1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

Change Bible Church
Change news
Volume 2, Issue 2
March 2013
Inside this issue:
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the Easter edition of
Change News. In a few hours, the
Change Bible Church Easter Convention 2013 will begin. We thank
the Lord once more for the privilege to celebrate His work on the
cross with our church family as we
anticipate another awesome Easter
convention. In case you have not
heard, Dr Eva Seobi, Bishop
Tudor Bismark, Bishop Stanley
Simunyola and Dr Elijah Maswanganyi will be sharing the Word
this weekend. Bishop Tudor Bismark’s message from last year,
entitled ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ still
resonates in many people's hearts
and minds, and I am sure this year
will be even better. Thank you to
our Senior Pastor for his obedience,
his tenacity and can-do attitude.
Viva!
In this issue, we have attempted to
strike a balance between words and
pictures. This does not mean that
we have shifted from our original
mandate of ‘promoting a culture of
reading within the church’, but we
are trying to appease divergent preferences. Some people prefer reading;
while others prefer looking at pictures. I prefer both!
keeping with the theme for this
month, we thought we would go
back to the basics of Christianity and
what it means, hoping that it will
strike a chord with both the bornagain and not yet born-again, if you
will. Please do enjoy the cartoons on
page 3– it’s good, clean humour:-)
God did create humour after all,
innit?
On page1, you will see some portraits from the Men’s braai that took
place on the 16th of March. You will
also see some pictures of the Bible
School 2013 class. In case you don't
know, the classes will resume on
Tuesday, the 2nd of April, next week.
Join me there. You can get the application forms from the Church Office
during the week, or at the Info desk
on Sundays. This is an opportunity of
a lifetime if you desire to be a student of God’s Word and a knowledgeable and wise Mzalwane overall.
From the Changemedia Team, we wish you
a blessed Easter weekend.
Lindz
Page 2 sees the continuation of the
article from last month, ‘Discovering
your Destiny’, this time focusing on
developing a vision for your life. In
This Month in Pictures
1
Discovering your
Destiny– Part two
2
What is Christianity
3
Church Information
4
Biblical HermeneuticsPart two
4
‘All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to
the end of the age.” Matt28:1820
This month in Pictures
Easter Convention 2013!
MARCH
See u there!
29 March - Good Friday
31 March - Easter Sunday
01 April - Family Day
Easter is a Christian festival and
holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third
day after His crucifixion.
Men’s Braai. Now for the ladies…
Easter is a movable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the
calendar.
The custom of the Easter eggs
originated amongst the early
church of Mesopotamia, who
stained eggs red in memory of
the blood of Christ shed at crucifixion. The Christian church officially adopted the custom, regarding the eggs as a symbol of the
resurrection.
Bible School Open Day. Official
start date– Tuesday, 2nd April 2013
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Change News
Page 2
Discovering your Destiny - Part two
A Vision for your life
Destiny and calling - what
Vision– how
Calling and destiny indicate the potential of God’s
greatness and purpose for our lives. Vision is
what makes it real and most tangible– something
we can see in our hearts. Hebrews 11:13 describes how God’s heroes of faith ‘saw the things
promised, and welcomed them from a distance.’
This is the essence of what vision is - seeing detail
in the promise of God for our lives (the call of
God), and welcoming it with joy as Gods destiny
even though it may be far from fulfilment.
The importance of vision

Proverbs 28:19 shows that ‘without vision,
the people perish (or live without restraint).’
Human beings are created to live for a
cause and a purpose. Without such purpose, we are tempted to live unrestrained, idle and despondent lives. Vision
produces that ‘something definite’ for us
to live for

Vision is also important for us as it gives
us something to be accountable to

Habakkuk 2:3– Vision gives us certainty
and firm foundations for our energy.
Similarly, vision gives us clarity in making
decisions (‘so that a herald may run with
it’). We can evaluate opportunities in
terms of our vision.
How we develop vision
If we examine the vision that those mentioned in
Hebrews 11 had, it is clear that if flowed from
Gods’ promises and that He was the initiator of
vision in the lives of the heroes of faith. Without
a doubt, God, as the author and perfecter of our
faith, is the initiator of vision for our lives. However, many Christians make a mistake in thinking
that a fully developed vision will come from God
to each of us, and that from then we will have a
clear direction and passion for the future.
-Firstly, God looks for a seeking heart. Passivity
which is sometimes justified as ‘waiting on God’ is
inconsistent with a hungry and seeking heart.
-Secondly, God does not make all the decisions in
our lives. He gives us a will and mind to think so
that, with sanctified motives and godly wisdom
from His Word, we are able to make decisions
that glorify Him.
Developing a vision for your life
The six ‘P’s of vision provide guidance for
developing a vision for your life. There is a lot
more to developing a vision than simply receiving a prophetic word from an external
source, or expecting God to paint the full
picture for you in a dream of vision. It takes
thought, consultation, prayer and exploration
to develop God’s vision for your life.
Each of the six ‘P’s provide a piece of the
overall puzzle. No one piece should be overemphasised or considered in isolation from
the others. We must realise that vision develops progressively in our lives. As we progress
in our vision, we will begin to identify God’s
purposes more clearly.

