Table of contents for July 2018 in JOY! Magazine

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” – James 5:16 Do you ever find that God uses something or someone, quite unexpectedly, to reveal another facet of His dynamic Word to you? A couple of months ago a friend of mine, who pastored a church in Hermanus, brought me a copy of his latest book to review (I receive quite a few books every year but have to confess that many are lying half read next to my bed, not because they are boring or anything, but because most Christian books that I get are tutorial in style – and because I can only digest…

You may well have noticed that Christianity is becoming less and less culturally acceptable. While studying law in the late 90’s, our curriculum included ‘The law of husband and wife.’ This, of course, was based on society accepting a Christian worldview of marriage. Today however, law students read for ‘The law of domestic partnerships,’ as a result of the cultural shift. This is nothing new. The book of Colossians was written to a church that faced the temptation, through Gnostic and other philosophies, to make Christ less than He truly is. Like them, it is therefore vital that we know how to live for Christ in a world that is determined to have him either absent or minimised. This begins with a high view of Christ that declares “that in…

In the 1700s, an exclusive little hamlet outside London called Clapham became home to a number of prominent evangelicals and evangelical causes. Historians call these Christians the Clapham Sect. The most famous member of the Clapham Sect was a politician who stood five feet four inches tall, named William Wilberforce, who had come to Christ at age twenty-five. Wilberforce gathered his Clapham friends into regular “Cabinet Councils” to discuss national trends and to establish Christian strategies for dealing with them, making the Clapham Sect one of the most unusual fraternities in British public life. Out of it sprang the Church Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Society for Bettering the Condition of the poor, the Society for the Reformation of Prison Discipline, and most of all, Wilberforce’s…

The American Bible Society, which has been engaging people with God’s Word for over 200 years, has implemented a new employee policy that has prompted some of their staff to quit. The policy requires employees to not only affirm the belief that the Bible is inspired by God, but to also commit to pursuing their identity in Christ “as described in the Bible.” More specifically, that includes regular Bible engagement, being involved in a local church, and resisting temptations of “deception, malicious speech, and dishonouring your body through substance abuse.” At least nine employees have quit, namely over the new policy’s requirement “to refrain from sexual activity outside of the marriage covenant prescribed and exemplified in the Bible.” One of the employees who quit is Jeremy Gimbel, who is gay…

Baptisms with whiskey, services in taverns, and shouting “Amen” when chinking drinks – a blasphemous new ‘church’ has opened up in Johannesburg. The Gabola Church in Orange Farm opened ten months ago and already has a membership of over 500 people. They celebrate alcohol and all services are done in bars. The word “Gabola” means “Drinking” in Tswana. Gabola’s founder and self-declared pope, Tsietsi Makiti, says the church is for those who have been rejected by other churches because they drink alcohol. Gabola is not a member of the mainstream South African Council of Churches, which says it has no comment about it. Church-goers are encouraged to drink during services, where they focus many teachings on Jesus’ first miracle, where He turned water into wine. Members are baptised with their…

After the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, members of President Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board discussed the importance of a new White House executive order. Some say it is one more sign of the president’s emphasis on employing the faith community to strengthen society. “I will soon be signing an executive order to create a faith initiative at the White House,” Trump announced. “The faith initiative will help design new policies that recognise the vital role of faith in our families, our communities, and our great country.” The new executive order established the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. Members of the advisory board told announced that the initiative could revolutionise the relationship between faith-based organisations throughout the federal bureaucracy. “All departments that have faith offices and all federal…

Rev. Franklin Graham has made note of prophecy surrounding the return of Jesus Christ as Christians and Jews mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Israel and the U.S. embassy’s official opening in Jerusalem. “70 years ago, the State of Israel was established. In fulfilment of prophecy, God brought the nation into being, and He is sustaining them for the day when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will return and establish His throne in Jerusalem as Scripture tells us,” Graham wrote on Facebook. The opening of the U.S. embassy, seen as highly controversial in the Muslim world, led to violent protests, with over 60 Palestinians killed and another 2400 injured during violent protests in the Gaza Strip where an estimated 35 000 protested Israel’s 70th anniversary, calling the creation…

Since our hearts (spirits) are the place where the life of God’s Spirit flows in and through us; it’s essential for us to constantly be aware of their condition. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” Those times we feel unease rise in our hearts, we must be diligent to take immediate action before that unsettling frustration leads to something that has the power to hinder the flow of supernatural life in and through our hearts. What a joy to know that we don’t need to fret and wonder over how to deal with the issues of our hearts. We have a wonderful partner in the Holy Spirit, Who not only…

