2016 Edition 1
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NEWS
FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP
ISSN-1018-151x
P ERSEVERANCE in M ISSIONS
Going On is a fascinating sequel to Going Through – Even if the Door is Closed. Veteran Missionary Rev. Bill Bathman takes us on an unforgettable journey across four continents during the tumultuous events of the Cold War. Starting with the Rhodesian War in 1977, Going On presents us with behind the scenes interviews with remarkable people, in extraordinary times. Revolutions in Central America. Repression in Red China.
Resistance to communism in Eastern Europe and Africa. Revival in Zululand. Revival amidst persecution in Sudan. Fervent faith under fire in the war zones of Africa. Triumph amidst tragedies and tremendous testimonies of God’s grace, provision, protection and guidance. If you want to understand the turbulent times of the Cold War and the rise of Islamic terrorism threatening Faith and freedom today, Going On will take you behind the lines and beyond the news headlines to
what has really been happening in these conflict and restricted access areas.
At the Battlefront in South Sudan
Youth Conference at KwaSizabantu Mission
Rev. Erlo Stegen of KwaSizabantu Mission writes in the Introduction to Going On: “This book is well worth reading slowly. Do not flip through it for it contains many precious points that will be a help to anyone who wants to seriously follow the Lord and be able to say at the end of his life, ‘I am
Bill Bathman is also a Pilot and loves flying
Training Teachers going on…’ Bill’s many decades of service to the Lord teaches many lessons for all those who desire to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. Bill Bathman has ministered over many years here at KwaSizabantu Mission…at the mission school, college, radio station, and Youth Conferences. He was a favourite preacher with the young people, able to captivate them with his vivid stories and powerful Biblical messages. May this book be a blessing to many people, so that the Word of God can spread amongst all nations, to bring about a genuine Holy Ghost wrought Revival from above.”
Rev. Kjell Olsen writes in the Foreword: “I do hope that this book will reach far and wide for it contains many precious gems that will enrich every reader. Having had the privilege of knowing Bill and Harriett Bathman for almost 3 decades, I have the highest regard for their integrity in life and words. Going On is a record of that integrity over many years. Bill Bathman has a way with words. ‘The stars, like diamonds on an ebony carpet’ is just one of his phenomenal phrases that Bill comes up with. I’ve always known him to be a brilliant wordsmith in his writings and preaching. He is able to come up with crisp, original phrases that you would expect in a poem or best-selling novel.”
Flying into Sudan
Ministering to the Suffering Going On (316 pages and over 150 pictures) is available from Christian Liberty Books. Going On is now also available as an E-Book. (42 chapters, 104,600 words and 123 pictures) Going Through – Even if the Door is Closed is available as an E-Book through Smashwords.com. (50 chapters, 100,690 words with 18 pictures and maps) Hard copies of Going Through can be ordered from Christian Liberty Books. www.ChristianLibertyBooks.co.za Rev. Bill Bathman is the Chairman of the Board of Frontline Fellowship.
Bill Bathman has always enjoyed ministering at KwaSizabantu Mission
MISSION TO ZIMBABWE – Borders, Bribery and Blessings –
Humanism and Self-deception A group of people in Zimbabwe requested our team to speak to them about Humanism and Islam. We informed them about the dangers of these self-destructive worldviews, and showed them how these ideas have infiltrated their country. Some launched into questions about why the West is so immoral, and they seemed to believe that their own country was not guilty of humanism, or of allowing Islam into its midst, building mosques in their communities and persuading parents to sign their children over to them for “education.” Thankfully, although clearly influenced by state propaganda, they were not all so hostile, as one man admitted that he had never considered that there may be an agenda behind the relief aid and “education” offered to his people by Islam and the UN. Salvation Issues Uncritically defending Humanism is only one small part of Zimbabwe’s problem. Many people who are church goers are not even Saved, nor do they understand the Gospel. At one rural church, I interacted with the congregation in an evangelistic
style. I asked numerous times about how one can be Saved, and was often given a weak or wrong answer. “You have to forgive other people” said one. “You have to pray” said another. I took the opportunity to share about the way of Salvation by God’s Grace through faith in Christ’s Atonement with this church. Prophetic salvation We took some time to walk through a rural village where I bumped into a lady from an “apostolic” church. As I spoke with her, I asked what her church taught about salvation. She said that “the prophets have spirits and through prophecy they can take any problems you have away”. Hesitant to Believe Another man I spoke to was interested in Christianity, but he had many arguments and excuses as to why he could not believe in it. I asked him if his reason for denying God could be that he loved his sins. He said “yes, very much”. He told me that he enjoys beer, and he has six girlfriends whom he had been committing adultery with. He said that “I like it very much”. I warned
