Harvester Church

Wisdom For Business – Band of Brothers

harvester — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 03:58:10 +0000

Executive coaching session with Apostle Aje Pelser.

Click to book a one-on-one session to craft the long-term success vision for your business.

Lessons on Contentment

harvester — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Preached by Apostle André Pelser in Cape Town, South Africa.

Place of Abundance

harvester — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 10:00:19 +0000

Preached by Apostle André Pelser in Cape Town, South Africa.

‘As we draw near to God continually, He strengthens us to believe that our weaknesses will be turned into strength and our unbelief into strong faith. The dew of His presence and the power of His love will cause the change in us by His powerful Word.’ (Smith Wigglesworth)

Dare to believe God will lift you up into a place of abundance beyond all you can ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20) God wants to lift you above poverty into a bountiful place of supply. He wants to open His eternal treasures to you. God puts you into a position where you are worthy to receive what He has prepared for you.

God wants to move you to a fixed position with Him where you can no longer be moved by any situation. As children of God He wants to lead us to that place where we are also free from sin. (I John 3:1-10)

Listen, it is God speaking to you! He looks past your weaknesses, past your human depravities, even past the faults in your character and personality and wants to lift you into a place of purity and beauty where He tells you: ‘you are lovely, my beloved!’ There is no spot or wrinkle. God blots out all our transgressions in a thick cloud and our sins and iniquities He forgives and forgets. (Isaiah 43:25)

The Lord is gentle and easy to be entreated, without partiality. He helps us to live in the world but overcoming it. We can be master of every labor we have to perform as long as we keep our minds stayed on Him. (Isaiah 26:3) Whatever we do we do to the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31) Whatever work you have to do will be easier if you keep your mind stayed on the Word of God. Take a Scripture with you into your day and meditate on it continually and it will strengthen you.

‘I have chosen you I have ordained you, that you should go forth bearing much fruit and that your fruit should remain.’ (Interpretation of tongues)

The God of hope gives us hope for the future: hope of sonship, hope of ministry, hope of transmitting life wherever we go. As we speak His Word it brings life. Jesus says, ‘My Word brings life.’ (John 5:24)

God wants you to live in this world with peace, His peace. The first message the angels brought into the world to announce the birth of the Son of God, was ‘Peace on earth and good will towards men.’ (Luke 2:14) God desires you to be as much at peace as if you were in heaven.

God wants to deliver you of all pain and sickness and rid you of all diseases. He wants you to reign over all demonic powers that attack you. (Luke10:17) God forgives all your sins and do not remember them. (Jeremiah 31:34) On the authority of your believing God’s Word I can bring you into a new place of abundant peace and joy in believing. (Romans 15:13)

God strengthens you and give you mental strength to master evil thoughts. The devil projects thoughts at you and does not know which ones will affect you. But when you discern the work of the devil you can resist it and say, ‘get behind me Satan,’ and he has to leave.

When difficulties and perplexities arise, we need to remember the Lord is greater that the things we face. We have to expect to see the Master’s hand work on our behalf.

Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. (Galatians 5:24) He wants to destroy sinful passions in our flesh and bring carnality to an end. He wants to defeat sin and dethrone sin. Sin shall not reign over you. (Romans 6:14)

Believe that God is bringing you into that place where Christ reigns in you and is manifested in you. It is a place of divine abundance. It is a divine place of sublime faith where you see possibilities of all the promises like Moses overlooking the Promised Land from Mount Pisgah and seeing the large bunches of grapes.

It is the position of a conqueror. This is a place of endowment of power. It is a place of holiness. Christ has become our holiness. (I Corinthians 1:30,31)

Disease will be dethroned, and you will stand as a child of God with power. All things become possible if you dare to believe God’s Word.

Faith Principles

harvester — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 10:00:07 +0000

The Force of Faith Pt. 2

harvester — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 10:00:28 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser at Harvester Church Cape Town, South Africa.

Photo by Debasish Vishal.

The Force of Faith

harvester — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 10:00:39 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser at Harvester Church, Cape Town, South Africa.

Photo by Halacious.

What the Bible Says About Jesus – Part 2

harvester — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 10:00:01 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

A friend of ours in church told us how he was looking for a church when he moved to a new neighbourhood. He went from one church to another. At the one church a priest met him and asked if he was there for a bingo night. At another church the leader answered the door with a drink and a cigarette in his hand. Then he walked past a small entrance to a church that looked like a café and someone asked if: “Can I tell you what the Bible says about Jesus?” Twenty years later our friend is still functional and fruitful in that Jesus centered church!

Here are 10 things the Bible says about Jesus:

1. He is the Saviour of our souls. 1 John 4:14
1Jn_4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

2. He is the Redeemer and Passover Lamb that is slain for our sins, so that we should not die in our sins but live eternally.

Exo_12:27 that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
During the last supper, Jesus revealed that His body would become the Passover for his disciples to come:
1Co_11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

1Co_5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

3. He is also the Mediator of a better and new covenant that has better promises for us.

Heb 12:24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

4. He is the Christ and anointed one who showed us how to get back to the Father God.

He is the Son of God
Mat 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Mat 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

5. He is the source of our life and living water.

Joh_4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
Joh_7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

6. He is the bread of life and He is the Word made flesh.

Joh_6:32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
Joh_6:33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

7. He is the light of the world that shines through us

Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Mat 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mat 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

8. He has the name above all names.

He was willing to become like us and served us with humility to the point of death on a cross. That’s why God has highly exalted him and given him the name above every name – at that name every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
Php 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
Php 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

9. If you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved!

Rom 10:8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Rom 10:13 For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
10. He is the Head of the Church of the Firstborn registered in heaven and He is coming for His Bride the Church, and has promised to prepare a place for you!

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Joh 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
Joh 14:2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

What the Bible Says About Jesus

harvester — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 10:00:13 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 23 August 2020

Here are 10 things the Bible says about Jesus:

1. He is the Saviour of our souls. 1 John 4:14
1Jn_4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

2. He is the Redeemer and Passover Lamb that is slain for our sins, so that we should not die in our sins but live eternally.

1Co_5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

3. He is also the Mediator of a better and new covenant that has better promises for us.

Heb 12:24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

4. He is the Christ and anointed one who showed us how to get back to the Father God.

He is the Son of God
Mat 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Mat 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

5. He is the source of our life and living water.

6. He is the bread of life and He is the Word made flesh.

7. He is the light of the world that shines through us

Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

8. He has the name above all names.

9. If you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved!

Convergence

harvester — Sun, 16 Aug 2020 10:00:48 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Definition of Convergence
The act of converging and especially moving toward union or uniformity
Merriam-Webster
to come together and unite in a common interest or focus
To converge means:
To tend or move toward one point or one another: come together : MEET
To approach a limit as the number of terms increases without limit
The independent development of similar characters (as of bodily structure of unrelated organisms or cultural traits) often associated with similarity of habits or environment

Synonyms for convergence
assemble, cluster, collect, concenter, concentrate, conglomerate, congregate,
convene, forgather (or foregather), gather, meet, rendezvous

Antonyms
break up, disband, disperse, split (up)

Converging points that release God’s Wisdom, power and glory

Converging point of The Church
Eph 3:8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Eph 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
Eph 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Eph 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
Eph 3:13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Everything Jesus lived for came to this point – His Church revealing God’s Manifold wisdom to the principalities and powers.
When Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit it was because God had revealed something to babes – His young disciples who cast out demons from people echoing Satan being cast out of heaven.
While we live in a dark world where the god of this world often holds sway, let us not forget that God is supreme and we serve Him. In becoming part of the Body of Christ, Satan’s defeat is complete in our lives and as we gather together in Jesus’ name. His pre-eminence in our midst begins to convey His decrees of His kingdom to the former ruling principalities and powers. When war is fought and won, new laws and proclamations are put in place for the citizens of the kingdom. The Church is the convergence of all God’s truth and power and when we connect by His Spirit, it releases a lightning bolt of power into our immediate surroundings that shake heaven and earth.

Manifold Wisdom of God:
Manifold G4182 polupoikilos Thayer Definition:
1) much variegated, marked with a great variety of colours
1a1) of cloth or a painting
2) much varied, manifold

Wisdom G4678 sophia Thayer Definition:
1) wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters
1a) the wisdom which belongs to men
1a1) spec. the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, and summed up in maxims and proverbs
1a2) the science and learning
1a3) the act of interpreting dreams and always giving the sagest advice
1a4) the intelligence evinced in discovering the meaning of some mysterious number or vision
1a5) skill in the management of affairs
1a6) devout and proper prudence in relating to people who are not disciples of Christ, skill and discretion in imparting Christian truth
1a7) the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living
1b) supreme intelligence, such as belongs to God
1b1) to Christ
1b2) the wisdom of God as evinced in forming and executing counsels in the formation and government of the world and the scriptures
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G4680
Citing in TDNT: 7:465, 1056

Converging point of the Finger of God
The convergence of the times – the dispensation of the fullness of times – the cumination of all things is at hand – the kingdom of heaven is at hand therefore we drive out demons and principalities and powers with the finger of God:
Luk 11:14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
Luk 11:15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
Luk 11:16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.
Luk 11:17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.
Luk 11:18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.
Luk 11:19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
Luk 11:20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luk 11:21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.
Luk 11:22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.
Luk 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Converging point of the Fullness of Times
Gathered together in Him – Church!
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Eph 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Eph 1:8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
Eph 1:9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Eph 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
Dispensation of the fullness of times:

Discpensation: oikonomia Thayer Definition: G3622
1) the management of a household or of household affairs
1a) specifically, the management, oversight, administration, of other’s property
1b) the office of a manager or overseer, stewardship
1c) administration, dispensation

Fulness: plērōma Thayer Definition: G4138
1) that which is (has been) filled
1a) a ship inasmuch as it is filled (i.e. manned) with sailors, rowers, and soldiers
1b) in the NT, the body of believers, as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ
2) that which fills or with which a thing is filled
2a) of those things which a ship is filled, freight and merchandise, sailors, oarsmen, soldiers
2b) completeness or fulness of time
3) fulness, abundance
4) a fulfilling, keeping

Times: kairos Thayer Definition: G2540
1) due measure
2) a measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time, hence:
2a) a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for
2b) opportune or seasonable time
2c) the right time
2d) a limited period of time
2e) to what time brings, the state of the times, the things and events of time

Gather together in one:
G346 anakephalaiomai Thayer Definition:
1) to sum up (again), to repeat summarily, to condense into a summary

Convergence of Harvest
Every month we received a gathering, or condensing into a summary of what God is doing from different parts of the world. There are so many reports of Good News we have to rejoice!
There is a convergence of God’s purposes and a speeding up of His processes in the earth as we speak and the church is the convergent point of it all. Those who think they can run into different directions by themselves and make a dent in the brazen heavens are missing the point of convergence.
Those who think the church is a poor pathetic woman who is always struggling are missing the value Her Bridegroom places on her.
I once did a wedding after a time when weddings were not allowed: there was a great release of join the spirit when a man and woman are united before God.
It’s all about a wedding! Jesus and Bride, the Church glorious and spotless, shining with the radiance reflected from her bridegroom. See it! Be part of it! Unite your cause with the cause of Jesus’ Church and see a glorious dispensation come into being even while we are on a dark earth – because were we not instructed to pray: “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?”
The converging point of Jesus full power is the church, never again one man, but the church convergent at this fullness of times,
Let’s bring in the great end time harvest!
As we manage the household of faith for a season, we are reaching the decisive moment of convergence and it is creating a supernatural vortex drawing God’s blessing and power and glory to be released into the heavens and realms in which we live and move and have our being. Here it comes people of God – church of the firstborn registered in heaven!

Photo by Douglas Bagg

Prophetic Church

harvester — Sun, 09 Aug 2020 10:00:41 +0000

By Prophet Francois Botes

Photo by Drew Beamer

Seeking the Center

harvester — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 10:00:52 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

In orbital thinking we seek the center which is Christ.
When an ice skater pulls her arms closer in towards her body, she speeds up and twirls with centripetal forces. During this time we have had an opportunity to go deep and seeking the center of all we believe and hold dear. This is true especially with regards to the church. We looked at the dynamic operations and functions of the human cell and realized that God in His infinite wisdom and complexity decides our DNA form the central nucleus of life and that is what we seek: Christ within the hope of glory in every believer, every function, every church.

Keys to functioning in a Body of Believers

1. Christ in you
Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
Col 1:25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God,
Col 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

Your measure of faith determines your level of function.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Rom 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
Rom 12:5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
Rom 12:7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
Rom 12:8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
If we are saved by grace through faith, why do we often forget to operate by grace through faith in our functions? Some suggested answers could include: selfish ambition; a need for fulfilment, status, vanity and a religious sense of duty that keeps you busy labouring to a point of exhaustion without results. That is one of the definitions of insubordination in our submission Couse.

Your value that you add to the Body
Something Apostle André kept reminding us: only do what only you can do!
I realize that in most churches the same old workers do everything and the rest of the people are spectators. There are also times when we call “all hands on deck” and you help where help is needed regardless of your orbit.
However, the orbit to which you gravitate is determined by the weight you are willing to carry for that orbit. Gravity pulls a planet into a ball, and also helps to clear out the debris in the orbit. But the most important thing about a planet is that it orbits the sun and seeks the center!

2. Christ in others
Eph 5:21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Eph 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Regarding others higher than self:
Php 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
Php 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Php 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

3. Christ in the concept of Church
Eph 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Eph 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Heb 10:19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
Heb 10:21 and having a High Priest over the house of God,
Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

In His Image

harvester — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 10:00:36 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser, Preached at Harvester Reformational Church Cape Town, July 2020

1. In His Image
2. Male and Female
3. God made us in His image
4. Lock and Key
5. Likeness of Man
6. His workmanship
7. Predestined Be Yourself in Him

1. In His Image
Gen 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Gen 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
The word for image means ‘resemblance’. (Strong’s H6754)
We resemble our Father in heaven. He is a three part being – yet one, Father, So and Holy Spirit, we are a three part being, spirit, soul and body.
We have the spiritual DNA of our Father and we are led by His Spirit and we are part of His Body the Son.

2. Male and Female
Gen 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. That is how God made man and woman, and it is what we believe as Christians.

3. Lock and Key Principle
The key is made in the image of the lock. We are the bride of Christ. His Word unlocks our door for His Spirit

4. Likeness of Man
Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

5. His workmanship
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Eph 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Eph 2:7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

6. Predestined Be Yourself in Him
From MBTC Pentateuch Subject, noted by Apostle Andre Pelser and Dr Oldfield of Miracle Valley Bible College:
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
“The purpose of predestination is to be conformed to the image of His Son. This is the primary purpose for man’s existence. Jesus is our template, the blueprint and the more we become like Jesus, the more we are getting into line with God’s purpose. Ultimately we will be glorified when we are like Jesus. The way to gain more glory is to become what God wants us to be. Your personal glory, individually, in life lies within being yourself. It will come to you when you find yourself. When we are born, we are made in His image, and this was God’s original plan, but because we are following another blueprint, not His, we transform and distort the original image to become ugly, building protective systems and whatnot, losing ourselves in a castle we have built around ourselves. The moment you compare ourselves with the world, we redesign our blueprint according to what that is, we attempt to line ourselves up with that image. The more we become like the Word, the more like ourselves we become. The best gift you can give humanity is to be yourself.”

Appeal:
Would you like to accept God’s plan for your life to be confirmed to the image of His Son?
More specifically, what part of your life have you not dedicated to the Holy Spirit to start the transformation process yet?
The blueprint or template for your life is a guideline and you have to interpret it as you are led by the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus laid down His life He could take it up again, but for the benefit of others and to establish the kingdom of heaven. I laid down my sport at one stage during third year Bible College and many years later God allowed me to pick it up again, but this time as a coach of young people! Later that turned into executive coaching and leadership in networks. God has a plan and a blueprint but how it works out is an incredible and exciting journey – bon voyage!

Scanning the Spirit

harvester — Sun, 19 Jul 2020 10:00:48 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, July 2020

Here are some settings you can configure in order to scan the Spirit of God accurately.
1. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2; 1 Cor. 12-14
2. Words which the Spirit teaches. 1 Cor. 2:9-13
3. Words of Spirit and Life. John 6:63
4. Let the Holy Spirit set the theme of every meeting. Rev. 2:7
5. Look for the liberty of the Spirit – Jesus came to set the captives free. 2 Cor 3:17
6. Remove the veil of religion. 2 Cor. 3:18
7. Behold His image and be transformed from glory to glory. 2 Cor 3:18

1. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2; 1 Cor. 12-14
You can’t scan the Spiritscapes of God without being baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire. Your mind and other influences will be too strong for you. Once you are immersed in the fullness of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, you will be able to scan more effectively what the Spirit of God is saying both to you and to others. It is an entirely new operating system that is required! By the Spirit you access spiritual gifts and fruits.

2. Words which the Spirit teaches. 1 Cor. 2:9-13
1Co 2:9 But as it is written: “EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
1Co 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
1Co 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
When you listen to ‘successful’ churches you often hear worldly words, it sounds just like a motivational talk you can hear anywhere online. When the Holy Spirit teaches you words, it unlocks new worlds and sets minds free to roam in the bountiful fields of God’s wisdom.
There are things too deep and too high that the Father has the knowledge of, but by His Spirit He reveals them! When a guru teaches you something, you think wow he is amazing. When God teaches you through someone, you think, wow God’s Spirit is amazing. Big difference.

3. Words of Spirit and Life. John 6:63
Jesus said: Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

4. Let the Holy Spirit set the theme of every meeting. Rev. 2:7
From the “Worship” manual by Prophet Nola Pelser:
Ps. 22:25 in the NIV Bible says:
“From You comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly”.
The source of the prophetic and spiritual song is in God. The psalmists draw from the spirit fresh water, deep living water.

5. Look for the liberty of the Spirit – Jesus came to set the captives free. 2 Cor 3:17
2 Cor. 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

6. Remove the veil of religion. 2 Cor. 3:18
Jesus tore the veil in the Holy of Holies. Religion puts it backup. If someone makes you think: “I cant do this or I’ll never be able to get to that level.” Then it is a religious spirit dangling a carrot in front of you again. The things of God belong to His children.
2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,

7. Behold His image and be transformed from glory to glory. 2 Cor 3:18
We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The more we behold Him in His word, in His saints, in our lives, the more we are transformed from glory to glory.
Excerpt from Worship Manual by Prophet Nola Pelser
Liberty to scan in the spirit and the accompaniment of the instrument pour out the songs heard in the spirit realm. It is important to be at ease in a meeting, focused on glorifying the Lord, not man.
In focusing on the Lord, the person of our worship, and being not distracted by your own beautiful playing, but rather inspired by the music to worship and glorify God, unity of playing and worship, all becomes one, synergy. The singers and musicians also focus on the Lord and in humility submit one to the other, with the same vision and unison become one unit that can flow together and improvise for hours, sing in tongues, interpret, prophesy in singing, singing one spiritual song after the other as they are tuned in. All the diversity of the unlimited supply of the Holy Spirit creating a glorious flow of adoration, intercession, just music, dancing, quiet meditation, high praises. The Holy Spirit being the conductor and fulfilling thus His mission to glorify the Father and Son.
We must remember that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father, was sent by Jesus Christ our Lord. He knows the Father and Son, it is part of the Triune God, is acquainted with heaven, has all knowledge of creation, has all understanding of salvation and the riches of God the Father and the costly salvation we’ve received. Being directed by the Holy Spirit in prophetic and spiritual songs is the greatest and most awesome experience any singer and musician can experience. This will spoil you for life. Nothing on this earth can be compared to this – being in the tangible presence of a Living God with spiritual insight, sight and hearing. When your ears are opened to hear the songs and music of heaven, when your eyes see the splendour and glory of His majesty. When the beauty of His holiness floods your being and your eyes behold this – you are in awe and stare at God in adoration and worship.
Nothing can compare to worship in spirit and truth. Paul tried to describe it in these words:
“it’s a joy unspeakable and full of glory”.
The Holy Spirit knows the needs of the people in the congregation. Through prophetic songs and spiritual songs, our hearts are ministered to. Everything is open and naked before God.

We are equipping the saints to scan the Spirit in every situation as this will set up the effective working later where every part does its share.
Last week we spoke about seeing the work, and scanning the spirit is the upgrade to your spiritual vision you have been waiting for!
When this is in place we can go further and start to move towards the centre of what Christ wants for His church. When we find the central desire of Jesus for His church, our orbits will become apparent and we will start to gravitate to the most essential task He has for us individually and corporately. When that is in place we will be ready to seek and save that which is lost and be sent out for the great harvest again! I realize that we go through this sequence several times in our walk of faith. However, every time I refocus on the centre the sending out is more powerful and more glorious!

Photo by asoggetti

See the Work

harvester — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 10:00:43 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Sometimes when I meditate, God takes me to a place of clarity. We are working in multiple spheres of influence that traverses the globe on a daily basis. But we are still locally involved and working to see Christ formed in every person we meet.
We are truly commissioned to go and commanded to love all the time!

When my dad, Apostle Andre Pelser, started to mission up exponentially, I started to see the need for following up the work of mission, and for consolidating the planted churches and bible colleges. Over the years I felt it necessary to first implement all he had taught me at home base before moving on to teaching other leaders. That’s why I only wrote about leadership after working it out for twenty years on multiple platforms the Lord had prepared.

If you look at a puzzle long enough, a pattern will emerge, a corner will present itself and from that little piece of clarity, the rest will begin to fit in.
That’s how faith works for me too. All I need is that little mustard seed to get going.
There is an App called “Kickstarter” that garners support for worthy projects. The concept is the same but on a spiritual level.
When we get that first bit of hearing God’s voice in a direction and someone comes to confirm it, or God gives you a confirming sign, or your brothers back you with some encouraging advice, that’s all you need to get going.
Once I played with a rugby player who knew how to pass me into a gap. I always had the pace on wing, but the ball seldom got to me. One day this fly half skipped the centre and passed me into a gap and said: “Go!”
That is one of the most exhilarating moments in life – when your buddy believes in you and you get a nitro boost in your step and it accelerates you to your goal.
And yes I scored that day – in fact I scored five tries that day albeit in a school game!
After years of chasing after lost causes and getting frustrated, all it took was one word to get going and break all my limitations.

Let’s look at some principles from the Bible to see the work and get going!

1. Jesus only did what His Father showed him
Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Joh 5:20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

2. You see your calling
1Co 1:26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
1Co 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
The whole point of this paragraph is to understand how God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe in the message of the Gospel.

1Co 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

3. Lift up your head to see the harvest [work.]
Jesus ministered to the woman at the well in Samaria and utilized the gift of the word of knowledge to expose her heart and reveal the truth. As a result the whole village came to hear him. At the beginning of this journey we read:
Joh 4:4 But He needed to go through Samaria.

How did He know that He needed to go through there?
It was necessary for the salvation of that town. G1163 is the Greek word ‘dei’ and it is a binding forceful word. He felt He should.
That is often I God works in our hearts. We will be travelling through town and God lays someone on our hearts and we visit them and they say wow, God must have sent you!
I have learnt to trust my renewed inner man’s unction, that they are led by the Holy Spirit. Try it!

Joh 4:32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Joh 4:33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
Joh 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Joh 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
Joh 4:36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Joh 4:38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Joh 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
Joh 4:40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
Joh 4:41 And many more believed because of His own word.

4. In volume of book it is written of me to do your will
Heb 10:7 THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME— IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME— TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ ”
How else can we know for sure what god wants us to do?
You learn to hear from God with an open Bible. That is why we plant churches with Bible training centres around the world. You can’t have one without the other. Most churches get people excited about their programmes, but the teaching scratches the surface of what God’s Word really has for them. People end up taking vitamin supplements and get little gimmick resources to keep them going – most of them are on life-support spiritually. When you really give them solid food they say things like: “I’ve been in church for twenty years and I’ve never heard these things before!”
Jesus taught from the same scriptures as the Pharisees, but when He taught the people realized this guy has authority and understanding that blows the little pious, religious pastry dishes out of the water!
When you really get stuck into the word of God your life gets a new substance of faith that is way beyond the charismatic superficial blessing sermons. It contains spiritual mass building ingredients that get you ready for the next level of challenges and victories that await you.

5. We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works prepared for us to walk in…
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Identity in Christ is so important. One little subject that changed my life at MBTC was “New Creation realities” – it was the shortest course we did. There were hardly a few pages of notes. You looked at the notes and thought, ok this is going to be an easy class! Then you start reading the list of new creation reality confessions and you realize: each reality is another phase of your Christian life and the Holy Spirit is going to have to help you realize it! When it kicks in and you start absorbing that reality a heart level, I mean you really believe in your deep innermost being that you are a new creation in Christ, then the identity starts to permeate your thinking, your emotions and even your physical body. One thing that I felt when I went through deliverance as a student, was that my mind and soul and spirit were so clear that I could really focus on what I was doing on a whole new level. For instance, I could play sprit and have no other thoughts on that blank canvas. I could then also study and have no distractions. Strong focus in spirit, soul and body is what Jesus had, and the good news is that you already have it by His Spirit in you! You just need to clear out the clutter.
With Orbital thinking, I have seen how people struggle to clear out the debris I their thinking. It takes a bit of time and effort to clear out a pathway for them to create a circuit around a truth that sets them into their orbit of existence around Jesus, like a planet around a Sun.
That is the definition of a planet:
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) stipulated three requirements
for planets:
They need to orbit the sun
They need to have enough gravity to pull them into a ball
They need to have cleared out all other objects from their orbit

6. Light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
Mat 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mat 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The works we do as led by the Holy Spirit, reflect the glory of God. Do it with all your might and do it well so people can see the glory of your Father in heaven. We are also careful to give God the glory for any measure of success we enjoy!

So see the work and go for it! God is with you and His Spirit empowers you and Jesus’ name covers all you do!

How to Receive Your Healing

harvester — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 10:00:29 +0000

Based on notes by Apostle Andre Pelser
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church Cape Town

It is vitally important to know how to receive healing from God, especially because you cannot see Him. Here are ten guidelines to receive healing from God.
1. Know that it is God’s will for you to be healed. It is a forever settled subject because God’s word is forever settled and He says, ‘I am the Lord your God that heals you of all your diseases.’ (Exodus 15:26)

2. God’s word is His guarantee to heal you. The life of Jesus proves it. (Matthew 4:24; 8:17; 12:15; 14:14)

3. Faith for healing comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When a little girl hears her mother is going to buy her a new dress she tells all her friends! We confess our healing because God tells us that He is our healer. One of God’s redemptive names is ‘Jehovah Rapha.’ (The God that heals)

4. Confess your faults to one another (not sins – that you only confess to God) that you may be healed. Where you have failed towards someone confess your fault.

5. If your heart does not condemn you then you have confidence towards God to ask Him to heal you. (I John 5:15) If there is anything in your heart that condemns you deal with it.

6. Our desire for good health should be motivated by a desire to serve God and humanity. God says, ‘you will call, and I will answer; and you will glorify Me.’ (Psalm 50:15). One of ten lepers that came back to worship and thank Jesus was made completely whole. The others were just healed.

7. Symptoms may linger on after healing has already begun in your body. A tree remains for a while after it is cut down. Jonah calls it lying symptoms. Don’t allow the hiss of the serpent to rise above the voice of God.

8. When you pray and believe you receive. (Mark 11:24)

9. Begin to act your faith. Start confessing: ‘by His stripes I am healed.’ (I Peter 2:24 / Isaiah 53:4). When you play checkers one move is followed by another move! God moves and then you move!

10. Jesus said healing belongs to God’s children when He explained it to the Syrophonecian woman. Whoever believes in Jesus receives the ability to be a son of God. (Mark 7:28)

Rescue 101

harvester — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 10:00:10 +0000

Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town
June 2020

Here we find some helpful protocols that will rescue you in Spirit- led prayer.

Romans 8 :26,7
“And in like manner also the Spirit lends us a helping hand with reference to our weakness, for the particular thing that we should pray for according to what is necessary in the nature of the case, we do not know with an absolute knowledge; but the Spirit himself comes to our rescue by interceding with unutterable groanings. Moreover, He who is constantly searching our hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because, according to God, He continually makes intercession on behalf of the saints.” Wuest’s Translation of New Testament.

Holy Spirit Rescue Protocols
1. As creation is groaning in expectation to see the revealed sons of God, so we have a groaning in our spirit to reveal Jesus to creation. (Romans 8:19 ) In like manner, the Spirit also lends us a hand to helps us overcome our weaknesses.
2. We can cooperate by acknowledging the Holy Spirit so that he can lend you a helping hand.
3. Refer to your weakness when you pray. When we make a reference to what we struggle with in prayer it releases the rescue protocols of the God through the agency of His Holy Spirit. He can now operate on that area and bring healing and strengthen our weak points over time.
4. Spirit of Truth helps us find that particular thing we should pray for at any given moment. The Holy Spirit’s job is to lead and guide us into all truth.
Joh 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Joh 16:14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
This is a process and you have to allow it in your heart. In extreme cases He will intervene, but mostly there is a still small voice nudging you to truth on a daily basis. You wake up with an idea, a thought to pursue, a task forgotten, an appointment to be made and kept that could alter the course of your life.
5. Holy Spirit knows what is necessary to pray for right now. If you make lists that is fine, but be led by the Spirit even in your list making! We have too many probabilities and responsibilities to pray for all of it at once. My spirit works with an anointed dashboard that highlights the different spheres of my life, and I am directed towards a person, a task, a project, a revelation, a vision or lost prophetic word – all by the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we read:
Zec 4:6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
6. The most wonderful task of the Holy Spirit for me is when he reminds me of what Jesus said. In any situation, because I have studied the word, he will bring that word to my remembrance better than any concordance. In fact, if you look at a modern apostolic person’s Bible, it will contain a system of cross references that you will never find in a traditional theological handbook or Bible Dictionary or concordance. This is because the revelation of Jesus Christ in every scripture is the work of the Holy Spirit, versus the linguistic and clinical work of theologians who often study God and lose Him in the process. Someone once told me they had lost God. I replied that God was not lost, they were.
Joh 5:36 But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
Joh 5:37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
Joh 5:38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
Joh 5:39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Joh 5:40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

7. When unutterable groanings are in your heart by the Holy Spirit, it is a time to pray in tongues. Christians who reason away tongues miss out on an opportunity to be rescued by from their endless reasoning and oppression of evil in your mind and soul. Prayer in tongue renders your mind unfruitful for the moment so that your spirit can be in direct contact with God’s spirit in prayer.
1Co 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
It is like your Wi-Fi code that activates the flow of information into your spirit. O how we love to get that Wi-Fi code! The first thing anybody does these days when they arrive at a new destination is check the Wi-Fi! They will submit to any agreement and sign declarations they have never read just to get connect to that data stream!
8. Do a search of the heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to constantly search your heart. When He finds something in your heart, don’t resist His suggestions.
9. The Holy Spirit has the mind of God on the matter instantly. You are instantly connected with God’s thoughts as you acknowledge the Lordship of the Holy Spirit in your process of prayer. If you do not allow the Spirit of God to lead you in pray, your prayers will sound pretty much the same as before and you might feel like you have prayed and ticked a few boxes faithfully, but the prayer will lack any real power and penetration in the spiritual realm.
Mat 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Mat 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Mat 6:7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Mat 6:8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Mat 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

If you pray in a spiritual realm, you need the Lord of that realm within you to tell you what to pray! Funny how this is not obvious to us form the start – but Apostle Paul had to write this letter to explain it! Thanks for that Apostle Paul!

