Burry Stander ~ Obituary

BURRY WILLIE STANDER, son to Charles and Mandie Stander, brother, husband to Cherise Stander (nee Taylor), friend, competitor, entrepreneur, champion MTB rider, a double South African Olympian, was born September 16,  1987 – died January 3, 2013 aged 25.

It was saddening news that greeted many the world over that Burry Stander had been tragically killed by a collision with a mini-taxi on a training ride, cut down in what many determine to be the prime of his life, in his prowess. From learning of the news of his death much has been written in way of condolences that have steadily poured in from here at home and from abroad, and there has been many memorial rides organised at various places around South Africa in memory of his passing. Whilst many convey words of sympathy to his parents and Cherise, wife of Burry, it is heart rending that parents should be burying their son, and a married life was cut so tragically short after just six months – are there any words that can be spoken to ease the pain and heartache at this time? The bereavement of the loss of this life is painful just as many others have also experienced the loss of a family member, or a close friend at some other time before!

Whilst many messages pour in through the social networks and the public media, many obituaries have been written from specific points of view, most noticeably from the point of view celebrating Burry Stander – “humble celebrity, gentleman, world champion mountain-bike legend, athlete, icon, hero” – whilst these accolades describe this South African son known affectionately as Africanmtbkid, not much has been written about the normal man – the mortal man Burry Stander.

While people the world over give much praise and homage to this celebrated life, many do not pause to ponder what lies ahead after one dies. If Burry could now speak from eternity, for death is not the end of a soul, what would he tell you? If he could speak to you, dear reader – the words would most probably be: “Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” While many people live life fast, hard and large, they fail to examine themselves and see where they are ultimately headed. The question that should be posted to you, dear reader, is: “Are YOU Ready?” (Gospel tract). People tend to downplay what awaits them after death. Many truly believe that they will “go to a better place”, “go to heaven”, and many will even say in sympathy statements: “My prayers are with the family” and “God bless!” But what do these sentiments really mean? Do all believe in a Creator God? Do all believe in salvation through Jesus Christ alone? Are all living truly Christ-centred lives? Or, are people just trying to soften the impact of death – as they do not really want to offend people by speaking the Truth. Is it that they don’t want to deal with the real issues of the after-life, eternity? Jesus said what is in the abundance of the heart is what a man really is.

I do pray and hope that the pastors conducting the church service on Thursday January 10, 2013 will be faithful to Almighty God, YHWH, and proclaim the unadulterated Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (not the ear-tickling gospel of today in the Ecumenical system), and will not withhold the real TRUTH of what awaits a person once they die. There is bound to be many in attendance, some professing believers who need to be reminded of the surrendered life we are to live for our Lord Jesus Christ and many others who are unbelievers who need an urgent wake-up call to the frailty of life. Funerals are not for the deceased. The deceased’s soul has already departed and moved into eternity and the corpse is an empty shell that is lying there lifeless. Funerals are there for the family and friends that are left behind, who have been tardy or who have neglected to make preparation for the day when they too will die and meet their Creator. For God tells us in His Holy Word, the Bible, in Hebrews 9:27 ~

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

If God says there is a judgment after death, are you prepared to meet the Creator of all the universe at that judgment?

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (see Genesis 18:25)

We are also reminded ~

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

So: Are you ready? Are you prepared? And are you making preparation? Scripture warns that we are to prepare to meet our God (see Amos 4:12). Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (see John 3:3). If any person dies outside the covering of our Lord Jesus Christ they will not enter heaven. So then what happens to them?  So what do you think will happen to YOU when you die and stand naked before your Creator? Do you think God would find you innocent or guilty before His Judgment Seat? God tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith and whether we will pass the test, which is the judgment. You can examine yourself to see your condition before God Almighty by looking into the ‘mirror’ of God’s Holy and Moral Law, which are the Ten Commandments (the full version can be read at Exodus 20:1-17):

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me (v3)
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image [idols](vv4-6)
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain [blasphemy](v7)
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy (vv8-11)
5. Honour thy father and thy mother (v12)
6. Thou shalt not kill (v13)
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery (v14)
8. Thou shalt not steal (v15)
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour [lie](v16)
10. Thou shalt not covet (v17)

Now that you know God’s standard of holiness and perfection, “we know that the law is good, if a man  use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient” (see 1 Timothy 1:8-11) and we are reminded in Romans 3:23 that:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

So let us take a quick test to see your true condition. If you should die today, what will be your condition before God on Judgment Day? Listen to your conscience and answer honestly. The ninth commandment says you shall not tell lies (bear false witness) (Exodus 20:16). How many lies have you told in your lifetime? Fibs, half-truths, white lies – they are all lies. A lie is deception and someone always gets hurt by lying. Jesus tells us that if a person speaks lies he speaks the language of the devil, Satan, “for he is a liar, and the father of it” (see John 8:44). The eighth commandment says you shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). Irrespective of the size or value of the object, have you ever stolen something – taken it without someone’s permission. This also includes piracy which is buying, downloading or copying CDs and DVDs that belong to other people without their permission.

Then there is the seventh commandment that says you shall not commit adultery. Have you cheated on your spouse? But listen, you do not have to be married to commit adultery. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Have you looked with lust? Roving eyes, lustful intent, leering at pornography; have you broken this command? This command would also include fornication (sexual relations outside the bounds of marriage) either heterosexual (mf) or homosexual (mm / ff) sex. Are you ‘living together’ out of wedlock as partners?

What about murder? Have you broken the sixth commandment? Have you murdered anyone? You do not have to pick up a gun, or knife or rope to kill someone to commit murder. If you hate someone you have committed murder in the heart:

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Gossip is also considered murder of the heart by God’s standard.

The second commandment deals with idols and idolatry. Do you worship and bow down to things made of wood, stone, plastic, gold, silver and any other material? God has warned that no person is to fashion or make any idols or “any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:” (Exodus 20:4). God also warns that those who worship and make these idols are just like them – DEAD! It also includes people who make a god to suite themselves in their own image, a god they are more comfortable with, someone who won’t punish sin. Idols can also be placing your love, devotion and worship in things of this world – money, material possessions, sports and their athletes, celebrities in the film and music industry, family members, sex and pornography, alcohol and drugs, your work, studies and all other manner of activities, even your religious practices including your idolised favourite pastor / teacher – these are all idolatries. Vanities of vanities.

God tells us in James 4:4 that any friend of the world is an enemy of God and according to His Word no enemy will R.I.P. (Rest In Peace) for any person that does not have the Son does not have life, but has the wrath of God abiding on him (see John 3:36).

Now consider that we have only looked at five of the Ten Commandments – and if God judged you by this Holy standard and sees you as a lying thief, adulterer, murderer and idolater, do you think you will be innocent? Or guilty? You see the law is a schoolmaster, a teacher that teaches us that we have transgressed God’s Holy Commandments; it shows that we are in need of a Saviour – Someone to save us from the wrath of God. Scripture tells us:

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

God’s Word tells us that transgressors of His law will be guilty and that:

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Therefore you would be guilty and God warns that all guilty persons are condemned (see John 3:18) and will end up in Hell for all eternity. This is what Hell is described as in the Holy Words of God:

• A devouring fire and everlasting burnings – Isaiah 33:14
• A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth – Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30; Luke 13:28
• Where the fire is never quenched – Mark 9:44, 46, 48
• Where they can never repent – Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:29
• Where they don’t want their loved ones to come – Luke 16:28
• A bottomless pit – Revelation 9:1, 2, 11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:1, 3
• Where they scream for mercy – Luke 16:24
• A place of sorrows – Psalm 18:5
• A place of outer darkness – Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30
• A place of torments – Luke 16:23
• And many, many more verses …

On that Great Day at the Great White Throne Judgment, this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ of Judgment Day:

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

If you should stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ know this that transgressors will end up in God’s prison – Hell for all eternity. On that Day there will be no Court of Appeal against your sentence, there will be no Constitutional Court to appeal to for a lesser sentence or an acquittal. There also will be no extenuating circumstantial pleas heard on your behalf. No, my friend, the judgment will be final and binding. Your only hope is – will you have the Lord Jesus Christ as your advocate (see 1 John 2:1) on that Day. If God is not your Father on Judgment Day, then He will certainly be your Judge. And Scripture warns that:

Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Matthews 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The bad news is that Hell awaits all unrepentant evil and wicked sinners who have not repented towards God. But, O yea, there is Good News. And this is what a Good and Loving God did for you about two thousand years ago. God the Father took on human form – and became flesh (John 1:14) to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world so that redemption can be granted to His people. God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (see 2 Peter 3:9). Scripture tells us of God’s great love for us:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus Christ – God in human form – became the sin offering – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world – for you when He went to the cross to die in your place taking the wrath of the Father upon Himself:

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

If God is speaking to you, do not harden your heart in the day of His visitation.

