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At His Feet
Erlo Stegen

Erlo Hartwig Stegen (1935 - 2023). South African missionary and revivalist of German descent, born on Mbalane farm near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to Hermannsburg missionary descendants. Raised Lutheran, he left school after grade 10 to farm but felt called to ministry in 1952, evangelizing rural Zulus under apartheid. After 12 years of preaching with few lasting conversions, he experienced a transformative revival in 1966 at Maphumulo, marked by repentance and reported miracles. In 1970, he founded KwaSizabantu Mission (“place where people are helped”) in Kranskop, which grew into a self-sustaining hub with farms, a water bottling plant, and schools, serving thousands. Stegen authored Revival Among the Zulus and preached globally, establishing churches in Europe by 1980. Married with four daughters, he mentored Zulu leaders and collaborated with theologian Kurt Koch. His bold preaching drew 3 million visitors to KwaSizabantu over decades.
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Sermon Summary
In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding and sharing one's personal testimony of how they became a Christian. He expresses concern that many Christians cannot articulate why and how they came to faith. The speaker references the story of the wise men who recognized their need for the Savior and left everything at Jesus' feet. He also highlights the significance of being connected to God and having a personal relationship with Him. The sermon concludes with a prayer for those who have not yet come to know the Lord Jesus.
Sermon Transcription
We thank you, Lord, for your grace through which it's possible to live a victorious life, to more than overcome. Thank you, Lord, that we can gather around your word. Open our eyes to see wonderful, marvelous things in your word. Touch our inner ear, the ear of the heart, that we'll really grasp what you want to say to us. In your grace, Lord Jesus. Amen. We'll read our text from Matthew. Matthew, Matthew, chapter two. Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Now, there's an organization called the Concerned Community, so you get different people that are concerned about different things. Herod was also concerned, very concerned, troubled, and sometimes you can be troubled about the right things, but sometimes people are troubled about the wrong things. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born, and they said to him in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, In you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod secretly called the wise men and ascertained from them the time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and make careful search for the child, and when you have found him, report to me that I too may come and worship him. And having heard the king, they went their way, and lo, the star which they had seen in the east went on before them, until it came and stood over where the child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy, and they came into the house, and saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him, and opened their treasures they presented to him, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We read thus far. The wise men of the east, coming from afar off, all the way from a land in the east. And in Zulu it is where the sun goes up, the sun rises. And that was a real sunrise, where the sun came up. And they saw the star and they said, That is a sign that the Messiah, our Redeemer, our Saviour is born. These weren't Jews, they were Gentiles of other nations. One could say heathens. Real heathens. Why then did they leave their land and go to Jerusalem? Some people say they don't know. Some say that they were from the land of the Murds and Persians. Where Daniel had lived. Now Daniel had spoken a lot about the coming of the Messiah. In fact Daniel had even said and prophesied that after 490 years the Messiah would come. Daniel was a great man and he had a huge impact in his time. Remember how the king at that time said that no one should serve any other god other than the god of Daniel. They were told to leave their idols, their gods, and serve the god of Daniel. Now the Medes and Persians were from the land where Daniel had lived. Now there are others that claim he was not from Persia but even from China. Remember I spoke about it previously and you could say but how did the Chinese get to hear of it? Yet even that is not impossible. Daniel was a great man, famous everywhere. He had liked the letters of a king himself so he moved in those circles. So what he said about God had far reaching effects. But he was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. There were other prophets as well. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. There were other prophets as well. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the Medes and Persians. He was not alone in the land of the
At His Feet
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Erlo Hartwig Stegen (1935 - 2023). South African missionary and revivalist of German descent, born on Mbalane farm near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, to Hermannsburg missionary descendants. Raised Lutheran, he left school after grade 10 to farm but felt called to ministry in 1952, evangelizing rural Zulus under apartheid. After 12 years of preaching with few lasting conversions, he experienced a transformative revival in 1966 at Maphumulo, marked by repentance and reported miracles. In 1970, he founded KwaSizabantu Mission (“place where people are helped”) in Kranskop, which grew into a self-sustaining hub with farms, a water bottling plant, and schools, serving thousands. Stegen authored Revival Among the Zulus and preached globally, establishing churches in Europe by 1980. Married with four daughters, he mentored Zulu leaders and collaborated with theologian Kurt Koch. His bold preaching drew 3 million visitors to KwaSizabantu over decades.