Hope for South Africa!
By Editorial Staff
Published December 2007
By Bill Bennot
There is a great need today for the bold and courageous – those who will not succumb to the whirlwind of hopelessness that runs rampant in the nations. South Africa is saturated with the cynics and doubters and doomsday prophets. Anyone can be a critic but it takes faith and determination to set a course of hope. We can’t run from or ignore the huge dilemma facing our nation.
While many are paralyzed by the intimidating threats of our national Goliath there are still those among us, who like David, will run to the battle line. David only looked at the problem long enough to take aim. The problem never even overwhelmed him because he measured the problem against the greatness of his God. In fact, it was God alone who added greatness to the formula of David’s life.
Great acts of love and faith, that this nation so desperately needs, will not flow out of those the world expects as great. True greatness will infiltrate this nation through the yielded hearts of young men and women who will dare to do the will of God anywhere. God will never allow this nation to be healed by the power-hungry bureaucrats that seek glory from men. The healers will be the humble, the peacemaker, the compassionate, the courageous and the selfless. Through men and women of this character God alone will get the glory that is rightfully due Him.
If there was ever a time for Christians to be in tune with what the Holy Spirit is doing, now is the time. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Romans 8:1). Paul went on to say that creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. That revealing has the power to set South Africa free from the corruption that has plagued it in the socio-political and economic arenas. The Church, equipped with the whole gospel and immersed in the Holy Spirit is the salt that preserves a nation.
Christians can no longer present a truncated gospel that prepares people for heaven while leaving them totally unprepared for life in the here and now. It was said of the sons of Issachar that they understood the times with the knowledge of what Israel should do. The Holy Spirit is breathing a fresh understanding of the times into the heart of the Church. It is not a time for retreat but for advance. In the midst of much perplexity, Christians are being equipped with the knowledge of what to do. I encourage you to pray for South Africa, that God may use His Church to bring healing to our nation.
Bill Bennot is the editor of The Forerunner: Preparing the New South African and pastor of His People Church in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Forerunner - Home » The Forerunner Newspaper » World Events
Your comments are welcome!
Dr. Francis Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto (DVD)
That Swiss Hermit Strikes Again!
Dr. Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the twentieth century, shows that secular humanism has displaced the Judeo-Christian consensus that once defined our nation’s moral boundaries. Law, education, and medicine have all been reshaped for the worse as a consequence. America’s dominant worldview changed, Schaeffer charges, when Christians weren’t looking.
Schaeffer lists two reasons for evangelical indifference: a false concept of spirituality and fear. He calls on believers to stand against the tyranny and moral chaos that come when humanism reigns-and warns that believers may, at some point, be forced to make the hard choice between obeying God or Caesar. A Christian Manifesto is a thought-provoking and bracing Christian analysis of American culture and the obligation Christians have to engage the culture with the claims of Christ.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
The Beast of Revelation: Identified (DVD)
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation?
Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry’s insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation — and even more importantly — amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview!
Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue — but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today.
Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study — for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John’s famous letter “… to the seven churches which are in Asia.” (Revelation 1:4)
Running Time: 145 minutes
$17.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Martin Luther (DVD) 1953 Classic
Niall MacGinnis – Digitally Remastered
The dramatic classic film of Martin Luther’s life was released in theaters worldwide in the 1950s and was nominated for two Oscars. A magnificent depiction of Luther and the forces at work in the surrounding society that resulted in his historic reforming efforts, this film traces Luther’s life from a guilt-burdened monk to his eventual break with the Roman Catholic Church.
In spite of its age, this film continues to be a popular resource to introduce Luther’s life. This historical epic captures the life and times of the greatest figure of the Protestant Reformation with depth and clarity, while giving a glimpse at the private man in the eye of the storm. Luther’s protest against the established order of the Church gave birth to one of the largest religious and cultural movements history and serves as a prime example of how one man’s spiritual convictions can change the course of human events.
Running Time: 105 minutes
$9.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (DVD)
Download the Free on-line Study Guide!
Just what is Calvinism?
Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology?
This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer.
Running Time: 257 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
Click here for more information
The Real Jesus: A Defense of the Historicity and Divinity of Christ (DVD)
Who is the Real Jesus?
Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the “historical Jesus” — a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin.
Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regrettably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
The Real Jesus explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views. Presented in ten parts — perfect for individual, family and classroom study — viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history — “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus.
Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg.
Ten parts, over two hours of instruction!
Running Time: 130 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