“I was threatened with hell, instead of being invited to Heaven.” Jenny-May’s journey was one of discovery. Her faulty image of God was shaped in part through her experiences with her earthly father and her exposure to a religious conservative church environment. “Part of my problem was the awful religion I was fed as a young girl. I was taught the law of the Old Testament, instead of the grace of the New Testament. I was shown a God who had a stick instead of a Father who loved me unconditionally and wanted me to reach my potential. I was threatened with hell, instead of being invited to Heaven. I met the institution of religion instead of being introduced to a loving relationship with Jesus. It took time to get…

Saving the whole nation “We have been using your supply of Fortified Cereal for our children at Henna Preschool that is sponsored by Lion Sands Private Game Reserve and would like to thank you for this magic food. The health of the kids has improved a lot. Henna Preschool has a total of 145 kids and many of them had sores around their bodies, but feeding them with Fortified Cereal worked like magic. They now look healthy and their concentration levels have also improved a lot. As we all know, it is now winter time and a lot of people have flu. Before we started giving them Fortified Cereal, it was difficult to keep all kids at school for the whole week because they were falling sick; but not anymore.…

LEON DU PREEZ LEGAL OR ILLEGAL POWER? Matthew 7:22-23 reads, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Both believers and unbelievers have found themselves asking the questions“Where is the true power of God?”and“Why do we not see the supernatural take place that was recorded in the Bible?”. You see, there are only few who get to a place where they can truly operate in the raw power of God; those who can truly operate under the anointing. But, a sad reality is that there are some believers who operate…

“Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind! Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around. Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits.” – Song of Solomon 4:16 Father, in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ we pray for the church leaders in the Garden Route. We pray that You may sanctify and cleanse the Church with the washing of the water by the Word, that you might present her to Yourself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27). We pray that the desire for the Lord will be stirred up in the hearts of the church leaders and the Church. A hunger and thirst for righteousness in…

REINHARD BONNKE Founder of Christ for all Nations Reinhard Bonnke has changed the face of Africa. His ministry has shaped Christianity on the continent like no other, touching its people through approximately 400 Great Gospel Campaigns, radio and television, countless smaller events and preaching engagements, and millions of free books. In November 2000, more than 1.6 million people gathered in Lagos, Nigeria for the largest single service in the history of CfaN. By the beginning of 2017, over 78 million people have received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour through the ministry of CfaN. 1974 AFRICA SHALL BE SAVED! Christ for all Nations was founded by Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke in 1974 after he had spent a number of years working as a regular missionary in Africa. His burning desire to…

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” – Ephesians 6:18 Prayer is primarily fellowship with the Father, through Jesus His Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not just asking God for things! Many times prayer is simply waiting on God and enjoying His presence as you fellowship with Him. It is through the vehicle of prayer that we fellowship with the Father. It is through prayer that we offer praise and thanks to Him, and yes, we also offer up our petitions and make our requests known to Him. Through prayer, we join forces with God the Father in bringing heaven into the earth. Prayer is a…

philldooley BIG QUESTION & sometimes a sensitive one. I find more and more adults asking this. How we relate to our parents & honour them doesn’t just affect them, it affects YOU! Here are 6 ways to help you. The first one is massive . . . Understanding what life was like for your parents growing up can help you to understand why they are the way they are. Realising that no parents are perfect & opening the door to forgiveness will ultimately bring healing and true freedom. #BuildingHealthyFamilies #TellThemYouLoveThem – Phil Dooley Max Lucado “God says don’t worry about your future. He is the Author of your story, and He has already written the final chapter.” “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible that to be…

Since 1995, Frontline Fellowship has been ministering in war-torn Sudan. Mission teams have delivered hundreds of thousands of Bibles, hymn books, Gospels, Scripture booklets, farming tools, and seed to the people of Sudan. Frontline delivered the first complete Bibles in the Moru language, pioneered and trained the first chaplains for the SPLA, set up clinics and mission stations to help the Sudanese. Dr Peter Hammond also introduced missions such as Samaritans Purse to Sudan, who have done an incredible amount of relief aid and ministry. Since 1996, Frontline Fellowship has been behind enemy lines in the Nuba Mountains, an Island of Christianity in a sea of Islam. The team recently travelled there to distribute over 40 000 Bibles to the Sudanese people, along with over 43 000 Biblical story books…

