How Faithful Are You To God?

Being Caring is Proven by Faithfulness

The Bible says, “Faithful is He who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you]” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMP).

Also, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20).

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit: “but the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, and Faithfulness….” (Galatians 5:22).

Brethren we must fear the Lord – He is Holy. If we who are being saved are so sinful, how much more the disobedient and unfaithful? (1 Peter 4:18).

Brethren, please bear with us here, is not my intention to highlight me here the Lord is the One who should get the Glory! Now, when I was around 10 years old I met our neighbor's son and he became my best friend. So day after day we would play together and share almost everything with one other. Being at that age, I knew I did not really know or understand faithfulness it was only later that I came to understand what faithfulness was. As most of us know, having a friend compels us to do our bit to  to prove our friendship and loyalty to our friends. Being children, we allow ourselves to be influenced by our friends even if we must steal things or rob others. In order to maintain our continued friendship we learned the value of confidentiality. That's why, when I was in trouble for things we did together, I dare not implicate my friend.

Furthermore, please allow me to share another incident. I was about 14 years old I received a digital watch as a prize for academic excellence at school, because of the love I had for my friend I often took off my watch and give it to him to put on for awhile or while we were playing and before we part ways he would give it back to me. A few days thereafter and on a rainy day he accidentally (I hoped so) dropped my watch in the running waters and without apologizing he handed me my watch saying, 'see it fell into the water'. Being moved with disappointment and being hurt I took my watch and I decided not to go tell my parents the truth as to why my watch stopped working. Again, on another occasion, one day I had a quarrel with another boy who was about our age for passing hurtful remarks to me which was meant as a joke but it was somewhat embarrassing me to which drew negative attention. As it was, I objected to that insult and boy who passed the bad remark threatened me with violence to which I retaliated and through the side of my right eye, I saw my best friend, Michael handing a knife over to the other boy to stab me and this really hurt me but God gave me the strength to endure that unfortunate moment.

I was totally shocked at that act of cowardice and I looked at Michael my best friend, and I asked him, “Is that how much you hate me you even willing to have me stabbed?” He thought I didn’t see him and he walked away smiling embarrassingly. However, we made up and continued with our friendship. About 10 years later, when we were both in our early twenties we (Michael and I) met again in Johannesburg. It was an emotional moment of re-union for us. As we discoursed, he shared with me what he was doing and he showed me what he had achieved in life, including his new friends. Having learned from others that I was saved and in a good job, he had one intention to show off and to display some superiority to who I came and what I achieved. I told him that I had become a born-again Christian, and that the Lord had also blessed me with a good job and despite the setbacks in my earlier ways. By then he drank and smoked and enticed me to do the same things, but I told him that I am a child of God. This led him to speak ill about me in my absence and later that evening, I gently rebuked one of his new friends and they reported it to him. Again, instead of diffusing the tension between us, he called me out for a fight. Being saved and born-again then, I didn't take him up on that challenge in stead I offered them my sincere apologies, while feeling hurt by this act of 'betrayal'.

Now Brethren, you might ask, why am I sharing this? I am trying to demonstrate  to you that human faithfulness is only lasts until you have nothing to more to offer it is then that people loses interest in you. As it were, I had nothing then to display or give to my friend like our junior years, so he despised me. This is a trustworthy observation; people show or prove loyalty when they can get something for themselves, and rarely because they care. Some people may care all the time for someone special to them, but only to satisfy their own need. Biblically, the Spirit of Faithfulness finds its root in love and it has a rich concern all the time to everyone. We might be faithful in our relationship to our spouses according to God’s word (Proverbs 5:15-23; 1 Corinthians 7:3-4; Hebrews 13:4),but we remain unfaithful in matters pertaining to our relationship to God (Matthew 7:24-27). We want to serve God for only what we can get from Him. Like my friend Michael, he was spoiled by the things I gave him and our friendship only had life while I could give him something. I did not understand faithfulness then. This might be just one incident but oftentimes people show loyalty, not faithfulness, to receive a due.

Love Defined Through Faithfulness

When we display the fruit of faithfulness, we should expect nothing back in return; in fact we are doing it for the benefit of others (Luke 17:10). If we do expect some credit in return, we would have acted from selfish motives to receive something (Matthew 6:2-3). Faithfulness is fueled by love, and love is expressed through unconditional giving without expecting anything back in return (John 3:16).