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

John 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jesus Christ took your punishment upon Himself so that He can legally commute your death sentence upon the Day of Judgment if you would believe upon His Name and be clothed in His Righteousness.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus died He was laid in a tomb (grave) and on the third day raised to life. Jesus has overcome this world, death and sin for all those who would believe in Him.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Know this, that:

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for His mercy and grace for there is no other that can save you:

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

And Jesus said you must be born again, born of the Spirit of God, not of man or his will:

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

So this day, your repentance must be toward God and your faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 20:21) and let God work repentance in you and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour by faith:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Come to Jesus:

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Find a quiet place and go before the Lord God Almighty and do business with Him today, for you are not guaranteed of tomorrow. Then get yourself a KJ Bible, read and obey what is written in it. Live it out. Get into a Bible believing assembly of believers and follow Jesus. For God commands Perfection, Holiness and Obedience. What is the cost of being a disciple of Christ?

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

You never know when your time will be up and you will die. Are YOU Ready?

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Amen.

__________________

Related items

• MTB World Cup 2009 ~ Gospel Tract
• MTB World Cup 2009 ~ Day I, Day II & Day III

Obituary written by an evangelist who has attended at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships held in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal to reach competitors and spectators alike with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Possibly, you too, have received a Gospel Tract. Consider this – Are YOU Ready?

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Eastern Cape – Xmas / Holidays’ Evangelism

This is our praise report to our Great God and King, our Lord Jesus Christ – and may all boasting be for the works our LORD wrought and that no attention – be it prideful or any other – be diverted to us. This is solely for God’s Glory! Brothers Ndumiso Illathan Mndayi of Burden4Souls ministry and Gary (Repent and Believe South Africa ministries) joined up in Umtata in the Eastern Cape on Friday December 28, 2012. After fellowship, prayer, examining of Scriptures, and a sleep over, we left on a further three days’ mission trip that would take in three holiday hotspots being East London, Port Elizabeth and Jeffrey’s Bay. The circuit would encompass a total distance from leaving my base of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal to returning on December 31, 2012 – in total 2,081kms.

The Holy Spirit worked through two men willing to be fools for Christ – servants of the Most High God as we read in Scripture:

1Cor 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

1Cor 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

1Cor 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1Cor 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1Cor 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

During the course of our time in our Lord’s harvest we witnessed the Hand of God and the Holy Spirit’s moving as men and women came under conviction by the power of Almighty God. There were priceless encounters where we found ourselves being used as vessels of mercy to minister into the very lives of the souls standing before us – in one-on-one witnessing encounters and in the open-air environment by the preaching of Law to the proud, Grace to the humble. We had free course as the Word of God was shared with all who our gracious Lord would have us confront! Brethren, what we learnt, for mission work is also about our growth in Christ, is that when you “Go” step out in faith expecting God to work miracles and meet individuals on the streets and see lives converted and changed. Some souls will be challenged, and we know when God touches people and draws them to Himself there will be no rest for that weary soul, the conscience will be active and it will not let the person rest until they call out to their loving Creator. We also know that the good seed of the Word will be planted, and brethren coming after will be used of God to water the seed sown and God will bring the increase in His time! Salvation is of the Lord! Know this brethren, God’s Word never returns void and He uses His Word to accomplish what He has sent it to do. We also read:

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

We experienced even believers – some lukewarm – who were challenged as to what their faith stands for. There were also the usual mockers, scoffers and blasphemers and there were also those who encouraged us, praised God and rejoiced in the Lord through listening to His Word! We thank all our fellow good-fighters of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, contenders of the faith who stood alongside us in spirit and prayed for God’s divine workings, for His protection and for His mercy for lost souls and ultimately for those who heard the living words of Truth, as some were drawn to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith by our just and loving God! No other religion offers such compassion and the ministry of reconciliation of sinful man back to their Creator who adopts them into His family as children of God! All glory and praise to our Majestic and Sovereign Creator and God Almighty – the Risen and Living Lord Jesus Christ!

We pray and ask our brethren to join us in lifting up the souls, not only of these listed here, but every soul that heard Christ’s living Word and commandments being proclaimed as we, like John the Baptist that went before our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of Elijah, as righteous Noah preached before the flood, and as Paul preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and as many more prophets spoke God’s Word, we lift up all who had an ear to hear, bringing our petitions for them before the throne of God for mercy upon their souls and to keep those born again of His Spirit, strengthening them and keeping them from Satan’s evil schemes and devices. They are:

In East London – December 29

• Vido, a petrol attendant in Umtata;
• Bernadette, a refugee Christian from the DR Congo;
• Muhammed – a young Muslim street merchant who heard the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ clearly, yet he wants to hold to his works’ religion;
• Zingisa – a reporter from the “Daily Sun” who took our picture wanting to run an article in this daily. We have not heard from him yet, but we do pray that an opportunity will present itself for the Gospel to be shared nationally!
• The crowds of holiday revellers soaking up the sun who heard the Gospel preached to them and who received literature. Belinda from East London, was one such hearer who heard me sharing our Lord Christ with a group of coloured folk on the grass bank in the shade. She said she would pray for God’s forgiveness of her sins, but at home!
• An elderly coloured lady named Zolie from Cape Town who was encouraged by the boldness of these two men. She is a believer.

In Port Elizabeth – December 29

• On arriving at Port Elizabeth’s Summerstrand, King’s Beach, we were just walking to set up when we hadn’t even uttered a word concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I carried the “Are You Ready” cross when a cyclist, a white man shouted at us with much hatred from his heart as venomous profanity spewed from his mouth calling us “@#&^*%$ Messianic Jews”! This was obviously the devil showing himself. Please pray for this man’s soul! It was a wonderful way to start, for much fruit followed all Glory to God!
• Nontando – just before sunset, brother Illathan preached open-air walking about on the beachfront walkway when I engaged an older African lady in conversation, who when she heard the Word confronting her sins she opened up and was close to tears about her lust. She openly spoke in the presence of her young adolescent son. She was truly shaken and said she must repent and turn back to God as she is a Christian! The Lord had me share my own sins with lust as a wicked man as I gave a testimony in a mini open-air preach that had others stop and listen. Please keep all in prayer.
• As the sun went down our Lord had me preach open-air “As in the Days of Noah” using the Law Grace preaching of old! A large crowd gathered around with groups of people standing and sitting about! It was truly God’s Hand moving upon people – all people groups were present – later we found out there were believers and unbelievers alike. What we did not know was that in the crowd somewhere was a man named ‘Gideon’ Qhaki.
• Andile and Mongameli Nqunqutha – two brothers who are Christians. We pray that they will share the true Gospel as according to the Holy Scriptures and be bold witnesses.
• Dane from Port Elizabeth – this is all he shared about himself by writing this in our “missions’ prayer book” as he approached us saying he would meet us the next day to share, but he never showed! Please pray for his safety and conversion!

In Port Elizabeth – December 30

• Gideon Qhaki – This man approached us Sunday morning after hearing the preaching last night, and this is the testimony by brother Illathan as recorded on his Facebook wall:

• I am in tears, I just got a call from a brother we preached to in Port Elizabeth, he got miraculously converted by the power and grace of God the same day after he heard Brother Gary preached on the Law of God and Grace, so the next day he came to hear us preach at the beach, after the sermon he spoke to us telling us that he had a sleepless night convicted by his conscience, tormented by his sins, he told us his life story. This man sleeps on the streets, he eats from garbage bins, he spent 3 years [of a 6 year term] in Jail for robbery and house breaking, he stole his mother’s possessions. He is currently on parole and he broke his parole law by running away to another city, he now is in Port Elizabeth. I am stunned by the conversion of this man, he came after the sermon the next day confessing all his crimes and asked us to pray for him and call his mother who now hates him and rejects him. He was in tears and agony seeking the Lord for mercy and forgiveness for his sins and we were also in tears because this man was so grieved, feeling so guilty, saying he wants to go back home to his mom to apologize for his actions and he wants to go see his parole officer back home.

  We gave him Gospel tracts with our numbers on them, so he calls us and asks for our prayers. He called me to say Happy new year to me and Brother Gary Stephen Crous. Please pray for this brother.

  Grace and peace to you.

  [Amended punctuation and prison term corrected - Repent and Believe South Africa]

• Jake – a Jehovah Witness who said he would examine what we have told him, even checking the Scriptures we referred to in the JW’s “NWT” book. He still wants to hold to what he has always been taught, and we pleaded with him that he has been taught wrong! He was really confident in an arrogant type of way when he arrived and as we spoke to him – as he was marketing some ‘television-type-sport-event’ gadget, but by the time he was leaving us he had been humbled by the Word! His demeanour wasn’t arrogant, but quiet and almost embarrassed in a shy type of way! His mouth had been stopped (see Romans 3:19). Praise God! Even as I observed him later speaking to his friend, he looked ‘sheepish’!
• Abaash – an Islamic young man who was confronted at the boardwalk pier. He had told me when I stopped him he had just been praying to ‘Allah’! After showing Abaash the Scriptures our Lord gave me to share, we know he has many things to examine now, and he definitely said he would. Even when his bearded dad came over to call him to leave, Abaash raised his hand to his dad to say “wait”, smiling, but stayed a while longer as I shared more with him. Then he left with literature to read. Pray for his soul to be reconciled with the True God!
• Family members Cara Belle Fourie and her son Caleb Johnathan Fourie and her brother Adriaan Fourie. A Christian woman who needs encouragement and prayers in the Lord with many trials in her life. Pray that she will assume the role of a Proverb 31 woman. Also encouraged her to dress modestly as commanded by God! Pray also that she can overcome her unforgiveness. Pray also for her brother to come to faith in Christ!

