Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books.

Satan falls like lightening …..

Luke 10 v 20: However do not rejoice that the spirit submits to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.

The seventy disciples return from their missionary trip with wonder and joy. “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” After the Holy Spirit is given at Pentecost and after the ascension of our Lord, this great power and victory of Christ would bring a crescendo of joy to the church worldwide. The significance of Christ’s ascension would mean that amongst other things, “angels and authorities and powers were made subject to Him” – 1 Peter 3 v 22. Read Paul’s great words in Ephesians 1 v 20 – 22

These early victories over the devil pointed forward to the final victory which the Lord Jesus Christ would win on the cross.

As Christians, we still need to wage war against spiritual forces on a daily basis.  We also need to contend against the wiles of the devil, but the outcome is settled. And Jesus expresses it, the way he does in this text – Satan fell from Heaven.

How wonderful that Jesus should give assurance of victory to his disciples before the dreadful events of his suffering and death. But there are still many trials ahead for those who follow him.

The secret of joy is not that we overcome all enemies, but that we are saved. Our names are written above. If we were not sure of this great fact, we would not be able to rejoice at all.

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 A devotion by Trevor Bradley

A family and the world is shattered when it sees the beheading of a young man on TV …… A young man’s wife, whom I briefly met, is taken from him through a tumor on the brain at 33 years of age. Where to from here?

Listen to the line of a song by one of my favorite gospel groups, 4 HIM:
‘WHEN YOU’RE UNDERNEATH THE WEATHER, JESUS IS A SHELTER IN THE RAIN/STORM’

I quote Isaiah 61 vs 1-3 and pray at the same time that this will be the portion today of those closest and those needing HIS help.

“I have come to bind up the broken hearted ( there’s nothing harder to deal with to than a heart shattered. HE has promised to bind it up). To give those who mourn a garland instead of ashes(for even though you cannot see it now, from these ashes I will make beauty to rise), the oil of gladness instead of mourning( whenever oil is mentioned in the word it has to do with the Holy Spirit. So my Spirit will come upon you and from within you, it will astound you, joy will arise), and a mantle of praise for the spirit of fainting (Nehemiah 8 vs 10 ‘ The joy of the Lord is our/my STRENGTH.’…..I WILL cover you with my strength).

Notice the first few words of Isaiah 61- “I HAVE COME”.  It will, and can never be, anything of our own doing. For it is impossible for us to do. But HE IS ABLE. HE IS HERE. HE WILL DO AS HIS WORD PROMISES.

So where to from here? Let’s follow the words of 4HIM and run to that shelter which is Jesus Christ, there to find a haven in the shadow of HIS wings, until the storm passes.

Grace to you today in abundance. For whatever the storm, HE IS A SHELTER.

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Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books.

 Never say no!

Luke 10 verses 8-12. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you. But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: ‘The kingdom of God is near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.”

Jesus sent out seventy two other disciples to go ahead of him and prepare the various towns for his visit en route to Jerusalem. They were to call on people to repent and enter the Kingdom of God. Like many people today, who have squandered their gospel opportunities, they would never be able to say that they had no opportunity to be saved.

In verses 13 and 14 Jesus seems overwhelmed at the thought that some cities who had witnessed his mighty works had never taken the opportunity to repent. There are only two final destinations. The world is full of opportunities to hear the Gospel and to turn to Christ. But just as final salvation is a possibility for people, so is everlasting destruction – eternal hell. There is only one heaven and whoever gets there must get there through faith in Christ. Rejection of the messengers Christ sends into the world is tantamount to rejection of Christ himself. Thus the cities mentioned in verses 13 and 14 have woes pronounced upon them, by Jesus. The words are full of sadness.

How careful we should be with every opportunity we have to hear God’s Word and to respond to it.  How unspeakably sad for those who hear but don’t care ……

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Candice is a busy wife to Matt and mom of Noah (5) and Tyler (3 going on 21). Candice also works part-time at our Rosebank Store of Christian Book Discounters. In her spare time Candice writes for her own blog and is a travel consultant.

It’s tragic sometimes ~ only when people go, do you realise how much they meant. That’s a really sad thought. But it happened to me today.

Today I found out that the doctor who delivered both my babies had passed away. I struggled with this when I found out. I cried for what she had been to me and really, we only ever had conversations during mandatory ultrasounds and pregnancy check-ups but I’ll always have her close for what she meant to me from 13 March 2009.

I knew I was pregnant and I was one of four people on the planet who knew my secret. I had no idea where I would have my baby. I had no idea where to book myself in for an ultrasound and check-up. I had no idea I was supposed to be taking vitamins! I didn’t even know how far along I was exactly ~ I just knew I was pregnant. From there, I was walking into the unknown.