When we are faithful, self is excluded and the well-being of others is placed before ours. In our previous articles, I mentioned by saying that faithfulness is not a human value but a spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22). Like the other fruits of the Holy Spirit, we must choose daily and where needed, employ the fruit in obedience to the Lord. In other words, do I submit through a decision to display faithfulness, or do I ignore and regain my convenience in disobedience?

In addition, faithfulness gives honour to the recipient and values the other higher than ourselves (Philippians 2:3; Matthew 23:11). This is a principle of the Kingdom of God!

Does Faithfulness Complete Our Salvation?

To this, I say a resounding yes!!! As marriage is incomplete if there is no faithfulness, our union with Christ is incomplete or disrupted if there is no faithfulness (Matthew 24:13). Being the bride of Christ, the believer must submit to the Lord through obedience, and thus showing faithfulness and appreciation for our salvation (James 4:7). We show faithfulness to the Lord when we:

• Pray (Daniel 6:10; Psalm 55:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Read, study, and obey the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 2:2; Joshua 1:8; John 14:23-24)
• Witness to others (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Matthew 25:14-30)
• Love and forgive one another (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:32)

The above examples, plus the employment of the rest of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, completes our salvation. These might be considered as works, but how can faithfulness declared if these are absent? (Matthew 25:31-46). If you want to know what the Lord is talking to us through Charis every day apart from visions, He points us to the above.

Recently, the Lord rebuked someone who reads the Bible with commitment but not with a faithful heart, meaning read to ease our conscious and not read in submission and appreciation. If we don’t occupy our lives doing the will of God, we will be occupied by the devil, which brings worldliness to activate our fleshly desires. When we are faithful in our service to God, others are being ministered to and Christ is seen through our conduct and service to them (Acts 4:13). This is Godly fear; love the LORD not just through words, but through your faithfulness! Jesus Loves YOU!

Are you faithful in serving God? Are you praying, studying, obeying the Bible? Are you witnessing to others on the love of Christ? Are you loving and forgiving? To get you started, here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance, and for any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Brother Glenn.

Respecting Your Elders

“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32).

Brief Encouragement About September 2015 Predictions

We have recently been asked by some brethren about the reports of things looking gloomy and grim for the world economy, and that some brethren have bravely predicted or “prophesied” of an economic collapse to occur this month (September, 2015), particularly affecting the USA and possibly impacting the rest of the world. Admittedly, there have been some turbulence in the world markets recently, so the prediction of this doom is gaining further interest. This week, we asked the Lord on the validity of some of these claims. In response, the Lord encouraged us to pray and not to be anxious or worry about events that we have no control over (Matthew 6:34; Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 21:36). Like the brethren who have boldly predicted about the Lord’s soon coming, we also do believe the Lord will be coming soon, but He warned us saying “…It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority” (Acts 1:7 NIV). Therefore, we do not endorse the dates that some of these brethren have set! The Lord Jesus clearly warned us that “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). So, while this ministry shares the excitement with the brethren of the Lord’s coming, the Lord says there is no truth in the things presented by these date-setters, and He has NOT sent people to set dates for His coming, whether linked to certain cultural practices, experiences, or otherwise. His coming will be a surprise to all! (Luke 17:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not be troubled! Just keep praying, studying your Bibles, and keep witnessing and doing the Lord’s work. God will call us home when it is HIS TIME and no human anxiety can move Him; He acts by His own authority.

Who Are Our Elders?

This is a very important subject and it should not be undermined. I got this message from the Lord in a short vision on the morning of September 5, 2015. In this vision, I saw myself being confronted by two elderly men who asked me to do something for them. I declined their request, and I found myself arguing with them. This led them to remark how disrespectful the young people of today are. After their rebuke, I agreed and offered to cooperate with them. As simple as this might sound, there is reward in submitting to the elderly, and that is grace for longer life (1 Peter 5:5; Ephesians 6:1). With the advancement and wide availability of knowledge today, many of us assume that there is nothing to learn from the elderly. Well, that might be true in some respects, but we can learn from some of their manners and add to our days.

In the interest of order, our elders are those adults who could be our parents in terms of their age (1 Timothy 5:1-2), and we should accord them all due respect. Likewise, we should treat people slightly older than us as our brothers and sisters with proper respect, soundness of speech and integrity as is proper and fitting for children of God (Titus 2:6-8).