Essential Church

harvester — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 10:00:39 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

Qualifications that render the church an essential service in the world today:
To summarize:
1. The Church is a channel of God’s love.
2. Living Epistles are written in the Church
3. The Church is the collective temple of the Holy Spirit.
4. Jesus placed His ascension gifts as precious foundation stones in the church.
5. The Church is the equipping centre of the saints for the work of the ministry
6. The World can only see Christ through a many-membered body of Believers, His church.
7. The essential agency that fulfills Jesus’ great commission is the Church. Making disciples of all nations is what Jesus asked us to do.

1. The Church is a channel of God’s love. Love never fails! When Jesus gave us the all-encompassing command:
Joh 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.
Joh 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

There is a great love story between the Bridegroom and the Bride. The Father makes sure that the Son has gone to prepare a place for the Bride, and when it is ready, the Father sends the Son to collect His Bride and the marriage feast can happen, and then they will live happily ever after!
Jesus is coming for His church, she has made herself ready and He has gone to prepare a place for her!
Jesus build His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Apostle Paul calls it a great mystery!

This world is becoming loveless:
Pro 30:11 There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.
Pro 30:12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
Pro 30:13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.
Pro 30:14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, And whose fangs are like knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men.
If you train your child up in the way he should go, he will not depart form it when he is older. I thank God for the children’s and youth ministries that nurtures and grows the next generation of believers into the pillars of church. It is a counter-balance to the spirit of the world that promotes what the wise predicted in the ancient book of Proverbs.

With our study of the multiplication of cells and the intricate working and functions of a living organism designed by God, we start to appreciate all the work the goes into the preparation of the worlds greatest wedding feast!
One of my favourite combinations of scriptures is:
1Jn 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
If God is love then the following is qualified truth:
1Co 13:8 Love never fails.
Therefore it follows that God never fails – he has never failed me throughout my life and I know many of you reading this can testify to that truth!
If We are Jesus’ Bride and God abides in us as a temple by His Holy Spirit, it also follows tha we shall never fail!

2. Living Epistles are written in the Church: people see God through you!
2Co 3:2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
2Co 3:3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

3. The Church is the collective temple of the Holy Spirit. We are to develop the saints as the temple of the Holy Spirit – coming together as one.
1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

4. Jesus placed His ascension gifts as precious foundation stones in the church. Equipping the Saints is the responsibility of the five-fold ministry gifts, and causes growth.
We equip the saints for the work of the ministry in order to achieve the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
Body joint and knit together by which every joint supplies
Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Eph 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Eph 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
Eph 4:15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

5. The Church is the equipping centre of the saints for the work of the ministry
School of Tyrannus – Apostle Paul taught the word daily till the whole of Asia heard the word. God did unusual miracles, life changed for the Ephesian traders, Principalities were shifted in the communities, not by going to the streets but by making accurate disciples first who then spread the word. Accurate lifestyles of a church, is the manifold wisdom of God that dictates to the local principalities and powers. (Apostle Paul preached Christ to the Gentiles and showed them the manifold wisdom of God through the church. (Eph 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,)

Act 19:9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
Act 19:10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
The result:
Act 19:11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
Act 19:12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
Act 19:13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
Act 19:14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
Act 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
Act 19:16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Act 19:17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Act 19:18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
Act 19:19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totalled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Act 19:20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

6. The World can only see Christ through a many-membered body of Believers, His church. That is why we labour to see Christ formed in people, to present them perfect in Christ.
Paul’s Ministry to the Church
Col 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
Col 1:25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Col 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
Col 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Col 1:28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Col 1:29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Apostle Paul also writes to the Galatian believers: Gal 4:19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,

7. The essential agency that fulfils Jesus’ great commission is the Church. Making disciples of all nations is what Jesus asked us to do
Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Mat 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

To summarise:
1. The Church is a channel of God’s love.
2. Living Epistles are written in the Church
3. The Church is the collective temple of the Holy Spirit.
4. Jesus placed His ascension gifts as precious foundation stones in the church.
5. The Church is the equipping centre of the saints for the work of the ministry
6. The World can only see Christ through a many-membered body of Believers, His church.
7. The essential agency that fulfills Jesus’ great commission is the Church. Making disciples of all nations is what Jesus asked us to do.

In one sentence:
Become God’s love letter to the world, and be a temple of His spirit and gifts, accompanied by the character fruits, so that you can go and make disciples of all nations.

LOVE –LETTER – TEMPLE – GIFTS – EQUIP – BODY – GO!

Let Jesus build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!

Cellular Multiplication

harvester — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 10:00:10 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
With medical research by Dr Stefan and Waldi Wever.
Reasons for cells to multiply, which will stimulate the growth of the Church

1. Cells multiply so that an organism can grow.
2. Cells do not get larger as the body grows: they multiply to increase and produce more cells! Act 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
3. Cells multiply to replace damaged cells or tissue. The fastest rate of multiplication happens (in the epidermis) in the skin, which protects the body from external assaults. This also ensures rapid healing if the skin is disrupted. In the liver, mature cells also remain capable of multiplication.
4. Cells are stimulated from signals from other cells. – Fellowship of the saints and gathering together stimulates and stirs up the saints for good works.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

5. Growth factors in a cell – there is a connection to the parent cell that causes cascade of reaction within the cell to initiate cellular multiplication. Conversely, Dysregulation of these signals causes abnormal multiplication or mitosis leading to growths in the body. When we consider that God chooses people to trigger a new move in the Body of Christ, then we see a pattern of multiplication in church movements through church history. My parents received a prophetic word from Prophet Sigi Oblander that they would be a father and mother of a new move of God in the earth. At that stage they did not know what that meant. Now we can see clearly that there is a global Reformational movement of church planting with accurate bible training with apostolic perspective across 5 continents now. We have set in order a global apostolic council with regional apostolic councils in several nations, acting as a hub for the great commission to go make disciples of all nations, and the great command to love God and your neighbour as yourself. The next wave of this move is already breaking to the shores of new Spiritscapes, and the DNA of the ‘parent’ cell, is multiplying!

6. Two stages for Cellular Multiplication
I. Interphase – cells get ready to divide. Prepares nutrients for energy: teaching of the word and impartation:
Act_5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Col_3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Tit_2:12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
Rom_1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—
1Th_2:8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

II. Mitosis – Active division of a parent cell into two daughter cells. Notice ‘daughter’ cells. Bride of Christ has the ability to reproduce after its kind.
Prophase: In the nucleus: In the nucleus: Duplicated DNA carrying chromosomes condense and are attached to each other.
Orchestration of movement: Outside the nucleus: Two structures, called the mitotic spindles, forms on either side of the nucleus. They orchestrate the movement of the split chromosomes (or chromatids) to opposite poles in the parent cell.

Prometaphase: The nuclear membrane disintegrates and the mitotic spindle attaches to the chromosomes. Divine links and connection birthed in purpose and agreement in vision.
Mat_18:19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
Act 10:19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.
Act 10:20 Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

Metaphase: The chromosomes are aligned in the middle of the cell. Alignment with the vision is essential. Where there is unity, God commands a blessing:
Psa 133:1 A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psa 133:2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.
Psa 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.
Brothers in unity promotes the flow of anointing. This anointing that results from unity draws a blessing from the Lord, and promotes life.
When I officiated at the first marriage out of lockdown on the 1st of June, there was a sense of life being released again into the environment of death and fear. Find a reason to celebrate life every day. The movie “Fiddler on the Roof” has a theme song: “To Life! L’chaim!” There is much trouble and persecution in the history of Israel, but there is a joy released when they celebrate life.

Anaphase: Chromosomes are split and pulled to the opposite poles of the cell. The cell begins to elongate.
Isa 54:1 “Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD.
Isa 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
Isa 54:3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.
Isa 54:4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
Isa 54:5 For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

Telophase: Chromosomes arrive at opposite poles. A nuclear membrane forms around each set of chromosomes and the cell continues to elongate. Do you feel like God is stretching you? If you feel like you are being stretched in any are of your life, get ready for multiplication! Your capacity is busy increasing for a new level of grace and greater measure of faith.
Think about it: when you started out in your career, what were you able to handle on a weekly or even daily basis? Then make a short list of the things you are handling now: have you multiplied your responsibilities and capacity to deal with problems? How many problem have you overcome since you started out? That is an indication of your exponential growth in capacity.

Cytokinesis: Splitting of the cytoplasm as the cells separate into two daughter cells. The multiplication is complete, but the daughter cells themselves have the potential within them to multiply again! God is a God of increase!

References
– https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/replication-and-distribution-of-dna-during-mitosis-6524841/
– https://askabiologist.asu.edu/cell-division
– https://www.quora.com/What-type-of-human-cells-undergo-mitosis
– https://www.britannica.com/science/cell-biology/Cell-division-and-growth

Functions of a Cell to Build the Church

harvester — Sun, 31 May 2020 10:00:45 +0000

A parable for Church Life that will endure any pandemic and ensure the future growth of the church by Apostle Aje Pelser, preached for HRC Cape Town 31st May, 2020
Medical introduction by Dr Stefan Wever

When Apostle Paul wrote that he taught publicly and from house to house in Acts 20:20, the early church was facing unprecedented challenges. As we enter a new phase of church, our challenges are different but the functions of the church cell remain the same.
Cells are the smallest structural unit containing all the fundamentals molecules of life and of which all living things are composed. As cells mature they specialize and become the building blocks for larger multicellular organisms such as humans. Although cells are much larger than atoms they are still extremely small. It would require about 10,000 human cells to cover the head of a pin. Every human being contains more than 30,000,000,000,000 cells.

The principal structures of a human cell and their functions:
1. Cell membrane: A double layered membrane enclosing the cell’s contents. It regulates passage of molecules in and out of the cell.

2. The cytoplasm of the cell contains all the specialized structures within the cell. It is the fluid within the cell.

3. Nucleus: The two main function of the cell nucleus is: storage of the hereditary material in the form of DNA and managing cellular function i.e. growth, metabolism, protein synthesis, reproduction. Within the nucleus are the following structures:
a. Nucleolus: Membrane-less organelle produces ribosomes (the cell’s protein producing structures).
b. Nuclear envelope: double layered membrane enclosing the contents of the nucleus. The envelope is perforated by tiny holes called nuclear pores that allows passage of molecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
c. Chromatin and Chromosomes: Chromatin is packaged DNA to ensure that the DNA (3meters in length if uncoiled) fits into the nucleus. Chromatin fibers are further coiled and condensed to form chromosomes.

4. Endoplasmic Reticulum: Network of sacs acts as a pipeline between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Ensures transportation of materials throughout the cell.

5. Golgi apparatus: Processes and packages the cell’s chemical products (built up in the endoplasmic reticulum) to be released from the cell.

6. Mitochondria: Supplies energy to the cell by using oxygen and nutrients.

8. Lysosomes are microbodies containing digestive enzymes to break down cellular waste products. These waste products are then used as new cell-building materials.

9. Peroxisomes are also microbodies that detoxify dangerous substances within the cell.

References
https://www.britannica.com/science/cell-biology
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/nucleus/nucleus.html
https://www.abcam.com/epigenetics/chromatin-accessibility-and-architecture
https://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/StevenChen.shtml

Let’s apply functions of a human cell to a household church group or home cell, and see how those functions will build the local body of believer up!

Spiritual applications of the functions of a cell to build the church:
1. The Door – cell membrane – regulates passage of molecules IN & OUT. Jesus is the door – filter everything through Him and His work on the cross. Joh_10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

2. Flow of the Holy Spirit through our living water. Cytoplasm – Specialized Structures – Liquid – flow – living water. Joh_7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

3. Seeking the Centre. Nucleus – Centre – DNA – storage of hereditary material & managing function. Pro_4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

a. Functions include: Growth; metabolism, protein synthesis, reproduction (multiplication) Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Rom 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, Inner Configuration of the Cell – structure within –

b. There are protein producing structures: ribosomes in the nucleolus –Jesus said in John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

c. Nuclear envelope: passage of molecules between sections of the cells – protocol. When the apostolic council of Jerusalem heard the Saul had been converted they couldn’t believe it. Barnabas had to bring Saul into the inner circle or nucleus of the church for them to receive him. Act 9:27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

d. Chromatin and Chromosomes: packaging of DNA – 3 metres if uncoiled. How we package and simplify things is important in this age of information. The task of wisdom is to navigate through the data and package it carefully to ensure the hereditary material and managing functions of the cell are maintained and so also the entire body is affect through the tiniest DNA of a household serving the Lord! The continuation in apostolic doctrine, breaking of bread, fellowship and prayers was the DNA of the early church. It was packed tightly through the pressure of persecution and tested in the baptism of fire. It was protected by a nucleus of believers who then duplicated what Jesus gave them in others. We have the same DNA today by faith in Jesus name.

4. Vessels of Honour. Endoplasmic Reticulum: Network of sacs act as a pipeline between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Ensures transportation of materials throughout the cell. Vessels of honour make sure they are clean vessels so that power and nutrients can flow through them to others. Discipleship is essential for the effective communication between members of the cell and indeed the body of Christ. When Jesus broke the bread he gave thanks to God and handed it to his disciples in whose hands the multiplication took place! We also like to break bread that way by sharing a message with our trusted faithful leaders who are able to teach others also and so the word grows mightily and prevails! Transportation of materials through the cell – resources – Endoplasm Reticulum While the function of the nucleus is to act as the cell brain, the ER functions as a manufacturing and packaging system.

5. Meditation and revelation packaging. Golgi apparatus: Processes and packages the cell’s chemical products (built up in the endoplasmic reticulum) to be released from the cell. This is the energy and chemicals for outreach! What the nucleus produces and releases needs to be processed before it goes out. When we diligently work through the Bible seeing Jesus Christ in every scripture, we have to pray it in and work it out before passing it on – Smith Wigglesworth.

a. “The Bible is the Word of God: supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in valor, infinite in scope, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, inspired in totality. Read it through, write it down, pray it in, work it out, and then pass it on. Truly it is the Word of God. It brings into man the personality of God; it changes the man until he becomes the epistle of God. It transforms his mind, changes his character, takes him on from grace to grace, and gives him an inheritance in the Spirit. God comes in, dwells in, walks in, talks through, and sups with him.” Smith Wigglesworth

6. Spiritual Energy build up through prayer and praise. Mitochondria: Supplies energy to the cell by using oxygen and nutrients. As we pray and use our breath to praise and worship God it releases spirit and truth into our cell!
a. Joh 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

7. Ribosomes: the sites for protein synthesis are found adhered to the Endoplasmic Reticulum or free in the Cytoplasm. These proteins are for the cells own use as well as to be transported outside the cell. These proteins include enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters functioning as the major communication vehicle in the body including the brain, GIT, growth, repair, muscle function etc
a. The thanksgiving and testimonies that are released from the synthesis of doctrine and lifestyle can both build the cell and go out to help the greater Body of Christ function.
b. Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

8. Lysosomes are micro bodies containing digestive enzymes to break down cellular waste products. These waste products are then used as new cell-building materials.
a. Counselling and deliverance, repentance and personal ministry in cells helps to break down the old waste in our souls, it gets converted into new energy to serve God and all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

9. Peroxisomes are also micro bodies that detoxify dangerous substances within the cell. When we are all in line with the Word of God, the anointing inside of us acts like micro bodies that detoxify dangerous substance.

a. 1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Enter His Rest

harvester — Sun, 24 May 2020 10:00:57 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, May 2020

Mat 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Here are some keys that will help you to enter His rest.
1. Meekness & Humility are keys that help us enter into that rest. Meekness is our strength under His control like a king’s horse walking at the pace the rider sets. The more power God entrusts you with, the more you need to operate in meekness. Moses was the meekest man until Jesus, who knew the power of God.
2. Humility is having a sane estimation of yourself according to your measure of faith. To think soberly about yourself. Underestimation of self is inverted pride. It is irritating when someone cant even take a compliment because they are too deflecting. Maturity and sober thinking can acknowledge a compliment without it causing pride, because the acknowledgment of their Source helps keep them humble.

3. Learn from Jesus that His Yoke Easy and His burden is light
What is His yoke? His words… to operate in His gentleness and lowliness of heart.
His command is an easier yoke than the Old Testament because Love summarizes all the commands. Joh 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.
Joh 13:35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

4. Positional Truth keep us in rest. We are seated in Christ Jesus in the heavenly realm.
a. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
b. We are more than overcomers in Christ.
c. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God.

5. Orbital thinking around Christ – with communion and commission in balance
6. Sabbath rest. God worked for six days and rested on the seventh.
a. If you do not allow for a Sabbath rest, your body will take it from you. The land also needs a rest – to let the land lie fallow helps the land to recover from constant farming. As I walk around in the mornings I see sports fields and parks resting! The earth has needed a rest like this for ages. Man abuses nature without thinking about it. If we learn some lessons from this period of history it should be to let the earth rest more regularly form pollution, from over working the soil and from taking it for granted.
b. The same, however, applies to mankind. It is sad to hear that people are working harder than ever out of fear.
c. There should be boundaries in our time management now and employers should respect that families are under even more pressure working from home. If you encroach on family time it will negate this exercise of rest completely.
Exo 23:10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce,
Exo 23:11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove.
Exo 23:12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

7. The Rest of Faith: we need diligence to enter that rest of faith. Hardened hearts prevent us from entering the rest God has for His people.
Heb 4:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

8. Rest in the spirit is deliverance from oppression and possession.
Luk 8:35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

9. Rest in the soul is taking thoughts captive and healing broken hearts. Renewing your will according to God’s will. 2 Cor. 10:4, 5; Luk. 4:18, 19.

10. Rest in the body is actual sleep and Sabbath principle application. This prevents disease and chronic fatigue and disorders of various systems of the body. Moderation in all things helps us to enter a permanent restful lifestyle. Taking time for yourself daily is becoming harder and harder while there are more distractions fighting for your attentions.
Jas 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Jas 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Photo by Jordan Wozniak

Becoming a Priest Like Jesus

harvester — Sun, 17 May 2020 10:00:55 +0000

Raising the Standard: The Blessings of Obedience

harvester — Sun, 10 May 2020 10:00:22 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Blessings that raise the standard of obedience.
1. Deu 28:1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
a. Diligence I something you consistently do over time, with the right attitude, accurately.
b. To obey dilgilently means that you don’t lose momentum in obedience as you go, but you learn through faith and patience to inherit the promises of God for obedience.
c. The Voice of the Lord is captured in His Word the Bible.

2. Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
a. For blessings to come upon you is one thing – because that comes and goes, for it to overtake is an adding blessing because that will outlast you and go over to your descendants! A righteous man leaves an inheritance for his children. So many Christians miss the point about generating wealth to establish His covenant. When your children see the blessings of God on your life, in spirit, soul and in the natural, they will want to serve God continually. The contrast is seen in the curses mentioned in chapter 28 – I made an effort to read through all the curses mentioned and thanked the Lord Jesus that he took those curses onto Himself when he died on the cross for our sins!

3. Deu 28:3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
a. There were regular debates about whether God is calling pastors to plant churches in the big cities, or in the country towns. Some arrogant ministers only propagate mega churches while others prefer more intimate country style churches. Well here we read God will bless you in the city and in the country. We read from Apostle Paul that he taught both publicly and from house to house – that is good 20/20 vision.

4. Deu 28:4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
a. Different zones of fruitfulness:
i. Your Body
ii. Your Ground
iii. Your Herds and flocks.
b. The fruitfulness that comes from obedience will circle out in concentric circles into all your spheres of life. It will extend way beyond your personal life and start to influence your surroundings and the earth you step on!

5. Deu 28:5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
a. You gather in your basket, you work the harvest into bread in your kneading bowl.
b. It’s one thing to gather and harvest, it’s another thing to process that harvest so that it brings nourishment and growth to prosperity in your life and in the lives of others.
c. Getting souls saved is wonderful and it brings great joy. Making disciples so that they also share the bread of life with others and grow strong in the lord is an effort and commitment long term.

6. Deu 28:6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
a. We are sent ones. We understand apostolic ministry. It is a wonderful thing to be sent into all the world by our Lord Jesus. understanding that we are ambassadors of His kingdom with the command to love God and others, and a commission to make disciples of Jesus Chris in all nations of the world.
b. Coming back from a mission, or gathering back after a week to report what God has done is also a blessing for me.
c. Imagine you did all that going and when you come back no one celebrated what happened with you? That’s why we report and give an account at church meetings and household gatherings. We also overcome with the word of our testimony.

7. Deu 28:7 “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
a. I love this picture. We face a spiritual enemy that never sleeps, but this scripture turns the tables – he comes in one way and God defeats him and he flees in seven different directions. I also understand this because the devil works with lies and deceit and a house divided against itself can’t stand. God just exposes his lies and reveals his fragmented ranks! Unity of the faith and agreement between two or three believers manifests Jesus Christ and that is the force that drives out Satan.

8. Deu 28:8 “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
a. Storehouses don’t build and fill themselves.
b. We have received a vision many times from all over the world about our church being a storehouse full of bread, full of resources that are ready for export, going to all the nations of the earth.
c. The McIlhenny family’s Tabasco factory in the USA has s storehouse of chili sauce that is worth billions of dollars. The chili mash is just standing there in barrels getting ready for production. They can produce 600,000 bottles a day and they have packages ready to go to all the nations of the earth. In the documentary I watched by Martin Clumes about the Islands of America, he picked out the South African palette of tabasco bottles!!
d. Get your family to set its vision for generations to come.

9. Deu 28:9 “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.
a. This is a great honour – to be established as a holy people to the Lord. Peter speaks about us being a “royal Priesthood’
b. 1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10. Deu 28:10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
a. When God blesses you for obedience, the whole earth will take note.
b. As a family, we have served God for 5 generations now by His grace. Some families have served God for 100 generations – it’s never too late to start because the blessings will overtake you!

11. Deu 28:11 And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
a. Goods and produce – God will make you productive and you will learn to use your time wisely and not waste it while you are on earth.
b. Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

12. Deu 28:12 The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
a. We know what it feels like to be in a drought – I still catch myself taking start-stop showers!
b. When you have to live off 200 litres per day in a family of five, it is challenging! Just one flush of a toilet is around 20 litres!
c. God opening the treasures of heaven for you also speaks of the windows of heaven that open when we give tithes and offerings. I have seen God open new windows of opportunity for us and our friends around the world and in this church. It is a wonder to see how creative God is in us!
d. We have also lent to nations. We lend out our apostolic teams all over the world at our own cost- other churches in this move are starting to see the blessings of obedience to the great commission too!

13. Deu 28:13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
a. God has raised us up as leaders of a global move of God – we have a wonderful leadership team we call the apostolic Council and we meet monthly to discuss how to advance God’s kingdom and obey His calling on our lives.
b. We have influence in all the continents of the world, and in 144 nations to date.

14. Deu 28:14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
a. Why would I want to turn aside to any useless false idol if my God blesses my obedience like this?

Photograph by Alex Iby

Raise the Standard – The Glories of the Church

harvester — Sun, 03 May 2020 10:00:41 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Scripture: Isaiah 4
These glories of Church help to raise the standard in your Church life.

1. The Branch of the Lord’s Church is beautiful and glorious.
He is the Vine and we are the branches! Abide in Him and bear much fruit!
Glory: H3519, kâbôd, BDB Definition:
“glory, honour, glorious, abundance, riches, honour, splendour, glory, dignity, reputation
reverence,”
Beauty: H6643, tsebı̂y, (Say: tseb-ee’), BDB Definition:
“beauty, glory, honour, decoration, roebuck, gazelle; perhaps like the rare beauty of an extinct animal”

2. The Fruit of the Church is excellent and appealing.
Jesus said: “You shall know them by their fruit.” Matt. 7:16; John 15
Psa 147:1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant (Delightful, sweet: H5273); and praise is comely (Strong’s H5000: beautiful).

3. The remnant of Church Zion will be called a holy, peaceful church.
Jerusalem is a city of peace. But we seek the heavenly Jerusalem, no the earthly one. In fact, the heavenly Jerusalem is the Church of the Firstborn registered in heaven. It’s amazing how few Christians actually realize that we are a part of that heavenly Jerusalem by faith, they are waiting for the earthly Jerusalem to be restored – keep waiting, we’re already there by faith in Jesus name – Hebrews 12:22-24 is our ticket!

4. The records of Church will preserve life and knowledge.
We are to rejoice because our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, in heaven: Luk. 10:19,20; Rev. 20:12;
The Book of Remembrance
Mal 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.
Mal 3:17 “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Mal 3:18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
The Epistles written by apostles in the New Testament are an administrative record of the early church, with doctrinal and practical advice for the establishment of the kingdom of God in hearts and minds. Jesus Christ built His church on the rock of revelation of Who He is and of who we are in Him collectively.

5. The Water and blood of Church will wash and purge the Church, together with the spirit of judgment and burning – the Holy Spirit. Eph. 5:26; Matt. 3: 11; John 16:8

6. The Covering of Church will be above your dwelling place and assemblies.
Apostle Paul said he was obedient opt His heavenly vision. Part of his calling was summarized in Acts 20:20 : “How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.”

7. The cloud of glory and witness will give you shade in Church.
I have often made use of the glorious cloud of resources available to us in this move of God in the earth today. Every time we preach, we can draw from our teachers that have prepared us, from the revelations in the Bible; from our experiences in applying the revealed truth, from other people’s testimonies and writings and from the anointing within us. There is a cloud of resources at your fingertips and you should know how to navigate that cloud to download what you need for now.
God told something and it made everything very clear: “Because you help others find mercy in My throne of Grace, I will give you mercy in your time of need.”
This is a truism that affects everything we do I the kingdom. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus’ principles are access codes into the cloud of glory. We use a cloud networking system for our resources and we can start a Miracle Bible Training Centre with the touch of a button, and at the speed of light through a fibre optic cable, someone across the world can start teaching through the entire Bible with apostolic perspective, revealing Christ in every scripture to their flock.

8. The Church fire pillar will preserve you in the night.
Fire drives away the enemy as we saw in the Exodus. The chariots of Egypt could not pass and it gave Moses time to stretch out his staff so that the Red Sea would open. God gives you a firewall that the virus of the enemy can penetrate to corrupt your operating system.
I see so many corruptions trying to avert the Body of Christ from the righteous pathway and it fires me up to bring changes and reformation in the global church. But reformation starts in us frost, it is important to first see what needs to conform to the image of His Son in us first before we start looking around us. If you allow the fire of God within you it will start a process that will continue forever – a type of eternal flame. See Apostle Andre’s Sermon on “Every flame has a name.”

9. God’s Church tabernacle is with men will be a place of refuge and a shelter form the storm and rain.
We are built on the Rock of Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone of Church and when storms come, we stand and our houses stand and our churches stand by grace through faith in Him. Anything else will be driven away and collapse that is built on sand. A raging flood of water sweeps away whole houses in seconds! People that have built their empires on sand will see it dissipate before their eyes, that’s why we are not to put our trust in uncertain riches, but in God. We are built on the Rock! It is glorious in His Church and His Church will remain eternally when all the empires of the world are gone, we are!

Raise the Standard

harvester — Sun, 26 Apr 2020 10:00:17 +0000

Raising a standard is creating a rallying point for like-minded people. Noah is an example of someone raising a standard in his generation. Here are some of Noah’s characteristics:
1. He was perfect in his generations: Enoch (‘dedicated’: son of Cain) walked with God and was not; Methuselah: ‘javelin’ – honoured parents and lived longest on earth; Lamech (‘wild’) became a man of faith mentioned in Luke 3:36 in Christ’s ancestry. You can become the first person in your family to raise a spiritual standard.
2. Found favour with God – ‘grace’ – we find grace through faith in Christ – throne of grace where we obtain mercy to help in our time of need – (Gen 6:8) – received divine instructions concerning things to come and obeyed them – (Gen 6:22) God established a covenant of mercy & peace with Noah and showed kindness to him.
3. Became a preacher of righteousness – first farmer, then shipbuilder and then preacher – flood of judgment coming – the ark is the accurate Church (not just individual believers!)
Stumbling blocks to raise a standard
1. Misconceptions – about God, about the Church, about people and about yourself. Truth of the word of God will set you free. (John 8:32) God loves you and believes in you. He will perfect that which concerns you if you let Him. He knows what is best for you. He is not a miser or a bully.
2. Not knowing God’s will – faith begins where the will of God is known.
3. Veil of ignorance preventing understanding – false teaching and false doctrine prevent people from believing truth – Apostolic doctrine lifts the veil. (2 Corinthians 3:14, 15)
4. Not knowing purpose allows abuse – if you do not know what a microphone is used for you might use it like a hammer to knock in some nails! If you know someone’s purpose you will not abuse them. (Romans 8:28, Acts 26:16)
Characteristics of an accurate Church
1. Worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24
2. Faith towards God. Hebrews 6:1,2
3. Repentance as a life style. 1 Corinthians 15:31 – die daily; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10
4. Commissioned to go to all nations. Matthew 28:19
5. Commanded to love one another as Christ loved us. John 13:34

The Beauty of Holiness

harvester — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 10:00:17 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser,
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, April 2020

This scripture has been with me all week, and I wondered why it kept coming up:
Psa 29:1 A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Psa 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Beauty H1927 hădârâh BDB Definition:
1) adornment, glory
1a) holy adornment (of public worship)
1b) glory (of the king)
Part of Speech: noun feminine

Beauty H1927 Strongs hădârâh had-aw-raw’
Feminine of H1926; decoration: – beauty, honour.
H1926 hâdâr haw-dawr’
From H1921; magnificence, that is, ornament or splendor: – beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty.

Holiness H6944 qôdesh ko’-desh
From H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstractly sanctity: – consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.

Reasons to worship the Lord that unlock the beauty of Holiness.

1. It is our duty as mighty ones of God
2. God deserves all glory and honour
3. Worship the Lord with all your strength – put your might into serving God.
4. Public worship adorns the Bride for the King
5. Beauty of holiness is the glory of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ
6. Worshipping in the beauty of holiness decorates our heart and soul – not merely with outward adornment – but a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of God.
a. A loud – ‘rasha’ – insubordinate heart shows lack of submission to God and His purposes. When we are loud and proud it reverses the effect of the beauty of holiness. Meekness and humility help to perfect holiness. Your strength under His control – like a horse drawing the king’s carriage – is meekness. Your sane estimation of self-according to your measure of faith is humility.

Further reasons to worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness
7. He lives in the Holy of Holies – the tabernacles and the temples were patterns of the spiritual realm. God is the core of holiness that draws us into His presence – His goodness that leads us to repentance:
Exo 33:19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
Exo 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
Exo 33:21 And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
Exo 33:22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
Exo 33:23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Rom_2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

8. The beauty of Holiness is the source of the fruit of the Spirit
a. Gal_5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
b. Eph_5:9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
c. 2Th_1:11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,
9. God desires that we become partakers of His holiness.
Heb_12:10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
Heb_12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Holiness G41 hagiotēs hag-ee-ot’-ace
From G40; sanctity (that is, properly the state): – holiness.

G40 hagios hag’-ee-os
From ἅγος hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): – (most) holy (one, thing), saint. That which is set apart for God.

Further thoughts:
Another word that is synonymous with Holiness for me is virtue – but it has different connotations in the Word: Virtue
Mar 5:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
G1411 dunamis doo’-nam-is
From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): – ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.

