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Text Box: follow Him. To me that sounds like something very difficult to do. In Matt 10:16 the Lord Jesus said to His disciples that He was sending them out as sheep amongst the wolves. He warned them to be cautious of men because they would deliver them up to councils and scourge them in their synagogues. According to Jesus His followers would be hated by everyone because of His name. As a result of that He also found it necessary to say that we should not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul. In contrast with those words of the Lord Jesus we as His children are busy complaining about all the injustice we have suffered and the damage done to us by others. To continue on p 2

Text Box: Dear Kérugma Supporter, During a recent conversation with a young man I was reminded again of the words of Paul to Timothy. The young man spoke to a friend of his about what Christianity meant in every day life. This friend of his was certain that he was a Christian and that his way to heaven was open because he had had a definite experience where he had an encounter with God. Yet there was no sign of the fruit of the Spirit in his life. According to 1Timothy 3:1-5 this is a tendency of the last days. Many people who go to church regularly, read their Bibles and can even testify of a conversion experience cannot say honestly that overcoming sin is a daily occurrence. Relationships are troubled and sins like uncleanness, a bad temper, irritability, etc are the norm.

Text Box: What is the problem? According to Paul’s letter to Timothy the biggest problem of our time is that people are lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God. Jesus said that whoever wanted to follow Him should deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). This means that once I ask the Lord to forgive my sins and put my life under His authority, I may never again make decisions according to what is comfortable, convenient or enjoyable for me. My decisions must be made depending on the will of my Heavenly Father. Would my Heavenly Father expect me to do something that I do not enjoy? In Matt 19:21 Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything he had, to give the money to the poor and

Text Box: Roger is an international speaker on a variety of topics. As a scientist he addresses the topic Creation/Evolution with authority.

Text Box: His ministry is known as UNDERSTAND THE TIMES and his aim is to give perspective to believers concerning what has happened in the past, what is currently happening in the world and what will happen in the future.

Text Box: To learn more about his ministry you can visit his website at www.understandthetimes.org Ask us at Kérugma Productions for a full catalogue.

The Wiles of the Devil: End Time Deception in the World and the Church. R100
The Truth on Origins: Answer your questions on Origins based on the Facts. A set of 4 DVDs R350
The Emerging Church: Revival or Last Days Apostasy? R100
The New Wine and the Babylonian Vine: The Current global ecumenical Movement in the light of Bible Prophecy. R100
Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization. R100

Text Box: But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power … 2 Tim. 3:1-5

February 2007

Volume 9:1

Text Box: Important News A few years ago we made a video of a tabernacle like the one Moses built in the desert as a meeting place for the Israelites with God. At a later stage we filmed a whole series which did not only show what everything looked like inside the tabernacle but also what the spiritual implications were for us. We filmed that at the tabernacle built by Dr Randall Smith near Jericho. At that stage we never thought a day would arrive for the tabernacle to be broken down. Yet that day has dawned because of the political instability in Israel. All that has been left behind is the visual footage we filmed there. This series has almost been completely edited. The first DVD out of four is already available and the rest will, Lord willing, be available soon. Other important news is that the Lord strongly impressed on our hearts to film a tour by Dr Randall Smith in Israel from 22 February to 8 March. Amongst the subjects he will be teaching, are the characteristics of the disciples, the various conflict situations that existed at the time of Jesus’ ministry as well as the fight between David and Goliath, the life of Moses, etc. Because the situation in Israel changes daily, we do not know if there will be another opportunity to do this. As a result of this we ask you as children of the Lord to pray for us earnestly for this tour. It happens so easily that a small thing, like a cable in a microphone, breaks. The result is that that which was filmed at the time, cannot be used. Will you not together with us trust the Lord for this undertaking?

Text Box: To cut a long story short, he found himself in a cell with 100 people. There were so many people that you could not lie on your back to sleep. They had to lie on their sides with their feet to the head of the person next to them. If one coughed too much, the others would beat him up. According to Brother Yun the circumstances in that jail were worse than in any jail in China where he had been. Yet he never blamed the Lord for his situation there, but rather accepted that the Lord had specifically sent him there to tell those criminals about deliverance in Christ. That was exactly what he did. He led quite a few people to the Lord and also equipped them to tell others. He writes: “Those were wonderful days filled with God’s presence, and to be honest, I did not even feel that I was in prison.” Are we so mindful of what is of value to the Lord that our own problems disappear as if it never existed? Only then can we be of some worth to the Kingdom of God. We read in 1 Peter 4:1 that those who have suffered in the flesh have ceased to sin, that they no longer should live the rest of their lives for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. Christians who have physically suffered for their faith have thus learnt that nothing on this earth is more important than doing the will of God. For that reason Romans 8:14 says that whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, are children of God.

Text Box: PRAYER REQUESTS 1. That all the equipment will work all the time in Israel. 2. That the weather will work with us. 3. For Dr. Randall Smith that will bring all the messages. 3. For spiritual and physical power for the camera crew . 4. For the necessary finances.

Text Box: A child of God is someone who is sensitive to know what God’s will is for every moment of the day in everything that he or she is doing. He is more concerned that God’s plan is carried out accurately than achieving his own goals. The Christians in China are fruitful, because they have learnt – despite persecution – that to do the will of God is more important than having a good job or acquiring enough to be free from financial worries. Therefore God blesses them, not necessarily with finances, but especially with a consciousness of his presence and love. Is that not worth more than this world can offer?

Text Box: The Kérugma office will only be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 22 February till 8 March.

We find it necessary to go away for weekends to recuperate from the wounds inflicted by others.

Is it not because we are lovers of ourselves rather than lovers of God? In Colossians 3:2 we are warned to think on those things that are above where Christ is. The reason for that is that we have died and the things that are important to people are no longer important to the child of God. What other people think of me, how comfortable I am able to live, my likes and dislikes – all of these are no longer of any importance for the child of God. For that reason any unclean thoughts, covetousness (the longing after any earthly possession), rage (losing your temper), lies, etc do no longer occur in the lives of the children of God according to Colossians. The children of God are humble, gentle (submitting to the Lord), bearing with and forgiving one another (Col. 3:12-23). These characteristics are only found with people who do not love themselves.

Currently the church in China is growing rapidly. What could be the reason for it? The church in China has been cruelly persecuted since 1949. Christians are used to not only being unpopular, but also to possibly being caught, thrown into jail and tortured cruelly. Yet they do not see this torturing as being a sign that their Heavenly Father forsook them. No, they rather use it as an opportunity to witness to other people in jail. The well-known Chinese house-church leader, Brother Yun, records in his amazing story, The Heavenly Man, how he was unfairly thrown into jail in Myanmar after escaping from China. He was wrongly accused of being part of a group that was opposing the government at that stage.