TCA Wed01May2024 - Vision - Apst J Sithole

This is a tribute to the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people 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the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda, the people of Uganda. They were immoral in many ways. They were corrupt in many ways. At that state, they went to war with the Philistines. They were defeated. They were defeated. And the act of the Lord that signified the presence of God was taken away from Israel. As soon as the news reached Israel, the wife to one of the sons of Nick fell down, gave birth to a boy, and she named the boy Ichabod. The glory of God had departed in Israel. When you look at the state of the nation today, the state of the nation in SA, it is quite bad that we are told that every five hours there is a girl child missing. Murder has become our daily reality. Crime has gone out of control. Lawlessness is the order of the time. And all these things are caused by one thing. The church is lukewarm. The church is also not in order. What causes these things? As we begin this month, what are the causes? I want us to address two major things which are the cause of our state. We are in a bad shape. The first one is lack of vision. The Bible says, where there is no vision, the people perish. Where there is no vision, the people perish. I want us to read that text in several translations. But if we can find it in the TLB, the Living Bible, that text of Proverbs 28. It talks about the vision. But if we can find it in the TLB, we can read it. 28. Where there is no vision, the people perish. Okay, I've got the TLB. I've got the TLB. I've got the translation of the Bible. Okay. Is it verse 12? Yes. When the godly people succeed, everyone is left. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. Am I reading the right verse? Nope. It means I don't have the right TLB. Sorry. Let me check my Bible. Okay, you can read any other translation because the TLB or you will interrupt me. Because I'm rushing somewhere. I'm really rushing to a particular point. The Bible says where there is no vision, people cast restraints, lose self-control. Where there is no vision. And it also says, happy is he who keeps the law. In other words, where there is no vision, people just lose self-control. In other words, they lose discipline. Where there is no vision, people just lose control. Another translation says, where there is no vision, the people run wild. Another translation says, where there is no vision, crime is on the rise. So, always where there is no leadership, with a vision, people lose control. Amen. I was under. I hope that Amen is indicating something there. Yeah. It says, when people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy. That is TLB. Yeah. Now, when we say, people run wild, it means now, things are as they are in the nation. Because South Africa does not have a vision. We had a discussion with one of the brightest theologians. After we had a national prayer in the union buildings, Dr. Hobok, when we were talking, and he said he asked some key ANC leaders about the vision of the ANC for the country. They kept on postponing and said, well, we'll come back to you and tell you the vision. And until he concluded, because this discussion took some years, you will meet this one and ask the same question, meet that one, ask the same question. No one has the right answer. In fact, they don't have. So, we are being led by leaders who don't have a vision for the country. And once you don't have a vision, people lose discipline. People run wild. Crime becomes rampant. Now, I was interviewed by one of the radio stations yesterday. And they were just talking about my life and so on. And they said, what kept you going for all these years in ministry? Because most of the people drop out of the ministry. It's not easy to stay on, to be in ministry for this long. What kept you going? And I had the answer right there. I told them that now. I got a vision. And because Bill Ibel says vision is the big picture of the future, that produces questions. In other words, if you can see the future of the nation, if you can see what you are pursuing, it builds passion. And passion is that love for something that cannot be defeated by anything. You can overcome everything. If you are passionate about something. And ladies and gentlemen, lack of vision becomes the cause of many things that we are seeing. But if we have vision, vision restores discipline. One becomes disciplined because he's pursuing something bigger than him, stronger than him. And vision doesn't only last for a lifetime of one person. Vision outlives even the visionary. It keeps you so busy that even when people say it's time to just take it easy, you can't take it easy because you are seeing something that needs to be attained. Vision. A young man with a vision, a young girl with a vision, won't be fooling around with things that he's supposed not to do. That person will assume vision because the passion and everything, the focus is on the vision. Now, this happens also to be the man of elections. You look at those manifestos. I'm just talking about livelihoods, unemployment, employment, food parcels, grants, and all those things. Nothing about the nitty-gritties of where the nation needs to go. It's just something like emergency solutions or first aid to resuscitate a nation that is just dying and so on. No direction. By so doing, I'm not discouraging you from voting. It is our responsibility to vote and to make a statement about what we want and what we do not want. But our main focus, let us focus on seeking ways to restore vision. Even if it's at a street committee level, let us seek ways to restore vision so that things can come together. The second aspect about addressing the state of our nation is values. What are the most valuable things that we value? In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 4, we see this issue of the sons of Eli. The sons of Eli in a nation without a vision. The Bible tells us that now in chapter 1, the light in the temple was so dim. In other words, there was no vision. But at the end of the day, when now the ark was taken away from the people, the news reached the family. And this lady fell and gave birth to a boy. I want us to read those verses in chapter 4, 1 Samuel, chapter 4, where the wife of Elias receives the news. And after receiving the news, she reacted by giving birth to a child. And that child was given the name Ichabod. Let's read that verse. I think it's also sent to the doctor also. Yes, 1 Samuel 4 from 1922 in ESV. Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death, the woman attending her said to her, Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer or pay attention. And she named the child Ichabod, saying that Zori has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said that Zori has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured. Amen. Now, she gives birth to a boy. And the midwives are excited around her. And they say, Don't be afraid. You just gave birth to a boy. In other words, even if you are going to die, but know that you gave birth to a boy. What a boy child meant in those days was three basic things. First, it was posterity. Posterity meaning future generations. Because the boy child has seed and bears the same name of the family. And now there will be other children and the name of the father and the family will be remembered as they proceed. It meant posterity. It also meant prosperity. Because girls were not allowed to inherit their father's possessions. It was girls. It was boys. And girls were not allowed to inherit. It was boys. Boys were the ones who would inherit the wealth of the family. So it meant prosperity. And also, number three, it also meant protection. Because the Bible says, Blessed is the man who is full of sons. And they will protect him at the city gate. So, this prosperity, posterity, protection that was presented to her in this boy child, the Bible says she did not regard it. She just didn't take it so important. What was important to her is the loss of the presence of God in Israel. Ichabod, the glory has departed in Israel. Ladies and gentlemen, I want us to focus on this. That what is really important to us? Is it prosperity? Is it posterity, future generations? Is it protection? All these things are valuable. But they cannot supersede the presence of God in our lives. Amen. They cannot supersede the presence of God in our lives. But when we look at us today, the emphasis lately is on prosperity. The emphasis today is on job security. The emphasis today is on having a big name and so on. But at the expense of the glory and the power of God that we are missing. Let us go back to the values. The valuable things in our lives. Is it the presence of God or possessions? Let's look at it the other way around. What is the use of having children in a world that is full of crime? What is the use of having children in a world where they are raped? What is the use of having children in the world where there is murder around every corner? What is the use of just having money in a world where crime is so rampant? What is the use of having job security in a corrupt nation? It's high time that we seek the presence of God. It's high time that we begin to value the presence of God more than all these things. I'm not saying prosperity is not important. I'm not saying prosperity is not important. I'm not saying protection is not important. But all these things lose value if we don't have the presence of God. The Bible says if the Lord doesn't guard a city, they that guard it, guard it in vain. In other words, if you try to protect a city without God, you are still exposed. And therefore, ladies and gentlemen, let us go back to the values. And how do we go back to these values? First, let's seek to live holy life. Secondly, let us seek God and pray. I'm disturbed today that we have young people who cannot talk about prayer meetings. We have young people who cannot really say... You hardly meet one young person who will say, I've been fasting and seeking God for 7 days or for 10 days just seeking God. It's time to go back to God and seek the face of God. Seeking, right here in the Boa Homo and Kulu Kuan, we have the closet altars there. We have a place of prayer where people go and seek God. Just go and seek the face of God. I decree and declare that for us to change the nation, prayer and also purity in the eyes of God must be primary in our lives. Ladies and gentlemen, all what I want to say to you today is that let us seek the glory of God and the presence of God. And that is the answer. Revival, reformation, transformation is the answer. Today, Dr. Gansema will be talking to us in Pretoria East about revival, reformation and transformation. Very powerful stories. He wrote a book that I would like to say everyone of us, it is a must have. It's called The Birthplace of a New Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, let us unmute and begin to pray for our nation. But we must first pray for ourselves. Let us pray. Father in the name of Jesus. I pray. I pray. I pray, O God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. I pray, O God, for the pride of God. Amen. Thank you, John. Have a good, good, good day. Be blessed. Those who are not going to Pretoria, please catch us in live streaming Facebook. Next generation will be live streaming there. Be blessed. Let's meet tomorrow morning. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, John. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.