Tabla de contenidos para April 2024 en JOY! Magazine

Gratitude is a thread that weaves together moments of joy, trials, and triumphs. It is a powerful force that, when cultivated, transforms our perspective and deepens our connection with God. No matter who we are, and in whatever circumstance we may find ourselves, we all have something to be grateful for. This month, I invite you to join me on a journey – the power of gratitude challenge. The challenge announcement Embark on a month-long exploration of gratitude as we challenge ourselves to keep a daily gratitude journal. This journal could be physical, or it can be a digital collection on your social media. The simple act of pausing each day to reflect on our blessings can be a profound catalyst for spiritual growth. By focusing on gratitude, we open…

Jesus, I believe that You died on the Cross for me. There You were wounded for my transgressions, You were bruised for my iniquities; and the punishment for my peace was upon You. I have been like a lost sheep, I have turned to my own way, but I believe that God laid my iniquity upon You. You died for me. Then You rose from the dead, You ascended into Heaven, and are now seated on Your throne as Lord of all. Jesus, forgive me. I now turn away from my sin and put my trust in You. Fill me with Your Spirit, cleanse me, and take me as Your own. AMEN XHOSA Yesu, ndiyakholwa ukuba wandifela emnqamlezweni. Apho walinyazwa ngenxa yeziphoso zam, Walinyazwa ngenxa yobubi bam, ubetho loxolelo lwam…

Quick facts: • Only 0,8% of the population are professing Christians. • Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. • Japan is one of the least reached countries in the world. • Religious radio stations are not permitted in Japan. • Niijima J (Joseph Hardy Neesima) was the rst native-born Christian minister (1874). He founded Doshisha University è still one of Japan’s most in uential Christian universities. • In 1883, Protestants reported 130 churches, 70 educational institutions, and 5000 members. Footprint of Christianity Christianity reached Japan in 1549 with the arrival of Portuguese missionary Francis Xavier. By 1595 there were ± 300 000 Japanese Christians. However, ruler Hideyoshi expelled all Christian missionaries and persecution followed. In 1597, 26 Christians (aged 12-64) were crucified in Nagasaki. By…

NEWS Last month we received the bittersweet news that judges John Hlophe and Nkola Motata became the first two judges in the history of post-democratic South Africa to be recommended by the National Assembly for impeachment. Impeachment essentially allows for legal charges to be brought against government officials. The Constitution allows for the removal of a judge where the Judicial Service Commission has found, by way of a tribunal inquiry, that the judge suffers from incapacity, or is guilty of gross misconduct, and/or is grossly incompetent. Gross misconduct Hlophe’s case started in 2008, when nine justices of the Constitutional Court laid a complaint, accusing him of attempting to influence justices Chris Jafta and Bess Nkabinde in a case involving former President Jacob Zuma. Motata’s case started in 2007 after he…

Q How do you maintain a balance between the spiritual and practical aspects of ministry? I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ came primarily to save the lost and heal the sick. On one of my missionary trips, I was in a village in Karamoja, a very, very wild area of northern Uganda. It was a big village and the chief allowed me to minister, but they wouldn’t come near me. They sat on the periphery holding their spears and shields. It was a three-day meeting and they watched me closely. On the second day, a young girl suffering from epilepsy was brought to me. I laid my hands on her in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, prayed the prayer of faith, and anointed her with oil. The…

Email your questions to: info@joymag.co.za Can you please tell me why some people get healed and some don’t? Is it because of their lack of faith? When Jesus healed several people in Capernaum, including Peter’s mother-in-law, the scriptures comment that this was to demonstrate the truth that He bore our sins and our sicknesses (Matt 8:14-17). Healing is the believer’s heritage. The scriptures do share some reasons for people not being healed. Included are lack of faith, wrong teaching, unforgiven sin, unforgiveness, and neglecting and breaking health laws. The sovereignty of God is an important consideration too (for example, Elisha in 2 Kings 13:14,21). He may have a higher purpose and faith or lack of faith on the part of the believer has nothing to do with it. We have…

I am so glad that you are giving us this opportunity to show our appreciation for our pastors! I would like to thank the Lord for pastor Mike Rumble, the man who led our whole family to the Lord 42 years ago. I was a 13-year-old teenager at the time, and this man’s love for Jesus and his fellow human being is what drew me to the Lord. A true shepherd Pastor Mike is a true shepherd at heart and showed up at our house constantly to shower us with God’s love and to answer all our eager questions about the Bible and God. My parents were so hungry for information about the Holy Spirit that many a night they kept pastor Mike up until the early hours of the…