2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
G703 aretē
Thayer Definition:
1) a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action
1a) virtue, moral goodness
2) any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity

Pioneer Your Advance

harvester — Sun, 12 Apr 2020 10:00:37 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town Live Stream.
Reading Philippians 1:27 onwards we can see some advances that will pioneer a new level of Christian life for you. [From Wuest’s Greek New Testament. Kenneth S. Wuest, Moody Bible Institute. William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan.]
Only [since my only reason for remaining on earth is for your pioneer advance in the Christian life], see to it that you recognize your responsibility as citizens [of heaven] and put yourselves to the absolute necessity of performing the duties devolving upon you in that position, doing this in a manner which weighs as much as the good news concerning the Christ, in order that, whether having come and having seen you, or whether being absent, I am hearing the things concerning you, namely, that you are standing firm in one spirit, holding your ground, with one soul contending as a team of athletes do, in perfect co-operation with one another, for the Faith [the Christian system of belief], namely the Good News.

And do not be terrified in even one thing by those who are entrenched in their opposition against you, which failure on your to be frightened is an indication of such a nature as to present clear evidence to them of [their] utter destruction, also clear evidence of your salvation, and this evidence from God.

And the reason why you should not be terrified is because to you the very thing was given graciously as a favour for the sake of Christ and in His behalf, not only to be believing on Him but also to be suffering for His sake and in His behalf, having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear to be in me.

Apostle Paul is expressing some of the advance he wishes to see in a church very dear to him, the Philippian Church was where he suffered much with Silas in prison, but the end was victorious and the church really supported his apostolic ministry. That makes the notes he writes in this epistle even more poignant and powerful.
1. 1st Advance: Recognize your responsibility as a citizen of heaven.
2. 2nd Advance: Perform the duties delegated to you in that position as a citizen of heaven.
3. 3rd Advance: Upgrade the manner in which you fulfil your responsibilities, with the same weight as the Good news concerning Jesus Christ.
4. 4th Advance: Give a good report to your mentors and to God:
You do this by:
i. Standing firm in one spirit.
ii. Holding your ground.
iii. Contend as a team of athletes do with one soul to advance the kingdom of God.
iv. Cooperate perfectly with one another for the faith. The faith is our Christian system of belief which is the Good News.
5. 5th Advance: Don’t be terrified by anything the enemy directs against you. Your lack of fear in the face of terror is clear evidence to the enemy of its defeat and ultimate destruction!
Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil.

The Thing That David Desired Most

harvester — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 10:00:08 +0000

Here are some components of David’s deepest desire that helped him dwell in God’s presence forever.
Psalms 27:4
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”

Let’s look at some of the components of David’s desire that helped him to dwell in God’s presence forever.

Desire
Sha-al in Hebrew (Strong’s Concordance H7592)
means to salute, to request, demand successfully until request is granted and then made over to your name.

Seek
‘Seek’ is ‘saqash’ (Strong’s Concordance H1245)
meaning to seek to find and secure.

House
‘House’ is ‘bayith’ (Strong’s Concordance H1004)
house containing a family, a family of descendants, an organized body, permanent abode, belonging to the same household. Johan 14:21-23

We are of the Household of Faith and David’s greatest desire was to belong to that eternal family of which God is the Eternal Father. When you say you are going to build a house in Hebrew the word ‘banah’ (Strong’s Concordance H1129) is used and it means to establish a family. When exiles return they are built into a household. Abraham and Sarah – a childless wife became a built up family by receiving the son of promise.

Beauty
‘Beauty’ is ‘no-am’ (Strong’s Concordance H5278)
and refers to pleasantness, delightfulness.

Behold
‘Behold’ is ‘chazah’ (Strong’s Concordance H2372)
and it means to look and perceive with intelligence. It can also mean to prophesy about the beauty and delightfulness of God’s presence in the midst of the congregation. ‘Chazah’ also indicates to see by experience and to provide. In other words as we look at the beauty of God and delight ourselves in this intimate spiritual knowledge we will not only experience His presence but God will also provide what we need or require. Delight yourself in the Lord your God and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Enquire
‘Enquire’ is ‘baqar’ (Strong’s Concordance H1239)
to reflect and consider.

Temple
‘Temple’ is ‘hey-kal’ (Strong’s Concordance H1964)
and speaks of capacity of a place. The root word is ‘ya-kol’ and it means to have the ability to overcome and to have strength to prevail and endure until you become victor. David is not saying he simply wants to sit in a building all the days of his life. He wants to live in victory over all the things that trouble him and outwit all his enemies! What a place to live!
Realise by faith that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit now – His temple is your temple and vice versa! 1 Corinthians 6:19.

Days
‘Days’ is ‘yome’ (Strong’s Concordance H3117)
and refers to a lifetime or a division of time: yesterday, today & tomorrow.

Life
Life is ‘chay’ (Strong’s Concordance H2416)
and means ‘green’ or springtime. David is saying that dwelling with God and enjoying his presence and guidance day by day is a renewing and reviving experience that keeps him in the springtime of his life for the rest of his life. In God’s presence is eternal spring! It also speaks of flowing water rather than stagnant water and indicates sustenance and maintenance. God’s presence keeps us in the flow of His spirit and that is how He sustains us.

‘Chayah’ means to preserve life and to live prosperously delivered from sickness, discouragement, faintness and death. It gives the picture of total restoration. He quickens your life with a touch of His spirit when you dwell in His house, the place where you constantly have capacity for victory in life.

‘Chay’ also infers appetite. To have appetite for good things and for holy things, because you frequent the presence of the Lord continually He gives you an appetite for spiritual things and help to quench the appetite of the flesh that wants to sin and die. Moses had this kind of appetite that proved stronger than the drawing towards Egypt’s riches. He preferred to endure hardship with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season because he esteemed the riches of Christ greater than all the wealth of Egypt.

Apostolic Quality
This is the quality we also see in the apostles in the New Testament. This is the quality of believers God is restoring to the church today. This is the quality of spiritual life we are building into our children by embracing the apostolic reformation. This is a new generation of people who have only one desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of their lives to behold His beauty and to enquire of the Lord in His temple!
We can through faith in Jesus’ name, live from God’s house of eternal capacity for victory!

Photo by delfi de la Rua

The Comfort of God’s Word Part 4

harvester — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 18:30:41 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

10. Comfort of preservation – keeps us back from sin and great error and transgression
Here are a few more meditations of David.
Psa_16:1 A Michtam ( H4397 An engraving, technically a poem) of David.
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

Psa_25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You.

Psa_32:7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah (A meditative pause during an interlude in the poem or song, often with music.)

11. Comfort of God’s strength – keeps our meditation and words acceptable in His sight
How we speak about things reveals our heart but also shapes our world.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
The root word for meditation in the Hebrew thinking can be to mutter in pleasure or anger about something! (H1902 and the root is H1897 in the Strong’s concordance of the Bible.)
In other words you can spend your energy fretting about something, or get into another gear of pleasurable mind waves that release creativity and peace. For me that is the peace that passes understanding.
I like to get angry when I need to, on the other hand, this is not about mind over matter. It is about being angry and not sinning. Trust your new creation! If you feel angry about something that is wrong, it may be just what the Holy Spirit is feeling. However, how you channel and release that anger has a lot to do with your heart. For instance, if you have a specific hurt in the past where you were betrayed by a friend and it hurt you, then when someone does it again all those same emotions come back. Going in there to that place by the Spirit of God with the blood of Jesus will help you get free from that trigger point of rejection and betrayal. If you don’t, the smallest disappointment will be distorted into a massive paranoia of betrayal and you might lose friendships and colleagues you weren’t meant to lose at all!

12. Comfort of Redemption – everlasting life with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in His eternal church.
The concept of a kinsman redeemer is referred to here in this Psalm when David calls God his Redeemer. It is the story of Ruth the Moabite who found favour with Boaz, who had the right to redeem the name of the family after Ruth’s husband had passed away. It is a beautiful story worth spending more time on, but the result of that union was the continued line that led to the birth of this Psalmist that gave us this beautiful Psalm – thanks for clinging to Naomi Ruth and thanks for redeeming Ruth Boaz! It is also a picture of Christ and His bride. We were not part of the commonwealth of Israel but by clinging in faith to the word of God and connecting with our Redeemer the Messiah Jesus Christ, we have become part of the commonwealth of God’s children.

Photo by Aaron Burden

The Comfort of God’s Word Part 3

harvester — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 10:00:53 +0000

7. Comfort of warning – keeps us from presumptuous sins
What are presumptuous sins and how do we avoid them?
Well the Second Epistle of Peter clearly exposes presumption on the part of evil doers and lists the types of sins that creep into people’s thinking and behaviour. It is worth a read to do a self-check and repent read!
But basically this scripture summarizes it:
2Pe 2:10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,
And this is what one needs to guard against:
2Pe 2:3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;
You need discernment that only comes from being immersed in the Word of Jesus Christ. It will cut between what is spirit, soul and body and help you evade the exploitation of presumptuous people.
In my experience in ministry, I have found that many disputes can be settled when presumption is explained to the other person. They will say things like: “O I never knew you felt that way,” or, “Well that was never my intention.”
However, protocol exists in the spiritual realm and when there is no understanding of mutual submission, presumptuous sins set in and defile relationships that have been built up long term. A simple acknowledgment of the presumption is the easiest way to resolve and reconcile. Repentance is not always just saying you’re sorry the other person feels a certain way about your behaviour! That is not a repentance. True repentance removes presumptuous sins!
Here the words of King David:
“Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.”

8. Comfort of Rewards – helps us to please God – Hebrews 11:6
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Believing that God exists gets you into the walk of faith, knowing and understanding that He desires to reward those who believe in Him is the next level. He wants to reward His children versus us trying to gain his favour. This helps us walk from a place of acceptance and gives us an expectation that no matter what we face, He will reward us in ways that we understand. And it is different strokes for different folks! Noah obeyed God and his household was saved and he became the heir of righteousness which is according to faith. Later Abraham entered that reward system the same way. That pathway is open for you and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord.

9. Comfort of understanding – cleanses from secret faults
Now we get to secret faults – the word speaks of: covering up (H5641).
What did Adam and Eve do when they disobeyed God? All of a sudden they thought they needed to cover up, while before that everything was naked and open before God and each other. That is a key to restoring the relationship God intended between husband and wife and indeed between God and man – He assess everything anyway – be real and stop covering things up before God! The deception is actually ridiculous to think God does not see! When you see the absurdity of a cover up, you will confess to God and He will forgive your secret sin and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. It’s not Him it’s you!
It’s impossible to cover things up in the light of His presence. Personally, when we read the Bible, we can allow that light to search the thoughts and intents of our hearts.
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Note that the context of cleansing here is fellowship and walking in the light. Cleansing is not just a personal process – by fellowship in Christ in the church, a cleansing takes place on a corporate level because we are part of one body.

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “LOVE WILL COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS.”
The Love that covers a multitude of sins is necessary because we are walking in the light. When we see each other’s strengths and weakness so clearly exposed we need God’s love more than ever. That is why the Holy Spirit needs to cultivate the fruit of love, long suffering, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self-control alongside joy, peace and faithfulness. Someone might be strong on faithfulness and not have the kindness and gentleness with those less faithful. Here love steps in and covers what is lacking – or where the mark is being missed in faithfulness – and all the while there is a development of that missing fruit by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the context or nurturing love in a mentoring situation in the local body of believers the church.
That’s why I don’t believe people who say they are part of the global church and do not need to submit locally. It doesn’t work and the lives often bear fruit of rebellion and self-seeking – just read before the fruit in Galatians 5 and you will see the opposite of the Spirit’s fruit – works of the flesh.
It is not enough to say you hear what someone says when they disciple you in Christ – you have to do it and get evaluated in the process over time. How will you know that you are making progress if there is no one to testify or witness to the milestones you overcame and the mistakes that you had to learn from?
Accountability is a wonderful way to grow and overcome hindrances to your spirit’s journey.
We see how understanding – better still: the Spirit of understanding helps to cleanse us from secret faults. God is so faithful and His Spirit is so comforting – His word settles long term inner disputes of our soul and solves problems we have been carrying around with us for ages! Thank you Jesus!

The Comfort of God’s Word Part 2

harvester — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 18:30:35 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Here are the first sections of a series on the subject – more to follow next week! Enjoy the comforts of God’s Word!

Scripture Reading
Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
Psa 19:12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
Psa 19:13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Psa 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

12 Comforts that show the value of God’s Word

1. Comfort of perfection – it converts the soul
2. Comfort of true testimony – makes the simple wise
3. Comfort of righteousness – it rejoices the heart
4. Comfort of purity – it enlightens the eyes and the pure in heart see God.
5. Comfort of the reverence – it cleans the heart and endures forever
6. Comfort of true judgment – right standing with God and man, sweetness of the soul, more precious than gold
7. Comfort of warning – keeps us from presumptuous sins
8. Comfort of Rewards – helps us to please God – Hebrews 11:6
9. Comfort of understanding – cleanses from secret faults
10. Comfort of preservation – keeps us back from sin and great error and transgression
11. Comfort of God’s strength – keeps our meditation and words acceptable in His sight
12. Comfort of Redemption – everlasting life with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in His eternal church.

1. Comfort of perfection – converting the soul.
1Th_5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jas_5:20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
3Jn_1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

We need to work in all three areas of our being. God is a three-part entity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. We are made in His image and are also a three part being. We are a spirit, we possess a soul (Mind Will and Emotions) and we live in a body with all its faculties. The Greeks spoke about a ‘breath’ that brings life to all our being ‘pneuma’ and the Hebrews understand that God breathed into man and he became a living being. Scientists are still working on that source of power beyond the bio-chemical understanding of the human life. They will never find out because it is hidden from them – it is our spirit. Because fools saying their heart: “there is no God.” They therefore denounce their own source of life giving power and negate the power of the spirit in their own lives.

Image H1823 demûth
From H1819; resemblance; concretely model, shape; adverbially like: – fashion, like (-ness, as), manner, similitude.
Related to the word H1819 dâmâh pronounced daw-maw’
to compare; by implication to resemble, liken, consider: – compare, devise, (be) like (-n), mean, think, use similitudes.

2Co 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

If we work with the Holy Spirit, we can actually cleanse ourselves of the stains of sin and whatever life throws at us – we are encouraged to do so with apostolic authority by Paul here.
No wonder Satan is doing all he can to distort our own perception of who we are in Christ, to rob us of the considerations and manners of God – our Maker in Whose image we are fashioned and modelled after, inbreathed and enthused by His Spirit.

2. Comfort of true testimony – makes the simple wise
These are the Words – Dabar – H1697 – dâbâr – BDB Definition:
1) speech, word, speaking, thing
1a) speech
1b) saying, utterance
1c) word, words
1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner

Deu_4:45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt,
Deu_6:17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.
Deu_6:20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’
Then we can explain to the next generation what God has done and what His judgments have accomplished in our lives. We overcome by the word of our testimony, blood of the Lamb and not loving our lives unto death.

3. Comfort of righteousness – it rejoices the heart
Rom_10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Jas_2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” And he was called the friend of God.
A good friend knows the heart of his friend – God found such a friend in Abraham, in Moses, in David – who was after God’s heart on the matter and who would do all His will.

4. Comfort of purity – it enlightens the eyes and the pure in heart see God.
Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
We heard recently, a reminder to remove the plank from our own eye so that we may see clearly to remove the speck from another’s eye! Then you can see clearly to help someone else.
Keeping our heart pure towards others becomes a daily routine of self-denial.

5. Comfort of the reverence of God – it cleans and gives wisdom to the heart, and helps us endure forever.
Pro_9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Fear opens your heart for wisdom to enter and start to accomplish deep cleansing of the spirit, soul and body.
When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, that facet of God’s wisdom and understanding starts to change your entire operating system and your life gets a wisdom upgrade!

6. Comfort of true judgment – right standing with God and man, sweetness of the soul, more precious than gold.
Psa_97:8 Zion hears and is glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments, O LORD.
Psa_105:5 Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
Psa_105:7 He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth.
Psa_119:7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.
The Psalmists kept referring to God’s judgments and place them in high rank of importance in worship.
In spiritual mount Zion where the church of the Firstborn is registered spiritually (Hebrews 12:22-24) God the Judge of all resides. The end of the matter is God’s judgment no matter what tribe or creed or tongue and we shall all, as believers appear at the judgment seat of Christ, where we shall be judged according to our works. Unbelievers will be judged at the great white throne – see Foundation Course: Eternal Judgment – available as a course via correspondence form Miracle Bible Training Centre. Contact aje@harvesterchurch.net

The Comfort of God’s Word

harvester — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 10:00:52 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Here are the first sections of a series on the subject – more to follow next week! Enjoy the comforts of God’s Word!

12 Comforts that show the value of God’s Word

2Co 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

God’s Heart for Lost Sheep

harvester — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 10:00:14 +0000

Preached by Prophet Graham Unsworth at Harvester Church in Cape Town, South Africa.

A Transformed Life

harvester — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 18:30:17 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

Volunteer for the Harvest

harvester — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 10:00:49 +0000

By Apostle Nicolas Schmidt.

Photo by Erik-Jan Leusink

Living Communion

harvester — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 10:00:54 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town.

John 15
“I in contradistinction to anyone else, am the vine, the genuine vine, and my Father is the tiller of the soil.
Every branch in me not bearing fruit He takes away.
And every branch bearing fruit, He cleanses it in order that it may keep on bearing more fruit.
As for you, already you are cleansed ones because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Maintain a living communion with me, and I with you.
Just as the branch is unable to be bearing fruit from itself as a source unless it remains in a living union with the vine, so neither you, unless you maintain a living common with me.”
Wuests Greek New Testament

Habits to Maintain a Living Communion with Jesus
1. Check your soil
Allow the tiller of the soil to check your heart and remove any stony ground. There may be birds stealing your seed. There may be weeds in the soil – choking the word that is preventing a maintenance of a constant living communion with the vine. Matt. 13
Inspecting fruit can tell you a lot about people’s hearts.
Sometimes, your heart is broken but Jesus has been anointed to heal the broken-hearted. Let His comforting Holy Spirit anoint and heal the areas that are broken.
Remove the cares of this world and the desires for other things creeping into your preferred lifestyle. People have a movie of their life and what they think is unnecessary, let God change your movie! He will show you what you really need to live a great life and often it is not the impulse buys and short –lived goals and ambitions that will satisfy your deep longing to really bear ling term fruit for the your life and the kingdom of God.
There needs to be a stripping away and cleansing of your deep thoughts and desires to the bare minimum so that you can start to exert your resources and energies in the right direction and cleanse your heart and soul of the unnecessary clutter.
This is the transforming by the renewing of your mind that systematically takes place as your present your body a living sacrifice to God. Apostle Paul calls this our reasonable service.
When you are truly on the altar – then other things and issues lose their lustre and you start to focus on what’s important and you start to have a sane estimation of yourself and your preferred future – according to the measure of your faith.

2. Stay connected to the Genuine Vine as a Branch
Be aware of your spiritual connections. Understand your source of nurturing and mentoring. Learn how to hear from God with an open Bible. Be led by the Holy Spirit.

3. Use the Water of the Word
Joh_7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Eph_5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

4. Submit to Cleansing and pruning
Heb_12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Heb_13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

5. Bear Fruit naturally without striving
Rev_22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
It is the position of the trees connected to the river of life that causes them to bear fruit every month.

6. Access the Resurrection Life
We do this through:
remembering His death & resurrection

7. Maintain that living communion
We do this through prayer, fellowship, reading His Word, being led by the Spirit.
But the life that sparks between us when believe in His name, speak His word is what maintains that living communion. If we see His body the Church the living communion continues!

Virtuous Church

harvester — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 10:00:34 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser, June 2009, Feb 2020
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town
“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10
Prophetic Word:
“As you speak these words over the church I will form them into my image and prepare the bride for Christ.”

Essential reading for background regarding the mystery of Christ and His Church –the ultimate Bride and Bridegroom!
Rev 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Rev 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Jer 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD.

Eph 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
Eph 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
Eph 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
Eph 5:31 “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Scripture Reading:
Proverbs 31:10-31

Reading this passage we can detect the virtues of the bride of Christ, if we see with New Testament eyes!

Pro 31:10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
Discuss the worth of Church today – where else can you find a group of like minded individual sincerely caring for each other in the name of a greater power, a Lod wo gave his life for hi followers, Jesus Christ? No wonder John describes the church as “having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone”.

Pro 31:11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.
A deceitful wife squanders wealth just like men who squander their wealth on harlot. Looking into the Old Testament we find:
Eze 16:32 You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.
Eze 16:33 Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.
Eze 16:34 You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”
The Bile tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain.

Pro 31:12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
Some women only know how to do evil towards their husband, and actually end up breaking the man down. Some churches only know how to criticize and destroy, rather than build up the body of Christ.

Pro 31:13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.
Wool… a good church has good shepherds taking care of the sheep and the sheep provide wool for winter. An accurate Church should not lack food and clothing during tough times. There is enough in the house or all.
Pro 27:23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
Pro 27:24 For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
Pro 27:25 When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,
Pro 27:26 The lambs will provide your clothing, And the goats the price of a field;
Pro 27:27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.

Pro 31:14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.
This speaks also of different tastes and food. Spiritually speaking, we seek the best food for the body of Christ and bring it from afar. The wisdom God has given to us comes a long way. We also send and receive apostles with insight into the kingdom of God and about the Bride of Christ, expressing the mind and wishes of the bridegroom.

Pro 31:15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a
portion for her maidservants.
A good church looks after the home cells or households, and good shepherds spend time early in the mornings preparing food for the household in their care. How do we treat the servants in our midst, remembering the words of our Lord, that the greatest amongst us will serve.

Pro 31:16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.
I have seen women in our church in Cape Town, consider the price for a land and buy it! But a church as a virtuous wife can do the same!
Vineyards were part of the promised land rewards for Israel. But here we see the good use of profits, they are taken and used wisely to produce a vineyard that will keep producing, supposing that the vinedressers are Godly and faithful, unlike that of the parable of Jesus about the wicked vinedressers.

Pro 31:17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Heb 12:12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,
Heb 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. See ht context of chastening here, we sometimes lose heart when corrected, but a virtuous church should “strengthen that which remains” and not be despondent. See also Revelation 3:2.

Pro 31:18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night.
Good merchandise speaks about quality.
“Industrious” is a good description of a virtuous church. Lamp not going out speaks of the wise versus foolish virgins who kept their lamps trimmed and burning waiting for the bridegroom. Jesus understood these things!

Pro 31:19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.
Weaving the tapestry of life takes consistency and accuracy…

Pro 31:20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
A virtuous church will do good to the household of faith first…
Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
A book of Acts church experience:

Pro 31:21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
The red robe representing Christ’s bloody robe, but also royalty. Winter is not a threat but a challenge to prepare.

Pro 31:22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Remember Lydia, seller of purple in the Philippian Church of the Bible?

Pro 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
An accurate church will allow Jesus to be known in Government.

Pro 31:24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants.
Priests were dressed in linen.

Pro 31:25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.
Not merely outward adornment but inn strength and honour.

Pro 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
A foolish women is loud and unashamed to open her mouth with violence. An accurate church has tamed the tongue and is therefore able to bridle the whole body.

Pro 31:27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
A virtuous church carefully decides the right way to do things according to the Way the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ and His Word –a manual for living.

Pro 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:
A virtuous church will be praised, and the descendents the next generation of churches that come from her shall call her blessed. This is a word for Harvester Cape Town.

Pro 31:29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”
Excel is a strong word meaning to “do extremely well”; “shine”; “stand out”; “outshine”; “surpass”; “outclass” and “outrival”. Microsoft Encarta Dictionary.
We are encouraged to shine our lights and let men see our good works to glorify our Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Pro 31:30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
The fear of the Lord I beautiful, and draws praise. Not merely looking at outward appearances and impressiveness but inward realities is the key to becoming a virtuous Church.
2Co 10:7 Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s.
1Pe 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—
1Pe 3:4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Pro 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.
The virtuous church is full of the fruit of the Spirit versus the works of the flesh as we read Galatians 5.

Works of the flesh:
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (indicating sexual interest or expressive of lust or lewdness),
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (the fact or quality of being different, divergent, or inconsistent), emulations (Effort to match or surpass a person or achievement without the relationship and impartation), wrath, strife, seditions (conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.), heresies (Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine),
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Fruit of the Spirit
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance (Middle English from Anglo-Norman French temperaunce, from Latin temperantia ‘moderation’, from temperare ‘restrain’.) : against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

English Definitions from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/variance

Order your Fruit of the Spirit Course from Miracle Bible Training Centre
Contact: aje@harvesterchurch.net

Techniques that Secure Answered Prayer

harvester — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 10:00:59 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

In order to take the mysticism out of Christian prayer, we can find valuable scriptural techniques that will secure answered prayer.
It all starts with Jesus and faith in His name:

1. Faith in Jesus name. The apostles in the Bible knew their source of power and had no problem accrediting Jesus with all the glory!
Act 3:16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
When God uses you mightily remember that you are a vessel of his honour and get on your knees and thank Him for using you, making yourself available for use again. Remember that without Him you can do nothing.

2. Abide in Him and His words in you.
Joh 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
To abide in Jesus can mean various levels of abiding: like alone in prayer as well as with other believers in the body of Christ. Too many times Christians tackle prayer issues alone. You have a family and you have a support system that you invest into until you need it – then make use of it!

3. Become Single-minded
Take a negative scripture like this and apply the cross over it:
Jas 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
Jas 1:8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
In other words:
“Become single-minded – stable in all your ways and you can request without doubting and you will receive from the Lord.

4. Righteousness makes your prayer effective
Jas 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Jas 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Jas 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Jas 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
Jas 5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Jas 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
Jas 5:20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

5. Pray according to God’s Will
1Jn 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

6. Sacrificial lifestyle leverages answered prayer too.
Mat 19:20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Mat 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mat 19:23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mat 19:25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Mat 19:27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
Mat 19:28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
Mat 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

More Than A Champion

harvester — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 10:00:09 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

I loved watching ‘Le Champion’ – a weekly sports documentary from Europe – as a child. It inspired me to be a champion in sport and I particularly enjoyed their processes of preparing for the race or the fight or the match! Later on I set a regional record for hurdles and felt that glory to a degree and I can only reflect and confirm that looking at champions inspires the champion within.
Sometimes as a Christian we need to look at our Champion to find ways to overcome in this life too – Jesus was a champion in all aspects of the word.
Online Dictionary gives us a definition of a champion:
“a person who has surpassed all rivals in a sporting contest or other competition”
Jesus is unsurpassed in love, power, authority, respect, willingness to suffer, glory, and the good news is that He is our champion.

1. Cheer on the Champ!
When a boxer gets into the ring – he takes the punches and spends years conditioning his body to go through the fight. When he wins he takes his wife out for lunch – she is more than an overcomer.
Jesus took the blows and humiliation for us on the cross, he won the victory over sin and death – we believe in him and cheer Him on – we are more than overcomers.

2. Abide and hang out with the Champ
In order to be more than an overcomer – you need to get to know the Champ – our Lord Jesus Christ is a Champion in spirit, soul and body. He overcame every obstacle we have to face because he decided to live a life here on earth. God sent His son and His word became flesh – human – and dwelt among us.
He got tired, hungry, sad, and happy and he even had to learn obedience through the things He suffered.
When he overcame temptation, Satan, sickness, demons and finally death God exalted him and gave him the name above all names.
I hear people talk about who they saw, met and hung out with all the time and people go “Wow that’s great.”
We get to hang out with the most awesome champion of all time.
Abiding with the Champ ensures His victories rub off on you. You learn how to float like a butterfly sting like a bee if you like and you live and move and have your being with Him.

3. Imitate the Champ – find out His ways
Paul said we should imitate him as He imitates Christ.
The life of Christ should be studied through the harmony of the Gospels. There were 4 good accounts that were included in the Gospels that you can read like a journal from different angles. Matthew write predominantly for the Jews who needed to see Jesus as their King and Messiah – the lion nature of Jesus if you like.
Mark wrote a super sport blitz highlights package of action. Jesus the worker of miracles like an ox.
Luke was a physician and historian and wrote the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles for one friend and disciple – ‘The most excellent Theophilus”
Could you write the account of God’s dealings with you and your experience of a living Jesus to a friend on that level? If you had the inspiration of the Holy Spirit you could!

4. Accept the Champ
But to truly be a follower of the Champion we are talking about – Jesus Christ the son of God, we have to accept His lordship and confess ‘Jesus is Lord.”
There comes a moment when you are sold out. There comes a point of no return and you start thinking: “You know what, I’m a fan for life.”
I became a soccer fan of Manchester United in the nineties when Ryan Gigs was playing and then they won that nail biter against FC Bayern in the European Champions League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored that famous goal in extra time for the win.
Ryan Giggs said in a recent interview that he found practise harder than matches because his defender was Gary Neville. Saturday was easy compared to weekdays for him. Giggs says the levels of training were so intense that when new players came into the side they had to adjust quickly.
I see that in our church work too, we are experienced in ministry and we are committed to in depth training and discipleship. When you are sent from here you are used to high spiritual levels of discernment and operations. When you go out into the world you are ready for anything and it will seem ‘easy’ compared to the rigorous discipleship you go through for preparation.

We get weekly mentoring session and regular spiritual talks and upgrades.
The summits have served to consolidate our relations with a global move of God nod serve to orientate people into that move as well.
We are in constant communication with a global network of churches and Bible Training Centre Satellites.
We are now learning from each other and growing in grace and favour with God and people on many levels including business and charitable work, as well as the core ministries of this move.
Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

We have our feet prepared with the Gospel of peace. That preparation is given properly here by His grace may it continue!

5. Agree with the Champ and His followers
Unity with the Lord and each other – Jesus our Champion – requires the preservation of the unity of the faith and the collective brethren and sisthren!
When someone new comes in we need to show them the Christ culture – the culture of the Champ – the better new and living way to relate and serve God.
Eph 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Eph 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

6. Believe the Words of the Champ and you will be more than an overcomer in this life:
Overcoming the World
1Jn 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
1Jn 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

To Summarize:
• When it comes to Jesus our Champion, he has actually done a lot for us already.
• When we praise Him together we cheer him on as he defeats our foes.
• When we read and meditate in His word we abide with Him and get to hang out with our Champ.
• This helps us to learn and imitate His ways and follow His process of success.
• What remains is for us to accept His Lordship
• Agree with His Word for our lives and believe it on a daily basis. Much of the victory is won through faith in our Champion Jesus, and the rest we walk out in His footsteps with the help of the Holy Spirit who empowers us to witness to His resurrection power and life wherever we go.

Are you ready to follow the Champ?

Photo by Fauzan Saari

Complete the Building

harvester — Sun, 02 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

Persons who were involved in completing the building

Divine Decree

Isaiah prophesied 200 years before it happened that someone called Cyrus would sponsor the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus read it and realized the prophecy referred to him. He discovered his redemptive purpose through paying attention to the prophetic word.

Many people receive prophecies, but they do not pay attention to it. They disregard the word of the Lord and therefore miss their redemptive purpose in this world.

Isaiah 44:26 – 45:7 God confirms through Isaiah that Jerusalem shall be inhabited again and that the Temple shall be rebuilt by someone called Cyrus. Cyrus means ‘throne’. It was someone that ruled. It so happened that it was a heathen king. But God called Cyrus, ‘My shepherd’. It changed the course of his life when he realized God had a divine purpose for him in the earth.