In Jeffrey’s Bay – December 30

• Many people who received Gospel tracts in conversations and open-air preaching where we did not receive their names.
• Two Algerian Muslim men who had the Word of Truth speak to them. They have no excuse yet they hold fast to Islam. Whilst preaching Christ with them a teenage boy named David came by and listened to the conversation. Later he was engaged by Illathan and went away convicted.

These are brief encounters that I can recall and there were many, many more where Illathan engaged others upon the beachfronts. We pray that they all will be brought before God’s Throne – our Father knows each by name!

In East London – December 31

The day before we had received a request from a Christian friend of mine named Adrie Reynolds to possibly get someone in the East London area to pray for or visit her mother Elizabeth Fouche, who had fallen and fractured her hip. I requested the particulars to be sent through to me and on our way home we stopped in at East London to visit and pray with Mrs Fouche. She was doing well, but said it was very painful – she wouldn’t hope this on anyone! We prayed for her recovery and committed her spiritual and physical conditions to our Father. Praise be to God, we were able to hand out Gospel material at the Lily Kirchmann Home and at the St. Dominique Hospital (it is a Roman Catholic Hospital – the Mary statue outside is a give-away). We gave out Gospel tracts to many staff members, patients in the ward we visited, and visitors sitting around! Praise be to God for opportunities to reach everyone! Redeem the time at every given opportunity presented, my brethren!

We thank all the soldiers of Christ who have been interceding in prayer fighting the spiritual war that befalls each of us as we have conquered in the Name of Jesus Christ! We also thank those who have kindly given support for the work of this ministry to keep the “wheels rolling” (God knows who you are – thank you my dear brothers and sisters), the many tracts from brother Louis Ackermann’s ministry and also to Illathan’s mom Siphokazi for her hospitality in Port Elizabeth.

Please also keep us in prayer as we continually seek God’s will concerning “Repent and Believe on Mission For Africa” in 2013, should our Lord Jesus Christ tarry. These mission outreaches are only the beginning of greater things to come! We Trust God!

Soli Deo Gloria!

_______________

Photos can be viewed HERE.

Xmas Day / Holidays’ Evangelism

Today – being the false prediction of the Mayan’s Doomsday, or whatever they call it, being December 21, 2012, as the false prophets and idolaters have done and gone before and taught falsehood – we, brother Lungisa Zondi, my grandson Cee-Jay and myself, went out along the Durban beachfront to preach our Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, resurrected and ascended. We went and quelled the man-made rumours and preached the Truth sharing Matthew 24:36 ~

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

We were also blessed with meeting many people today as we shared Jesus Christ with many tribes, tongues and nationalities. It was a day spent for the glory of God Almighty alone.

Please keep Bheki Nhlumayo, Sandile, Thami and many other nameless individuals that our Great King and God Jesus Christ knows who were spoken to, received Gospel tracts and were ministered to privately and through the open-air preaching of God’s Word. We also ask that you keep an Indian man who blasphemed, cursed, ranted-and-raved, and even gave a growing crowd an “ear-tickling” word as to the god he shared. We pray for his hard and defiled (dirty) heart to be changed. We say dirty for it was the condition of his Mark 7 heart that poured from his mouth:

Mark 7:20 And he [Jesus] said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

Mark 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Today we also shared the True birth of Jesus Christ from the Holy Scriptures in Luke 1 and 2 which is in the Hebrew month of Tishri (September/October) and not the false day of December 25! It was also  our first day in Durban being the beginning of this festive season in which we will be preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified and warning people of their idolatries of celebrating Xmas that is also known as “the Profane Man’s Ranting Day, the Superstitious Man’s Idol Day, the Papist’s Massing Day, the Old Heathen’s Feasting Day, the Multitude’s Idle Day, and Satan-that Adversary’s-Working Day.”

Brethren, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, speaking all Truth! Including the true birth of Jesus Christ! If you preach anything else – you preach a different and false jesus!

Purge the leaven …

Church, the Xmas issue will not go away and will not rest until the leaven is purged from among us. Please read the Holy Scriptures first and then view the Chart below (magnify the same in the window that opens).

1Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Cor 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1Cor 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

1Cor 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

1Cor 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

1Cor 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

1Cor 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

1Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

2Cor 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

2Cor 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

2Cor 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2Cor 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

2Cor 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

1Cor 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Please read more at this link below and remember:

Proverb 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

You are commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ:

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1Cor 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

1Cor 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1Cor 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it,in remembrance of me.

1Cor 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

It is idolatry to put the Son of God Jesus Christ in a ‘celebration‘ He does NOT belong in. Aaron’s sons, priests Nadab and Abihu were killed by God for what offence?

Numbers 26:61 And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Do Not do likewise.

All Glory to GOD alone!

NEW – Jim Staley -Truth or Tradition – Should Christians Celebrate Christmas and Easter

The Face of Evil and Wicked South Africa

This is the sad face of evil and wicked South Africa. When a nation is sold out to the devil and serves no longer the Creator God exclusively, this is what you get – interfaith debauchery. On 28th November 2012 the President of South Africa met with the National Interfaith Council of South Africa (NICSA) which has been dissolved and is now known as the National Religious Leaders’ Council (NRLC). Here are two news articles for the NRLC meeting [(1) and (2)] that took place. They want to resolve ”poverty and general social upliftment” together with other issues through an ecumenical system by bringing all faiths together – it will never work! God will not be mocked by having His Son Jesus Christ riduculed with such blasphemy! This is the type of debauchery that we are talking about. Look at some of the other websites here in South Africa that make a mockery of the One True Creator:

• Church Supports Interfaith Memorial Service for Marikana Deaths (24 August 2012)
• Cape Town Interfaith Initiative

I wonder if the “reverend” Ray McCauley seazed the opportunity at the Union Buildings in Pretoria and actually preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unbelievers who were present at that meeting – or is that possibly asking too much? This is what our Lord Jesus Christ said:

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

It is an abomination in the sight of a Holy God that man can blaspheme the One True God who revealed Himself as the Lord Jesus Christ who is LORD of all:

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Act 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

Act 10:37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Act 10:39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:

Act 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

Act 10:41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.

Act 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

Act 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Here are the other blogposts (and a few historical posts) that have called on our President and peoples of South Africa to Repent and Believe the one and only Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ – the ONLY WAY God our Creator has given us:

• Mandela Day – 67 minutes (July 23, 2009)
• Open Letter to the South African President: Mr Jacob Zuma (February 26, 2010)
• Doctrines of Demons (September 1, 2010)
• The Ancestors Will Get You ~ Satan’s Lie (May 17, 2011)
• Serving Ancestral Spirits (June 6, 2011)
• Youth Day ~ June 16 (June 16, 2011)
• Nelson Mandela Day 2011 (July 16, 2011)
• 16th December The Day of The Vow (December 16, 2011)
• Are You Ready? (May 25, 2012)
• “Christian bias on calendar” - The Witness (June 13, 2012)
• Eastern Cape Mission (July 24, 2012)
• A Gospel Tract for Catholics (August 2, 2012)
• South Africa: Hillary Clinton pops in on Nelson Mandela for lunch (August 9, 2012)
• Ingabe Wena Usukulungele? (August 9, 2012)
• The Twelve Apostles’ Church in Christ Heresies (August 15, 2012)
• South Africa Oppressed (October 7, 2012)
• Anarchy (October 17, 2012)

Scripture warns us:

Proverb 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

And South Africa can learn from the Ugandan President who Publicly Repented! He did not just say he is sorry to the people – his prayer was directed to GOD!

Anarchy

On September 12, 2012, an article appeared in The Mercury newspaper titled “Tutu decries SA’s ‘moral decline’”. This South African article can be read in its entirety at the link provided. This all came about during a tribute at a funeral for the reverend Khoza Mgojo in Port Shepstone on Tuesday September 11, 2012. The late Mgojo was described as a “church leader, freedom fighter and community leader” – which is a contradiction of terms. The titles of “church leader and freedom fighter” (the latter term is a fancy non-offensive way of saying “terrorist”) cannot be used collectively, for if any person is called and elected into the Body of Christ, how can he be found to propagate man’s ideologies, which in this case includes Marxist’s and Stalinist’s  communism and socialistic ideologies, atheism and terrorism?

The archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu painted a gloomy picture of South Africa’s decline in its moral standards and the fact that the nation is tearing itself apart. During Tutu’s funeral address, he is quoted as saying [Quote]:

“When we voted in 1994, it was so peaceful and we thought we had crossed river Jordan to the Promised Land. What has happened to us and what do we think of our police force?

“How do we explain to people who want us to prosper that our police shot and killed our own people? What has happened to us?” he said, breaking into an anti-apartheid song Senzeni na? (What have we done?) [Why break out into an anti-apartheid song? What has apartheid got to do with the funeral or the speech, Tutu?]

“What has happened to us when a grown-up man rapes a child? What has happened to us that three orphans were stoned to death? What have we done? God, tell us. We thought you had given us freedom. What have we done? Every day we see different forms of violence. We see people protesting and demonstrating.” [End quote]

The ANC-lead government president Jacob Zuma shared the same platform, this on a rare occasion because of their personal issues with each other, and echoed [Quote]:

“Archbishop Tutu’s concerns are pertinent and fundamental. What has happened to us as people? This is a challenge to all of us. What we should do is go beyond asking the question. I think we should do something because we are all concerned that killing has become so easy.

“For police to shoot and kill people and for the people to protest with pangas and spears meant there was a problem. [This is in reference to the Marikana mine strikes]

“We need a gathering for us all to ask the question on what has happened to us, particularly the Africans,” said Zuma. [End quote]

In stead of Messrs Tutu and Zuma having a meeting to try sort out the “national approach” to these problems caused here in South Africa, which for the record has nothing to do with apartheid, before the ‘comrades’ use the ‘apartheid-race-card’ again, it would be best that they repent of their wicked and wretched sins before God. This blog will show what the leaders of this country post-1994 have done by selling this country to the devil. For Tutu to ask:  “What have we done? God, tell us. We thought you had given us freedom. What have we done?” God’s Word will tell you what the nation of South Africa has done! No, the rainbow nation is not free under the democracy of a man-centred, idolatrise, God-hating government and society that has been brought about and implemented by the ANC government. God has not given South Africa freedom. True freedom only comes through God’s Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said ~

³²And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ~ John 8:32

³⁶If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. ~ John 8:36

If Tutu would have preached the True Gospel of Jesus Christ and not been a puppet where he has allowed state and church to be joined instead of speaking up for separation during the “struggle”, where he should have been calling for the ANC / SACP / COSATU alliance to repent towards God and not have agreed with their ungodly laws that were passed by Nelson Mandela and the corruption that has flowed from a leadership that is corrupt in all their ways, he has had a platform to preach God’s True Word, but he has neglected to fulfil his mandate before God, that is, if he was ever called. His failure to do so, but to be a propagator for the terrorists has left much wanting! When such laws were passed that allows abortion (murder of the unborn child), homosexual freedom and same-sex marriages that go against God’s commands, customary polygamy which is bigamy and adultery, encouraging of fornication (sex outside the bounds of marriage) with the “condomise-and-be-wise” HIV/AIDS campaign instead of encouraging abstinence, striking of a greed-driven populace, inefficient legal and justice system that allows criminals more rights than ‘law-abiding’ citizens, and even customary practices of ancestral worship, consulting of witchdoctors, sorcerers and traditional healers, ‘kingdoms’ of African cultures which allow the carrying of traditional weapons, the lawless practices of nepotism, bribery, corruption, fraud, mismanagement and theft of taxpayers’ monies, striking that cripples our economy and unemployment and poverty and the killing fields where innocent blood is shed, genocide, and racism in reverse (black-on-white) and the heinous list goes on, and on … have you ever considered how God sees these abominations before His eyes? This is the real problem – YOU have turned from your Creator and committed evil and wicked sin against Him!

When the ANC government signed into law the freedom of religions, they sold out this nation to the devil – the true enemy – as the freedom given by men is the same as not believing – that is atheism, which is godlessness. God gave commandment that you shall have no other gods before Him or idol worship (see Exodus 20:3-6), but the practiced religions have made a mockery of God. Do not think God is happy with the ANC for their devilish practices of selling out to the devil. We learn much from God’s Holy Word, when we see how God blessed and even battled on for His chosen people, on Israel’s behalf. Yes, the very people Israel, that many hate and speak out against – the very people from where salvation comes from, for salvation is of the Jews (see John 4:22). But when God’s chosen people rebelled against God He handed His people over to an oppressor. We read in Judges 10:6-16 ~

⁶And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. ⁷And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. ⁸And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. ⁹Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. ¹⁰And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. ¹¹And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? ¹²The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. ¹³Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. ¹⁴Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. ¹⁵And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. ¹⁶And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

When God’s people turned back to Him, He delivered them from the oppressors. You have been warned South Africa – you are oppressed by the ANC / SACP / COSATU alliance, for God tells us ~

²When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. ~ Proverbs 29:2

The righteous are not in authority therefore the people are not rejoicing. We have wicked rulers and therefore the people – this nation, South Africa – are mourning. When we see the plight of the poor and those in poverty getting worse and we see little service delivery and the municipalities that are to serve the people are mostly bankrupt from the thieving politicians – the very wicked rule the proverb speaks about! It doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to be able to join the dots and see what is happening here! Be warned, YOU will have your Day in Court before the Judge of the entire Universe. No Court of Appeal, No Constitutional Court, and No comrades to help you out of the fix you are in!

We also see such corruption like the R203 million plus payments of taxpayers’ monies through the Department of Works for the improvements of Jacob Zuma’s “personal residence” in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal. No wonder the “ruling” party wants the “Secrecy Bill” passed so their evil and wretched practices will be hidden from the knowledge of the populace. Ah! God sees it all and the charge sheet is getting longer, and longer, with each passing day. You think you can crook the books this side of eternity, but you will not escape True Justice come Judgment Day! The culprits are warned that they will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ, as we read:

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:10

¹⁴For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. ~ Ecclesiastes 12:14

And God has a prison called Hell. It is hot, it is a lake of fire, it is wrath filled, and there will be anguish, gnashing of teeth, torment, pain, grief, sorrow and suffering. This is no joking matter, you have been warned again!

To God alone be the Glory in and through His Son Jesus Christ the Righteous. Messrs Tutu and Zuma and citizens of South Africa – when you Ukuphenduka (repent) and turn back to God and have your faith towards Jesus Christ (and that means the True Jesus Christ), we pray that He will have mercy upon your souls and save you from the wrath of God. If not, God will still be glorified!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Another Response Received

Here is another response received to the post titled Doctrines of Demons, and whilst every effort is made to address each point raised, failure to deal specifically with a portion or body of text must not be construed that the writer, Gary Crous, agrees with in part or in entirety with what has been commented by one Zandile, in that part or entirety of text.

Due to the lengthy response to the initial posting, we have decided to address the issues put forward in a posting of its own to canvass the points made. The format will be as follows:

• Ø  The comment text by Zandile will be in the ordinary form of text; and
• Ø  The Repent and Believe South Africa ministry’s responses will be in the shaded boxes to differentiate between the two parties.

Here is the response:

Zandile commented on Doctrines of Demons

Gary

This information might help you in understanding Shembe’s gospel.

The word ubuNazaretha derives from the word Nazarite, which comes from Hebrew language, Nazir. Nazir is a person whose whole life is dedicated to God and separates him or herself for a holy lifestyle.

In the olden days Nazaritism was not accepted as a religion, but was rather a particular lifestyle under Moses’ religion. It was not expected for everyone to be the Nazarite, reason being that, it was a vow between God and a person for a specific period of time. This vow together with other certain laws formed integral part to Mosaic law. People who took a vow of being the Nazarite were not governed by peculiar laws from those of the children of Israel, but it was merely an additional Mosaic law.

These laws were given to Moses by God, read Numbers 6:1-20. As time goes on, there born people who were the Nazarites from womb, their whole life was dedicated to God and their tenacious grip on this vow meant that they were going to separate themselves for God.

Jesus Christ the Nazarite

In the Bible we are being told of four people who were the Nazarites: In the Old Testament is Samson (Judges 13:5), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:9-10). The New Testament has the following people: John (Luke 1:15), Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:23, Jesus’ disciples were called Nazarites (Acts 24:5). Now it’s evident that the very first congregation of the Nazarites was that of Jesus Christ (Acts 24:5).

