Richard Blackaby

“Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men” (E.M. Bounds, Power through Prayer). Throughout history, when society was in crisis, God called upon ordinary people through whom He would bring His deliverance. When the Egyptians were oppressing the Israelites, God sent Moses. When the Midianites were abusing God’s people, God called Gideon. When the Philistines were bullying the Hebrews God raised up Samson, Samuel and David to defend His people. When Haman plotted to massacre the Jewish people in Persia, God moved Esther to speak out on behalf of her people. When the poor were being exploited, God summoned Amos to plead for justice. When God launched the greatest work of redemption in history, His entrusted the Savior to a teenage, peasant girl named Mary. God could have commissioned a legion of angels every time His people were in need, but He has chosen to generally work through ordinary people.

In 1994, South Africa elected its first black president in Nelson Mandela and began making many necessary political changes. However, the nation also needed a spiritual transformation. People from all over Africa began pouring in to South Africa, many of them having never heard the Gospel message. As unemployment skyrocketed, so did the crime rate. High fences and barbed wire were erected to protect peoples’ homes from intrusion. Signs warning: “Entering hijack zone” dotted the highways. Clearly a political solution was not enough. The nation also needed to turn to God. In this turbulent time, God raised up an ordinary farmer named Angus Buchan.

Buchan’s life had been challenging. He was a maize and cattle farmer in Zambia until political unrest forced him to relocate to Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He was an ambitious, frequently angry man who neglected his wife and children in his desperate attempts to make his farm successful. Local residents nicknamed him “Nkosaan Italiaan” because they claimed he acted like a mad Italian. In 1979, Angus had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, and it completely changed his life. He began speaking to groups of men and challenging them to turn their focus away from political unrest and economic uncertainty. Instead, he urged them to trust Christ and to live for him, regardless of what was happening in their country. Buchan eventually opened his farm to men from across South Africa, inviting them to spend a weekend. He spoke to those who came and challenged them to act and think like mighty men of God. In April 2009, over 200,000 men arrived at his farm. In 2010, over 300,000 came. Buchan began taking his message throughout the country. Gigantic soccer stadiums would overflow with over 60,000 men in attendance as Buchan challenged the people to commit their lives to Christ. His story was told in a book and a later movie entitled, “Faith Like Potatoes.” Buchan is an ordinary working man with an eighth grade education, yet he is drawing more people to hear him preach than world famous celebrities. Lives are being dramatically transformed at a time when his nation is desperate for healing and change.

When society is in desperate need of change, God typically raises up someone through whom He can work. Could it be that in these turbulent times in our nation, God is calling you? What are the limits to what He could do through your life?