‘And he shall perform all My pleasure, even saying to Jerusalem, ‘you shall be built’, and to the Temple, ‘your foundation shall be laid.’ Cyrus was a heathen king that found the prophecy of Isaiah and read it. When he saw his name written down 200 years before, he realized that God had him in mind to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. He gave a decree that the Jews in Babylon had to be released to go and rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. Today I decree that people will be released to complete the building of our Church in Burgundy Estates, Cape Town.

A remnant rebuilt the Temple

This release of Jews was the second Exodus. This time it was from Babylon where they went into exile. Only a remnant left Babylon. The rest stayed on in Babylon. Only a remnant returned to complete the building of God’s temple and the city of Jerusalem. The ones who went to complete the building were written down by name and remembered forever. The ones that ignored the re- building and completion of the Temple were forgotten.Among those who were released, was Ezra, the scribe. His name means ‘help’ or ‘God helps’. He restored the spirituality of Israel and taught and explained the Word of the Lord so that they could obey and practice it. During his time, Buddha, was active in India, Confucius in China and Socrates in Greece. Ezra based a lot of his writing on a dairy kept by Nehemiah. In fact, the book of Nehemiah, was originally called, the Second book of Ezra. Ezra was a priest and a scribe. He encouraged the building of the temple through prophecy, teaching and writing those books.

Encouragement to build

In order to complete the building of the Church, we need encouragement. There is enough discouragement. We need prophetic utterances to encourage and comfort us. But we also need ‘kings’ who would sponsor the work. God has to confirm it in the hearts of people to sponsor the completion of the building of the Church.

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah also encouraged the people to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. King Darius found the decree of Cyrus and confirmed it. He helped to provide whatever is necessary to complete the building. Darius means, ‘possessing the good’. Those who possess the goods of this world ought to help to complete the building of the Church. King Artaxerxes from Persia also made a decree that people should bring valuable gifts to Jerusalem to assist in the completion of the building.

God helped them to rebuild the Temple

The building was completed on the 3 rd day of the month of Adar, which was in the 6 th year of King Darius. They celebrated the dedication of the house of God with great joy. (Ezra 6:15, 16) It only took 52 days to rebuild the Temple. People had to acknowledge that God helped them to build it in such a short time. I made a vow on 24:11:2001, on the day I received news that my Mother passed away, that if God allows me to build a Church, I will see it finished and celebrate its dedication with joy. God will finish it for us.

The great palace of the Emperor

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, I heard the story of a man that accidentally killed his brother-in-law when they were fighting. They wanted to stone him to death.

The man ran and ran until he passed the place where Hailie Selassie was building his great palace. He ran up to the emperor and pleaded for mercy. The men that wanted to kill him arrived and told the Emperor what he did. The Emperor said, ‘take him and kill him.’ The man fell onto his knees and pleaded, ‘oh, great Emperor, how can you let me die without seeing the completion of your great palace with my own eyes?’ This impressed the Emperor and he spared the man’s life.

The Emperor built a small house for the man at the gate to the palace and told him he was not to venture far from that house and promised to send him food every day until the palace was completed. Then he would order the killing of the man.

During the construction of the palace, Emperor Selassie died. A new Emperor arose and completed the building of the palace. After many years he enquired of the servants who the man living at the gate was. They did not know, but said, ‘he must be someone very important, because Hailie Selassie built that house for him and gave him food every day.’ The new Emperor thought for a while and said, ‘well if he is that important, he should eat at my table every day.’ So, they invited the man to eat in the palace at the king’s table every day. Soon the new Emperor also passed away. The man lived in the palace until the end of his days. He did not only see the completion of the building, but also lived in the palace for the rest of his life!

I believe God spared my life when I was declared dying in 2018 so that I will see to it that the building of our Church is completed.

How can we live in nice houses if the Church lies in ruins?

The remnant of our Church, those who are here with us, will help us do it. Others will also help. Those who have possession of the goods of this life will assist us. Prophets will encourage us to complete the building. Kings who rule in this life in their own domain, will help to sponsor the completion of the Church building until it is finished. Then we will dedicate it to the Lord and there will be great joy! I decree it today in the name of the Lord.

If you hear God speaking to you by name to help us complete our building, then respond as the Lord directs you. This is the house of God we are talking about. How can we all live in nice houses if the house of the Lord is not completed?

How can we remain indifferent as if it does not matter whether the Church building is completed or not? How dare we ignore such a great work for God? We have an opportunity to complete it in our lifetime for our children’s sake and to the glory of God. Let us not miss that opportunity. God will ask us what we did to complete the building. What will we say to Him? This is why God has spared you and me – to see the completion of the building of the house of God. We dare not ignore this project.

Keeping a diary of events

Nehemiah means, ‘God comforts.’ Nehemiah kept a dairy about the rebuilding of the Temple and the wall of Jerusalem and called it, ‘the book of Reform’. When Yvette, my daughter, and I went to minister in India for several weeks, Pastor Joshua in Tirapoor, India, and Pastor James in Loonoor, encouraged me to write a step-by-step book of reforms and Nola confirmed it. We are keeping track of all our efforts in this reformational move. I wrote a book, ‘God’s Genius’, to capture all our understanding concerning the apostolic reformation. But we need to finish the Church building that will house this reformational move of the Spirit of God. From here the reformation can continue to spread out throughout the entire world! It will be an epicenter of the reformation with lots of resources made available. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the King of Persia and the King gave him permission and gave him all the goods he needed to go and finish the rebuilding of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.

Opposition to build the Temple

Nehemiah and Ezra worked closely together. They had much opposition, but in spite of all trouble they encountered, they managed to finish the work with the help of God! Ezra means, ‘God helped!’ Nehemiah means, ‘God comforts.’ Ezra would read the Word of the Lord to the people and explain it to them. The other prophets would prophesy to encourage the builders. Nehemiah was the leader among them. He announced, ‘the God of Heaven, He Himself will prosper us! And we His servants will arise and build’ I decree that today! Tobias & Sanballat (whose name refers to ‘sin, the moon god that supposedly gives life) and many others laughed at them, mocked and scorned them, because they struggled to finish the building. They said the work is so feeble, that even if a fox leant against it, it would crumble and collapse. But God helped and prospered them. God fought for them. All their opposition and people that worked against them came to nothing. They are all forgotten. I decree that today! Malachi also prophesied and even mentioned the evil opposition they faced. Everyone worked together, the builders, the scribes, the prophets and the leaders. Let us work together to complete our building.

The people had a heart to build

All the people that had a heart to complete the work, labored to finish the work. God saw their hearts: they were not indifferent towards His house. He helped and comforted them and stirred up the hearts of Kings to sponsor the completion of the house of God.

The names of all the people that helped to finish the building of the house of God and the city were written down and remembered forever! Those who refused to help were forgotten.

Nehemiah’s prayerful obedience to the Word of the Lord and his skillful leadership together with Ezra’s spiritual uplifting of the people, finished the building! Nehemiah constantly prayed that God would strengthen their hands and that God would remember them for good, for the work they did for Him. May God remember all the people who will help us, in one way or another, to finish the building of our Church. May God strengthen our hands today and stir up our hearts to complete the building of the Church. I decree that today! May those who despise or ignore the work that we are doing, be forgotten.

The Will of God

harvester — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 18:30:39 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Consequences of Apostolic Missions

harvester — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 10:00:32 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

To view the presentation about Harvester and the new church building, click here.

Scriptures:
Act 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
Act 9:16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Act 9:17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Act 9:18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues
Act 9:19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Act 9:20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
Act 9:21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”
Act 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
Saul Escapes from Damascus
Act 9:23 Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.
Act 9:24 But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.
Act 9:25 Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Saul in Jerusalem
Act 9:26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.
Act 9:27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
Act 9:28 So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.
Act 9:29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.
Act 9:30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
Act 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

The roles disciples play in apostolic ministry:
Notice the importance of how one receives an apostle.
1. God needs a Barnabas character to bring in new converts with potential and to vouch for them.
2. Once the disciples and brothers received Saul, they continually helped him along and transported him and let him down through the wall in a basket!
3. Churches today should convey apostles in the same way so that the benefits of apostolic ministry can be felt completely in every region.
4. The brothers also sent Saul on a mission to Tarsus.
Once they received the apostle through the negotiating skills of Barnabas, things started to change for the persecuted early church.

Embracing the apostolic ministry requires a divine connection and a brotherly reception.

Consequences of Supporting Apostolic Missions
Here are some divine consequences of supporting apostolic missions:

1. The Church throughout the region will have peace – unbroken tranquillity. A further meaning of peace, is in the sense of rest and prosperity. During war we have seen how Christians and churches were broken up in Cote D’Ivoire. However, the teachings and Reformational mind sets helps the true church to survive and the leaders asked for apostolic input to rebuild the church after the war.

2. The Church will be built up and go forward.
Edification means to be built up and to embolden. Like a house being built or constructed. Apostolic ministry is like master building in the spiritual realm.
1Co_3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

Our church building should reflect some of what we are doing in the spirit. The devil has sought to discredit all the work we do around the world by hindering our building in the physical – but he is defeated and people will come from around the world to be built up in our new venue too, for form will follow function and people will receive their functions and be equipped to fulfil them from this place in Jesus’ name.

3. The Church will fear the Lord and build accurately with Jesus.
The fear of the Lord is essential in a growing church because all the members will work out their salvation with fear and trembling. That reverence keeps you as things grow and expand. We walk circumspectly and always remember that it is Jesus building His church – it is not our kingdom but His!

4. The Holy Spirit will be able to comfort, instruct and exhort the believers.
Many of the regions this ministry reaches are very remote and few travellers venture in there for fear of danger or because the cost is too great. That is where apostles thrive. The effect of apostolic visits to a growing church needs to be viewed long term. Often 3 to 6 months after a church has received impartation from an apostle, they will start to see fundamental changes in the operations and functioning gifts of the church.
God often removed people who have hindered the growth of the church after such visits and a cleansing takes place on every level as they embrace the reformation of Jesus in His church. The opposition is often fierce and people forget to pray for apostles thinking they are fine.
Apostle Paul regularly asked his friends and the church to pray for him for boldness. He knew what awaited him.
Our resident Apostle Andre has often faced near death experiences for the sake of the Gospel and continues to go regardless of his personal health.
It is therefore of paramount importance to stress the benefits and consequences of apostolic ministry when we build a church that is to be a training centre for such apostolic work.
We are not just another Christian city or club where we are trying to feel good about ourselves and seeing how many people we can get together on a Sunday.
Our command is to love all nations and go to them with Gospel making disciples.
Making a disciple of Jesus is a mark of a true apostolic church and ministry.
We centre all we do on Jesus Christ and His purpose and that releases a mighty force into the world.

5. The Holy Spirit will encourage the church through missions. There are so many wonderful reports of gratitude for what we do as a church. We are being blessed constantly for what we do and those who support missions are reaping everlasting returns in this life and in the life to come.

Mar 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,
Mar 10:30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
Mar 10:31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

6. The church and believers multiply.

The word used for multiplied is:
Multiplied G4129 plēthunō pronounced ‘play-thoo’-no’
to increase (transitively or intransitively): – abound, multiply.
It has a connotation based on G4128 plēthos pronounced ‘play’-thos’:
a fulness, that is,
a large number,
throng, populace: –
bundle,
company, multitude.

Every Flame Has a Name

harvester — Sun, 19 Jan 2020 10:00:56 +0000

Here are some revelations about the flame on the day of Pentecost to give you confidence that God is with you and in you and to make you a better witness for Jesus Christ.

The day of Pentecost

When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost it came in the form of a fire that divided itself into flames. Each flame sat on a disciple in the Upper Room where they were waiting for the Promise of God to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Each flame had a name. The one flame went and sat on Peter and the other flame on John; another flame sat on James and another on Phillip. (Acts 2:1-5)

The Good News is that there is a flame of the Holy Ghost that has your name on it! There is a divine spark for you and me.

When Cornelius’s household were baptized in the Holy Spirit when Peter went to preach to them, Peter said they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues in the same way as it happened to them on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 10:44, 45)

All you need to start a fire is a spark.

The Holy Spirit is compared to many things, a dove, a fountain of living waters, a river of life, a mighty gushing wind and a fire and a flame. The Holy Spirit is the 3^rd person in the Godhead. He has feelings and personality. God is a Spirit and God is a triune God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

God has reserved a divine spark just for you. When you are baptized in the Holy Ghost you receive that spark. When you need it, the spark inside of you will ignite and cause a fire of the Holy Spirit within you.

Jesus told His disciples when they are arrested to appear before judges that they do not have to pre-meditate what they will say, because the Holy Spirit will tell them what to say in the same hour. The spark inside of them will ignite and the flame will devour their opposition.

When the spark ignites within you, you will know what to say and what to do.

The Promise of God

This is the Promise God made to Abraham: in your Seed (meaning Christ) the whole earth shall be blessed. The Holy Spirit is the promised blessing that came through Christ Jesus. When He left the earth, He promised the Father would send His Holy Spirit to be within believers.

John teaches that the Holy Spirit within believers teaches them concerning all things. When the spark inside of a believer ignites, the Holy Spirit flame teaches them what to say and what to do.

God performs miracles when the Holy Spirit broods over a place. Right in the beginning the earth was dark, void, full of chaos and covered with water and the Spirit brooded over the face of the water. Then God said, ‘Let there be light! And there was light!’

Today your life might be full of darkness and chaos, but the Spirit is brooding over your life. God is ready to create something beautiful of your life.

‘Something beautiful, something good

All my confusion He understood

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

But He made something beautiful

Out of my life.’

Here is God’s word for you today: ‘I know the thoughts I have concerning you, not thoughts to hurt you and cause you any harm, but good thoughts, to prosper you and to bless you.’

We are His workmanship

We are His workmanship created for good works to walk in them (Ephesians 2:10-12). Before the creation of the earth, God already knew what He would do with your life. You can trust Him. He created everything and it was good. When He made the sun and the moon and the stars, He saw that it was good. When He shaped the earth and all that is in it, He saw that it was good. God never made anything that was bad. He never made a mistake. He made you and me and He saw that we were good. He is our creator. We can trust Him.

He made man and created a space in man to receive the divine spark. It is the divine spark that advances the world. It is the divine spark in man that causes man to make discoveries and make inventions to advance the cause of mankind. He gave man wisdom to understand the deep things of life. He saw that man needed to know God and sent His only begotten Son so that everyone that believes in Him will have eternal life and will not perish. (John 3:16)

God is good

God is good and His mercy endures forever. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. Look how good God has been to you. See how merciful He has treated you over the years. There is so much to be thankful for. You and I have a divine spark within us. The flame of God has your name on it. It is within you. It sparks off and bursts into flame when it is required. When you need it, the Holy Spirit tells you what to say and what to do. He is the creative force within you. Without Him we can do nothing. He prompts you at the right moment with divine insight, divine wisdom and knowledge. Suddenly you are given the understanding you require. You know what to say and what to do. Where does that knowledge come from? From the divine spark that is within you.

Faith has to be ignited

When the spark ignites you have faith to do what it shows you to do. Without faith it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. (Hebrews 11:6)

When the doctors told Nola to make peace with the fact that I was dying, she said, ‘I only see victory for my husband! I see him walking out of this hospital!’ She had faith that gave her substance to hope for my recovery from death. She believed God would give my life back to me – and He did! Praise God!

We serve the God of the impossible. Nothing is impossible to Him. His divine spark can ignite possibilities that we have not dreamed of yet. He can do for you what no other man can ever do. God specializes in things thought impossible.

Instances of the divine spark

The divine spark in great explorers opened new worlds; the divine spark in great composers gave us beautiful music that lasts for centuries; the divine spark in great artists gave us beauty to behold; the divine spark in inventors helped us to have electricity, to have sewage systems, to have television and film, to have immunity against threatening diseases by inoculation; to develop education; to explore space and the depth of the ocean; to fly in planes and cross the ocean in large ships; to transplant hearts and kidneys; to make blood transfusion and to inject adrenaline to revive a heart that stopped beating.

Your contribution in this world

All that is good comes from God. All that is good comes from that divine spark. You have that divine spark within you. You will do good to others. You are a vital part of God’s plan for this world. Your contribution is vital. Your life is full of meaning. You influence others for good. People are attracted to you because you have a divine spark within you!

When you speak it ignites a divine spark in other people. When you lay hands on the sick in the Name of Jesus, a divine spark of healing is ignited. When you greet people with joy in your heart, it sparks of a great joy unspeakable and full of glory in other people. The flame of God has your name on it. Believe it!

When you speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance you ignite a divine spark within you that bursts into flame! You communicate directly to God by the Spirit. God is invisible, but you can speak to Him and He hears you when you pray. You build up your holy faith by praying in the spirit.

When you worship God in spirit and truth you ignite a divine spark within you. God seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth. He inhabits the praises of His people. It is pleasing to God when we worship Him in spirit and truth.

When you operate in faith it ignites faith in other people. You are the divine spark that people need to believe God that all things are possible. When you operate in faith, God moves on your behalf! Men and women of faith moved the hand of God throughout the ages. You are one of those! God placed you here so that He can accomplish His great purpose through you.

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) The divine spark is Christ within, the hope of glory!

May God ignite that flame of the Holy Spirit within you today! May a divine spark ignite that flame, in Jesus’ Name!

The Form of God

harvester — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 10:00:52 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

God is a Spirit and has to be worshipped in spirit and truth. He showed us what He is like by sending Jesus in the form of a man. Jesus left the splendor of heaven to take on an earthly form so that He could understand us and also give His life as a ransom for all our sins. The life of Jesus illustrates the form of God to us. Godliness is Godlikeness. We grow in Godliness as Christ is formed within us.

Apostle Peter tells us how to add virtue to our faith, knowledge, self-control and endurance and then godliness will form within us that produces brotherly kindness and love. (II Peter 1:5-7)

The world wants to see what God is like. God forms Christ within us. We are predestined to be conformed to His image. (Romans 8:29)

Here are some insights to obtain the form of God, or godliness.

The word ‘form’ in Philippians 2:5-11 is ‘morpho’ that means inward essence. The other word used for ‘form’ is ‘schemer’ or outward form. We speak of a tennis player that is in top form (‘morpho’). He gives an outward expression of His inward ability to play tennis. Jesus was in top form and then gave it up to come to earth. It is like saying, Roger Federer wants to come and play tennis with you in your back yard!

Jesus exchanged the form (‘morpho’) of God for the form (‘schemer’) of a servant. He had to empty Himself of all privileges as God in order to become a man, for the benefit of others. (Matthew 20:28)
Jesus did not think it robbery to be equal with God. Robbery refers to unlawful seizing or stealing a treasure. He had every right to deity, splendor, glory and adoration of angels.
Jesus chose to be born in a lowly stable. He made Himself of no reputation to become a servant to us all.
Jesus became obedient unto death – He humbled Himself by becoming obedient unto death.
Jesus was highly honored by His Father who gave Him a Name that is above every other name. At His Name every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord.
Jesus is the ULTIMATE MAN glorified at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

We have Christ within, although people only see the tip of the iceberg that God is producing or forming within us. Our real lives are hidden with God in Christ Jesus. We have a divine spark within us that is only released when needed or when the situation demands it. When we have to pray for the sick or prophesy or operate with the gift of faith the divine spark bursts into flame.

We exchange our sinful form for His divine form when we accept and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. His Holy Spirit teaches us how to empty ourselves and be filled with God. He guides us to humble ourselves by becoming obedient to the Word of God until God is glorified through us.

God Crowns the Year with Goodness

harvester — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 10:00:54 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

Pathways of God that crown the year with goodness.

O God of Our Salvation
Psa 65:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song. Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed.
Psa 65:2 O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come.
Psa 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.
Psa 65:4 Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.
Psa 65:5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas;
Psa 65:6 Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power;
Psa 65:7 You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.
Psa 65:8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.
Psa 65:9 You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it.
Psa 65:10 You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.
Psa 65:11 You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.
Psa 65:12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side.
Psa 65:13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing.

1. The circuit pathway of a Crown
H5849 ‛âṭar (aw-tar’)
to encircle (for attack or protection); especially to crown (literally or figuratively): – compass, crown.

God not only brings the year to full circle and closure, but also encompasses the year ahead with His goodness and abundance for you. He is ready to attacked and protect you throughout and is ready to perform awesome deeds in righteousness, in answer to our prayers.

2. Pathway of our responsibility
But the first verse sets up our responsibility:
Praise is awaiting God in Zion – the place of tabernacle of David, where we bring our sacrifice of praise.
And further – our vow will be performed and completed.
We who expect God to encircle and crown our year past and the year we await, know that there are vows that need to be fulfilled and by His grace through faith we can fulfil and encircle – or bring to a point of completion, those vows.

3. God’s pathway of response:
God will in turn hear our prayers.

4. God’s pathways of gravitational pull
To Him all flesh will come – God’s drawing power in His ‘crown’ or circuit is so powerful it draws people in to His goodness. Is it not the goodness of the Lord that leads to repentance?
Romans 2:4

5. God’s pathway of atonement
God provides atonement for our sins. Through Jesus’ work on the cross His blood was shed for the remission of our sins, and through His communion blood and flesh we are at one with Him – “at-one-ment.”

6. God’s pathways of blessings
God blesses those whom He chooses and causes to approach Him – to dwell in His courts.
Those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

7. The pathway of satisfaction
We in turn shall be satisfied with the goodness of His house – of His holy temple. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Satisfaction in life is rare and we are given this as a promise.
1 Timothy 6:6

8. God’s pathways reach the ends of the earth
God is the confidence of all the ends of the earth – we live at the end of the earth here in Cape Town, at the top of Africa, where two oceans meet (South of Arugulas) – we are those far off seas that David sang about – or at least one of them!

9. God’s pathways establishes you in His power
God establishes the mountains by His Strength – being clothed with power.
Jesus calmed the storms of the seas and the tumult of peoples.
People are afraid of God’s signs.
When Jesus did signs and wonders people were amazed with awe inspiring wonder. “Who is this man that demons are subject to him? That the seas listen to him? That multiplies food? That raises the dead and cleanses the lepers?”
Surely He is the Son of God.
When God crowns your year with goodness, he sets you on a powerful path where signs and wonders follow those who believe.

10. God’s pathways of watering the earth
God has a network of irrigation, both physically and spiritually. We know of the water cycle and the catchment of mountains that cause streams to grow into rivers that reach the dry lands. Spiritually God also has a network of watering that proceeds from the throne.
We read about it Ezekiel and Revelation:

11. God’s watering pathways cause the pathways of His people to drip with abundance:
Ridges
Furrows
He makes the land soft with showers
He blesses its growth
You crown the year with your goodness and your paths drip with abundance
The Water drips on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side.

12. God’s pathways provide for His flocks the church
The pastures are clothed with flocks – Jesus the good shepherd ensures his pastures are well watered with His word, and the flocks are the churches of His fold.
The valleys covered with grain speaks of the pathways of harvest – they shout for joy, they also sing!

God’s pathway of Goodness defined:
Apostle Andre preached this sermon about God’s crowing goodness on the 27th of November in 2005:
Goodness defined:
Used as an adjective, ‘towb’ (H2898) describes something valuable that indicates prosperity: you will prosper and grow in understanding too. When God bestows his goodness on us he makes us prosperous. He does not only give us money, he makes us rich on the inside as well. He gives us rich understanding. When you understand God’s ways it is a crown of life. You can live your life differently. He satisfies both our sensual and our spiritual natures with His goodness.
What was the worst moment in your life this year? God wants to crown in with glory at the end of the year. He wants to give you understanding and help you work through that moment.
Other people may have treated you badly at school or in the work place or even in church! But today God is crowning your year with goodness! He is making everything work together for good because you love Him and you are called according to His purpose which is to be conformed to the image of His Son in a corporate body of believers of which He is the Head!
‘Towb’ also indicates ethical goodness. When God acts benignly towards us it is not only for our pleasure and our understanding, but also to make us pure and ethical in our thoughts and actions. He purifies our motives when He shows us His kindness.
Only Jesus Christ could have made all of this possible. His goodness leads us to repentance! He is so good to us that we eventually repent of all our wrongdoing, all our unrighteousness, all our iniquities – for which he died on the cross.
He wore a crown of thorns so that we can receive a crown of goodness – every year for the rest of our lives! It is an ongoing action! What a wonderful team to play for – they receive the prize every year! How would you like to play for a team that wins every year, every league they play in?
No matter what you have had to face this year – God will find a way to turn it around for your benefit. He will find a way to glorify His own!
You share in a collective goodness!
When ‘towb’ is used as a noun it speaks of welfare, benefit and prosperity! It is used collectively as well. Because we belong to the body of Christ we share in the collective benefits or joint benefits of divine welfare! We are on Christ’s welfare programme: it will continually go well with us! Everything works together for our good – even our present suffering works an eternal weight of glory for us! There are those who have to go without things at the moment – but God is weighing up the eternal rewards for you! And in this life He crowns you with goodness! He satisfies your soul. It literally drips with His abundance! God is so good – He just cannot help Himself! He wants to display His goodness to you at the end of the year.
Taste and see that the Lord is good!
We need enlightened eyes of understanding to see just how good God is. We sometimes miss it because all we look at are the bad things that happen to us. We remember the worst times. Remember the best times of your year today and give thanks to God for His goodness. Let the goodness of God appear on your radar screen. Call up the goodness of God in your life.
God wants to honour you and justify you and glorify you – just like He did to His Son, Jesus Christ when He was on the earth. He glorified Him again and again – publicly! Even His greatest defeat on the cross became His greatest victory! Through the cross He saved mankind! Because He obeyed God to go through that terrible experience for our sake, God has also highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every other name that at His name every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
God will crown your year with goodness in such a way that even your enemies will have to admit that God is with you. You cannot crown yourself – God will do it on your behalf!
God’s goodness towards you is abundant!
The word ‘fatness’ is ‘deshen’ in Hebrew and it refers to fatness or abundance and also has the reference of the ashes of your enemy mixed with their fat being given to you…on the other hand it also shows that your ashes will be taken away – He will give you beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning; the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness – that is how He crowns your year with Goodness!
Today is a day of great rejoicing! Believe that this message has been sent from the heart of God for you – just you and that those who believe and trust in God share it with you: God crowns the year with goodness!

Revelations of Righteousness

harvester — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 10:00:45 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

II Corinthians 5:16-21

Christ defeated Satan by becoming the Son of God on earth and satisfied God’s judgement against sinful humanity. He did not respond to Satan’s prompting during the time of temptation. He only obeyed the Word of God. He took His broken body and his shed blood as an eternal High Priest before the throne of His Father and to the heavenly altar as an eternal offering for our sin. He defeated the work of the enemy so that we can be reconciled with God – made right with God through faith in Him. (Hebrews 2:4)
He did away with sin completely when He went into the holy of holies with His offering. When God forgives your sin, He wipes it out completely, obliterates it, makes it non-existent. When you talk of old sin that is forgiven, God does not know what you talk about. (Heb 9:26)
He created a new and living way through His blood for us to enter into the holy presence of God by faith, through the veil, which is His body. (Hebrews 10:9-22) If you believe in Him, you may enter by faith. You are accounted righteous because of Him who paid the full price for you.
Faith that makes us righteous before God has 3 elements:
It is an action of your will. By the action of your will, you believe and trust the Holy Spirit to make you holy, to sanctify you.
You appropriate the promise and blessing and lay hold of it by taking it by faith, because it belongs to you. It promotes you in the spirit realm. Napoleon inspected his troops on his big white horse. The horse got a fright and jumped up on his hind legs. A young soldier broke rank and grabbed the horse and brought it under control. The sergeant of the platoon scolded the young soldier for touching Napoleon’s horse. Napoleon immediately made the young soldier a captain in his army for saving his life.
The witness of the Spirit in your heart will confirm that you are a child of God with all the privileges, including being right with God by faith. Our problem is that we think we will never be able to fulfill all God’s demands to be righteous. We are too much aware of our sin and failure. We feel inferior and guilty. But by faith there is no guilt or condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1, 2) The law of righteousness by faith, sets us free from the law of sin and death.
Righteousness is imputed to us on behalf of Christ Jesus. It is deposited into our heavenly account. By believing in Him, we fulfill all the requirements and demands of a holy God. Christ paralyzed Satan completely and took away the weapons he trusted in. He has given us authority over Satan. The power of God works on the basis of righteousness by faith.
Break through into the realm of faith where you actually believe you are right with God, by faith in Christ Jesus. You can approach the throne of grace boldly, you can enter the new and living way through the veil, which is His body (the Church today). The forces of heaven are behind you, Satan’s plans against you are already defeated. You are a conqueror in this life through Christ. You are an overcomer in this life. You are justified through faith. Confess these things to appropriate them. You break sin through righteousness. You enjoy the promises of God through righteousness. Righteousness is a gift given to those who believe in Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17) You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (II Corinthians 5:21)

Grace to Overcome Mockery

harvester — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 10:00:48 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

As I was reading about Hannah who was barren petitioning God for a son that she would dedicate to his service, something opened up for me about this move of God.
Hannah was loved by her husband and given a double portion (See Job’s mockers and how God gave him a double portion of what he lost.) Yet Hannah was barren and her counterpart Peninnah mocked, provoked and vexed her so much that it made her life miserable.

Trigger Scripture
1Sa 1:4 And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
1Sa 1:5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb.
1Sa 1:6 And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb.

Source Code of Mockery and Vindication
Elkanah means: “God has possessed” or “God has created” H511BDB Definition:
Elkannah’s father Jehoram’s name means: “showing pity” H3395 BDB Definition:
Penninah means: “Jewel” H6444 BDB Definition:
Hannah means ‘grace.’ (H2584 BDB Definition.) the mother of Samuel, one of the wives of Elkanah
The Lord’s name means: “the existing One”H3068 BDB Definition. The proper name of the one true God
Eli was the high priest and he had two sons Hophni and Phiniehas
The Ark of the Covenant bearing the Lord’s presence was also there – at Shiloh which means place of rest. H7887 BDB Definition:
Shiloh = “place of rest” a city in Ephraim and temporary home of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle, the place where Samuel grew up
Eli = “ascension” H5941 BDB Definition
Hophni = “pugilist” H2652 BDB Definition
1) one of the two sons of Eli who were priests at Shiloh and were noted for their brutality and lust; their sinfulness provoked a curse against their father’s house and were judged by the Lord when they took the ark into battle; the ark was lost and both brothers were killed and Eli died when he heard the news
Phinehas = “mouth of brass” H6372 BDB Definition:
1) son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron; his zealousness for the Lord averted a plague on Israel and gained him the promise of the Lord of an everlasting priesthood in his family
2) a priest and the son of the priest Eli
Samuel: heard of God; Strong’s H8050
From the passive participle of H8085 and H410; heard of God; Shemuel, the name of three Israelites: – Samuel, Shemuel.

Summary of meanings:
What we learn from this episode of mocking in Hannah’s life:
Grace (Hannah: grace) from the Lord (Jehovah: the Existing One) is only obtained in the face of a vexing jewel (Adversary: Penninah: jewel) that seems unobtainable.
You obtain grace in the face of mockery in a place of rest (Shiloh: Rest) when you ascend God’s Mountain (Eli: Ascension) where the high priest hears your petitions – (Eli in the OT and Jesus in the NT)
The answer you seek is right there – God will show pity (Jehoram: pity) to your cause and God will possess you and create what you need within you. (Elkannah: “God has possessed” or “God has created”)
Then God will honour your diligence and petitions and bring about a change of guard in His kingdom.
That which constantly mouths off like brass (Phineas: mouth of brass) against you and beats you from every side (Hophni: pugiglist – boxer) will be removed from office and God will hear you (Samuel: Heard from God) and take what is birthed from you and raise a new standard in the Tabernacle making way for a blessed future of a nation with King David and later the King of Kings Jesus.

