Prayer-School Prayer Practicum

Targeting South Africa

Prayer Target: Unity of the Body in South Africa

If we truly seek to honor Christ we must seek to honor His wishes. With the cross pending and a pre-knowledge of suffering, He remained with one thought in His mind "That they may be one as You and I are one" As followers of Christ, we then too, regardless of other pressures and callings, must have this thought in our minds.

The Church In Every Country Needs Unity

• Our Intimate Knowledge Of Christ Hinges On Unity

  Ephesians 4:13: and of the knowledge of the Son of God (unity then knowledge)

  Colossians 2:2: that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of the Christ ( Knitting implies a single strand and NOT pieces put together. Again we see that the knowledge of Christ will follow from this unity and not before)

• Our Leadership Is Not Anointed Without A Spirit Of Unity

  Psalm 133: 1-2 Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down the beard, the beard of Aaron.

  (The ointment used in Aaron's time was divinely prescribed by God. It's purpose was to anoint Aaron or his replacement as high priest. As believer priests today we must have that same anointing, particularly our leadership. That anointing we see from the above psalm is a spirit of unity.)

• It Is The Essense Of Our Faith & Faithfulness

  John 13:34: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

  2 John 5:6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

  2 John 5:10-11 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

  1 John 2:3-4 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

  We are commanded toward love for one another and unity. The oneness that Christ has with the Father. If we are not to be liars, if we are to fulfill His commandment we must strive toward unity. Any other voice of separatism and denominationalism we must reject from our house or share in his evil deeds.

Roots Of Disunity In South Africa

• The Missionary Roots Of South Africa

  Without belittling our missionary forefathers we must acknowledge their stereotyped, paternal approach to missions in then deepest darkest South Africa. It was a perception problem that stemmed from the thought that one's faith in Christ decreased in direct proportion to the increase in skin pigmentation. This combined with the twin evil of preaching culture instead of Christ began the alienation of our non-white brothers and sisters.

  Paternalism resulted from this and for instance, by 1936 the Assemblies of God church in SA was well established, with a predominant Black membership and only a handful of whites. Control however remained in the hands of expatriate white missionaries. By 1944, only at the demand of certain great leaders such as Nicholas Benghu did the AOG become multiracial but still sectionalized. Each grouping now had representation on the executive but they were still separate groupings. Paternalism had done what apartheid would do by law, separate the races.

  This prejudicial (not racist) attitude still remains with us today and is a major stumbling block in the gathering together of God's chosen, particularly leadership.

• The Great Commission Interpreted As "Go Out And Build Your Denomination"

  Again I would use the AOG as an example. Originally a grouping of Pentecostal missionaries it later became a denomination. What is important to note that their collaboration and merging was not initiated by a move of the Holy Spirit, or in obedience to His commands, but was a marriage of convenience. The government of the time objected to dealing with a multitude of independent missionaries all seeking recognition, church sites and access to native reserves. Their co-operation made dealings with the authorities less arduous, but was not done with His Church in mind but with denominational growth as the focal point.

  1908 saw the arrival of Henry Turvey and his wife in SA and the start up of a mission in the Pretoria area. When they moved on three years later, their work left behind, became the Full Gospel Church. 1911 saw them start another at Doornkop in the Transvaal which became highly successful. At his death however in 1920 the vultures descended over Henry Turvey's grave to fight over his work that had spread over most of the Transvaal. The main attackers here were the Full Gospel Church and the Apostolic Faith Mission.

  Back in the USA the Dept of Foreign Missions and the General Council of the AOG looked to dissolve the South African denomination and bring it under the control of the Bethel Pentecostal Assembly. This despite the fact that all the work done obtaining government recognition and land grants would be lost.

  The seeds of competition between denominations and controlling bodies were sown during this period and the cost to a generally poor South African Church is still being reaped today. Afrikaner nationalism saw the emergence of the Dutch Reformed and other "Afrikaner" churches only increasing the problem with the latter church emerging as the "victor" during the apartheid years and directly representative of governments voice.

• Apartheid

  This "sin of a nation" will continue to burden us unless we are fully prepared to humble ourselves to the Makers healing hand. Of significance is the separation of the non-white church as a result of both the legal implications as well as the resultant hurts.

