Ballito Rage Festival 2014

This year was the tenth anniversary (2004-2014) of the Rage Festival in Ballito. From word on the street it appeared that the numbers were down from previous years (an answer to prayer) of matriculants (Grade 12ers) and other Raging party-seekers coming to party, booze and drug their way, expressing what they would think is “freedom” from school, teachers, parents and authority. Well, they had a rude awakening, for the Word of God says:

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

Saturday November 29

On our first day at the Rage Festival, Jarryd Cairns, Reece Cairns and Candice Simpson all from Hillcrest Baptist Church and writer from Living Hope in Pietermaritzburg, went down to the main beach where we saw many youngsters publically consuming alcohol, smoking a “hubbly-bubbly” and being reckless in partying and skateboarding in the streets. Pockets of street parties were also taking place on the main road through Ballito. We engaged some youngsters in conversation and also proceeded to open-air preach the Gospel of God to those on the beach. Many rejected the preaching, but there were many that by the leading of God that also stopped to listen on the beach and up on the boardwalk. Many Gospel tracts were also distributed to all willing to receive literature. We were also confronted by a young girl named Jessica who professed to be a Christian who was clad in a bikini. She was barely sixteen years of age and said that preaching as we did was only “scaring” the revellers off the beach. We shared with this young girl the Biblical way in which to share the Gospel, the way our Lord Jesus Christ did, the Apostle Paul did, Peter the Apostle did, and many other reformed puritans of the 16th and 17th centuries did, as well as us in the 21st century do. We also through much concern brought to her attention that if she being a Christian was encouraging other boys/men to look upon her body due to her immodest dress then she would be encouraging the lust of the eyes in adultery and therefore she would be seen as an adulteress. The proof text was:

27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
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. ~ Matthew 5:27,28

Well, this did not go down too well, as she had told her dad Paul who tracked us down later in the evening with her mother and sister to address why writer had called his innocent daughter an “adulteress”. Obviously the entire story was not revealed to him, but we were also castigated by them for not befriending the sinners first and earning the right to speak to them about the Gospel, like they and the Red-frogs do! We heard first hand from a member of the Red-frogs – a ministry that offers free pancakes and who pick-up drunk teenagers – that they never force the Gospel unless asked to share it. Why wait until someone is blind-drunk or drugged-up to want to be a good-samaritan when it is then too late? What one must understand, on a short mission that is dealing with rebellious persons/teenagers – and I lay the blame squarely with their parents for allowing them to come to Ballito and be reprobate in their actions – is that you can’t go and engage in friendship evangelism as the time period is short. We come to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in obedience to our Lord’s command of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8) to as large an audience as possible, and yes we engaged individuals too in one-on-one conversations showing them from the Holy Scriptures what is required of each person before a Holy, Just and Righteous God who is also merciful and gracious to sinners who will bow their knees and call upon Him in repentance for His salvation.

We had many conversations with youth, drunks, drug-addicts, the homeless, a Muslim, professing Christians and a devil-loving African man that said Satan is his father! Many people from all walks of life were confronted with the Son of Righteousness. We give all glory to God for using simple men to proclaim Truth. However, it is really sad when professing believers object as loud as the unbelieving dark and wicked world do to the preaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 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.

Brother Jarryd raising the name of our Great God the Lord Jesus Christ! Brother Reece is speaking to a "heckler" (red shirt) who said his father is Satan!

A small gathering listening to the Gospel of God (Romans 1:1) being proclaimed by Jarryd.

 

Please pray for this Muslim woman named Cathy who heard the preaching outside and came out from a deli she works in. Cathy was very receptive, asking questions and listening intently. We pray our Father was dealing with her heart. Much what was shared by us to her was a confirmation of what her husband had shared with her on other occasions. She also took much Gospel literature before going back to work. Soli Deo Gloria!

Sister Candice witnessing and discussing issues with a lady named Anna.

The homeless and destitute need the Gospel of God and much prayer. Please remember Gideon and Riaan in your prayers.

