Pastor Nel Sewraj prophesied the following Word on the Sunday 04th November 2012:
"We pray the Word of the Lord over the Vatican. God is going to set a cat amongst the pigeons. God is going to bring about shakings in the Vatican. This will be the beginnings of the end of the spirit of religion. Within the Vatican there will be men like Nicodemus that will begin to stand up against it. We prophesy that a fragmentation will come upon the Vatican. What will happen in the Vatican be shocking because it will be something that the Vatican never thought would happen in history. Something very serious is about to happen in the Vatican."
Three and a half months after this Word was release, on the 11th of February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI resigned. He made history by becoming only the second pope to resign in the Church's 2 000-year existence and the first to do so in 700 years. Headlines all over the world carried the caption: "Pope's sudden resignation sends shockwaves through Church."
The Pope's decision is shocking, and unprecedented in modern times. The last Pope to resign was Gregory XII, in 1415, and that was during a time of extreme turmoil—of Popes and anti-Popes—in which the Church was looking to break a standoff between three contenders to the throne of Saint Peter.
Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to step down at the end of the month (February 2013) was a surprise—but not a total surprise. Rumors that the Pope might resign began last summer after the so-called Vatileaks scandal, in which the Pope’s personal attendant was arrested for stealing numerous documents from the Pontiff’s correspondence. The letters revealed infighting among the highest ranks of the Curia.
His final sermon was a hard-hitting one. He condemned the "hypocrisy" of those who use their religion just for show and urged an end to "rivalry" and "divisions" within a Church that has been plagued in recent years by a series of scandals. “We can reveal the face of the church and how this face is, at times, disfigured,” Benedict said. “I am thinking in particular of the sins against the unity of the church, of the divisions in the body of the church.” He called for his ministry to overcome “individualism” and “rivalry,” saying they were only for those “who have distanced themselves from the faith."
Nel Sewraj
Confronting the Status Quo
Friday, March 1, 2013
Saturday, December 22, 2012
God's Hand in the Mangaung Results
I was ambivalent about the road to Mangaung because there were unique considerations. Could Jacob Zuma be ousted? It seemed very possible since he was behind the ousting of Thabo Mbeki in 2008. Knowing the principle of "what you sow is what you reap" gave me some apprehension about Jacob Zuma retaining his presidential seat.
On the other hand I thought, Zuma was a prophetic placement of the Father as far as I know. The word was clear. God has chosen a foolish vessel to confound the wise and bring our nation closer to His purposes.
I was glad with the outcome and results of Mangaung. It made perfect sense. I can see the hand of the Father in this. Jacob Zuma and his camp had won. Zuma will continue the work God had started in him and he will be a catalyst for the purposes of God in our nation. Interestingly, towards the latter part of his first term, some interesting develpoments took place. Zuma dramatically reshuffled his cabinet by removing some of his scandalous comrade-ministers. Also Julius Malema was disciplined and expelled from the ANC altogether. This is what we longed to see from our president ever since he took office. This is the kind of president South Africa needed.
Then came Mangaung. Mangaung threatened Zuma's position. However, not that Mangaung is behind us we can already see that powerful God-decisions have been made. For example, the ANC has decided not to privatize mines in South Africa. This breathes a big sigh of relief for our country's economy and foreign investment.
Something very prophetic took place in Mangaung. Let me explain. In the recent years many, including Dr Jonathan David, a prolific prophet and apostle from Malaysia, have prophesied that God will supernaturally bring an end to racial division, racial tension and violence. God promised that He would shut the mouths of the proponents of racial tension and division in this nation. Julius Malema was a major role player and proponent of racial tension in our nation. He supported Kalema Motlanthe's campaign for the presidency. Kalema in return was a defender of Julius Malema. This is why God ensured that Kalema Motlanthe not only lost his campaign for the presidency but also that he be removed from the political structures of our nation altogether. He has suffered the same faith as Julius Malema. If Kalema had come into power, we can be certain that Julius Malema would have been reinstated as a member of the ANC not long after. Kalema's regime would have given leverage to unnecessary racial provocation, conflict and tension in our nations. God could not allow this!
