On Sunday the 16th June 2024, being Father's Day, Dewald read a very precious letter to us, as if addressed from our heavenly Father.  It read:

My little children,

I love you. I so loved the world, that I gave My only begotten Son. I gave you the Lord of Glory which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would have not crucified Him. I do not want you to perish, but I want you to have everlasting life by believing in Him. And this is life eternal, that you might know Me the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom I have sent. It is written, Eye have not seen, nor ear have heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. You have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that you might know the things that are freely given to you of God. The things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.

My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if anyone of you sin, you have an advocate with Me, He is Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for your sins: and not for yours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby would you know that you know Me, if you keep My commandments. He that saith, he knows Me, and keeps not My commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keeps My word, in him verily is the love of God perfected and hereby you will know that you are in Me. You have the mind of Christ and you hath I quickened, who were once dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also you all had your conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Even when you were dead in sins, hath I quickened you together with Christ. By grace you are saved; And I have raised you up together, and made you sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come I might show you the exceeding riches of My grace in My kindness towards you through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

You are My workmanship. You are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that you should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through Him you both have access by one Spirit unto Me the Father. Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom you also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

He has glorified Me on the earth: He has finished the work which I gave Him to do. I the Father have glorified Him with My own self with the glory which He had with Me before the world was. He has manifested My name unto the disciples which I gave to Him out of the world: Mine they were, and I gave them to Him; and they have kept My word. And now Christ is no more in the world, but they were in the world and I have kept through mine own name those whom I have given to Him, that they may be one, as Christ and I are one. While He was with them in the world, He kept them in My name: those that I gave Him, He has kept, and none of them was lost, except the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. These things He spoke in the world, that they might have His joy fulfilled in themselves. He has given them My word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as He was not of the world. He prayed not that I should have taken them out of the world, but that I should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as He was not of the world. I sanctified them through My truth: My Word is truth. As I have sent Christ into the world, even so have Christ also sent them into the world. And for their sakes He sanctified himself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither prayed He for them alone, but also for them which shall believe on Him through their word; That you all may be one; as I, the Father, art in Christ, and Christ in Me, that you also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that I have sent Him. And the glory which I gave to Him I have given to you; that you may be one, even as We are one: Christ in you, and I in Christ, that you may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that I have sent Him, and have loved you, as I have loved Christ. I the Father have willed that you also, whom I have given to Christ, be with Christ where He is; that you may behold His glory, which I have given Him: for I loved Him before the foundation of the world. The world has not known Me as the righteous Father: but He has known Me, and you have known that I have sent Him. And He have declared unto you My name, and He will declare it: that the love wherewith He has loved Me may be in you, and He in you.

Love,

The Father

John 3:16-21; 1 Cor 2:8-16; Eph 2; John 17; 1 John 2

On Saturday 6 May eight of us set off to Melkbosstrand for a men’s meeting with the other fellowships in the fold, namely Durbanville who arranged the meeting, Montague Gardens, Hout Bay and Muizenberg. I guess we must have been about 35 men gathered together.

After greeting the brothers from the other congregations, we were welcomed, opened with prayer and thereafter entered into a time of glorious worship for about an hour led by Francois from Durbanville with his guitar. I always enjoy worshipping with a group of men only.  Click here.

The first speaker of the day was a man Marcus from George who specially came from there to attend the meeting. They were previously members of the Durbanville fellowship. He testified how the Lord revealed Himself and guided them during the last couple of years.

He testified how he got saved and baptized while in the Durbanville Fellowship, about their marriage and how the Lord transformed him from a shy soft spoken person to a man who is now able to stand in front of us boldly declaring the Lord and testifying about the great things the Lord has done. All the men who knew him before confirmed the miraculous change in his life.

They previously had twins with a rare disease who both died during Covid at the age of ±4½. Since then the Lord blessed them with another two sons and a daughter. He also testified about the Lord’s guidance for them to move from Durbanville to George and that although it held positive economic prospects for them, his biggest concern was for them to be part of a fellowship and a place to worship. Eventually, they started a fellowship at their own home that has since grown to 5 or 6 families.

Thereafter Alex from Muizenberg talked to us about what the Lord had revealed to him during the last couple of weeks. His Scripture reading was from Gen 5:1&2 “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.”