Vision is Predestined: look behind
God has prepared our life’s plan before we
were born, and has providentially shaped the
events of our past, even before we became
Christians. Because of this we must consider
our past, the preparation we have received,
the people we have been exposed to and the
things we have learnt. These are all clues for
the future

Vision is Personal: look within
Look within you to the desires that are in
your heart. God has created each one of us,
an placed desires in our hearts - but check
your motives.

Vision is People-focussed: look around
God usually inter-weaves our destiny and
purpose (and hence the vision we should follow) with the people that He has placed
around us, particularly the local church in
which He has planted us. We should therefore
consider what He is doing in the lives of the
people close to us, and what the vision of our
church is.


Vision is Posterity-focused: look
at the generations to follow
God’s purpose for our lives continues
as He desires us to pass on the baton
to our children, and they in turn to
their children. You may not completely fulfil the end purpose of your destiny in God.
Personal assignment:
-Write down what you understand
right now as being the key features
of God’s call on your life.
-Using these key features, begin to
dream and develop a 10 year picture of your life. Imagine your life
10 years from now. What have you
achieved in each area of your life
(family, church, career, etc.)
SALE!!! SALE!!! SALE!!!
THE CHANGE BOOKSHOP IS
RUNNING A HALF-PRICE SALE
THIS EASTER WEEKEND.
BOOKS, MUSIC DVD’S AND
CD’S, SERMON DVD’S ARE ALL
ON SALE AT 50% OFF MARKED
PRICE
Vision is Prophetic: look above
-Firstly, vision flows from God’s Word to us.
We must seek out God’s will and His Word
to us,
-Secondly, vision requires faith in God to be
fulfilled. As is often said, “If your vision doesn't
scare you it is not from God.” A vision from
God must stretch our faith.