I was glad with the outcome and results of Mangaung. It made perfect sense. I can see the hand of the Father in this. Jacob Zuma and his camp had won. Zuma will continue the work God had started in him and he will be a catalyst for the purposes of God in our nation. Interestingly, towards the latter part of his first term, some interesting develpoments took place. Zuma dramatically reshuffled his cabinet by removing some of his scandalous comrade-ministers. Also Julius Malema was disciplined and expelled from the ANC altogether. This is what we longed to see from our president ever since he took office. This is the kind of president South Africa needed.
Then came Mangaung. Mangaung threatened Zuma's position. However, not that Mangaung is behind us we can already see that powerful God-decisions have been made. For example, the ANC has decided not to privatize mines in South Africa. This breathes a big sigh of relief for our country's economy and foreign investment.
Something very prophetic took place in Mangaung. Let me explain. In the recent years many, including Dr Jonathan David, a prolific prophet and apostle from Malaysia, have prophesied that God will supernaturally bring an end to racial division, racial tension and violence. God promised that He would shut the mouths of the proponents of racial tension and division in this nation. Julius Malema was a major role player and proponent of racial tension in our nation. He supported Kalema Motlanthe's campaign for the presidency. Kalema in return was a defender of Julius Malema. This is why God ensured that Kalema Motlanthe not only lost his campaign for the presidency but also that he be removed from the political structures of our nation altogether. He has suffered the same faith as Julius Malema. If Kalema had come into power, we can be certain that Julius Malema would have been reinstated as a member of the ANC not long after. Kalema's regime would have given leverage to unnecessary racial provocation, conflict and tension in our nations. God could not allow this!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Contemporary Church: A House of Foolishness
Foolishness in the House of God - Part 1
Believers cannot break away from the Harlot’s grip over their lives until they begin to embrace Wisdom. See Prov.2:cf 12 with 16, and 7:4-5. Only wisdom can save and deliver you out of her clutches.
The first step in gaining wisdom is to put away Foolishness from our lives & our faith. Remember, foolishness characterises the house of the Harlot, while wisdom characterises the Bride (the true church) – Prov.9:1f, cf 13 (“undisciplined/simple[Heb: naive, foolish] & knows nothing[Heb: to have no knowledge, understanding or learning]”). Wisdom asks us to put away our simple/foolish ways so that we can live (9:6).
It is obvious then that those who become enchanted with the Harlot’s spell are the simple-minded, gullible believers that lack wisdom & knowledge (Prov.6:32 “lacks judgement/understanding”). The people who become her victims, or faithful stalwarts, are always the spiritually immature ones (Prov.7:7).
The Manifestations of Foolishness in the House of God.
1. The believer’s refusal to be disciplined or corrected.
- Those who hate being disciplined are generally those that are cohabitating with the Harlot. It is only later, when the life of God has been drained from them, will they realise that discipline/correction was not a bad thing after all (Prov.5:11-12). This hatred for discipline/ correction is synonymous with foolishness (v.23).
- Discipline & correction are Kingdom mechanisms put in place by God to counter-act the Harlot’s advances (Prov.6:23-24).
- Correction & discipline are administered by the authority structures(“fathers”) over our lives (Prov.15:5 “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence”).
2. The believer’s self-righteous spirit.
- Prov.12:15 “The way of a fool seems right to him/in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
3. The believers that unashamedly accommodate evil
- Prov.13:19 “..fools detest turning from evil.”
- Prov.14:10 “Fools mock at making amends for sin…”
4. The believer’s uncanny ability to break rather than build the Church
- Prov.14:1 “A wise woman builds her house but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”
- Most believers are unaware of the need for the church to be built. They view the church as the end in itself – not a means to an end. So they don’t co-operate with God to build His church. If they are not building, they indirectly & directly contribute to its breaking.