Teach the Youth Respect

It is sickening to even think of how dastardly wicked our youth have become today. Some even kill and abuse their parents. Others rob, rape, defraud, and disrespect the elderly, and this seems to be a daily norm that has received acceptance in society. Unfortunately, some people think that one’s higher level of formal education and higher socio-economic status trumps or usurps respect for the elderly, and gives one an air of superiority over others. While it is proper and respectful to honor those in leadership (Hebrews 13:17), it is godly to humble oneself before the elderly (1 Kings 2:19). We should not use the status of our professions to dishonour God; His word sets the standard of order in our society. This teaching might not be accepted by everyone or apply to all, but to those who fear the Lord it does, and it applies across the cultural divide.

What the Lord Taught Us

Some people raise their children solely based on their cultural system, and often this system conflicts with the word of God. I will share a few teachings we received from the Lord regarding child rearing. I have seen how powerless some parents are under the cultural system. They just allow their children to adopt the things they learn from others, without intervening and teaching them the way of the Lord. We have witnessed Christian parents lose complete control of their children’s rebellious behaviour. On one occasion, a six-year old child threw temper tantrums while yelling insults and attempting to blackmail her parents. Her parents were humiliated and embarrassed in our company, and when the parents had the first opportunity to receive a message from the Lord Jesus, He told them to discipline and teach their children obedience (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15; 22:6). Additionally, the Lord reminded them not to allow their children to speak to them disrespectfully as if they were children themselves (Ephesians  6:1-3).

As parents, we also had to deal with rebellion from our children. By the Lord’s authority, we have two weapons to use to encourage obedience and proper conduct: these are the teachings from the Bible, and the rod of discipline (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 23:13). A few months ago, one of our daughters grew increasingly impatient with me and my wife. In her frustration to our godly correction, our daughter Norah (name withheld) was in the habit of rudely answering back or even ignoring to answer when she was being called. This was very displeasing to the Lord, and in His love, He appeared to her in a vision and rebuked her while pointing her to the Scripture that reads, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). With the Lord’s help, coupled with our daily prayers and encouragement to our children, we now enjoy an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect that has become the envy of many around us.

In addition, many young people are in the habit of rudely interrupting conversations or talking over elders to get their point across instead of patiently waiting like Elihu. In the book of Job, we see Elihu being very respectful and godly in his approach to Job and his friends (Job 32:1-4). God's order for human society is based on a model of respect and submission. Furthermore, a brother who delivered an offensive remark to an elderly man (who in terms of age could have been his father), was rebuked by the Lord for this bad character of disrespecting people older than him. As the Bible says, we are to be meek, gentle, and respectful in answering others; and we must not invite trouble and malicious talk to our sincerity and faith (1 Peter 3:15-16).  Therefore, if you have been disrespectful of others, including your parents or other elders, repent, fear God and obey all His word (Ecclesiastes 12:13). 

If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please begin by praying this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Grace and Peace to You,

Brother Glenn.

Disrespecting God’s Presence

This past Saturday, one of our members was speaking to another member, sharing Scriptures after the service was dedicated to the Lord through prayer. Although it was appropriate, the gathering was handed to the Lord through prayer and we had to submit ourselves to the Lord by allowing Him to minister to us. This incident was very displeasing to the Lord and the member received a message of rebuke through Charis for disrespecting God’s Presence. This is the reason for the message I’m presenting to you today. The Lord told Charis that I should write an article about disrespecting God’s Presence.

Let me fall with the door in the house (Africans/Dutch expression meaning “getting to the point” or “being direct”): disrespecting God’s Presence is a common practice in the assembly of the brethren. This might be a well observed practice by the church leadership, but the individual members of the body are often guilty of being disruptive and noisy when either a prayer or word is being delivered. This practice was strongly rebuked by the apostle Paul (Acts 16:16-18). Our Lord also strongly rebuked and silenced evil spirits when they tried to disrupt His meetings (Mark 1:23-25). In both instances, these evil spirits confessed the truth. As truthful as they were, it is DISRESPECTFUL to disrupt someone when the WORD OF GOD is being delivered!