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him that if that was the true reason he was staying away from God, he should repent of his sin. We clearly laid the Gospel message out for him, so that he could not have an excuse for his rebellion and unbelief. Pray for Zimbabwe Pray that God will continue to raise up firm Gospel preachers who will show Zimbabweans the Way of Truth. Pray that God will destroy the evil works of the ruling political party and grant people discernment to see the tyrannical reign of Robert Mugabe for what it is – ungodly, corrupt, brutal, and satanic. Pray that people humble themselves, seek God’s face, and turn from their wicked ways so that their land will be healed. Finally, thank God for the pastors and preachers who know the way of righteousness and are proclaiming it to others. Ask God to strengthen them and give them boldness to face the strong opposition which regularly comes their way. “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your Name.” Psalm 86:9 Rev. John Clifford
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MISSION TO ZAMBIA
Police, Preachers and Perseverance
Corruption at the Border Crossing border posts prove to be testing when we find ourselves facing the corruption of men. During one of these crossings, an individual “from Interpol” asked us to produce documents which did not exist. I knew that all he wanted was a bribe, but I refused until he let me go. A
similar instance took place at another border. However, the person who was meant to be Interpol did not have so much as a badge! He had liar written all over his face. He didn’t even know where to look for the chassis number or engine number when he performed his “vehicle inspection”. But what could I do? The border guards seemed to be in on this scam as well. I calmed down and patiently started to speak to them about the Gospel. I told the men that I was a preacher, coming to minister to the people of their country. I had books and Bibles which would benefit their countrymen greatly. This seemed to soften their hearts, and they suddenly told me that the paperwork which I had was sufficient, and I could go through.
the darkness. I gave a challenge to anyone who wanted to call upon the Name of the Lord despite so many walking away. I said that this commitment might cause people to walk away from them. About 30 - 40 people came out of the darkness and made a public proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ. We should not allow apparent opposition, or lack of response, to prevent us from faithfully proclaiming God’s Word and calling people to faith, repentance and obedience to God. Pastors Under Pressure Because of rampant abuses within many new religious movements, the Zambian government is potentially requiring all pastors to undergo theological training. While this may be seen as positive, requiring pastors to educate themselves, there is a very real danger when any government interferes with religious freedom. This opens the door to future worse abuses of state controlled churches. However, this is to be expected when leaders are not faithfully speaking out against abuses within the Church. Vital doctrines such as the priesthood of all believers and the Person and work of Jesus Christ have been lost, allowing false teachers to place themselves as intermediaries between man and God. New Resources Just in time for this mission, new resources were made ready for distribition. A passionate project I was involved with was the Biblical Preaching Handbook which we finalised just days before our departure. Dr. Hammond’s latest books included, Old
Jesus Film Outreach Our ministry continued in a rural area with a Jesus Film outreach. I preached after the film, but as soon as I stood up to preach, everybody started to walk away. At one point I considered stopping, but I proclaimed the Gospel anyway as most of the people seemed to have walked into
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FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP NEWS 2016
Testament Survey and Biblical Faith & Modern Counterfeits. We also distributed The Greatest Century of Missions and Putting Feet to Your Faith which were recently revised, updated, and reprinted.
Pray for Zambia There are a number of least-reached people’s groups in Zambia including Gujarati, Swahili, and Yao Muslims. Pray that the church would take up the challenge to reach these people for Christ. This year is an election year, and political pressure on pastors is intensifying. Zambia needs faithful Christian leaders. Pray that God will rise up community leaders and church elders to speak out against social evils and lead by godly example. We had many opportunities to preach the Gospel during this Mission. Please pray that those who heard the truth with readiness will be established in the Faith. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” 1 Timothy 2:5 Rev. John Clifford
BOTSWANA MISSION – Be Reconciled to God –
Mission to Botswana The Tswana were the first Bantu people in Africa to respond to the Gospel, and the first Southern African people group to receive a complete Bible in their own language through the ministry of Robert Moffat. Unfortunately, today, the situation in the church is that most Christians are nominal. There are very few who take evangelism and discipleship seriously, even less so world missions.
