"There was a man sent from God..." What an incredibly powerful statement. In one short phrase it declares the royal august commissioning from God while at the same time pronounces the smallness and humility of any man by comparison. A man sent from God has a purpose and it must be DIVINE, for He is the Lord of all who has commissioned. Such commissioning is incredibly serious and means that there are CRITERION that must be met for a man to have been chosen and commissioned. People today do not realize this fact. Nobody will ever be commissioned who does not meet the standards set by the commissioning officer. In a world that has become accustomed to being forced into "we are all the same" mentality, it becomes very difficult to teach that God has choices and the only "sameness" in the Kingdom of Heaven is the BLOOD OF THE LAMB that gives general entry into this Kingdom. God, in sending a man, has watched that man, waited for that man and invested into that man so as to be able to commission him for Divine assignment. Beloved, we have been given an incredible DIVINE ASSIGNMENT: "Go Ye into all the world and preach the Gospel..." If I cannot personally "GO" then I can invest into someone FERTILE who will go or has gone.

At the same time that there is a clear purpose, there will also be a clear message When God sends, He commissions with crystal clear clarity. A great trumpet sound gives one clear note. What could be clearer in the Scriptures than the simple truth that at the sound of the LAST trump and the shout of the archangel, the DEAD IN CHRIST shall rise first and we that are ALIVE and REMAIN shall be caught up to meet Him in the air.

A man sent from God gives the clear and simple message that God desires to be presented and does not mix such with any addition or subtraction. God had to make the belly of the whale (Jonah called it HELL) more terrible for Jonah than the fear of Nineveh before Jonah would go to that terrible, wicked city and pronounce one simple word, "REPENT!" What could be more simple than that? When God gives His purpose and message it is to bring a response from people whom He has created and loves and has no desire that they should perish. The modern church has lost sight of the clarity of God's simple message that has never changed, "REPENT, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Men today send mixed messages that have intertwined personal opinions, personal ambitions and self effort and promotion. The message has become clouded.

A man sent from God instantly suggests dignity and honour, power and authority. If you are sent from God the attention is not on you but on Him and His message. It is amazing that all the messengers that God has ever sent have been simple, humble and approachable men if a person was hungry for truth but far from approachable if their deeds were about self. Jesus is the greatest messenger ever sent and came as servant of servants. He is so approachable when we are hungry for His truth but has little time for those who have another agenda.

God is looking for a man in this hour; a man of destiny who He may truly commission. He has a message, a clear sounding message for you to declare. It is "BEHOLD, the King COMETH." Beloved, there is an urgency, there is a cry of the Holy Spirit, there is a HEAVENLY purpose and call and God is waiting for a response. "Here am I," or "Speak Lord, thy servant heareth." God specializes in taking us out of the normal and mundane and commissioning us for His purpose and all he requires is instant, absolute OBEDIENCE and remaining in FOCUS.

We are already past the first half of the first decade of this new century. It seemed that it was only yesterday that we were celebrating the new millennium. World events are happening so fast and the time of the end is truly at hand. The church has become so  caught up with the world and the worldly mindset that the opportunities are greater than ever for the Lord to choose YOU and commission YOU for His purpose in this hour. Will you rise up, beloved, in 2006 and say, "Lord, I am all yours for whatever you desire."  John's message was clear and simple, "The Kingdom is at hand" and then, "Behold, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world."

No matter how many times you have made yourself available to the Lord, no matter how many times you have asked Him to use you, beloved, make a fresh covenant with Him right now. Stop as you read this and make a fresh, new covenant with Him to be wholly His and available for His purpose and watch what He will do this year in your life. 

MALAWI EVENTS

LADIES CONFERENCE

Kalibu Ministries has last month held a women’s seminar for three days at the Mulanje district church headquarters. The participants came from the five districts of Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu, Pholembo and Blantyre, all converging to Idzani Church in Mulanje. Among the subjects discussed at the seminar were marriage issues and the break up of families in the modern 21/22nd Century where some marriages hardly survive five or ten years. The reasons and causes of such break ups were thoroughly discussed and their remedies outlined.

The seminar was facilitated by our strongest and oldest female serving pastor- Pastor Alice Chigomire. She quoted the Bible from the book of Ruth 1:1-22, emphasizing that marriage is a covenant that a couple makes for the rest of their lives to live together in good and bad times and sickness and whatever other adversity comes their way for their entire lives.  It is never to be terminated for selfish reasons. She used the example of Ruth for an ideal marriage. She made the point that if the modern women and men are as faithful as Ruth, what a life long and successful marriage they would have!

