ccm Cross 0044 – Pretoria, South Africa | Christian Cross Ministries

ccm Cross 0044
February 8, 2013

Life Re-Shaping Church
Pretoria, South Africa
ccm Cross #0044

GPS/DMS 25°44’41.50″ S 28°11’16.19″ E Life Reshaping Church 2.8.13 WEB 1

Additional pictures below the testimony

3207 cdd Thread of Faith
Cyber-Daily-Devotion
Volume 14 Number 033

Today’s Author: Pastor Bill

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” NKJV

My name is Leonard Kanyama and together with Micheline my wife we are Senior Pastors and Founders of Life-Reshaping Church, in Pretoria, South Africa. We were born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC (former Zaire, in Central Africa).

After completing my honors degree in Statistics in the DRC I worked under a business man and Bishop. He was planting Pentecostal churches in the Katanga province. For four years I listened, heard and observed many of his church events and altar calls. I had many opportunities to receive Jesus Christ into my life but each time I resisted.

At 1:00 AM on a Monday morning in February 1992, alone and meditating on Psalm 91 thru 94, I was burdened for the future of my life. My burden was so heavy tears were streaming down my cheeks. I heard an instruction from Jesus saying “I must be born again.” This was the beginning of my faith walk with the Lord as I embraced the call.

Later that morning I walked around the city looking for a Pentecostal pastor to baptize me. The pastor I found insisted that I be counseled and informed of the meaning of such an act. Counseling complete we went to the river in Likasi. There my faith was stretched again with baptism.

My life of faith took off with Jesus from that point and there was no turning back.

Soon I found myself in South Africa completing my Masters Degree in Statistics at University of the Witwatersrand and at the same time working as a statistical consultant for a research company. I started attending all activities at my church in Johannesburg. I launched a cell group in the Pretoria area that quickly expanded to 18. The church was paying rental for two 75 seat busses to allow me to move my cell group members from Pretoria to the Church in Johannesburg.

Sunday August 22, 1993 during the evening service the Pastor while praying for people put his hands on me and pronounced the following prophetic words:

1. God will use you to bring many people into His Kingdom

2. God will equip you with revelations of His word to transform many into His image and many will find their destinies through your ministries

3. God will trust you with His finances to support works in His Kingdom

4. God will give you a healing ministry

Just after his prophetic message I entered a series of bible courses to develop my Biblical teaching skills.

Upon graduation of my Masters Degree in Statistics I was hired by a South African company to work at Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport, in Seattle.

During my five years in Seattle I attended a large Christian Church where I gained inspiring Christian Leadership Training and learned to exercise my faith. My faith was exploding and in 2005 I was ordained.

In faith, my wife Micheline and I started Life-Reshaping Church in November 2001 in South Africa . When my Seattle employment contract expired in 2005 I moved back to South Africa. Currently I am still working in Johannesburg and together with Micheline my wife as senior Pastors at the church in Pretoria.

The past 11 years Life-Reshaping Church was held in a tent set in a Pretoria residential area.

Then came the biggest faith challenge of our lives. We identified a church building that was for sale in Pretoria. We were introduced to Pastor Bill who wanted to plant a cross at our church. But Pastor Bill had a few requirements to receive a cross and we were expected to meet each one. The biggest obstacle for the cross was that we should own the land for the Cross. We needed to send Pastor Bill a physical address.

Even though we could not buy the church we desired and we had no money I wrote an email back to Pastor Bill. We were stepping out in faith and gave the physical address of where we just planted the cross. We had and still have no money, no contacts and no way to raise the funds.

Our faith was being tested beyond our ability to comprehend! Three months before Pastor Bill was coming with the cross we were divinely introduced to a Christian Business men. He proposed to pay for the church building and offered us a generous multi-year repayment plan. Banks turned us down, private people turned us down and every idea we had for financing failed in our quest for the church building. It took the grace of God to open the windows of heaven for us to own the church building by November 27, 2012 — just in time for the Cross planting on February 8, 2013, nine weeks later.

This Cross planted marks a new beginning for us. We see it as a door separating our past Egypt life to our new Canaan life.

Prayer:Father thank you for the faith of Pastors Leonard and Micheline as they labor in your vineyard fulfilling the prophecy and offering new beginnings through Jesus to everyone they meet. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Life Reshaping Church 2.8.13 WEB 2