Table of contents for December 2021 in JOY! Magazine

For Christians across the globe, Christmas marks the sweet celebration of our Saviour’s birth. However, for children like 13-year-old Sele and his family in Nigeria, it is a bittersweet celebration. Each year they are painfully aware of the empty seat at their Christmas table – for many of us this might also be the case this year… The expression on Sele’s face was priceless when he opened his special Christmas gift. The new shirt, trousers, and an illustrated Bible were just what he wanted. This Christmas gift, which was made possible by the support of Open Doors partners, will bring him hope and joy for the rest of the year. Father killed for his faith You can spark hope in the lives of persecuted Christian children like Sele this Christmas.…

Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to keep letters to 150 words as we have limited space. Why do Christians suffer? Your article on ‘Why Do Christians Suffer?’ was really good and helped me to accept a few things. My eyes were really opened when it reminded us of how much the disciples of Christ suffered. In that light, most Western Christians cannot even comprehend suffering. I know the Middle Eastern brothers and sisters suffer terribly – but we cannot complain… yet! Sadly, with all the new laws being passed and the…

A few years ago I decided to run an Alpha course at my home (my attempt at personal evangelism). I did not know who to invite, but felt led by the Lord nevertheless. I live in an estate and acquired a list of all the homeowners. I began to pray over the list for a few months. I needed six couples to join the course. After three months, I felt confident enough to approach the people I had marked on the list. A leap of faith I drove to the homes of the people, knocked on their doors nervously, and invited them to an introductory dinner at my home. I had no idea where any of the people stood spiritually or what sort of reaction I would receive, but I…

We celebrate Christmas and gaze with renewed awe at the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ, the benefits of the Cross, and the power of His resurrection. Many people believe that Jesus died for sinners only, but that is heresy. According Hebrew 2:9, Christ died not just for sinners, but also for everything, including all creation. Colossians 1.20 states, “And through Him He reconciled all things to Himself. Having made peace through the blood of His cross.’ God’s beautiful creation Creation is alive and vibrant with His love, and the earth is flooded with His Glory. The wonders, magnificence, majesty, diversity, and power of the natural world is astounding. The macro and micro details of creation speaks of God lavishing His love and ingenuity on humanity. Caring for the natural…

Last month I started sharing the story of a 22-year-old man from one of the gang-ridden communities near to my church. The young man’s first setback was growing up without a father. In these communities, growing up without a father figure makes you a prime candidate for future recruitment or inauguration into gangsterism. In some places the so called“recruitment”can start as early as 6 years old. Some young boys have already committed a murder by the age of 9. With the absence of a father, it is easy for the gang leader to take this role and the position of power and importance in the lives of the newly initiated. He becomes the disciplinarian, the provider, and the protector – as a pseudo father. The gang, in essence, then becomes…

My wife and I recently had the privilege to share some thoughts on marriage at a seminar. If there is one thing I have learnt in the last few years of being married, it is that we often neglect this important relationship in our lives under the banner of the ‘busyness of life’. Preparing for this seminar I was reminded again of the importance of healthy marriages, and the necessity to put effort into your relationship. Putting in effort Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” The Hebrew word for joined in this context is Dabaq, which mean to “cling, adhere, and pursue with affection”. There is no way that you can pursue…

For centuries, artists have portrayed angels as beautiful humans with wings and glowing light, complete with halos, harps, and flowing white gowns (or perfectly sculpted bodies). But is that really what angels look like? Angels have inspired all sorts of imaginative stories and depictions, but what’s left when we separate fact from fiction? In order to know the truth, we have to ask, what does the Bible say about angels? These facts will help us learn a lot about the angels in the Bible: what they are, why God created them, how their hierarchy works, and much more. 1 . GODCREATED ANGE LS Angels haven’t always existed. According to scripture, they’re part of the universe God created. In a passage that refers to angels (the “host” or “armies” of heaven),…

Up to this point in our monthly series on God and His nature, we have dealt primarily with attributes of God that only He possesses. Theologically, we call these God’s incommunicable attributes. For example, God alone is all-powerful, unchanging, and present everywhere. God doesn’t “communicate” or share these attributes with any other being. But there are attributes of God that He does share with other beings. These communicable attributes will be our focus in the coming articles, and we’ll specifically see how, as Christians, we are meant to display these attributes in our own lives. Being holy means being set apart We often think of moral purity when we hear the word holiness, and that is certainly an aspect of it. But to be holy primarily means to be set…

What took place in the invisible realm during the six hours during which Christ hung on the Cross goes beyond all earthly understanding. Yet, we must make our most vehement attempt to grasp the ungraspable, with the help of His Spirit within us and His scripture before us. The Father’s role in the crucifixion When you become a child of the Almighty God, Heaven becomes your guaranteed destination. It was not man who laid the sins of the world upon Jesus. Rather, it was God. We read in Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one,  to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” The Father plays an integral part in the crucifixion story. After all,…

