making him a son. That is radical!

This doesn’t mean that all of a sudden I was this big saint that was going to save the world.  There was a lot of the old Bruce still alive and there were many things that I still did that did not bring glory to God. But God had begun something that He was determined to take to completion. The blessing is that He is still busy with me today.

Looking back, there were so many people who played a vital role in my life bringing me to this place, but ultimately it was God who was at work in my life.  I am sure that, at times over the next few years, many would have questioned the reality of that experience.  There were times when I fell hard, times when I was the hypocrite of hypocrites, but God was at work in me and I can see His loving hand sustaining and protecting me. That was the beginning of a very exciting walk with God in which, daily, I am a recipient of His undeserving kindness.

Friend, if you read this and you are not a Christian, my prayer for you is that you too will come to know Him who is the source of eternal life.  “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” 1 Tim 1:16 (ESV)

 

Looking back where we came from

Over the next week, Jenni and I want to speak about our story.  I thought that it might be helpful for people, who are reading this blog, and who may even be keen to join us, to understand where we have come from – our personal history as well as our spiritual and theological journey. We want to offer you insight into our lives, and share with you what God has done up until now.

We want to look back and reflect on 3 different parts of our lives and share our story with you.  We thought it would be helpful to tell you our story and share our journey in Conversion, our Call and the development of our Convictions.

A deep conviction that we have, and reason for us telling our story, is to glorify God in all things.  We can find no other reason to boast except in the Lord Jesus Christ and we believe that He has called us to tell of all His works! May God speak to you through our story so that He is glorified!

 

Dare to believe God for Miracles – Tope Koleoso

Adrian Warnock posted a video on his website which I felt summed up my heart for the kind of church that we would like to see planted.  I think Tope says things better than I could explain them.  I want to meet this guy some day! Why not check out the video here http://adrianwarnock.com/2009/05/dare-to-believe-god-for-miracles-tope.html

 

What kind of church will it be? Part 2

Some of the key areas that we want to embrace for the church that, by God’s grace, will be planted, are as follows:

1. A love for God and His Word
2. Centrality of the Gospel
3. A growing passion for God
4. A pursuit of the active presence of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
5. Passionate God-centred worship
6. A commitment to relationships as a means of grace to help us grow.
7. A commitment to growth in godliness through the application of Biblical truth
8. A multi-racial church reflecting South Africa
9. Grace-defined living
10. A passion for sharing the Gospel in the world

Pray for us as we seek God’s face for a church like this!

 

What kind of Church will it be? Part 1

This is an important question for any church plant. The values that a church embraces determine what a church will look like at the end of the day. And the values that shape and define a church will be a response to the biblical truths that are embraced by the church. Simply put, our values are the practical expression of the things we believe.  So, we need to highlight what it is that we believe before highlighting our values. These are the areas of our belief that are our distinctive theological beliefs that we will be seeking to incorporate in our church plant.

1. Evangelical. This basically means two things:
   Firstly, we believe that the Bible is the essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure and is therefore our final authority in all matters of life and doctrine. Secondly, we believe people need to be saved by responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.  There is no other Saviour other than Jesus and there is only one Gospel.
2. Reformed. This means that we desire to embrace and exult in the sovereignty of God over all things, and that we place the emphasis on the activity of God and the glory of God in the salvation of sinners.  Salvation is the work of God and it is by grace that we have been saved through faith. So grace is not a subject to be taken lightly, but should have a radical effect in our lives, resulting in hearts of gratefulness and humility and a passion for the lost.
   
3. Charismatic. This means that we desire the church to be active in the pursuit and practice of all the gifts of the Spirit as found in the New Testament, and that our worship is expressive and passionate.

 

Facts about Johannesburg

I have been looking for some interesting facts on Johannesburg and here are some that I have found.  Some of these have been taken from the website http://www.south-african-hotels.com/gauteng-facts-figures.php and some have been sourced elsewhere.  It all highlights the importance of Johannesburg in serving Africa and the world.

• Johannesburg has a population of nearly 3.9 million people and has shown a 20.1% growth since 2001.
• Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa.
• The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world and it is one of Africa’s only two global cities.
• The West Rand, the side of Johannesburg in which we want to plant a new church, has a population of about 750 000 people (as per a 2001 census).  With the estimated growth in Johannesburg since 2001, this could now be sitting at 900 000 souls.
• Johannesburg is one of the youngest major cities worldwide. Johannesburg is 118 years old, and was founded on October 4, 1886
• During one century, Johannesburg has been rebuilt four times: first it was a tented camp; then a town of tin shanties; then of four-storey Edwardian brick buildings; then a city of modern skyscrapers
• Johannesburg houses the tallest office block in Africa, which is called the Carlton Centre (50 stories) and the tallest tower being the Hillbrow Tower (270 metres, or 90 stories).
• Johannesburg is also called Egoli, which means “place of gold”. Forty percent of the world’s gold has been found in the greater Johannesburg region
• The altitude in Johannesburg is 2 000m above sea level. The air is therefore thinner, and eggs take an extra minute to boil
• There are over 10 million trees in Johannesburg (2.5 million in parks and pavements, and 7.5 million in private homes)
• Forty percent of the population in Johannesburg is under the age of 24
• The average travel time in Johannesburg for commuters is 48 minutes
• There are 1 569ha of nature reserves in the city of Johannesburg
• There are 12 river systems which run throughout Johannesburg
• Johannesburg houses the only two polar bears in Africa, at the Johannesburg Zoo

I hope you now feel edified!