5. The believer’s inability to bring his emotions/feelings under control
- Prov.29:11 “A fool gives full vent to his anger/vents all his feelings”
- This speaks of the intensity of emotions & its effects on the believer’s mind, life, decisions. Also, the continuity of emotional outbursts, and one’s inability to restrain oneself emotionally.
6. The believer & the church does not have a voice in society
- Prov.24:7 “Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.” He has no voice with all who assemble at the ‘gate’. There are 3 images associated with the city gates in the OT:
i. A controlled access point – the city could monitor & regulate all persons & things that wanted access into it. Spiritually, this task is given to the church in a city or region. God has given us the keys to bind & loose.
The fool is a believer/leader who has the opportunity to articulate God’s Word but he is void of revelation & understanding.
ii. A place where city leaders sat to administrate & make judicial decisions. The gate is also governmental in character. Here the leaders or elders handed down decisions. It was a place for public deliberation. It was also where the king or rulers would have an audience(Josh.20:4; Est.3:2-3)
God wants His church to have a voice in the governmental structures of society. It is foolish for a church to exist in a community & not govern it (spiritually, at first, and practically thereafter). The church in Stanger stands before society as a fool because we have no answers.
iii. A place for business transactions It was at the gates that business contracts were made & witnessed (Ruth 4:11; 2 Kings 7:1). It housed the cities commerce chambers. It was the place where public economy was administrated. The marketplace was also set up near the city gates.
Again, the church remains clueless about the economics of the city and nation. God is raising up a Joseph generation, a church that will infiltrate & influence the economy of nations. Foolish churches, pastors, and members will shy away from such mammoth tasks.
Conclusion: The church must move from being a house of foolishness & become a house of strength a power, a force to be reckoned with. in the earth!
Foolishness in the House of God - Part 2
1 Sam.25:1f
Nabal & Abigail are types/ symbols of the two types of churches/ Christian in the earth today. Abigail represents Wisdom i.e. the house of wisdom, the true church that God is building in the earth. Nabal represents the house of Foolishness, the harlot church in the earth.
Abigail’s name means “my father rejoices”. Prov.10:1 says: “A wise son brings joy to his father/ makes glad his father”. Abigail therefore represents wisdom either in the form of a wise son or a wise house i.e. a church built by wisdom. Moreover, in v.3, Abigail is said to be “intelligent/a woman of good understanding”. The Hebrew word means “understanding, wisdom or knowledge”. She is a type of the house of wisdom.
Nabal’s name means “fool” (v.25). It also means a vile or disgraceful person, a foolish man, a foolish woman!(cf Prov.9:13; 14:1) He represents the house of foolishness/ the harlot church. His character is also described for us. It is an accurate description of the character of believers who succumb to the harlot’s advances. He was “surly/harsh(hard, stubborn, stiff-necked) and mean/evil(a bad person, an evildoer) in his doings”.
- Nabal was wealthy (v.2). He had much livestock. The financial success of Christians & the numerical growth of churches are not signs that foolishness is absent.
The irony here is that Abigail was married to Nabal. It is absurd for Wisdom to covenant with Foolishness. But sometimes even true sons of God cohabitate with the harlot and they find it difficult to shake off or escape from the harlot’s grip on their lives.
However, the true nature of Abigail & Nabal manifests when David confronts their house. When confronted by David, they stand distinct from each other, diametrically opposed to each other. David is a type of the Christ. When the church moves from its own agenda & embraces the divine demand to become a dwelling place for God & a grace supplier for the nations, judgement begins in the house. Every member of that church has to decide where he stands in regard to that demand.
1. A fool cannot recognise & embrace a new prophetic season or a new move of God(v.10a).
- Nabal views David as an absconder and a renegade. He treats David like a runaway slave.
