Table of contents for April 2026 in JOY! Magazine

1 What garden did Jesus go to pray in before His arrest? ____________________ 2 Who cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant during Jesus’ arrest? ____________________ 3 What was the name of the high priest who questioned Jesus? ____________________ 4 Which disciple denied Jesus three times? ____________________ 5 What charge was brought against Jesus to justify His crucifixion? ____________________ 6 Who was compelled by the Romans to carry Jesus’ cross? ____________________ 7 At what time did Jesus die on the cross? ____________________ 8 What significant event occurred at the moment of Jesus’ death? ____________________ 9 Who asked Pilate for Jesus’ body for burial? ____________________ 10 On what road did Jesus appear to two of His disciples after His resurrection?…

Email your questions to: info@joymag.co.za Should a Christian see a psychiatrist? We are spiritual beings. We live in a body and have a soul. In eternity, our physical body will be transformed into a new resurrection body. Until then, when we have trouble with any part of our being, we understand that God is the ultimate Healer. He may heal supernaturally or through other means, e.g., doctors, counsellors, and medicine. Luke was a physician. The Good Samaritan used first-century medicine, and Paul advised Timothy to use a practical remedy for his health. Isaiah used a “divine prescription” for the healing of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:7). God heals through prayer, Scripture, Biblical counselling (Psa 103:1-5; Prov 12:15; Prov 11:14), as well as trained professionals who understand the minds…

From the earliest apostolic period, the reality of the empty tomb – the Biblical truth that the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth was found empty by His disciples – has been at the centre of the Christian proclamation. The empty tomb stands at the very heart of the Christian message. The gospels’ testimony All four gospels describe, to varying degrees, the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the empty tomb (Matt 28:1-6; Mark 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-12). But are there any good reasons to think that these claims are historically accurate? Could a fair-minded investigator conclude that, in all probability, Jesus’ tomb was found empty on that first Easter morning? There are several arguments that have convinced a good many historians that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was…

This May, Focus on the Family invites you to step into something deeply meaningful – parenting and marriage events hosted by Hettie and Louis Brittz, a couple who don’t just teach family life, but live it with authenticity, joy, and faith. Married for 33 years, Hettie and Louis bring a rare blend of wisdom, warmth, and real-world experience. They know the beauty and the battle of marriage. They understand the weight parents carry in every season – from raising young children to navigating adult relationships and becoming grandparents. And they have a gift for helping people rediscover God’s design for family in a way that feels hopeful, practical, and deeply encouraging. God is deeply invested in your family’s story. Why attend? Because this isn’t theory – it’s lived! Hettie is…

“He limped into our discipleship group with a soccer injury. We prayed for him – and he walked out completely healed. When he discovered Who had healed him, he gave his life to Jesus. Today, he attends our groups and weekly youth service faithfully – and he brought five of his friends with him.”– Lito Shone, Strong Schools facilitator That story is not an exception. It is what happens when you walk faithfully into the broken places, build trust over time, and create space for God to move. Learners in disadvantaged communities face significantly reduced access to quality education, learning support, resources, infrastructure, study materials, and essential life skills. These challenges do not exist in isolation. They are complex, interconnected, and deeply human. No single school, organisation, or solution can…

Living in Kenya’s enormous Kakuma Refugee Camp, Peter heard a life-changing message. “The discussion on drug addiction spoke directly to me,” he wrote. “I think I need to seek help and begin a journey to recovery.” We don’t know Peter’s surname or his origin – the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Kakuma come from across Africa. We do know what he was listening to: Biblica’s Reach4Life, broadcast on the Kakuma station of TWR Kenya’s Sifa FM network. A Bible-anchored response “What Reach4Life is doing is really tackling the issues that young people are facing directly, but using the Bible as a compass and Biblical principles as an anchor for life’s challenges,” said Njoki Chege, executive director of TWR Kenya. Reach4Life began in 2004 as a 40-lesson Bible study curriculum…

