Dierbare Vriende

Ons groet u met gebroke harte weens die skielike dood van Mnr. Keith Daniel. Ek deel graag met u ‘n paar gedagtes oor die dood van God se gunsgenote wat geskryf is deur AC Dixon.

Psalms 116:15
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

As we see death, it means decay, removal, absence—things which we do not prize. But as God sees death, He beholds something really precious to Him and, we may justly infer, precious to us, for whatever is against us cannot be precious to our Father. We are looking at the wrong side of the tapestry, where all is tangle and confusion. God sees the right side, where the design is intelligent and the colours harmonious. We are without the veil, and see but the dim light through the curtain; within is the Shechinah glory. We stand in the dark, believing and hoping; God is in the light, seeing and knowing.

I. To God death means the opportunity to supply every need of His child. Health means conscious strength. While we are well, we may feel that we are equal to taking care of ourselves. Dying means absolute helplessness. Such is God’s opportunity. When physicians give up the case, He takes it up. After human help has failed, the Lord delights to be to us all that we need.

II. To God death means the most intimate communion. He rejoices to have all to Himself those whom He loves. He said of Israel, “I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” No one else can help us die. Through the valley we must go alone—yet not alone, for Jesus accompanies.

III. To God death means rest. Jesus said, “Come unto Me,” etc. It was His delight to quiet the heart and give rest to the weary mind. The voice from heaven said, “Blessed are the dead,” etc. “There remaineth a rest,” etc. To us death looks like a rest of the body—the lifeless form no longer suffers; it sleeps until the waking on the resurrection morning. God sees the rest of soul, and the event which introduces His children into this restful state is precious to Him.

IV. To God death means larger life. Christ came to give life, and to give it more abundantly. Whatever imparts and increases the life of God’s people is of great value. While to us death seems to be the cessation of life, to God it is an increase of life. The last words of Drummond Burns were, “I have been dying for years, now I shall begin to live.” It is passing from the land of the dying into the land of the living.

V. To God death means joy. All through the Bible we are exhorted to “Rejoice, rejoice evermore!” The joy of His children is precious to God. Dying, Rutherford exclaimed, “I feed on manna; oh, for arms to embrace Him!” President Wingate, of Wake Forest College, whispered to his wife with his last breath, “I thought it would be sweet, but I did not think it would be sosweet as this.” It is passing from shadow into sunshine; from the discords of earth into the music of the celestial harps; from contraction into everlasting expansion.

VI. To God death means ministry to the living. Through death Jesus entered the family of the Jewish ruler, and the death of our friends often leads us to invite the Man of Sorrows to our homes. The departure of loved ones opens a window of heaven, and gives us a glimpse into the beyond; and in leaving us, they, in a very true sense, come to us. We appreciate them as we never did before; we see their virtues and forget their faults; they are to us transfigured, while everything about them shines with a peculiar glory. (A. C. Dixon, D.D.)

Godsmanne van ons weggeruk

  1. Mnr Keith Daniel is gistermiddag op 6 Maart 2021 na ‘n siekbed van drie weke in ʼn Hospitaal in Kaapstad oorlede. Kinders van God vanuit verskeie dele van die wêreld het saam gebid vir Mnr Daniel, Jenny, Noël, Roy en Samuel en hul hande omhoog gehou in die gebed terwyl hulle almal deur hierdie diep waters gaan. Vir my persoonlik was dit so ‘n bemoediging om te kon sien hoeveel mense om hierdie geliefde man van God en sy familie verenig in die gebed en mekaar bemoedig met die beloftes van God. Ek eer die Here vir elke kosbare vriend wat saam met hulle staan in hierdie moontlik droewigste tyd in hulle lewe. Soveel kosbare getuienisse wat aan God die eer gee, is gedeel oor hierdie geliefde man van God se lewe en invloed.
    Mnr Daniel was saam met sy opleiding vir 50jr deel van die AEB terwyl hy gedurende hierdie tyd gedien het as Superintendent van Natal en die Oos Kaap. Die grootste gedeelte van sy lewe was hy die AEB se Konferensie spreker. Sonder enige twyfel het sy wandel met God, sy liefde vir die Woord, sy getrouheid en sy empatie hom laat uitstaan as ‘n geliefde man van God. Feitlik elke getuienis wat oor hom gedeel is handel onder andere oor hoe hy mense bemoedig het en wat hy geestelik vir hulle beteken het. Vir baie mense was hy soos ‘n geestelike vader. Hy het dikwels die las van ander op hom geneem en daaroor gevas en gebid totdat God die uitkoms kom gee het. Ek dank die Here vir die voorreg wat ek gehad het om konferensies, dag konferensies en tydens ander geleenthede aan sy voete te kon sit, vir elke gesprek wat ek met hom kon gehad het en vir elke siel wat hy gehelp het om uit die duisternis die ewige lig te kon vind.
    Nie alleen het ons ‘n kosbare medewerker verloor nie, maar ʼn ware vriend. Bid asb. vir Jenny, Roy, Noël, Samuel en die res van die familie.
  1. Mnr. Johan de Bruin is einde Desember 2020 na ‘n kort siekbed aan Covid 19 oorlede. Hy was tot en met sy dood die Algemene Superintendent asook die Voorsitter van die Raad van die AEB. In albei hierdie poste het hy getrou en onbaatsugtig gedien. Sy geestelike wandel met God, sy gebedslewe, sy liefde vir die Woord en kosbare siele was uitstaande eienskappe van Mnr Johan de Bruin. Die twee poste waarin hy gedien het was ‘n geweldige verantwoordelikheid en ‘n uitdaging. Ons eer die Here vir ‘n man wat sy beste vir die Here gegee en vir alles wat hy vir die AEB gedoen en beteken het. Bid asb. saam vir Mev. Magda de Bruin en die res van die familie.
  1. Mnr Frans Terblanche van Groblersdal is onlangs in ‘n motorongeluk oorlede. Vir baie geestelike werkers was Frans Terblanche ‘n vriend. Deur al die jare wat ons hom geken het was hy ‘n gereelde konferensie ganger en ondersteuner van die AEB. Frans was bekend vir sy liefde vir sy Hemelse Vader, sy heilige lewenswandel en opregtheid. Nooit het ek vir Frans sonder ‘n glimlag op sy gesig gesien nie. Ons het ‘n kosbare vriend in die Here verloor. Bid asb. ook vir Anelize, Rolize, Elizna en Hennie met hulle gesinne.
  1. Mev. Miemie Saaiman van Riversdal is onlangs oorlede. Ons innige simpatie aan oom Hendrik en familie. Mag die Here self u vertroos en bemoedig in hierdie tyd.

NUWE AMPSDRAERS IN AEB

Mnr & Mev Joggie Swanepoel is onlangs as die nuwe Algemene Superintendent paar verkies.
Mnr Laurence Paulsen is as die Voorsitter van die Raad van die AEB verkies.
Ons glo met ons hele hart dat dit die keuse van die Here was vir ‘n tyd soos nou. Bid vir hulle terwyl daar ook ‘n groot verantwoordelikheid op hulle rus.

Bid ook baie spesifiek vir elke werker in die AEB terwyl die werksaamhede weer besig is om aan die gang te kom.

Mag die Here u elkeen ryklik seën.
Frans en Erica Gericke