Letter from Pastor Willam – May 2019

Dear Church Family and Friends of Bethany

Its good to sit down and communicate with you all again. This year seems to run away from all of us. Before you know it, months have slipped by and so much still needs to be done. Fortunately the Lord is never slow, neither late. He anticipates our coming, going, and made provision to meet us wherever and whenever we turn to Him for answers. My previous letter clarified this concept in Eph2:10.

Celebrating a Fulfilled Pentecost

We are currently celebrating the 50 day (‘penta’) period after Jesus’s resurrection. I remember as a child how our church went into devotional mode especially during the ‘pinkster bidure’ – Pentecost prayer time. Its focus is the Holy Spirit’s outpouring that was prayed for during the 10 days after Jesus ascended into the heavens. Some promises of God takes time to ‘wait’ upon. In fact I recently made a statement in church where I stated that: ‘even though God promised it, you still need to pray for the manifestation of the promise’. While Jesus prayed, according to Luke 3:21, the heavens opened and the promised Holy Spirit descended upon Him. He is our standard; let’s pray into manifestation, the promises of God, especially during this memorable time of devotion. It’s important for the church to celebrate the coming and indwelling presence of God the Holy Ghost. It makes us God-conscious, heavenly minded and Spirit-indwell-minded. I am convinced that The Holy Spirit is imprisoned in the bodies of unbelieving believers. He is in us as a river, not a lake. He wants out –He wants to flow.

First Friday Worship

Our First Friday worship in March was a blessed and anointed one that we’ll remember for a long time as our First, First Friday Worship event. Thirteen people made a commitment to Christ that evening. We celebrated this initiative from the Worship team under the leadership of Lawton Crowley. While it blessed us as a congregation to come together and worship as one, the event serves simultaneously also as an outreach to those who don’t know Christ Jesus as Saviour, yet. Music is a unifier; it brings people together, young and old, rich and poor. Anointed worship music opens the heart towards God our Father and He comes and is enthroned amongst us. Our next First Friday event will take place on 7 June 2019 at the Church Venue in Durbanville. Kindly invite friends and family to join us as we celebrate the Lord together as one family. See details in our website. Last Sunday we also thanked and said goodbye to Koos Dippenaar as worship leader. For many years Koos laid the foundations, sacrificed his time, talent and treasure to enable others and ensure our Sunday services are blessed. He is still actively involved as an elder in our church and is responsible for organizing our annual Paternoster function.

Annual Paternoster Function

This event brings with it many blessed memories of God touching us as a congregation while we use the opportunity to be a blessing to the local community at the same time. It also serve as a time to break away from the busy lifestyle that is synonymous with city life. The last few years we’ve seen people getting baptized in the Atlantic while others get engaged. Our next Paternoster event happens the weekend of 19 – 21 July 2019. Contact the office for further details. Friends and family are welcome to join us as well. Early this month we officiated the wedding of Adrian and Clarice. Rumacques and Blaize was blessed with a little baby boy named, Michael, during April of this year. Speaking of Adrian: we kindly and boldly ask you as our family in Christ, to continue to keep Adrian in prayer while he goes for treatment over the next few weeks. My daughter, Carin was engaged to Cleve Oppel during February. This however, happened outside Paternoster.

Prayer, the lifeline of the Church

It’s the one activity that Jesus demanded from the house of God. Yes, its not a request. Its an instruction from the Commander in chief, Jesus our Lord. In this area the enemy fights believers, tooth and nail. If we are too busy to pray, then we are too busy. Heaven awaits our requests as many legions of Angels are waiting for you and I to open our mouths so heaven can be unleashed upon Earth with divine intervention and provide godly protection and godly provision. Everybody needs prayer. Everything needs prayer. Let’s pray everywhere, every time for this is pleasing to God. Our country just came out of a very important election. Thank God it was peaceful and well organized. We prayed for that. Now we ought to keep our nation and its leaders in prayer for this is the will of God concerning us. We pray not as those without hope. We pray, for the sick, we pray for others, we pray for ourselves and we pray confidently like Elijah, who was a man just like us (James 5:13-18). Our prayers bring the rain, change the economy, heal the sick, close evil doors and open the heavens over the lives of others. Luke 18:1 says: ‘Men aught always to pray, and not give up’. James encourages us, to pray with a sincere heartfelt attitude while you become aware that you are speaking to the only Living God, the Lord Almighty, the Lord strong in battle, the Most High, the Great I am, the Holy One. Prayer gives perspective of who He is and who we are.

Thanks for all the support in prayer and in substance that we continue to receive from many to ensure Gods Kingdom is coming and manifesting right here, in and through Bethany Christian Church.

God Bless. Together in His Service.

William Coraizin