Mockery will come when you Preach about the Kingdom of Heaven
Mat 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Mat 10:9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
Mat 10:10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
Mat 10:11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.
Mat 10:12 And when you go into a household, greet it.
Mat 10:13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Mat 10:14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
Mat 10:15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Don’t Worry about mocking and Persecution to come
Mat 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
Mat 10:18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
Mat 10:20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Mat 10:21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Mat 10:23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Mat 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
Mat 10:25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

Have No Fear
Mat 10:26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
Mat 10:27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
Mat 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Mat 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
Mat 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Mat 10:37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Mat 10:38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Mat 10:39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Rewards
Mat 10:40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Mat 10:41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Mat 10:42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

Jesus endured mocking for us
Mar 15:26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mar 15:27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.
Mar 15:28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS.”
Mar 15:29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,
Mar 15:30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”
Mar 15:31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.
Mar 15:32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

On the day of Pentecost they were mocked:
Act 2:12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
Act 2:13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.
Act 2:15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
Act 2:17 ‘AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS, SAYS GOD, THAT I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH; YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS.

Religious Spirits mock the Prophets
Jer 20:9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.
Jer 20:10 For I heard many mocking: “Fear on every side!” “Report,” they say, “and we will report it!” All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, “Perhaps he can be induced; Then we will prevail against him, And we will take our revenge on him.”
Jer 20:11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.

Elisha saved a city’s water then their youths mocked him
2Ki 2:19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.”
2Ki 2:20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
2Ki 2:21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’ ”
2Ki 2:22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
2Ki 2:23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
2Ki 2:24 So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

Deal with Mockers in the Last Days
Jud 1:17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Jud 1:18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
Jud 1:19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
Jud 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Jud 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

The longsuffering of God gives mockers time to repent
2Pe 3:3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
2Pe 3:5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
2Pe 3:6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
2Pe 3:15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

Mockers G1703 empaiktēs emp-aheek-tace’
From G1702; a derider, that is, (by implication) a false teacher: – mocker, scoffer.
Opposite of a mocking mentality – diligence: G4704 spoudazō
From G4710; to use speed, that is, to make effort, be prompt or earnest: – do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.

Samuel’s name means to hear diligently from God, and for God to hear us diligently too!
Make your petition to the Lord of Grace and don’t let mockers provoke you and make you miserable anymore, even in the church world. Be diligent and labour, study the word and be prompt to obey God and He will hear you and bring about a change of the guard and raise the standard of His church through you. To compare ourselves even in the church world with another is carnal and the Lord will discipline ministries who put the humble ones down.
Once more:
Grace (Hannah: grace) from the Lord (Jehovah: the Existing One) is only obtained in the face of a vexing jewel (Adversary: Penninah: jewel) that seems unobtainable.
You obtain grace in the face of mockery in a place of rest (Shiloh: Rest) when you ascend God’s Mountain (Eli: Ascension) where the high priest hears your petitions – (Eli in the OT and Jesus in the NT) The answer you seek is right there – God will show pity (Jehoram: pity) to your cause and God will possess you and create what you need within you. (Elkannah: “God has possessed” or “God has created”) Then God will honour your diligence and petitions and bring about a change of guard in His kingdom. That which constantly mouths off like brass (Phineas: mouth of brass) against you and beats you from every side (Hophni: pugiglist – boxer) will be removed from office and God will hear you (Samuel: Heard from God) and take what is birthed from you and raise a new standard in the Tabernacle making way for a blessed future of a nation with King David and later the King of Kings Jesus.

Touching the Infinite

harvester — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 10:00:47 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Psa 147:2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
Psa 147:3 He heals the broken-hearted And binds up their wounds.
Psa 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
Psa 147:5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psa 147:6 The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.

Contact points that help us to touch the infinite God

1. Edification: The Lord builds up your city of peace.
2. Harvest: God gathers the outcasts
3. Healing: He heals the broken-hearted
4. Care: Binds up the wounds
5. Know He counts you in: He counts the stars, He calls them by name, something he asked Abraham to do. His workers and leaders throughout the earth who are in His right hand – stars in Revelation.
“There are about 10 billion galaxies in the observable universe! The number of stars in a galaxy varies, but assuming an average of 100 billion stars per galaxy means that there are about 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s 1 billion trillion) stars in the observable universe!
Feb 19, 2013
The number is probably infinite, but we can’t see them all because light travels at a finite speed, and light has had only about 13.7 billion years to travel. This means that we cannot see any stars farther than about 13.7 billion light years away.
stars in the observable universe – UCSB Science Line, https://scienceline.ucsb.edu › getkey

Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

a. ‘Angel’/ ‘Messenger’ G32 aggelos
From ἀγγέλλω aggellō (probably derived from G71; compare G34; to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an “angel”; by implication a pastor: – angel, messenger.

b. To lead G71 agō A primary verb; properly to lead; by implication to bring, drive, (reflexively) go, (specifically) pass (time), or (figuratively) induce: – be, bring (forth), carry, (let) go, keep, lead away, be open.

c. Churches G1577 ekklēsia
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): – assembly, church.

6. Power and might: The Lord is great – mighty in power. It is not by your might, nor your power, but by His Spirit of counsel and might – note the combination – you need counsel to unlock might. What I have found is that when you are righteous in your cause – God’s might backs you completely and infinitely. Even if you make a mistake – God is ready to forgive and cover you and destroy the very enemy He used to chastise you – see Israel: Jer_51:11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.

7. Understanding: His understanding is infinite. When God opens your heart and mind to understand, it is really limitless. There is a braking of the seals of understanding that is very comforting to you when God does this and all of a sudden you see and know and ‘get it’ completely! This is the effect of a faith filled word from the Lord when you read the Bible and busy yourself with quiet meditations in your inner chamber. The practise of the presence of the Lord like this is a great source of peace in a storm for us, and it is that still small voice within that reverberates with echoes into the our lives and grows into sound waves and sonic booms that crumble all enemy strongholds. It reminds us of a small pebble dropping into a pond that grows in concentric circles outward and becomes a tsunami in power. God looks for a still pond to drop a pebble into that will grow into a groundswell of force to overcome evil in our world. Once I saw a drop of blood falling onto a home in the spirit – this home had a mother that had a vision to accommodate God’s servants like in the Bible and to establish a Bible College for her family in her home. This vision of a drop of blood continued and I saw it growing outward from there in concentric circles. It is now the Bible Training venue for a church in an influential city that reaches out to the world and the home has hosted many apostolic gatherings that have had far–reaching effects in the kingdom of God. He knows the power of a thought of truth and faith. That is why a mustard seed of faith is enough to provide for all you need in life!

8. Humility: The lord lifts of the humble. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. He will touch your mind and heart to understand infinitely. That is the peace that passes understanding. You have peace about the fact that you do not have peace quite yet! Inside you have a sure knowing that you have peace.

9. Victory: He casts the wicked down to the ground. Knowing you win in the end is a very powerful influence in your thinking and your actions. If you have the medal in your pocket during the race, you run with a difference confidence.

Our God is a spirit – an infinite Spirit being that has created us to relate to Him infinitely. We are a spirit, we possess a soul and we live a body for a time here on earth. But He has called you by name and counted you worthy to partake of His presence through believing in Jesus Christ His Son – the firstborn among many brothers and sisters! Touch the infinite today and remind yourself of the infinite possibilities and resources at your disposal in the mighty name of Jesus with the infinite counsel and might of the Holy Spirit.
Meditate on the infinity of the trinity and grow in your ability to touch the infinite in your daily life!

Thanks

harvester — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 10:00:56 +0000

Thanks is a key that unlocks tremendous blessings.
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Here follows some Biblical examples where the key of thanks unlocks eternal blessings.

1. Thanks unlocks the target of our prayers
2. Thanks unlocks the 10 percent or the miraculous
3. Thanks unlocks new revelations of our identity
4. Thanks unlocks our testimony and helps us overcome
5. Hanks in advance unlocks our faith future
6. Thanks for Jesus’ work on the cross brings us together
7. Thanks for suffering for His name unlocks greater glory and purpose
8. Thanks unlocks more of Jesus for people to see!

1. Thanks unlocks the target of our prayers
We are taught by apostle Paul to stop worrying about everything and start praying and making petitions to God, with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6. IN addition this form of prayerful ‘thanks’ unlocks the peace that passes our understanding.
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Php 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The word for thanksgiving here is the Greek word: G2169 ‘eucharistia’
From G2170; and it infers: ‘gratitude; actually grateful language to God, as an act of worship.’

2. Thanks unlocks the miraculous for all nations.
The leper that was cleansed and gave thanks to Jesus, was a Samaritan. The others were presumably Jews who went to the priest and were pronounced cleansed. This fulfilled the law but did not show gratitude to the source of healing. By saying thanks this man sealed his healing and unlocked the Gospel for his Samaritan nation, who were at enmity with the Jews at the time.
Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

3. Thanks unlocks new revelations of our identity
Phm 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,
Phm 1:5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
Phm 1:6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Phm 1:7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

4. Thanks unlocks our testimony and helps us overcome
One way to give thanks to God is through your testimony. But we can also use that form of thanks to unlock our victory and continually overcome, every time we tell our Gospel story to anyone.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

5. Thanks in advance unlocks our faith future
Prophet Nola has taught us on the Hebrew Praise Words that exhibit giving of thanks in a thankful expression of praise – physically.
One is the throwing out of the hands:
“Yadah: to worship with extended hands, to throw out the hands, to give thanks and worship to God, to confess=. (Yad means hand)”
The other includes faith for the future:
“Todah: to extend the hands in a sacrifice of praise, or thank offering, It’s a confession of thankful praise inferring sacrifice. Used only a few times when in connection with thanksgiving.”

6. Thanks for Jesus’ work on the cross brings us together
1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

7. Thanks for suffering for His name unlocks greater glory and purpose
Act 5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Col_1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
1Pe_4:13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
Luk 22:28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.
Luk 22:29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me,
Luk 22:30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
Jas 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

8. Thanks for God’s Love unlocks more of Jesus for people to see!
1Jn 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Photo credit

Formed Like Jesus

harvester — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 10:00:40 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Most sermons will promote the king and power and glory in you. That is exactly opposite to what Jesus taught. His way is meek and humble, then God does the glorifying! Read through this passage and glean some instructions to form you like Jesus.

Php 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
Php 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Php 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
Php 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
Php 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We can receive comfort from the way Jesus went about his life. His servant attitude and form released tremendous love and compassion, and his obedience released the most powerful name above all, Jesus!
It is clear that the name, the accuser, the tempter, the Satan of this world, seeks to break down our esteem of Jesus the Servant and seeks to place our emphasis on kingship. That is exactly opposite to what Jesus taught. His way is meek and humble, then God does the glorifying!

Discern the following instructions that will form you like Jesus:
1. Focus on love and compassion

2. Draw from fellowship with the Holy Spirit

3. Take the time to hear others in your sphere of ministry to ensure like-mindedness – or unity of faith philosophy.

4. Don’t do things to be seen.

5. Celebrate other people’s success and stop trying to be better versions of them, rather become a better version of you in Christ.

6. Apply the 50/50 principle in prayer and make your requests not only for yourself in prayer but for others as well. If your child needs school fees, pray for another parent’s wishes to come true for their child’s education. Invest in other people, but at the same time do not neglect yourself altogether. There is a balance. Dr Gray teaches in his book on prayer that we should be loving others as we love ourselves in prayer too. Too may times, we pray from an embittered soul thinking no one cares for us so we will just pray for others and hope God sees that. God cares for you and you should care for yourself too! Ascetism is the extreme form of self-discipline in the guise of holiness – that is not holiness but inverted spiritual pride. It flows out to others eventually and you become hard on those around you. Isn’t it obvious how caring and comforting spiritual mentors come across, while they have every right to make you feel inferior they don’t. Rather they make you sense that God cares and you see how they enjoy life in spite of the challenges and how they even reward themselves and celebrate little things and events? Dr Gray would go for a milkshake on a Saturday after the early Morning Prayer that very students attended at Miracle Valley. Students would mock him for his diet but he would just enjoy himself anyway, having given a lifetime to the study and teaching of the word, preparing Greek Lexicons and working in 5 Bible Colleges over several decades. [“Prayer Power the secret of Spiritual Success” available form MBTC aje@harvesterchurch.net]

7. Discover the mind of Christ when He was sent to us.
a. Apostle Andre preached about being conformed to the image of His Son last week. I would like to continue with that thought. Form is used in sprit, so when an athlete is on top form, they win tournaments like Roger Federer.
b. Imagine Roger Federer leaving Wimbledon after holding up the trophy and going to play tennis with your young child in the drive way because they got a tennis racket for Christmas!
c. Jesus was fully God in heaven with all the rights and privileges and power. He left that and took on the form of a servant, and stooped down to our level to live and work like us. He felt what it was like to be hot and hungry and thirsty! He experienced friendship and betrayal. He saw his friends die and he raised them back to life.

8. He took the beating for our sins and also rose again to enforce his victory and our emancipation.

9. Because Jesus was willing and obedient to do this, God highly exalted him.
True success and glory is not when you do it yourself, but when God raises you up and gives you the stamp of His approval and the Seal of His Holy Spirit.
Everything else is hot wind – puffed up Christians parading around their gifts but lacking the fruit of the Servant Lord, Jesus Christ.
And you will know them by their fruit….

10. So when we follow Jesus – the first thing we have to do is deny ourselves – step out of the rat race and world circuit of our existence and stoop down and serve where He chooses.
Some of the most wonderful moments in ministry are when a little child sees you as a spiritual servant and recognizes something in you.
Sometimes I spot a little kid worshipping God in the audience, struggling to keep up with Apostle Leigh the dance leader, and I think – the next generation is ok!

These simple instructions will help form Christ in us that will be our hope of glory. Stop trying to be a Christian and allow Jesus to be formed in you through the various moments and experiences God allows. The Holy Spirit is busy with you – get out of His way and the process will speed up! Be comforted that you too can have the mind of Christ, the same power, anointing, glory, yet with the form and heart of a servant and mentor willing to stoop down and play backyard tennis with someone who is willing to learn. Discipleship comes from such an attitude and that is our command: to love like Jesus. That is our commission: to go and make disciples of Jesus

Portraits of Christ

harvester — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 18:30:51 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

Christ be Formed

harvester — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 10:00:17 +0000

Preacher: Apostle André Pelser

Passage: Galatians 4:19

Portrayals of Christ formed in believers

The Galatian believers

Paul says he travails in birth again for his disciples in Galatia until Christ be formed in them. He was concerned about the Galatian believers who started in the spirit but ended up in the flesh. They were born again by the Spirit and the Word of God but were influenced by the legalistic Judaizers to get circumcised and to keep the law again. Paul asked: ‘who has bewitched you?’ They also stopped following Paul and his teaching and clung to the false teachers who told them Paul was a false apostle. Paul’s tone in this epistle is one of deep affection and strong emotion. He gave birth to spiritual children who now rejects him and he experiences anguish about them.

Paul immediately started praying seriously for them hoping that Christ in them would be manifested outwardly in their daily lives. This is a work of transformation that only the Spirit of God can do by the Word of God that abides in them. It is not a matter of self-effort.

The meaning of ‘form’

The word ‘form’ is ‘morphoo’ in Greek and that speaks of giving outward expression of an inward nature. (Wuest) We use the English word ‘form’ when we say, ‘I went to watch tennis yesterday. The winning player was in excellent form.’ The outward expression of his inward ability helped him to win the match.

When Jesus Christ was transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration the same basic word, ‘metamorfeo’ was used to describe his supernatural change. His inward reality of being one with God beamed out to make his clothes shine like armor and his face shine like the sun. A cloud of glory enveloped him and his 3 disciples, Peter, James & John.

Jesus’ transformation

Two men appeared in this glorious moment to speak to him about his decease that He still had to accomplish in Jerusalem for the sake of those who would later on believe in Him. Those two men were Elijah and Moses, both who were supernaturally transported from earth to heaven instead of dying normal deaths. They were taken up by God and could therefore descend again to fulfill the will of God.

Jesus lived His earthly life to perfection by obeying His heavenly Father in everything and perfectly pleasing Him so that His inner reality became greater than his flesh or his body. He could have gone to heaven at that point, just like Moses & Elijah, but if He did, He would have gone alone without us. He still had to accomplish something extremely important on earth: giving His life as a ransom for many. He still had to be crucified and shed His blood as remission for all our sins. Then God would resurrect Him and give Him an eternal body that would never be destroyed.

That new body could eat fish and honey, but it could move through walls and travel great distances at a moment’s notice. It is His glorified body – the kind we will receive when Christ returns and we are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when our corruptible body will put on incorruption and our mortal coil will become immortal.

We are called according to God’s purpose

God wants to form Christ within us so that this transformation can take place at the right time when Jesus returns to reign on the new earth, and we will reign with Him. This is the great purpose of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Performing excellently

The word ‘form’ or ‘morphoo’ can be applied to a tennis player who is in excellent form, because of dedication and hard practice, he reached a state of excellence to play with such skill and dexterity as to defeat his opponent. You perform excellently. The word ‘form’ is part of ‘perform’.

The word ‘form’ is also part of ‘conform’ and ‘reform’. True reformation is conformation to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, so we can overcome the enemy of our souls and be transformed completely into what He wants us to be. John tells us in his epistle, ‘now we know we are the sons of God, but what we will be when Christ returns, we do not know yet, but all we know is that we shall be like Him.’ What a wonderful hope and glorious prospect await those who allow the Holy Spirit to form Christ within them.

God’s chosen means to bring about the transformation

God chose the means of a church to complete this work. The enemy fights the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He knows that is the place where believers’ lives are transformed into the image of Christ. He knows he is a defeated foe. He knows he stands no chance against the believers who are inwardly transformed because of Christ within, the hope of glory. That is why he tries to cause trouble to make people leave the church or tries to tell them, ‘church is not important’ or makes them find fault with the church, so that they cannot be transformed. It is a spiritual battle.

That is why Paul prayed so earnestly for the believers in Galatia that Christ be formed within them, that they would escape all the lies of the devil and become Christ-inside minded, so that people would experience Christ Jesus wherever they moved, and lived and have their being. It would be an outward expression of an inward reality: Christ within the hope of glory, shining out in a glorious expression of His nature, His wisdom and His power.

Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers that they might get spiritual understanding to know who they are in Christ Jesus, to know the hope of their calling and to recognize Christ in each other as well as knowing to His wisdom and resurrection power that works mightily through them. (Ephesians 1:17-21)

We get to know each other after the spirit

As we allow the Holy Spirit to perfect that which concerns each one, we no longer know each other after the flesh, but after the spirit. This is the great secret or mystery of Christ and His Church: He is the Head and we make up His body. We function under His supervision and command. It is as if Christ walks the earth again.

He operates through a multi-membered body of believers that are inwardly transformed to manifest His nature, wisdom and power to the world out there. He goes wherever we go. He acts whenever we act. His Spirit leads and guides us and shows us things to come. (John 16:13) We please our heavenly Father, just like Jesus did, by doing what pleases Him, and He never leaves or forsakes us.

God confirms His Word

He confirms His Word with signs and wonders and miracles following and gives the gifts of the Spirit to be manifested wherever we are. This is the manifestation of the sons of God that the whole creation is longing to see. (Romans 8:19)

When Paul & Silas reached a place they said, ‘they turn the world upside down’. We are emissaries of change. We bring change wherever we go. We establish the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. We see to it that the will of God is being done on earth as it is in heaven. His is the glory and the honor and the power for ever and ever, amen.

Those who have spiritual oversight over the souls of believers constantly labor in prayer that Christ be formed in them. They have to patiently wait for the inward change to occur. The flesh fights the change, because it will not submit. The flesh attacks those who are spiritual, because the flesh is stubborn and not submissive.

Suffering for Christ’s sake

It is so that the closer you get to Christ, the more you are persecuted, misunderstood and hated. The spirit of the world is the spirit of the anti-Christ and it hates those who are being perfected. Family members will come against you and say things they do not even mean to hurt you, but God uses it to perfect you and to bring about the change in you, to form Christ in you, so that there is a greater revelation of Christ through you.

Examples of changed lives

God changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah so that the promise of God to them could be fulfilled to become the father and mother of many nations. God changed Jacob the deceiver into Israel, a prince with God, to fulfill the promise He made to Abraham and His Seed, that speaks of Christ.

God changed Simon, a reed, into Peter, a part of a great rock, and Saul into Paul, that means ‘little one’. Paul became nothing so that Christ could be everything.

God took Nola, a little barefoot girl in Alexander Bay who played on a piano that she drew in the sand, to become a worship leader that trains many to lead prophetic worship in the presence of God. He took a little unknown girl and made her appear on national TV to dazzle millions of people. He made her famous for His Name’s sake.

God took me, a little boy in a parsonage in a mining town, and made me reach 123 nations for Him. God brought me back from death, so that I can continue my work that He has called me to do and to fulfill my destiny.

God’s perfect plan for your life

God will perfect that which concerns you. The good work God has started He will complete. He will form Christ in you so that it will be manifested on the outside – effortlessly! His grace is sufficient for you. His plan for your life is perfect. He will also do it. He is faithful and can be trusted completely.

Amen.

The Benefits of Abiding

harvester — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 18:30:54 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser.

Photo by Ales Me.

Investigations of a Resurrected Life

harvester — Sun, 03 Nov 2019 10:00:30 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
We can learn so much about Jesus’ from the days after His resurrection.
A scripture caught my attention and I had to investigate further:
“And He said to them: ‘Why are you in such a state of agitation, and why are reasonings arising in your heart? See my hands and feet that it is I myself. Handle me with a view to investigation and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see me having. And while they were disbelieving for joy and were wondering, He said to them, ‘Do you have anything here that is eatable?” Luke 24:36 onwards Wuest’s Greek Translation of the New Testament.
After he ate the broiled fish, he continued: “These are my words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that it was a necessity in the nature of the case for all things which stand written in the Law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms concerning me to be fulfilled. Then He opened their mind so that they might understand the scriptures.”
He also then reminded them that the Christ was to suffer and to be raised form the dead according to the scriptures, and that repentance form sin should be preached in all the nations starting at Jerusalem.
He appointed the disciples to be His witnesses and told them to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Then he took them out to Bethany and blessed them and then withdrew from them.
They returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple, eulogizing and praising God.
No normal person would go back into the temple after the Priests had colluded with the romans to kill their Messiah. Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance to the disciples gave them this boldness – they had been with Jesus otherwise this entire movement was doomed to cynicism and regret. If Jesus did not rise form the dead, how would Peter who betrayed him out of fear of retribution go straight back to the temple and openly proclaim Jesus as Lord? This turn around in character is a resurrection in itself.
Resurrection life is within and you can’t fake it.
But for you to have resurrection life there are a few investigations you have to make for yourself so that your faith can be strengthened and your joy can be full.
Investigations that release resurrection life:
1. Investigate the Breaking of Bread. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus broke bread with Jesus He was really made known to them. They went to tell the disciples in Jerusalem and while they were speaking, Jesus stepped in their midst and stood there. Later he eats fish to prove He is real.
2. Investigate your state of agitation and deal with reasonings in your heart. When we are honest with the Holy Spirit, we progress quicker in our walk of faith. Deal with every doubt – believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts! But there is a deeper investigation that secures eternal resurrection life within.
3. Investigate the handling the Word of God and getting to know Jesus through His Body of believers will ensure you never doubt His resurrection again. When you realize that the words you read in the Bible are becoming flesh around you in a church of fallible human beings, it sparks a reality of resurrection that you can’t conjure up with religious rituals and mysticism. The reality of the love of God manifested in a many membered body is the fruit that shows people Jesus is alive in us. John the apostle of love writes:
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
1 John 1:2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

4. Investigate Jesus and His Words. His disciples knew Jesus had been resurrected because he spoke the same way to them as before. He said things only He could know about the fulfilment of prophecy and he opened their mind to understand the scriptures.
5. Investigate whether or not there has been a death to release resurrection. Resurrection comes after death. Jesus fulfilled the record of prophetic scripture that the Christ was to suffer and be raised out form among those who are dead on the third day, and there is to be preached in His Name repentance with reference to the putting away of sins to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
6. Investigate if the Holy Spirit is there to sustain resurrection life. To prove His resurrection He sent the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit to help them become witnesses to His resurrection. That is the boldness that exude from the disciples spending time in His presence.
7. Investigate if there is a blessing that lingers long after you have been with people. Then Jesus blessed them and withdrew from them – leaving them to live out the resurrection life and pass it onto others. That is the key in leadership for me – to equip others to find Christ within and then disappear so that they can continue. There comes a time when you step back and leave it to the disciples, but His Spirit in you is now deposited in them and they will remember your words, how you handled situations and how you broke bread and ate fish together! The end of our efforts in Christ is to see Christ formed in people and for His resurrection life to be multiplied form generation to generation. When we are ready, He will return for his Church, His Bride, and we will recognize him as he stands in our midst again, and I will ask Him to have some broiled fish with us!

Be Filled With the Spirit

harvester — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 10:00:55 +0000

Preached by Apostle André Pelser at Harvester Church Cape Town.

A command that changed people’s lives. Don’t be filled with wine. It causes dissipation (scatters energy, over-indulgence) but be filled with the Spirit. It makes you single-minded. You can focus on what you have to do.

Perspectives on being filled with the Spirit

Biblical examples of people full of the Spirit
Benefits of being filled with the Spirit
Qualities of the Spirit
What it means to be filled with the Spirit

Biblical Examples:
John the Baptist (Luke 1:15)
Jesus (Luke 4:14-18)
Disciples (Acts 2:4 / Acts 4:31 / Acts 13:52)
Peter preached Jesus (Acts 4:8)
Stephen saw the glory of God and fell asleep (Acts 7:55)
Barnabas was a man full of faith and the Spirit (Acts 11:24) many were added

Benefits

Although Peter & John were unlearned men, when they saw their boldness, they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13)
Knowing you has been like knowing Jesus. Your life is the only way some people will see Jesus.
The Holy Spirit alone can transform lives: make a weak Simon Bar-Jonah a Peter, a little rock!
Paul & Silas turned the world upside down (Acts 9:17 / 17:6)

Qualities

Isaiah 11:1,2 – The Spirit of wisdom – Solomon’s wisdom made him wealthy

The Spirit of understanding – establishes; the Spirit of counsel – solving problems; the Spirit of might – nothing is impossible; the Spirit of knowledge – without knowledge people perish; the Spirit of the fear of the Lord – the beginning of wisdom.

Galatians 5:22, 23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love that never fails, joy in believing; peace that passes understanding; longsuffering or patience that you might become perfected; kindness – when the kindness of God appeared, Jesus arrived on the scene; goodness – the goodness of God leads us to repentance; gentleness – David proclaimed, ‘Thy gentleness has made me great oh, Lord!’ and self-control – a spirit of self-control under difficult circumstances.

What it means to be Spirit filled

Jesus announced that the Spirit of the Lord God was upon Him to do something. He was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor; He was sent to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19)

To be Spirit filled does not mean you just go around speaking in tongues all the time. Speaking in tongues is the initial evidence that you are Spirit filled. But you are filled with the Spirit to do something. You are anointed to do something for God and for others. The anointing that abides within you will teach you concerning all things (I John 2:27). He will show you things to come (John 16:13) and lead and guide you into all truth. He is your Comforter and Helper. Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world (I John 4:4)

Acts 10:38 – ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.’

How has God anointed you? You can go around and do good things – like Jesus did! People become aware of Jesus when you are around, because His Spirit in you shines through! You do good in what you do, because you are filled with the Spirit. Recognize it today. Say, ‘I am filled with God’s Spirit!’

Young Elihu told Job and the other miserable comforters, ‘there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding…the spirit within me compels me.’ (Job 32:8, 18) He spoke wise words and got Job to repent for speaking vanities against God. He spoke on behalf of God. He did not let the old men despise his wisdom.

Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 1:52). Mary conceived Jesus when the Spirit of God overshadowed her (Luke 1:35). Nothing is impossible when you are filled with the Spirit. God will do great things through you.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema

Godly Influence

harvester — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 10:00:40 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser at Harvester Church Cape Town.

I once asked God why he did not bless us with more money, when my parents were in missions and going through a hard time, often selling possession to fund the next mission and pay the bills. As a family we have sold everything we possess several times now to fund the work we do for God. And we continually sacrifice and give because the cause is holy. I got a simple word in my heart that settled it for me, and that aligned my heart to do it all again: “I have given you influence.”

Definition of influence – “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself,”

When you ask God something sincerely, He will answer you, but he might not give you the reason that you thought you would get!
As His ways are higher than our ways, let’s look at some opportunities to influence a generation in from our greatest written influencing source, the Bible.

Examples of a positive influence in the Bible:
1. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Gen 17:9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Covenant with God is supposed to transcend generations. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. IN in his Seed all the nations of the world were blessed because Jesus was born of his line.
When a covenant was made in those days, there was an exchange of various objects, including the belt, the sandal, a cutting with blood and a general understanding of: “What’s mine is Yours!” Read more about it in our MBTC Subject ‘Blood Covenant.”
When God cut covenant with Abram He also added the ‘h’ to his and Sarai’s names – the bit that we hear in Elohim. When you enter a covenant with God, there is a bit of His nature in you now.
God is looking for people who will influence their families, their neighbourhoods, their circles in which they live and move and have their being.

In fact, God thought so much of Abraham that He shared his plans to him:
Gen 18:17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
Gen 18:18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Gen 18:19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

2. Moses on generations to come revealing Jesus:
Deuteronomy 18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,”
In this scripture Moses is prophesying about Jesus to come. In a way, Moses influenced Jesus to finish the work started all the way back in the Exodus, when the laws were given. Jesus came to fulfil that law and show people how to please God by faith.

Moses spoke to God face to face and was known as the meekest man. He influenced a nation to exit slavery and enter a promised land.

3. David praised God for a generation to come
This whole introduction of the Psalms 22 speaks of Jesus on the Cross: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” and further in verse 8 “he trusted in the Lord, let him deliver him!’
And in verse 16 “they pierced my hands and feet.” And if you are still in doubt: “They divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots.”
Psa 22:30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
Psa 22:31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.

4. Elijah made sure he influenced 2 generations to finish his work on earth.
1Ki 19:14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
1Ki 19:15 Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
1Ki 19:16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
1Ki 19:17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
1Ki 19:18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

5. Jesus influenced his disciples to cover the earth with the Gospel!
1Ki 19:14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
1Ki 19:15 Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
1Ki 19:16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
1Ki 19:17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
1Ki 19:18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Negative Influence:
Bad company corrupts good morals.
1Co 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

Divisive persons cause division.
Rom 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.

Thoughts and doubts and fears can influence you negatively if you do not take them captive and bring them to the obedience of Christ.
2Co 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
2Co 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
2Co 10:6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Opportunities to exert a Godly influence in this time, for a generation to come.
Our four apostolic platforms help us to exert a Godly influence on our generation and we create platforms of operation for others to walk on.
1. Communion – how we relate to God and other believers. Communion generates a tremendous force of influence because it draws people closer to Christ who is at the centre of all we are doing and trying to achieve in ministry.

