The church calls South Africa to watch and pray. The remembrance of the Crucifixion and the power of the Resurrection remain important periods of evaluation, reflection, and prayer. The call for Christians to serve with servant-hood and joyful obedience remains relevant in 2023.
In this Lenten time, we remain encouraged by the words of Christ Jesus, our Saviour: “Jesus answered: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’“(John 14:6, NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
The biblical truth, which teaches us that Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again, continues to inspire us with a sure and certain hope.
The world in which we live has been captured by darkness and evil, but Christ says: “Take heart, I have overcome the world.”
The apostle Paul encourages us to let our light shine in the darkness by allowing the light of God to live in our hearts. “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NIV)
In the Gospel of Matthew 26, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ challenges his disciples to watch and pray.
In a sense, the church of Jesus Christ, in a time such as this, is challenged and provoked to watch and pray. To watch in the context of the New Testament was to watch in the darkness, to be alert.
Every member of every church is called to the ministry of discernment and the lifestyle of prayer. We are called to be living sacrifices for the sake of the Kingdom. As a society, we are called to be alert, vigilant, and prayerful.
In all that we have to confront as believers, in all that we have to ponder and think about, in all that we need to consider, in all that we need to journey through, let us continue to allow the light of Jesus Christ and the power of the Resurrection to empower us, shape us, transform us, and move us.
We want to wish every church and citizen a blessed celebration and remembrance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
* Rev Steven-John Bam, on behalf of the Calvin Protestant Church of South Africa and Namibia.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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