Miracles and Medicine: Is it one or the other?

by André Kruger Pastor of Shofar East London I recently spoke to a Christian man who has been visiting our church for a month or two. He told me that he was blown away by the faith he experienced with us, that we would believe God to heal people miraculously in our church services. He … Read more

When Intimacy Hurts

by Ross van Niekerk Pastor of Shofar Durbanville Recent studies show an alarming increase in “sexless marriages” – in fact, The Times reported that more than 21 000 people search for help on this monthly via Google, outnumbering searches such as “unhappy marriage” and “loveless marriage”. The phrase “sexless marriage” refers to couples having sex … Read more

Beyond Babel Prioritising Community

by Dr. Theuns Jacobs Pastor of Shofar Cape Town City This blog was originally posted on christian-thoughtleadership.com. Theuns holds a doctorate in New Testament studies, and does research on the Gospels and contemporary social issues. He is a pastor at our Cape Town City congregation. Our basic attitude towards community either pollutes or heals the … Read more

Dagstuk deur Heinrich Titus

by Ps. Heinrich Titus Liewe vriende, Ons kom aan die einde van nog ’n jaar wat verbygesnel het teen ’n verbysterende spoed. Ek wil vir ieder en elk dankie sê vir jul onvermoeide toewyding om vir ons as kerkfamilie te bid tydens hierdie oorgangsjaar. Laat my toe om ’n stukkie van my pad met jou … Read more

Devotional by Heinrich Titus

by Ps. Heinrich Titus Dear Friends, At the end of another year which has sped by at break-neck speed, I want to thank you for your tireless commitment to praying unceasingly for us as a church family during this year of transition. Allow me to share a bit of my journey with you. At the … Read more

The Power of Forgiveness – Sessions from Convergence 2017

  https://youtu.be/gav4Ky1pOGMVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: The Power of Forgiveness – Watch Now [Full session links below] (https://youtu.be/gav4Ky1pOGM)   How do we as Christians forgive when there’s so much injustice in our country? https://youtu.be/CE0PD7GMTtYVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Convergence 2017 | Power of Forgiveness | Chris Lodewyk, Corné Bekker, … Read more

The Dear Family Series

by Yangchen Choden Yangchen grew up in Bhutan, a country in which Christians are persecuted and where she now serves as a leader in her local church. Here in the context of the Western World, where we don’t necessarily understand the challenges the persecuted church face, her letter to the family brings us clearer understanding, … Read more

Help! I Want to Read the Bible | Ministering God’s Word to yourself

by Lieschen Venter When we think of cross-cultural ministry, we normally think of how we are to translate the Gospel for some foreign tribe in a far-away land. But have you ever considered that you might need to minister cross-culturally to yourself? We grow easily familiar with the Bible and we forget what a radically … Read more

What You Need to Know About Disability in the Church

by Christelle Myburgh and Toni Mould “According to the World Health Survey around 785 million (15.6%) persons 15 years and older live with a disability, while the Global Burden of Disease estimates a figure of around 975 million (19.4%) persons. Of these, the World Health Survey estimates that 110 million people (2.2%) have very significant … Read more

Mining Gold in the City of Grace

by Hennie Swart and Stefan Cronje Shofar Johannesburg Hennie: Most of the people who came to Johannesburg in its early years came here to find treasure, and so did I. Two things about the city of Johannesburg surprised me – the first was how suddenly God called me to Johannesburg and the second was how … Read more

Where is the love?

This year our journey starts with one crucial question. It’s a question that resonates in the hearts of so many of us. It’s a question that resonates in the hearts of so many of us. Throughout the ages, as we’re constantly confronted with false images of love that have been watered down, rendered powerless and corrupted, … Read more

Why is it so hard for me to pray?

by Mariechen Jordaan Shofar Durban Acknowledging the fact that we cannot, but God can, is always a good place to start in prayer. Actually, that is one of the reasons we pray: because we know that we cannot but trust and believe in our Father who can. Prayer is a beautiful place of surrendering and … Read more

Why Worship?

by Tamsyn Teppler Shofar HQ Music Coordinator Shofar Institute is currently in the process of revising the First Year Bible School modules. So we asked some of our contributors to share a bit about the modules they are working on. One of the first year modules being revised is Praise & Worship 101 – a … Read more

The Spirit of Excellence: Leadership and the church in South Africa

by Dr. Theuns Jacobs Pastor of Shofar Cape Town City But Daniel, brimming with spirit and intelligence, so completely outclassed the other vice-regents and governors that the king decided to put him in charge of the whole kingdom (Daniel 6:3, The Message). Martin Goodman asks a simple, but important question[1]: why did political violence escalate … Read more

Parenting in the Last Days

by Alida Bornman Children’s Ministry champion “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19 There is no doubt that the enemy is coming for our children and that he is coming hard and fast. They are bombarded with: Broken families Media: … Read more