- How many believers refuse to transition to a new day in God? Their understanding of God & His doings has not changed over the years; their attitudes & behaviour patterns have not been impacted or drastically altered either.
2. A fool is a patriot of the old order/ old move of God (v.10b).
- Nabal speaks in defence of King Saul. Nabal sees King Saul as the master & David as a runaway servant.
- Some believers are very patriotic adherents of old seasons of God. They remain ignorant about the new manoeuvrings of God’s Spirit, or they just gullibly follow the religion of the masses.
3. Abigail represents the church that knows how to accurately retaliate in a season of divine demand (v.18-19).
- Abigail recognises Nabal’s error & compensated for it immediately. Her understanding of the situation & her response to it are a clear indications that she operated on a totally different frequency from Nabal.
- God is raising up an Abigail-generation in His church today. This is a generation that will not respond with foolishness especially to the promptings of heaven. They will operate on a totally distinct frequency. They will identify the voice of God & respond appropriately. They will also recognise & cast out the foolish woman & her son (foolish ways).
4. Abigail recognises & submits herself to God’s prophetic purposes (v.23-24).
- She bows down on the ground before David. In doing so, she not only placed herself at his mercy but also showed that she esteemed him & his authority.
- This is the church/ believer that knows how to engage a new move or prophetic season in God. They allow their lives to become fully compliant with the divine standard.
5. Abigail was a patriot of the new order/ new move of God (v.29-31).
- Unlike Nabal, she calls David her “master/lord” & she refers to King Saul as “someone/ a man” (v.29). She also believed the prophetic promises & Word of the Lord concerning David – that he would be Israel’s next ruler.
- These are the believers that choose to embrace the new things that God is doing. They inform themselves well and adjust their paradigms to live according to the higher demands of a new season. They are wise men that ascend the mountains of the Lord & scan new horizons in the spirit. When they receive the vision of the Lord, they write it, preach it & run with it – not looking back.
6. Abigail gains David’s favour (v.35).
- He receives her gifts, he heeds her voice, and he respects her person
- A church that is received & respected in the heavens. A house of stature in the land.
Conclusion: Nabal suffers either a stroke or heart failure. He enters into a state of paralysis, immobility & stiffness or deadness(v.37). Within a day, his heart moves from being merry(v.36) to being dead (v.37). Within a day, the tide can turn for believers & churches that accommodate foolishness. Ultimately, haphazard Christianity will lead to spiritual tragedy.
Abigail becomes David’s wife (v.40-42) and a future queen of Israel because she chose to operate on a frequency that would not accommodate Foolishness - but operate contrary to it.
Monday, January 9, 2012
What a joke: ANC attempts to give South Africa to ancestral spirits. LOL!
The Church found itself in pandemonium recently when it realized that the ANC intended to dedicate South Africa to ancestral spirit as part of its centenary celebrations. In panic mode the Church resorted to last minute prayer and fasting efforts, prayer chains and other mass vigils. Its intent: “to pray against the invoking of ancestral spirits and the safety of our families and children”. The messages sent by the Church over mobile phones and email had a tone of hopeless (eg. “may God have mercy on us” and “take this very seriously”).
Sadly this kind of response from the Church is actually an indictment against it. It is a reflection of the mentality of Christians who think they are the tail and that the enemy is the head. This is an error. The Church has its doctrine in reverse. Its response to the ANC’s efforts shows how immature and deceived Christians truly are.
Church, let me tell you why the ANC’s efforts to give South Africa over to ancestral spirits is absolutely futile and nonsensical.
1. The ANC cannot give away something that does not belong to them in the first place. South Africa does not belong to the ANC. They may be ruling in the political domain of the nation but definitely not in the spiritual. In fact, even the political rule is God-ordained because there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God (Rom.13:1). In the spirit God has already set his son, his authority i.e. the Church to rule and reign on His behalf. The landscape over South Africa therefore truly belongs to Christ and His Church. We, in Christ, are the rightful custodians and set authority over this land. Let me therefore declare, in no uncertain terms, that the ANC does not own South Africa.
