Greetings in the wonderful and precious Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We trust that this New year will be one of richest blessings on all those who share with us in the ministry of Gospel Outreach and even way beyond this.  May you know not only His peace but the nearness of our God and even if, like other believers we have to pass through ‘the valley of the Baca’ (that is the valley of weeping), we shall nevertheless find that the Lord provides the rains and that we go from strength to strength.  Yes we trust that the rains from heavens will fill our valleys with the blessings of our God. (Psalm 84:5-7).  

THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE:  

With much thankfulness and praise we ‘raise our Ebenezer’ and testify that the Lord has helped us hitherto and we expect Him to be as faithful as ever in the time to come.  The year of 2006 was a most trying and yet blessed one for us at Gospel Outreach.   

Various of our staff members went through deep waters of trouble and sorrow, ill health and financial setbacks but we praise our God that he has brought us through, not somehow but triumphantly.   

We have learned many precious lessons, and were exercised unto a much closer walk with our Lord.  Our faith was challenged more than probably ever before and there were the times that we had to ‘step out on thin air’ but found that underneath was ‘solid rock’.  His timeous and repeated miraculous interventions have at times left us breathless and yet He is continuing to keep us in this most demanding school of faith.  

Various doors of service have opened unto us and so also have many adversaries appeared on the scene, just as Paul discovered.  (I Corinthians 16:9).  

We want to say with the Psalmist: ‘I am as a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge.  Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honour all the day…I will hope continually and will yet praise Thee more and more’. 

(Psalm 71:7,8,14).  

Therefore, in the midst of all these things we stand to worship, praise and adore our God from Whom all blessings flow.  

MANY ADVERSARIES:  

On their journey from Egypt Israel did not encounter the giants until they came to the Promised Land.  If we have to judge by the many ‘giants’ we are encountering, we must assuredly be in the place of blessing or close to its borders.  Satan and his forces, using people, circumstances and various means, certainly straddle our way and will not give way by our polite or even urgent request.  

We have said by repetition and say again that we operate where the ‘seat of Satan is’.  Not only are we situated in the heart of dark cultural practices, ‘muti’ shops and the activities of witchdoctors together with extensive and deeply inculcated cultural practices contrary to the Word of God, but we operate amongst many false teachers.   

Firstly we find these masquerading as servants of the Lord in and around the city, but we also find them in the Church at large and often must stand appalled at what the Church generally speaking, accepts as teachers from God or books and publications to be digested as spiritual food.  False sects operate in the city as also are the iniquitous teachings of the ‘way of Shembe’ as well as the ‘ Universal Church ’.   

However, let us not overlook the very serious threat of Islam and we need to understand that every time we exalt Jesus as Lord, we are in direct opposition to their unscriptural doctrines.  

We know that there is a very definite calling resting upon us and in the midst of all the error and opposition we can humbly say that we are also ‘set for the defense of the Gospel’ (Philippians 1:17).  We do certainly believe that never in the history of the Church has it been so imperative that we ‘earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints’.  (Jude verse 3).  

DISMAY:  

With this word ‘dismay’ we refer to the view of many people concerning the present state in this country relative to crime, immorality and all kinds of violence and improper conduct.  This dismay is not only found amongst people but in the government circles and regrettably also in the Church of God .   

We have noticed that Church leaders are struggling to find out what lies at the root of all the problems and we ourselves are dismayed, not at the existence of the problems but at the fact that the Church does not know what the real cause is in this connection.

The problem lying at the root of it all is simply SIN.  The Church does not need to go anywhere but to the Word of God for the cause of the problem as well as for the wonderful solution that we find in the Gospel of Christ which remains the power of God unto salvation.  

We humbly but fervently believe that too many of God’s people, like a disgraced Samson, have lost the beauty of Jesus, in the process sacrificed their power, are robbed of the true vision as spelt out in God’s Word, and are now becoming the ‘hand maiden’ of the government and other organisations.   

SOLUTION:  

There is only one answer to all this and that is a direct humbling, absolutely repentant return of God’s people to the basic teachings of the Word of God.  God’s Church needs to be revived.  We need the mighty visitation from God by rending the heavens and pouring out His Spirit on a Church (and we include ourselves) which in reality is today dis-empowered and disgraced.  

We have the answer and it is guaranteed in our Lord Jesus Christ, Calvary , His blood and His Word.  We believe in God’s great grace He will again do miracles amongst us.  

We are small and cannot boast anything except to be absolutely, honestly prepared to admit where we fail and that of ourselves we are completely incapable of anything, which is spiritually worthwhile.  Our entire sufficiency is of our Lord Himself.  But we take courage that one can chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight because our Rock has sold them (the enemy) into our hand for our Rock is not as the rock of our enemies and they themselves know it.  (Deuteronomy 32:30,31)  Our Rock is Jesus and He is our Guarantor of all the blessings of God if we would come His way.  We are glad to know that the victory is not dependent on our knowledge, ability, standing, learning or even hard work.  It is dependent on us knowing our weakness, confessing our sins and humbling ourselves completely before Him.  It is dependent on embracing all of the provision of Calvary and all of the power of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

In the Lord Jesus we are more than conquerors and we know it and we believe that the New Year will show more clearly than ever before the gracious empowering and visitation of our Lord.  

How thankful we are that the Lord’s Word to a Laodicean Church was: ‘if any man hear my voice…’ (Revelation 3:20)  And again: ‘…He that believes on Me (any man who so believes), the works that I do he shall do and greater…’  (John 14:12).  We can go on with similar statements but we rejoice in the fact that any man with God form a majority.  The saints of old experienced it and we see no reason why it could not be made true of us in this Laodicean Age, that we out of weakness are made strong and put to flight the armies of the enemies.  (Hebrews 11:33-34). 

THEREFORE… 

We go forward into this New year with boldness and strong expectation of the limitless grace of God poured out upon us.   

Thank you for your support by many encouraging words, prayers as well as financial assistance.  Together let us be bold in the Lord and know that our labour is not in vain, our true prayers are treasured at the Throne of Grace and even our giving come up before the Lord as a ‘memorial’.  

May you experience together with us the glory of the Lord in an abundantly overflowing way.  

GO-SIZA ISIZWE ( Go – Help the Nation)  

While our main focus is preaching the Gospel, we recognize that we are also extensively involved in social activities, which can be classified as ‘charitable work’.  Knowing this and in response to certain requests, we have registered the above charitable organisation which will for a start operate in conjunction with Gospel Outreach. By end February we will provide you with more information on GO-SIZA ISIZWE.  

With warm greetings in our Saviour Jesus Christ,  

EDDIE VOSLOO (Rev)

Pastor & Director

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 26th, 2007 at 12:08 am and is filed under Latest News.