Bradley’s answer to the call

If someone had asked me five years ago where I would be today, my answer would have never pointed in the direction of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. However, I was celebrating my birthday in March at a Kickstart event (organised by believers whom I had often joined on Thursday evenings for fellowship) to become active members of preaching the gospel.
Fast forward to the 4th of June, everything changed from going to a day job to working for the Kingdom of God full time. Just as the disciples dropped their nets after deciding to join Christ in becoming fishers of men, Jesus also called me to do likewise by stepping up and actively following Him.

How it all happened
Arriving home from the Kickstart, I received the unpleasant news that I was no longer allowed to live there. Management had evicted me for attending the Kickstart seminar.

Monday after I got evicted, Tian called me to ask if I could meet him and Elmi. He then asked me if I could join him and his family on a journey to become fishers of men. In the first instance, the offer humbled me, and I felt it was the right thing to do. So Tian suggested that we pray for God to reveal the way forward. I had already made up my mind, but the events that followed showed me that the Lord has a way of sending messages to his children that only they can understand.
I had a dream later that night, and in this dream, I was at a caravan park. At the caravan park, I found myself accompanied by a man called Jean Pierre who had nominated me as best man at his wedding last year. In that same dream, I decided to ask him why God was not allowing me to go with Tian on this journey. To my surprise, he just stood in silence without a word. After leaving the scene, approaching the end of my dream Tian and Elmi appeared, and Elmi was in the middle of showing me a verse in the Bible she was reading when suddenly I woke up. At that point, my conclusion was to wait until I received confirmation, and I was at peace with whatever the outcome.
Later the next day, I talked to Tian about the dream. Tian said the last thing Elmi read was Hebrews 12, verses 1 to 3. I mentioned that it was not yet time to go and that I should wait, at least for now. About two weeks passed, and while I was reading through my WhatsApp messages on my phone (a habit I usually did after work), I read through the last article on this blog. After going through the article, it made sense to me that even in silence, God speaks. All the events around me were asking me to go, from the books I read to the movie (Mountain top) I watched and now this article. It was there at that moment that I heard His voice calling out.
My purpose is to be on the mission field fighting for the Kingdom of God, yet here I was fighting to build another man’s kingdom. It was time I took up my cross and followed Jesus. So, I decided to call Tian and tell him that I was coming with him and his family. He gladly accepted, and then our preparations began.
After reading Radical by David Platt, which Tian was listening to in his car one day, I got the conviction that God called me a long time ago to be a fisher of men. For the more significant part of my life, up to that point, I was trapped in a comfort zone. All the signs were so clear, yet my mind still stood in doubt. I thank God I took up that call because the word states that a man without faith will find it difficult to please God.

Putting it all into action
So after travelling to Bela Bela for a two-week stay, I realised my place was in the Kingdom of God all along. Leaving a comfort zone into the unknown was challenging, yet I felt the joy of working for my Creator. I am content with what the Lord has given me. I appreciated the way Rudi and Riesie opened their home for us. For me, that was a turning point because it was an act of obedience. I have managed to preach the gospel to several people in Bela Bela, and I thank God for planting seeds in the hearts of those who heard the good news.
At the time of writing this article, we have relocated to Hazyview. The atmosphere here is a breath of fresh air, and I believe the Holy Spirit will guide us in the direction we must go. I hope that those who have the opportunity to read this article will be encouraged by my testimony so far. The harvest is plenty, yet few of us are willing to labour in the field. So I encourage readers to be obedient to God’s word.
May the peace of the Lord be with you.