Family Life 
We thank God for His amazing grace upon our family. We thank God for sustaining us in various areas of our lives. The Lord is continuing to work in our lives to change us to be more like His Son Jesus Christ. Through His Word, Holy Spirit and circumstances the Lord is humbling us and causes us to behold His Son Jesus Christ. We thank God for the times we are able to have devotions in our family. Through them we strive to mortify the deeds of the flesh and strive to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. In our devotion we read the Scriptures and pray together. It’s not always easy but by God’s grace we are striving to maintain family devotions.Our girls have done so well in their first term school results, and we thank God for His grace upon them, who gives them understanding and wisdom to comprehend what they are learning at school. We thank God that they also still attend children’s ministry consistently and willingly.

Local Church Ministry
The Lord according his grace continues to build and keep his church. He began the work and he is sustaining the work and he will bring it to completion and fulfil all his purposes. We thank God I witness growth in some members of our church. Our midweek services are well attended and we notice a consistency with the Sunday service attendees also. 

Through His word God is exposing and changing our hearts and humbles us by showering us with his undeserved blessings. Our church is a village church and disadvantaged area but the Lord is changing the lives of people both spiritually and socially. Amongst the members few young people are employed as educators by the government and it is a milestone for our
church which has a humble beginning and which is still not developed. We just pray that these young people may have hearts that love Jesus that they will be able to be a blessing to the church.

 

In some of our African churches we face difficulties when it comes to people who are blessed to support God’s work. I’m not really sure where we get this wrong. Some of our African Christians both the poor and well to do are not givers. They tend to be self-centered and it is the battle that we still face even with members of our church. Generosity is a huge struggle to some who are blessed by God. But we thank God for the few that are faithfully worship God with their finances. I just trust that we need to hold on there and persevere to teach the word and let God do only what He can; soften peoples hearts and teach them to be generous.

It was an exciting April as a sister Dzuniso Chauke and brother Oupa Mabaso (one of our first members of our church) were united in holy matrimony married. Having grown up in our church it was a time of great rejoicing for all and wonderful encouragement especially for the youth to follow in her footsteps. The bridegroom is from our mother church, Muchipisi where Pastor Kenneth is shepherds. We thank God for His grace. And this will edify the church and witness for our Saviour who is the author of marriage.

Our church ministries are going well, especially the youth ministry and for that we thank God. We have a number of young people who attend the youth services on Fridays consistently. I’m currently shepherding and assisting in youth ministry. My fellow elder Pastor Stanford Chauke was responsible for youth ministry but since he is now pastoring our church plant in his village I have taken over the youth ministry. Our arrangement is that some days the two groups will be combined for fellowship and co-labouring. Our prayer is that God may raise other young men to take over this ministry, until such a time, I will be ministering and shepherding the youth of our church.

 

Church Plant

Our new church plant is coming along very well. Pastor Stanford and his wife are doing a good job there to shepherd this new church. The ministries are going well and the number of the people and the commitment is so impressive. The Lord is building this church in such a wonderful way. It’s a new church but their zeal and commitment is amazing. Please keep this young church in your prayers and that the body would grow into a mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Aaron’s personal study and devotion 
In my personal study I have been blessed to read the book by Erwin W. Lutzer called “One minute after you die”. It is such a wonderful book that warmed my heart and gave me a very clear picture about what the Bible teaches about afterlife. I think it’s also a great resource to help us teach others about what the Bible teaches on life after death. 

I have also been blessed reading an anthology from the Reformed Pastor by Stuart Baxter called “Pastoral Ministry”. One of the things that really convicted me it’s when he was talking about a pastor as an example and he said, “One proud, surly, lordly word, one needless contention, one covetous action, may cut the throat of many a sermon.” I learned that how I live has much impact on my preaching and teaching. I may strive to preach well but I may shut people’s hearing by my ungodly living.