 

How far are we towards a church plant?

I thought it would be good to give some feedback on how far we are in our journey towards a church plant.

1. We have taken the step of faith by resigning from our position as Pastor of Empangeni Baptist Church.  After being in the church for nearly 10 years, we are convinced that God is calling us to plant a church. In this economic climate, people will call our action stupid because we are moving into an unsalaried position.  We have chosen to walk by faith and believe God when in what He has called us to.
2. We have chosen the area that we believe God wants us to focus on.  Over the years, as we have visited the West Rand, we have seen the increase in housing and God has laid on our hearts the need for churches.  This is where we come in because we believe that this is something that God is wanting us to do.
3. We have found a home.  We have found a spiritual home in God First Church (www.godfirst.co.za), which is at this stage our only sponsor in this venture, promising about one third of what we will need.  We have also found a home to stay in.  While I still need to give a final decision on the house, we are feeling strongly that it is a perfect place for us to stay.
4. We have found schools. Jenni had made a point of identifying all the schools in the area and then figure our which of those schools would be best to attend.    Previously, when Jenni had phoned the schools, they were very concerned about which area we would live in.  This time they were open to considering us regardless of the area.  Stephen identified which school he wanted to attend and Jenni said that he should pray about it.  In God’s grace, when Jenni phoned the schools the next day, the schools of our children’s choice, were open to accept our children.  We see God’s hand in this and praise Him for the way He works all things.
5. We are still praying for people to come alongside and support us.  This will involve people with a passion for church planting as well as people to support financially. We are confidence that He who called us will also provide what we need for the task because He is faithful!
6. We are still looking for people to commit to praying for us regularly that we would be faith servant of God in all areas.
7. We are praying for open doors into people’s lives when we get up to Jo’burg.

We are  looking forward to the way that God is going to continue to reveal Himself and His ways to us.  Obviously we are not under any illusion that this will be easy but we are excited because this is God’s work and we are His servants.

 

Why plant another church? Part 4

There are pragmatic reasons.

1. Churches replace churches. Some churches have lost the plot and are closing down or becoming cultish so there needs to be plants to pick up where others are missing it.  I am not saying that I am out to criticise what others are doing, but I do believe that there are many who are looking for a Christian community that is seeking to be all that God wants.
2. Growing communities need churches. Any area that has a growing community needs another church.  This is one reason why we are focusing on the Welteverden/Little Falls area.  Over the years we have observe a boom in housing developments in the area, and while there are churches that are being established in the area, we see the need for more churches.  There are just so many people who need to be reached with the Gospel.
3. Lost people need the church. They don’t know this but they do.  They need Jesus and He has entrusted the church with the mystery of the Gospel.  We are wanting a church that will represent Jesus and His Kingdom well.
4. It is too easy to become comfortable. The Lord has been challenging us out of our comfort zone into planting a church. We believe that this is what it means to be walking by faith.  R.T. Kendall said that faith is “Believing God.” To do that means that you need to step out and into His hands.
5. Engaging with the culture. Instead of being stuck in a 16^th or 17^th century culture, we are wanting to be culturally relevant without compromising the Truth of God.  Mark Driscoll speaks about “reaching out without selling out.”  We are wanting to show the relevance of God’s Word and engage with God in worship using relevant styles of worship.  We want to be culturally relevant yet preserve Biblical integrity which means that the church, at the same time as being culturally relevant, must be counter-cultural in the aspects in culture that oppose God’s Word.
6. Cater for the Community. Some refuse to cater for the communities.  In SA the communities are fast becoming racially integrated.  We really do believe that churches should be multi-ethnic and a reflection of the community.  This is because God has a passion for the nations as well as the fact that Heaven reflects this as people from every tribe and language will be in heaven.  It becomes a little bit like heaven at home.
7. Doctrinal Definition. I have come to believe that a church needs to know where it stands.  If it can’t be theologically defined then there is a strong chance that it will be riddled with problems as strong personalities try and enforce their opinions on the church.  We want the church to know where they stand to preserve the unity of the church and promote the cause of Christ and His Kingdom.  This should never mean that we are exclusive and have nothing to do with other churches, but defined as a local expression of the body of Christ.
8. The final reason I want to highlight is Biblical church leadership.  I won’t go into this too much right now but it is something that I want to explore in this blog in the near future.

Bruce