Rev I D MacDonald
Our brethren in Zimbabwe can join with the too frequent complaint of the Church at home in Scotland, “Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” Yet it is fresh cause for gratitude to the glorious King of Zion that the Lord’s people are being refreshed in their souls from time to time by the preaching of the Word and that poor sinners here and there are being gathered into the Kingdom.
It is often at communion seasons that these blessings are found, both at home in Scotland and overseas. At the September Ingwenya Communion, a good number gathered, with visitors from Mbuma, Bulawayo and Insiza. The habit of visiting neighbouring communion seasons has long been instru-
1Written on behalf of the Jewish and Foreign Mission Committee.
mental in forming bonds of Christian fellowship among the Lord’s people, and it will be a sad day if a lack of spiritual appetite for the hearing of the Word brings this custom to an end. On this occasion Rev S Khumalo and Rev M Mloyi had the privilege of preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ to those who gathered, including some who did not normally attend the church.
Rev M Mloyi preached on Thursday morning from a most suitable portion of the Word, “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth” (Jer 31:18-19). At the second service Rev S Khumalo preached on that precious account of Manasseh’s repentance unto life in 2 Chronicles 33:12-13.
On the Friday the congregation were led into the vital duty of self-examination with the help of a sermon from Rev M Mloyi on John 10:27,28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand”. At the Fellowship meeting the elder Mr P Moyo gave out a question which concentrated the minds of the brethren on the crucial matter of a saving interest in Christ. The verse given was 1 John 5:12: “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”. Elders from Nyathi, Cameron and Insiza joined the brethren, providing another opportunity on this sinful earth to fulfil the Psalmist’s exhortation, “Among the people gathered let them exalt His name; / among assembled elders spread His most renowned fame” (Ps 107:32, metrical).
On the Saturday Rev S Khumalo preached from Jeremiah 50:34: “Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name: He shall thoroughly plead their cause, that He may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon”. The first head brought out the comfort of the Lord’s people from the truth that their Redeemer is strong. Then the great commitment of this glorious and divine Redeemer to His people was brought out in His promise to plead their cause thoroughly. Finally, there was the rest which He was to bring them to. One new member was accepted, while another young lady came to the Session seeking her own baptism and was also accepted.
On the Sabbath, the action sermon was preached by Rev M Mloyi on Isaiah 53:10, a text which brings out the covenant obligations of the Father and the Son in the great work of redemption: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an
offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand”. At the second service, Rev S Khumalo spoke on Acts 27:31, “Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved”.
The absence of Rev A B MacLean due to his ongoing illness and treatment in Scotland was sorely felt, and there was much prayer for his speedy recovery. In this they join with the Church at large in earnest desire that Mr MacLean will be sustained by the Lord in his time of trouble and that his health and usefulness will be restored in due time – “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). His sister Miss Norma MacLean is greatly missed in her capacity as assistant head of John Tallach High School as she continues her compassionate leave at home in Beauly.
Elsewhere on the Mission, the Shona translation of the Bible is ongoing and is due to finish next year. Mr Trycot Mwedzi, part of the translation team, has been accepted as a divinity student and is due to begin his divinity course next year, God willing.
Overall, there is growing pressure on the Mission’s finances as the Zimbabwe economy faces a shortage of cash in US Dollars. Prices are rising steeply and the fear of aggressive inflation looms again. At the same time, our kind Mbuma Sending friends in the Netherlands, who finance our Mission in Zimbabwe, are finding that their donor contributions are declining. This is putting increasing pressure on the budget which they make available to us each year to spend on the running of the Mission. We remember that the Lord of hosts has said, “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine” (Hag 2:8). Nevertheless prudence is required and cost management is becoming an increasing priority for the Mission. It is encouraging to note that recently the Zimbabwe congregations have increased their contributions to the Sustentation Fund for their ministers’ salaries, although the total contribution is still only around 20% of the total.
The practical support and prayers of our people are greatly appreciated by our friends in Zimbabwe and, more importantly, are not forgotten by the Most High, “for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Heb 6:10).
A godly life is the infallible evidence of conversion. When our fruit is unto holiness, we know that the end shall be everlasting life.
That repose of the soul on the bosom of the Redeemer which is found in believing is a foretaste as well as a pledge of the rest which remains to the people of God hereafter.
W S Plumer