Table of contents for August 2017 in JOY! Magazine

I want to encourage you this month to use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has put in you to be a blessing to the Body of Christ. Whenever I am asked to pray for healing for someone, I always ask, of the folks in the room, for those who have the gift of healings, the gift of miracles, and/or the gift of faith to stand up and come forward to pray with me over the recipient. I am often met with blank stares – it is really alarming how many times this happens. It is because many have not been taught or have even heard of the “gifts of the Holy Spirit”. There are many Christians who love the Lord with all their heart, but who have not been…

Storms don’t last When you’re seen smiling through your pain and agony, it may give the impression that you are pretentious or fake according to those who are bearers of the insight to your situation. But from personal experience and Godly wisdom I’d say that it weakens the hold of the enemy and the initial power behind the purpose that your situation had over you. Because you are reacting the opposite than expected. And besides, why should you tremble and waver if you can rest assured knowing that He who is in you, is greater than anything out in the world? People or situations do not make you angry, unless you use anger as a response, both are powerless without your response. Happiness is an inside job, do not allow…

Have you ever been denied fair treatment because you are poor? Many in Africa have this experience. Some have dropped out of school because they could not pay their fees. Others have died because they could not afford the cost of simple medication. Many poor people are not given the rights, privileges, dignity, and honour due to them. They often receive harsh mistreatment, injustice, and discrimination. At special functions, those who dress well are given seats among the dignitaries and receive special attention, while those who dress poorly are kept away from the head table. We can learn how to treat the poor by seeing the way Jesus and the early church treated them. James 2:1-11 tells Christians to treat poor people in the same way they would treat the…

Christian leaders in Houston are pushing back against a recommendation from Houston Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Richard Carranza to add LGBTQ studies to the system’s U.S. history curriculum. Carranza said that integrating LGBTQ and ethnic studies into the district’s history curriculum would give students a more well-rounded picture of America’s past. “The LGBTQ movement in the U.S. has a history, and in many cases, many people would call it a civil rights history in terms of acceptance and in terms of who have been leaders of the movement,” he said. “I think it’s part of the American history. To include that as part of what kids study is just a bigger picture of who we are as America.” But Houston-area pastors were not too keen on the idea of…

The Lord is at work in Japan, which has a majority population of Shinto and Buddhist people. Christians who form only 1% of the population have been a driving force in the development of the country. Japan has had eight Christian Prime Ministers. In recent times, evangelistic efforts in the country have borne fruit – several people have built a personal relationship with Jesus, and have been baptised in the Name of the Lord. ‘Apostolics of Japan’ on Facebook post regular updates of people who come to the Lord. “Our purpose is to create a forum to promote Apostolic Ministry in Japan and to effectively communicate what the Lord is doing throughout the islands of Japan,” their description reads.…

Many people attend churches because it helps them to stay grounded in their faith and offers spiritual guidance for their situations. However, a new study has found that attending church may help you live longer. The research study titled ‘Church Attendance, Allostatic Load and Mortality in Middle – Aged Adults‘ by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, found that middle-aged people between the ages of 40 and 65, who attend worships services decrease their chances of an early death by 55 percent.…

Singer and actress Selena Gomez recently shared about her faith, going to Hillsong Church, as well as looking up to Pastor Carl Lentz for advice and help in her life. Selena Gomez is not shy about her Christian faith, and she even told Duran during the interview that she values faith and vulnerability. “I haven’t really been all over the place lately and that’s kind of intentional. I think it’s important to balance out where I am, and I’ve been doing this for a really long time, and my sanity has meant everything to me, and a lot of that is my faith. I took 90 days off, I went away, I was very vocal about it because to me, where I get my confidence is my vulnerability. I can’t…

