PRAY FOR NAMIBIA : Pray for the Walvis Bay Baptist Church

The Walvis Bay Baptist Church  was constituted  in 1975 under the leadership of Pastor Herbert Syré.  A modest Sunday School work had  already begun by  a  Baptist  couple  in their garage  in 1959.  

My own  relationship with this church  has been very special.  After I was converted in  Cape  Town  in 1978   I eventually had to  return to Namibia and to my home town, Walvis Bay. I had asked my Pastor  in Cape Town where I  might find a place of  worship since there was  no CESA church [1]  in Walvis Bay. He  told me  that  I could always  go to a Baptist church. He assured me then that Baptist Churches were  usually faithfully committed to the preaching of the Word. (Note: That was  true  30 years ago!)

And so it was. Arriving back in Walvis Bay in 1980, I found the local Baptist Church  and was warmly welcomed  by their members and the  pastoral couple, Don and Sue Watson. My heart found  a real  home there. It was  there that I was baptized and first became  a member of the church.  

The love of Christ was  genuinely expressed through  this  small church. The people, who were like a big family,   gathered faithfully around the  Word  on Sundays  and  during the midweek.

The  home   of the Walvis Bay Baptist Church

I was given  soon opportunities to  lead youth Bible study groups, and  I grew  spiritually.   Soon thereafter, Pastor Watson  received a call  to  another church. Our church then  called  Pastor  Peter  and Lynda Radmanovich   from Claremont, Cape Town  to  be our  new pastoral couple.  Peter Radmanovich  was  a godly and very zealous  pastor. He led the church  to  acquire   a property  that would  eventually house the congregation. He taught us how to live  the life of faith  through prayerful dependence upon God.  The Sovereign Lord did miracles in those  years  in terms of providing a relatively poor, small  congregation  with  all the means  we needed to build  that place for the glory of His Name.  Our heavenly Father directed  the resources  as we prayed. As a result  of the church’s testimony  a number  of  people  had begun to ask ultimate questions  and were  subsequently converted.

So,   it is no wonder  that I have a ‘soft spot’ for this church. It is the  first church  to which I belonged.

 Pastor  Callie Rossouw (l) and Marinus de Bruijne (r)

The church  has had two other pastors  since then  and as we now  speak, Pastor  Callie Rossouw  has been the pastor  of the church for the past  11 years. He is a faithful pastor who loves to preach the Word. He loves the doctrines of Grace  and seeks to see them applied in the lives of the congregation. He is married to  Carol  and they have three precious adopted children,  Hazel, Rachel and  Charlie. Under  Pastor Rossouw’s  ministry   the church has matured.  Being  a port city  the church has  developed an international flavour.

A  former teacher   in the congregation, Marinus de Bruijne had sensed  the call to the pastoral  ministry some years  ago, and is currently being trained up  in the context of the local church  and with the help  of the Bible Institute  in Kalk Bay, in Cape Town,   South Africa.

Marinus  is married to Ilze  and their children are  Janke  and Jorik.   Besides  ‘learning on the job’ he has proven to be a great  asset  in the ministry of the church. Marinus has also  been instrumental  to bring  young people together from our Reformed Baptist Churches  at an annual youth  camp. This is always a demanding  task  in a country like  ours, which is so big and where our towns are so far apart and where we have relatively few people. Namibia  is the  second least populated country in the world!  

So why should we pray for the Walvis Bay Baptist Church ?

Walvis Bay, like the rest of Namibia  does not  suffer a lack of churches. But, like the rest of Namibia the church  is  generally very man centered. Liberalism,  and much of the Pentecostal/ charismatic phenomenon  and  the ‘new evangelicalism’ which focuses on entertainment  and relevance  have undermined  and supplanted  the old gospel message. Very few people in Walvis Bay actually live like converted men and women. The city is caught up in  all the vices of a port city; many families are dysfunctional; materialism is rife.

But it is a city like this that needs the Lord Jesus!  

I believe  that the Walvis Bay  Baptist Church occupies  a unique place in that town, since  the focus of that  ministry is intentionally Christ centered. The heart of the worship  service is not  to entertain, but to make known  the glorious riches of God’s Word. There is an uncompromising call to discipleship, even though many  refuse  to follow that  call.