2. As God’s set authority over South Africa, the Church has already positioned herself as the strongman over this nation. We are seated with Christ far above all principalities and powers – even ancestral spirits for that matter (Eph. 1:20-21; 2:6). We are seated at the right hand. This is the hand of authority and rule because it holds the sceptre. This is our position! We are the legitimate rule and authority over this nation. We can never be displaced from this position by mere ancestral spirits.
3. It is our spiritual position at His right hand that gives us authority to release governmental prayers and decrees against any infiltration of foreign spirits over our nation. We do not need the masses of Christians to do this. Trying to rally numbers within the Church to pray against these spirits is both unnecessary and incorrect. Our ability as Church to rule and reign is not governed by numerical figures but by our spiritual position in Christ. He has already invested supernatural strength and power in us to trample serpents and scorpions.
4. Ancestral spirits – or any other spirits for that matter – should be the least of our concerns as Christ’s Church. They can do us no harm. They have no power over us and can find nothing in us. In fact, it is us, the Church, who have exercise power over spirits (cf Luke 10:19, Eph.1:20-21). Remember, Christ and His Church are manifesting in the earth to obliterate the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Also remember, we co-exist with unclean spirits around us all the time. After tempting Christ, satan departed from Him but only “for a season”.
5. God’s people must be unafraid and unmoved by spirits in the atmosphere. Paul’s epistles show us how the Church existed strong in the midst of heathen nations. The Old Testament provides plenty examples for us as well. We see how Joseph lived alone in the midst of the magic and mysticism of Egypt. Daniel and his friends dwelt in the spirit-infested land of the Chaldeans. None of these sons of God were moved by the mysticism and sacrifices of these nations. In the midst of all this demonic activity, these sons of God rose up and turned the tide. Paul ensured that the entire Asia Minor heard the gospel (Acts 19:10), Joseph salvaged the nation of Egypt, and Daniel rose up to be prime minister and even converted the heathen king, Nebuchadnezzar.
Church, why should we be moved and made so fearful? We have nothing to be afraid of. It’s a fact that many South Africans do not believe in Christ and these may covenant with unclean spirits – just like the ANC is doing at present. Unclean spirits will always be released over cities and nations by the undiscerning. But this is no problem for us, the Church. Our authority supercedes there’s. Moses’ rod became a serpent when it was thrown on the ground before Pharaoh. This was done by the power of God as a sign to Pharaoh. However, Pharaoh’s servant did the very same thing; when they threw their rods they turned into serpents. Sometimes we feel like the powers of darkness are more powerful than us. Not so. Victory is the Church’s destiny. In a turn of events, the serpent that came from Moses’ rod swallowed up all the other serpents! God is with us, Church! Who can be against us? None of the principalities, powers - or ancestral spirits - can stand against us.
So I laugh off the ANC’s futile efforts to give South Africa over to ancestral spirits. Church, you should too. This should be our only accurate and biblical response. Psalm 2 says that when the rulers of this age rise up against the Lord and His anointed One (the Church), the Lord sits in the heavens and laughs. He laughs because He has already set His King on His holy hill of Zion. We, the Church are also sitting with Him in heavenly positions. What can therefore be our response but except to laugh with Him. It is a joke for the ANC to even think that South Africa belongs to them.
May God’s Church rise up to its position of stature and not be moved by the futile works of darkness.
Nel Sewraj
Monday, May 9, 2011
More Weightier Matters Than Service Delivery
2 Kings 2:19-22
“And the men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Please notice, the site of the city is good, as my lord sees, but the waters are bad; and the ground is barren.’
And he said, ‘Bring a new dish to me, and put salt it.’ And they brought it to him.
And he went out to the source of the waters and threw salt there, and said, ‘Thus says the LORD, I have given healing to these waters; there shall not be death and barrenness there any more.’ And the waters were healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha that he spoke.”