A video of Shaun Christie, the student who took a bold stand at an orientation session at the North-West University (NWU), has gone viral. “I’m saying what everyone is too afraid to say...” Shaun, the final year law student, said in the video. “If we do not stand now, we will have nothing to stand for in the future.” Vast majority of students walked out Christie objected that first year students were “compelled to sit and listen to beliefs being forced upon them during their orientation programme”. Shortly after, the vast majority of the students walked out in solidarity with Christie (to loud jeering from those who stayed behind). What was his objection? According to AfriForum Youth, Christie is said to have openly objected to the content that was discussed…

Have you ever been slandered, cheated, or in some way abused by someone? What should be your Christian response to such treatment? This month’s parable addresses this precise matter. Hyperbolic debt Jesus’ parable is about a servant who owes a king an enormous debt of 10 000 talents. The talent was the largest unit of currency in that day, equivalent to about a month’s wages, and 10 000 was the largest Greek numeral. That is tantamount to owing over 800 years of wages! Yet, the king forgives the servant his debt. The exaggerated debt serves as a necessary contrast to the insignificant debt the servant is owed by another servant, a paltry 100 denarii. Yet, the unforgiving servant physically accosts his fellow servant and even has him thrown into prison…

BOOK REVIEW “I have resolved to focus my ministry on restoring godly fatherhood. That’s my calling. Dysfunctional fathering is the root problem and godly fathering is the solution. It’s as simple as that.” In the first chapters of Ecclesiastes Solomon aptly described ungodly, worldly existence that is, “life under the sun,” as “meaningless, vanity, a chasing after the wind.” Fathering “under the sun” has been on a downward spiral ever since the fall of Adam, our first father. Fatherlessness, the personal wounds it causes, and the resulting societal ills, make the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the late 20th century and the recent global coronavirus scourge look like child’s play. Unless intentional fathering is being aggressively taught and demonstrated, and the “hearts of the fathers turn towards their children and the…

BOOK EXTRACT There are things in life that do not change – such as the sunrise and sunset – but everything else is bound to change. Our duty is not to stop the change, but to adapt to it with all the challenges and opportunities it brings. Things will not remain the same forever: times change, people change, trends change, technology changes, and we also change. New problems, new solutions The problems we face as a nation today cannot be resolved with the same attitude and mindset that created them. The human race is relatively new to the scheme of things in creation, over 6000 years of existence have taught us a lot of things. From being cavemen to being so industrialised, we have grown in leaps and bounds and…

We were in northern Uganda, hundreds of kilometres from Kampala, as we walked into a village marketplace. It was quite a large village and there were a lot of people milling around. We built a small platform out of sand and that is where I preached from. There was a bar close by and some young men drinking beer started heckling me. I’m used to that kind of environment, so I kept preaching. After praying with those who wanted to receive Christ, I said we were going to pray for the sick. In our ministry, we believe in laying hands on the sick and anointing them with oil in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I moved among the people, anointing them with oil, laying hands on them, and…

MEDIA MINISTRY FEBA Indonesia works relentlessly to spread the Good News across Indonesia. One of their listeners shares this testimony: “After receiving a shortwave radio from you, I began listening to your programme regularly. Your messages touched my heart and I decided to follow the Lord.” “In the eyes of foreigners, Indonesian people are really kind and accept a lot of things,” says FEBA Indonesia’s director, Yoke Pribadi. “Most people here don’t know who their Saviour is. Through FEBA Indonesia, I believe God will use me to spread the Word and give me an opportunity to be involved in His work.” Challenges lead to opportunities Indonesia, known for its tropical beauty and friendly people, poses a great challenge for Christian evangelists in geographical, linguistic, and religious terms. It has 17…

The last few generations have experienced some history-defining moments. September 11, 2001, two planes flew into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre, New York. March 26, 2020, South Africa went into hard lockdown; Covid-19 had arrived. These moments brought fear and hopelessness, changing our lives. We experienced a “new normal”. The greatest event We are about to celebrate the greatest historical event that ever happened. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”– Romans 5:6-8, NLT “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”– 1 Peter 1:3 Our future secured This Passover season…