2. Commission – When you have a relationship with God’s His spirit will drive you out to reach others so that they can also have the same level of fellowship with the saints and the Father. This is what Jesus paid for so that is why He gave the commission in the first place!

3. Compassion – When Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitudes, he healed all their sick!
Compassion is a resultant influencing force that comes from communion with God in His Church, being sent out on the commission to make disciples of all nations and then the signs and wonders follow those who believe.
4. Care – Only then can we decide to exert the force of influential care, when someone has received Jesus as their Saviour and received the ones He sent on a commission and God has had compassion on them through your prayers and ministry.
IF we look at these influencers in the Bible and build on the platforms for our future performance as sons of God, we have a set vector for the force of influence.
God has built our capacity to influence people, organizations, communities, traditions, cultures, economies, government, business, education, fine and performing arts, the media and the our own offspring and their generations to come.
Influence is more powerful than money. The power to generate wealth is given to those who establish His covenant in the earth. For us who believe in Jesus, wealth is a means to an end and the end is eternal Godly influence.
We honour God in all we do and God honours us with: influence!

Photo by Erda Estremera

Entrepreneurship

harvester — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 10:00:26 +0000

Preached by Prophet Tucker in Harvester Church Cape Town.

Photo by Rohan Makhecha.

Worthy to Break the Seals

harvester — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 10:00:24 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

There is a book in heaven that no one was worthy to open, no one was worthy to break its seals. There was silence in heaven. This book contains all the blessings of God as well as God’s final plans for the earth. These blessings and plans could not be revealed unless someone broke the seals of the book.

None of the angels stepped forward to break the seals. None of the elders were able to do it. The angels that normally worship before the throne saying, ‘holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ became silent and folded their wings. The elders that cast their crowns before the throne, bowed their heads.

Heaven was quiet for a long time.

And then John that saw this revelation bowed his head and wept. But one of the elders spoke to him and said, ‘do not weep, look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah will break the seals.’ Jacob prophesied in Genesis 49 already about the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Judah means ‘praise’.

The reason why no one stepped forward to break the seals is because no one was worthy to do it. No one in heaven was worthy enough to break the seals of that book. Why not? Because the one who breaks the seals must also be willing to die for mankind, give his life as a ransom for the sins of the world. There was a sacrifice involved. Only the one that was willing to give his life for the sake of the salvation of souls would be worthy enough to break the seals. In all of heaven no one was found.

But then, one stepped forward, the Son of God, who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, stepped forward and volunteered to break the seals of that book. He became worthy to break the seals. The one that is willing to pay the price and go on behalf of heaven for the sake of the salvation of mankind is worthy to open the book and release the blessings and the plans of God in the earth.

Then the picture changed. The Lion, the most powerful animal, changed into a Lamb that was slain…you cannot crucify a lion. He is too powerful. He will bite and scratch and hurt you. But a Lamb submits to its shearers without making a sound. Can you see the picture changing? A Lion becomes a Lamb. The Lamb looks like it has been slain already.

Then the angels and elders worshiped the Lamb of God. Someone was found worthy enough to break the seals of the book. Someone was willing to go and pay the price. Someone was willing to die on behalf of all mankind so that we could live forever. Can you see the slain Lamb moving forward, taking the book and breaking its seals? As He broke the seals the blessings poured out! As he broke the seals the plan of God for the final drama on earth was released. The book was open!

Then God sent His only begotten Son and gave Him as a sacrifice for mankind, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) But the Son first volunteered to go. Then the Father sent Him. God will not force anyone to go against their will. They must first become submissive. The lamb nature submits to its shearers. The lion nature fights them.

There is a time to roar like a lion; but there is a time to submit like a lamb.

God therefore made Jesus worthy to be the Christ, the anointed One. He made Him worthy of all honor, glory and praise and worthy to be worshiped. He made Him worthy of all knowledge and wisdom, power and strength. And because He died, He made those who believe in Him worthy of salvation, worthy of all provision, worthy of healing, worthy to receive His Holy Spirit, worthy of guidance, of sharing in His wisdom and knowledge, worthy to be loved and worthy to suffer with Him also.

Because He is worthy, because He broke the seals of that book to release the blessings of the plan of God, because He suffered and died and paid the ransom for our redemption, we worship Him, we praise Him, we honor Him, and we call Him Lord. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

When John the Baptist saw Him, he announced: ‘behold the Lamb of God that comes to take away the sins of the world!’ and the Spirit of the God descended in the bodily form of a dove and sat upon Him and God spoke with an audible voice: ‘this is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. Hear Him!’

The one that is willing to go, become worthy to open new dimensions of the plan of God to fulfill it. The one that is willing to lay down his life for others is worthy and God will honor him. No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for his friends – just like Jesus did for us.

Amen.

The Name of Jesus

harvester — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 10:00:56 +0000

Power In the Name of Jesus
By Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town
Entry Points that release the power in the name of Jesus

I the book of Acts 3, peter and john went to pray.
Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
Act 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
Act 3:3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
Act 3:4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
Act 3:5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
Act 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Act 3:7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Act 3:8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
Act 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
Act 3:10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Entry Point 1: Regular Prayer
The apostles, at this stage, had a set a time for prayer. The ninth hour can be interpreted a three o’ clock in the afternoon. This was the regular time of ‘evening oblation’ (‘something that is offered as a religious sacrifice’, Cambridge Dictionary) When the persecution arose, the ratio of public prayer shifted to private household meetings.
Lindsay explains.
“As these two apostles, Peter and John, were on their way to the temple, they came to the gate called beautiful”. To get there they had to pass several areas: the court of the Gentiles; then through the middle court accessible to women; and finally after ascending a second flight of steps, they came to the Gate Beautiful that led to the inner court where the altar and sanctuary were located. Here only men were allowed to enter.”
The historian Josephus elaborates:
“But there was one gate that was without [the inward court of the holy house, which was of Corinthian brass and greatly excelled those that were covered over with silver and gold.
“But over that Corinthian gate, which opened on the east over against the gate of the holy house itself, was much larger; for its height was fifty cubits; and it was adorned after the most costly manner, as having much richer and thicker plates of gold and silver upon them than the other [gates].” Josephus Book V, Chapter 5, 3.

All the glory of the gate could not open the entry point for the healing of the lame man. Entry points for miracles are required.
The lame man also had a habit of being carried and laid daily at the gate called Beautiful. But he was not laid there to receive his healing, but to beg for alms.

Entry point 2: Shift of attention
When the man asked Peter and John for alms, they replied:
“Look at us.”
Act 3:5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
They made it clear that his attention was on the wrong thing. You are asking for ‘alms’ but we have something better: In Jesus’ name you can get back your legs!”

How many times did Jesus see this man? Every time Jesus went past this gate he must have seen a Holy Spirit Movie of him getting up and leaping and praising God. He would have had a double take to see if it was time, if the Holy Spirit was leading him to heal this man but then a check in his Spirit comes: ‘Leave him for Peter and John!’
Some miracles you will work in your life and others you will leave for your disciples. That’s why we minister in teams in the church. Our leaders are capable of praying for hundreds of people in a meeting one by one. Then we will leave here four hours later! But there is an impartation of the gifts through the laying on of hands of the eldership that Apostle Paul explained to Timothy – you have to stir up those gifts that are in you. Jesus said it:
Joh 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Joh 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Entry Point 3: The Name of Jesus
Act 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Act 3:7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Act 3:8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
Act 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
Act 3:10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Jesus name unlocks the entry points for miraculous power.
You need to have something to give those in need.
Faith in the name of Jesus comes to you over time.
From Romans we learn the process of faith:
God sends someone to preach to you and you hear the word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Then you believe in your heart that God raised Christ from the dead, and you start to confess that Jesus is your Lord, you call on the name of the Lord Jesus and You are saved.
Silver and Gold was not needed for the hour of prayer. It is not that Peter and John did not have money! In fact, the church was going through a time where people sold land and laid it at the apostle’s feet to distribute as needed for the move of God.
We have done that and many of our friends in our network have done so too. God’s work costs you something, but it is totally worth and God always gives you more than you give Him! In fact, he takes your little loaves and fishes and multiplies it and feeds the five thousand with baskets left over! This week we took our little Bible College manuals and sent them to our friends in Kenya. There they will present it to 25 pastors who will then multiply it to 25 churches, who will then release more pastors and more churches. Our little lunch box is feeding Africa!

So there it is: your simple entry points of prayer that remained hidden form the man all his life until the apostles, through their dedicated life of prayer, shifted his attention, and gave him the key of faith through the name of Jesus to unlock the entry point of power for his legs.

When they explained the miracle as unlearned men they simply said:
Act 3:16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

A man lame from birth does not know how to walk. There was no time for physiotherapy – that makes this a miracle, not a healing that happens over time. Both are supernatural but the time frame is quicker with miracles.
God allowed this poor man to sit there all his life at the most beautiful gate of the temple, yet never enter further into His presence.

You position yourself at the mercies of men and worldly institutions all your life but you are lame and can’t walk out your destiny. You are begging for the scraps and kindness of others who go in but can even find solutions for themselves.
Outward impressiveness is useless. The traditions of men make void the power of God. Daily rituals without Jesus are obsolete.

Then God allows a divine connection that shifts your attention from your own scheming and desperation to a higher power in Jesus’ name.

You access a life of prayer – a spiritual source of power – and you get a hand up and as you accept the power in the name of Jesus – your entire being receives the strength to rise up and walk away form that place where you were stuck for all to see. Form here you walk and leap and praise your true God who gives you the power to walk out your life of faith and you can’t hide the fact that a miracle has happened in your life. You will never be the same and faith in the name of Jesus has given you this soundness, this strength, this change in your spirit, soul and body forever. There’s no going back to your old position. You can now take follow Jesus wherever the spirit leads and people do not have to carry you anymore!

Beloved

harvester — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 10:00:55 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Moments that release the Beloved.

1. Jesus was called God’s Beloved after his baptism.
What needs to be buried with Christ today for you to realize that you are also His Beloved?
Mat_3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
After Baptism came affirmation even before Jesus did his first miracle. In fact, testing and temptation came next and Jesus learned to use that affirmation and confidence in God’s word to overcome the accuser.
Our Identity in Christ as sons and daughters of God is always a target of the traducer, the deceiver, the liar, Satan or the devil. Know your enemy’s tactics, because he is jealous of what was stripped from him. He is angry because he has been removed from the glorious presence of God.
Imagine you knew a place with the perfect climate, where you had all your bills paid, where everything belonged to your Father, where you had perfect peace, joy in believing and right standing. That is what we have in Christ, and that is what the devil lost. He hates it when you do well. He hates it more when he throws everything he has against you and you still believe in God, like Job. When we rejoice in our sufferings it delivers a knockout punch in the spirit.

2. The Beloved was reminded of his purpose at the transfiguration.
Mat_17:5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

The Gospel of Luke gives us a reason for this event that is astounding in its potential repercussions for us who believe:
Luk 9:28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
Luk 9:29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
Luk 9:30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
Luk 9:31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

3. The Beloved fulfilled prophecy from Isaiah when he performed miracles and reached out to the lost.
Mat_12:18 “BEHOLD! MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL IS WELL PLEASED! I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE WILL DECLARE JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
Let’s have a closer look at the prophetic purpose of Jesus Christ:
Isa 42:1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
Isa 42:2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
Isa 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
Isa 42:4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
Isa 42:5 Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:
Isa 42:6 “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,
Isa 42:7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
Isa 42:8 I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

4. The Beloved made disciples who also become Beloved.
Joh 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”

Rom 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.
The name Epaenetus means Praiseworthy or Laudable. (Abarim publications.)
An interesting discovery was made in Rome of an inscription in which was the name of Epenetus, an Ephesian.
He was one of the first Christians in the Roman province of Asia. (ISBN)

5. Beloved Disciples are willing to risk their lives for the Gospel.
Act 15:25 it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Act 15:26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6. Grace makes us accepted in the Beloved.
Eph 1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

To summarize, moments that release the Beloved in us:
1. The moment when we bury the old ways and sin
2. The moment when we focus on purpose
3. The moment when we fulfill prophecy
4. The moment when we become a disciple
5. The moment when we are willing to lay down our lives
6. The moment when we believe we are accepted in the Beloved

Continue

harvester — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 10:00:49 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser.

Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town
Sept. 2019

After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the first time in the early church, we see 3000 souls repent and become converted to the Way of Jesus Christ. Those who gladly received the word were all baptized and 3000 souls were added to the church. It is not enough to visit a church and say Amen. There needs to be a baptism into Christ and into His Body of Believers called a church. The burial of the old self is essential and precludes the addition to a church of any soul.

So what was next? The initial experience and heightened awareness state of Holy Spirit Baptism is a wonderful adrenaline rush!
What on earth could compare to that feeling of ecstasy and moments of forgetfulness in God’s presence? Should they not build tents and stay in that place of excitement and awe speaking in tongues and glorifying God?
In the months to come God would give the church opportunity to really use that prayer language to pray for Apostle Peter who was locked up in Jail and through the persecution of the church by Herod and later Saul.
But for now there was a simple formula to help the church continue on the accurate path Jesus set for them in the first place:

Act 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The combined meaning of continued steadfastly is: “to set a direction for oneself to endure courageously with devotion to the teachings and revelation set forth by the sent ones.”

1. Continue with Apostle’s Doctrine
God sends an ambassador and delegate from the kingdom of God with a message and orders to fulfill on a mission to reach a group of people or even an individual. IN a sense Jesus was the best example –

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Or to paraphrase:
“For God so loved the world he made so much, that he sent His Son to die for our sins, and so if we received Him and believed in His words, we will be saved from ourselves, from sin, sickness and Satan, from the enteral judgment awaiting the world and live eternally with Him.

The doctrine of the apostles is not merely a teaching. Doctrine is the set of keys of the kingdom unlocking the treasures of the Scriptures that reveal Jesus Christ and His plan for His Bride the Church. Peter received those keys when Jesus was revealed by God to him as being the Son of God.
Apostle Paul received those keys when God took him through tremendous suffering and appeared to him saying “MY grace is sufficient, My strength is made perfect in weakness.” That moment when Paul was caught up into the third heaven, his spirit was awakened to doctrine and revelations that he could not even release at that time.
Doctrine comes from a supernatural experience with God and it is an instant download of understanding that takes a lifetime to explore.
When Apostle Andre Pelser had an experience with Jesus concerning His church his rely was: “Then Your church is God’s genius at work”.
Remember that the faithful Bible Dictionary authors of our age are not apostles. They are generally very good scholars, but they often lack the apostolic perspective necessary to truly unlock the Bible for a believer.
It is time for a Reformational Bible and some new Bible Dictionaries. By now we have seen the outworking of the genius of God’s Church on multiple levels and in a diverse multi-cultural network of churches across 6 continents. We still need to reach Antarctica! Although one Harvester member did place his foot there once and we prayed for him throughout his journey – he was on the Augulus Ice-Breaker Ship. So we really have reached 7 continents praise God!
What just happened there was apostolic perspective. We thought about what we perceived to be the reality, but the Holy Spirit reminded us that wherever we place our foot, He has given it to us. Even if a member of a church reaches out and steps on a patch of earth, we can now clam it for Jesus! It is not about the individual alone, but a body of believers and if one wins we all win. Christ is revealed in His Church and the corporate revelation of Christ is proportional to the individual revelation of manifestation of Christ within our hope of Glory.
Dr Gray and his peers used to say to the students of MVBC: “Find Christ in every scripture.” That is what we continue to do at MBTC!

2. Continue to Fellowship
1Co_1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

2Co_8:4 Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

Eph_3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Eph_5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Php_3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

1Jn_1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1Jn_1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Apostle Andre writes that “fellowship are two fellows in a ship going in the same direction.”
That lines up with the definition of continuing steadfastly from earlier on in this message:
“to set a direction for oneself to endure courageously with devotion to the teachings and revelation set forth by the sent ones.”

3. Continually Break Bread
After Jesus’ resurrection he broke bread with some believers on the road to Emmaus:
Luk 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
Luk 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Luk 24:32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

1Co_10:17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

4. Continue in all forms of Prayers

Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
-Different kinds of prayer
-Tongues and Interpretation
-Spiritual Warfare
-Faith
-Commitment
-Consecration
-Intercession
-Thanksgiving
-Governmental prayer

From MBTC Subject Manual Prayer 1.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

harvester — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 10:30:54 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
The Holy Spirit promised on the old and the young:
Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”

Christ the giver
Matt 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Receive the gift when you ask
Luke 11:13
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Only to those who believe
John 7:39
“(But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

New Testament examples
Promised by Jesus
Mark 16:17
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;”

In Jerusalem – the Jews
Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Paul – Apostle
Acts 9:17
“And Annanias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.””

Samaria – The Samaritans
Acts 8:17
“Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Cornelius – The Gentiles
Acts 10:44
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.”

Ephesus – Disciples of John the Baptist
Acts 19:6
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

Many people ask why tongues are only recorded in Acts. The reason is that Acts is the only book in the New Testament, which has a historical purpose. The other letters are like sermons; Acts is a day-to-day account on what happened in the church. Although Paul writes on this subject in Corinthians, this is the only place where it is recorded that people actually talked in tongues.
10 reasons why you need to talk in tongues
1. It’s a sign that you actually are filled with the Holy Spirit. Falling down, crying or shaking would not be such an effective proof. Acts 10:44-46 Peter explained by pointing at the fact that they (Gentiles) spoke in tongues was enough proof that they also had received the same gift they did. Although there must be more signs or fruit in your life like power and fruit of the Spirit, this is the ultimate sign.
2. It will help us to praise God:
1 Cor 14:15-17
“What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.”

“For if I am praying in a tongue, my spirit [the human spirit as moved by the Holy Spirit] is praying, but my intellect confers no benefits upon others. Wuest’s Greek New Testament.

Acts 10:46
“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “

3. It will help us to be ever conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. Spirit praying to spirit. The devil not knowing what you speak.
4. It will help us when we don’t know what to pray:
Rom 8:26-27
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
5. It will help us to pray in the will of God more effectively (Rom 8:27).
6. It will help us to pray things we might have forgotten with our rational mind (Rom 8:26).
7. It will teach us to trust more in God:
Jude 1:20
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, “
8. It will help us to stand firm against wrong thoughts or influences:
1 Cor 14:28
“But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.”
9. An inward charger:
1 Cor 14:4
“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.”
10. You are totally under His control giving Him the steering wheel of your life (James 3)
To speak – to speak, tongue – glossa. Speaking as the Holy Spirit gives the utterance.

There is a difference between tongues as the gift of the Spirit functioning in the church service (drawing everyone’s attention on him), and the gift that every believer has, (a private communication with God through your spirit to His Spirit).
How you can be filled with the Holy Spirit, or minister to someone to receive the gift

1. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a free gift
Acts 19:2
“he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.””

The issue is this, that the gift has already being given it’s your duty to go and receive it. You have already received the gift, you now have to unwrap it, open the box and make it yours.
2. The only prerequisite is
Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Salvation. God can’t go where sin is still in government, so it’s important that you will ask God to forgive you and for you to forgive everyone. Get all the stumbling blocks out of the way.
I Jn 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Don’t let the devil condemn you about personal sin in your life. Give it to Him, ask forgiveness and He will redeem you.

Why we do lay hands on you?
Acts 19:6
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

You need not to be afraid
Fear is not of God.
Luke 11:11-13
“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Many people are afraid of “horror stories” of past Pentecostal churches – people that screamed and shook to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But they didn’t understand the bible correctly. Jesus is the one that baptises us with the Holy Spirit and fire. It’s not our duty to perform. We just believe the Word and act in faith upon it. No shaking of the house, roofs falling in, fire and smoke! Just God’s presence, His tender love. God will never intimidate or force Himself on you or humiliate you. When you ask Him, He will give you the Holy Spirit. He actually already has. You just need to receive it.
The goal is to open your life so God can step in and take control of it. Go and receive your gift. Enter the throne room of God. You don’t need to do anything. Enjoy His love and presence sitting on His lap.
What you need to do
Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

That is the key: Speaking, using your vocal cords and tongues as the Holy Spirit lays on your heart. It takes faith to trust in those words and speak them, because it seems foolish.
Acts 10:46
“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,”

Acts 19:6
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

1 Cor 14:2
“For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”

Water shall come forth from within
John 7:37-39
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

You receive the Holy Spirit when you are born again. Salvation can’t happen without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit actually came and revived your spirit – born again. So that is why this verse speaks of the Holy Spirit coming forth as a mighty stream from the inside. It’s time for God not only to come into your house, but also to take control of it.
As you enter into His presence, enjoy it and go deeper. Concentrate on Him and not on what is happening around you. Focus your every sense and thought on Him. When you hear words in your thoughts, it’s the Holy Spirit giving you a divine dialect you need not understand. Your mind, not able to perceive the meaning, will try to reject it, but it’s right at that moment that you need to put your faith in action and verbalize your thoughts.
The new language is just that: a new heavenly dialect – a language that my heart uses to communicate with God, where my mind will not be partaking. Now just as I change with ease from talking Afrikaans to talking English, with the same ease I change to my heavenly language. It’s a divine ability when I’m born again. Like shifting the gears of a car, I change gears into the new language.
To give proper perspective, you need to understand that talking in tongues is not the goal. So if you don’t speak in a tongue, you can relax as long as you had a good time with God, being in His throne room. Sometimes people have some mental blackout to understand the function and mechanics of the Holy Spirit. All you need to do is to meditate on the scriptures above till your mind and heart are at ease to receive your gift. You can receive Him without someone praying for you.
This tongue is like a new language. You have to use it to become fluent in it. When you have received only a few words, use them and others will follow. Some people wait and don’t use their language because they first want to feel something. That is wrong because the Holy Spirit is already in you.
It is most interesting that tongues is accompanied with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. James 3 says that your tongue is like the rudder of a ship, like a bridle in a horse’s mouth. Isn’t it logical that the moment God takes control, He takes the steering wheel of my life (my tongue) and uses it in public so all can see that He is now in of my life?
Focus and concentrate on Him
The last and final step. Forget about what’s going on around you. It’s your personal time with God. Go through the steps. Remember the gift is free. It’s already yours. Get all the stumbling blocks away. Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to confess and repent. Remember to forgive anyone that you may have something against, because that will cause some difficulty later. Then focus on Him, go into the throne room, let Him hug and love you, open your present, shift gears and begin to speak the words the Holy Spirit already has released in your thoughts. Don’t lose concentration. Try to stay there as long as possible. It’s all about God. Experience His love and mercies!

God’s Ways Are Higher

harvester — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 10:00:36 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

Photo by Luiz Gonzaga

Making Disciples

harvester — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 06:30:03 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

Photo by Hudson Hintze.

The Office of a Prophet

harvester — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 18:30:38 +0000

By Prophet Nola Pelser

Photo by NOAA

Apostolic Perspectives on Outreach

harvester — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 10:00:07 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

Act 17:15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Paul in Athens
Act 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
Act 17:17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.
Act 17:18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
Act 17:19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?
Act 17:20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”
Act 17:21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

Apostolic Perspectives on Outreach to win souls:
1. While Paul waited. Make the best of your time on earth to be a witness, in season and out of season being ready to give people an answer of hope.
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

2. His spirit was provoked
G3947 paroxunō
Thayer Definition:
1) to make sharp, sharpen
1a) to stimulate, spur on, urge
1b) to irritate, provoke, arouse to anger
1b1) to scorn, despise
1b2) provoke, make angry
1b3) to exasperate, to burn with anger

3. Notice the spiritual climate: The City was given over to idols
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

4. Be prepared to argue your point: “Therefore he reasoned” G1256 dialegomai
Thayer Definition:
1) to think different things with one’s self, mingle thought with thought
1a) to ponder, revolve in mind
2) to converse, discourse with one, argue, discuss
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: middle voice from G1223 and G3004
G1223 dia
A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act;
G3004 legō
A primary verb; properly to “lay” forth, that is, (figuratively) relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse;
Reasoning with people is your channel through which to
communicate your set system of beliefs.
This is where Apostolic Doctrine in outreach becomes essential. That is why every Believer should be engaged in a systematic and through foundational Bible Study with new covenant realities and apostolic perspective. When we say apostolic perspective, we do not mean personalize perspectives by men. Apostolic perspective according to the New Testament is always pointing to Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church, the Lord and Saviour and who died on the cross and rose again enforcing the promises of the Old Testament and enforcing the Inheritance of the New Testament.
Apostolic Perspective sees Christ n every scripture enthused by the Holy Spirit who empowers to become as witness of the living Christ in every generation.

5. He preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

6. Spark People’s Curiosity of some new thing.
The rival Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers – to hear some new thing
Epicurean – “The Epicureans taught that the world came by choice. The gods did not trouble themselves about men. So they need not trouble about gods. Happiness was the chief object in life; therefore, they sought about happiness. In short its credo in today’s vernacular was, “Live it up. Drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.”

Stoic –“essentially pantheistic, marked by a high sense of duty, but at the time also by spiritual pride.” Lindsay – Acts in Action Volume 1, page 99.
Stoicism was the best that paganism had to offer. It told men to listen to the voice of conscience, to seek virtue. Perhaps there was a supreme being somewhere. But if so, He was unknown and unknowable. Therefore they had to take life as it came.” Ibid. Page 100

Act 17:19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus,
Areopagus
Areopagus – a hill to the to the west of the Athenian acropolis where met the highest governmental council of ancient Athens and later a judicial court
Athens, Athinai, capital of Greece, Greek capital – the capital and largest city of Greece; named after Athena (its patron goddess); “in the 5th century BC ancient Athens was the world’s most powerful and civilized city”
Areopagus – the highest governmental assembly in ancient Athens (later a judicial court)
assembly – a group of persons who are gathered together for a common purpose
Areopagite – a member of the council of the Areopagus

Mars Hill, or the Areopagus, was where 400 years before, the council met and charged Socrates with slandering the gods and for that he was given the hemlock poison. Paul was under a similar charge, but he would not have to drink the poison. The Athenians no longer took the religio of their gods and goddesses seriously. They were mildly interested in what Paul had to say. As for Paul, he was hopeful that he might somehow reach these great men.
Apostle Paul saw an opportunity to bring his argument before the highest philosophical court in his world.

“Athens: Paul’s spirit was provoked when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Philosophers who heard him reasoning in the Jewish synagogue and the marketplace, took him to the court of the Areopagus which met to consider new religions. His mention of the resurrection divides his audience: some laugh and some believe. Some men joined him and believed.” Dr Roy M. Gray, Book of Acts, available from MBTC.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus
May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?
7. Scanning his surroundings of gods and idols, he found the inscription to the “unknown god”.

Act 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
Act 17:23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
Act 17:24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Act 17:25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
Act 17:26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their reappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
Act 17:27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
Act 17:28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Act 17:29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.
Act 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
Act 17:31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Act 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”
Act 17:33 So Paul departed from among them.
Act 17:34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Gordon Linsday writes: “The Greek gods had failed them and they welcomed the message of a living Saviour.”
Apostle Paul understood the times he was living in and the political religious shifts of power that came with the Roman Empire.
THE Holy Spirit makes us bold to witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ in any environment in any age.
At that time the Aeropagus was a place of debate and Paul took a gap to make his point.

He started to speak about the ‘Unknown god” the one god that they did not fully understand.
Act 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

8. He leverages their desire for the divine and nostalgia of the gods to point them to the true God, the maker of heaven and earth.
9. Apostle Paul had found the vacuum in their faith and filled it. But they still had to concede and only the Dionysius, the Areopagite – a member of the council of the court, heard and turned to God with Damaris, a woman and others with them.
10. Don’t worry if you only get one of your friends saved. Heaven rejoices when one sinner comes to repentance, when a new soul is born again!
How heaven and earth rejoiced when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Every time a seed of faith that is preached is received in a heart and it births a believer, it is the same joy released as at the beginning of creation when the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy!
Be encouraged to faithfully present your argument and standpoint of faith, using whatever vacuum exists in your personal aeropaus court of public opinion. Allow the Holy Spirit to provoke you to speak, and get disgusted with the idolatry and false gods a lies that keep people bound and debased. Some will laugh and some will hear you, but today in Greece, there is a commemorative plaque set in stone that millions of people read every year – Apostle Paul preached about the Unknown God here on this stone, on Mars Hill, the Areopagus!

Photo by Pablo Orcaray

How God Gives Us the Word

harvester — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 03:26:48 +0000

Everything Works Together

harvester — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 10:00:12 +0000

The Way to Go

harvester — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 10:00:45 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Benefits of God’s Way to Go for our lives.
Anchor Scripture:
Isa 48:17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.
Isa 48:18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isa 48:19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.”
Isa 48:20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”
Isa 48:21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.

1. I Am revealed as your Lord and God and Redeemer. That Redeemer refers to the Oriental law of kinship according to Strong’s Concordance:

‘Redeemer’ – H1350 gâ’al pronounced gaw-al’
a. to redeem according to the Oriental law of kinship,
b. that is, to be the next of kin and as such to buy back a relative’s property, marry his widow
c. Think of Boaz and Ruth – when her husband died Boaz redeemed the right to marry her as the next of kin to prolonging the family name. Boaz and Ruth had Obed, Obed has Jesse and Jesse birthed David. Later Jesus came from that line. Ruth was form Moab and became part of Christ the Redeemer’s lineage.
d. A Redeemer is also an avenger, deliverer,
e. One who purchases, ransoms, redeems another
f. Our Redeemer is our revenger. ‘Vengeance is Mine!’ Says the Lord!

2. He teaches us to profit.
a. To Profit H3276 ‘ya‛al’ Pronounced ‘yaw-al’
i. properly to ascend;
ii. figuratively to be valuable (objective useful, subjective benefited):
iii. set forward,
iv. can do good,
v. be profitable
vi. to have profit

3. He leads us by the Way we should go.
a. Jesus is the Way the truth and the Life. He does not tempt us above what we are able to bear but always makes a way of escape. His Way is the highway of holiness.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

When we heed His Commandments he acts on our behalf like He did for Israel:
4. He gives us Peace like a river.

5. He makes our Righteousness like the waves of the sea by faith in Jesus’ name.

6. The Lord makes our descendants like the sand. We enter Abraham’s Promises for believing in God.

7. Your name will endure. Our name will not be cut off or destroyed – like the Kinsman Redeemer ensures.

8. We leave the oppression of Babylon – worldly captivity to sin and false gods, self-induced exile as a result of sinful lifestyles. We rejoice with singing as we leave the world that seeks to squeeze us into its mould of thinking and behaviour.

9. We will survive and be taken care of through any desert.

10. God will let water flow from the Rock for us in our journey to our promised land. Jesus is that Rock that followed them through the wilderness.

1 Corinthians 10:4 “… and (they) all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

Photo by Lili Popper

Lego Blocks of Apostolic Ministry

harvester — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 18:30:26 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser.

