From the backdrop of the beautiful mountain with the vulture nests on the crags, the lions in cages and roaring in our ears showing off their might as kings of the jungle. We were also joking about the breathed in air we could not see and not knowing what it was made of, with green grass surrounding Appin. We were well taken care of as far as accommodation and convention cuisine. Should the Lord tarry next year we may need one of Reinhard Bonke’s super tents to accommodate all.
If you missed it, just watch out that you do not miss the rapture.
Please do not forget to pray for Esther Steyn who is battling with cancer.
The first meeting on the Saturday was from Rene who spoke about Revelation of God. From John 9: 1-7 we were shown that although Jesus was fleeing from being captured, He stopped to heal a blind man. This is the heart of Jesus and every meeting with Him is a divine appointment. We are also challenged in day-to-day life but in a desperate situations we can stop to help someone more in need than ourselves.
It was Peter who was called a rock by Jesus, the same one who looked at the waves about him and began to sink, but Jesus takes the weak things of this world and with them He builds His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Peter did not know then he would become a rock and later it was revealed to him. This is the revelation of God. We need a revelation that will change our lives.
He went on to show us that Jesus healed three blind men in the scriptures. One called Him the son of David – he had a revelation of who Jesus was and this is what we need today. The gospel is designed to show the unsaved that they are blind and need a revelation to see and be healed spiritually.
Two of the blind men were born blind the last man was born seeing and became blind. Spiritually we are all born blind and if made to see spiritually then we know where we come from. What is more beautiful than to receive a revelation and be able to give this to the church, this is living waters. The night is coming, work while it is day. The night is the tribulation and is coming soon and the people of the world need the work that we can do today. Jesus wants to open our eyes today; He will stop by you and revel Himself to you.
The second meeting was from Scott Wheeler about ‘You have a calling’. He started off with the warning that there are perilous times ahead – men will become lovers of themselves and this world will progress to get worse as people try to preserve what they have in this life. Jesus was selfless and personified that ‘it is more blessed to give’. Today there are thousands dying from Covid but in times to come billions will die, yet we have a treasure in this earthen vessel to give to people who need hope. A move of God’s spirit is needed for us to be a witness to this world that is in a mess.
1 Corinthians 2:8 shows that Jesus came in power and in a demonstration of the spirit which if the princes of this world had known they would not have crucified the Lord. Yet we now have authority above princes and powers and Jesus has placed all things under our feet.
He went on to explain how an Indian family were saved yet wanted the “paster” to come and drive out the demons that were surrounding them looking to come back into them. Once born again we should not need a pastor as though he was someone special to deliver us. We all have the same authority – look to Jesus not man.
He explained that Jesus Christ came in weakness to be crucified and in this weak state, He won a victory over him who exalted himself and thought he had all power and authority. In the very act where he thought he was conquering the son of God, Jesus in His weakened state, was gaining the victory for all mankind. This is so that man was made lower than the angles and demons, but now could be given authority above Satan and his demons. Truly Jesus is building His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.
1 Corinthians 1:8-24 people with no spiritual revelation think believers are fools but to us we have the power of God, fools for Christ to destroy the wisdom of the wise. God’s way is not man’s way.
So, we have been called of God to do the work of God. God’s light needs to be shined by us into others lives. We do not need to be wise, God is able to use weakness, so He gets the glory. God has chosen the weak to confound the wise. All we need is the spirit of God. We are new creatures in Christ and have the power and authority to respond to His call.
The third meeting was from Chris Scott on ‘Shine the Light’. Chris told us the first miracle was when Jesus turned the water into wine. In John 2 there was a wedding and they had run out of wine and it meant the end of the celebration. As believers in time our wine or our celebration might run out. Mary pleaded with Jesus to do something and Jesus said to bring the six pots of hand washing water and turned them into wine. In our lives Jesus wants to change the natural life into new life, the Christ in you. You see if you knew who Jesus was as Mary did there is no problem – no sickness – no breakdown in the celebration. Similarly, at the well Jesus asks the woman give me to drink? She became argumentative even stroppy. Don’t we do this when asked to do something for the Lord – don’t send me? Jesus says if you knew who I was I would give you living water. When she believed that this was the Messiah, she was able to tell all come see a man who told me all things, is this not the messiah? Believe first and then we can tell all who Jesus is, and Give them living water.