Ways of Disrespecting God’s Presence

We often hear and read that we must not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Have you ever considered how we grieve Him? We will look at some of the ways we grieve the Holy Spirit of God; this might not be an exhaustive list, but included the most common practices in the church. I am using the word ‘church’ in a broad sense and not necessarily pointing to a particular church or congregation. The apostles always used the word church to refer to the Body of believers wherever they are or meet (Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 5:30; Colossians 1:18). In this presentation, church is simply referring to an assembly of believers in the name of the Lord. This includes your home church, your mega-church or your street assembly.

The Lord confirms this view of church by saying: “For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20 NRSV). This is referring to the spiritual Presence of the Lord. Given to our unique experience with the Lord, I will also share a few examples of corrections that we received from the Lord.

Laughing during prayer: It is sinful and grieving to the Holy Spirit of God to laugh when someone is praying. We are gathered in the Lord’s Presence and through Christ’s sacrifice we have been granted direct access to God’s Mercy Throne (Hebrews 4:16). The Lord issued a stern warning to a member of our ministry for this oversight. You will be better served if you refrain from laughing while others are petitioning the Lord for Mercy.

Speaking during preaching: It is disrespectful and sinful to speak while a minister of the Word of God is delivering a message. I got a shocking rebuke myself for distracting someone from the message that was intended to foster an obedient loving relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Talking during Bible reading: One evening, during our family devotional time, someone was reading from the Bible while some of us were smiling at an incident and this was very displeasing to the Lord. He gave each one of us a warning, saying that this is disrespectful to God. Some might find this too religious; but consider how annoying it is to talk while someone is busy speaking to you. Again, the message being read is intended for your correction or edification.

Walking out during prayer or preaching: I have witnessed how services are being disrupted when people are walking in and out during the ministering of the Word and during prayers. This is especially common in large gatherings. This is disturbing to others and to God. We have been specifically instructed by the Lord to be still in his Presence during devotional times and to keep children away from our meetings during prayers, worship or any gathering in His name. Since children exercise very poor self-control, Satan easily makes them disruptive. This may not be a problem for you if have a separate prayer room where children are not able to interrupt. As a home ministry, we allow our children time of worship by themselves, but under supervision. We also allow children to pray by themselves, and during our devotional times we pray with them. When children operate in a group, some are disruptive while they are trying to draw attention to themselves. Similarly, there are some people who disrupt services by claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit; this is unscriptural conduct. God is not the author of confusion and our spirits are under our control (1 Corinthians 14:32-33).

We often think the Lord is not interested in our services; this is so deceiving! God wants to minister to us by directing the way we conduct ourselves in His Presence.

In conclusion, what we share with you is a first-hand experience with the Lord. We deliver our messages as eyewitnesses. The Lord is confirming Biblical truth and teaches us how to apply it. So, don’t be afraid of revealed truth, whether in vision or through an inspired utterance. The tests all revealed truth must stand up to are: Does a message or vision glorify Christ? Does it lead you to fear the Lord? Are you being corrected in godliness? And, does it compliment biblical truth?

This short article is with love from our Lord Jesus Christ to you. We have also added a new vision on despising warnings; kindly heed and reap the eternal benefits!

Have you been, in any way, disrespecting God’s presence? Here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Your brother in our common faith,

Glenn van Rooyen.

Undermining God’s Authority

The Lord Jesus Christ issued this statement: “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13-14 NIV). When the Pharisees heard this, they tried to undermine the authority of the Lord and His saving message: “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering (Scoffing or mocking) at Jesus” (Luke 16: 14 NIV).

What We Mean By “Undermining”

Before I present our message, let me clarify the word ‘undermine’. While many people are familiar with this term, we have also learned that people in other parts of the world may not use this word the way we, in South Africa (or certain sections of our society), do. This, however, is the word the Lord used when He gave Charis the message for me to write about. So, when we use the word undermine, we refer to “underestimate,” “disparage,” “challenge” or “subvert.” These synonyms are the closest to what we mean when we use the term undermine.

Truth is universal in application; it is cultures that alter the meaning of a message. This should not be the case in our articles; we might be vague in our presentation due to our cultural use of English, but the truth is substantiated through the relevant Scriptures which apply cross-culturally.

The Mistake of the Children of Israel

Without reciting the entire relationship between God and the children of Israel, Moses charged the children of Israel to “Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 12:28 NIV). When Moses recited the law to the children of Israel, the covenant between God and the Israelites was already in effect (Exodus 24:8). They were reminded to be faithful. This was a lasting covenant sealed with the blood of calves.

