taking the gospel to the ends of the earth!
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” Beautiful indeed - Clive & Rene Bushby (CRB Ministries) understands the urgency taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that is in dire need of the love of God. Clive tells the story….
In the previous article, (Team Talk, June 2022) we spoke a little about our lives before we met, our Ministry and how God gave us a heart for the Nations, specifically the continent of Africa. The article is very encouraging of how God opened a door to minister in Kenya, while the country was on a full lockdown during covid, for that you would have to look up the article and read it.
In 2022 God yet opened another door for us, this time in the nation of Zambia! For this trip, God took us on journey of faith, and what a journey of faith it was. I remember seeking His guidance on the amount of money it would cost for air tickets, accommodation and daily expenses.
The Lord gave me an amount R40 000, now please understand, we DIDN’T HAVE 40K. My wife is employed but other than that we live totally by Faith. Breakfast in the BnB. After two days I informed Rene about the amount we needed to trust the Lord for our trip, she asked me how much the amount was, as God had laid a certain amount on her heart as well, YOU GUESSED IT ..4OK, we just looked at each other and started to laugh. We would be leaving in exactly a month, so faith had to arise! We started, fasting, praying, declaring, decreeing, REPEAT-the whole toot.
Money started coming in, we could then book our accommodation in Livingston, then slowly after that we could book our international flight, then more finance came in, (please know that this was a journey of God testing our faith. Some days were really hard and others days were a bit easier.) We finally managed to book our local flights. Three days before we were meant to leave for Zambia, we decided to check the statement, to see how much money had come in, we counted and we saw that it had been 35k.
I remember Rene making a comment reminding me about what the Lord said…40K. The very next morning another 2k had come in, I sat at my desk and just thanked Him for His faithfulness, I remember what He told me, He said ‘Watch me work”. The very next day, someone called me and said they would like to come drop something off at our house. When the person got here, he handed me an envelope with money inside, and you can take another guess how much it was…YES ! R3000!! So the day we left for Zambia God had provided what He had promised R40 000!
This is just the short version for the actual testimony, there were many other things that happened that I did not include in this article, the person who gave us the R3000, that alone was a very powerful testimony of how God used a man to provide us with R3000.
Arriving in Zambia
On Monday afternoon we arrived in Livingstone, Zambia; We were met by Pastor Shannon Wafula Macheusi, (our Kenyan brother who hosted us in Bungoma, Kenya on our previous missionary trip. We have become good friends and also become a Ministry team) Pastor Fred Mbewe, and Pastor Innocent Wino, our Zambian hosts.
They drove us to the Bed & Breakfast, we were so grateful there was a pool, as the temperature was in the thirties every day. Pastor Shannon checked into his room, which was comfortable and everything worked. We checked into our rooms, and we found that the online marketing was quite misleading. We also realised that the fridge never worked, the shower never had a curtain, the bathroom window couldn’t close. We managed to get another fridge and they put up a curtain for the shower.
We had a choice, we could either complain and be upset about the inconveniences OR we make do and focus on why we God sent us there in the first place, we chose the latter, after all we are missionaries doing Kingdom work focusing on winning souls for Jesus. Breakfast was included but the rest of our meals was at our own expense, let’s just say the Hungry Lion became our best friend. We found the cost of living to be very expensive in Livingstone, a box of Ouma rusks would cost you R80- WOWEE!
On The Mission Field
Kuyamba Rehabilitation Centre We were very eager and excited to get into the field, our first stop was at Kuyamba Rehabilitation centre. The young men at Kuyamba lived in a beautiful home; they were very proud of the upkeep and neatness of the premises. We shared our testimonies, ministered to the men, prayed with them and they all surrendered their hearts to Jesus. I have a very powerful testimony of how God rescued me from a life of Drug abuse, getting arrested in the United States and losing everything. I love to speak from that perspective and share His goodness in my life and give him Glory.
Radio Falls
That very evening we were invited to speak at Radio Falls, sharing our testimonies and a quick word. We were invited back to Radio Falls that Sunday morning to share the Gospel to the nations of Zambia and Zimbabwe. That day we saw all the people we had ministered to, give their hearts to the Lord Jesus. As we left, we heard of another lady a few streets away who was struggling for months with her health, she had stomach issues and struggled with weakness and she could hardly stand upright. We ministered, anointed and prayed for her. I found out when we got back to South Africa she was up and about and doing well. Thank you Jesus!!
