News from Angus

My dear friends, We are living in changing times. Things are speeding up. Jesus is not coming soon, He is already on His way! We have said that many times before, but we can see it now. It is evident everywhere we go. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the Lord is very specific about time. There is a time to be born, there is a time to die, there is a time to sow, there is a time to reap, there is a time to weep, there is a time to laugh, there is a time to mourn and a time to dance. I think we need to be very aware of the change in the seasons. This morning, I went out for an early morning jog. I was running with a headlamp because it was still dark, the stars were so beautiful and clear and there was not a sound anywhere. All of a sudden, I was caught by surprise as a cool breeze came up from out of nowhere and blew through the maize crop on our neighbour's farm. I became so aware of a complete change. It was as if the Lord was saying to me that there are severe changes coming soon in the earth. This may make you even feel a little bit anxious. The Lord says in Philippians 4:6 (NKJV), "Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." As I was running down the road in the dark with the sudden cool breeze, the Lord reminded me again of how things can change so quickly and we do not need to be fearful if we are following the Word of God. In Matthew 24:35 (NKJV) Jesus says to us, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away." Our strength, our security and our peace must be in the knowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and that He remains constant even though change is taking place all the time. Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV) says,"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." That bought a tremendous peace to my heart. One man reminded me just today, that the Word of God without faith is useless, because the Bible just becomes another history book. We need faith. Now, how do we get faith? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We need to be attentive to what God is saying to us. We need to have regular quiet times every day. That will keep us sane (in our right minds) and will give us direction for the way forward during these times of change. Remember, the worst thing we can do when we see extremes taking place is to panic. I firmly believe that in these last days, God will use His people to be like a corner post; solid and immoveable. People in the world will come to us for counsel, for direction, for comfort and for leading and we will be able to help them if we stand firm on the Word of God. In these times of change, we need to know the Word of God, because many wolves will come in sheep's clothing. The only way we will be able to identify them is by using the Bible as our reference. If anyone preaches anything that is not in the Word or cannot be verified by the Word, then do not listen to them. I do not care who it is or where they come from. Remember the Lord said Himself, that nothing must be added or taken away from the Bible, it is complete in itself. I am confident that God will take care of His own, that the Bible will become a compass especially in times of darkness and will become a friend that sticks closer then any brother. Proverbs 18:24(NKJV), "But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." As I write this letter, I am getting ready to take a trip to the USA. I am very excited for what God is going to do there, especially amongst the men again. Please keep us in your prayers. I recently had the privilege to speak at a meeting in Howick (Kwa-Zulu Natal). At the end of the meeting, a lovely elderly lady come up and said she had a photograph for me. The lady gave me a photograph of myself and my brother that was taken over sixty years ago. I was barely seven years old and my brother was five. It felt like yesterday! Again, the Lord is emphasizing the importance of not wasting time on trivial things, but on getting down to the fact of life. The fact is, life is but a vapor. Do not put off for tomorrow what you can do today. We have many overseas trips ahead of us and it is always a tough time having to be separated from family, but we do it because God has called us to do it. Please keep us in your prayers. The television and radio programs are continuing, please pray for us to remain consistent. Consistence is what God is looking for from each one of us. May we be found to be consistent believers, as we see the great day drawing near. May God bless you as you continue to serve Him in every area of life. Yours in Christ's service, Angus and Jill Buchan.