A Christian mother of six, Nadia, who survived an attack by ISIS terrorists as her family was travelling to a monastery in Egypt last year, lost her son-in-law who refused to deny his faith. Nadia says she prays the attackers “will be touched by God.” 28 Egyptian Christians were killed that day for their faith as they were on their way to a monastery in Minya to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. The men from ISIS were in military clothing, standing on the road. The masked men shot the wheels of the bus, and first went to her son-in-law, Sameh, who was sitting at the front. They asked him to convert to Islam, he refused and was shot. The ISIS men then came to his son, Hany. Nadia heard…

Apologetics is a field of ministry that defends Christian doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. One such leader in this field is Ravi Zacharias, an Indian-born Canadian-American Christian apologist and defender of traditional evangelicalism. Ravi recently toured to South Africa for the Festival of Thought where he was joined by John Lennox, Michael Ramsden, and several other members of RZIM’s global speaking team. In collaboration with influential business, academic, and ministry leaders in the region, the RZIM team participated in 112 events in corporate boardrooms, on university campuses, and at churches across Johannesburg, Pretoria, Stellenbosch, and Cape Town. Through lively business breakfasts, lunchtime talks, and campus open forums, each gathering addressed a significant topic such as the basis of ethics and integrity, the quest for justice, the role of women…

BELIEVER’S WALK OF FAITH MONDAYS TO FRIDAYS AT 7AM WITH BILL WINSTON Join Bill Winston where he preaches the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the world and training believers how to live independently from this world system and have dominion over it. KEYS TO BREAKTHROUGH SATURDAYS AT 9AM WITH DEBBIE RICH For over 25 years, Dr. Debbie Rich Rester has endeavored to make known the ministry of Jesus Christ by preaching and teaching the Word of God and demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit. NOW FAITH FRIDAYS AT 9PM WITH JOHN TORRENS Durban Christian Centre’s John Torrens brings viewers a fast-paced programme of faith in action, through teaching, interviews and special features. DISCOVER LIFE SUNDAYS AT 6.30PM WITH AT BOSHOFF Win the lost at any cost! This is the…

There are few people in the Bible with as complex a personality as the Apostle Peter. Known for both his bravery (he drew his sword to defend Jesus) and his cowardice (he denied he knew Jesus when confronted by a lowly servant girl), Peter is a disciple most Christians can relate to. He is perhaps best known for his declaration that Jesus is the Son of God, and Jesus’ comment that upon this “rock” he would build his church (Matt. 16:16-18). Yet immediately after Peter’s declaration, Jesus saw the need to rebuke him (“Get behind Me, Satan!” – Matt 16:23). Peter provides hope for believers who humbly acknowledge that they fall short of the Christian ideal, yet can still be used by God for great things.…

Kim Walker-Smith is considered one of Christian music’s top female worship leaders, as well as one of the founding leaders of the Jesus Culture movement. For seventeen years, she has travelled the world leading worship, sharing at conferences, and recording numerous live albums with Jesus Culture. Always been musical Kim grew up in a d orced family, moving around with her mom from town to town from the age of 4. Walker stated that for generations, her family “has been very musical and my mom put me on a stage when I was three. I grew up singing and was very involved in musical theatre.”Walker gave her life to God when she was eighteen years old. During a challenging season in her life while attending Bethel, she received a vision…

The first feminist in the Bible was Vasthi, a rebellious queen who misunderstood her true mandate and the agenda of the king. Femininity is a gift, given to the female gender by God. It is an intrinsic part of the DNA of a woman, which God gave as both a gift and a weapon with which to build His Kingdom. Feminism, on the other hand, is a secular, man-made, & humanistic resolution that claims to promote equality; but in reality promotes division, strife, and hatred. It does not promote the reconciliation of genders, which is a Kingdom purpose and principle. It is a counterfeit, pseudo, and perverted option that has been offered to women as a resolution, when in truth it is a problem, not solution. Proponents of feminism do…

Your body comprises approximately 60/70 % water – you require clean water daily to fulfil the following functions: • Transportation of nutrients • Removal of toxins and waste products • Regulation of body temperature • Lubrication of joints • Cushioning of bones and joints • Cellular functions The human body loses water through breathing, sweating, digestion, and the elimination of waste products. It is most important to rehydrate by drinking pure water and eating real foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables that contain pure liquids. Our bodies were created perfectly, let(s respect them and treat them as we should. Xhy is pure water so important Your body has been so masterly created; it does not only have a self-healing system, but also a self-cleansing system. All four of our elimination systems, i.e. the bowel, the…