She tackled family issues that cause marriage break up and urged the women to be responsible and respect the vocation that God Himself instituted and warned that women should play their roles as wives responsibly and in accordance to God’s commands. In the seminar twenty women who were not saved received Him as their personal Saviour and were baptized in the Holy Ghost. The seminar is expected to have a positive impact on the women and their walk in Christ in relation to their marriages and families. All the participants thanked Kalibu for organizing such an enlightening seminar at an time when it is most needed.

KALIBU WEDDINGS

Kalibu church has had another colorful wedding ceremony in December at their headquarters in Chileka-Blantyre. It was a joint wedding where six couples had their marriages blessed under the order of the church. Most of the couples have been together for at least three years but have not had their marriages blessed in church. It was not until the couples received sound Biblical teaching on marriage in Kalibu that they realized the significance of having their marriages blessed by God. All the couples received Christ as their personal Saviour before taking the marriage vows.

Pastor Frank Vandyke officiated at the ceremony.  This was the first time in his ministry work that he had performed a wedding.  It was a big blessing for him as he explained that he has never before had this opportunity.

He joined the couples and witnessed them take their vows before God and then prayed over them and blessed the marriages.   He encouraged the couples to hold to the vocation as instituted by God and urged them to lead a Christian lifestyle in their homes so that their children would emulate their Christian morals and principles and live an exemplary life.

The day was marked with joy, dancing, praise and worship to the Almighty God. The couples also received gifts form the congregation. Finally the day ended with meal of celebration.

 

 

 

MALAWIANS SURVIVE ON BAMBOO SEEDS

For the past five months people in rural Malawi have resorted to eating bamboo seeds, mangoes and termites out of desperation. The most vulnerable are the aged and children who already show serious signs of malnutrition. The harvest from last season has been so poor that some families harvested barely 90 kg of maize because of the drought that hit most parts of the country at the end of the last rainy season.

One woman from Salima district narrates how she and her family of five survive on the bamboo seeds for daily bread. “I leave every morning to go to the bamboo forest with other women from the village to scramble for the bamboo seeds.”  The seeds drop off from the bamboo every day and women sweep them and pack them in pails or baskets. “We don’t use bags because we get pricked by the sharp ends of the bamboo,” the woman narrates while showing the wounds in her palms from the exercise.

It takes a woman about two hours to prepare a meal from bamboo seeds. The seeds are first separated from stones and other unnecessary objects, and then pounded in a mortar. The grain is then poured into hot water and pounded again. It is then dried in the sun before cooking. 

 

Some people prefer eating it in porridge form while others grind the granules into flour to prepare a bread.  Bread made from bamboo with termites caught from the ant-hills has become a delicacy for the starving Malawians these days.

Surprisingly, the bamboo has produced more seeds this season than ever before.  “I don’t know what would have happened to us if we did not have the bamboo seeds in abundance” said a man in village. Children are no longer going to school as they can not concentrate in the class when hungry or they accompany their mothers to the forest to look for the precious bamboo seeds.

Although government and other humanitarian organization are trying to avert the hunger crisis which has already been declared a natural disaster all over the country, it has not been sufficient to feed all the affected.  Half of Malawi’s population- five million people are on the verge of starvation.

On behalf of the pastors, workers and villagers Kalibu Ministries is sending appreciation and sincere thanks to all our supporters who spiritually or materially send their support for people of Malawi during this crisis. Our prayer is that the Almighty will bless and reward them abundantly for the generosity and kindness to the people of Malawi.

Kalibu was able to purchase 15 tones of maize this month for the pastors and workers who otherwise were desperate. “We no longer rely on the world food programme (WFP) or the government for food,” said one pastor as he received a bag of maize.  “My family had not seen nsima (maize bread) on the table for weeks. What a rescue! My house will even have food to eat at Christmas and celebrate, thanks to Kalibu and the supporters,” the pastor concludes.

 

 

 MAIZE AT THE KALIBU COMPOUND READY FOR DELIVERY TO THE RURAL AREAS

BOOKS

TERROR BY NIGHT

Everyone has experienced the TERROR BY NIGHT at one time or another.   What is this TERROR?  Am I just experiencing bad dreams?   Every believer simply must read this latest book that becomes available this month.  Order directly and this book will be mailed to you at no extra cost.  It is imperative that you know your solid ground and how to stand against the enemy.  Written especially for believers who are under many attacks of the enemy particularly in the area of the mind, this book will greatly help you.

 

DVD/CD

By the end of January we will have available a teaching DVD on Creation by Pastor Michael Howard.  It will be available for $12.

We will have the same teaching available in CD form on 2 x CD’s for $12.

Please order this teaching as it is extremely powerful and you will be blessed.