Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

It’s amazing to discover that Jesus fulfilled more than 100 prophecies foretold 400-1500 years before His birth. These prophecies are specific enough that the mathematical probability of Jesus fulfilling even a handful of them, let alone all of them, is staggeringly improbable—if not impossible.

As these prophecies reveal, God planned our redemption all the way back in the garden. Jesus’ death and resurrection were the most important events in history. It’s no surprise that God would give us signs of His plans throughout Israel’s history and prophets. Jesus’ story reveals God’s incredible love for us. And throughout the Old Testament, we discover how incredibly thorough His plan for rescuing us was—now, we can all be reconciled to Him through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus…

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!


How to Live Well and Long

Do you want to live well and long? Would you like to be prosperous and successful in your life? Then this message is for you. In Revelation 22:12 Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work.” How we live is important to God. “Blessed are those who do His commandments.” – Revelation 22:14. Notice, it’s not ‘blessed are those who live by faith or grace’, it is, “blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life and enter through the gates into the city.” – Revelation 22:15

Those who obey His commandments have the right to the tree of life and may enter through gates into the city. We clearly see that there is a reward for living right, for obeying the Lord – we will enter into the great city, will partake of the Lord, and will enjoy eternal rewards for all of eternity. However, the question is now, what about temporal rewards? Can I enjoy the blessing of God while I am alive on the earth, or is it only for me when I get to Heaven one day? Well let’s see what the Bible has to say about this. ..

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!


How should a Christian view being WOKE?

Critical theory (colloquially known as being ‘woke’) is a school of thought that has permeated the very fabric of mainstream society – including much of the church. According to critical theory, the root cause of the world’s problem is the oppression of subordinate groups by dominant groups that hold ‘hegemonic’ power in society. These fixed groups exist primarily based on one’s race, class, and gender. Based on which groups we fall into, we either have an oppressor or oppressed status. Of these three categories, the pillar of ‘race’ has taken on particular prominence, evidenced by the global emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. The task of critical social justice is therefore to dismantle these systems of oppression by divesting the power of oppressor groups and ‘sharing’ this with oppressed groups.

While the God of the Bible is deeply concerned with oppression and injustice, we must evaluate critical theory in the light of Scripture. In Scripture, we find that the fundamental problem with the human condition is rather sin against God and one another; a condition in which we all, regardless of race, stand guilty of (Rom 3:23). Regarding the social construct of ‘race’, the Apostle Paul declared that God made ‘from one blood’ every nation (Acts 17:26). Furthermore, the Bible teaches the liberating truth that our identity is not based primarily on belonging to a group, but rather on belonging to God Himself (Col 3:11)… 

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What is Religious Freedom, and is it Important?

Most South Africans take religious freedom for granted. After all, our Constitution specifically guarantees religious freedom, and we love to state that 80% of our population claim to be Christian!

The reality is that there is a consistent, well-organised, and well-funded global strategy to erode (and even eradicate) religious freedom rights that were formerly considered to be sacrosanct. Secular ideologies, often diametrically opposed to Judeo-Christian conservative values, have brought this battle to our doorstep. Increasingly, government policy, laws, and court judgements favour secular, liberal views over conservative, religious views – which are increasingly seen as “fundamentalist” or “politically incorrect”…

…for the full article, pick up a copy of the latest issue of JOY, which is now on sale nationwide in all leading supermarkets!