He emphasized the importance of understanding God’s plan of making man (and woman) the crown of His creation. He went further to explain how modern-day gender issues plays out as opposition to what God intended for mankind. He also mentioned how he predicts some of these issues may play out in future.

Then André (Langebaan) took us through Psalm 15 and Proverbs 6:16-19 about the character of those who may dwell in the house of the Lord and pointed out things that God hates. He also looked at Saul and David (1 Sam 18&19) and how the difference in their relationship with and attitude towards God played out in their lives.

Thereafter two men gave testimonies. One confessed how he had backslidden and was eventually caught out and about the hurts it caused his family, but also the road of reconciliation that followed thereafter.

The other man testified how a life of drug addiction and gangsterism destroyed his life, but also how the Lord saved him and now blesses and uses him.

After some snacks, more worship and some more short testimonies and presentations, Tony (Langebaan) concluded the meeting with a word on how God uses people to fulfill God’s purposes and to spread the gospel. Looking at a number of chapters in Acts, he among others pointed out how the Lord used Ananias to pray for Paul and how through Cornelius and Peter the door was opened to the Gentiles.

He also touched on how the persecuted believers spread the gospel everywhere they went and the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch where the believers were first called Christians. He concluded with the fact that it is God’s gifts to believers that enable them for His work by referring to the five-fold ministry in Ephesians 4:11&12.

Thereafter we prayed for two brothers before we enjoyed a light meal together.

It was a wonderful day spent with like-minded brethren in the presence of the Lord. To the men who did not attend this one, please try to join us next time.  (David Malherbe)

It was a privilege and an honour to be a part of the gathering of Men at Saturday’s meeting in
Melkbosstrand. It was an amazing event of fellowship. I wish to sincerely thank all those Men (and the
wives) who were involved in putting together a most memorable and enjoyable event of Presentations,
Testimonies, (some quite emotional) and Prayers, plus the most powerful Men’s Choir in that area of
Cape Town….. Most impressive.
It was touch and go whether I would make the event. I was still many kilometres away from home at
7.30pm on Friday evening and exhausted from a business trip way up in the northern part of the west
coast. But God had other plans and brought my wife and I back home in record time so that I could get
enough sleep to make the trip down to the event. Thanks to the Lord.
What has struck my heart from this event is a thin, but distinctive thread that wove its way throughout the
presentations of a number of the speakers. And I wish to congratulate all those speakers and those men
who were brave enough to open up their hearts to those present, by talking about their ‘Walk with God’.
Yes, we all have a story to tell, but most of us don’t tell it.
In one of the presentations, the speaker pointed out the two most important commandments that a
believer must obey, namely to “Love the Lord your God”….and “Love your neighbour”…., as recorded in
Matthew 22, but also recorded in chapter 28 is a third commandment (‘The Great Commission’) that
Jesus gave his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…..”
Our Fellowship groups certainly address the first two of these commandments most admirably and it is
this factor that has been such a powerful force for my wife and I to be part of this and enjoy.
But I ask the question, “Are we doing enough to influence those on the ‘outside’, to benefit from what we
have, know, and enjoy?
If we all dig down deep, I think we will realise that there is much more we can do to influence ‘others’ to
enjoy the fruits of our knowledge and travel down the road to redemption.
This is the thin thread that I perceived at the gathering, and I consider this to be of primary importance in
our Fellowships and the key activity and objective that I will have in my personal “Walk with God”.
I am in the firm belief that this is the arena that God has setup for me to do His will.
I further believe that our combined Fellowships, having the knowledge and dedication that has been
displayed, is the vehicle for a massive drive to bring in new disciples into the Family.
As a Fellowship, our precious asset is none other than God.
As a marketing man over a period of 40 years, I have been marketing assets that people have needed.
As a Fellowship, we must spread the ‘Word’ of God (our precious asset) throughout the community.
Bankers don’t hold onto their asset for only their own enjoyment, they advertise it to those in need.
Farmers don’t keep their crops for their own use, they market their produce to all in need.
As a Fellowship, we must do exactly the same. We must spread the Word as far and as wide as
possible. Time is running out. Collectively, we have the knowledge, the ability and the dedication and the
people on hand. All we need to do is utilize the tools that are available to promote this extremely
Valuable Asset that we all love and cherish, to all and sundry.
I cannot stop thinking of all those innocent (and not so innocent) souls out in the world that are
completely unaware of what lies ahead, and what is actually happening in the world today, and more
importantly, WHY.
I raise my hand up high to meet this challenge. This is my personal testament towards fulfilling this
commandment from Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.
I ask all the members of our joint Fellowships to support this drive, either in spirit, deed, or prayer.
I ask for God’s Blessings on all.  (Centen Baxter)

