From 'the least likely' to a Faithful Follower

Vida Li Sik • April 4, 2022

My story: Malindi Mhlungu

Like Zacchaeus in the Bible, Malindi Mhlungu (who is part of the marrieds ministry in the NW region) was believed to be “the most unlikely” person to open up her heart to Jesus and become a follower. But 26 years later, she's more convinced than ever she made the right decision. This is her story:


"I was met by Zandile Mchiza at the University of the Transkei, in Umtata in 1994, but was only baptised in 1996. I came from a traditional denomination and thought it was the church, so it wasn't a case of me looking for a church. The most challenging study, for me, was learning about the kingdom of God, so I stopped and restarted the Bible studies several times. I enjoyed the fellowship at church, but not much of the truth that it came with. I was very stubborn. But the turning point for me was when I realised how lost I was. The Bible was very clear, and I eventually gave up and heeded the call to follow Jesus two years later.


I was never expected to be the one to be “saved” by my friends and even family. I had too many doubts and lots of questions where the Bible was concerned. As a tax specialist; the person I can relate to in the Bible is Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Even today, tax is still not a famous thing, it’s often seen as a necessary evil. The rich understand but hate it, and the poor don’t understand but expect it to take care of them. He was considered the most unlikely to be chosen or even open his house and heart to Jesus. In my case, some people expected me to walk away a long time ago, but 26 years later, I still have no doubts about my decision.


While I don’t have a specific favourite scripture to help me through tough times, the one I come back to all the time is Psalm 23. It speaks directly to me. In my life, I’ve seen a lot of challenges as well as victories, and in each phase, I’m always comforted that God is always with me."


#mystory #testimonial #nwregion #joburgchurch

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By Justin Renton • September 2, 2026
The physics of the pendulum Picture an old grandfather clock in a quiet hallway. Its long brass pendulum swings steadily: tick, tock, tick, tock. Now give that pendulum a hard shove to the right. It does not simply glide back to the center and stop. It races right past the middle and sways just as far to the left. Left to its own momentum, a pendulum never rests at either extreme; it finds peace only when it hangs still at the center, held by gravity and its fixed point. The church behaves in much the same way. Push her too far toward one side of a truth and she does not gently settle into balance, she swings. Often for a whole generation toward the opposite error, and then back again, wounding people at both ends of the arc. And here is the crucial thing the clock teaches us: the pendulum comes to rest not by being frozen in place, but by being held. Balance is not the absence of force; it is the fixed point that keeps opposing pulls in tension so that the weight can finally hang still.
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