CBN SOU TH ERN AFRI CA PARTN ER M AG AZI N E
THE GREAT NEWS OF GOD'S GRACE I SSU E TH REE 201 7
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
02 | Teaching: The 08 | On Air: Great News of Turning Point God's Grace 1 0 | SUPERBOOK Testimonies 04 | On The Ground: Orphan's 1 2 | I mpact: Our Promise Trip to Zambia 06 | Messages & Testimonies
PO Box 37779, Valyland, 7978 +27 (0)21 -7011 -776 / 732 www.cbnafrica.org
1 5 | On the Ground: Nothandazo's Testimony 1 7 | Pat's Q&A: Bring I t On
Visit Orphan's Promise website: www.orphanspromise.org
OUR MESSAGE |
PRAYER IS RISING
Ian Walton, CBN Southern Africa Director
Don’t forget, we would also love to pray with you – about anyone or anything. Give our prayer line a call on 021 701 1 776, email us at prayer@cbnsa.org or WhatsApp us on +27 71 763 381 0.
Dear CBN Partners / 700 Club members Welcome to our third issue of Frontlines for the year. Your prayers and financial support over these last few months have enabled CBN to do really significant things all around Southern Africa, and we love sharing some of that with you through this Partner Magazine! Alongside all the good and bad things happening in and around South Africa at this time, I believe that prayer is rising. There seem to be more prayer events, prayer initiatives, prayer groups and prayer sermons over these past few months than for a long time before that. CBN has also just launched an exciting prayer campaign called #1minuteforSA which has been gaining momentum on social media. We are encouraging South Africans to take just ONE uninterrupted minute each day to focus on praying for this beautiful country. Whether you are traveling, brushing your teeth or eating a muffin… we challenge you to join in too by: - Choosing a time of day when you know you will have one uninterrupted minute and setting a ‘prayer alarm’ on your phone. - Praying for South Africa each day over the next week – for just a minute. And if you manage that, do it for another week! - Telling others to do the same. (For more detail about the campaign, as well as lots of prayer ideas, visit our CBN South Africa Facebook page or go to www.cbnsa.org) We read in the Old Testament about how Daniel had been earnestly fasting and praying because of how troubled he was about the future. After weeks of this intense petitioning, there was breakthrough in the form of an amazing angelic vision. Notice the words spoken to Daniel by the angel: “…from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. … Fear not, peace be with you, be strong and of good courage.” (Daniel 1 0). People are praying. Prayer is rising. God is listening. Yours in this exciting (prayer-filled) mission together - on the air, on the ground and online! Ian Regional Director, CBNSA 01
| TEACHI NG
THE GREAT NEWS OF GOD'S GRACE Gordon Robertson
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TEACHI NG |
Recently, I was asked if the word grace means love. There are several Greek words for love in the New Testament, foremost of which is agape, meaning unconditional love. However, the Greek word for grace is charis, which means unmerited favor. In our human understanding, we can think that we have to do certain things to be loved and that there is some kind of exchange—a quid pro quo. We can have the mistaken notion that if we are good enough, God will pay attention to us. If we do good works, if we go to Sunday school every single week, if we read our Bibles, if we fast enough, if we tithe enough, and if we do all these things, that somehow God is going to smile on us. The great news is that we have the gift of His grace—His unmerited favor. We cannot earn it. We cannot achieve it by works. We receive it simply because of what Jesus has done on our behalf, and because of who we are in Him. Notice all the times Paul speaks of grace in Ephesians 2:4-1 0: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We are children of God, and this happens before we are saved. God created Adam and Eve for a garden. He created them for communion with Him. And although that creation was damaged by sin, we are still His children. Of course, we need to be restored to the family; we need to ask for and receive His forgiveness and salvation. Yet we have His favor. As Romans
"The great news is that we have the gift of His grace—His unmerited favor. We cannot earn it. We cannot achieve it by works.."