I’m currently reading a book by Joseph Allein called a “Sure Guide To Heaven.” Yoo-hoo it’s such a great book as well. When talking about the mistakes about conversion he says, conversion is not taking upon us the profession of Christianity. Conversion is not putting on the badge of Christ in baptism. Conversion does not lie in moral righteousness. Conversion does not consist in an external conformity to the rules of piety. Conversion is not the mere chaining up of corruption by education, human laws or the force of affliction. And Conversion does not consist in illumination or conviction or in a superficial change or partial change or partial reformation. On this point he says, “So a man may pass through various transmutations, from ignorance to knowledge, from profanity to civility, then to a form of religion, and all this time he is still carnal and unregenerate, his nature remains unchanged.” He continues: “O repent and be converted, break off your sins by righteousness. Away to Christ for pardoning and renewing grace. Give up yourselves to Him, to walk with Him in holiness, or you shall never see God.” These books have challenged me to be faithfully devoted to His work and to be certain about my preparedness to meet my maker.

From the Scriptures I have reading the book of 1 John and I was very much humbled and built up to examine myself if I love my brother and if I don’t continue to live in sin and if I do not love the world and if I keep God’s commandments. It challenged me to examine myself to see if I am in the faith. I thank God for His sweet word and the writings of other men that are so
enlightening about the truth of God’s word. They both sharpen me spiritually and encourage me to be more equipped for ministry. This plus the time I spend tutoring Mukhanyo classestruly sharpen me to keep focused and challenged and growing. Recently at Mukhanyo I have been teaching African church history and I’m learning about African and South African Church History. I’m so grateful to God for these opportunities, I am so thankful to God for the privilege of attending an Apologetics conference in Harare, Zimbabwe in January. My colleague from Mukhanyo extended the invitation and also helped cover a large part of my travel cost. We had a fruitful time to learn about defending our faith, learning from the suited men and interacting with the fellow attendees was so enriching. Currently we are enrolled into the certificate program which will end in July. It is an excellent online study attended on Saturdays, with affordable fees,  and thank God for my colleague who also covered my fees for this course. This certificate course is ran by Apologeticts on Mission based in USA.

Dumela Mission Trip

Praise God I was able to join the Amazing Grace Baptist Church Mission trip to Mozambique in February. We were in the village called Dumela along the Limpopo corridor in the Pafuri area. There we shared the gospel with the locals and had services in the local church. The church was also facing some challenges and we were able to try and help the church to commit to God’s work and to be of the same mind. We had a wonderful time there in many ways. We thank God for AGBC Mission which is a ministry of a joint effort of our Amazing Grace Baptist Churches in Malamulele. We are coming alongside churches in Mozambique to encourage them and to help them reach out their communities. The Lord is building His church in Mozambique and we are privileged to be part of the wonderful work He is doing in Mozambique.

African Pastors Conference
I thank God for the African Pastors Conference I attended with my fellow pastors in February in Mogalakwena, Mokopane. It was a two days conference was very refreshing and convicting as we surveyed the gospel according to the book of Romans. The sub-themes were: The gospel: The power of God for salvation. The failure of human righteousness. God’s provision for salvation justification. Deliverance: Freedom from sin and wrath. The Spirit of life in Christ. God’s Sovereignty in
salvation. The gospel must be proclaimed to every nation. Holiness in the church and Holiness
in all of life.

Praise Items
– Praise God with us for the work that He is doing in the lives of the members of the church to
transform them to grow in their faith and to be committed to God’s work.
– Praise God for the people who are consistent in coming to church to hear His word and worship
Him.
Prayer Items
– Please pray for our church to continue growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ so as to live lives worthy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
– Pray for the members of the church to be faithful and generous givers.
– Pray for our church to strive to seek the glory of God in all that we do.
– Pray for God to provide for all our needs.

May the grace and peace from God be with you all.
Yours in Christ’s Harvest,
Aaron Ndove,
Amazing Grace Baptist Church Xigalo,

Limpopo Malamulele