Hearing From God

harvester — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 10:00:02 +0000

Prophetic People

harvester — Sun, 28 Jul 2019 18:30:52 +0000

Restoring the Church

harvester — Sun, 28 Jul 2019 10:00:26 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Base Scripture
Isa 44:24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
Isa 44:25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness;
Isa 44:26 Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ And I will raise up her waste places;
Isa 44:27 Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’;
Isa 44:28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ‘

6 Restorations that build and restore the church.

1. ‘I AM’ is revealed
When God speaks about our being formed in the womb – it speaks of the initiative that He had to bring our church and ministry into existence. His word was the seed that impregnated a generation to birth a new kind of church that is built on Jesus Christ the Chief cornerstone with the foundational doctrine of apostles and prophets according to Ephesians 2:20.
Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
God makes all things – Jesus is the One building His church and when this happens, the gates of hell will not prevail.
God showed me we are slaying 5 giants – I preached about this. The key to slaying all the giants in the land is discipleship – David slayed Goliath, his brothers and disciples – his mighty men carried on with the mission and finished it till God raised up Israel as the dominant force in the region. I see this for this church and I see God raising up such mighty men and women of the faith that function with anointing and grace through faith and the giants are being delivered into our hands by the Lord!
I am loving the process and I am no longer worried about the giants, because God has raised up my brothers and sisters and dimples to fight with us until the battle it won. What are the giants? Anything that lifts itself up against Christ in you. Bring it down like David and conquer and then pursue till there is no trace left of your spiritual enemy.
The amazing thing about God stretching out the heavens is that in astro-physics scientists still have not figured out how space is expanding at such a rate without another force in between, They are still figuring out dark matter and do not know what it is, so God in his wisdom helps us to exist in this expanding cosmos and keeps it together with forces beyond our comprehension.

2. Enemies are frustrated
When God raises you and your friends up, the enemy is frustrated!
Isa 44:25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness;

‘Diviners’ are those who do not speak form the counsel and oracles of God, but from their own opinion and further from a spirit of divination. That spirit works with fear and condemnation versus faith and it brings about calamity for those who practice it. If you need to repent of trusting in fortune telling spirits, do so quickly and God will set you free. He will give you the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, who will comfort you and lead and guide you into all truth.
In the book of Acts Apostle Paul dealt with a spirit of divination and we acted it out in our Prisoners Musical. That slave girl had to tell fortunes for her masters, but they took the money. Divination spirits abuse their hosts. When Paul drove out the demon, she was free but the masters were angry.
Often when you touch the supernatural there is a backlash, but you can be prepared for it by faith and God can work it out for you good. Apostle Paul and Prophet Silas were beaten and stripped and thrown into the inner most prison, even though they performed a good deed of setting the girl free from and evil spirit. They started to sing hymns at night in the prison and the prisoners listened. When you are going through hell on earth, start to sing – get your song in the night form God and sing it out loud so other prisoners can hear you! People will enjoy your song as you go through your crisis and see your God act on your behalf. People will put their hands over their mouths and repent for doubting Christ in you, your hope of glory. God heard their song and received their faith and turned it into an earthquake that shook their shackles off and set them free. When the jailor tried to take his own life Apostle Paul told him to do himself no harm for they were all still there. But Paul and Silas led him to the Lord and the whole family was saved and baptized.

Then the authorities realized they had unfairly jailed them and tried to let them go in secret.
“Act 16:37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

3. God confirms His Servants
God will confirm His Word in your life with signs and wonders and this will restore the power of your church in the spiritual territory you occupy. When Apostle Paul and Silas were vindicated the whole town knew what had happened and God established a church in Philippi that helped Paul with missions for the rest of his life.
Col 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Php 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
Php 1:4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,

Php 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

Php 4:15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.
Php 4:16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
Php 4:17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.
Php 4:18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
Php 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

4. God dries up the ocean before you
When Israel had to cross the Red Sea, God opened it with a breath of His nostrils! That vast ocean before you that you think is impenetrable, uncrossable, just wait…

Exo 15:8 And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
Exo 15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.’
Exo 15:10 You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Exo 15:11 “Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

5. God raises up the Cyrus Anointing
Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure,
“The astounding fact of Isaiah’s prophecy is the naming of Cyrus about a hundred years before Cyrus was born. Isaiah worked during the reigns of Uzziah, also known as Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, all kings of Judah. So he prophesied during a period probably spanning from circa 740 to circa 680. Cyrus ruled from 559-530 BC. ( From MBTC Major Prophets 1 Subject Manual.)
Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10 fulfilled in Daniel 9:2,11; Ezra 1:1
“Here in Jer. 25 the punishment of Babylon is foretold by Divine inspiration and in Jer. 29 God promises that the people will return to their land; also fulfilled in Ezra. Daniel understood by the books of prophecy that the seventy years were nearing completion and set his face towards God in repentance to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. Someone needed to earth this seventy-year-old prophetic frequency. God had to shift the superpowers of the time to fulfil His Word, and He did. Cyrus ruled Babylon, and later Darius, in whose first year Daniel stumbled upon the prophecy.”

6. Rebuilding and foundations Decreed
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ And I will raise up her waste places;
We shall be built! God will raise up our waste places. What areas in your life have been laid waste? Allow the Lord to restore that today in Jesus name.
What oceans do you face ahead? Let God blast it with a breath of His nostrils!
What enemies are pursuing you? Let God blow with his wind and let the sea cover them now.
What anointing do you have to build God’s kingdom? Make sure you rise up in your spirit like Cyrus and start fulfilling your prophecies instead of waiting for things to happen one day in the sweet by and by – or ‘now-now’ like South Africans like to say.
With God it is not ‘now-now’ but faith is now!

The Church at Antioch

harvester — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 17:22:23 +0000

How to Act on the Promises of God

harvester — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 18:30:39 +0000

Making a Nation Out of a Motley Crew

harvester — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 10:00:12 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

Photo by John Towner.

Hearing the Voice of the Good Shepherd

harvester — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 18:30:00 +0000

By Pastor Billy Strauss.

Photo by Jaka Škrlep

Jesus Christ, a Worthy Savior

harvester — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 10:00:30 +0000

By Apostle Leigh Collins.

Being One With the King

harvester — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 10:00:20 +0000

The testimony of Retha McPherson.

Photo by Jan Laskowski

Principles of Reformation

harvester — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 18:30:11 +0000

By Apostle Leigh Collins.

Photo by Félix Lam

God the Great Composer

harvester — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 10:00:13 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser.

There have been some wonderful testimonies over the last few weeks in our Church. We give God all the glory! Brother Leslie Barberry testified how he led a Muslim lady to the Lord. She had an issue of blood for many years and came to him to ask for prayer. Within 3 days the issue of blood stopped – just like it happened in the Bible! The Doctors confirmed the healing and the woman is now a child of God. We had testimonies of more healing, protection, provision for jobs. God is good!

Components of God’s Great Composition

When God created the universe and the sun and the moon and the galaxies the morning stars sang together. (Job 38:7) The Hebrew word for ‘compose’ is ‘shoor’ and it means, to go about, stroll around, singing like a minstrel or troubadour. The Greek word for ‘compose’ is ‘soong-kerannomee’ meaning to co-mingle, mix with or combine.

When they tempered their flour cakes with oil in the Old Testament, they anointed it with oil. (Exodus 29:2) The word ‘temper’ is ‘bahal’ and it speaks of mingling oneself with or fade into something, giving until it overflows. Another way of putting it is to say you ‘season it with salt.’ To temper together, in Hebrew, is, ‘mawlahk’, and it depicts rubbing together till it disappears like dust. (Exodus 30:35)

God’s great composition began when He created the universe and the earth and all that dwells in it, but the climax was when He created man from the dust of the earth. Dust is shapeless, so He picked the early morning when the dew came up out of the ground and wet the earth. The dust became clay. You can shape something with clay. Adam means ‘red dust’.

As the earth was void and without form, so man was dust without form. God formed the earth with a Word from His mouth, but He made man with His own hands. He looked at the whole of creation and saw that it was good, but there was nothing that could relate to Him. So, God made man in His own image in order to commune with him. He made man to sing His redemption song along with the morning stars that sang together.

But man chose to sing another song. He decided to sing a song of sin and decay, of lust and corruption, of violence and destruction. He willfully chose to sing the song of the devil.

Lucifer was in charge of music in heaven. Music was found in Him. He was Mr. Music in charge of praise and worship around the throne. Then pride entered his heart and he said: ‘I will put my throne above God’s throne!’ He wanted the angels to worship him instead. But God cast him and all the angels that followed him out of heaven forever and cast them down to earth. Their eternal destiny is hell and torment. The devil hi-jacked music and is still doing so today, getting people to sing his songs instead of worshipping God. (Ezekiel 28:14-19; Isaiah 14: 12 – 15) Lucifer was once called the son of the morning, or day star, but now he has been brought low and is called the devil.

When man chose to sing the song of the devil, God’s song became quiet. God’s great composition was no longer being sung. The song was no longer heard. It seemed that the great Composer was at a loss: the words no longer rhymed, the composition no longer came together, the chord sequences did not fit, every instrument played in a different key and the rhythm was disjointed. It was no longer a beautiful symphony, but a cacophony of sounds and tingling cymbals.

It became quiet in the universe. Then, when no one expected it, someone stepped forward and announced: ‘I will go and restore your song, Father!’ It was God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly gave Himself to restore His Father’s composition. He took our sinful natures upon Himself so that we might partake of his divine nature. He put the finishing touches on God’s composition on the cross of Calvary. In His darkest moment He cried: ‘It is finished!’ He announced that the Great Composer’s composition was finally completed! He said, ‘Father, your song is finished. You can sing your song now! And the whole of creation can join in!’

Suddenly there was a mighty sound in heaven and earth! It was the sound of a song of salvation and strength! It was the Great Composition of the redemption of man and the universe! Satan was overthrown and the blood of Jesus paid the price for the sin of mankind!

Jesus became the bright and morning star. We became the new morning stars through faith in Him.

Daniel tells us that those who lead many to righteousness shall shine like stars in the firmament. (Daniel 12: 2, 3) We who have received the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ Jesus, and lead others to righteousness become the new morning stars! When we worship God and praise Him, we join in, mix with, mingle with the morning stars of creation and with Jesus the bright and morning star to sing God’s praises and bring honor to His wonderful Name! We rub together until we fade away in Christ, until we can truly say, it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me!

Can you see God singing and dancing as He created the universe and the earth and all that dwells in it? Can you see God singing over His creation of man? God says he sings about you! (Jeremiah 32:41) The prophet Zephaniah, (his name means, ‘hidden of God’) who was a friend of Jeremiah during Zedekiah’s reign, prophesied: ‘He will rejoice over you with gladness!’ Some Bible translations say, He will rejoice over you with singing! God sings about you because He created you and redeemed you; you are twice His! It is not much to ask of us that we would also sing about Him in Church and make melody in our hearts to the Lord when we are alone! (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16)

When we praise and worship God together in Church we mingle with the angelic choir in the Church of the Firstborn in heaven, we mix with the morning stars in creation singing together and we join in with Jesus Christ, the bright and morning stars as well as with the Father who rejoices over us with singing!

It is like one great symphony! It is God’s great composition. God is the great composer of this song of redemption!

Dr. Gray used to sing at Miracle Valley, Arizona:

Wonderful, wonderful Jesus, in my heart He has planted a song:
A song of deliverance and courage and strength,
In my heart He has planted a song!

Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Schubert, Mozart, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and all the great composers were released in the earth to reproduce the compositions they heard in their hearts. Beethoven said, there is music at the center of the universe that has never been heard. He said he heard the universe singing and then wrote great compositions.

A symphony orchestra has about 100 musicians and every instrument is tuned in a different key, but they make one sound that is harmonious and perfect. The composer has to understand all those instruments and write every single note for every musician. It takes a brain of a genius to do that! If I play piano in the key of ‘G’ then Greg our blues harpist plays his C harmonica. A saxophone is tuned to the key of E flat and a trumpet in B flat!

A conductor of a symphony orchestra has to know the entire score off by heart because he has to indicate with his baton to each musician a beat before they have to play. It takes a genius to conduct an orchestra!

Now God is The Great Composer. Let us read I Corinthians 12: 23 – 27 together! It tells us how God composed the body of Christ and how we make up that composition as members of that body. We harmonize together under the baton of God!

Elihu the young man that was full of the Spirit of the living God told Job about his God that gives songs in the night! (Job 35:10) Paul & Silas sang hymns at midnight in prison and creation responded! An earthquake broke off all the prison chains to set the captives free! (Acts 16:25) When we sing with the Great Composer the earth responds! We set prisoners free! In your darkest hour God gives you a song in your heart to sing. We make melody in our hearts to our God. We sing a new song to our God!

He is the great Composer. We combine together with Him, mix with Him, mingle with Him, we rub shoulders with angels as we worship, and we sing together with the morning stars as we worship God our creator and composer of the song of redemption.

Wonderful, wonderful Jesus! In my heart He has planted a song. A song of deliverance, of courage and strength, in my heart He has planted a song!

Photo by Isaac Ibbott

Seed Faith

harvester — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 18:30:43 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser
References to seed faith in the whole Bible to stimulate your faith

A bit of family history: Oral Roberts discovered this principle in the Bible and used it to encourage people to sow into his ministry. He built a world-wide evangelistic network, started ORU, Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and built a hospital where they did research to provide healing medicine while patients were being prayed for all the time.

My granny, Ouma Daisy Pelser, was healed from breast cancer after he prayed over her at the Wembley Stadium in Johannesburg. The cancer literally fell out and the festering wound healed up within 3 days. I saw it as a little child. Her testimony was on the front page of ‘Die Dagbreek’, the Afrikaans Sunday newspaper, in 1953.

I met Oral Roberts & his wife, Evelyn, and Richard Roberts who invited me to attend a recording of one of their TV programs in their studio. Billy Joe Dougherty became the Pastor of Victory Campus Church. I attended his Church Growth conference. I performed the John G Lake story in ORU auditorium to over 500 students and they gave me a standing ovation at the end.

As a family, we sent monthly financial seed faith to Oral Roberts for most of our lives until he passed away and received his monthly magazine. I donated my book ‘God’s Genius’ to ORU library and my video film, ‘Miracle Man’, is also in the video section of the library. I’ve met people who read my book and saw my video in the library.

Oral Roberts ministered to more than 3 million people around the globe in his life time. Kenneth Copeland was his private pilot that flew him from place to place and carried his jacket & coat until he started his own ministry.

Oral had a little reminder on his desk in his office reading, ‘make no small plans here’. He constantly asked people to sow seeds of financial support into his ministry and to expect a harvest from God based on the seed faith principle. He prayed over every seed faith envelope and replied to every letter! He had offices in many nations where they would do the same. He wrote one letter to all, every month, that simply had a change of name and address at the top. I knew his representative in Johannesburg well. He showed me their operation.

His HQ and ORU were situated on a dry river bed at 777 Lewis Drive, Tulsa. He went to pray there and had a vision of a university in that place. When he was asked how he raised multiple millions for his work over the years he replied: ‘I am always a desperate man!’

Oral was a Navajo Indian. I went to the Navajo Indian village, Djalagee, where they display the life style of the Navaho’s to tourists. I bought a Navajo Indian ring when I lost my golden ring on a tour. I still wear it today. There is a Navajo Indian Shop in Tulsa where I bought my ring.

Old Testament
Give God your best; then ask Him for your best.
Leviticus 1:3
Planting and reaping is God’s unchanging law.
Genesis 8:22
God rewards the giver
Ruth 1:16
The greater the sacrifice the greater the blessing
II Samuel 24:24
God’s supply will always equal your need
I Chronicles 29:11, 12
God is El Shaddai – the All Sufficient One – more than you need
II Chronicles 25:9 (Amaziah gave $2 184 000)
Something good is going to happen to you
Ezra 8:22
God wants you to prosper
Nehemiah 2:20
With God you can make things happen
Esther 4:16
You can overcome doubt
Job 13:15
God’s Word works
Psalm 23:12
An opportunity to give is an opportunity to receive
Proverbs 11:25
God gives good returns
Ecclesiastes 11:1
God multiplies seed sown
Ecclesiastes 11:6
Roses will bloom again in your life
Isaiah 35:1
All things are possible
Jeremiah 33:3
Jesus sat where you sat
Ezekiel 3:15
The rhythm of seed faith and harvest
Daniel 6:16
Expect a miracle every day
Hosea 6:11
Be free from fear of failure
Joel 2:21
Discover God’s riches
Joel 2:26
Learn who your source is
Amos 6:1
Learn the secret of getting your needs met
Obadiah 1:15 (As you’ve done for others it will be done for you)
You are God’s masterpiece
Jonah 4:10
Give your past pains to God
Micah 7:19
Soil tending makes you rich
Haggai 1:5
God gives abundantly
Zachariah 4:6
Give not as a debt you owe, but as a seed you sow
Malachi 3:10,11

New Testament
The Golden Rule is to release your faith when you give
Matthew 7:7-12
Your faith in God is the key to everything in life
Matthew 8:13
Faith is the secret to move mountains
Matthew 17:20
Jesus gives understanding about giving
Matthew 25:35-40
God’s record rate of return is amazing
Mark 4:20
Use a point of contact to release your faith
Mark 5:21-23 up to 42
Expectation starts things happening
Mark 11:24
Give out of your need as a seed
Mark 12:43
A miracle is about to happen to you
Mark 16:17
Every need you have is spiritually based
Luke 12:31
God’s Law of Success
John 2:1-11
Focus your giving towards a desired result
John 3:16
God is concerned about your daily bread
John 6:1-13
Don’t blame God for your problems
John 10:10
How to live victoriously in this life
John 12:24
There is a gift greater than money
Acts 3:1-8
It’s more productive to give than receive
Acts 20:35
Trust God as your source
Romans 1:7
The seed of equal benefit
Romans 8:28
You are God’s property
I Corinthians 15:57
The way you give is as important as what you give
II Corinthians 9:7
God will supply your need if you plant your seed
II Corinthians 9:10
God has a ‘due season’ for every seed
II Corinthians 6:7-9
Give your failures to God
Ephesians 3:16
God is not stingy
Ephesians 3:20
God put receiving in your giving
Philippians 4:15
A Harvest of blessing
Philippians 4:17
God is your supply line that will never run dry
Philippians 4:19
Your giving grows as your faith grows
Colossians 2:7
You will lack nothing
I Timothy 4:12
You can trust God all the time
II Thessalonians 3:3
God will redeem things for you
Titus 2:13, 14
Christ paid your debt for you
Philemon 18, 19
Christ sympathizes with you
Hebrews 4:15
God is a rewarder of those who seek Him
Hebrews 11:6
You will lack nothing if you are patient
James 1:4
You have an incorruptible inheritance in Christ
I Peter 1:4
God has given you all things that pertain to life
II Peter 1:3
The anointing will teach you concerning all things
I John 2:27
You will receive a full reward for your work
II John 8
God desires that you prosper and be in health
III John 2
God is able to keep you and present you faultless
Jude 22
God will give you power over nations
Revelation 2:26
God will open doors for you
Revelation 3:8
God gives you power, riches and wisdom in Christ
Revelation 5:12
You will reign forever with Christ
Revelation 11:15
Christ’s will bring your reward with Him
Revelation 22:12

Photo by Casey Horner

Revelations to Access the Supernatural Life

harvester — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 11:00:37 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser

How to pray for Baptism of the Holy Spirit
1. They were seated waiting expectantly on the promise of the Father. Acts 2:2
2. In Jesus name – He is the baptizer of the Holy Spirit. Luke 24:49
3. The Apostles Laid hands on people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17
4. AS they spoke people were sometimes filled as with Peter in Acts 10.
5. People began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4
6. Explain to people that their mind is unfruitful – it is not an intellectual exercise. Be childlike. Like 18:17
7. Open your mouth and begin to pray in a spiritual language. It is not supposed to be a world language every time. That is the gift of tongues and interpretation, the prayer language of tongues is to build you up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. (I like to say Spirit.) 1 Corinthians 12:10; Jude 20
8. Tell them to relax once you’ve laid hands on them in Jesus’ name, preferably after they have been baptized in water, and when they breathe out, tell them to speak by faith deep calling unto deep, spirit unto spirit in groaning’s and sounds that can’t be understood. Romans 8:26

Photo by Casey Horner

Kings & Judges

harvester — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 10:00:13 +0000

By Prophet Nola Pelser

Photo by Wesley Tingey

David’s Portals to Victory

harvester — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 03:47:06 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Men’s Praise and Worship Evening

Rev 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “HE WHO HAS THE KEY OF DAVID, HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE SHUTS, AND SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS”:
Rev 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
Rev 3:9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
Rev 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Rev 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
Rev 3:13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ‘

1. David was after God’s heart:
Act 13:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.’
Act 13:23 From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—
Jesus was also known as the Son of David.

2. The Tabernacle of David is a portal for nations to enter the kingdom of God through accurate praise and worship of Jesus Christ:
Act 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
Act 15:15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
Act 15:16 ‘AFTER THIS I WILL RETURN AND WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, WHICH HAS FALLEN DOWN; I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL SET IT UP;
Act 15:17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, EVEN ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, SAYS THE LORD WHO DOES ALL THESE THINGS.’

3. David’s Heart understood that God’s gentleness is what made him great.
2Sa_22:36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.
Psa_18:35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.
2Co_10:1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.
Gal_5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Gal_6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Eph_4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
Php_4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
1Ti_6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

4. David humbled himself before God and danced with all his might before the Lord.
2Sa 6:12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.
2Sa 6:13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep.
2Sa 6:14 Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
2Sa 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
2Sa 6:16 Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
2Sa 6:17 So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
2Sa 6:18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
2Sa 6:19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.
2Sa 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
2Sa 6:21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD.
2Sa 6:22 And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honour.”
2Sa 6:23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

He understood that God’s presence would bless his house because he had seen Obed–Edom’s household blessed when the Ark of the Covenant was there. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was synonymous with the presence of God. When Israel had the Ark on their side they were confident to go to war.

5. David learnt to encourage himself in the Lord when others deserted him, when he lost everything. God told him he would recover all at Ziklag.
1Sa 30:6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
1Sa 30:7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
1Sa 30:8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
1Sa 30:18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
1Sa 30:19 And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.
1Sa 30:20 Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
Hebrew and Greek Meanings
Before we go any further – it is necessary to look at the original Hebrew and Greek meanings of worship, praise, glory, rejoice and he specific details that were attached to songs and psalms for the director of music. The Strong’s number is listed below each word for further reference and study.

Hâlal:
1984 To shine, to laud, to boast, to rave, to celebrate, to commend, sing.

It implies the unashamed use of the voice in demonstration of what one thinks of God. To be clamorously foolish is to be joyfully excited. Used approximately 100 times in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 38:18

Yâdâh
3034 To worship with extended hands, to throw out the hands, to give thanks and worship to God, to confess.
(Yad means hand)
Gen. 29:35

Bârak:
1288 To kneel, bend the knee, to bless, by implication to bless God as an act of adoration, to declare God the origin of power for success, prosperity and fertility.

Blessing received from God. Used approximately 70 times in the Old Testament to praise God.
Judges 5:2

Tehillâh:
8416 To sing or laud.

Derived from hallal and is generally accepted to mean “the singing of hallals”. The form of praise that God inhabits is used over 50 times in the Old Testament.
Deut. 10:21

Zâmar:
2167 To pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing praise.

It has musical connotations and it means to make music accompanied by a voice, to celebrate in song and music, sing forth praise. Used almost exclusively in the Psalms and occurs approximately 40 times in the Old Testament.
Psalm 57:7

Todah:
8426 To extend the hands in sacrifice of praise, or thank offering.

It is a confession of thankful praise inferring sacrifice. Used only a few times when in connection with thanksgiving.
Neh. 12:31,38,40; 2 Chron. 29:31; 33:16

Shâbach: (Shebach) To commend, address in loud tone, to shout, triumph.

(1 Chron. 16:35) An exclamatory form of praise, glory, pacify through words, to calm anger. In a special sense and is found about 7 times in the Old Testament.
Psalm 63:3
(Note that other words for “shout” are used with the exercise of praise.

Photo by Christopher Burns

Brotherly Love

harvester — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 03:29:53 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

Peter gives a check-list for spiritual growth in his second epistle that adds up to wonderful promises. He starts off by saying add to your faith virtue and ends up with add brotherly kindness and brotherly love to your faith. Then he goes on to explain how it will help you to make your calling and election sure, it will keep you from stumbling and it will open up a way for you into the eternal kingdom of God. (II Peter 1: 5-11)

Why is the devil so adamant in spoiling relationships between brothers? Why does he attack it so severely? Because he knows the blessing it brings and wants to spoil the blessing he will never receive.

Psalm 133:1 David wrote how beautiful it is when brothers dwell together in unity, because God commands his blessing on it.

From the beginning the devil attacked brotherly relationships. Cain hated Abel because Abel’s offering was acceptable to God and his was not. He tried to burn vegetables instead of brining a lamb offering like they were instructed to do. So, he killed Abel and became the first murderer.

Esau sold his birth right for a pot of lentil soup to Jacob and then hated him for it. In the end they were reconciled though.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, the dreamer, and sold him as a slave to slave traders who sold him in Egypt. He became a leader in Egypt and managed all the affairs of Pharaoh. When there was a great drought his brothers came for help to Egypt and at first did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them and helped them with provision. They were also reconciled, and as a result Pharaoh gave them a choice piece of land where they could live. They received the blessing of brothers dwelling together in unity.

Moses and his half-brother Aaron worked together to deliver Israel from Egypt. But when Moses went up to the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, Aaron constructed a golden calf and told Israel it is their god that led them out of Egypt. When Moses came down the mountain with the command that they should not serve any other god, they were dancing around the golden calf. Moses flattened the golden calf and threw gold dust in their drinking water. It affected many of them. There was no blessing upon the disunity.

Miriam, the sister of Moses, and Aaron rebelled against Moses and thought they could do a better job of leading Israel. They did not submit to the Lord’s plan that appointed Moses as the leader. They were struck with leprosy. Moses had to intercede for their healing.

Jesus’ own brothers mocked Him and said He was mad. They mocked and said, ‘why don’t you go and show yourself at the feast?’ They meant He should perform some miracles to show how great He was. But He refused. Eventually, one of His brothers, James, became a Pastor in the first Church in Acts.

Peter denied Jesus and Judas betrayed Him. Paul was betrayed by his brothers in the Lord. The Judaizers who wanted to keep the Gospel just for the Jews, persecuted Paul and raised up men of a baser sort to persecute him in every town he went to on his missions.

Paul and Barnabas had a great fall out over Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, because Mark deserted them on one of the missionary journeys and went back home. Eventually Paul and Mark were reconciled, and Paul admitted that Mark was valuable for the ministry. Mark wrote the first Gospel. There was a blessing on their reconciliation.

God commands His blessing where brothers can dwell together in unity. When God commands, nothing can stop it!

Jesus gave clear instructions in Luke 18 that if you think a brother has something against you that you should go and sort it out with that brother. If he does not listen to you, take and elder and sort it out between the two of you.

I have found that most of the time it is merely a misunderstanding or a wrong perception. The devil uses small things to spoil the blessing of God. If you have something against anyone, sort it out. Don’t let a misunderstanding spoil the blessing.

Learn to forgive one another as God forgave us for Christ’s sake. Then we become imitators of God. (Ephesians 4:32 and 5:1)

Jesus is the Firstborn from the dead among many brothers. He is our elder brother. We are all brothers together with Him in the Household and Family of God. We have to learn to live together in peace and unity in order to obtain the promised blessing.

If you have anything against anyone, make up your mind right now to sort it out as soon as you can and receive the blessing of God on your life!

Photo by juan pablo rodriguez

Pressing On

harvester — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 10:00:24 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

Philippians 3:7-14 – But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

We find many encouragements in this passage to help us press on to the higher calling of our Lord.

Press on to the excellence of the knowledge of Christ – experiential
To be found in His righteousness (by faith)
To know Him in the power of His resurrection, to attain to it
To know the fellowship of His sufferings and be conformed to His death
Being perfected in Him – the upward call in Him

Paul was the perfect Jew: from the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the 8^th day, a leader among Pharisees, sitting at the feet of Gemalial, probably the next leader, keeping the Law (except covetousness) – and he had to learn to call all these things that were gain to him as dung in order to press on to the higher calling of the Lord. He had to deny himself to become a blessing to others.

In order to press on he had to do 3 things:

Forget what is behind
Count things that were gain to him as loss
Count them as dung – if they are still precious to you, it is difficult to leave them behind)

We are the circumcision who worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ and have no confidence in the flesh. We learn to overcome all resistance in order to know Christ. We learn to suffer for righteousness’ sake, not wrong doing.

‘For whose sake I have been caused to forfeit (put down) things that were gain to me and count them all as loss. (Paul’s Jewish culture and the opportunities awaiting him as a leader of the Pharisees)

Photo by Jared Erondu

Run the Race With Patience

harvester — Wed, 29 May 2019 02:31:13 +0000

by Apostle André Pelser

Hebrews 12:1

Introduction

Hebrews 10:36 honestly tells us we have need of patience. We were not born with patience. Babies are impatient. They cannot wait. That is why they cry! We have to learn patience.

Romans 5:3 informs us tribulation works patience and James explains that the trying of our faith works patience. Then James adds, let patience have her perfect work that you might be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:3, 4)

Paul calls God the God of patience in Romans 15:5 and prays that God makes us like-minded to also become patient like God.

Hebrews 12:1 depicts the Christian life of faith compared to an athlete in a race. We are told to run the race of faith with patience.

Guidelines to understand why patience is needed

Here are a few guidelines for practical Christian living with patience. The Christian life demands discipline and yet promises the liberty of the sons of God. It seems like a paradox at first, but it really shows perfect patience or balance. The comparison with an athlete in a race gives us certain guidelines for practical Christian living.

You need training and a coach to prepare for a race
You have to focus on the race and not worry about the competition
You have to finish the race: know the distance you are running
You run according to the rules, the lanes marked out, to reach the finishing tape
You hope to win the prize, the reward for all the hard work
Do not let the crowd upset you or disturb your concentration

I Corinthians 9:24-27 give us the following directives to run the race of faith:

Run to obtain the prize – have a definite goal in mind
Strive for mastery – don’t be average
Be temperate in all things – you have a spirit of self-control
Realize you do it for an incorruptible crown
Don’t run with uncertainty – have great assurance of faith
Keep your body in subjection so you don’t become a castaway

Challenges you may face as you run the race of faith

Injury & pain – but we have Jehovah Rapha as our Healer!
The hard work of staying fit, eating right, exercising
Rivalry – some people always think they can do better
Criticism – you face people’s opinions about what you are doing
If you don’t run according to the rules you might be disqualified
Obstacles in your way – the enemy wants to stop you
Public exposure – there is no secret discipleship

Prophetic insights to help us run successfully

Isaiah prophesied they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall rise up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Jeremiah gave us a progression of races: first learn to run with the footmen, before you run with the horses! (Jeremiah 12:5)

Habakkuk was told to write the vision down that those who read it may run with it. (Habakkuk 2:2)

Galatians 2:2 as well as Philippians 2:16 warns us not to run in vain. I Peter 4:4 coaches us to avoid extremes while we are running the race of faith with patience.

Photo by Zoltan Tasi

Traces of a Willing Heart

harvester — Tue, 28 May 2019 05:09:12 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Read Exodus 35, 36
Here we find traces of a willing heart that builds the meeting place of God’s People.

