Ministry News: Free State Bible Church (Bloemfontein, South Africa)

by | 22 May 2024 | Churches, Hope Bible Church, Newsletters

Brethren, greetings in the Lord.

The Kukunis

We would like to begin by thanking many of you for praying for us through our difficult and trying time. Through God’s providential work, using his people and developments, we learned to trust that God’s with us. Not only did we learn to trust, but we saw God’s providential hand at work in our lives. While we still continue to pray for God to lead us and make our way clear so that our decisions will be in line with his will, we ask that you continue praying for us.

Tsholo

The Lord spoke to me through 1 Peter 1:6. This text became vivid as I heard and thought deeply about the Lord’s perspective on trials. He speaks pastorally and fatherly, exhorting us to rejoice during difficult times. What became plain to me was that the distressing trials are temporary. In addition to that, what was impressed on me was that the distressing trials are necessary. That comforted me, knowing that God indeed does what he does for us, including inevitable trials, for our good. More importantly, this text of 1 Peter in context helped me to shift the focus from my trials and bless God (1 Peter 1:3), and rejoice in him (1 Peter 1:6).

O how gracious our God is that, in our momentary trials, he is with us to accomplish good. The good is not for us but for him to be glorified through achieving what I could not have achieved by myself had it not been by God’s grace through trials. This changed my perspective on things. Please pray for faithfulness as I seek to serve the Lord well and shepherd his people well.

Free State Bible Church

Whenever we’ve had baptisms here, it has always been in winter. For the first time this year we had baptism just a few days before the winter month. It was a joy to see Brother Papi being baptised. What made the day extra joyous was that it was on the same day that we partook in the Lord’s Supper. We’ve never observed both ordinances on the same day, so it was exciting to use this opportunity to share the gospel demonstrably with those who have not yet placed their trust in Christ for the salvation of their souls. See a six-minute video on Papi’s baptism.

Prayer Items

  1. Thank the Lord for his faithfulness during tough times.
  2. Thank the Lord that his people serve him happily in the church, from the young to the oldest.
  3. Pray for Keitu (my lovely wife) to be able to deal with her anxiety as we navigate the journey of distressing and various trials.
  4. Thank the Lord that the church met for a peaceful Special General Meeting (SGM) to chart the way forward for our little church.
  5. Thank the Lord for the many students we have had come to the church in recent weeks. Pray that they will stay and commit to serving the long here.
  6. Pray that the upcoming membership-discipleship classes will go according to plan and that we will welcome new members into the church soon.
  7. In the next coming months, the Kukunis and the church will have to plan, decide, and pray through what the Lord is testing us with. We will share in due time.

Grace and peace to you,

Tsholo