A staple food is a food that is eaten routinely and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person. If we consume it daily, we should ensure that it is healthy. Sadly, my research indicates that our staple foods on today’s shelves are actually the most refined, nutrient-deficient, and toxic foods. Foods made with refined white flour, in particular, make up a large part of South Africa’s staple diet. However, you can produce a healthy alternative yourself! WHY GET A HOME STONE MILL? 1. It is biblical Our Creator did not make a mistake when He created wheat and grain for us. The Word of God regards a stone mill as a life-giving and essential item for every household. “No man…

Happy Christmas precious friend. Thank you for faithfully buying and reading the wonderful JOY! Magazine. Our prayer for you and your family is that you will experience the manifold blessing of Christ during this special time. In all of the festivities let us focus our attention on the following: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” – John 3:16-17 Hallelujah! Is this not the best news? Jesus Christ was sent to this world so that you and I may receive the gift of eternal life. This news puts everything…

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:8 The positive transformation upon my life over the past 12 years – from arriving in South Africa with virtually nothing to gradually rebuilding my life, finding joy, peace, and happiness – has left me convinced that God is always at work in our lives even if we may not realise it. Economic collapses caught up with me Born and raised in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare in 1980, I chose a career in print media as a sports journalist. All was well until the economic hardships that befell the country from around 2001 onwards made life very difficult for…

A. The true meaning of Christmas is far from pagan! It is a celebration of the coming of the Messiah into this world to save lost humanity by personally paying the price for sin. What a magnificent reason to celebrate and what an incredible opportunity to share the Gospel! While Christians can have no part in the worldly concept of celebrating Christmas and should not be caught up in senseless materialism, we should also not lose sight of the fact that this is a God-given opportunity to share the truth of the Gospel. The Word enjoins us to use every opportunity to share the Gospel. Paul wrote: “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” – 1 Corinthians 9:22. We are to…

Useless. Worthless. Unlovable. These are the words that Anita believed described her existence for far too long. Depression was something she spent years trying to understand, trying to escape from. The darkness that comes with depression seeped its fingers into every aspect of her life. Joy was always stolen from moments that should have been revelled in. “It has been a very difficult journey and I would love to tell you that my faith in God has always carried me through, but over the years I have had many, many disagreements with God…” A dreadful journey It’s hard to quieten the screaming voices of inadequacy that come with depression. But after hitting rock bottom and being admitted into a mental health clinic for suicide and depression, Anita finally reached a…

As long as Jesus held His hand over me, He kept my broken body alive. I received a second chance! My name is Joos Engelbrecht. I am 67 years old and live near Hartbeespoort in North West Province. This is the miraculous story of my second chance. Young and rebellious It was 1971. As a 17-year-old, I was a total rebel. I deemed none of the advice offered by my parents as important – I knew everything! I could make and break as I please – or so I thought. The realisation never dawned on me that I was really just a miserable sinner! Within seconds, things went horribly wrong My family lived on a smallholding. On the day in question, my father had asked me to plough a small…

The first Christmas, when “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16), lowly shepherds and powerful leaders from the East (the Wise Men) bowed before the Lord Jesus Christ in humility and worship. They did not question the identity of the Babe of Bethlehem, but believed the Scriptures that prophesied His miraculous conception and entry into the world. Many opposed Jesus during His time on earth During His lifetime, many opposed, ridiculed, and criticised Him. Even His brothers rejected His claim to be divine (John 7:5). After His resurrection, they too bowed the knee and we find them in the Upper Room with Mary, His mother, and other disciples (Acts 1:14). Two of his brothers wrote parts of the New Testament. James became the leader of the Jerusalem Church…

Demons are fallen angels, as Revelation 12:9 indicates: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Satan’s fall from heaven is symbolically described in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-15. When he fell, satan took some of the angels with him—one third of them, according to Revelation 12:4. Jude 6 also mentions angels who sinned. So, biblically, demons are fallen angels who, along with satan, chose to rebel against God. Demons are fallen angels who, along with satan, chose to rebel against God. There are demons waging war Some of the demons are already locked “in darkness, bound with everlasting chains” (Jude 1:6) for their sin. Others are free…

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question young kids often ask each other when they think about getting bigger. It is a good question to ask, and not just for children. We all should ask ourselves this question as we reflect on the future. Our work in God’s sight But let me change the question a bit: “What legacy do you want to leave once you are old?” or “What value will your work have in fifty years?” These questions focus on what will remain of all our efforts after we have died. These are good questions since they motivate serious reflection on the purpose of our work. But these questions are only stepping-stones to a much more important consideration: What will remain…

We all hear it, “Times are tough; people are being retrenched; the economy is in shambles; oh my word the Coronavirus; and so forth.” We also hear things like, “Work hard now so that you can enjoy your retirement later; skip that fancy latte in the morning and watch the savings pile up; stay the course and it will all pay off eventually.” But let’s be honest, traditional methods aren’t the only way and negativity has never helped anyone to be successful. The gig economy is here This is your chance to become an entrepreneur and find an opportunity. You don’t have to look far to see a growing trend that is breaking traditions and helping people all over the world find some extra income, especially now during these seemingly…

