Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus the Messiah, we’d like to impart some encouragement. We sincerely hoped to see all of you on our recent visit to Joburg and impart this encouragement in person, but time eluded us, and we had to move on to our next destination.
We would, however, still like to encourage you to follow Jesus with your whole heart.
The Americans have a saying, “Lean into it,” meaning that when it gives, there’s nothing to keep you from falling. Lean into Jesus, He promises never to let us down, but we have to let go of the world. We cannot hold on to the world and follow Jesus. “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2. Jesus said: “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27 and “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. We shouldn’t even look back at our old life in this world.
As we’ve said to all of you: Trials, suffering, and even persecution of various kinds will come. Jesus made this clear, and we can certainly attest to that this month. It’s easy when things get tough to long back to the false sense of comfort we had in the world. Peter said that the trials and suffering come to test the genuineness of our faith. Like the seed that fell on the rocky ground, many fall away because of this persecution or trouble. But we want to encourage you to keep heart, for we know that the reward for following Him is far greater than the troubles we’ll face in this life. Jesus will perfect every good thing that He started in you, so continue to seek Him and His kingdom before all else. He has given us everything we need to live a Godly life and is even able to keep us even from stumbling.
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord, and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:9-12.
May this come as a great encouragement to all of you, especially Bradley, Sussa, Simone, Adele, Cindy and Hendrik, Bernice, Rudi and Mericia, Roelof and Ronel, Tina, Goodman, Kholofelo, and all our other brothers and sisters in fellowship with Jesus.
Keep your eyes on Jesus; He’s worthy of it all.
Tian, Elmi and the Kids
PS: Henri and Yolandi send their greeting to all of you as well.
DisciplesOfJesus 