5:8 says, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. When we dwell in His favor and in our identity in Him, we are transformed. We are able to boldly come to our Father’s throne of grace because of who He is and how He loves us. God bless you. Scripture is quoted from the NKJV. This teaching was taken from a Bring It On segment.
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| ON THE GROUND
ORPHAN'S PROMISE : NOMCEBO AYESHA MTHEMBU
For many people driving on the road to Oakford Priory, admiring the thick foliage on either side of the road comes naturally. But what is unknown is that deep in the dense foliage there is a sprawling informal settlement that we call 'Shooting Range' Squatter settlement. When you visit the community there are frequent sounds of gun shots in the background because there is a shooting range nearby hence the name. Young and old call 'Shooting Range' home and many have been there for years.
Nomcebo Ayesha Mthembu, 4, is one of the children that attend our Crossroads Redcliffe Educare. She has lived with her Muslim mother Nelisiwe Fatimah, 24, at the Shooting Range Squatter settlement for 6
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years now. Johannes Ntuli, 27, who is Nomcebo’s biological father lives in Nkandla, Ulundi, and shows no interest in his children, leaving Nelisiwe to take care of them. This leaves the single mother and reliant on child support grants to take care of Nomcebo 4, Abdulla 7, Amina 6 and Noura a baby of 6 months. She also runs a small tuck shop from home to help with raising her children. Life is difficult for the family as they live in a small shack built at the shooting range squatter community. Stepping inside their home you are abruptly welcomed with the stark reality of their consuming poverty: It is dirty, dark, and dank; and everything is covered in dust.
ON THE GROUND |
Just three months into this year Nomcebo is settled into a routine of having breakfast and lunch, participating in stimulating educational lessons and she enjoys playtime with her classmates. She has warm and comfortable shoes and clothing, along with a monthly supply of soup from Crossroads. Our educators at Crossroads Redcliffe Educare report that Nomcebo is such a friendly child and despite the difficult living conditions she is so well adjusted and grateful for everything she receives. Nomcebo and her siblings attend Sunday school at Crossroads church plant at Madoni Tree squatter camp. Their 2 roomed home is used for everything: eating, sleeping and cooking. The rooms have little ventilation and when it rains, the house is flooded. Their home has no electricity, poor sanitation and no running water. Nelisiwe tries her best to eke out a living from profit from her tuck shop but because the people in her neighborhood are as poor as she is, business is not always profitable. Keeping her 4 children well, healthy and happy is a huge daily burden to Nelisiwe. You can maybe just imagine how grateful Nelisiwe is for the ongoing assistance she receives from Crossroads. Nelisiwe was ecstatic when we accepted Nomcebo as one of kids at Redcliffe Educare class of 201 7.
Thanks to Crossroads and Orphans Promise, Nomcebo never goes to bed hungry because there is always food in her cupboards.
Thank You CBN Partners! Your support enables us to reach out to vulnerable children around the world. To help further, visit www.cbnafrica.org or call (021) 701 1776.
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| MESSAGES & TESTI MONI ES
South Africa We are thankful to our partners for making the various CBN ministries possible through prayer, support and contributions. "On Thursday I asked you to pray for me as I was looking for better employment, well you did! That very same day my previous employer sent me a message that they may have a position for me. The interview went great and I got the world! All the glory, praise and honour I give to Jesus. Thank you and Amen!" Rodney "Thank you so much for your prayers. My son has been discharged from hospital. May God bless you." Anon "Thank you for your prayer and words of guidance, may the Lord continue to use you to help others." Anon This is a response to one of our stories on Facebook: "Thank you CBN for this wonderful revelation.It will be so wonderful when we all believe what an awesome God we have and that He is for the good of people and as much as He believes in US ,we should believe in Him as well.He loves us all equally and unconditionally and gives us second chances." Cynthia
To share your testimony or for prayer give our prayerline a call on (021 ) 701 1 774 or WhatsApp us on 071 763 381 0 or email us at prayer@cbnsa.org 06
MESSAGES & TESTI MONI ES |
Pastor Pedro from Mitchell's Plein on the right, and his wife on the far left. In the middle, our CBN South Africa Director Ian Walton and Prayer strategist, Gertrude Moyo.