The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) released its long awaited Report on Adult Prostitution on 26 May 2017. The Report is the conclusion of a seven-year comprehensive investigation to establish the need for law reform in relation to adult prostitution and to identify alternative policy and legislative responses that might regulate, prevent, deter, or reduce prostitution. Thankfully, the SALRC Report recommends government maintain the current criminalisation of all aspects of the buying and selling of sex. The Report also suggests diversion programmes in the criminal justice system to assist women wanting to exit the sex trade. A gift to pimps, brothels, and organised crime Unsurprisingly, pro-prostitution activists slammed the Report’s recommendations as a pathetic attempt at moralising. Groups like the foreign-funded Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Task-force (SWEAT) urged…

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 Paul is torn between living and dying; helping believers on earth or going to Heaven. Philippians is a warm, welcoming letter from a missionary who is reporting back to a church that he founded. After a customary greeting where Timothy is named as a co-author, Paul opens with a prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippian believers (1:3-11). This is a typical way that Paul begins many of his New Testament letters. He is confident that God will continue the work He began with the Philippian believers (v. 6), and it is this positive confidence that characterises the letter. Paul’s missionary visits After seeing a vision from the Lord (Acts 16:9-10), Paul spent a short time in Philippi…

My mother taught me to never give up, no matter how difficult things become. You have achieved so much, but many people do not realise that you came from difficult beginnings. What is your testimony? I believe the power of our lives lies in our testimonies. Everything today is the result of what I have experienced. Every time I share my testimony I do it in honour of my mother who taught me so much in life. I watched her very difficult life unfold before my eyes. She taught me to never give up, no matter how difficult things become, you must always keep pushing through. She also taught me that women are the glue that hold houses together – and that we can never afford to become unstuck. And…

The Apple of His Eye was created to assist women to find their identity in Christ. Busisiwe Roberts, 38, is an encouraging and beautiful mother and wife with a powerful testimony. She was crowned the 2016 Mrs Tshwane, and has since started The Apple of His Eye, a ministry in Pretoria that is dedicated to helping women discover their true identity and purpose in Christ. Tell us a little about your childhood I grew up in a Christian home with very loving parents and siblings. My parents were very devout Christians and as a result my upbringing involved a lot of going to church. I didn’t always appreciate it then, but I know now that I am very blessed to have been exposed to that lifestyle from such a young…

“Education needs a new form of delivery that is appropriate for each individual.” - Fred S. Keller Accelerated Education Enterprises is an organisation committed to the upliftment of Africa through effective education. Our long-term vision is to see an educated Africa where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our foundational belief is that every human being is on this earth for a God-given purpose and that each has talents and skills to contribute in a meaningful way. We believe that education should serve to unlock individual potential, community potential and ultimately the potential of nations to develop and prosper. Our calling is to impact our nation by delivering accessible, affordable, value-based quality education! Development of life skills Accelerated Education Enterprises develops and distributes curriculum used to implement…

BRAD ESPIN A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us “ flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” – 2 Samuel 15:14. Having a heart for God will be determined when you find yourself in a situation that will demand a response, and the manner in which you choose to respond will determine the outcome and consequences going forward. David was more than king or a courageous soldier who was willing to fight battles on God’s behalf and do His Will; he was a man after God’s own heart who…

“Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, in favour with God, and in favour with man” – Luke 2:52 Every week Lyn and I made the trek to Mowbray, near Cape Town, to attend a Youth for Christ leadership training. A favourite topic was “The Balanced Christian Life” which advocated a good allocation of resources to the four quadrants of one’s intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social life. We were striving for balance, using whatever planning tools we could muster to allocate fairly to time-competing life quadrants. As the pressures of life increased, so did the strain between these four areas. Work and family needed more time. My body needed more exercise (and still does), and my constituents needed more care. Maintaining balance, as it had been posited, became more difficult. Only…

“ So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honoured, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it. Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [each with his own place and function].” – 1 Corinthians 12:25-27. Membership deals with identity Membership is vitally important in a local church because it deals with identity, commitment, responsibility, and accountability. Membership embraces involvement and dedication to the vision and the mission of the family they are…