Ladies Seminar 15 Apr 2023

We enjoyed a very precious time of fellowship on Saturday with Francois sharing the Word with us.  The Master craftsman (the Lord) softened our hearts with the declaration of His love for each one of us and His call for us to respond to Him.   
Here are a few testimonies from some of the ladies who attended. (Carol)

Had a wonderful Blessed time of fellowship on Saturday with the ladies. Francois brought a message of hope, encouragement and inspiration sprinkled with Joy, in our walk with the Lord Jesus.  Keeping our focus on Jesus, not the cares of the world!
Thank you to everyone involved for making it possible. (Sandra)

I had a wonderful time with the ladies, and the fellowship was great.
Francois teaching was really excellent.  
What touched my heart was that the love of our Lord must bring out the fragrance to be sent out to others so that they can experience it, too. His love must touch us in a way to bring others to him.
It calls for action to be in the Word much more and leave the things that keep us busy a bit aside. (Jackie)

A meal with friends. Jesus having his feet anointed with a fragrance that permeated the house. The secret garden  in Song of Solomon, where the fragrance comes  over the walls as the wind blows. All speaking of fellowship and getting to know people. That truly was just that on Saturday. Hearing of the deep things of God that we can experience in our walk with the Lord. Letting Jesus be that fragrance coming from our lives to benefit those around us. What can one say? It is so precious. (Ruth)

"Fill the room with your ointment that those around you become more aware of Him. Bring the fragrance of Heaven into the room" -Francois. Saturday's gathering was certainly a big blessing to my heart. I was reminded once again to sit at Jesus' feet. Stop being occupied with superficial things and delve deeper into the things of the Lord.In doing so others are impacted by our fruit. It was a wonderful, joyful morning in the presence of the Lord.🌿(Danielle)

Loved the fellowship and meeting up with old friends.
I could always relate to Martha, Martha....but Mary choose the best part, to sit and listen to Jesus while sitting at His feet. Loved how Francois said we must forget about the troubles of the world around us and come hungry to sit at His feet and absorb the perfume that emanates from the Lord, that that would be the fragrance that we spread out into the world as we go through our day. From the book is song of Solomon we heard the heart of Our Lord telling us how much He loves us and longs for us to spend precious time with him. We gather at His feet empty and come away refreshed and overflowing. (Stevie)

Saturday's ladies seminar was a blessing to me personally.  How wonderful that God uses His people to minister to us and teach us more about Jesus and His Word.  
I was reminded of David in  Psalm 139 when he prayed: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made".
Jeremiah 29 verse 11
"For I know the plans I have for you.... plans to prosper and not to harm you but give you hope for the future" 
From those wonderful promises the ointment and  fragrance of our Lord and Saviour should permeate from us.  What a Hope we have in Jesus.... we only have to reach out and touch Him, keep looking upward knowing that He wants us to draw close to Him. My prayer is that the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.  As ladies we have an important role in society to ensure the fragrance of Heaven reaches those around us that folk become aware of Him. 
Thank you Lord for using Francois as your vessel to minister to us in order that have a closer walk with you. (Maureen)

Francois read from Song of Solomon where the Lord goes into detail about how much He loves us.  The Lord Jesus has an overwhelming desire and love for us and He knows and loves every part of us. 
Song of Solomon 4 v 12 to 15 talks about a garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, etc. We are a garden enclosed- speaking of the church or us individually- set apart for Him. No other love must have pre-eminence. Our fruits must be for Him alone. He takes great delight in us. This speaks of the Lord's great desire for us to be in intimate communion with Him, abiding in Him alone. Loving Him as He loves us, totally overwhelmingly. This has encouraged me to draw closer to the Lord knowing how much He loves me. What a wonderful day of  blessing and upliftment it was. (Janelle)

Click here for "The Singing of the birds (the ladies) has come"!