My name is Dennis Zulu, I grew up in South Africa during the Apartheid Regime.
My religious upbringing was really different because throughout my whole family we were
Catholics, at the same time, we were ancestral worshippers.
So, it wasn't a strange thing for me to see a priest from our church coming to our house
to bless the element before we offer it to our dead ancestors.
But we were not even allowed—black people in South Africa at that time were not allowed
to have Bibles—only the priests could have the Bible.
They said that we couldn't interpret it the correct way.
So, in my senior year of high school I went to this church, it was a universal church
in Maseru, in Lesotho.
The universal church would welcome anybody.
So, while sitting in the pew and just going through the books that were there in the pew,
I see this book "Chosen by God."
I started reading it and I couldn't understand most of it.
That got me to wanna know even more, because some of the words I was reading were strange
to me.
I kept that book with me and I went to the library trying to find out more about… you
know, what is this "irresistible grace?"
You know, what is this "being chosen?"
Who is this God?
I told my mom that I am saved.
My mom told me that I cannot associate myself with our family.
Growing up with a family that loves you, and we have people, you know, that you are with
all of your life… it's yours.
And you're told "no," you can't participate in some of the things they're doing.
It broke me.
But I knew—I knew the God that I served.
That, you know, the sacrifice had already been done at the cross once and for all.
My faith in Christ is what keeps me going.
I can't survive without it because it shows me how sinful I am, how the correct righteousness
of Christ—the Christ imputed righteousness to me, and my sins imputed to Him.
It's just wonderful.
Looking back, some people I grew up with, you know, when you look at their lives now,
I always ask myself, why me?
You know, that could have been me.
Did the guy walking in the street drugs that could have been me.
And so, I'm always amazed.
I still go back home, and some of my brothers and sisters believe in the doctrines of grace
now.
Christianity is this wonderful declaration that tells you you're justified, you've been
declared righteous.
And now it's been done.
Now, go be nice to your neighbor.
Now, go love your wife.
You can never love, you know.
"Oh, how I love Jesus," or "how I love," because He first loved me.
He's he loved me first.
And I'm sorry, I think I'm preaching now, but that's all right.
My name is Dennis Zulu, I was born in South Africa.
I'm saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.
And I was born for such a time as this.