Short testimony Facing the disappointment of no holiday plans for December 2023 due to my husband’s work commitments, a heartfelt prayer opened the door to unexpected blessings. A week before the holidays, I prayed, “Father, could You please provide our family with time and money for this holiday?” Unexpectedly, my husband was granted leave and one of my clients paid in advance. Each piece fell into place miraculously. Accommodation was secured in Cape St. Francis, even at such short notice! Not room for a mouse But a new problem arose – the prospect of spending Christmas eve alone in an empty house because my youngest brother and his family (where we would be staying from the 24th of December) had already made arrangements to celebrate that evening elsewhere. We invited…

Several times in the Bible God spoke through clear signs, for example the plagues and the writing on the wall. However, it is not only in the Bible that God speaks so clearly. American author and Messianic Jewish pastor, Jonathan Cahn, points to two signs that have recently communicated messages from God. PROPHETIC WARNING TO POPE FRANCIS? For Roman Catholics, the pope represents the office of the Apostle Peter. The pope recently issued a decree that the Roman Catholic Church may “bless” same-sex couples. This is unheard of in the history of the Roman church and Western Christianity. Soon after, St Peter’s statue was struck with lightning, damaging it significantly. Did God send a message through a statue? It wouldn’t be the first time. When the Philistines placed the ark…

The ANC regime attempted to win the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in January but lost to Morocco by a wide margin. The SA government wanted the position to conceal the atrocities of its tyrannical allies like China, Cuba, and Iran while advancing its ideological agenda under the guise of “human rights”. ALWAYS CHOOSING THE WRONG SIDES In June 2015, the SA government aided the escape of Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was wanted for well-documented crimes of genocide in Sudan. It refused to arrest Bashir in defiance of two International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants of arrest. Reviewing diplomatic relationships A US congressman has called for a review of US relations with SA as a result of its ties with Russia, China, and Hamas. The ANC…

THEOLOGY Catechesis is the activity of teaching and making disciples. It happens when the catechist (teacher) catechises (teaches) the catechumen (students) using a catechism (textbook). Teaching the Bible has been part of the Christian Church for centuries. Jesus instructed His followers to make disciples, teaching them to observe all He commanded them (Matt 28:19). Catechesis is the activity of teaching and making disciples. Teaching the Bible It happens when the catechist (teacher) catechises (teaches) the catechumen (students) using a catechism (textbook). These words may sound strange at first, but they all come from the Greek word kategeo, which means “to sound down into the ears”. It shows up eight times in the Greek New Testament. Each time, it describes the Bible training believers received. It is not surprising, therefore, that…

OPINION The harrowing effects of replacement theology Encountering our own ignorance can be a transformative journey, requiring courage and vulnerability. As a Christian with a deep love for Israel, I found myself delving into church history amid the recent surge in anti-Semitism. This exploration aimed to understand the presence of Jewish atheists in academia, some of whom seemingly harbour anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiments. Facing scrutiny for beliefs Regrettably, I had neglected to contemplate the stark reality that the Holocaust’s six million Jewish victims faced their fate in Christian Europe. Sleepless nights prompted reflection on how followers of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, allowed such evil. Questions lingered about the failure of many Protestant and Catholic churches during that dark period, leaving the responsibility to individuals like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin…

The arrival of our newborn bundle of joy has sparked a time of deep reflection in my life, particularly my choices. Being a 47-year-old “new” father comes with its own set of challenges. Getting out of bed for our crying baby isn’t always as smooth as I had pictured. Walking with the pram, making an effort while he’s awake, and keeping him away from screen time are daily choices that I have to intentionally make. Love and hate During a recent moment of reflection, I stumbled upon an intriguing post that emphasised the importance of choices. I found great inspiration in contemplating these words that have the same number of letters yet have opposite meanings. It underscored the choices we encounter each day. Consider, for instance, the word “hate”, loaded…

EVANGELISM Christ for all Nations (CfaN), the mass evangelism ministry founded by the late Reinhard Bonnke and now led by Evangelist Daniel Kolenda, is celebrating 50 years of sharing the Gospel in Africa, documenting over 90 million decisions for Christ. This astonishing feat is testament to the ministry’s dedication, passion, and obedience to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. To celebrate this phenomenal milestone, CfaN recently hosted a fundraising banquet in Cape Town, flying in team members from across the world. Attendees were inspired after hearing directly from Daniel as he shared powerful ministry memories over the years, as well as the ministry’s vision for this next decade. 50 campaigns in one year To celebrate this remarkable anniversary, CfaN will be pushing harder than ever before, conducting 50 Gospel campaigns this year!…