I couldn’t even summon up the courage to make the appointment. Having to deal with being pregnant, and everything that’s attached to being a “church girl”, unmarried and pregnant, having to make an appointment just meant facing another mountain. It meant that it was real. Until then, I had nothing to confirm that inside me, my Noah was being formed and shaped. I couldn’t see him from the outside so at times when I wanted to ignore the reality of what was actually happening to me and the massive amount of drama I was about to cause for everyone in my life, I could tune out. Making an appointment meant admitting my shortfall. It meant facing the consequence of my actions and accepting my plunge into motherhood.

The only stipulation I made was that I wanted it to be a female doctor. Matt called the switchboard at the hospital closest to us. (Bless his heart, he’s always been the one to step up when I just couldn’t fathom it. Love him.) He asked if he could make an appointment with one of the doctors for a pre-natal check-up. The lady on the switchboard said that she didn’t think we would get an appointment for at least a month but she put us through anyway. On the other side of the phone, the receptionist told us that she had a cancellation for 13 March and she could fit us in. We booked and I had two weeks to prepare myself.

It’s here that looking back, I begin to see God’s hand guiding me when I felt He was the furthest away. I had pushed Him so far out of my life, I didn’t even think He cared because I’d failed Him so greatly. I landed a doctor, RANDOMLY or not so randomly, who loved Jesus. Out of all the doctors in the hospital, I got her.

On 13 March 2009, my first real ante-natal scan and check-up, I met this lady who was the first person to tell me, to my face, that God doesn’t make mistakes. Every single birth is miraculous. Every baby is a blessing. She didn’t know my story (she never did know my story, I never got to tell her) and she didn’t know what I was walking through BUT she was a voice of calm in my life. She was my voice of reassurance. I think it was my eight month check-up, I was walking out and she gave me a hug, held me at arm’s length and said to me “I just wanted to tell you that I see you. And more than I see you, Jesus sees you. Noah is coming, and you can’t do anything about that (she always was really straight forward! HA HA) but we’re a team. I might deliver him to you on this earth, but Noah really is a delivery from the Saviour. God chose you to be his mother, not for any other time, but for right now. Never forget that.”  That changed my life.

Thank you for being one of the many miracles on my journey. Thank you for never asking me any questions but listening to your heart, offering me words and shoulders and hugs when you could feel I was wilting. Considering the timing of our meeting and the role you played in my life I never doubt how intimately Jesus is involved in my life. Even today.

Me:  A guilt-ridden, shame-soaked girl, struggling to keep her head up.

You:  A messenger from my Father, sent to intercept my life for His divine purpose at a time when I felt like I didn’t really matter, to anyone. You’re the reason that I began to realise that it’s not about how I see myself, but more about how Jesus sees me.

Never doubt the people who cross your path ~ some of them might just give you reason to believe that Jesus sees you and is there, camping with you in the trenches of your life when you think He’s left you to fight it out on your own.

Here’s to you, Dr Jean Sharpe ~ captain of my encouragement team.

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Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books.

Jesus and the Money Man …..

Luke 5 v 31. “Jesus answered them: ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

At the beginning of the chapter Peter is called by Jesus from his fishing boat. Now Levi is called from his tax collectors’ tables. Jesus’ recruits do not really match up to smart company. For at least three reasons Levi is an unlikely choice as a disciple. First, he worked for the despised Roman imperialists, second, he belonged to a class of people reckoned to be extortionists and fraudulent and, third, as tax collectors they were in contact with Gentiles which made them ceremonially unclean. Thus they were regarded socially as belonging to the lowest class, akin with prostitutes and other social outcasts.When Levi met Jesus, how did he respond? He exercised a love and concern for all his former fellow sinners and threw a large dinner party at which all his former colleagues could meet Jesus and hear him preach.Here is something we can learn. Of course evangelistic dinners are not new to us but it is refreshing to see the spontaneity with which Levi did this.But not all were impressed; the Pharisees and the teachers of the law criticized Jesus for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners (4 v 30) Jesus’ answer quoted above is priceless. If doctors never visited the sick for fear of contamination how would they ever be healed?By the same token if preachers only preached to the converted, how would sinners ever hear the good news?

But behind Jesus’ answer was a deeper barb. Did the Pharisees and teachers of the law not see themselves as sinners? Probably not, but they were in the same need of a Saviour as the people they despised. But the tax collectors and prostitutes and other sinners knew they were sinners. They knew they needed a Saviour. They knew they were in need of forgiveness. But who would be the Saviour and forgive them? The answer is of course, Jesus Christ.

Those who never see themselves in need of God’s forgiveness, live on in pride and pay a bitter price in the end.

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