2 4 Pricilla’s Story; Miracle in Hillbrow;Teaching by Pat Robertson In this issue: Superbook update; Opening our Treasures DECEMBER 2012 GO-TELL / CBN AFRICA Your Partnership Report Good tidings... of great joy... to all people (Luke 2: 10 - NKJV) 3 Watch and be amazed; Turning Point wins gold When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4: 4, 5 - NKJV) The Birth of Jesus We would pick a palace, fit to house a King. Mary had a stable in an overcrowded inn. We would pick a chariot with horses young and strong Mary had no animals to help her get along. We would choose a hospital with nurses dressed in white Mary had to get along as best she could that night. We would hire facilities. The best we can afford. That would not be suitable to welcome Christ the Lord. What a way of thinking. Completely upside down! Welcoming the King of Kings in some small backwoods town! We would say, “Peculiar, how very, very odd”. We do not have the wisdom of our Great Creator God! ~ Jim Strickland 2012 Happy Christmas & A Blessed New Year
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Pricilla’s Story; Miracle in Hillbrow;Teaching by Pat Robertson
In this issue:
Superbook update; Opening our Treasures
DECEMBER 2012GO-TELL / CBN AFRICA
Your Partnership Report
Good tidings... of great joy... to all people (Luke 2: 10 - NKJV)
3Watch and be amazed; Turning Point wins gold
When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4: 4, 5 - NKJV)
The Birth of JesusWe would pick a palace, fit to house a King.Mary had a stable in an overcrowded inn.We would pick a chariot with horses young and strongMary had no animals to help her get along.We would choose a hospital with nurses dressed in whiteMary had to get along as best she could that night.We would hire facilities. The best we can afford.That would not be suitable to welcome Christ the Lord.What a way of thinking. Completely upside down!Welcoming the King of Kings in some small backwoods town!We would say, “Peculiar, how very, very odd”.We do not have the wisdom of our Great Creator God! ~ Jim Strickland 2012
Happy Christmas & A Blessed New Year
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Watch and Be Amazed!Get inspired and build your faith on CBN.com/frontlines
Letting goNew York Mets pitcher R.A.
Dickey had a compulsive need for control in his life.
Find out how he was able to let go and trust God—and the motivation behind his recent conquest of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Before the impactJosiah’s parents fear the
worst when his jet ski collides with an ob-
stacle at full speed. But amazingly, something hap-
pens before the impact that is a must-see for every viewer. Tune in for this young man’s
astounding story.
More than just money
Poor decision-making and sudden unemployment wiped out Ken and Debbie’s financ-es, bringing this couple under crushing stress. But a step in a different direction turned
things around. Learn exactly what they did to change their
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Debbie & Ken
Turning Point took home GOLD in the Best Broadcast Program category at the Christian Broadcast-ing Council (CBC) awards in Lon-don in October. Senior Producer, Holly Flood, accepted the award on behalf of the team. We are excited and humbled by this honour.
CBN’S TURNING POINT TV SERIES WINS GOLD AWARD
2012 IN REVIEW 212,786 people attended 1,427 showings of Christian material at Media Ministry Centres in all 9 provinces of South Africa in the last 4 months. Of these 127,181 made commitments of their lives to Christ, an average of 89 per event. (stats for 12 months from Oct 2011 to Sep 2012) We have expanded and are expanding our MMC ministry into other countries. Zambia already has two new MMCs operating at the moment and others are being planned there strategically, together with Tanzania. Contracts were signed with SA satellite channel Omega TV, with a foot-print throughout Africa, and with Hope TV (new Kenyan station). Contracts have also been renewed with KIE (Kenya), Calvary TV (Malawi), One Africa (Namibia) and MUVI-TV, MOBI-TV and ZNBC in Zambia. Star TV in Tanzania has agreed to double the number of transmissions per week of 700 Club and Turning Point and both programs have also been restored to the program schedule of Tanzania’s Africa Media Group (Channel Ten and DTV) after an absence of more than a year. 10 new water wells were drilled to serve the people of Kwa Zulu Natal. Our production team visited two of our humanitarian projects in Mpum-alanga a few times during the year and succeeded in shooting several stories, while 20 stories in total have been produced for Turning Point and 700 Club. For one week in July and in four different unique locations in South Africa, the CBN Turning Point team shot stand-ups, with Muyiwa, of sixteen different programs. A missionary conference was held in Kenya under our auspices and mis-sionaries gathered from all parts of the country. They testified of being lifted in spirit for the next phase of their ministry. We attended and exhibited at the September Missions Fest, and presented 2 seminars, as well as interviewing plenary speakers.