OUR FRIENDS ARE BLESSED
Our CBN South Africa, prayer strategist Gertrude Moyo received a prayer request message from Pastor Pedro asking for prayer for provision. He had been shot and had recovered by the grace of God, so he started a church in his house. About 20 people who didnt have bibles, were attending each week. Gertrude contacted Christian Action, knowing that they give out bibles and were blessed to receive some for Pastor Pedro and his wife. The above picture shows their joy in receiving from their Heavenly Father in the ministry they are called to serve in Mitchell's Plein, Cape Town. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you..." Matthew 7:7
"Today we thank you for the blessings of bibles and DVD materials for our childrens bible study program. Thank you for you partnership and prayer daily. This is the beginning for them having ownership of their own bibles. We will take one step at a time to make this ministry grow. Thank you CBN Africa."
Thank You CBN Partners for making this possible! 07
| ON AI R
Turning Point Testimonies
WHAT YOU SAID: "I am learning a lot from your program" - Anon
"CBN is a great Inspiration and Encouragement to us and our viewers and We acknowledge and appreciate the great work you are doing. The Lord has tremendously increased our Online Outreach/Broadcast beyond our expectation and we are forever GRATEFUL to HIM. We are trusting God for the Grace for more coverage until the entire Globe is reached with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." - From Dike Samuel, the SOTV channel manager
"I'm from Port Elizabeth and I'm so blessed with your programs on T.V. It encouraged me by saying that God deposits gifts in me so that I can fulfill His purpose in my life. Thanks guys, God Bless." - Pamela.
"Turning Point is one of my number one favourite programs that has really given me answers to questions I used to ask myself. I thank God for you. You are my inspiration in Christ, including the whole CBN team. I speak the favour of God and His protection to cover your work as you teach the good news to many nations." - From Toby on our Facebook Inbox
To watch Turning Point International online the CBN Africa website, please visit: https://www.cbnafrica.org/turning-point/ 08
| SUPERBOOK
Superbook Salvation Responses
Superbook was broadcasted in 93 countries to a potential viewership of 1 87 million last year. It has also been translated into 43 different languages worldwide. Below are some testomonies from people who have been saved through Superbook. "I believe God is my SAVIOUR, but I was very depressed and had SEPARATED from God. I didn't feel the same anymore but now, I'm hoping to make better decisions in my life and follow the path of Christ. (-: thank-you, and God bless you guys." - Shanira (Age 1 3) "To listen to what God wants me to do and that bad thoughts and ideas will stay out of my head and that I will make good choices." - Liam (Age 7) "I love God so much." - Zente (Age 1 0) "I like Jesus and God because God and Jesus are good. Pray for my mom and me." - Alejandro (Age 8)
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"I am a Christian and I believe in Christ. I saw this ad when I was playing a game (called Papa's Donuteria on a1 0.com) I thought it was an interesting ad so I clicked on it. It turned out that it told me about God forgiving me and cleaning my sins away. This is a pretty good ad." Kaytlin - (Age 1 3) "I want to know God more and I want to improve my relationship with him." Harlyn (Age 1 8)
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news." - Isaiah 52:7 (NLT)
| I MPACT
OUR TRIP TO ZAMBIA
I went to Zambia for two reasons. Firstly, to be in Lusaka to meet with various broadcasters but also to meet with Pastor Salim and some of our other team members and volunteers in the region.
The trip to Lusaka was successful, with the help of Martha who is on our volunteer team there. She had arranged, amazingly, 7 different meetings with broadcasters within a day and a half! Those meetings are still bearing fruit, including a recently signed Superbook contract with the State Broadcaster (ZNBC). That means that hundreds of thousands of children will be hearing God’s word in the unique, powerful Superbook way! During the second part of the trip I visited the T.D. Jakes Transformation centre near Kitwe on the Copperbelt. This is the ministry to orphans and vulnerable children that Salim 12
manages along with a small team of volunteers. The operational costs of the center are funded by Orphan’s Promise and CBN Humanitarian. As Salim and I drove up to the large metal gates, all I could hear was cheering children. I didn’t know what they were cheering about until I realized it was just them welcoming me in the best way they know. Unforgettable moment for me. None of the children registered at the center (nearly 300 of them) live at the there - it is a place where they can just come and spend time every afternoon after school. Their state school fees are, for the most part, paid by Orphan’s Promise. Even though it’s not a lot of money it is more than any of them or their families have, if they even have families.