Dear Zandile

In accordance with the Holy Scriptures, it does not appear that John the Baptist is mentioned as a “Nazarite” in Luke1:15, however there does appear to be a cross reference to Numbers 6:3 in respect of “… and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; …”. What we do know is that John the Baptist was born into the Levitical family as we read in Luke 1:5: “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.“ However it is not true that the disciples – the very first congregation were called Nazarites in Acts 24:5, but a first mention principle appears in Acts 11:26 where it says “… And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” To understand what was meant by calling Paul “… a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: …” one must understand in context the accusations brought against the apostle Paul in a derogatory fashion. To base your religion on this premise is dangerous ground as the orator Tertullus had nothing good to say about Paul as he began to accuse him. Matthew Henry does justice in explaining “the sect of the Nazarenes” more concisely as we read from his Commentary at page 308, Volume 6 by Marshall, Morgan & Scott (1959 Edition), starting at:

“[2.] Paul was a peace-maker, was a preacher of that gospel which has a direct tendency to slay all enmities, and to establish true and lasting peace; he lived peaceably and quietly himself, and taught others to do so too, and yet is here represented as a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout all the world. The Jews were disaffected to the Roman government; those of them that were most bigoted were most so. This Felix knew, and had therefore a watchful eye upon them. Now they would fain make him believe that this Paul was the man that made them so, whereas they themselves were the men that sowed the seeds of faction and sedition among them: and they knew it; and the reason why they hated Christ and his religion was because he did not go about to head them in an opposition to the Romans. The Jews were every where much set against Paul, and stirred up the people to clamour against him; they moved sedition in all places where he came, and then cast the blame unjustly upon him, as if he had been the mover of sedition; as Nero not long after set Rome on fire, and then said the Christians did it.

“[3.] Paul was a man of catholic charity, who did not affect to be singular, but made himself the servant of all for their good; and yet he is here charged as being a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, a standard-bearer of that sect, so the word signifies. When Cyprian was condemned to die for being a Christian, this was inserted in his sentence, that he was auctor iniqui nominis et signifier – The author and standard-bearer of a wicked cause. Now it was true that Paul was an active leading man in propagating Christianity. But, First, It was utterly false that this was a sect; he did not draw people to a party or private opinion, nor did he make his own opinions their rule. True Christianity establishes that which is of common concern to all mankind, publishes good-will to men, and shows us God in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and therefore cannot be thought to take its rise from such narrow opinions and private interests as sects owe their origin to. True Christianity has a direct tendency to the uniting of the children of men, and the gathering of them together in one; and, as far as it obtains its just power and influence upon the minds of men, will make them meek and quiet, and peaceable and loving, and every way easy, acceptable, and profitable one to another, and therefore is far from being a sect, which is supposed to lead to division and to sow discord. True Christianity aims at no worldly benefit or advantage, and therefore must by no means be called a sect. those that espouse a sect are governed in it by their secular interest, they aim at wealth and honour; but the professors of Christianity are so far from this that they expose themselves thereby to the loss and ruin of all that is dear to them in this world. Secondly, It is invidiously called the sect of the Nazarenes, by which Christ was represented as of Nazareth, whence no good thing was expected to arise; whereas he was of Bethlehem, where the Messiah was to be born. Yet he was pleased to call himself, Jesus of Nazareth, ch. xxii. 8. And the scripture has put an honour on the name, Matt. ii. 23. And therefore, though intended for a reproach, the Christians had no reason to be ashamed of sharing with their Master in it. Thirdly, It was false that Paul was the author or standard-bearer of this sect; for he did not draw people to himself, but to Christ – did not preach himself, but Christ Jesus.”

Now let’s move to Shembe’s story. When God sent Shembe to establish the church of Nazareth, it was not a new religion, but a revival of the old church by Jesus Christ. Shembe reinstated laws of God by initiating the Nazarites congregation as we read in Acts 24:5. It might sound odd to people when we talk of the Nazarite, but these people existed even during the time of Jesus Christ, read Numbers 6:1-20. The Nazarites congregation has no black society background whatsoever, but has a biblical history. The laws of ubuNazaretha are merely based on Moses’ law. When Shembe first established the congregation of the Nazarites, he attached all his teachings to Moses’ law, and he wrote it clearly on verse 3-4 of the Sabbath liturgy which reads as follows:

3 “Fear Jehovah generations to generations, keep his commandments that He wrote through his Servant Moses, so that your worship will gladly be acceptable by the Lord of Hosts. 4. Failure to keep his commandments, He will never answers your prayers. He will not give you the blessings if ye disobey his commandments and do not keep them.”

It becomes very clear by now that the Nazarites congregation is the reinstatement of the old church by Jesus Christ as we read in Acts 24:5. In addition to that, the church of Nazarites practices the laws of Jehovah as are precisely spelt out in the book of Numbers 6:1-6. This simply means that, even though Shembe, first established the church of the Nazarites in KwaZulu-Natal, ubuNazaretha is firmly based upon Moses’ law. It is crucial for anyone who intends to study ubuNazaretha, to forage further gathering factual theology of our religion (ubuNazaretha).

The water is still muddy and it is by no ways “clear that the Nazarites congregation is the reinstatement of the old church by Jesus Christ as we read in Acts 24:5.” No command is given by the Lord Jesus Christ to reinstate His Church. He is the Head of His Church (see Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 2:19; 1 Peter 2:7).

In that case, ubuNazaretha is not attached into any ethnic religions, because it is far beyond that, and it’s merely a continuation of Moses’ religion that was later recommenced by Jesus. Shembe then resumed it here in KwaZulu-Natal, read Hymn 208 of the Nazarites.

1.Thabani, thabani
Bufikile ubuNazaretha.

Historic roots of ubuNazaretha

There are three historic roots of ubuNazaretha. Firstly, Mosaic law. UbuNazaretha is governed by Moses’ laws as Shembe explained in verse 3-4 of the Sabbath liturgy. This serves as our scriptural evidence showing that ubuNazaretha is also based upon the teachings of the Old Testament.

Secondly, ubuNazaretha is based upon Jesus’ teachings and his Apostles. In most cases when Shembe delivers his speech at the congregation he would quote so often from the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles. Hymns of the Nazarites show that particular significance to Jesus Christ, this is our further evidence showing that ubuNazaretha is also attached into the teachings of the New Testament.

If this is truly the case that the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are taught, why then is Isaiah Shembe known as the messiah of the black man? This is contradictory to what you have said and amounts to blasphemy. There are many motor vehicles and taxis that drive around KwaZulu-Natal that have “Shembe is the way” stickers on them, when the Lord Jesus Christ says in His Scriptures, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).

Shembe built the Nazarites congregation in accordance with the Zulu nation customs, which are not contrary to the laws of God. As we have mentioned early on, ubuNazaretha is built under the rigid laws of Jehovah that He wrote through his Servant Moses. Shembe stated very clearly in his teachings that when a person practices ubuNazaretha in contrary to Mosaic Law, God will never answers his or her prayer, and God will not pour blessings upon them. Look, when your prayers are not being answered and acceptably to God, what is the use of your faith then?

It is confusing at this point as it is unclear on a few points that you quote:

1. “When God sent Shembe to establish the church of Nazareth, it was not a new religion, but a revival of the old church by Jesus Christ.”?
2. “the Nazarites congregation is the reinstatement of the old church by Jesus Christ as we read in Acts 24:5.”?
3. “Firstly, Mosaic law. UbuNazaretha is governed by Moses’ laws”?
4. “Secondly, ubuNazaretha is based upon Jesus’ teachings and his Apostles.”?
5. “Shembe built the Nazarites congregation in accordance with the Zulu nation customs,”?

So which of the items 1-5 above are applicable? For if they are “all applicable” then it is contradictory to what God’s Holy Word teaches. You cannot also say that “the Zulu nation customs, which are not contrary to the laws of God.” This is falsehood. In Zulu nation customs there is consulting with witchdoctors, sorcerers, diviners and even necromancers (those that speak to the dead) are prevalent. See what Deuteronomy 18:10-13 says on the matter:

¹⁰There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, ¹¹Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. ¹²For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. ¹³Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.

There are many Shembe followers that we address on the streets and in public and government places that clearly mix God’s Word with man’s traditions!

Thirdly, even though we are allowed to preserve and practice our customs, however we are warned not to practice those which are contrary to the laws of Jehovah. When it’s come to the laws of Jehovah, one should not for whatsoever reason compromise these laws with peoples’ customs or the teachings of any ethnic religion. People deliberately impose their customs into the Nazarine religion, which is unacceptable.

Scripture specifically tells us that we cannot speak to the dead which includes the Zulu tradition of consulting with the ancestors. For we read:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; ~ 1 Timothy 2:5

Nowhere in Scripture does it say you can speak to one’s ancestors! The Lord Jesus Christ is your only mediator and He speaks to God on your behalf! We also see in Scripture that God warns that by man’s traditions and commandments you make the Word of God of no effect. Let us look at the Word of God as it is written:

⁶He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ⁸For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. ⁹And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. ¹⁰For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: ¹¹But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. ¹²And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; ¹³Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. ~ Mark 7:6-13; and see Matthew 15:3-9

Ethnic religion enforces what is moral acceptably to those people of that particular culture and this kind of religion is built specifically on peoples’ practices which are mainly dominated by their believes, and has no instruction from God. When the time goes on, religions of this nature become a religion of the universe, because people adapt to it as their lifestyle.

