The ACR heard from Grant Retief, Senior Minister at Christ Church Stellenbosch in South Africa. Christ Church has a thriving student ministry which has experienced exceptional growth in recent years, with three services geared towards students. The church is part of the Reformed Evangelical Church of South Africa (REACH SA). Here, Grant tells the encouraging story of one student being drawn towards the gospel.
Emma came to our church three weeks before the end of the student year. She lived across the country and was about to return home for the Christmas holidays. She told me she was a philosophy student and that she had grown up in an atheist home—which is unusual for the middle class in South Africa. This was her first time ever in church.
When I asked her why she had come, she didn’t really know. She said it just felt right. But I knew. It was the beginning of something wonderful the Lord was doing in her life.
She was emotional when we spoke. It embarrassed her as she brushed tears aside and said she didn’t know why she was crying.
Sometimes her tears seemed angry.
“I have a problem with how certain you are when you preach that you are interpreting the Bible correctly” she said, wiping her cheek.
“Oh”, I said. “Are you certain that I should be uncertain?”
She said yes.
“So let me get this straight. You are absolutely certain that I should not be certain about the Bible?”
“Yes”, she said.
“Are you certain”, I said?
Realising her position was untenable, she had the integrity to say “Well, that just folded in on itself!”.
That began a journey for Emma.
The following week she returned to church. After the service we chatted again.
“I used to be a good sleeper, but this week I have been reading the Bible for the first time. I read Mark, and then 1 Corinthians (which I have serious problems with, by the way) and then a book called Titus near the back. I have problems with that too!” she added.
And so our discussion continued.
While home on holiday, she went to the church I had suggested and continued speaking with my colleague who runs that church. I managed to give a book to read over the holidays and told her I wanted it back. This was so that she would come back to church upon her return to university.
She came back.
Now she comes to everything. She says she’s not sure, but there are some wonderful signs of life.
I am praying for Emma. There is so much she has to learn about the Bible, Jesus and the church. But all the signs are there of a soft heart. What a privilege to be watching the Lord’s work in her.