A charity supporting Bible translators forced to work in secret owing to persecution says it’s “ready” to translate the Bible into 25 new languages. Florida-based Wycliffe Associates made the announcement as it also appealed for more funding to make sure the translations come into fruition. It announced: “Wycliffe Associates is ready to begin Bible translation in 25 new languages in [an unnamed] region and is currently raising $340,000 of additional funding for those projects.” Donn Hallman, from Wycliffe Associates, announced the region in question could not be named, owing to security concerns facing underground translators there. The organisation is focused on supporting intensely persecuted Christians in areas where 1000 languages – representing 280 million people – are without any Scriptures. Through the Scriptures for New Frontiers programme, it supports underground…

Pope Francis has pledged to donate $500,000 to support Church-run educational, medical and agricultural projects in war-torn South Sudan. The Catholic humanitarian organisation Caritas Internationalis and various religious institutions are set to get a boost thanks to the funding. The pope postponed a planned visit to South Sudan this year but the Vatican says he is “clearly more determined than ever to raise awareness about the need to support those suffering from conflict and starvation.”…

“ ape is an everyday occurrence and we R are blind to see it. Every 17 Seconds a Rape occurs in South Africa. We are supporting an organisation that is helping Rape victims. The organisation is the Epic Foundation. God has laid it in my Heart to open this Taboo word and being a biker myself do the right actions. This subject is being exploited in the media as it is happening more, and we as residents in the 2nd highest rated rape country in the world behind America should be on high alert. Rape destroys families, relationships, and lives. We need to open this and teach our society its unacceptable. Rape occurs not only to women or daughters but to men, sons, and babies. Support our run in support…

In 2016, the United Nations (UN) appointed a “LGBTI independent expert” or “gay” Czar to ensure UN member states comply with the radical global sexual rights agenda. The Czar has quickly identified religious convictions as the main enemy of the LGBTI agenda and called on the UN to crackdown on religion. Homosexual totalitarianism cannot flourish where religious freedom is upheld and protected. In order to advance the radical LGBTI agenda – religious freedoms must be severely curtailed. The SA government have also pledged their full support for LGBTI objectives. Alarmingly, government has not pledged to protect the family and defend religious freedoms. Another diabolical tool used to advance the LGBTI agenda is “Comprehensive Sexuality Education.” (CSE). The UN “gay” Czar strongly advocates targeting young children. Comprehensive Sexuality Education comes in…

We remember Enoch by this one great characteristic – he walked with God. The Bible does not tell us a great deal about Enoch except for what we read in this verse. “And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him.” – Gen 5:24. Little else is known of him, but centuries could not efface this attribute that he walked with God. We do not read that he built any cities, or fought any battles, or wrought any miracles, or preached any great sermons. Yet centuries have come and gone and his name is still remembered wherever the message of the Bible is proclaimed. We still remember Enoch by this one great characteristic – he walked with God. Living for God is never easy There is…

“But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to Him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.” – Eph 4:22-24. Jenny-May Hudson BREAKING GENERATIONAL CHAINS I experienced a lot of disappointment, loss, unmet expectations, and negative labeling during my abusive childhood, which left my mind severely contaminated. Whilst a…

“He must become greater and I must become less.” – John 3:30 Looking back over my life I know that I have always had a strong desire to help people, reduce discomfort, and to ensure that every one of my patients enjoy the freedom of physical mobility. Achieving my goals As a young Biokineticist I worked hard to build my CV, to look good on paper, and to ensure that I was financially secure. This goal was easily achieved as the field of Biokinetics was still in its infancy in South Africa, and God had given me the gift of discernment and a natural ability to work with the biomechanics of physical injuries. I drifted from God As my financial wealth grew, so did my independent spirit and I moved…

“Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come?” – Ecclesiastes 8:7 If you’re anything like me then even when a decision seems easy, there are barriers that seem to stop us moving forward. Fear is one of the biggest barriers, and that can hold us back from the callings God has for us. God is bigger than your failings I have found that the key to overcoming fear is recognising that God is bigger than our greatest failings. How often have I tasted the bitterness of disappointments, fears, and failures, only to find that, by His Spirit, sweetness arises out of them? Years after a bitter disappointment, I realise that the very failure has taught me lessons that I would never have learned…