The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it. (Psalm 68: 11)
TEACHING by Pat RobeRtson
big Decisions, big guiDance
God cares about us and will lead us in every decision, no matter how small. Sometimes we have major choices—such as whether to marry, start a new business, or move to another city. And when we face big decisions, God gives us big guidance.
We see this in Acts 10, when He reveals to Peter that the Gospel is not just for Jews but also for Gentiles. He gives this revelation through visions, an angel, and the voice of the Holy Spirit to make His will abundantly clear.
The biggest decisions in our lives are often initiated by God. He called me to start a television station when I didn’t even own a TV, and later He called me to found a university. The witness of the Spirit, confirmation from others, circumstances, and other forms of guidance all lined up to validate His voice saying in my heart, “Do it!”
If the Lord is going to make a radical shift in your life, you have every right, biblically, to say, “God, I’ve got to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I’m hearing is of You.” As you weigh it and wait on it, God will confirm it. Don’t be in a hurry; wait patiently for His clear, unmistakable guidance before making a major change.
Let God give you the same kind of guidance that He gave to people in the Bible. He will do it! Friends will come. Circumstances will line up. His Word will be a witness to you. He will speak in your heart. His peace will be there. Just remember, big decisions need big guidance. This is His principle, and He will not disappoint you. God bless you.
Frontlines is the monthly newsletter of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., a non-profit religious corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Copyright 2010 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. All rights reserved, including permission to reprint in whole or in part any of the material within this publication,except by written permission from the publisher. In South Africa, Go-Tell Communications is the registered Section 21 Company that is incorporated to represent The Christian Broadcasting Network.
When five orphan siblings were abandoned by their uncle in their village of Shatale, Mpumalanga, Priscilla was left to take care of her younger brothers and sisters. Without any proper supervision, the children weren’t attending school and they didn’t even have anything to eat! They quickly started begging their neighbours for food, but faced rejection each time.“It was very painful,” says Priscilla, “People used to say we’re a crazy family.”
Then Ebenezer Care Centre, supported by CBN’s Orphan’s Promise, heard about it, found the children and stepped in. In no time, the children were given a new life. Now the kids have a new family. The staff at Ebenezer Centre make sure they are taken care of, and, through the sup-
port of our partners, they get all they need. “A lot of kids would love to live my life,” says Priscilla. With your continued support, Ebenezer is able to take in more chil-
Siyabulela Mtsabe - a Miracle in HillbrowSiyabulela Mtsabe is a 32-year-old man living in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Originally from Umtata in the Eastern Cape, he never pursued a higher edu-cation, as a result of poor finances. He only attained a matric pass. In 2006, he decided to come to Jo’burg with the intention of securing a job so that he could support his parents back home, but life wasn’t as great as he thought it would be in the big city. “Adapting to this new environment was very difficult for me as I went through a lot of peer pressure and I started getting involved in vices such as smoking, drinking and womanizing just to impress my friends.” In 2010 Siyabulela got a job as a temporary Security Officer at one of the buildings in Hillbrow. Coincidently, the building was managed by one of CBN’s partners, Pastor Salim! It didn’t take long for Pastor Salim to invite Siyabulela to see a Christian movie at the CBN Media Ministry Centre he runs. They quickly hit it off and Pastor Salim became his mentor, for both his professional and personal life. Siyabulela accepted Christ, and his life changed dramatically. Within the course of six months Siyabulela was offered security training and permanently hired for a security job – which he still has today! “I am now able to financially support my parents back home and I really believe it was Pastor Salim’s spiritual guidance and prayers that helped me grow this way.” God’s divine intervention in his life is evident. “I even met my wife at a church meeting! I thank God for all He has done.” Today Siyabulela works alongside Pastor Salim, in the CBN Media Min-istry Centre, and leads others to Christ all the time. Without the support of our partners, this platform would not have been available.
