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March/April 2003

The second Day of Prayer for Transformation was celebrated in 135 sports stadiums and 28 African countries.

Dear Friends,

We wish you a blessed Easter and the joy of knowing that Jesus is indeed the SAVIOUR of the world. "The chastisement of our peace" was placed upon Him, and "we are healed by his wounds." In Him we have eternal life. His resurrection lets us see "the incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of God's mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion." (Ephesians 1:19-21) - Jesus Christ has transformed lives for the past 2000 years, and human history has been largely HIS STORY. "What are all our histories but God manifesting Himself," said Oliver Crom-well. Indeed, the truly great figures of history were people who conformed themselves not to the standards of this world, but let God transform them inwardly by a complete change of their minds, so that they were able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him." (Rom.12:2).

Transformation
Even today we look to Christ to transform people and nations. The utopian ideologies of the past century have proved to be bankrupt. In South Africa ten years of humanist government have brought a major social break-down. Therefore, in a desire to turn back to God, a group of dedicated Christians declared the first of May 2003 a Day of Prayer for Transformation. This will be celebrated in 135 sports-stadiums - 74 in South Africa and 61 in 28 African countries, such as Uganda, Kenya, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola, Zambia and Egypt. Four hundred towns will hold prayer rallies, and more than 6 million people are likely to pray.

This will be the third Day of Prayer for Transformation. The first was held in Cape Town on 21 March 2001. 45 000 Christians came together at Newlands Rugby stadium to pray for the city of Cape Town. They humbled themselves and asked God to deliver them from crime, poverty, drugs, domestic violence, broken homes and unsafe communities. These prayers had such a wonderful effect that the following year a second Day of Prayer was held, again on Human Rights Day, 21 March. Rallies were organized in over eight stadiums with over 200.000 Christians. Again, this was richly blessed, and so a third Day of Prayer was called for Mayday 2003. All Africa was asked to join. A great missionary vision was conceived - "Operation Sunrise Africa", to reach 50 million people in 50 African cities with the Gospel of Christ.

The South African "Liberation Movements" have long claimed that Reformed Christianity is an oppressive ideology and responsible for South Africa's past ills. When they came to power they abolished Christianity in the civic and state realms. The social consequences of this have been disastrous. Even the Liberation Theologian, Dr Allan Boesak, one of the most outspoken accusers of Reformed Christianity, warns the Government that without God's help they can not succeed. In a letter to Professor Kader Asmal, the Minister of Education, he reproached him for his "open attack on Christians for being Christians." (In 2001 the Minister had made some widely publicised hostile remarks about the first Day of Prayer for Transformation). Dr Boesak wrote: "We prayed here too, the prisoners at Goodwood Prison, for peace and genuine reconciliation, for true justice and an end to violence, mayhem and crime, for good government and for the fulfillment of the dreams of the poor… True transformation shall not come to South Africa through new laws only… We know that something fundamental is wrong… What we need is a change of heart, a revolution of the spirit… That is what the Christians are trying to do; submit ourselves to a greater power which is God, so that we may be used by God for the good of our nation." 1)

The best known of God's calls to revival is: "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14) God is speaking to Solomon about His Law. He continues: "If you walk before me… doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, then I will establish your royal throne… But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you and serve other gods… then I will pluck you up from the land which I have given you…" God is absolutely serious about His Law. All great Reformers knew this. Martin Luther declared: "The first duty of the Gospel preacher is to declare God's Law and show the nature of sin." John Bunyan said: 'The man who does not know the nature of the Law cannot know the nature of sin." John Wesley said, Evangelists should preach 90% of the Law and 10% of Grace. Charles Spurgeon stated: "They will never accept Grace until they tremble before a just and Holy Law." And our Lord Jesus Christ taught: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matt. 5:17-17) 2) The Law is the declared Will of God for Man. It applies not only to Christians, it applies to the whole world. The nations are to be ruled by it. That is why John Wyclif, the "Morning Star of the Reformation" wrote of the Bible which he had translated into English: "This Bible is for the government of the people, by the people, and for the people." His concern was that all government should be by the law word of God. As early as A.D. 178 the Christian King Lucius, renowned for his administration of British law, had sent the Bishops of London and Llandaff, to Eleutherius, Bishop of Rome, to obtain copies of the Roman code of laws. But Eleutherius sent back the message: Have nothing to do with the Roman code. Base the British secular Law on the Bible, just as you have already based the British ecclesiastical Law on the Bible. 3) - Christendom, like ancient Israel, always believed that it is God's realm. It was governed by the law of God as set forth in Scripture, and one cannot attempt to understand Western civilization apart from the impact of Biblical law within it and upon it. South Africa is well advised to return to God's Law!

SACLA
From 7-12 July 2003 a South African Christian Leadership Assembly has been called in Pretoria. "The first [SACLA conference] back in 1979," say the organisers, "contributed significantly to the miracle of peaceful transition to democracy in our beloved country." SACLA wants to address itself to Christian leaders in every area of life. Led by a number of Bishops, by African Enterprise, the SA Council of Churches (SACC), and the Evangelical Alliance of SA (TEASA) its ethos will clearly be different from that of the Day of Prayer for Transformation. However, it is interesting that its social concerns are almost exactly the same. South Africa, they say, needs to be turned around. It "faces a number of giants: HIV and Aids; Crime; Poverty & Unemployment; Family in Crisis; Violence; Racism; and Sexism." These giants need to be overcome.

The South African social problems have grown into giants only because the nation has chosen to put aside God's Law, especially the first 4 Commandments: You shall worship [the triune] God alone; You shall not make an idol of anything; You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain; Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. - HIV/Aids has become a "giant" because the purity laws are ignored, especially the 7th Com-mandment: "You shall not commit adultery." The Bible says: "It is God's will that you should be holy; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body." (1 Thes. 4:3-4). - Crime has become a "giant" because God's laws on life and death are not respected, especially the 6th Commandment: "You shall not kill." His demands for punishment are also ignored, such as. "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." (Gen. 9:8) - Poverty has become a "giant" because people ignore God's principle that "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat your food," (Gen. 3:19) and that, in order to prosper, one must "seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matt. 6:33) The Family Crisis has become a "giant", because God's Commandments on personal conduct and relationships are ignored, such as: "Honour your father and mother," "Do not commit adultery," "Bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," "Serve one another in love." Violence, Racism, and Sexism have become "giants" because God's instructions have been flagrantly cast aside. - The Holy God is not mocked.

Both the Day of Prayer for Transformation and the SACLA Conference hold the potential of a real return to God, but South Africa needs to repent and earnestly pray in the words of Psalm 51: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge." - May the whole of South Africa turn from its wicked ways. May God forgive and save the Nation through His Son Jesus Christ. May He heal the land.

May God bless you richly,
D. Scarborough.

Footnotes:
1. Letter from Dr Allan Boesak to Professor Kader Asmal, April 2001.
2. Quoted in Christian Action, a Magazine 'standing for Righteousness and Truth', P.O. Box 23632, Claremont, 7735.
3. Gladys Taylor, The Hidden Centuries, The Covenant Publishing Co, 1969, p. 18.