Ntokozo remains grounded by her faith and is known to be family orientated. August is the month of honouring women, and a woman worth celebrating is the loved and respected Gospel Artist, Ntokozo Mbambo. The start of a wonderful journey One of Ntokozo’s earliest memories of when she started singing was when she was about three years old. Her mother was busy preparing for a performance in church, but noticed Ntokozo singing along. She suddenly realised how beautifully her daughter was singing and that she actually knew all the words to the song through hearing her mother sing. That Sunday was her first performance in front of a crowd and only the start of Ntokozo’s journey to discovering her God-given talent. Africa’s favourite female singer As a teenager back in…

AFRICA STUDY BIBLE: 66 Book Introductions explain the history of each book and connect themes relevant African realities 298 Touch Points show where the culture of the Bible meets African cultures and how Africans shaped Christian belief. 1262 Application Notes inspire readers to reflect on issues and apply truth to everyday life. 82 Learn Notes teach the foundations, values, and doctrine of the Christian faith 58 Articles give practical advice on how to live out the Christian faith, focussing on 50 critical concerns facing the church in Africa and it’s people 1 Narrative Timeline that highlights God’s work in Africa in 32 pages DID YOU KNOW: The Masai Shield and Spear highlight “Application Notes” in the Bible, which equip the reader with the tools they need to act righteously and…

New reports indicate Hillsong’s multiple campuses in Australia continue to grow, despite a national trend that shows a gross decline of Christianity across the nation. “Modern Pentecostal churches are actually very appealing to a wide demographic of young people they have a very strong social element and very dynamic and engaging services,” Ann Evans said. Evans is the associate professor of the Australian National University’s school of demography. “They’re like going to a concert for young people.” Membership increased from nearly 220 000 in 2006 and 238 000 in 2011 to 260 500 last year, according to the 2016 census results released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Hillsong’s effects can be felt all around the globe through music, conferences, and international campuses. Hillsong released their 2016 annual report earlier…

On Thursday nights, the Helping Hands Free Clinic in Columbus, Ohio, provides much needed care for those who can’t pay for it. It all begins with patients and workers joining hands in prayer. Across Ohio, volunteers operate a total of 100 free clinics, in both big cities and small towns. At the Helping Hands clinic, a steady stream of patients walk in off the street, sometimes hours before it even opens. Many free clinics, such as the Helping Hands Free Clinic, are operated by churches that feel it’s part of their mission to meet the physical needs of people in their community. In the process, they often meet their spiritual needs as well. The people at the Helping Hands clinic see the population as an opportunity to share the love…

From Thursday 12th October until Sunday the 15th October 2017, Golden Jubilee, the Charasmatic Renewal in the Catholic Church movement, will be hosting a “Spreading the Fire” conference in Cape Town, Western Cape. This conference will be taking place at the Holy Cross Highschool in Maitland, and will cost R360 per person, for the entire four day conference. This conference will feature both local and international charasmatic Catholic leaders, including Bishop Phalana, Mark Nimo, Fr PJ Pearson, Fr Mari Joseph, and Fr Ebuka. For more information and to book your tickets, email spreadingthefire17@gmail.com .…

“We don’t have to please God in any other way than to be brutally honest.” U2 musician Bono has spent years reading and learning from the poetry of the Psalms, a book of the Bible that contains ancient hymns. If there’s one thing Bono has realised from his studies, it’s that art always requires honesty. During a conversation with Fuller Studio, the rock star spoke at length about the intersection of faith and art, particularly art that is produced by Christians. “I would really like this conversation to unlock some artists,” the singer, a devout Christian, said. “Because I think there are trapped artists and I’d like them to be untrapped.”In a previous dialogue with Fuller Studio released April 2016, Bono compared the Psalms with contemporary Christian worship music and…

