Julius Magan

Biography

Julius Magan rebelliously refused formal musical training during his upbringing. Born and raised in a very musical family, he decided to be the exception. After leaving Port Shepstone High School, he farmed for a short period of time before he embarked on a term of service in the SA Defense Force. It was during the latter part of this, in 1981, that he attended a Reinhardt Bonnke church service, and dramatically gave his heart to the Lord. The following year Julius attended Bible School...

Julius Magan rebelliously refused formal musical training during his upbringing. Born and raised in a very musical family, he decided to be the exception.

After leaving Port Shepstone High School, he farmed for a short period of time before he embarked on a term of service in the SA Defense Force. It was during the latter part of this, in 1981, that he attended a Reinhardt Bonnke church service, and dramatically gave his heart to the Lord.

The following year Julius attended Bible School in Durban. He discovered his evangelistic heart, while working with the street people at Point Road at the time. This is also where he first discovered the potential power of music as a tool for ministry. Soon afterwards, he joined a team, who established a hotel for Christians in the Drakensberg. This is where he met his wife, Theresa.

In 1984, they moved to Rayton. Julius started an Estate Agency and progressed to successfully manage three branches. During this time his church asked him to lead their praise and worship, which proved to be instrumental. From that point onwards, Julius began serving the Lord with his musical gift.

It was not long after that the Lord called him into full time music ministry. Julius obediently closed his business and followed his heart. It was a very difficult thing to do. He was forced to trust God for his family's most basic needs. But the Lord was faithful. Today, many years of hard work later, he has many heart-rending testimonies to tell.

His is not your average music ministry at all. It is astonishing to hear what one of his performances entails. He never knows beforehand what is going to happen. He just starts singing, and he continues for the next two hours - never to repeat a song ever again. It is a brand new song, done on the spur of the moment, prompted by the passion in his heart for the Lord. His whole aim is to get people to follow him into the presence of God. He even has a term for it; "new worship" or "free worship". He just follows the Holy Spirit. "People forget about me, as they experience the worship and the presence of God like never before!"

Julius received one of his biggest lessons in life from a prostitute. These were her words: "You Christians come here with your banners. You tell us 'Jesus loves us' and then you leave. Where are you when the street children freeze and die of hunger? Then your banners mean nothing."

Julius and Theresa (having been prompted by God) now stay in Kroonstad and have been blessed with two teenage boys (Shane and Matthew) and a pre-teen daughter, Megan. Shane features with him on his new album, Beautiful.

Julius now spends up to ninety percent of his ministry time in churches or church events such as camps and retreats. He is also involved in serving beyond the borders of South Africa in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia as well doing his annual month -long trip to America.

Julius, above all else, has a yearning for the Holy Spirit at his "concerts". He urges his audience to experience the real presence of God through his music - to take the time to sit at His feet and receive His unconditional love and acceptance.

It is not easy to classify Julius' music style, apart from saying it is uniquely his own. It is a comfortable mix of rock, blues and ballads . . . but ultimately - it is pure worship. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.