June 12, 2005 Pastor's Journal
This last Friday I glanced over a fence to see a run down building with rusted door frames and a weathered sign posted above the entrance. The outhouse entrance read to the effect of 'Non-European Changing Room.' The Afrikaans translation was more specific and restricted the building to 'Non-White'.
In the 'informal housing' (housing not sanctioned by the government but invaded by squatters) an inbred distrust between people of different shades festers and is encouraged. 'Whites' expect thievery and deceit from those who have 'black' skin. Black men and women see pride, greed, and selfishness in their white neighbors.
Here there are eleven national languages from English to Afrikaans (Dutch origin) to Zulu and many African dialects. People don't understand the talk and barriers fall between peoples and tribes. Witchdoctors, Muslims, "Christians", Hindus, and New Age seekers worship their gods under the same sky.
Rich and poor; Americans and Africans; white and black; educated, working class, and beggars. Divisions are everywhere.
However, something miraculous occurs in the lives of those who have been crucified with Christ. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).
Today's morning worship began at Grace Christian Church, an English speaking congregation of dear saints who love the Word of God and proclaim the good news with joy and boldness. At eleven o'clock, we worshiped with our Zulu speaking brethren and heard the gospel preached from Romans 1:16,17. The good news that Jesus Christ alone saves is proclaimed with joy and boldness. Jesus Christ is magnified and placed above all else.
What a joy to experience the sweet fellowship that can only be found by those who are in Christ. A fellowship not based on laying aside truth, but by embracing it; a fellowship found in prayer and the study of God's faithful word. After our second service we had the opportunity to share bread with our African friends, men and women that we have never met before, but whom we shared a bond that was established by our God who reconciled us each to Himself through the blood of Christ on Calvary. This afternoon, we purchased the meat and Mopani worms, some of the women from Germiston prepared the food, and we laughed with our different laughs, we spoke in our different tongues, we touched, we smiled, we shared the sweetness of true unity and brotherly love where no sign, nationality, dialect, or law could come between us.
Where else would you have a Zulu brother play soccer with his American sister? Where else would you have an injured American treated by an African sports doctor (Jesse's fine! Just a little aggressive in African football!) Where else would you have such friends parting company as brothers, but speaking as they had been friends for years.
Thanks be to God who has brought us together. What a glorious day it will be when all who are truly in Christ will worship Him face to face. There we will all walk on streets of gold and experience our inheritance that far exceeds any riches any man knows on this small rock of the universe. There we will sing praises to His name in unison with each other and the angelic hosts. There we will know Him as we have never known Him before. What a mighty God we serve!
Thank you again for your prayers. Praise Him for the sweet fellowship that we experienced today with our 'brothas' and 'sistas' in Christ. We were thinking and praying for you as you worshipped together this morning while we were leaving our evening service.
Praise God for the brick layers. As I am preparing to tuck in for the night, Pastor Vuyo knocked on the door and informed me that his father arrived from Cape Town to help us lay brick tomorrow. One group will help at one of the Lambano homes tomorrow. Ken will be helping at the office while his back continues to recover (and he seems to be feeling much better). Jesse will probably butter the bricks and stretch out his foot some (he seems to have overextended a tendon, but insists on being there to work). John will set the door frames to Pastor Vuyo and Violet's new home and the rest of us will haul brick and mortar while Vuyo's father and his crew will piece together the wall.
Please pray for opportunities to share the gospel with those we work with at the Lambano homes and on the work site. Many around us do not know Christ and we will be in close contact for the next few days.
Pray for Traci who was fighting a fever this evening. She joined us for a wonderful service with solid teaching from Titus 1 followed by a 'lovely' tea and coffee time. Traci and the rest of us have shocked our South African friends by favoring tea over coffee this Sunday. Anyway, we sent her to bed right afterwards and I pray that she will sleep very well and long tonight. Please pray for her health. We pray that she will not catch what I came over with last week.
Thanks for your thoughts, e-mails (we have been receiving them through my mail box; tomorrow we have a braii or BBQ at Pastor Brian's house after a long day of labor and work where team members will be able to check their mail. This should be around 11 am MT zone on the 13th), and especially for your prayers. We covet them and thank God for your time before the Throne of Grace.
God's Grace to you all,
