Category: God’s calling (Page 1 of 2)

The voice of the Church

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The address given at the 2025 graduation ceremony of Auckland Park Theological Seminary.

My Journey from Non-religious to Pastoral Ministry

I was raised in an atheistic home without any exposure to the Bible or church life. Six months after my conversion, I applied to this seminary to pursue training as a full-time pastor. My application posed challenges for the screening committee due to my complete lack of biblical and church knowledge. Ultimately, my acceptance came with a clear caution: I was instructed to remain silent in class, listen attentively, and learn, mindful that I would represent God in pastoral ministry. This caution profoundly shaped my ministry and prompted a persistent self-reflection: Am I certain that what I proclaim truly represents Jesus Christ? Is the content of my preaching, teaching, and counselling congruent with the authentic voice of the Church? This led me on the path of enquiry in understanding what the voice of the Church is. By the voice of the Church, I do not mean the voice of any particular denomination but rather the voice of Jesus Christ—the voice of the Gospel.

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A war against the truth of the Bible

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There is a war against the truth of the Bible. People resist the message of the Bible, and for years there has been a relentless battle against it.

Initially, the strategy was subtle, but it has escalated, and now it is evident that this is a war – a war to undermine the Bible. The well-known Jewish professor and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari has even suggested that the Bible be rewritten by Artificial Intelligence. The assault on the Bible has become blatant, no longer hidden, but with “all guns blazing.”

The war is not merely about a book. It concerns Jesus Christ and our salvation through Him. Jesus is not just one of the messages of the Bible. If you think Christ-centred, then Jesus is the message of the Bible! If Jesus is removed from Scripture, the heart of the Bible is removed.  The attack is on the Bible because it is precisely the Bible that brings us the core truth of Jesus.

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Compelling reasons for school leavers and their parents to consider a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree

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The most obvious reason for pursuing a Bachelor of Theology (BTh) degree is when a young person feels a strong calling to full-time ministry. Wanting to prepare themselves as thoroughly as possible for this calling, they may consider studying for a BTh degree. We always advise young people called to full-time ministry to ensure their “ceiling” is as high as possible because they don’t know what God has planned for them. Many of ATS’ lecturers began their ministry without any expectation that one day they would be responsible for the spiritual and academic training of future leaders.

However, there are other reasons for school leavers to consider studying for a BTh degree, and I would like to focus on these reasons. I want to include fathers, mothers, and grandparents in my audience. Making the decision about tertiary studies and choosing which degree to pursue, is a very stressful time for a family. The cost of tertiary education is substantial, and parents are understandably eager to ensure their children are well-prepared for the future. To these young people, parents and grandparents, I would like to offer a different perspective for consideration.

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Revival

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Experiencing a revival has become a yearning in the hearts of ATS’ people. It started growing from deep within us and has become more and more urgent.  We are thinking about it and are listening to the whispering of the Holy Spirit to help us understand this yearning.  We wonder if revival should not be the dream or desire of the church of Jesus Christ?  Is it correct to think this way, or is it just wishful thinking or worse, a way to escape reality?

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God calls you today

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I invite you to reflect very seriously on God’s calling for your life. Do not shake your head too quickly. Rather, read slowly and listen to the whispering of the Spirit. As I grow older, I become more aware of the importance of God’s calling in a Christian’s life. I am surprised by the tragic fact that the devil has managed to rob God’s people of this truth, and by the boundless losses that God’s kingdom has suffered and continues to suffer.

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God roep jou vandag

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Ek nooi jou om baie ernstig te besin oor die feit dat God jou roep.  Moenie jou kop skud nie, jy moet stadig lees en die fluisteringe van die Gees hoor.  Hou ouer ek word, hoe meer word ek bewus van die belangrikheid van God se roeping vir ’n Christen.  Ek is verbaas oor die tragiese feit dat die duiwel daarin geslaag het om God se mense van hierdie waarheid te roof en daarmee saam die grenslose leed wat God se koninkryk daardeur gely het en steeds ly.

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Essay on the Lord’s Prayer

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Abstract: Our whole life is a prayer which consists of a praise to God, a hallelujah, an amen, an echo on the Lord’s Prayer. It embodies the kingdom of God advancing forcefully and us vigorously laying hold of God’s kingdom. It represents our calling. Paul’s statement on the ministry of the Spirit was spot on: “But thanks to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (2 Cor 2:14).  We should never settle for less, for Jesus’ death was too costly.

1. Introduction

The Gospels convey a lot of information about Jesus’ prayer life.  He prayed through the night, rose up early in the morning to pray, went alone to the mountain side to pray and went to lonely spots to pray.  The writer of Hebrews commented on Jesus’ prayer life as follows: “He offered prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, …”. (Heb 5:7).   He talked to his Father in the dark moments of his life on earth and made great decisions after long periods of prayer. 

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Report on Survey 1: My Calling

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Summary/conclusions of the findings

A great majority of the participants (68.5 + 15.8%) know with certainty that they are called and that the calling is from God as was revealed to them through the working of the Holy Spirit (43.4%). For many, this conviction of their calling has been known for a significant period of time – it is not a fleeting experience or a spur of the moment feeling.

Many participants (57%) have suppressed their calling in the past or are continuing to suppress it (11.4%) and therefor not living out their calling.

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4 common mistakes Christians make

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As Christians we are prone to make a few very common mistakes, which can have major destructive consequences (sometimes even more so than the results of common sins), namely:

1.  We tend to underestimate God’s greatness.  God wants us to constantly recognise His greatness.  Or at least progressively grasp part of the extent thereof.  In the Old Testament God regularly ensures His people of His greatness by declaring that He is the Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe.

Paul was convinced that the extent of God’s greatness surpasses our mental capacity.  He therefore prays in his first prayer to the Ephesians that the Holy Spirit must reveal God to us so that we may know Him better (Eph 1:17).  However, if we underestimate God’s greatness then we are living based on inaccurate facts, therefore making wrong decisions and even becoming prone to sin.  As a Christian it is of absolute importance to allow the Holy Spirit to constantly convince us of God’s greatness.

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