by KeitH stRugneLL, Director
Opening our TreasuresThe LORD will open to you His good treasure (Deuteronomy 28: 12)
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The following is the press release used at the recent trade fair DISCOP at the Sandton Convention Centre at-tended by TV stations from around the continent. CBN presents Superbook® at DISCOP 2012--Travel with Chris, Joy and their hilarious robot Gizmo as they are beamed back to Bible times to relive the greatest stories ever told. Em-my-nominated for its stunning visuals, Superbook® takes chil-dren ages 6 and up on an excit-ing journey through history to uncover ancient secrets while teaching valuable life lessons. Animated in 3D CGI, Super-book is a fun adventure for the whole family. (26 x 22’) Media Kit: Superbook.tv/press At a Children’s Minsitries Forum in Bedfordview some church represen-tatives saw a trailer and an episode of the series. Comments were fa-vourable. As the DVD release will take place some time in 2013, after the first television launch, ministries among children will benefit from a professional presentation to enthrall the young and teach them biblical principles, coupled with an anointed curriculom.
Banking details for your convenience: Go-Tell Communications, ABSA Bank, Branch code 631205, Account 1021591676; Credit cards: Donate online at www.go-tell.org or call 011-622-4608 for Payment Express
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The Christmas Story has many lessons for us. NO ROOM:The Christ child was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn (Luke 2:7). There is no room either in the crowded lives of countless individuals, businesses, communities, governments and even churches. Things of the world crowd out the most important Person about whom this season is all about. National constitutions, man-made and flawed, become substitutes for the truth of God’s Word. Bad choices are made when there is no room for the absolutes of life, which are sometimes the difference between life and death. LIP SERVICE ONLY:When Herod the king heard the question of the wise men from the East, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?” he was troubled. He gathered the priests and scribes and asked them the same question. They quoted from the ancient prophets and declared the birth place was in “Bethlehem of Judea”. So Herod sent the wise man to Bethlehem, asking them when they found him to bring back word to him “that I may come and worship him also”. While evil intent was Herod’s reason for getting news of the Child and the locality, he pays “lip service” to “worship”, like so many in today’s world. “Worship” is furthest from their minds when they come to church, talk to the press or make statements to their friends. The declarations they make with their mouths are far from the intents of their hearts. (Matt 2: 1-8). GO NOW:The shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem received the greatest announce-ment or revelation about the birth of the King. Not many before them, or after them, had experience of the visitation of an angel to bring “Good tidings… of great joy... to all people” (Luke 2: 10-12), followed by multitudes of angels praising God in unison (vv 13, 14). Their immediate obedience to the invitation to go and find the Babe was exemplary. With one voice they said “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see….” (v 15). They didn’t wait another day or for a more convenient time. “Go now” was a compel-ling motive. O that people would be as willing to “go now” when the call of God is still ringing in their ears! WISE MEN WORSHIP:Once the wise men received the word about Bethlehem from Herod, as dictated by the priests and scribes from the scriptures, they departed from Jerusalem and proceeded on their journey as previously revealed in the heavens and now even more endorsed by both the star they followed and the revelation they received. Their search was not in vain (Matt 2: 9). Seeing the young Child they fell down and worshipped Him in a true and meaningful way. They opened up the treasures they had brought and pre-sented them as gifts (Matt 2: 10-11). We too bring gifts to each other at Christmas time. More important is it to worship the King - as did these wise men - and to give Him our Time, Talents and Treasure. Lord, we give you our very lives this season and pray they will be a blessing to You, even as the grace You have given us is sufficient for our every need. We are grateful at this season of the year that you as partners in the gospel have given to God, as you give to this ministry, so that we may serve Him better. A blessed joyful Christmas to you all!