There is no phased Christian life, immediately as the woman when see who Jesus is, we have the power of God unto salvation. This is a revelation and a miracle, you believe, you confess, you are saved. The reality is that long after we are saved, we still need a revelation as to who Jesus is.
John 14 Jesus says don’t let your heart be troubled, believe on me. Jesus is greater than any of our problems. When we have the revelation of who Christ is in me, there is no trouble. Believers do not have potential – we have everything already; we cannot be any more righteous than what we are in Christ. In Christ old things are passed away, all things are new – it is our minds that need to be renewed – He heals the broken hearted and sets the captive free.
John 20 says that “I am in the Father and you in me, and I in you”. This is the reality is that Christ is in you. We are commanded – “believe in me and you will not perish”. “He who loves me keeps my commandments”. When we accept Jesus, we are accepted by the Father and have access to Him.
Jesus said that if you have seen me you have seen the Father. Jesus said to Peter if you love me feed my sheep. There is no point to believing if we do not love our brother, if you do not love your brother – go have a talk with Jesus.
2 Corinthians 3 Paul says that you are our epistle (letter), known of God. When people read you what are they tasting – bitter water? Is the gospel written in your heart? We believe that Jesus is written in our hearts.
God commanded in the creation for the light to shine out of darkness. The Life of Christ has been commanded to shine out of your darkness, where there is light there is no darkness. We lived in darkness now live in the light.
When the earthen vessels were broken the light shone out. We have this treasure in earthen vessels – Jesus.
Fourth meeting was from Steff Valle on ‘children of deliverance’. In Mathew 16 Jesus says, “Who do you say that I am”? people have an opinion of who Jesus is, but it is only by revelation that we can say ‘Jesus is the Son of God”. Two people can be sitting under the same ministry, one can respond and be saved the other not. The not saved is when we put restrictions on who Jesus is, there is then no revelation.
In 1 John 3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. It is a privilege to be born of God, we are born into the family of God, become the sons of God. We only qualify due to the love of God.
Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. In the last time we need to be on guard – we cannot give up our sonship, but endure to the end. Cannot let offences cause us to go to Hell, in humility fight for your sonship.
In 1 Samuel 15 King Saul did not obey the instruction of God through Samuel. He was given clear instruction to kill all of what was Amalekites, but he kept the best. God says to us to destroy the enemy even that which appears to be innocent. So, we need to kill the old life and not allow any thing of the old life to live as this can cause us to lose out. As Saul spared Agag and the sheep and cows then it repented God that He had made Saul king. What have we done to the world that is in us, is there still a bleating sheep? Saul said he keep the best for ‘sacrifice’ what are we keeping and is it for an inventive reason and not the truth? Saul said that he has obeyed God, but it was not the truth, the truth needs to be obeyed.
When the Israelites were trapped in by the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, the children of Israel blamed Moses and God, “we told you that we should have served the Egyptians”. They had already forgotten the miracles that God had done to get them out. So, when things go wrong in our lives – do we blamed God or the oversight? There are difficult times ahead and more than ever we need to trust God. Moses was able to say, “stand still and see the salvation of God”. Will we be able to say this? It is God that fights for us when we trust Him.
Fifth meeting was from Rene on the importance of Grace.
He started in Mark 8:22 where Jesus came to Bethsaida and met the blind man and spat in his eyes and afterwards the man said that he sees men as trees walking, then Jesus made that he would see properly. The first two men were born blind just as we before we were saved, we were spiritually born blind. Blind to the things of God and we had to have a revelation before we could see the things of God. So, someone living in adultery, do not tell them to stop, they won’t. But should they have a revelation of God – they stop automatically. Don’t be satisfied with partial sight – have a full revelation.