Saturday December 6

Jarryd and I went to Ballito to preach at the Rage Festival again on this day. Enroute we visited Stan and Tilly Webster for fellowship and stopped off at the Durban Beachfront and preached Jesus Christ open-air outside Joe Kool’s Restaurant. During this time in Durban we witnessed 1-on-1 with many souls. Please keep Jamisse (Mozambican), Sandile, Malcom (a homeless believer who joined us with tract distribution), Mamsi who came to Jarryd speaking to Malcom as she wanted to hear what was going down. Mamsi was open and teary eyed receiving the Word of Truth. She also enquired of a place where she could go and worship. We trust our Father will lead her in this regard and if she should contact us we are sure Stan, an elder at HBC, would be willing to direct her as he is resident in Durban.

We also started discussing and praising God on the water-edge with Nathi from Pietermaritzburg whilst the Gospel was being preached to the ears that would listen. Soli Deo Gloria!

Parable of the Great Supper

21 … Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled….
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. ~ Luke 14:21b-24

Proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at the water edge on North Beach, Durban. An audience listened to the Word of God.

Outside a Spar convenient store in Ballito. There were a few alcohol consuming men who came to listen atop the roof of the Spar. Praise God.

Even when there is load-shedding (blackout) the Light still shines in a dark and wicked world!

Whilst there was load-shedding the Gospel of Christ was shared with some youngsters in the dark, who were from upcountry. Their names are: Ailene, Calvin, Nathan, Elias and Zayne. Please keep them in prayer.

We also ministered to some homeless men in the Spar parking-lot named Mark, (an Indian-man who was drunk) and John (who spoke about doing battle against the angels). Mark was really open and listened intently. Please keep these men in prayer.

There were many more persons that had one-on-one ministry that our Lord knows by name. To God be all the glory for answering our prayers of bringing those He wished to have us speak with across our paths. We are truly thankful to our Father in heaven that we did not stay home and allow people to go about without being warned and prayed for. As an encouragement to all Christ’s disciples reading this, stop hedging, and be obedient to Luke 9:23; our Lord Jesus Christ speaking ~

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.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Oops! TOP TV

Here is an article that appeared in our local newspaper this week that deals with a recently introduced pay-per-view South African satellite television channel named TOP TV, which is seeking a broadcasting licence to introduce pornography channels to its programming schedule. The report reads as follows:

“Oops! Top TV admits it is planning porn channels after all” ~ The Witness, Wednesday, December 7, 2011

TOP TV plans to introduce three porn channels, operator On Digital Media (ODM) announced yesterday (i.e. Dec. 6, 2011).

This was the day after TOP TV denied involvement with Porn Satellite TV’s (PSat) 24-hour porn channel.

The public has until the end of today (7^th) to submit its views on ODM’s application to broadcast three Playboy TV channels.

It said the company is “aware that adult content is a very sensitive subject”.

It said the channels will be a stand-alone package not available to regular subscribers, who will not see any on-air promotions or programme guides for the porn offerings. The porn will be encrypted and viewers will need to key in a PIN code to see it.

TOP TV’s decision follows its failure to buy sports programming, and the company said it was forced to look at other “niche” offerings. [Can you believe it? Can’t get idol-worship (sport) so we will give them perversion and smut (porn)]

Last May CEO Vino Govender promised that TOP TV would not be offering adult entertainment.

Independent Communications Authority of SA spokesperson Paseka Maleka said the decision on the authorisation of the three pornography channels will be made after the public consultation process is completed.

While TOP TV says it is approaching its porn in a very responsible way, the Family Policy Institute disagrees.

The Institute’s director, Errol Naidoo, said it will call for a boycott of the broadcaster if the licence is granted.

“It is misleading and deceptive that TOP TV can be upset over PSat, but they are planning to do the same.

“For them it is about money-making, not about the effect that porn has on families and men (and women) who become addicted.