Pray for this church because it is  a faithful church. The church has  been often  mocked and scorned for its uncompromising stance.  Pray then  for them what is also  true of the church in Philadelphia: ‘hold fast to what you have , so that no one may seize  your crown‘ (Rev. 3:11)

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[1] Church of  England in South Africa

PRAY FOR AFRICA

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PRAYING FOR THE  SPREAD OF THE CHURCH IN AFRICA  IN THE MIDST OF  LIBYA’S TURMOIL  

The work of  extending the kingdom of God on earth  is primarily  entrusted  to the church . The Sovereign  God  has chosen to invest His authority  for this work in the church . All the commandments , commissions and promises  in Scripture are directed and given   to the church . The Lord Jesus Christ died for  His church , which is a “great multitude that no one can count , from every nation, tribe , people and language…”  (Rev 7:9) .

Let that sink in  for a moment  .

The church  for which Christ shed His blood is  made up of  all kinds of  people of this world -  past , present and future.  And every true church in every generation  has the duty  to make  the gospel  known  to its own generation  in all the countries of the world . For  this task the  Holy Spirit has come to  empower the church . Jesus said that upon the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower the church ,…“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem  , and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth…”   

The church alone is  the one body  that  has this mandate to make the gospel  known to the ends of the world . It is a very tough  and  demanding mandate . Many Christians have died in the execution of this mandate  (Rev  6:9-11) , but  their work is never in vain .

The famous observation of   the North African Theologian , Tertullian of Carthage[1] (160AD - 220 AD)  that, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,”  encourages us to   know that  the words of the Lord Jesus  are  true : “ I will build my church and the gates of  hell will not overcome it.” (Matt 16:18)  The church alone has the power and authority under Christ to resist the  destructive work of Satan. The  true church alone is  the light  for the nations ,  and the hope for despairing mankind .  

Apply this to Libya

Libya will not  ultimately  be freed from  the fourty-one  year  tyrannical rule  of Muammar  Gaddafi   by  a  United Nations  resolution  # 1973 .  Granted, there may  be a short term solution  to that  by  enforcing a ‘ no fly zone’ and by  bombing  the armoured columns  loyal to Gaddafi Libya  so that there may be ‘ a level playing field’  for the Libyan rebels . All the signs however point towards a protracted civil war . Iraq and Afghanistan  point the way .

And what then ?  The  winner will become the oppressor of the former oppressor ! Surely Christians of all people must always remember that man is  a fallen, sinful creature , incapable of  worshipping God in faithfulness and incapable  to serve his fellow man  in the spirit of Scripture .  We must also not forget the conventional wisdom  that underwrites  the biblical truth  when we  remember  the words of the British parliamentarian ,  Lord Acton :  “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely…”  

Pray that the gospel will triumph in Libya

Libyans will be freed ultimately  only by the gospel  of the Lord Jesus  Christ!  Satan knows that  and the enemies of the gospel  know that , and  that is why we must never see   the conflicts  upon the face of the earth  as ‘mere violent disagreements among men’ . Behind  the present  battle  for Libya lies a far greater , and far more vicious reality . The forces of darkness  which are presently ruling in this world ( Eph 6:12)  are persistently at work to  create chaos  so that   the  gospel  will  not  be freely proclaimed . Satan  knows that this is not merely about  a change of regime .  If he can manage to substitute one evil dictator for another , he is happy .   

The church is therefore called to pray in such times  that evil rulers may not prevail. At this time  we must pray that one anti-Christian  despot in Libya will not  be replaced by another anti- Christian  despot.  Don’t simply pray for the demise of  Gaddafi . Pray BOLDLY   that the kingdom of God will come  in North Africa ! Pray that the gospel which once shone so brightly in   North Africa  under African leaders  like Augustine of Hippo   and  Tertullian  and Cyprian of Carthage  and Athanasius of Alexandria will be restored to North Africa  . Pray now that  many in Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco , all areas  where formerly the Name of Christ was well  known , would be restored to  a living faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ .  
And our God shall have all the glory  !

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[1] Located in modern Tunisia