The distinction between Nazaritism and any other religion is that, Nazaretism is built through the command of God, instructions from the Word of Heaven (Izwi leZulu). So the founder of Nazaritism is Isaiah Shembe who personally met with God, and God gave him laws which govern the church of Nazareth. Therefore, the will of God can’t be hindered by peoples’ beliefs, because ubuNazaretha just remains as God wants it to be, and should never be integrated to any cultural religion!

Isaiah Shembe could not have met personally with God to receive another set of laws which govern the church of Nazareth – which incidentally is the same church whose “founder of Nazaritism is Isaiah Shembe” (your quote) – as Scripture says that no man is to add to or take away from the words of the book of this prophecy (see Revelation 22:18,19). Therefore, if God gave a new revelation to the Shembe church then God cannot hold any person outside of the Shembe church accountable for their transgression of sins prior to the meeting Isaiah Shembe professes to have had with God. Even the Muslim prophet Mohammad says he received a new revelation, and so does the Mormons, and so does the Seventh-Day Adventists, and so on and so on…. This is how cults cover their tracks to make out that God has given them a “new revelation, a new book, new commands, new stories, new prophesies”, or He “is doing something new in the world”. This is a lie, because even in the Shembe church there are divisions as to who is right and who the rightful benefactor of the organisation is. It is all about money and power in man-centred religions. Another point is your e-mail address which is for a “new Nazareth baptist church”.

God said no person can see Him face to face and live. We read in Exodus 33:18-23 of the account of Moses requesting to see God’s Glory. No mere mortal can see God or meet with Him personally and live; that is why our Lord Jesus Christ said a man must be born again and receive the Holy Spirit to speak to the Father through our mediator Jesus Christ. We read the Moses account:

¹⁸And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. ¹⁹And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. ²⁰And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. ²¹And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: ²²And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: ²³And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. ~ Exodus 33:18-23

Humanistic approach

Cultural religion delves on preaching things that are totally incongruent to the teachings of Nazaritism , such as izulu lomndeni (Kinship Heaven). This means that after death, a person goes to a certain place where people are assembled in kinship groups. However, the church of Nazareth that is built through the teachings of the Bible does not teach anything of this kind, but it embraces one thing, Jehovah’s Heaven. Hymn number 10 of the Nazarites says:

1.The home of the Nazarites
Where we are going
Shines more brilliantly
Than the sun or the moon.

2. The Receiver of dues who is there
Is one alone,
It is Jehovah alone
The powerful King

Now, this hymn poses a challenge to anyone to take the Hymns of the Nazarites where we find Shembe’s teachings about one Heaven. Cultural religion says nothing about repenting from our sins and being judged by God. According to the cultural religion when people die, they go to a certain place whereby they will be grouped according to their clans and that place turns to be their heaven, where their forefathers judge them. According to God’s word, after death people get judged according to their wickedness. In Heaven the Nazarites stay with one another, wizards with one another, drunkard by drunkard etc.

Failure to draw a distinction between ethnic religion and ubuNazaretha and make the pair look the same impairs the true feathers of Nazaritism.

In Levi 19:31 Jehovah says: “Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead..” Therefore any person whose whole life is dedicated to God must not practice anything related to wizards and mediums. One cannot integrate Nazaritism with ethnic religion because the two are not the same. The ethnic religion is governed by its laws, so as ubuNazaretha is strictly governed by the laws of Jehovah.

Having said that the Nazarite should be someone who leaves holy lifestyle. The Nazaritism is for Jehovah as Shembe says in Hymn 73 of the Nazarites:

3.The beautiful rock
For the Nazarites,
That Jehovah elected for himself,
Because he loved it

4. He even adorned himself three times in a year
In this Nazarites,
Before all the Heavens
In One year.

In figurative terms the Nazarite can be described as the lovely and lavish apparel that Jehovah adorns himself in Heaven. Nazarite is one who is holy, and is very special before Jehovah and is expected to remain holy, and must not practice things that are totally against the teachings of Jehovah. These words are spelt out in Levi 20:26 “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” These words should always ring a bell to all the Nazarites, because they are the cornerstone of our faith.
God bless you. Amen

Email: newnazarethbaptistchurch@gmail.com

Fax: 086 528 1956. Find us on Facebook- New Nazareth Baptist Church

In closing kindly note that God has not commanded any body of believers to still continue under the old covenant of “running a church” according to the Mosaic Law. What you need to do is examine Hebrews 8 and 9 that sets out the new covenant that is through the Lord Jesus Christ who is our only High Priest after the order of but superior to Melchisedec (see Hebrews 7:1-10) and our Lord Jesus Christ is also superior to the imperfection of the Aaronic Priesthood that fell under the Mosaic Law (see Hebrews 7:11-28). Please read this body of Scripture text:

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Heb 8:3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

Heb 8:4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Heb 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Heb 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

Heb 8:8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

Heb 8:9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

Heb 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Heb 9:1  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Heb 9:2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Heb 9:4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Heb 9:6  Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

Heb 9:7  But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

Heb 9:8  The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Heb 9:11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

Heb 9:19  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

Heb 9:20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The Twelve Apostles’ Church in Christ HERESIES

Many times upon the streets whilst preaching Jesus Christ we have come into contact with members of the Twelve Apostles’ Church in Christ (hereinafter referred to the “TACC”). It is with love that this blog post is written to address the false teachings of the TACC. The Repent and Believe South Africa ministry will deal with this religious organization that is cultic in nature and which misrepresents Jesus Christ and also twists the Holy Scriptures to fit with the dogma of the TACC. Scripture warns:

¹But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. ²And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ³And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. ~ 2 Peter 2:1-3

It is through our love for God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ and for His creatures that we cannot remain silent when so many people are being mislead and taken to Hell by false apostles and false teachers of which the chief apostle and president professor Caesar Nongqunga of the TACC is one who is to be held accountable for the damnable heresies being taught to God’s people. These teachings are Doctrines of Demons and will be addressed here by taking the Holy Scriptures in context to disclose the heresies being taught by this man and his false leaders.

If one looks at the History of TACC you will see straight away that this is not the Church Jesus Christ is building (Matthew 16:18) as there is a history of division, schisms and discord between “brethren” – there is no harmony of one accord as the early Church was manifest. It appears that there are some 4 million members with branches of the TACC in fifteen countries, namely South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This posting will deal with the dogma and tenets of the TACC which will be quoted here as the same appears at their website with the prefix TACC and then our corrective response will follow after each item in the shaded area. Particular points that need to be stressed will either be in bold text or be underlined, and that will be done by the writer of this post, for emphasis purposes.

“TACC Dogmatic explanation

“In many ways, the dogma of Twelve Apostles’ Church in Christ is similar to that of numerous other Apostolic Churches but there are significant differences. Common ground is that we believe that there are Apostles here on earth today, carrying out the mission given to the original 11 disciples by our Lord, Jesus Christ. And here we start to differ from many of our brethren, e.g., why Matthias is forgotten: he was appointed by Chief Apostle Peter as a replacement for Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15-26)”

In accordance with the Holy Scriptures we read that there is to be no divisions or schisms within the Body of Christ – the ekklesia (Church) – that Jesus Christ is building and who is the Head of His Church. We read:

¹¹For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. ¹²Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. ¹³Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; ¹⁵Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. ¹⁶And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. ¹⁷For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. ¹⁸For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:11-18

We also see from Scripture that Matthias was “numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26) and therefore for what ever reason the apostolic churches have a difference with their brethren on this issue, Scripture is to be adhered to and not some person’s or party’s difference of belief or opinion.

It should also be known that “¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” (Ephesians 4:11), but these cannot be limited to just a few persons that determine that they are the “chosen”, but the three reasons for these offices are given in the very next verse: “¹²For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:12).

It is for this very reason that there are so many divisions, schisms, false teachings and heresies that come through denominations that are man-made and not Christ ordained as the Bible does not teach on denominational doctrines, but one doctrine “⁴There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; ⁵One Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ⁷But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:4-7)

“TACC [We] believe that distinction must be made between Jesus, son of man, of the house of David , Jesus David (Luke 18:38) and Jesus, Son of God, the anointed one, Jesus Christ. Jesus David was indeed an intelligent young man who had learnt much about Jewish religious beliefs in his upbringing and who knew his calling. When he followed so many of his contemporaries to the river Jordan and was baptised by John The Baptist, that was not the end, he was then anointed by God. The Holy Spirit descended on Him (in the form of a dove) and a voice from the Heavens spoke “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matt.3: 17 ). Our belief is that there are 2 baptisms, the first by water, the second by the laying on of hands by a living Apostle, the baptism of The Holy Spirit: Jesus David was the human person, Jesus Christ is the spiritual person, the Son of God.”

