wozani nonke simdumise – come all and worship
Prayer points:
- Pray for the teaching that happened across the two days, that what was faithful and true would take root in the hearts and minds of all who took part.
- Pray for the students who attended, that they would continue to grow in knowledge and love of the Lord.
- Pray for the church in South Africa, with problems of false prophets and people claiming to be God’s anointed. Thank God that we were able to teach from Isaiah 61 which prophesies about the true anointed one of God and points so clearly to Jesus.
- Thank God for a time of mutual encouragement and the building up of the body of Christ across national, cultural, colour, gender and age divides.
- Pray for the local university students, that they may know their bible’s well and be able to point people to Jesus.
It was such a joy and encouragement to meet with over a hundred students across JBC’s Auckland Park and Soweto campuses on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many of the students told us how wonderful they find it to be able to come and learn together from God’s Word.
The energy and zeal from some of the 70 year olds we encountered was particularly inspiring, including one man named John who was attending JBC so he could learn to teach his grandchildren from the bible. He knew the importance of teaching his grandchildren well, and despite losing 3 of his own 4 children, his love for, and trust in, the Lord was steadfast and strong.
Each day commenced with a time of prayer and singing, along with a short reflection on a passage of scripture shared by one of the members of our team. Following this we did ‘Handling God’s Word’ seminars which taught students a step-by-step process for exegeting a passage of Scripture. Six members of our team also delivered lectures on Isaiah 1, 40, and 61. This was a unique opportunity for many to get a taste of theological education, and I must say, they all rose to the task and did a great job!
Across our time at JBC it was challenging to be made so aware of the privileges that we have been afforded through education and teaching in Australia. The majority of students who attend the college are black or coloured and received limited education under Apartheid. Not to mention, the teaching they receive now is predominantly in English – not the first language of most. As such, engaging with God’s written word presents unique challenges in many ways. And yet, they approach the task with much enthusiasm!
The students who attended across the two days were overflowing with joy and thankfulness. Their prayers were passionate and full of deep gospel-truths, their conversations were littered with praise for God, and there were regular times when the room would burst out into song, worshipping our great God. There was singing, clapping, dancing and laughing. In those moments, I became equally aware of the riches of the African Church and how much we too are able to learn from these, our brothers and sisters.
After two very full days at JBC, Wednesday evening saw the team split up. Two of us went to dinner with some members of the Parish Council of a local church, two went to bible study with their host family, and the rest of the team attended a student night at the University where Simon G spoke about engaging with people who have different views of the bible. It was great to see so many students take part, even though they are on holidays from Uni this week.
Wozani nonke simdumise is Zulu for “come all and worship”, a phrase which wonderfully captures the past two days. We have gathered together, people from many countries and cultures, to worship the one true God. May His name be praised!
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