I am Not Ashamed of the Gospel Because of the need for the church to wake up and preach the Gospel, it was only fitting that we held a Great Commission Seminar. We presented lectures on Full Salvation and the need to share the Way of Salvation through Jesus Christ. After the first two lectures, a woman came up to us and said that she was very convicted by the messages and “felt like the Scriptures were cutting my heart”. She knew that God was talking to her. Another woman was very grateful for the presentations. She expressed some of the fears and difficulties she was going through in her cross-cultural environment. We encouraged her further to stand firm in the Faith.
Evangelism and Encouragement We stressed the importance of evangelism, and then we took the seminar participants with us for an outreach, just outside of their church. Many people reported on how blessed they were because they went out to share their faith. They were surprised at how enriched they felt. Some confessed how they had not done anything like this, or that it had been incredibly long since the last time they shared their faith. The outreach was followed by powerful testimonies from people who had led some to the Lord and others who had challenging conversations. The people left the service with joyful smiles on their faces. One of the greatest privileges a Christian has is to show a sinner the way of Salvation and lead people to Christ! A Country in Need Unfortunately, there is a serious moral decline in Botswana. Drunkenness and sexual immorality plague this country. Botswana has the second highest AIDS prevalence in the world. Out of the small population of just 2 million people, one hundred thousand orphans are infected with HIV/AIDS. While 65% of the country would claim to be Christian, many are nominal, and most are not evangelistic. Items for Prayer The most obvious and important item for prayer, is that God would revive His Church, that they would take holiness and evangelism seriously. The rampant spread of HIV AIDS and increase of immorality presents an opportunity for the Church to speak out against the very clear sins in the land and to show love in action to the AIDS orphans through mercy ministries. Intercede for the churches who attended our Great Commission Seminar. Ask God to keep speaking to their hearts, calling them to be salt and light. Please pray for the lost
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souls who heard about the Way of Salvation during our outreaches. They must call upon the Name of the Lord to be Saved. They also need to be discipled by effective Christian leaders. Ask God to raise up men and women who will be energised by a vision of the Great Commission.
God Answers Prayer We travelled a total distance of 8600km, passing through over 108 police stops and road blocks in Zimbabwe and Zambia alone! This is far more than our teams have faced in the past. Despite many challenges, we arrived back in Cape Town without any of the team falling sick and without any vehicle breakdowns. We conducted 78 meetings in just one month. Praise God for His faithfulness and Hand of protection over our lives. “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Rev 4:11
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Boxes With Love Boxes with Love have also been prepared for pensioners, prisoners and pastors suffering under communistic dictatorship. This is one of our longest standing Love in Action projects. Since 1982, we have been delivering Boxes with Love to some of the most needy, suffering people in Zimbabwe.
L ITERATURE 4 A FRICA “So shall My Word be - that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 We have already received, offloaded and sorted through six container shipments of Bibles and books this year. Multiple tonnes of Bibles and books have been sent out through chaplains, Evangelists and Missionaries, to Bible Colleges, churches and schools throughout South Africa and across the border far and wide. “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
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Making Disciples – Mobilising Missionaries
Team Work
Problem Solving
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Winning Team
Bushcraft
Just a Minute
Variety Concert
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FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP NEWS 2016
Obstacle Course
Obstacle Course
Variety Concert FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 77725 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA
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Open Air Preaching by Dr. Allen Baker at the Waterfront
Personal Evangelism at the Waterfront
Are You a Good Person?
Mall Evangelism
Preaching the Gospel
Owl Encounter Live on Air
On Top of Table Mountain
Radio Tygerberg
Dragon Boat Racing
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Lion’s Head FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP NEWS 2016
On the Road
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His Name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing Psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy Name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.” 1 Chronicles 16:8-12
Faith. There is a tremendous need for clarification on what Biblical Faith is all about. This new booklet, Biblical Faith & Modern Counterfeits, forms part of our Firm Foundations for Your Faith series, which already include The Apostles Creed and The Authority of Christ and The First Day Sabbath. These booklets are particularly designed for distributing to each participant at our seminars, camps and courses.
New Publications Produced We praise God for a series of vital publications completed and received back from the printers in time for our field teams to deliver throughout South Africa and across the border to donate to Bible Colleges, Missions, churches and Evangelists.