This type of covenant or agreement between God and man becomes binding to both parties and cannot be revoked. As the children of Israel moved further away from God and violated His commands, God in His Righteousness fulfilled what He promised – His blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience (Joshua 14-16; Jeremiah 52). They undermined the covenant (agreement) and like all contractual agreements between people, if we fail to honour them, we would also have agreed to suffer the consequences. Likewise, the terms of benefits (Blessings) and loses (curses/punishment) were enumerated beforehand so that the Israelites could operate accordingly (Deuteronomy 28:1-68).

Through this unfaithfulness by His people, God moved away from this covenant and promised a new covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13; Jeremiah 31:31-34). Furthermore, as the first covenant had regulations, even so does the new covenant (Hebrews 6:4-8). I do not wish to go into a deeper discussion regarding the new and old covenants; the point I am making is that in both dispensations we undermine the value of our commitments through disobedience. In the Israelites example, God in His Mercy made repeated calls through His prophets for repentance and submission to Him and as the Israelites yielded to Him, He would bless them and grant them success (Judges 2:18-23). These were the terms of the covenant: blessings for obedience, and curses and judgements for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). The Lord has not changed as we know it; He still requires obedience from His children in order to enjoy the benefits of obedience (Matthew 6:33). Today, many people live disobediently, and when we are being confronted through rebukes we cite God’s love and mercy to hide behind our sins. As a condition, this ministry has been brought into life by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He has ordained this part of His body to expose and speak out against sinful behaviour (Lamentations 2:14). We have shared our testimonies with you in great humility, showing you the sins the Lord exposed in us as a warning to you (See Life through experiences with the Lord Jesus Christ Part I and Part II).These examples express how deeply the Lord loves you, by sparing you the pain of embarrassment. We receive His sharp rebukes and we humbly share our pain with you for your correction. This is meant to make you fear Him and walk carefully.

The Common Mistake We Make

The church is in passive rebelliousness against the Lord. Some church leaders have gone to the extent of misrepresenting the Scriptures to justify certain Biblically forbidden behaviours. We are taught to make peace with sin by doing it because God is Merciful and Gracious (Exodus 34:6). God commands His great Mercy towards us to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). His Mercy provides for repentance, but our stubbornness and disobedience are leading us to store up wrath against ourselves (Romans 2:5; Exodus 34:7). The full extent of God’s love and mercy is better appreciated when our walk with Him is pure in humble submission. Remember: if His Mercy is available for our repentance, it means we receive back acceptance into His Presence; but our stubborn rebellious ways turn mercy into wrath!

I am going to share a short testimony on how I undermined the Word of God coming through my daughter Charis, and the Power of His authority. I accepted the words He gave concerning others, but I was in the habit of denying my own faults. I undermined His words even to the extent of mocking some of the messages He gave. A few days later, the Lord gave Charis an open vision when she was still awake and He said: “Your father must watch his mouth!” When she shared this with me, I was gripped with a deep fear for God and I repented and received His loving mercy. On another occasion, I was overcome with anger, which led me to sin and stubbornness. The following day the Lord brought me a SERIOUS message containing word “very” five (5) times. This in itself had me deeply, deeply, very deeply worried. I humbled myself and repented but this did not prevent the Lord from coming after me with a sharp rebuke. I was blasted, cut in pieces by the Words of His mouth through Charis (Hosea 6:5). In acknowledgment, what was said was all true; I lamented that rebuke many days thereafter and in His Mercy I was healed as I drew close to Him. I therefore encourage you, STOP your wilful sin and don’t undermine God’s messages to you. If this message through us, the Bible, or others, exposes your sins and encourages correction, then it is from God; please repent because it is for your own well-being. Let us not undermine our salvation and mock correction; God wants to save us from His wrath (Proverbs 3:11).

In conclusion, STOP criticising what is meant to lead you to repentance. If you do so, the Lord sees you as ungrateful and rebellious. He will visit you in judgement and your will be ashamed! I have read words of vitriolic/bitter criticism from Christians against other Christians. This is shameful! This undermines the grace of God and His command to love, pray and forgive our brethren (Romans 12:9-18). By allowing yourself to be corrected, you will live.

Have you been, in any way, undermining the Lord Jesus Christ, His Word or His Messages through His servants? Here is a Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Yours in submissive love,

Brother Glenn.