Some journeys begin with careful planning. Others begin with a simple “yes”. This one began with both and with a God who delights in working through ordinary moments to create extraordinary outcomes. A trip to Israel It started when my parents, both passionate about travelling, booked a trip to Israel with JOY! Travel. What they could not have known at the time was that God had already gone ahead of them, arranging divine connections and purposeful encounters along the way. Coffee in the Old City One morning during the trip, my dad and the tour pastor, Gerald, sat down for breakfast and quickly arranged that when they got to the Old City of Jerusalem they would sneak out for a cup of coffee. That evening, they made their way into…

From faithfulness to greater fruitfulness. Congratulations on 20 remarkable years of faithful publishing! What a testimony of God’s grace and sustaining power. For two decades, JOY! Magazine has stood as a clear and consistent voice of hope in our nation – boldly proclaiming the Gospel in places where people least expect to encounter it, even in the aisles of supermarkets across South Africa. In a time when truth is often diluted and Biblical conviction is tested, you have remained steadfast. Month after month, you have carried testimonies of salvation, stories of transformation, sound teaching, and encouragement to believers from every walk of life. That consistency matters. Eternity alone will reveal the full impact of the seeds you have sown. Reaching millions with the truth of Jesus Christ is no small…

In the August 2025 issue of JOY! Magazine, the editor (Erin) mentioned small and big miracles, and the importance of writing them down in a book. Her words encouraged me to share a testimony of my own. Journey to Mozambique In 1993, just after the war in Mozambique, my husband (now ex), my youngest daughter, and I went on an outreach to Mozambique with Operation Mobilisation. There were 200 of us in total. One morning we went on a walking tour of the bombed buildings, and one of them had a wall with various pictures painted on it. The other 198 had already passed the wall after checking out the paintings. My husband had also looked at the wall and was ahead of me, and I lagged behind to take…

The Bible nowhere instructs us how often we should take communion. First Corinthians 11:23-26 records the following instructions for communion: “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” This passage gives all the instructions we need to perform the rite of communion and to understand the significance of what we are doing. Communion proclaims…

CfaN is well-known for our mass Gospel Campaigns in Africa. Yet, as successful and fruitful as this strategy is, it can never be the answer to reaching all of Africa for Jesus. Why? Because 55% of African people do not live in anything resembling a town. A heart for the unreached It was just such a rural area that God put on Evangelist Kaisa Fischer’s heart four years ago. Kaisa (a CfaN Bootcamp graduate), and her co-partner Marita Orevi Tornes, have been ministering in the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, where 13 of the 16 local tribes are unreached. “Unreached” does not always mean “zero Christians”, but rather that the Church is still very small and fragile, needing help to evangelise and disciple. Kaisa and Marita have been working especially with…

We continue our study of the church in Sardis (Rev 3:1-6), part of a greater study into the letters to the seven churches of Revelation. Christ’s letter carried deep personal relevance for them and enduring spiritual significance for the Church. The seven churches also reflect recurring stages throughout church history. Through these letters, Christ delivered a universal message to all churches across all ages. “I know your works ... but you are dead” Christ declares, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev 3:1). The word works carries several implications. Works may appear constitutionally good yet lack spiritual benefit, or they may be carnal and ungodly, failing to please God. Works ultimately reveal the total expression of a person’s faith…

#45: April 2026 Answers will be published in the May issue of JOY! All answers can be found throughout this month’s JOY! Magazine. DOWN Which month in 2006 was JOY’s first issue published? Another term for holy communion. Jewish ruling council in New Testament times. Paul commands, “Train yourself for__________” (1 Tim 4:7). The legal/royal genealogy of Jesus is found in which book of the Bible? Author of Growing Kids with Character (first name). A camel’s third eyelid, the nictitating ________. Matthew 28:19 is known as the Great __________. Jesus was buried in whose tomb? Who was 40 when he first spied out Canaan? ACROSS CEO of Accelerated Education Enterprises (surname). Which church in Revelation was known as the “dead” church? South African Olympic swimming champion (first name). The Kakuma…