1. A willing hearts include the entire Congregation. Ex 35:4 – Moses spoke to the entire congregation about the Tabernacle of Meeting.
2. A Willing Heart is needed to build. Ex 35:5 It takes a willing heart to build and contribute to the meeting place.
3. Willing offerings had categories: precious metal; threads, skins, oil and precious stones, acacia wood, as well as artisanship.
4. Willing Hearts come when it’s time to build. Ex 35:21
5. Willing Hearts can part with material things in order to set up a place of worship.” Ex 35:23
6. Willing hearts will bring the materials required to prepare the tabernacle of meeting for the work of service.
7. Form follows function in our thinking, every part of our church has an orbit of function. There are no places that do not serve a purpose and the function of the church is consecrated to the Lord.
8. Willing hearts are stirred with wisdom. Men and Women whose hearts stir with wisdom will make their contribution in skilled artisanship to spin yarn, to bring what they have spun in blues, purple, scarlet and fine linen and it will be received to benefit the tabernacle of meeting. Ex. 35:26
9. The Lord will call men and women by name to furnish and build the tabernacle.
The Lord has already filled the right people with wisdom and understanding by His Spirit to build and prepare the Tabernacle of meeting in all manner of workmanship. The key is to unlock the riches of His glory already invested in the saints. Our eyes of understanding need to be enlightened to see our role.
For some it is in design, in other is it in provision.
10. The Rulers brought precious stones to set in the ephod – pearls of wisdom, precious stones of value that finance the work and prepare the leadership to be able to finish.
11. Willing hearts reveal artistic workmanship.
a. In Cutting jewels and carving wood and all manner of artistic workmanship – we have an artistic flair in all art disciplines as a church.
b. Our willing hearts are seen in our exuberant display of art in all forms.
c. The Holy Spirit encouraged me once: “When will you realize that your art is part of your ministry?” I ask you the same question today: “When will you realise that your artistic skill is part of your ministry in the church?” If we turn our gifts and talents to the finishing of the church together when God gives us the green light, it will be beautiful place o gathering and meeting in the presence of the Lord.
d. Our sacrifice of praise and worship along with our free will offerings will prepare such a glorious tabernacle of meeting that nations will come to experience the glory of God in our midst.
e. Knowing that we bring the glory with us into that place, but also consecrating a place of worship in a community that needs Jesus.
12. Wiling hearts align with the vision. If we align our willing hearts to do all that the Lord commanded then we will also receive the financing that is needed to finish.
13. Willing hearts bring daily offerings every morning! There came a time when the children of Israel brought Moses a freewill offering every morning.
14. A willing heart reveals the inner craftsman and a willing heart will come when the time for building arrives.
15. Willing hearts don’t stop until there is more than enough. There will be a moment when we say we have more than enough and we will have sufficient for the work to be done. This week as we were levelling the mountains of dirt and rubble before our future tabernacle of meeting, we had to remove the plastics and rubbish form amongst the dirt and bricks before the bulldozer could level the car park outer court. When the man climbed out of his bulldozer I greeted him and asked him his name. He answered: “Sufficient.”
16. God’s grace is truly sufficient for us, His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Photo by Aperture Vintage

Storms

harvester — Wed, 22 May 2019 01:31:08 +0000

by Apostle Aje Pelser

Photo by Inactive

Lessons in Mercy

harvester — Tue, 21 May 2019 04:14:58 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

When two blind men cried out to Jesus to have mercy on them, they teach us a few lessons in mercy.

They did not even ask Jesus to heal their blindness.
They called Him Son of David acknowledging He is the Messiah
They had confidence in Him
They did not care what people thought as they cried out for help
They knew His mercy was sufficient to change their condition

The two blind men did not even ask Jesus to heal their blindness. Although their blindness was their major concern, they did not emphasize their need, but appealed for mercy. Hebrews tells us to approach the throne of grace boldly to obtain mercy to help us in the time of need. Mercy cancels the judgement given. When a judge shows mercy, he overlooks the guilt of the guilty and lets them go free. It is undeserved and gracious. Do not focus on the problem, but put your attention on the Lord.
They called Him Son of David acknowledging He is the Messiah.

The Jews were expecting the Messiah to come and knew He was in the lineage of David. Although the religious Pharisees and Sadducees did not accept the fact that Jesus was the promised Messiah, these two poor blind beggars did. When we acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, He becomes our Savior. We have to know who He is, before He can do anything for us.

They had confidence in Him. Faith is a confident assurance in Jesus that He will do what He promised to do. He is our healer, Jehovah Rapha, and we can put our trust in Him to live up to His redemptive Name. He is also our Provider, Jehovah Jireh and our righteousness, Jehovah Tsidkinu. He is our Shepherd, our Savior and our King. If you know who someone is, you can have confidence in them to live up to their reputation.
They did not care what people thought as they cried out for help. You cannot expect Jesus to do something for you without letting others know about it. The lady with the issue of blood did not what to be detected. She came secretly from behind to tug at Jesus’ garment. She believed and confessed her faith that if she touched the hem of His garment, she would be made whole. When Jesus felt virtue leave Him, He asked: ‘who touched Me?’ Her act of faith could not remain hidden. She had to acknowledge why she came to Him for healing. Her faith made her whole and it was displayed publicly.
They knew His mercy was sufficient to change their condition. When Nola was very ill on our way to a tent campaign, she lay in the back of the car and Aje, a small boy at that time, sat in front. We prayed and confessed our faith and did all we knew, but she just got worse. Then when we stopped in Smithfield, where my grandfather was born, to put in some petrol, I went across the street to buy something to drink. When I got back to the car, she sat in front putting on make-up! I asked what happened and she said, ‘I said, Lord, have mercy on me!’ and He healed her completely, in a moment!

Today is the day of salvation. If you cry out to the Lord Jesus for mercy, He will have mercy on you and change your situation. Acknowledge your need for mercy and put your confidence in Him. Tell Him you will testify about His mercy and His goodness, and He will show His mercy to you. Receive His mercy today and glorify Him.

Patterns that Reveal God’s Purpose

harvester — Sun, 12 May 2019 10:00:14 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 12th May 2019.

In Stephen the Martyr’s Sermon we see several patterns that reveal God’s Purpose with His people in the past, present and future.

Pattern #1: Worship of not is not restricted to a geographical place.
Act 7:2 And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

Pattern #2: God revealed Himself to Abraham before he reached his promised land.
Act 7:3 and said to him, ‘GET OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY AND FROM YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME TO A LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’

Pattern #3: God appeared to Moses and gave his laws to Moses while he was still in the wilderness.
Act 7:25 For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
Act 7:30 “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
Act 7:38 “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,
Act 7:39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,

Pattern #4: God has never dwelt in temples made with hands. Heaven is His throne and earth is his footstool. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Act 7:47 But Solomon built Him a house.
Act 7:48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
Act 7:49 ‘HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS MY FOOTSTOOL. WHAT HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME? SAYS THE LORD, OR WHAT IS THE PLACE OF MY REST?
Act 7:50 HAS MY HAND NOT MADE ALL THESE THINGS?’
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Pattern #5: God’s true prophets always suffer rejection in their own time from their own people.
Act 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
Act 7:52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites as a slave. Moses was rejected by his own people even though God raised him up to be a deliverer of his people.
Act 7:9 “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him
Act 7:10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

The prophets God sent to warn the nation they stoned and killed and rejected.
Jesus came as a personification of God and His love for the world and Him they crucified.
Act 7:52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

And Stephen whose face shone like an angel, who did miracles among the people, who served in the church, who preached one of the most historic sermons they stoned.
Act 6:15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
Act 7:54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

Pattern #6: Honour
If you stand up for Jesus, He stands up for you. Gordon Lindsay writes that when Jesus stood up, he annulled and reversed the judgment of blasphemy that the people pronounced over Stephen at his stoning. God accepted his message and martyrdom and stood up for his innocence.
Act 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
Act 7:56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Pattern #7: Forgiveness
When Stephen followed the pattern of Jesus who showed the greatest love by laying down his life for his brothers who rejected him, Jesus acknowledged His pattern in Stephen when He said: Father do not hold this sin against them for they know not what they do.” Jesus said: “Father forgive them fro they know not what they do.” In recognition of the Christ’s pattern of suffering and forgiveness, Jesus stood at the right hand of the Father and.
Act 7:58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Act 7:60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

It therefore remains for us to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see God’s patterns that reveal His purpose through all the situations of our lives. When we see the heavens opened and Jesus at the right hand of God standing and acknowledging you when you acknowledge Him before men, it makes it all worth it.

Photo by Johannes Plenio

Promise of Growth

harvester — Tue, 07 May 2019 03:28:21 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

Exodus 1:6-12

Here are a few reminders that God keeps His promise!

The Israelites multiplied and grew even under mistreatment and persecution by the Egyptians. Growth represents the blessing of the promise of God. God promised Abraham that he would expand to become the father of nations. He would have children like the stars of heaven and the sea sand.

When God promises something, it is exciting! God gives vision to excite us. Vision excites our faith in God.

When God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child in their old age, they laughed until they realized it was no laughing matter with God. God was serious about His promise. God always fulfills His promises. He is not a man that He should lie.

Some people only see the difficulties in life. They only see how hard it was for the people of Israel. They suffered under the cruel rulership of the new Pharaoh that did not know Joseph. He forced the Israelites to work like slaves to build buildings – and probably pyramids as well. He even made it harder by giving an order that they should be given less straw to make clay bricks.

But even under the persecution and stressful lives as slaves they multiplied exceedingly. It was a baby boom time in Israel!

When it seems impossible to you, God still makes it possible!

The birth rate of the Israeli women became a threat to the new Egyptian ruler. He devised and evil plan to kill all the baby boys under the age of two.

The devil hates it when God blesses us. He wants to spoil God’s plan and prevent His promises of coming true. When God blesses, the enemy feels threatened and then attacks with evil plans because he is jealous of God’s blessing on us as believers. We are the heirs of the faith of Abraham and therefore the promise of growth that God made to Abraham is ours. God blessed Abraham and his Seed, which speaks of Christ. He did not say ‘seeds’, but ‘Seed’. The earthly descendants of Abraham are not the ones to whom the promise was made, but to all who believe like Abraham did in the invisible God, Jew & Gentile alike. Christ earned that promise on our behalf. We do not have to try and please our God to earn it like the Hindus do: we do not have to pierce our tongues & cheeks and put hooks in our backs to pull heavy carts.

What pleases God is faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Even though the Egyptian ruler meant evil against the nation of Israel, God turned it around for their good. They became a great nation. The Egyptian midwives complained to Pharaoh that even before they can get to the women of Israel, they already gave birth. That is why Pharaoh tried to stop the phenomenal growth.

It is a Biblical principle that all thing works together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Pharaoh meant it for evil, but it worked for good to Israel. We also see this in the case of Joseph. His brothers sold him as a slave to Egyptian traders, but he became Prime Minister in Egypt and helped his brothers when their land experienced a devastating famine! It worked out for good!

Jesus died on the cross and the devil thought it was all over, but God raised Jesus from the dead and He became our Savior. His blood paid the price to redeem us. The devil meant it for evil, but it turned out for our good. Jesus descended into hell and took captivity captive. He destroyed the power of the devil, once and for all. He stripped him of all the weapons he trusted in and displayed him as a defeated foe in Jesus’ march of triumph! He brought all the Old Testament saints out of the pit of death and they marched with Him! Samson, David, Abraham and all the other Old Testament saints marched with Jesus!

When Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple, He displayed His turnaround artistry! God is a turnaround artist! He can turn things around for those who trust in Him. Hallelujah! He can turn your situation around too! Trust Him.

The more the Egyptians afflicted the people of Israel, the more they grew stronger and multiplied! Opposition and persecution make the children of God strong and causes them to grow.

We have to see the supernatural work of God amidst of our troubles. Many are the troubles of the righteous man, but God delivers him out of them all! Look at what God is doing, not just what the devil is trying to do. All things work together for good if we love God and are called according to His purpose. His purpose is that we might be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:29,30) Sing: ‘Hallelujah anyhow! Do not let your troubles get you down!’

When God blesses a Church, the devil tries to stop the blessing by attacking the Church and disrupting it. But even his worst efforts work together for our God, because God has blessed us and gave us a promise of growth.

I walked past a building site on my way to work in Johannesburg as a young man. They displayed a billboard of the promised building on the outside, but all I could see was a massive hole getting deeper every day! When I returned to Johannesburg a few years later I saw the great skyscraper in its place. The promise was fulfilled! How tall is a building? As tall as its foundation!

Dr. Roy M. Gray, the principal of Miracle Valley Bible College that I went to in Arizona taught us not to look at all the tons of rubbish being carted away at a building site, but at the building going up. We tend to concentrate on the trouble & difficulties and often fail to see what God is busy doing on our behalf!

Jesus planted His flag of victory in the earth in the place where he suffered His worst defeat! The cross is His symbol – forever! When Notre Dame Cathedral burned recently it was all over the news media, ‘what a tragedy’, people said. But Nola found a picture showing the silver cross glistening in the midst of the flames in the Cathedral! When the roof and the wall broke down in flames, the cross stood erect and strong! What a picture!

The devil may keep on fighting us, but the victory is sure! Tribulation makes God’s people grow! The first Church in the book of Acts grew & multiplied in the midst of persecution. Our God is able to turn around Satan’s strategy against us for His glory!

When Elisha and his servant Gehasi were surrounded by enemy chariots coming against them, the servant became fearful. But the man of God prayed: ‘Lord, open the eyes of the young man!’ and then he saw the Chariots of Fire in the air above them that outnumbered the chariots of the enemy! (II Kings 6) Those who are for us are more than those who are against us! Greater is He who is in you that he that is in the world.

Be encouraged today that God will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able to bear but will make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. He is faithful. He will also do it on your behalf.

Faith is like the roots of a tree. Like the roots below the surface faith moves secretly. When you place your trust in God, you cannot always see how you’re going to overcome the trouble you are in. But somehow in your heart you know there is a power within that strengthens you and gets you through whatever you are called to do. In the moment you need it, you’ll be shown the way. A friend, a book, although, a dream, a prophecy or a word from the Bible will come to you and the message God sends to you will be conveyed.

That is how God works for those who will rest on His promise! In the dark, believing, trusting, waiting to be blessed! Faith is believing the word of God to you for which you have no other evidence other than the fact that it has been told to you! Faith is God’s way for us to live in a limited world in an unlimited way! Praise the Lord! Submissive faith is above confessional faith. Don’t put your faith in what you confess; put your faith in God! That will glorify God – not your confession! We confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Submit yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will lift you up! He will fulfill His promise to you – always! Fear is compromising with the devil. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind!

Photo by Vivek Kumar

The Foolishness of the Cross

harvester — Sun, 05 May 2019 10:00:03 +0000

By Apostle André Pelser

Photo by Thomas uit Apeldoorn

The Foolishness of Prophesy

harvester — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 06:20:44 +0000

II Kings 3:16

Here are a few indications of how God uses the foolishness of prophecy to deliver the people of God.

The words of the prophet sometimes make no sense to the natural mind.

King Jehoram, king of Israel and Samaria, (‘God is high’) did not serve God properly, and Mesha king of Moab rebelled against Jehoram with 2 other kings. Jehoram (son of Ahab) was fearful and called the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, (‘God has judged’) to help him.

There was no water for the soldiers and animals, and they thought they would all perish. But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘is there no prophet of the Lord here?’ One of the men said, ‘Elisha the prophet is here.” So, they called Eilsiha, but the prophet could not prophesy.

The atmosphere and the mood were not conducive to anything spiritual. Jehoram continued in the sins of his father, the soldiers were fearful and there was no faith except in Jehoshaphat. People were depressed, because of the overwhelming odds. There seemed no way out. So, the prophet asked for a musician to play. Music changes the atmosphere. Anointed music can bring God on the scene. When we praise God, He inhabits our praises!

Then Elisha spoke: ‘dig ditches!’ Why? No reason is given. It is illogical. They face a great enemy that is ready to destroy them, and the prophet’s advice is to dig ditches? What difference will that make? You dig graves when you are ready to die!

There was no water for the animals or soldiers, so Elisha said, make the valley full of ditches. There was no rain, yet the valley shall be full of water that the soldiers and animals can drink. (II Kings3:17)

But King Jeshophat, whose name means ‘God has judged’, believed and obeyed the word of Elisha (‘God is salvation’). If you believe the words of a true prophet, you shall prosper! Even though the words of the prophet made no sense to the natural mind, the King obeyed it because he believed the prophets.

The results of believing the words of the prophet

In the morning, at the time of the morning grain offering, the ditches were filled with water. The red morning sun shone on the water and it looked like blood to the Moabites! All they could see was blood! They thought the kings attacked and slew each other’s armies and they went to gather the spoil. But Israel & Judah’s armies were ready and waiting for them, attacked them and defeated the Moabites!

God will do more than you require!

Then Elisha added: ‘and this is a trivial thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.’ Not only did God provide for the soldiers and animals, but also gave victory to the armies of Israel, Samaria & Judah!

Whenever we have communion together to remember the Lord’s death, all the enemy of our souls can see is the blood of Jesus! When he tries to attack us, the Lord defeats Him! The battle is the Lord’s! We are more than conquerors through Him that strengthens us continually! He is Jehovah Jireh our Provider and He is also the Lord of Battle! He gives us victory!

More than overcomers, more than conquerors in life
He causes us to triumph over sin and over strife
He has given us the weapons that we really need
By faith in our Savior we are overcomers indeed!

(from my album, ‘Travelling Man’ with the Blues Band)

Ditches were dug in Jesus’ body on the cross. When the enemy saw the blood, he thought Jesus was defeated, but it brought the greatest victory ever! Jesus defeated the enemy because of the ditches in his hands & feet and in his side!

In the body of Christ, we are covered by the blood of Jesus. All the enemy can see is the blood. He thinks he can defeat us, but we are covered by the blood of Jesus that defeated him on the cross! The brokenness of our lives are the ditches that carry the blood of Jesus throughout the body of Christ. Our weakness relies on His strength. In Him we have the victory!

There have been some tremendous prophecies recently, for instance at the summit through Apostle Aje, God said, He is going to do a work in our time, that if it was told to us now, we would not even believe it! How wonderful is that? God is ready to do something for you that you won’t believe!

God uses the foolishness of prophecy to strengthen the saints. We rejoice in believing the prophecies! Amen.

Photo by Stephen Kraakmo

Making Disciples Pt. 2

harvester — Sun, 28 Apr 2019 10:00:43 +0000

By Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town

Scripture:
Act 14:19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
Act 14:20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
Act 14:21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
Act 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”
Act 14:23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
Act 14:24 And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
Act 14:25 Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
Act 14:26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.
Act 14:27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Act 14:28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Apostolic ways to make disciples:
1. Firstly you have to be sent. This past of the mission is part of a sequence of events leading up to the desired outcome of discipleship. Saul and Barnabas were sent out and this is the conclusion and full circle of their journey. The orbit of disciple making is worth consideration
2. Preach the Gospel. Preaching the Gospel is declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ. The work that HE has done on the cross for us and that He lives to make intercession for us so that He can come and fetch His pure and spotless bride to be with Him forever.
When speaking to people preach the Gospel according to something they can relate to like their favourite sport for instance.
Two men in white apparel guard the grave entrance at the tomb – the umpires! Peter stood up with the eleven – cricket has eleven players in a team. The twelfth man acts as a substitute – Matthias replaces Judas.
Cricket is a timeless game – through faith and patience you will inherit the promises!
The accuser of the brethren is like the fielding team trying to break down the confidence of the batsmen.
But two are better than one, and partnerships build big innings for the team. Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for a friend – you put your team’s interest first and if a batsman is in and batting well and there is a run out you can sacrifice your wicket for the good of the team.
The bowler tries to intimidate you when you bat and bounce the ball at your head – you learn to drive out the enemy in all directions like AB De Villers when he hits the ball 360 degrees around the field!
There are so many good cricketing parallels to kingdom thinking that I can explain the entire Gospel story to someone who is interested.
But also take elements of the Old Testament and tell a Jew the Gospel according to Passover:
God told Moses to slaughter a lamb and use its blood to paint on the lintels of the Israelite home so that the angel of death might Passover it.
Exo_12:22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.

They used hyssop as a brush – David says: “purge me with Hyssop”.
Psa_51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Jesus on the cross also received a sponge with sour wine on hyssop in his mouth.
Joh_19:29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

The fact that Jesus was the Passover Lamb as well and was killed when the sky turned black even fulfils that historic fact of the Lamb of Passover being killed at twilight.
In order to make effective disciples and preach the Gospel according to everything else means you need to know Jesus and His Word well. That is why we have a Bible College within our Church! You need to be able to reach each individual in a unique way and take such a sincere interest in ordinary people that they see Jesus in you and you introduce Him to them.

3. Strengthen the Souls.
If you soul is your mind, will and emotions, it means that you need the wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit to strengthen someone’s soul. It should not be a sharing of opinion, but speaking as the oracles of God for that specific person at the right time. It is easy to spot what needs strengthening if you show some emotional intelligence through deep compassion for the lost.
But the Holy Spirit can also give you discerning of spirits to see beyond the defences of the soul.
The word for strengthen denotes:
Strengthen G1991
epistērizō
Thayer Definition:
1) to establish besides, strengthen more
2) to render more firm, confirm

4. Exhort and instruct the dicsples. G3870 parakaleō
Thayer Definition:
1) to call to one’s side, call for, summon
2) to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
2a) to admonish, exhort
2b) to beg, entreat, beseech
2b1) to strive to appease by entreaty
2c) to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort
2c1) to receive consolation, be comforted
2d) to encourage, strengthen
2e) exhorting and comforting and encouraging
2f) to instruct, teach

5. Appoint Elders.

2Ti 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

6. Pray with Fasting
When appointments to offices take place in the New Testament there is prayer or fasting or both.
When Jesus appointed his apostles.
Luk 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Luk 6:13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

When the deacons were appointed
Act 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
Act 6:4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Act 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
Act 6:6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
Act 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

When Barnabas and Saul were sent off on their mission.
Act 13:1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Act 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Act 13:3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

7. Commend to the Lord
Those who believe your message as you are sent from God, commend them to the Lord. Let others see their progress and be prompted to follow Jesus too!

8. Return and Report
The report is about the works of God that he completed on your missions, during the week, in your circles of influence, in the church, in the network, in the field of the Lord of the Harvest!
I have found great joy in reporting and have found that it is a wonderful way to focus on the harvest versus all the problems, rats, snakes and foxes that seek to ruin the harvest.

9. Explain the new open doors and spiritual portals.
God has given apostles keys to open the kingdom to others. Show them how to get peace that passes understanding, how to have joy in believing, how to be right with God by faith in Jesus. But there are other portals too.
Show them how to reach people if you are a leader making disciples. God gave me a key for Cape Town’s people. Make them comfortable in God’s presence and with you.
A key for Australia was music.
My parents did concert campaigns for 2 and a half years and saw thousands saved and many cities and towns were reached with the Gospel. They helped to plant 4 churches and of their disciple went on to bear much fruit.
God said we have a citywide church – that was a key to growth in different areas in Cape Town.
Orbital thinking was a key to our operating systems as a move of God. Seeking the centre of Christ and fulfilling his commission outwards in all the nations of the world.

10. Stay with disciples a long time.
Apostles know how to discern timing – there is a time that a disciple needs to grow through the different initial phases of Christian life. We call these phases the foundation stones of the Christian faith based on Hebrews 6. We have a foundation course that is helpful to integrate new disciples into a church. Contact us for a free copy.
aje@harvesterchurch.net

Let’s continue to fulfill Jesus great commission to make disciples because you can’t take anything to heaven but your spiritual friends!

Photo by Helena Lopes

Making Disciples

harvester — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 18:30:06 +0000

The Lamb & the Lion

harvester — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 10:00:51 +0000

Isaiah prophesied about the coming world where there would be peace, and said, the lamb and the lion would lie together. (Isaiah 11:6-9: ‘the wolf shall dwell with the lamb’) I meditated on that statement and saw something I want to share with you.

Jesus is called the Lion of Judah. We know the righteous are as bold as a lion. (Prov 29:1) Paul asked the church in Ephesus to pray for boldness so that he would preach what he should preach even though he faced harsh opposition. (Eph 6:18)

Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would die for our sins as a lamb dumb before its shearers, He would not open His mouth. (Is 53:7)

As a child I remember watching sheep shearers cutting wool off the sheep. The sheep submit to the shearing and do not fight the shearer. They are quiet. They are dumb. They are handed over.

Someone told me about a book they read about the Roman Centurion at the cross of Jesus. In the book the Roman soldier tells how Jesus submitted to the soldiers. He crucified many other men but when Jesus was crucified, he did not struggle to resist. He stretched out his arms and lay down to be nailed to the cross, like a sheep dumb before its shearers.

Jesus surrendered to the will of God in Gethsemane after wrestling with God in prayer about the ‘cup’ that He had to empty. He died before He went to the cross.

What I noticed as I meditated on Isaiah’s prophecy was that the lamb nature of Jesus was crucified, not the lion nature. A lion would have roared and resisted, but the lamb became dumb and submitted.

As believers in Christ Jesus and the wonderful work He did for us on the cross, we receive both the lion and the lamb nature of Christ

when we are born again. We become a new creature in Christ. (II Cor 5:17)

The lamb and the lion lay together in Christ and now the lamb and lion lie together in us! The new world that Isaiah foresaw is already in fulfilment in the saints because it was already visible in Christ Jesus! We are fulfilling the prophecy about the world to come!

That is why we can taste the peace of God that passes understanding under all circumstances and have joy in believing in spite of what we are going through! It is the new world order of the eternal Kingdom of God that is at work within us already! We are experiencing elements of eternal life within us – even though the world does not notice it.

We are part of the eternal Church because we obeyed the eternal Gospel. Jesus made the sacrifice of blood on the eternal altar in heaven. The Father gives everlasting life to those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. We have eternal life within us. That is the Kingdom of God! We are His Kingdom and Christ is our King! That is why the extension of His Kingdom is our sole occupation as we have it on our Harvester Creed of our membership certificate.

John 17:3 Jesus gave a definition of eternal life: to know God the Father and Jesus Christ whom He has sent is eternal life. To know God and to know His Son is eternal life. Eternal life does not begin when we die. We are experiencing it already – in this life, by faith in Christ Jesus! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

In spite of the trouble & tribulation we face in this world, we experience the blessing of everlasting life within ourselves. It is life in the third dimension, life in the spirit or living by faith. Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not yet seen.

When the doctors told Nola, that faith is also accepting God’s will, in other words that she should make peace with the fact that I was dying, she answered: ‘faith is the substance of things hoped for!’ and kept on praying and believing that God would restore my life. My vital organs stopped functioning. My blood coagulated in my body and there was no flow of blood. So, I could no longer get oxygen into my lungs. I could not breathe. My lungs were swollen, and my chest expanded far beyond normal. My heartbeat went down and was about to stop. My body became ice cold and numb. But Nola kept on believing what she could not see.

Faith pierces the invisible realm and pulls impossibilities into our physical realm! God rebooted all my vital organs when I was given up to die and He restored my life supernaturally! He resurrected me! My blood started flowing again and my vital organs started functioning! My heart started beating again and I could breathe again! Glory to God!

The lion nature of Jesus Christ makes us bold as a lion to operate in faith and it is far beyond what the physical eye can see – we see by the eye of faith and call into being things that are unseen by faith in Jesus Christ!

We surrender to God’s will by the lion nature of Christ in us. We accept what He allows in our lives because we know He knows what is best for us.

The lamb & the lion lie together in our spirits, because Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy about the future world in which righteousness reigns in His Kingdom! We have that Kingdom within us. It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us that Kingdom. So we have the lion nature to be bold when we have to and the lamb nature that makes us submit to the will of God for our lives, within us! We are tasting the values of the world to come, here in this life! What a revelation! What wisdom of God! How glorious is His plan for us? How great is our God! How marvelous all His works. We are His handiwork and He has created us for His glory.

When Jesus stood in front of the man born blind, His disciples asked, ‘who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered: ‘neither he or his parents sinned, but this is to the glory of God!’ Jesus opened up the third dimension to give us a new way of living by the spirit and walk in faith. It is to the glory of God! Hallelujah! Glory be to God in the highest!

Reasons to Win Souls

harvester — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 18:30:01 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser

April 14, 2019 – Harvester Church in Cape Town, South Africa

Photo by Evgeni Tcherkasski

Return to Innocence

harvester — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 10:01:17 +0000

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser
Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, April 2019

Part of the New Covenant miracle of the new creation in Christ, is a return to innocence. When someone Apostle Paul speaks of his former life he actually says: “I have harmed no one nor coveted anyone’s goods.” Has he forgotten his persecution of the Christians and the stoning of Stephen the first Christian Martyr where he stood looking after the clothes of those hurling rocks?
It is an amazing quality of the blood of Jesus that presses a refresh button that resets our inner DNA to be born again into a new being that is aware of the past life, but not defined by it.

With that in mind let us uncover some footsteps to return to innocence.

Step 1: Put your faith in Jesus’ ability
While we are still trying to do it all by ourselves Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He wants to come in feast with you and share His overcoming power with you. He is not ashamed to call you His brother. The world proclaims the ability to be a self-made success – did you make yourself? Really? You just thought and then you existed? You just worked by yourself and no one ever gave you advice? People never gave you a chance and some favour for you to succeed? No one can claim to be self-made, it is the height of pride that comes before the fall.
Jesus’ ability is beyond this realm of existence and you tap into his resources. The manifold wisdom of God is made available through the church of Jesus Christ. No one can reach the entire world by themselves without support and coherence of vision. As a church we have reached close to 150 nations, 123 physically, the rest through live streaming. It takes a combine harvester machine to bring in the harvest. One person sickling a harvest will take forever. Jesus needs to return, but first we need a return to innocence that draws from Him as a source to bring about the finish.
Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Whatever we do without faith is actually sin.
Rom 14:22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
Rom 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Faith in His name brings miracles. When Peter and John healed the lame man in Jesus’ they immediately attributed the power to: ‘faith in His name.’
Act 3:16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Step 2: Become like a child to inherit the kingdom
Kids felt comfortable with Jesus. Do you think that they felt comfortable with the Pharisees? The Saducees? Even Jesus’ disciples needed a return to innocence in their thinking about what the kingdom of God really was in their time. Unless you become comfortable in Jesus’ presence like a little child, you will not inherit the kingdom of heaven in your present reality. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. His peace that passes your understanding that guards your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus – being anxious for nothing, but through prayers and supplications making your requests known to Him with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6-8
Mat 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Mat 18:2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Mat 18:6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mar 10:13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
Mar 10:15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
Mar 10:16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Step 3: Operate in Simplicity
Act_2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
2Co_1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
2Co_11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Step 4: Be excellent in what is good and innocent of evil
Rom 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Rom 16:19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.
Rom 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Step 5: Purify your heart and conscience from dead works
Repentance from dead works is a foundation stone of our faith.
Heb_6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

The reformation that Jesus brought about with his pure and innocent blood cleanses our conscience of sin and makes us innocent again.
Heb_9:14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The pure in heart will see God. Matthew 5:8

The Greek word for Pure: Pure G2513 katharos
(Thisis also the root for the Name Catherine. St. Catherine of Alexander was a Christian Martyr in the 4th century AD>)
Thayer Definition:
1) clean, pure
1a) physically
1a1) purified by fire
1a2) in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit
1b) in a levitical sense
1b1) clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness
1c) ethically
1c1) free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt
1c2) free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine
1c3) blameless, innocent
1c4) unstained with the guilt of anything

Photo by Jenn Evelyn-Ann

Shadows of Things to Come

harvester — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 18:30:45 +0000

Preached by Apostle André Pelser