“If the channels go ahead we encourage Christian citizens and members of other faith groups to stop paying their TOP TV subscriptions and cancel their contracts.”

TOP TV said yesterday it will take legal action against French company CanalSat, which plans to use the same satellite as TOP TV for its PSat hardcore pornography channel.

• thandiwe.jumo@witness.co.za

Just recently I blogged about The Perversion of Pornography, and it now seems that ICASA and the broadcasting television company known as TOP TV are going the same route as they are committed to promote the perversion of pornography in South Africa. This evil has already been introduced into this society by our ANC government, who has allowed pornographic materiel to be viewed since “democracy” came to South Africa in 1994 under the banner of the Films and Publications Act, 1996 (Act No. 65 of 1996)(Amended).

South Africa is not a democracy – it is a capitalist communist society that is atheistic and idolatrise – worshipping of many gods through their freedom of religion as contained in the SA constitution and bill of rights. It comes as no surprise that if the ruling party has no moral standards pertaining to what God commands in His Word, do not be surprised when the majority of the populace who voted them into power have no morals either. Just recently a “Secrecy Bill” was voted on in parliament and was adopted for further scrutiny and the very reason for this is that this will limit the media reporting on any governmental issues or the public knowing the truth of what is happening in the corridors of government. This will allow corrupt officials to continue defrauding the state coffers and the communists will control the people as to what they can know! There is no freedom in this. There is also an old saying that goes: “What monkey see, monkey do.” This saying can also be applied to lack of morals, too. If government sets an immoral example, the followers will be immoral themselves! They are only following the bad example set for them.

Why is this preceding paragraph mentioned? It has much foundation in this report. If a country, purporting to be “Christian”, votes for immorality by their own hand at the polling booths, and immorality dictates by those who are God-haters by the very fact they do not follow and keep His Commandments (see John 14:15, 21), then you can expect that the old serpent the Devil, Satan is being worshipped. The very reason that much crime prevails in South Africa is that, even if there are “a majority of christian believers” (which I doubt) in South Africa, it is as a result that much pagan and heathen practices and idolatries prevail and even those that believe in “God” are not following the One True God, Jesus Christ the Righteous, but many false gods (see Psalm 115). Idolatries!! This includes the hundreds of indigenous christian-faith religions masquerading as Christianity. God sees this as an abomination and He will not bless evil and wicked practices that unfold daily before Him. That is why –

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

King of kings, Lord of lords, Jesus Christ said:

(27) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (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. ~ Matthew 5:27, 28

The decisions that ICASA and TOP TV managements make surrounding the “going ahead” with the porn channels will have eternal consequences, not only for the decisions individuals make for their organisations, but also for the souls that sin or continue in their sin from the decisions made. Scripture reads, for it is written:

(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. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:10

and

(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. (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. (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. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. ~ Revelation 20:11-15

If you do not have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life you will not be welcomed into eternal life by the Lord Jesus Christ, Almighty God, but you will have another ‘welcoming’ committee on entering into Hell:

(10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. ~ Revelation 20:10

God has already made a way out for evil and wicked sinners to escape His wrath to come. The Good News, the Gospel of God, is:

(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. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (21) But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.  ~ John 3:16-21

(36) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. ~ John 3:36

Before the decision is taken, remember God’s Word:

(19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: ~ Deuteronomy 30:19

Almighty God has given you the answer – choose wisely!

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This article has been e-mailed to:

• The Witness Newspaper
• TOP TV
• ICASA 

The Perversion of Pornography

We are in the very throws of a media explosion that promotes illicit sex, public nudity and naked flesh selling anything from cell phones and alcohol to motor vehicles and household appliances. Governments call this democracy, and the populace calls it freedom of expression and speech and individuals hold to their free will to decide. What none of the afore-going has taken into consideration is how their Creator views this abomination that prevails upon His earth. What is sacred in God’s eyes is that He has given sex to us as a blessing to procreate, but man through the wiles of the Devil Satan has perverted God’s gift to mankind and made it a profane thing and a debauched perversion.

Pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it is an evil and wicked form of entertainment. Porn can be readily accessed in two versions: soft-core or hard-core; and it can be viewed on cell phones, via the internet, in sex shops, on videos and DVDs, in magazines and comics and in brothels. Porn is a curse that has no limitations on age, race, gender, class, equality or nationality – it is a sinful activity that has millions upon millions of persons bound in slavery, as slaves to perversion and headed for Hell. Almighty God has commanded man in the 7^th Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and Scripture also reveals that Jesus said that if a person looks with lust you have already committed adultery with that person in the heart (see Matthew 5:27, 28). We are also warned to “Flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18a). It is from this word “fornication” that we derive the word “porn” – and an extension of this latter word – “pornography.” From the Holy Bible we can translate the Greek words in the New Testament using the Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance, and we are presented with the following:

• 4202. πορνϵία, porneia, por-ni’-ah; from 4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figurative idolatry: – fornication.
• 4203. πορνϵύω, porneuō, porn-yoo’-o; from 4204; to act the harlot, i.e. (literal) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (figurative) practise idolatry: – commit (fornication).
• 4204. πóρνŋ, pornē, por’-nay: feminine of 4205; a strumpet; figurative an idolater: – harlot, whore.
• 4205. πóρνοϛ, pornos, por’-nos: from πέρνŋμι, pernēmi (to sell; akin to the base of 4097); a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine): – fornicator, whoremonger.
• 4097. πιπράơκω, pipraskō, pip-ras’-ko: a reduplicated and prolonged form of πράω, praō, prah’-o (which occurs only as an alternate in certain tenses); contracted from πϵράω, peraō (to traverse; from the base of 4008); to traffic (by travelling), i.e. dispose of as merchandise or into slavery (literal or figurative): – sell.

We can see from the translations where Scripture refers to the word of fornication that it deals extensively with what one would encounter in pornography – harlotry, adultery, incest, idolatry, lust in heterosexuals and homosexuals (sodomites and lesbians), harlots and whores (prostitution), male prostitutes, human trafficking, merchandise and slavery. God warns through out His Word that those committing the afore-going sins will receive punishment in Hell for all eternity.

One might think that the individual has his “right” to partake in the sins of pornography, but that is in violation of what God has commanded His creation not to partake in. It is also a debauched activity to partake in the lustful activities of pornography as many young girls find themselves enslaved by being sexually abused and held as slaves within human trafficking against their own will. They are treated as “pieces of meat” or “idols of lust” by whoremongers.

The depravity of both men and women, from those that look at the media to those who partake in the very acts of sexual immorality, shows the evil and wickedness of their hearts and their outright rebellion against their Creator God. I know, for I too was once a depraved reprobate of a man who was a slave to sexual sin, adultery, fornication and pornography. It is only through the indwelling Holy Spirit that victory can be obtained by the blood of Jesus Christ, when Satan and his demonic spirits come with their temptations. Flee from fornication. Flee from pornography. Flee to Jesus Christ the Righteous.

Scripture speaks loud and clear by warning against the evils of what defiles a man (and woman) as we read:

(20) And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. (21) For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22) Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: (23) All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. ~ Mark 7:20-23

(19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ~ Galatians 5:19-21

This is a stern warning what God’s Word says to those who are both the perpetrators as well as the victims alike of these evils. We read of the Commands that God has given in His Word and we see that Satan has used man to corrupt everything that Almighty God has commanded by promoting and encouraging evil, wicked, debauched behaviour which goes against God’s Word.

If Almighty God is speaking to your sinful heart today, do not harden it in the day of visitation. Call upon the name of His Son Jesus Christ to save you from your wretched life, repent (forsake your sin and change your mind) then bring forth fruit of repentance to the Glory of God. Scripture speaks that:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~ 1 John 1:9

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Related Link: Why God Hates Prostitution by Sello Rasephei (Burden4Souls)