A call to Christian unity
SA must pray for oppressors, not judge them
TODAY is a time for a revolution – these were the words of Chester Wilmot who gave his testimony for Jesus Christ at the Christian Men’s Association (CMA) breakfast, held at the Port Alfred Celebration Centre on Saturday morning.
“It is time for us to rebel against the leaders of this world,” Wilmot said. “It is no time to be a bystander.”
Wilmot was referring to unifying Christians.
If Christians were to succeed in bringing heaven to Earth, they needed to present a united front.
But Wilmot also warned against finding fault and being negative.
“We are at a time in our history when it is okay to ridicule our president, criticise everything and say, ‘oh, well that’s just Africa’.
“If we are sons of the Father in heaven then we must pray for those who oppress us, or want to do us harm,” he said.
Speaking of his own true conversion, Wilmot said it was 40 years ago when he was first filled with the Holy Spirit.
“Up until then the Bible was just words,” he said, “and I didn’t believe a word of it.”
It had been an Anglican minister who had told him to sit down and listen to the Word.
He said a feeling of euphoria came over him as he read the Word. He thought the feeling would disappear in a day or so but, as he began to say the Lord’s Prayer a few days later – the world opened up for him.
“I found the Spirit,” he said.
The members of that particular church were much older than Wilmot, who said he heard the Lord commanding him to move.
He did so, and formed a home church. About 30 years ago, Wilmot established the Dias Church.
“I started from the ground up,” he recalled, saying that this was probably the happiest time in his ministry.
“It is very easy to get caught up in business.
“God told me, in no uncertain terms, to sell my farm and my earth moving business, but I knew there was something else.
“He wanted me to close the church for which I prepared a sermon every Sunday,” Wilmot said.
Then followed seven years of hardship, when Wilmot said God stopped talking to him. “The relationship I had with God was not the same.”
Then, one day, God spoke to Wilmot again.
“[At the time} I was not a farmer or a businessman, I was nothing,” Wilmot said.
“But I found favour again with God who spoke of things a long way off.
“The Lord was sharing his heart with me, giving me the wisdom I would need.
“But I need to tell you that we are all different, but today is the time for revolution. But the experience will be different for each one of you.”
Wilmot also spoke about how it was essential for Christians to unite.
“In years past ‘unity’ was not a word we spoke of,” he said. “Pray for your enemies, love them. “When we hear of what Zuma has done we should cover him. That’s what families do.We need to be ‘heaven-raisers’.”