EmmDev 2025-10-03 [Partners in Mission (Month of Mission 2025)] Grace: Salvation as God's Gift

Grace: Salvation as God's Gift

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians2:8-9)

To be Partners in Mission we need to recognize that we can only do it with God's Grace!

Grace is defined as the wholly undeserved favour of God the Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. You and I are saved by the grace of God, we did not earn it because we fulfilled the law of God, or that we did all kinds of righteous deeds. We are saved because God, in the Person of Jesus Christ (God incarnate), paid the price of sin!

It is when we realise that we are wretched sinners, saved by the amazing grace of God that we in gratitude will seek to be partners in mission with God the Father, Son and Holy. We serve with God for the reason that we understand that His grace - is the gift of God.

John Newton was a wretched sinner who captained slave ships. He partook in the most evil enterprise crafted by the heart of humanity. But after a shipwreck he decided to follow Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. For the remainder of his earthly life, he dedicated each day to the Master of his soul. He became a partner in mission and penned one of the most well-known and used hymns in the world: Amazing Grace.

I conclude with the first verse of the hymn and encourage you through grace - the gift of God - to become a partner in mission:

    Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
    That saved a wretch; like me!
    I once was lost, but now am found,
    Was blind, but now I see.
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Wayne van Heerden, husband to Frances, father to David and Angela. Enjoys cycling. Serving at Gateway Presbyterian Church, Kempton Park.

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EmmDev 2025-10-02 [Partners in Mission (Month of Mission 2025)] Justice: God Gives Christ in Our Place

Justice: God Gives Christ in Our Place

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood, to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness... so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans3:23-26)

Have you ever looked at a coin? A coin always has two sides, and you cannot have one without the other. In the same way, God has two sides that always belong together: His justice and His love. If God only showed love and forgave sin without punishment, He would not be just. But if He only judged sin, no one could be saved. So how can God be both just and loving? Romans 3:25-26 gives the answer: God gave Jesus to take our place. On the cross, God punished sin (justice) and forgave sinners (love).

The Bible says God "presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood." In the Old Testament, once a year the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat to show that sin needed a payment. But those sacrifices were only pictures pointing forward.

When Jesus came, He became the true and final sacrifice. His blood was the real payment for sin. Why? Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). God is holy and cannot ignore sin. Yet God also loves us and wants to save us. So, He gave His Son to take our punishment. On the cross, Jesus carried the judgment we deserved. In this way, God's justice was satisfied and His love revealed. That is why Paul says God is both "just and the justifier."

This truth changes how we live every day:

• Rest in Jesus. When you feel guilty, remember He already paid for your sin.
• Be thankful. Salvation is by grace, not works. That should fill us with humility and joy.
• Share the message. As partners in God's mission, we tell others that forgiveness is found at the cross.
• Trust God's justice. Even when life feels unfair, God will deal with all wrongs - either through the cross or on the final day.

The cross is like the two sides of a coin: justice and love held together. God was fair because sin was punished. God was loving because sinners were forgiven. This is the glory of God shown most clearly in Jesus Christ. As partners in His mission, let us rest in this truth, share it with boldness, and bring hope to the world.
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Richard Mkandawire, married to Aretha, father to Khumbo, Mbawemi and Chimwemwe. A passionate supporter of soccer, serving at St. Columba's Presbyterian Church, Kabwe. Richard is the Convener of the Mission and Discipleship Committee.

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EmmDev 2025-10-01 [Partners in Mission (Month of Mission 2025)] The Prodigal Father

Welcome to our annual Month of Mission Devotions!

During this month, the devotions are written by members of the church across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the DRC.
(For those who usually receive Theo's "EmmDevs", these will resume in Nov.)

The theme for our Month of Mission is "Partners in Mission" which is the Moderatorial theme of the Right Rev Amon Kasambala who is our Moderator for 2025-2027.

You can read his opening devotion below...
GodBless!
The Mission and Discipleship Team

The Prodigal Father

"So he got and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke15:20)

The Month of October 2025 has been set aside in the entire UPCSA as a Missions Month. This means that in our worship services as a body Christ, in our family and personal devotions, and in our daily work schedules; we should think about our commitment to missions.

What is interesting about mission(s) is that it was first and foremost initiated by God himself, who since the fall of humanity has been reaching out to us in his grace and mercy. Humans by nature are fugitives of themselves -- we try to run away from that which is meant to safeguard our lives just like we see in the prodigal son story. We want to be secure in ourselves without God just like the prodigal son did to his father. We do the same with God, we want to try and avoid him and "kick him out" of our priorities and programmes. However, just like the prodigal son's father, God is patient enough to wait until we reach to the end of ourselves and realize we can only fill that vacuum in our lives by getting back to him the creator.

What we should realize is that as long as we as human are prodigals, God becomes a prodigal with us. He does not run away from us, but he becomes the prodigal father who patiently awaits our return. And when we return, he shows us his compassion and mercy and welcomes us back to where we belong -- the family of believers (the Church)

As UPCSA, we should always bear in mind that the God we serve is the God of missions and when we get involved in missions, we in fact partner with him in the missions of God (Missio Dei). If God, as a Prodigal God, has reached out to us, it is time to think about others outside our Church buildings and our comfort zones who also need to hear the good news. God counts on us to reach out with grace, compassion and acts of mercy to a world that is calling for our help. May you make this month a special month of Missions.
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Rt Rev Dr Amon Kasambala, Moderator of the General Assembly (UPCSA), hubby to Tiba and father to Eddie and Victor, and serving as a Minister at Glenwood Presbyterian Church, Durban

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