Gold and silver are asset classes or types of investment that are, strictly speaking, outside of the banking system. This makes it a fantastic insurance policy during turbulent economic times. Think of Cyprus and Greece during the banking crisis a few years back when banks closed and access to cash and even credit was limited, often simply unavailable for weeks. Pay your taxes As Christians, having savings outside of the banking system is wise and prudent, but it is not an opportunity to skip paying taxes, or hide our money from the tax authorities. Since everything that we possess belongs to the Lord (we are merely stewards or managers of what is His), we should not see the payment of what is due as a burden. Technically, we are using…

I am an executive health and wellbeing specialist who has been working in the field of human lifestyle and performance enhancement for well over a decade. Over this period, I have trained the general public, athletes, captains of industry, visionaries, and pastors. Having followed the JOY! Magazine publication for the last couple of years, it is a privilege and honour to now be in a position to contribute in the area of health and wellbeing, my area of expertise. Over the next couple of months, I will be bringing an awareness to the great need in society to address it s mental, physical, and emotional health. I’ll try keep it as entertaining and painless as possible (So don’t cancel that pizza order just yet!) I aim to bring awareness to…

PIERRE OOSTHUIZEN Purpose, seasons, & the favour of God “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1. I was at a CfaN crusade in Ibadan, Nigeria, in November 2009. I was overwhelmed by God’s call, and totally unprepared! Sitting with Reinhard Bonnke I said: “I regret that I’ve wasted so many years,” to which he replied:“It’s not the length of the furrow you plough, but the depth”. I’ve since taken his advice to heart. There’s nothing meaningless about God. He does everything for a reason. He saves because He loves people, but He created everyone with a purpose. Finding your true purpose is the beginning of your wisdom. It will get you out of your armchair and set you on course. With…

The value of JOY! Magazine Thank you for another wonderful magazine. Every time I read it, it inspires me to write, contribute, or get involved with many churches and organisations – including outreaches that are taking place across our beautiful country and the world. It gives me so much encouragement to see what God is doing, something that many people would not be aware of if not for JOY! I take great pleasure in promoting JOY!/JUIG! Magazines in my part of the world and pray for its growth. If I had just one dream, it would be for all these myriad parts of the Body of Jesus Christ [the churches] to become one network, working together to build the bride and harvest the souls. Many of the work done in…

The Church of England has launched a diversity drive that is specifically encouraging gay, lesbian, and transgender people to take “roles of leadership and service in the local church”. This move is being greatly applauded by the LGBT community and is being very strongly criticised by conservatives. The Church of England has worked very hard to be welcoming to the LGBT community in recent years, and this has created some very significant rifts within the denomination. Other major Christian denominations are going through similar struggles, and ultimately we may be seeing the largest shift in Protestant thinking since the days of the Reformation. Bishops in the diocese of Lichfield have issued new guidance to parishioners and clergy reminding them that LGBT people “can be called to roles of leadership and…

An estimated 3.6 million Argentinians recently came together in over 200 different cities in a national “March for Life” to manifest their support for the right to life. The massive show of support for life comes as Argentinian legislators prepare to vote on a bill that would legalise the killing of unborn children under almost any circumstances during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Demonstrators chanted slogans like “I vote for life,” and carried signs saying, “I want to be born. I am eight weeks old. My life is in your hands,” according to the Argentinian newspaper La Nación. One protester told the newspaper, “We want to demonstrate to the deputies (of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower legislative house) that the people don’t want abortion to be permitted. It…

Officials in Algeria have closed down more churches despite growing concern from the Christian minority in the African nation. Police sealed off two churches in the north-eastern province of Kabylie which has seen a spike in the number of churches in the region. The church’s leaders - who wish to remain anonymous - said: “The officers came in. They simply sealed off the main entrance without a prior notice, as was the case before with other Eglises Protestantes d’Algerie (EPA) affiliated churches.” Despite church leaders reporting the closure to police in the city of Bejaia, they have not been given a reason to why the churches were closed by authorities. The closures follow the EPA - an organisation that links 45 Protestant churches in Algeria - making an official plea…

