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Recently, Miki Hardy, travelling with a small team from CTMI, spoke to a gathering of leaders from all over South Africa, in Soweto and visited a number of local churches. A series of daily e-mail reports with pictures were sent out to friends and partners. Below, you can read a slightly edited version of the reports, as well as see the photos of their stay in Johannesburg and Durban.
Meetings in Johannesburg Area
Wednesday 7th April
On Wednesday night, we had our very first public meeting of CTMI in South Africa. It was held in downtown Pretoria at Bethesda Community Church, with 1300 people attending. The pastor, Clement is Nigerian and founded this church 7 years ago.
Bro. Miki spoke on the power of the Cross of Jesus, and shared his personal testimony – how the Lord has dealt in his own life. It was a very powerful meeting and the true gospel was preached. At the end of the meeting, nine people came forward to give their lives to the Lord.
The gospel of the Cross needs to be heard in South Africa.
Friday 9th April
On Friday, at noon, we had our second meeting in South Africa at the famous Orlando Stadium in Soweto with some 3500 attending. Bro. Richard Langworthy and a small team from Bulawayo joined us for this part of the trip. Bro. Miki shared the gospel uncompromisingly and with great anointing. Many lives were confronted and 2 pastors came forward to receive prayer. A large number of people raised their hands, recognising their need to open their hearts to a new revelation of the gospel and the Cross of Jesus.
That afternoon, we held another meeting in Natalspruit. About 1000 people were present in the large hall. Bro. Miki preached again on the power of the Cross, and how the Church needs to stand on the right foundation. At the end of this meeting, many came forward for prayer and lives were deeply touched by the Lord.
We are very excited at the doors the Lord has opened to preach the gospel here in RSA. But, we ask you to continue praying for the hearts of leaders to be touched by the gospel, so that true relationships can be born in the spirit of the gospel.
Saturday – Sunday 11th – 12th April
On Saturday, we returned to the Orlando stadium in Soweto. This meeting was for leaders and about 1500 attended. Bro. Miki shared on the freedom that is found in Christ and is available to the Church through the Cross. The message was very challenging and we are sure that the foundations of many were shaken.
Sunday morning found us travelling to a city 150 km away called Rustenburg. We managed to arrive in time to share the gospel at this meeting in a community hall with about 750 people. Our host was Pastor Treasure.
Bro. Miki spoke on the need for Christians to be on the right foundation to give their lives to the Lord and allow him to have His way. Many were restored and healed as a large number came forward for an altar call. We had a good contact with Pastor Treasure and a great time of fellowship over lunch after the meeting, which was our 5th in RSA.
Tomorrow, Monday, Bro. Miki and Sister Audrey travel north into Limpopo province to spend one night in a game lodge with their host for this trip, David Molapo, the Founder and President of I CAN Foundation, who arranged all the meetings at which Bro. Miki was privileged to speak. They will return on Tuesday afternoon for a final meeting that evening.
Tuesday 13th April
Today, Tuesday, we held a meeting, our last in the Johannesburg area, at a church called Faith Ministries International. The church is situated in a predominantly Indian area called Lenasia.
Bro. Miki spoke from Hebrews 10, 11, 12, on faith to accomplish the will of God. It was a great challenge to the church to understand faith in the spirit of the gospel. And, many responded by coming forward at the end of the service.
Thank you for your prayers during this time, we are trusting the Lord for doors to open. It has been a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel in South Africa.
On Thursday, we leave for Durban to be with Bro. Basil and the church there for a few days.
Meetings in Durban
Day 1 – Friday 16th April
After their week in the Johannesburg area, Bro. Miki, Sister Audrey, and the team arrived in Durban on Thursday 15th April, to visit the church that was started with 5 families over a year ago.
On Friday night, about 80 people gathered to hear Bro. Miki at the Girl Guides Hall in Pinetown. Four of them had driven over 600 km from Johannesburg to spend the weekend with the people of Highway Gospel Church in Durban.
His message, “Don’t ever stop growing”, encouraged the church to realise and accept that there cannot be growth without pain. Suffering, trials, and tribulations all form part of this growing process. There was a very positive reception from the church and one can feel that the Lord has planted something solid in the hearts of many.
Day 2 – Saturday 17th April
Today was a time to lay the foundation! Before Bro. Miki spoke, two sisters from Johannesburg and Rustenburg shared how the gospel of the cross had transformed their lives after having been Christians for so many years. Sister Sophy encouraged the church to open their hearts to what God has for them. By doing so, she had received the gospel last Sunday and her life had been upside down since then.
Bro. Miki’s message was about how the law of the Old Testament was never meant for us Christians. It had been intended for the Jews. He spoke mainly from Ephesians 2:11-18 and Galatians 3:10-16, showing how Jesus ‘destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility’ between Jews and Gentiles by ‘abolishing in His flesh, the Law and its commandments and regulations.’ The church was very receptive and there was great rejoicing when he ended by saying, “Let us run away from law into the freedom of Christ!”
We are all looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting and are trusting God for a great time for, what will be, our last meeting in Durban and South Africa. AMEN!
Day 3 – Sunday 18th April
So many visitors attended this morning that the church hall in Pinetown was packed to capacity. It was a very special time for everyone and we were blessed by a great time of praise and worship.
Bro. Basil shared briefly on the importance of the Apostolic Ministry in the Church and how this anointing is the only one that can lay the foundation on which the Church itself, and the lives of people of God, can be built. Sister Audrey then encouraged those present on the subject of giving. She challenged them, according to Matthew 6:19, to focus on building the Kingdom rather than storing up riches on this earth.
Bro. Miki then continued where he had left off last night. For many, it was the first time to hear such a message. He made it quite clear to all that God did not intend that we, the people of the New Covenant, should live under the Law. Now that Christ had conquered sin in the flesh of man, we have been reconciled to God and our relationship with God has been restored in Christ. Therefore, there was no more reason for us to have recourse to the Law.
The meeting ended with a wonderful time of fellowship. The church has been encouraged and shown the way forward, and we can say that a foundation has been laid.
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