Pastors & Leaders
We were invited to speak at the Pastors and Leaders Conference. All the Bishops and Pastors get together, speak on important issues, pray and encourage each other.
Katombora Juvenile Detention Centre
Then we were off to Katombora Juvenile Detention Centre, which was about an hour drive. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pics. It was such an amazing atmosphere, standing beneath a massive evergreen tree under the African sky, as the young men prepared a dance for us with the thumping beat of African drums. We ministered to about hundred and fifty young men. We saw FIFTY decisions for Jesus! It was a powerful time of ministry.
Taking a break
We had a rest day and we were very excited to be taken to the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls. We also visited the Crocodile and Snake Park. This was truly an amazing experience the ‘smoke that thunders.
House of Kings
Sunday morning after the Radio Ministry, we ministered at House of Kings Church. It was another powerful time of Ministry as we had many lives touched and transformed by the Power of the Holy Spirit, we were trusting the Lord for a full altar call, and that’s exactly what happened, many salvations and people were delivered, thank you Jesus! House of Kings: Preached on the Prodigal Son.
Praying for Nations
After the service, we were taken to another Church, there many Churches came together to pray for the nations of the world, as we all were trusting God to send people out into the nations to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Rene and Myself prayed for South Africa.
Our time of Ministry concluded on Sunday. We would then leave for South Africa the next day. We counted ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY people gave their hearts to Jesus Christ in that week of Ministry.
Pakistan
Currently we minister online to the Nation for Pakistan, we had many that received Jesus during our online ministry in Karachi.
Please just allow me to share the very heart of God – Every soul matters! ‘Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying. ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here I am send me!” Winning souls is the very heart of God. It is a command found in Matthew 28:19-20.
Rene and myself have a heart for evangelism and soul winning, we love to see people touched by the power of the Holy Spirit, or to see people crying for joy when they experience the love of God in so many ways.
To us soul winning is like a person who is lying on his death bed, who suddenly finds a cure and shares the cure with the rest of the world. Sharing the Love of Christ, witnessing, evangelism and soul winning make many of us uneasy when asked to do so. Many Christians try very hard to obey the Word of God and try to live their lives very Christ like.
However, these Christians often forget about the command Jesus gave, before he ascended into Heaven. He said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth’’ ACTS 1:8
Now this did not only mean to witness in Church, for the most part, the book of ACTS tells us that they went from house to house and occupied the streets “Where the people are” (T.L. Osborne). We are to live like Christ, in order for us to do that, we have to have a passion for people; a passion for soul winning, Christ after all was a soul winner.
Our job as believers is to do just that, be witnesses and WIN SOULS!
In ACTS 5, it tells us that the disciples did not cease to teach and preach the Good News. This tells me that the disciples were conducting everyday evangelism! Not only on Sundays or when they were in the mood or when they felt Holy.
This was an everyday custom, sharing the Good News to the street beggar, the sick and even the wealthy, to ALL who would listen. As a soul winner we must know Christ and make Him known to a world that is in dire need of salvation.
We need to teach the unsought way, bring the un-brought and seek the unsought. We MUST reach the lost. “’People need God. People need people. People find God by finding people who care about people’’ T.L. Osborne I believe we are called not only to be fishers of men but also seed planters, the seed is the Word of God and we look at the world as being one big field.
We are to sow, DAILY, the Word of God into the field. We are labourers together with Jesus. The same Good News that came to us, the same seed that was sown in us, is to go out all over the world, to be planted in the hearts of those who are lost. The labourers are few but the harvest is plentiful. So, let’s do like Paul did, everywhere he went, he spoke about Christ to all who would listen.
This is our mission; we can only do it because of Christ’s mighty power working within us. I believe that today too much emphasis is placed in the Church itself, yes, to a certain extent, soul winning happens in the Church. If you look at the days of ACTS, the disciples approached people where ever they were, the streets, private homes or at their work place. The sheep that are lost are nowhere near the sheep fold, we are to go out, occupy the streets and follow the lead of the disciples, to bring back, evangelise those who are lost.