To say that there are two Jesus’ – one “Jesus David, son of man” and two “Jesus, Son of God, the anointed one, Jesus Christ” – this is heretical and a blasphemy. There is no separation of Jesus into two persons. The Triune God is:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” ~ 1 John 5:7

Luke 18:38 is referring to Jesus Christ of the house of David, the genealogy through which Jesus would sit upon the throne of David. Nowhere in Scripture it implies or says that Jesus had a “surname” David and He was separate from Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There truly are two baptisms, but the second baptism does not always come by the laying on of hands by a “living apostle”. John the Baptist said that he baptises with water, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (Matthew 3:11). At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came upon the believers and they were filled with the Spirit of God. Also Paul, an apostle who was not numbered among the twelve disciples also baptised. So are you going to discard the apostle Paul, because he was not numbered among the “eleven” as the TACC president alludes to? That is preposterous!

“TACC [We] believe that the Word of GOD has been entrusted to the Apostles and that the Bible is a history of the early Hebrew nation and evidence of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. “You search the scriptures, for in them you think that you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me“ (John 5:39). If the Bible is not the Word of God, what is? The Word of God was entrusted by Jesus Christ to His 11 disciples as evidenced in John 17:14. “ I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You: and they have believed that You have sent Me“”. Out of this it must be accepted that the interpretation of the scriptures and the Word of God is in the hands of the Apostles, even more so in the hands of the living Apostles.”

This is a fallacy to say that, quote: “the Word of GOD has been entrusted to the Apostles”, and that, quote: “Out of this it must be accepted that the interpretation of the scriptures and the Word of God is in the hands of the Apostles, even more so in the hands of the living Apostles.” This is a clear attempt to “hijack the Word of God” and to stop the congregants of the TACC from getting any revelation by the Holy Spirit from reading the Bible for themselves! This is of course also depending on whether the congregants are born-again (see John 3:3) and have received the Holy Spirit! It smacks of the Roman Catholic church who attempted to keep the Holy Scriptures from the world by having it written and read in Latin and that only the pope could interpret the Scriptures on their behalf. It was for this very reason that the Reformation came about. This teaching by the TACC is a demonic practice!

We read from the Scriptures that when the first century Church was being persecuted, as read in Acts 8:1-4 “¹And Saul was consenting unto his [Stephen’s] death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. ²And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. ³As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. ⁴Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” You see from this verse, the apostles stayed behind in Jerusalem and the believers were scattered every where “preaching the word.” You can only go and preach the Word if you have an understanding of the Word and know how to handle the Word. Timothy was not an apostle, but he did the work of an evangelist and Paul exhorted him in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 “¹⁵And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Great Commission was also given to all believers upon Jesus Christ to Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature and make disciples (see Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15). The ministry of reconciliation has been given to all. Let us see what the Apostle Paul tells the Church – BELIEVERS – at Corinth, and us today: “¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. ²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

“TACC [We] believe that there will be no second coming as proclaimed by so many Churches. It has already happened. The Bible, as evidence, tells us that Jesus Christ did indeed say “ I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17), but it also tells us “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth…….:and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matt 28:18-20). Note the tense, “I AM with you”, not “I will be with you”. This means that He is with His Disciples even today. If He is here today, He cannot return.”

This shows the dangerous poison that the TACC is teaching and their congregants drink in the iniquity like water. The True Jesus Christ of the Bible said that He will go to His Father and He would return at His second coming! The TACC has taken Matthew 28:18-20 out of context and has not examined the Bible correctly. Jesus tells us that He and His Father will make their abode in us “²²Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? ²³Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:22,23) Jesus also told us that He would give us another Comforter as we read: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” (John 14:16), “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26), “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” (John 15:26) and “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7)

We also read that when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven this is what took place: “⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11) We know that this has not taken place as yet for another portion of Scripture tells us that there will be the sounding of a trumpet and the Lord will appear with a whole host with Him “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27) “³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:30,31)

“TACC [We] believe that there is a difference between disciples and Apostles. Jesus Christ was given 12 Apostles but only 11 of them were disciples. 11 were prepared to follow their teacher and learn from His teachings, the twelfth indeed followed the teacher but did not learn. This was all part of God’s greater plan for mankind, even that one of the Apostles was predestined to perdition (John 17:12).”

A disciple is one who follows the Lord Jesus Christ and learns from Him and obeys His teachings and His Word. If any one follows the false teachings of the TACC as exposed here, it does not matter how loud and hard you say you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, it will never make you His disciple.

“TACC [We] believe that The Holy Spirit can only be received by the laying on of hands by a living Apostle in the same way as the Bible testifies that the early Apostles laid hands on believers and they received The Holy Spirit (inter alia Acts 8:14-17). Likewise, only a person who has been anointed by a living Chief Apostle can be an Apostle. No person can proclaim himself to be an Apostle, only our Father can make this known to the Chief Apostle. In the same way as the 12 were given to Jesus Christ, God gives the chosen ones to His Church on earth. Let nobody be mislead by the events recounted in the scriptures concerning the earliest Apostles. Jesus was Anointed by God as the first of all Apostles (Matt.3:16) (Hebrews 3:1), He in turn breathed on the 11 Disciples when giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), and, as an exception to what followed, Apostle Paul was told of his calling by God Himself and Ananias was given his instructions also by God. After these first anointments, all Apostles were appointed by Peter or his successors, like Apostle Matthias for example.”

This is Heresy. Read the other points dealing with baptism and that there are also false apostles hereunder (see 2 Corinthians 11:15).

“TACC [We] believe that many are called but few are chosen (Matt.20:16), that this includes the multitude of false prophets, prophets not necessarily in the strict sense of the word but those who claim to perform miracles in God’s name (Matt. 7:21-23). How many self appointed Pastors claim just this? At the first commissioning of the Apostles, Jesus Christ specifically instructed the 12 to “go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘ The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.. .” (Matt.10:6-8). This was an instruction given to the 12, originally limited to “the lost sheep of Israel”, but later (second commissioning) to “all nations” (Matt.28: 19). Only an Apostle has this authority.”

This would also apply to not only “how many self appointed Pastors claim this?” but also how many self appointed apostles claim this? Let us see what the apostle Paul who was called and elected said about false apostles: “¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. ¹²But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. ¹³For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. ¹⁵Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:15)

“TACC [We] believe in the process of cleansing and purification subsequently, after Jesus Christ had been to His Father and had been given “all authority in Heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), He commanded His Disciples to extend the Gospel to souls destined for heaven and that can be done by the Chief Apostle as the successor of Chief Apostle Peter, the rock upon which Christ’s Church was to be built, against which the gates of Hades would not prevail, and to whom the keys to heaven had been given (Matt. 16:18-19).”

This is a Heresy. Jesus did not “command His Disciples to extend the Gospel to souls destined for heaven” – “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mark 2:17) And nowhere in Scripture does it give succession of leadership from a “chief apostle” taking over from Apostle Peter. And Peter was not a chief apostle. Please give Scriptural evidence of succession as well as the description of a “chief apostle.”

“TACC [We] believe in the preaching to the dead and to the spirits (1 Peter 3:18-20) and the purification of these souls, the giving of the gift of The Holy Spirit to the living (Psalm 68:18) as well as the baptism of the living for the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29)”

These teachings are damnable heresies – the preaching would be to spiritually dead persons and not physically dead persons. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary has this to say: “All that are by faith united to Christ, are by his resurrection assured of their own. As through the sin of the first Adam, all men became mortal, because all had from him the same sinful nature, so, through the resurrection of Christ, shall all who are made to partake of the Spirit, and the spiritual nature, revive, and live for ever. There will be an order in the resurrection. Christ himself has been the first-fruits; at his coming, his redeemed people will be raised before others; at the last the wicked will rise also. Then will be the end of this present state of things. Would we triumph in that solemn and important season, we must now submit to his rule, accept his salvation, and live to his glory. Then shall we rejoice in the completion of his undertaking, that God may receive the whole glory of our salvation, that we may for ever serve him, and enjoy his favour. What shall those do, who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Perhaps baptism is used here in a figure, for afflictions, sufferings, and martyrdom, as Mat_20:22, Mat_20:23. What is, or will become of those who have suffered many and great injuries, and have even lost their lives, for this doctrine of the resurrection, if the dead rise not at all? Whatever the meaning may be, doubtless the apostle’s argument was understood by the Corinthians. And it is as plain to us that Christianity would be a foolish profession, if it proposed advantage to themselves by their faithfulness to God; and to have our fruit to holiness, that our end may be everlasting life. But we must not live like beasts, as we do not die like them. It must be ignorance of God that leads any to disbelieve the resurrection and future life. Those who own a God and a providence, and observe how unequal things are in the present life, how frequently the best men fare worst, cannot doubt as to an after-state, where every thing will be set to rights. Let us not be joined with ungodly men; but warn all around us, especially children and young persons, to shun them as a pestilence. Let us awake to righteousness, and not sin.”

“TACC [We] believe that the only way to receive Jesus Christ is to receive the Apostles first, as Jesus Christ commanded “ whosoever receives you receives Me and whosoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matt. 10:40).”

This is a Heresy. This is Scripture twisting to fit the Doctrine of Demons’ teachings making people believe that God gave the leader of TACC His authority. At Pentecost this is what was preached: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)

And in Romans 10:9-11 it reads: “⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

TACC [We] believe that the Apostles are the only people who were given the authority by Jesus Christ to forgive sins on earth (John 20:23).