The third blind man was not born blind but became blind. When we serve Jesus, we can easily become blind again, its about what am I not seeing that I should be seeing. All the same we need to see as Jesus sees.
He then spoke about impartation (in Afrikaans oordrag). Miracles are an impartation of grace. We need to get out of being offended when God wants to impart grace such as the opposition to adult baptism. Also, the filling of the Holy Ghost comes with the speaking in tongues, many are offended at this. Jesus wants to complete the work in us that we may see clearly.
If offended, put this behind you, receive the grace of God its for the work that He wants to do in you.
We all came away knowing that The Lord Jesus had spoken to us by the Holy Ghost and had revealed to the brethren; Grace, faith, revelation and the power of God.
Bruce Phipson
Easter Convention at Appin Guest Farm:
What an amazing Easter weekend we had at Appin Guest Farm, nestled in the beautiful Drakensburg mountains just outside Harrismith. We were surrounded by majestic mountains and big boulders with sheer rock faces, and believe it or not, even some lions. If I had to describe the weekend and what it meant to me, I keep thinking of the account in the Word of the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. In the third month after they left Egypt, the Israelites came to the Desert of Sinai and camped there in front of the mountain. Moses went up the mountain and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said “You yourselves have seen what I did in Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possessions. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 18 vs 4-6). Moses went back and told the Israelites what the Lord had said, and their hearts were filled with joy. He encouraged them to consecrate themselves and wash their clothes and be ready for the third day because on that day the Lord would come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all his people. On the third morning, there was thunder and lightening and Mount Sinai was covered in smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire. Everyone in the camp trembled. That is how I felt over the weekend. It felt as if the Lord truly descended down from the mountain into our little camp site and his Spirit moved in a mighty way amongst us all. We trembled with awe and fear at the holiness and power of our Lord; we praised and worshipped with joy because, thanks to the Lord Jesus and his gift of salvation, we are now God’s treasured people; and we cried with tears of repentance and sorrow when we realised once again what the Lord has done for us all and how desperately we need his mercy and grace in our lives. Our hearts shook with the power of the Lord and we were filled with his love for us.
Unfortunately, the Israelites grew weary of waiting for Moses up on the mountain and even though they experienced the power of the Lord in such a mighty way, they eventually turned their hearts away and built the Golden Calf. I have been challenged and reminded that may we not grow weary and tired as we wait for the return of our saviour, the Lord Jesus. May we hold fast to his Word, remain committed to the Body of Christ and be continuously filled with the Holy Ghost as wait in anticipation for the coming of our Lord. Weekends like we had, feel like glimpses of heaven where we praise and worship the Lord in unity and power and where we feel completely overwhelmed and in awe of the Lord’s love for us all. May we be those that stand firm and overcome to the end so that one day we might live forever in the presence of our Lord.
Tainith Loudon
Die naweek was baie geseënd vir my en my familie. Die leeus wat buite brul het my herinner aand ons vyand, die duiwel. As ons in Jesus in fellowship is, dan is ons aan die anderkant van die draad en in Sy beskerming. Wanneer ons wegbeweeg van Hom af, kom ons al hoe nader aan die draad van die leeus.
Dit was ‘n great naweek in Jesus!
Paul de Klerk
Hi all.
I was given the opportunity to express my thoughts on the Harrismith Easter Conference 2021. The weekend was such a blessing for me and my family. God has really blessed us with so much in the last year. Our family has gone from strength to strength and we can only give God the glory for that. It is such a privilege to find ourselves amongst a close knit family of brothers and sisters in Christ. We have really felt the love of Christ amongst the people and this weekend was again a testament to that. The word says in Ephesians 4:16: “From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love. (AMP). Like a garment being knitted firmly together God has knitted us into this church, this community of fellowship and we give all the thanks to God.
Blessings,
Roan, Veronica, Zoey & Elne Grunder
Bloemfontein Fellowship
