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)