This is a Heresy.

Please note, that if any item is not answered in-depth, it does not mean we believe with that TACC teaching. One heresy makes it all heresy. If a glass of water has one drop of poison in it, the water is not good for consumption. The poison will kill you. Even if the glass of water is 99.9% “healthy” water the 0.1% poison is still lethal to your well-being! So is it with Truth. You need 100% Truth or else it is not Truth. A 0.1% of untruth mixed in with Truth makes the other 99.9% untrue. There is corruption in the whole!

We must therefore call the Twelve Apostles’ Church in Christ and its leadership to “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). These lies that you are teaching will be a testimony against you on the Day of Judgment unless you recant these false teachings. There are millions of souls on the line here. Repent today!

Objections by an “ex-christian-muslim”

These objections were received on my cell phone by short text messages on 29^th May 2012 during our ministry outside the Royal Show Grounds in Pietermaritzburg. The posts of this event, in particular, can be read at these links: Day 05 and Day 07. A muslim convert who called himself an “ex-christian” (a contradiction of terms) raised these questions and these will be replied to by quoting the question raised and then the answer given from Scripture.

1. Q. “Who incited David to count the fighting men of Israel? (a) God did (Samuel 24:1)? (b) Satan did (1 Chronicles 21:1)?”

A.      In dealing with this question and providing an answer, you cannot raise a question in isolation and refer to one Scripture verse and raise it against another Scripture verse without first looking at the verses in the context in which they were given. We see in Samuel 24:1 that “And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel” so there were other times also that God’s anger was kindled against His people Israel, and for the people’s sin David was left to act wrong. We see in 1 Chronicles 21:1 “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel” which we also understand from the Scriptures that follow that in 1 Chronicles 21:3 “And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?” (Writer’s emphasis and underlining, and hereafter). God does not tempt anyone as we read in James 1:13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”, but God can use Satan (or a man) to go and try his children for His purpose and His will as we see in the case with righteous Job in the Book of Job 1:12 “And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” In the context of the Scriptures under discussion, God used Satan to try David to count the fighting men, which was in any event against what God wanted. The sins of Israel were the real issue here just as the sin that you have raised against God by tempting Him by not trusting His Word. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the anointed of God (see Acts 10:38), said to Satan as it is recorded in Matthew 4:7 “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

2. Q. “Jesus descended from which son of David? (a) Solomon (Matthew 1:6)? (b) Nathan (Luke 3:31)?”

A.      Both. The Book of Matthew shows the genealogy – descendants going forward – from David through Solomon to Salathiel (Matthew 1:12) by Succession and the Book of Luke shows the genealogy – descendants going backwards – from Salathiel (Luke 3:27) through Nathan to David by Nature. From both genealogies from Salathiel (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27) to Joseph: “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matthew 1:16) and Mary: “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:27) the lineage that comes through Joseph is by Law and the lineage that comes through Mary is by Nature. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary sums it up: “Matthew’s list of the forefathers of Jesus showed that Christ was the son of Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth are blessed, and heir to the throne of David; but Luke shows that Jesus was the Seed of the woman that should break the serpent’s head, and traces the line up to Adam, beginning with Eli, or Heli, the father, not of Joseph, but of Mary. The seeming differences between the two evangelists in these lists of names have been removed by learned men. But our salvation does not depend upon our being able to solve these difficulties, nor is the Divine authority of the Gospels at all weakened by them. The list of names ends thus, “Who was the son of Adam, the son of God;” that is, the offspring of God by creation. Christ was both the son of Adam and the Son of God, that he might be a proper Mediator between God and the sons of Adam, and might bring the sons of Adam to be, through him, the sons of God. All flesh, as descended from the first Adam, is as grass, and withers as the flower of the field; but he who partakes of the Holy Spirit of life from the Second Adam, has that eternal happiness, which by the gospel is preached unto us.”

3. Q. “Was John the Baptist Elijah who was to come? (a) Yes (Matthew 11:14; 10:13 [misquote])? (b) No (John 1:19-21)?”

A.      This question shows the arrogance of attempting to catch God in His Word. Let us see what God’s Word teaches on the matter. Yes – John the Baptist was to come “in the spirit and power of Elijah”. We read in Luke 1:16,17 “¹⁶And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” We also read the prophet Malachi prophesied in Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

As also the prophet Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and recorded in the Gospels of Matthew (3:3), Mark (1:3) and Luke (3:4), John the Baptist surely did “go before him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elias” as was confirmed by the Son of God Jesus Christ when He came down from the mount of transfiguration after meeting with Moses and Elijah in the presence of His Father God, when He said in Matthew 17:10-13 “¹⁰And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? ¹¹And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. ¹²But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. ¹³Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”

To answer (b) the answer is also: No. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist who he was, their question to him was: “Art thou Elias?” (John 1:21). John the Baptist told them the truth – No, he is not Elias [Elijah]. They never asked him whether he was the one coming “in the spirit and power of Elias”, so he confirmed what the prophets prophesied of him in times past in verse 23: “He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” He truly did come as Elias in spirit and power, but not as Elias in the person of Elias. There is nothing irrational reading both portions of Scripture in context and answering both “yes” and “no”.

4. Q. “Did Judas kiss Jesus? (a) Yes (Matthew 26:48, 50 [misquote])? (b) No. Judas could not get close enough to Jesus to kiss him (John 18:3, 12)?”

A. Yes – Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, did kiss Jesus Christ of Nazareth. We read in Matthew 26:48,49 “⁴⁸Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. ⁴⁹And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.” Now from the apostle Matthew’s vantage point, he saw Judas Iscariot kiss Jesus in betraying Him. In the account of John as we read in John 18:3, 12 there is no reference that “Judas [Iscariot] could not get close to Jesus to kiss him” as quoted in the question. We cannot presuppose something when there is no mention to the contrary. The apostle John did not record that Judas kissed Jesus, but we cannot then take it that this was what never took place. The apostle Matthew from his vantage point saw the kiss and recorded it under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost (see 2 Peter 1:20,21), but the apostle John under the same inspiration did not record it, but revealed other information that Matthew did not. They were both at the same place at the same time, but reported from two different perspectives of the very same event. Both could have been ‘hindered’ by seeing the events unfolding before their eyes, as eyewitnesses from two different vantage points – possibly one close to the events, another afar off; one with a clear view another with soldiers and other persons obscuring the view.

Q. “The Bible directly contradicts its self. How did Simon Peter find out that Jesus was the Christ?? (a) By Revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17)? (b) His brother Andrew told him (John 1:41)?”

A. The Holy Bible is a Lion who can defend itself. It does not need sinful man to convince sinful man to the facts of the Truth. The Bible is the Holy Words of God and can never contradict itself. Just as the questions were absurdly raised trying to catch God in His Word as we have seen in the Q&A’s to items 1-4, we will see the folly of the statement: “The Bible directly contradicts its self.” The answer to this question would be BOTH! In Matthew 16:17 we need to read the verse in context. There were debate as to who people were saying Jesus is. Some saying John the Baptist, some Elias [Elijah], and others Jeremias [Jeremiah], or one of the prophets. There were contentions as to who He was, so Jesus asked the question at that time in Matthew 16:15 to His disciples: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” In Matthew 16:16 we read: “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” When Peter answered this, Jesus was affirming that he could not have said that unless it was given to him by revelation of His Father in heaven.

In the account where Peter is told by his brother Andrew in John 1:41 we need to go a few verses back to get context again. Andrew had heard what John the Baptist had said in John 1:36 “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” Being Jews they knew what the Scriptures spoke about when the prophets prophesied of a Messiah (Christ) to come. And so Andrew went and fetched his brother Peter to come and see as we read in John 1:41 “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” Just as John the Baptist went before Christ proclaiming Him as dealt with in item 3 above, so Peter came to see this Christ. This fetching of Peter by his brother Andrew was not something just by happenstance, as we read what Jesus the Christ said to him when he arrived to see Jesus, as it is written in John 1:42:  “And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

You see – the Holy Bible never contradicts itself. It always confirms Scripture with Scripture – the Living Word.

If you are reading this post and you too have questioned the integrity of God and His Holy Word, just as I also had in times past, then you need to know that you are a mocker and a blasphemer. To call God a liar is a grievous thing. Instead of trying to believe in a man named Mohammed who is dead in a grave and who has seen corruption where he lays cold and lifeless, if God is speaking to you through His Word then you best repent towards Him and have your faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and who sits at the right hand of the throne of God the Father in heaven, in order that you could be saved from the wrath of God that abides on you in your unbelief. Scripture tells us:

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. ~ 1 John 5:10

⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~ Philippians 2:6-11

This is your only hope. Repent today!

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The link to this response has been sent to the questioner’s cellular phone. Please pray that God will show him mercy and offer him the free gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.