The Israeli army recently struck what it said was a Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip that extended hundreds of metres into Egyptian and Israeli territory. The IDF said the U-shaped attack tunnel destroyed near Rafah and the Kerem Shalom border crossing was still under construction and not yet usable. The military said the tunnel crossed from Gaza into Egypt and from there into southern Israel, and was intended both for smuggling weapons and for attacks against Israel.Its full length was around 2 kilometres, the army said, and the segment inside Israeli territory was 900 metres long. The army called the tunnel’s design “unique.” “This is a very long tunnel,” a source said. “It also had exit shafts on the Egyptian side.” Israeli officials reportedly informed Egyptian counterparts of the…

Q: When is your birthday? A: March 26, 1946 Q: Are you married? A: Yes, married for 46 years Q: Do you have any children? A: Three children and five grandchildren Q: What is your favourite hobby? A: My favourite hobby is being home with the family. I have a wonderful wife, Margie. Q: What is your full name? A: Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias Q: Where is your favourite place to travel to? A: My favourite place to visit is the continent of Asia. I’m an Asian. (Singapore, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, and so on) Q: Where are you currently based? A: Home is Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Have lived there for 33 years. The rest of my family lives in Toronto, Canada.…

Fear is one of the besetting problems of mankind. Everywhere we go we find men and women fearful. They are afraid of death, the future, disease, starvation, economic collapse – nearly everything. Fear can be very disabling. That is why in the early days of WWII President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in a speech to the nation,“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear is the norm We are told that in the last days, “Men’s hearts failing them from fear.” – Luke 21:26. Today fear has become a great killer throughout the world, as is evidenced by the number of people succumbing to heart attacks, high blood pressure, nervous breakdowns, and the millions of hours modern man spends of psychiatric couches. Fear is very much a…

In last month’s article I spoke about 9 things that prove that the Holy Spirit is a person and has a personality. I am continuing on this topic so that we have a deeper understanding of Him: 10. The Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7, 1 Tim 4:1): There are several voices that speak to us: the voice of the Holy Spirit, voice of the world’s pleasures, voice of the demonic, and the voice of our spirit man are the most popular. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in 4 different ways: the inward witness (Rom 8:16); the check in our spirit (Acts 16:6-7); the conviction in our spirit (Acts 20:22-23) and the agreement in our spirit (Acts 15:28). In my CD set, The Person of the Holy Spirit, I teach…

“Anyone who meets a testing challenge head on and manages to stic it out is might fortunate. or such Person is loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.” -James 1:12 Michelle Du Toit ARE YOU TREATING GOD LIKE A FAIRY GODMOTHER? Ever wish for Cinderella’s fairy godmother, who sings: “the thingamabob that does the job is – bippity boppity boo”? The simplicity of the magic that fixes all of Cinderella’s woes is appealing. In bad times we treat God like a fairy godmother. Our prayers sound like a spell with “God please fix this; make this happen; give me this; make it easy; change this; change them”. We want Him to “bippity boppity boo” everything so that which is ugly in our lives can be…

our mindset shapes how you see the world. Dr. Caroline Leaf is a Cognitive Neuroscientist with a PhD in Communication Pathology and a BSc in Logopedics and Audiology. She was born in Zimbabwe and studied at the University of Cape Town, as well as at TUKS. She is a born-again Christian who seeks to bring God’s truths into the realm of neuroscience, revealing that He is the author of our lives. She has released various DVD series, as well as many phenomenal books that help readers to understand the connection behind their thought life and their health. 1 In your new book Think, Learn, Succeed – you state hat it is meant to help readers reach “meaningful success.” What does that mean to you, especially in…

TAMRYN KLINTWORTH Plundering hell, populating heaven! God loves us with an indescribable love. He reaches out for us and obsesses over us. I have written an e-booklet called When God Comes Down that will bless you abundantly. It is downloadable for free from www.inhisname.global and centres around two passages in which God came down in the midst of two very different groups of men and women. The first is Acts 2:1-4. Therein, the Spirit of God descended upon the early disciples, filling them with Himself. The second is Exodus 19. Therein, God settled upon Mount Sinai in order to relay the ten commandments and their accompanying laws. In both passages, God came down. There are stunning truths hidden within and striking comparisons that can be made. The two passages reflect…

Kuyasa Kids empowers youth from disadvantaged communities. My name is Thando Dyantyi – I grew up in a small township called Khayamandi, near Stellenbosch. I was raised by a single parent whom never had a chance to achieve her dream of becoming a professional business woman. Living with my mom was the best thing that ever happened to me because she was always there for me. She inspires me daily to do great things. I also give honour to the Lord, who without Him I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today. The townships can be dangerous Growing up, my mom would tell us stories because we didn’t have TV at home. It was special because she would look at us with a beautiful smile and began…