MATTHEW 27:32-56 / LUKE 23 It was the feast of Passover in Jerusalem, and the city was more crowded than normal. Five days earlier, Jesus had ridden into the city on a donkey. Crowds were waving palm branches in the air and laying their outer garments on the ground as a type of “red carpet” entry for their King, their Messiah. They shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”, because they truly thought that He would take up David’s throne as King of Israel, banish the Roman presence in their country, and establish the kingdom of Israel once again. But this was not Jesus’ plan, and five days later this same crowd was shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” after He had been arrested and…

In 2024, the US Surgeon General issued a public health warning for parents, saying, “As technological and economic forces have reshaped the world at a dizzying pace, it has also become harder for parents to prepare children for a future that is difficult to understand or predict.” Did you catch that? The Surgeon General found enough challenges facing modern-day parents that he felt he needed to issue guidance in the form of a public health warning. You know how you’ve always thought it was so much harder to parent nowadays? You’re probably right. Obviously, it’s difficult to compare one generation to the next. You weren’t in your parents’ shoes, and so you can’t say unequivocally that it’s harder to parent now than it was yesterday. However, I would argue that…

In a world that feels increasingly noisy and uncertain, staying faithful to your calling is no small feat. 20 years is more than a milestone, it’s a statement. It speaks of resilience, conviction, and unwavering purpose. From everyone at Accelerated Education Enterprises (AEE), congratulations to JOY! Magazine on reaching this remarkable moment. Thank you for standing firm and staying true to your mission in a rapidly changing world. For two decades, JOY! Magazine has helped shape the Christian conversation in South Africa. You haven’t simply reported on faith, you’ve strengthened it. You’ve inspired it. You’ve given believers practical ways to live it out boldly in everyday life. Through powerful stories, insight, and wisdom, the magazine has become a trusted voice, steady, courageous, and clear. At AEE, we are passionate about…

A small group of missionaries is underway to a village. Once there, they will meet with the church elders, conduct a seminar, and share the Gospel with the 500 families who make up the village. The final leg of the journey takes almost a full day by car, but the missionaries are grateful – last time, it took them five days on foot. This is FEBA’s ELSEA (Ethnic Languages of Southeast Asia) team, who proclaims the Gospel to ethnic minorities across Southeast Asia in more than 20 languages. The ministry originally formed part of FEBA Thailand, but grew so much that FEBA decided to establish a dedicated ELSEA ministry field in 2024. Now, each language has its own team who produces content for shortwave radio and online broadcasts, and travels…

One excuse that believers like to use to avoid witnessing is that they don’t have time. Maybe you carry a high-pressure job, or you’re juggling multiple responsibilities. I understand pressure and stress – I truly do. I remember rushing from point A to point B one day when the Holy Spirit prompted me to stop and speak to someone about Jesus. I said, “But Holy Spirit, look at the time – I’m running late.” And He gently replied, “Do you think I don’t know what the time is?” That response humbled me deeply. A willing heart is enough Our Lord never requires something from us that we cannot give. He would never have commissioned every believer to share His love if it were impossible. The Spirit doesn’t need much time…

We live in a world obsessed with gain. Influence, recognition, security, and achievement have become the metrics by which success is measured. Lives are built around accumulation, with the quiet hope that what is acquired externally will eventually stabilise what feels unsettled internally. Yet Scripture confronts this assumption directly. Paul writes, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim 6:6). Careful reading shows that Paul does not dismiss gain. He redefines it. The greatest gain available to a human being is not external but internal. It is not found in what we possess but in who we become before God. In both Paul’s day and ours, Godliness is often treated as a means to something greater. Paul confronts that assumption directly. Godliness itself is the gain. True Godliness is internal…