Get them saved, and then get them in! This who are lost do not go to Church, our commission is preach the Gospel to every creature, we are to take the Gospel to where ever they are, and that means leaving the sanctuary and being taken out your comfort zone. This is a daily duty.
We often find ourselves in position where we are praying for an individual, but the questions remain, have we visited this person? How have we shown Gods love to this person? We are the ones sharing the gospel to the lost and hurting people outside the Church walls. We spend far too much time praying for God to do what he told US to do.
Our mandate is to see to the needy, the poor, the destitute, encouraging those in prison and witnessing to the unbelievers. I believe much prayer is wasted by people asking God for two things, firstly, they ask Him to do what He has already done and secondly, they ask Him to do what He has told THEM to do. I once heard a preacher say..’ If you not soul winning, you are backslidden” Strong statement indeed.
Christ has given us ALL authority, we are His temple today, HE moves when WE move and WE move when HE moves. We are the body of Christ, we are the Church, we are His expression of the community today, the Church of Christ is not a building, it is the Spirit filled believer today. I love what TL Osbourne says, ‘Christ speaks through our voice, He walks in our shoes, He touches with our hands, He listens with our ears, and He embraces with our arms of love.”
It is VITALY important that we express our witness of Christ outside the walls of the Church, that is where the hurting and desperate people are to be found. People may never see God if they do not see Him in action through you and I.
We should not be concerned of how, when who or what...the Word tells us to GO!!..Go beyond the sanctuary walls, were the Holy Spirit will guide us into encounters with lost souls. This is the ministry that is open to every Christian, regardless of age, race, gender, culture or social background. If we look at the early Church, salvation was just as important and superior back than as it is today, baptism of the Holy Spirit is still as real as it was back then as it is today, the gifts of the Spirit is still as authentic today as it was back then in the early Church.
The only difference is that the early Church understood the purpose of The Holy Spirit in their lives; many Christians today have not made that discovery yet. The early Church was so involved in the day to day evangelising that it became second nature, it was a continuous act, the unconverted world needs the friendships and fellowship of Christian believers, who are concerned about their problems, pains and dilemmas.
I feel that there are many Christians today that may be afraid, timid or hesitant to act on God’s Word, but we just have to DO IT! Reminding me of the Nike shoe slogan, it’s up to us to JUST DO IT!!! It says in His Word that He will never leave us or forsake us; Rene and myself have many testimonies of how God used us to pray for those that were sick or in pain.
He simply needs a willing vessel. He is with us until the end of the ages, so I want to encourage you to pray for boldness, He is in you! BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT!
To do the work of Christ is simply to become aware of His presence, some people might ask, ‘How do I know when Christ is speaking to me or leading me to do something’? I think this next statement sums it up nicely, ‘If your idea is good for God, if it is good for people, and it is good for you, then you can rest assured the idea is from God and that His voice will always match His Word!
Soul winners must have vision, they must also be able to think out the box, just think of this, you would get lots more achieved winning souls on your own two feet, going to where the people are than you waiting for the people to come to where you are. It costs very much less to go where the people are. No church expenses, electrical bills etc. just a comfortable pair of shoes (Nike’s, who knows), water, a peanut butter sarmie or two, boldness and passion to see the lost saved and share the love of Christ.
You might even get fed by the very people you are ministering too, like my wife that received the most delicious vetkoeks on one mission trip in a village near Pedie. There is one thing you cannot do in Heaven, and that is Evangelise, the only thing you can take with you are the souls you lead to Jesus. We hope this article has blessed you and sparked you afresh to share the love and be a witness of our precious Jesus!
If you are reading this and don’t know Jesus, or your love for Him has grown cold, please say this prayer and mean it from your heart.
"Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Saviour and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. Fill me with your Holy Spirit now, I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen."
To contact CRB Ministries: info@crbministries.co.za Clive 0718833313 Find us on FB – CRB Ministries Ghana Mission trip in April for 14 days.
Team Talk would like to thank Clive & Rene Bushy for sharing their journey with us.
Those who want to sow or become monthly partners, feel free to bless CRB Ministries in order for them to continuing taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Banking Details as Follow:
CRB Ministries
FNB
63018138875
250655
Swift Code FIRNZAJJ