Israelites – when they were terrified about their future – that God will go ahead of them and will never abandon them. God paved the way I believe that our prayers in Harare, prior to my arrival in South Africa, moved God to “go ahead” for me – even before it became clear to all of us at that time that I would eventually travel here. Less than a year after arriving in South Africa, I managed to secure employment with a local newspaper and – by God’s grace – my career began to blossom. Apart from the honour and privilege of having written for several publications, God has also blessed me with a better life and a tolerant community that has accepted our family (my wife and three children)…

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God is sovereign over the universe. Since the very beginning of the world, He has been enacting a plan that includes the free agency of humankind side-by-side with His sovereignty over everything. It is a paradox, but it is one of the most biblically-verifiable facts of our existence (John 6:64-64; Rom 14:12). This is good news! This is astonishingly good news because it means that even when terrible things happen to us, there is a purpose in it that involves our good. Even when we sin and face the consequences for our sin, He somehow uses the consequences for our good, and even manages to…

If we are to make a godly impact on the prevailing culture, we must approach technology quite differently to the world we live in. To be sure, there are some blessings that technology and social media have brought, and for this we can be grateful to God. Akin to the invention of the printing press, technology has allowed information – including Biblical material – to be accessed almost immediately and across the world. During the height of lockdown, I was able to‘attend’ an online conference by the Colson Center that featured the world’s leading Christian leaders and apologists. Technology has many benefits Seekers and believers in closed and persecuted nations are able to hear the Gospel and read Christian literature that would otherwise be impossible for them to access. Through…

Do you love yourself, deeply and truly? You need to love yourself! This is not only something that is crucial in this dark and depressed world, but it is something that is explicitly stated in the Bible — it is a commandment! The most important commandments in the Word The most important commandment in the Word is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart”. We all know that one. The second commandment is to “love your neighbour as you love yourself”. We all know that one too. But something that often gets lost is the implied wording between these two commandments, to love your neighbour as you love yourself. God made you just as you are Many people in this world suffer with feelings of self-hatred, self-doubt,…

Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas in honour of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Various Christmas traditions have been associated with the celebration of Christmas, and different cultures celebrate in different ways. The unifying factor is the historical fact that Jesus was born, c. 5 BC. The angel who appeared to the shepherds the night of Jesus’ birth said, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11 A celebration We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, the birth of Jesus Christ is “good news.” Good news is meant to be celebrated. In fact, the angel said the news…

A genealogy is a record of a person’s ancestry. Unfortunately for many people today, they don’t know much about their forebears, but for the Jews, genealogies are of prime importance. Some Jews today, for example, can trace their religious lineage for millennia all the way back to the Old Testament line of Levites and priests. Hebrew genealogies have been used for determining inheritance rights, a person’s legacy, and royal pedigree. The latter is precisely how Matthew uses Jesus’ genealogy, to establish Him as the long-awaited King from the family of David. It is Jesus who fulfils God’s promise to David: “Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.” – 2 Samuel 7:16…

It seems that as we read New Testament scriptures, Jesus and the early Church cast out demons everywhere they went. With regularity, demon power was confronted and driven out of the lives of the people. In fact, it is the casting out of demons that is the very first sign we are told would accompany those who believe.Yet, when comparing the frequency of deliverance ministry in the gospels and the book of Acts to the modern Western Church, something seems off. “Do you think I’m crazy?” With tears in his eyes he stared at me, desperate... Oppression in the psych ward A few years ago, I was summoned to a hospital psychiatric floor in order to minister to an army veteran who was suffering from severe PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).…

ast month we started looking at the parable of the 10 L Virgins in Matthew 25, and the deeper images concealed within this story. We looked at the definitions in the Word of Abba Father with regards to being either wise or foolish as believers. We furthermore saw that the 10 virgins all went out with the expectation of meeting the Groom, meaning that in this parable Yeshua (Jesus) is referring to those inside the Church and not the heathens who outright reject Him. We now continue to look at the deeper meaning in this section of scripture… When we are “crushed”, we are to shine brighter because of the One who resides in us. The meaning of ‘virgin’ We are going to look at the Hebrew and Greek pictures…

This has been an amazing year of ministry for us at TWR. Even while much of the world was gripped with fear due to the Covid pandemic and other world events, TWR pushed forward — opening new avenues of ministry to the glory of God. It has all been possible because of God’s provision though the generosity of our donors. A critical time for ministry The last several weeks of the year are always a critical time for us. This is when we replenish our general fund, which undergirds so many important projects. We trust in God to provide because we know that “with God all things are possible.” We rely on devoted partners like you who, as His instruments, make it happen. We want to be available for His…

I am Edward Ackerman, a full-time Evangelist and the founder of LightLife Ministries. I grew up as a foster child not knowing my biological parents. I led a life of gangsterism, drug addiction, and imprisonment – which is my personal testimony. I eventually surrendered my life to Jesus after being brought back to life miraculously after multiple fatal gunshot wounds. I completed three years of Bible study and was then ordained into pastoral ministry in 2007, after which I was led by God into full-time evangelistic ministry. God has blessed me with my awesome wife Anthea, and we have 3 wonderful children, Althea, Ethan, and Amy; all who love God very much. I am thankful that they are very supportive of the ministry. We reside in Cape Town and we…