sider the resources we have and our
capabilities.
Vision is Practical: look in your hand
We must think of what can be done with the
things we have. If you have money, think of
what you can do with it for God. If you have
skills, how can you use them. We must con-
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ALSO ON SALE IS THE ‘LOVE
ABOVE ALL’ EASTER
PRODUCTION DVD.
FOR ONLY R45!!!
Volume II, Issue II
Page 3
What is Christianity?
Many people, including some Christians
think that being a Christian means being
religious, that God should be worshiped in
a particular way, in order for our faith to
be legitimate. This is a false and deceiving
statement. Rather, through Jesus Christ,
we are introduced to a magnificent, holy
but totally loving God.
Christianity is a relationship with this God,
a way of life that does not separate our
‘Christian’ and ‘secular’ beliefs, but instead
defines who we are, and who we will
become. It is applying Godly and biblical
principles in our life. That is, loving God
first, and loving people around us, even
our enemies, just as we love ourselves. It
is following the example of Jesus.
Christianity’s foundations are found in
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We
must acknowledge the greatest mystery of
all time: God’s plan to redeem humankind
and restore all people. In Christ, the mystery has been revealed, to the benefit of
all people!
The Bible says, “But now in Christ Jesus you
who were far off have been brought near
through the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians
2:13). Thus we note that through the
death of Christ by crucifixion we are
brought closer to God. The broken rela-
tionship between God and man is mended.
Christianity goes beyond the concept of
religion. In truth it brings about a new
kind of life; ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old thing have passed away; behold
all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians
5:17). This is what it means to be ‘born
again’; a spiritual transformation.
Christianity is a lifestyle meant to be lived
today! Prayer, the conversation between
man and God, shifts from being a mindless
ritual to a meaningful interaction. The
Word of God ceases to be a book of
religious rules, and becomes a guide for
life. This undoubtedly distinguishes Christianity from any other religion. It is not
about rules, but about love.
at the door and knock. If anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat
with him, and he with me.” You have a
choice to make, the choice of rejecting
Him or accepting Him as your Lord.
As disciples or followers of Christ we are
called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
As Christians we are representatives of
Christ on earth. We are called to renew
our minds from our old way of thinking to
a way that is in line with God’s Word
(Romans 12:2) We do this by reading the
Bible, meditating (continuously thinking)
on the scriptures we read and applying
them in our lives. In Joshua 1:8 it is written: ‘Do not let this Book of the law depart
form your mouth; meditate on it day and
night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”
How do we become Christians then? God
is totally holy, meaning that as imperfect
people we cannot hope to relate to Him.
However, what cannot be accomplished
by people or good deeds, God was able to
do through Jesus Christ. When Jesus died,
it was substitute for us and our impurities. When He rose on the third day it
was a sign of triumph. Being a Christian
means accepting God’s offer of reconciliation, trusting Him, and asking Him to
change the course of your personal life.
Revelations 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand
For God so loved the world
That He Gave His one and only Son,
That whoever believes in Him,
Shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
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Change Bible Church
Sunday
Sunday Services 7am- 08:45am, 9am-11am, 11:15am-1pm
Intercessory Prayer 6.30am
Membership Class 8am, 9am and 10am
New Birth Class 9am
Physical Address:
485 Makau Street
Tsolo Section
Katlehong, 1431
Monday
Prayer 5am-6am
Prayer 6pm-7pm
New Birth Class 6pm
Phone: (011) 860 5203/5273
Fax: 086 698 8986
E-mail: [email protected]
Tuesday
Service 10am
Prayer 5pm-6pm
New Birth Class 6pm
Visit our website:
www.changebiblechurch.co.za
Wednesday
Prayer 5am-6am
Trans4meZ Prayer 4.30pm-5.30pm
Membership Class 6pm
Follow us on:
Church Banking Details
Building Fund Banking Details
Name: Life Changing Word Bible Church
Type: Money Market/Savings
Bank: FNB
Account no: 62065048334
Branch Code: 254605
Branch: Sandton City
Name: Life Changing Word Bible Church
Type: Cheque Account
Bank: FNB
Account no: 62065052781
Branch Code: 254605
Branch: Sandton City
Thursday
Service 6pm-8pm
Prayer 5am-6am
Intercessory Prayer 5.45pm
Senior Citizens Service 11am-1pm
Friday
Trans4meZ Bible Study 4pm-5pm
Rooted Prayer 6pm-7pm
You can contact the Editorial Team @:
[email protected]
Saturday
School of Prayer 3pm-5pm
Biblical Hermeneutics– Part two
“Open my eyes, Lord, that I might behold wondrous
things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)
Which translation of the Bible should I use?
There are three types of Bible translations:
1. Paraphrase (rephrasing of existing translations)
These are translations that seek to bridge all the
gaps between what is in the original manuscript and
the reader. Examples include: The Living Bible; The
Message. The problem with these translations is that
the reader ends up reading the ideas put forward by
the paraphraser and not the original writer.
2. The Dynamic Equivalent Modern Translation (thought-for-thought)
These translations sit loosely with the modern
equivalent of the original writings. They try to translate in a meaningful way by using the modern equivalents of biblical words/phrases. Examples include:
NIV, NLT, The Good News Bible
3. A Literal Translation (word-for-word)
This translation seeks to be faithful to the form of
the original language. Examples include: KJV, New
American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard
Version.
Modern versions of literal translations –which
seek to remain faithful to the original text but in
modern language are the NKJV, ESV and AMP.
Different translations are useful at different times,
but if you desire to carefully study God’s Word, a
literal translation is best!
Terminology
1. Exegesis– Exegesis is derived from two Greek
words which when translated mean ‘to lead out’.
Thus exegesis is used for leading or reading out
what text says- describes the process of ascertaining what a text of scripture says, having regard
to linguistic, grammatical, literary, historical, geographical, cultural and theological considerations.
2. Hermeneutics– Hermeneutics is the process of
interpreting for us today, the meaning and relevance of what has been discovered through exegesis.
When studying the Bible, you need to consider
the context within which it was written.
-The linguistic context. The original languages of
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the Bible are Ancient Hebrew, Ancient Aramaic and the News Testament Greek. To get the meaning of a
word look at its origins, compare it
in all its occurrences in the Bible,
what is its cultural meaning, look at
its equivalent in another language to
get some idea of what the meaning
might be.
-The cultural context. What was
the prevailing culture of the biblical
writers. This might, and probably is
different from our own.
-The geographical context. Become acquainted with the cities,
states empires mentioned in the
Bible; the climate, land, seas, mountains mentioned; the plants, birds,
animals of the Bible.
-The historical context. You need
to be familiar with the historical
settings of the events of the Bible;
the political context, the economic
and social context or environment,
the religious context or environment.
In the next issue we will look at
observation, or the art of surveying
and analysing a book of the Bible.
Question: Which Book of the Bible is
your favourite and why?