Service delivery has to do with the physical needs and infrastructure of a city ("the site/situation of the city"). Although this may be important for many when it comes to elections, I believe that their are other more important matters like the morals and values of a city ("the waters"). These are the more weightier matters than service delivery from which we as the Church cannot distance ourselves. Good service delivery is not all.
A case in point is in the Western Cape’s Cape Town Unicity. The DA boasts about their service delivery excellence here. Yet they supported a bill to legalise sex tourism and proposed a Red Light District for Cape Town during the World Cup 2010. Cape Town is known as the gay-capital of Africa and the second largest gay-capital of the world! So much so that the Gay & Lesbian Alliance joined the DA in 2004 instead of contesting the elections on their own. So what's the point of having the best service delivery system in place when, in terms of its morals and spirit, a city is so opened to hell?
Morals and principles are important to God and the Church and therefore cannot be swept under the carpet. This proves that you cannot vote for a party on the basis of good service delivery only. Most political parties are responsible for the following:
1. Voting for the removal of the name or mention of God from the SA Constitution
2. Supporting abortion-on-demand and voting for it in parliament
3. Voting for gay marriages in parliament
4. Opposing capital punishment against murderers
5. Making the education of our children "State-controlled" instead of “Parent-controlled on” (so that we can protect our children from lessons on Evolution, gay-marriages, the good of other religions, worldly cultures and philosophies)
As God’s Church, our stance on such issues can attract either God’s favour or judgement. Therefore, who you vote for is critical to your city's productivity and future destiny in God. I vote for the ACDP because they represent the godly values that I subscribe to.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Democratic Alliance welcomes gays!
Gays say that the Democratic Alliance is the best party to vote for. Many reports confrim this. Also, there are a number of public gays within the DA. That's not all. In the 2004 elections the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of South Africa decided to join the DA instead of fighting the election on their own. The DA weloomed them with open arms!
That's why, just like the ANC, God will neither allow the DA to grow or to become the ruling party. Never. God will instead reject & bring judgement on the DA. It's only a matter of time. So why should you side with that which God has rejected?
That's why, just like the ANC, God will neither allow the DA to grow or to become the ruling party. Never. God will instead reject & bring judgement on the DA. It's only a matter of time. So why should you side with that which God has rejected?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Case of the Missing Christian Vote
Ever since the dawn of democracy in the early nineties one thing has always baffled me: how Christians make up about 80% of the South African population but a Christian party has never won at the polls. In fact only about 2% of this 80% have supported a Christian party like the ACDP. So what’s the story with the other 78% of Christians? Here are some possible explanations:
1. Millions of Christians in South Africa have been easily persuaded by a party’s brand and size and less concerned about the party’s manifesto. This is a great tragedy especially when we consider that the big-name parties like the ANC and DA have manifestos that oppose Christian values & biblical principles.
2. Christians vote for non-Christian parties because they fear for their future. We must admit then that the true motivation behind the Christian vote is fear - not faith. People’s insecurities will always manifest as the election draws near. They always choose the familiar and the safe at the expense of their faith. So generally Black Christians will vote ANC or IFP, White Christians will stick with the DA and so on. This is immaturity personified and it reflects the undone-ness of God’s church!
3. Many well-meaning born-again Christians subscribe to the idea that elections & voting is secular and not for mature Christians. They propose that the church should be separate from the state. The church should only pray. These Christians will not vote for a Christian party and may sometimes be hostile towards Christian parties.
4. A large portion of the 80% are made up of Zion Christians, the Shembe movement and other Afro-Christian ancestral movements. Generally these so-called Christians may have their allegiance with the ruling party. A Christian party is taboo for them.
5. A number of Christians have become disillusioned by the empty promises of political campaigns & the lack of service delivery. They are indifferent towards the elections because they feel it makes no difference. As God-fearing Christian, their disillusionment may also arise from the minority representation of the population with Christian parties
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)