I MPACT |
The centre exists for the spiritual nourishment, their physical nourishment, for education and for creating community. It is also where Superbook screenings are hosted and it was a humbling privilege to be part of that for two days. On my last evening a Superbook screening was planned. Beforehand I went to the Kitwe Pick n Pay to see if I could get a little treat for the children. I found a whole rack of fresh-baked doughnuts. The surprised baker and me counted them together – there were 256. I decided to take them all and at the same time managed to get an amazing discount from the kind manager, which worked out to CBN paying little over R3.50 per doughnut.
we were able to hand doughnuts to every grinning child and had enough left over to give to all the volunteers too! Thank you CBN Partners for making this ministry and events like this possible. It is such a great privilege for me to witness the fruits of your generosity first hand! For more information about the Center and the particular needs and opportunities there, please feel free to contact me directly anytime.
After showing “THE TEST” and sharing a word of encouragement (passionately interpreted by Salim!), 13
ON THE GROUND |
DAY CARE CENTRE COORDINATOR: NOTHANDAZO MBATHA'S TESTIMONY "Before I believed and accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord, my life was so bad. I was heavily involved in drinking, with no respect for my parents when they would try and discipline me.
I saw my lfe changing because I now had a good job and began living as a Christian. I was able to manage my budget and life really began to change. Even when facing difficulties I trusted in God that one day things would be much One day in around 2001 I attended a better. Medical Mission at Dlamini 2 Squatter Camp where I was living. It is where I Through my involvement at JITAM I came to know JITAM. They accepted me attended a 2 year Early Childhood as Volunteer helping the Medical Team Development Course, and today I am a during the 3 days of the Medical Mission. qualified ECD Principal, looking after the 2 Centers of JITAM. All my children After that I continued helping at the attend Sundays Church Services with me. Center of JITAM based at the Squatter Camp. I attended prayer meetings and I thank Jesus for opening my eyes to see Bible Study on Thursdays. One night I the truth and my heart to love and serve assisted the video Jesus, and days later I Him. " accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. After some Discipleship Bible Studies I was baptized and joined JITAM as a child care giver. I liked the work I was doing and decided to stop drinking and spending time around my old friends. I dedicated all of my life to God and committed myself to serve Him at JITAM. JITAM enrolled me and other 2 ladies to attend a basic Child Day Care Course which I passed and then became full time care Giver. Family members and people around me began to respect me and no longer considered me as the woman who drank too much.
Thank You CBN Partners! Your support enables us to reach out to vulnerable children and leaders in their community like Nothandazo, all across our continent and beyond. To help further, visit www.cbnafrica.org or call (021) 701 1776. 15
PAT'S MESSAGE |
SEEN ON THE 700 CLUB
BRING IT ON
Pat Robertson answers your questions
Q Are there some prayer requests so big that God will not answer without our fasting — in addition to praying?
Amakes I Goddon’t more believe that our fasting powerful than He
already is. He is a sovereign God. He can do anything that He wants to do, and He sure doesn’t need our help.
Do you have a question for Pat? Go and visit CBN.com/Bring ItOnline and follow the instructions.
As far as prayer requests being so big, it’s more a question of our faith than anything. Abraham believed God and God counted it for righteousness. It’s a question of do you say amen to God? Do you believe what He says He is? Do you believe He is who He says He is? That belief is what He wants. The fact that you fast or don’t fast is not going to have an impact on God. If anything, it may change you. It will get you to a point where you’re more spiritually in tune with God.
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