Sudanese Pastor Hassan Abduraheem is finally free after being falsely imprisoned for his faith. Abduraheem faced a possible death sentence after speaking at a Christian conference in Ethiopia, where he showed the crowd a picture of a young man who was assaulted for attending a protest. In 2015, the Sudanese National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) arrested Abduraheem and charged him with espionage and a slew of other false charges. He was convicted and sentenced to more than a decade in prison. Human rights activists and lawyers from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) advocated aggressively for Abduraheem’s release. More than 200,000 people from around the globe signed a petition until the pastor received a presidential pardon in May.…

When it comes to Israeli-Palestinian talks, the subject of a divided Jerusalem is often the deal breaker for the Jewish state. But why? Jerusalem’s Old City, the Temple Mount, and the Mount of Olives all share common bonds. In addition to Biblical significance, they’re all in the part of the city Palestinians want as their future capital. Scripture says Jerusalem is a city set on a hill. Chaim Silberstein, founder and president of Keep Jerusalem, believes the city must remain united. Jerusalem is a city ensconced in geopolitics and divisiveness, both within the Jewish community itself and certainly in the surrounding Arab nations, many of which are against the Jewish people.Israel’s capital has been conquered more than any other city in history. Yet it’s the only capital the Jewish people…

Faith, which sets you free, is a result of a relationship with God. When I was 16, doing a good deed every day was just part of being a good girl-scout. Along with it also came the bad conscience… if, once again, I did not manage to do such a good deed that day. The good deed, however, never seemed to make up for what was going wrong in my life. And I asked myself: How on earth will I ever get an ‘okay’ from God? Later on, while driving on the highway, fear strangled me. What if this car would now smash into the concrete wall? I wasn’t prepared to meet the One who had created me. All in all, my belief as a teenager was a mix of…

You create your unique reality and shape your brain with your thoughts. When people pursue an identity apart from God, it leads to confusion. You are designed to serve and love others, like the Messiah. Who am I? Does anyone out there understand me? Am I merely the product of blind evolutionary forces or what Richard Dawkins calls a “stroke of dumb luck” in a material world? Or do I have purpose and meaning, a unique part in a divine plan? Does anyone understand who I am, or who I am meant to be? Do I even understand me? Can I accept the way God has allowed me to be? Do I really accept the blueprint for identity that God has given me? God understands you God does understand you.…

Don’t be known as a person whose only words are negative. What we say is important. The Bible states that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matt. 12:34.) We need to change our vocabulary. We need to speak words of life and light. Our talk should always rise to the level of the Word of God. Speak life We Christians should be known as people who speak positively, those who speak the Word of God into situations, those who speak forth words of life. We should not be like the man who joined a monastery in which the monks were allowed to speak only two words every seven years. After the first seven years had passed, the new initiate met with the abbot who asked him,…

Haggai 2:8 “The silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord.” The concept of currency debasement is important for a Christian to understand. Debasement is the practice of lowering the value of currency. Over a number of decades, most central banks around the world have engaged in debasing their currencies for a number of reasons and in a number of ways. Dishonesty led to their collapse The Roman Empire serves as the first example of debasing their money. Since money was actual gold and silver coins, and not paper and ink, the Roman Empire reduced the purity of each silver coin enabling them to make more coins with the same face value for less silver and gold. When Christ walked the earth, a silver denarius was over…

 What advice would you give young women entering the entertainment industry of today? You will get a lot of no’s along the journey but that shouldn’t derail you! The advice I’d give is to say: It’s not easy! Don’t get into the industry thinking it’s a get-rich-quick scheme. You need to work hard, you have to be consistent, you have to persevere. You will get a lot of no’s along the journey and that shouldn’t derail you from your dream or calling, but keep at it. Be patient, sometimes we put down timelines of what we want to accomplish and for the most time life doesn’t work out that way. But be patient – it will happen at the right time. Stay consistent, be sober, and it will happen for…