Biblical Faith & Modern Counterfeits There is much talk about faith, but little understanding of what faith is. Too many people think of faith as “a blind leap into the dark” – the very opposite of reason and logic. Others think of faith as wishful thinking, along the line of “wishing upon a star”. It would seem that many people are confusing presumption with
Biblical Preaching Handbook Three of our Missionaries, Rev. John Clifford, Rev. David Frew and Hunter Combs, rose to the challenge to provide a practical handbook for pastors in rural Africa, many of whom have not had the benefit of Bible College training. John, David and Hunter have produced an excellent Biblical Preaching Handbook which deals with Biblical foundations, principles of Hermeneutics and Exegesis, how not to preach, how to preach with power and how to practically prepare Biblically faithful sermons. The first edition of this Biblical Preaching Handbook is being field tested and will be revised in time for our next field outreaches.
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The Greatest Century of Missions Our first edition of The Greatest Century of Missions, first published in 2002, was very successful and received endorsements from Dr. James Kennedy, Dr. George Grant, Patrick Johnstone, and numerous other leaders worldwide. The 6,000 copies of that edition were soon distributed to our field contacts or sold out. SIM requested thousands of copies of this book as part of their youth leaders training kit for East African churches. As a result, as soon as I had completed the editing of Rev. Bill Bathman’s Going On, and our Putting Feet to Your Faith book, needed as a textbook for our Great Commission Camp and Course, Colin and I focused on completely revising, updating and expanding The Greatest Century of Missions. This book now has 220 pages and includes 200 pictures, maps and charts. Numerous schools have used it as a History textbook and English reader, and homeschoolers have integrated it into their curriculum. It is also being requested as a Missions and History textbook in Bible Colleges.
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Testament?” To this Dr. Haus smiled and replied: “No, I mean the whole Bible.” Hands went down throughout the college.
Old Testament Survey Sola Scriptura! was the battle cry of the Reformation. Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. However, while all Christians claim to believe the Bible, few seem to have actually read the whole Bible. Our professor of Old Testament at Baptist Theological College, Dr. Fritz Haus, regularly asked the students how many had actually read the OT book, which we had been focusing on for the semester. Incredibly, only a minority of the students could say that they had actually read the Bible book we were studying! Some commented that they had read the commentary! To this Dr. Haus would reply: “You do not read the cook book and skip the meal!”. On one occasion, Dr. Fritz Haus, asked the assembled college students, of all years, at a Chapel service, how many had read the whole Bible. Some started to put their hands up as one asked: “You mean the New
Reformation Seminar
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Surprisingly few Christians can articulate the central message, or clear distinctives, of each Book of the Bible. We know this, because for over three and a half decades of ministry in the streets, market places and shopping malls, across the continent, where we have engaged in personal one-on-one Evangelism and surveys, it is clear that there is a pervasive ignorance of the Bible. Even at our camps and courses, and at Bible Colleges, we can see from the responses to the Bible Exam that most students, and even a surprising numbers of lecturers, are ignorant of central doctrines of the Scripture and even major events in Redemption History. This Old Testament Survey is the first part of our Bible Survey. It has taken three years of study to produce. The messages summarising each Book of the Old Testament, as presented to Livingstone Fellowship, are now also available in an audio and data MP3 boxset. God willing, in two years we should be able to also offer the New Testament Survey. The Old Testament Survey consists of 288 pages and includes 37 pictures, maps, and chronologies. (The Old Testament Survey Audio and Data MP3 boxset includes 42 audio sermons, over 28hrs of preaching and teaching, and 39 PDF sermon notes. Several Bible Colleges have already been requesting the Old Testament Survey to use as textbooks. May God be pleased to use these new publications to challenge Christians to go back to the Bible, to study every Book of the Bible, to apply the central messages of each Book of the Bible to our daily lives. May God mercifully grant us Biblical Reformation and spiritual Revival. FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP NEWS 2016
New Tracts Available By God’s grace we have produced seven new tracts so far this year, including: The Hard Words of Jesus, How Can I Know That Jesus is the Messiah, Vocation Provides Purpose and Direction, Stamina, The Return of the Judaizers, The Heart and Soul of Karl Marx (also available in Afrikaans) and Risen. These have all been placed on our websites for anyone to download and print, for outreaches in their neighbourhoods. We now have over 60 Evangelistic and Discipleship tracts and leaflets available for download on www.frontline.org.za. “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all…” 1 Chronicles 16:23-25 Thank You We are most grateful for your prayers, encouragement and support, without which none of our ministries would be possible. Thank You for all that you do to enable this Mission in Africa to advance. Dr. Peter Hammond
On the Zambezi River