  Every denomination had created branches or "daughter" churches that catered for the different color groupings of the country. These evolved into denominations of their own creating even more power struggles. Even sadder is the resultant "fraternal split" that occurred through the years as loyalties, activism and hurts split the non-white church, particularly the blacks into groups of affiliation that went by a myriad of acronyms. Their distancing from each other was a more powerful one than with traditional white denominations as the splits were generally emotional ones.

  To this day one can enter a traditionally black area and encounter up to fifteen different groupings that do not communicate or co-operate with each other in spreading the Gospel.

Steps to Rebuilding The Unity

PECLA - A Revisiting Of SACLA 1979

1979 was a watershed year and the faint beginnings of unity for the Church in South Africa. Leadership from all denominations gathered together to find a common vision and a common policy statement. The last few years have seen the first saplings rise from those seeds and pockets of unity amongst the churches have sprung forth. Of particular note is the formation of PECLA, an Eastern Cape based Christian Leadership Assembly with the vision of Town, City, Provincial and Countrywide eldership. An eldership that would provide our nation with a common vision and action plan to fulfill our work in unity. Much work has been done and God's hand has been ever present, and success here, would provide a working model and hope for the rest of the country. In Port Elizabeth's "black" areas for example, thirteen of the fifteen predominant black grouping came together under one roof in September last year and declared their commitment to unity. This is absolutely historical and a powerful testimony of God's intervention.

Other Ministries In The Field Of Unification

United Christian Action - The most active activist group in SA and geared to gather Christians nationwide around a common belief and goal. They are totally non-denominational based and appeal to all sincere Christian's sense of duty.

Africa Enterprise - Under the leadership of Michael Cassidy, they have long been involved in the peace process in SA, the unification of the Body and the training of leadership, all outside of denominational boundaries. Have run many successful bridge building workshops, breaking down ingrained color prejudices.

United Christian Ministries - An inter-denominational ministry that focuses on establishing projects, ministries and promoting rallies etc. It raises funds for a creche and placing the creche under the care of more than one church. It establishes participatory feeding schemes: ten people adopt a family, with all ten from different denominations. It maintains a policy of remaining in the background, coercing and prompting unity, but never taking the forefront or limelight, so as to remain a non-threat to other organizations or denominations.

NUPSA - Network for United Prayer in South Africa. Without doubt one of the most important ministries of our day, they publish a monthly prayer guideline to the nation gathering the brethren together in prayer and establishing a spiritual unity.

CAN - Christian Action Network. With the motto, "Together we CAN", this ministry is new and hopes to step beyond the "membership" base of organizations such as UCA etc. It uses an Email and Fax network towards the goal of providing Christians with an up to date action newsletter.

Prayer

Our heavenly Father. We come to You as Your children and in the name of Jesus Christ. With the knowledge that in His name all things are possible. We say Amen to Your Son's prayer for unity and rebuke satan in his deception. He is a defeated enemy and we place this matter and the hearts of Your people in South Africa in Your hands that You may fulfill this prayer in our nation.

We pray today that You would place in every one of Your children's hearts the same thoughts of Christ "That we may be as one". We ask for an understanding in each one of Your appointed that You would place in their hearts a knowledge of the reason for the appointment, so that we may come to the unity of the faith.

We lift the leadership up to You that they may seek the holy anointing required by You, an anointing of unity. May that anointing flow from them over Your people that they, through unity may find a more intimate relationship with both You and Your Son, Jesus Christ. That Your people may have a deeper knowledge of You.

May Your people in South Africa have renewed hearts and minds whereby they see that the essence of their faith in Christ is in love, his great commandment : and that in unity that love is perfected. That Your people would have the courage to distance themselves from the lies of the enemy and rebuke every form of separation in Your body.

We come against the paternalism that exists in the Church. Your Word tells us that we are all equal. Embed that in their hearts. We come against denominationalism. We are to be knit together in love. one strand and one body. We come against the fruits of apartheid. Our freedom is in You and we ask Your restoring hand upon what the locusts have eaten in Your body.

Dear Father, we lift every organization and individual up to You that seeks and strives for the unity that You seek. Strengthen them and give them courage to face the church. Empower them to have the right words at the right time that hearts may be touched and a new vision be placed in their hearts. A vision that seeks only to give You glory and to see Your Church as one, raised up to it's rightful place. A lamp unto the world.

Amen