A Weekly World Wide Word of Encouragement to those in the Ministry
PRAISE GOD IT’S MONDAY!
A WEEKLY ‘WWW (world-wide word) OF ENCOURAGEMENT’
TO THOSE IN MINISTRY
A FREE service, currently connecting with Christian leaders from 3,000 denominations and ministries, in 70 countries.
Issue No: 988 Published: 21 Sep 2020
AS THE LORD WILLS
Most of us get stuck in a rut don't we?
Doing what we have always done, whether it is good, bad or neutral is so much easier than taking a chance and doing something different.
But our God is a God of change! Why? Because He is trying to make us into His spiritual image. And I for one, haven't got there yet. And I guess that you are the same as me!
This temporary need to change the format of PGIM after 19 odd years of the same format, was quite a challenge. Particularly as it took many, many hours, in an otherwise busy schedule, to write what the Lord told me to write.
I put these teachings up on Facebook as well. Interestingly, the article on the equality of women raised the greatest interest, The Kingdom is Arising the next., followed by Is it Enough to Believe?
It is a concern to me that people are not getting the reality that many who say they believe, but are not living a life of discipleship will miss out on their heavanly reward. There are simply, so many deluded 'Believers', who are not being taught that true Christianity is a lifestyle, one of sacrifice to become spiritually like Jesus. Salvation is free, but following Jesus costs us our life!
This week we are back to our normal format, for I don't want to write what David thinks, but only what the Lord specifically tells me to.
Amen.
David
PS: Never forget, Jesus was a revolutionary, He requires a revolutionary lifesytle, different from that of the world, for me and for you.
PPS: If you have not read the articles for over the past weeks, please make time to, as they well could revolutionize walk with Jesus, and those oif others you relate to.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Sign of Jonah (Luke 11:29-32)
Jesus addressed the crowd.
“This is an evil generation for it’s looking for some miraculous sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. In the same way that Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation. The queen of the south will rise in the judgment together with the people of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and now there is someone greater than Solomon here! The people of Nineveh rise in the judgment together with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented when they heard Jonah’s message, and now there’s someone greater than Jonah here!
The Lamp of Your Body (Luke 11:33-6)
No one lights a lamp and then hides it or places it under a bowl. No, you put it on a lamp stand so that those who come into the house can see the light. Your eye is the light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body is in the dark. So make sure the light you have in you is not actually darkness. If your whole body is full of light, with no areas of darkness, then it will be completely illuminated, just as a bright lamp gives you light.”
Six Woes Declared on the Pharisees and Lawyers (Luke 11:37-54)
When Jesus joined them for lunch without ceremoniously washing His hands.
“You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you’re full of greed and wickedness. You’re so foolish! Don’t you think the One who made the outside made the inside as well? If, acting from within, you do acts of kindness to others, then everything will be clean to you. Shame on you Pharisees! You pay tithe on herbs and plants, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You need to pay attention to the latter, while not leaving the former things undone. Shame on you Pharisees! You love to have the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect when you go to the markets. Shame on you! You are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing.”
“Shame on you lawyers too! You place burdens on people that are too hard to carry, but you don’t lift a finger to help them. Shame on you! You build memorial tombs to honor the prophets, but it was your own fathers who killed them in the first place! By doing this you are witnesses showing that you agree with what your fathers did. They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs!
“This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will kill, and others they will persecute.’ Consequently, this generation will be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets shed from the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel right up to the blood of Zachariah who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held accountable for all of it. Shame on you lawyers! You have removed the key of knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you prevented others from going in too.”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 46
FEAR
The world is in a mess!
Riots in America through Black Lives Matter, with both far left, and far right groups, participating. Others have protested about wearing masks. Mixed in with Covid, electioneering and an economy in recession, with its associated unemployment and a divisive by nature President, it surely is a mess.
In at least 1 demonstration bibles have been burnt, perhaps a sign of things to come. But I expect it will alienate many people to the cause.
The same applies to many other countries to a greater or lesser extent primarily through Covid and their Government’s reaction to it.
Round the world extreme left and right wing groups are taking advantage of the Covid generated situation to proclaim their ideologies and are getting listened to, as more and more people become dissatisfied with the status quo.
Interestingly New Zealand, which eliminated Covid for 102 days, at a huge cost to the economy, has now had another outbreak.
Here in Kenya, the virus has been mostly restricted to areas of denser population. Our population is young, so that helps too, in restricting its spread.
Other than in the densely populated cities and cooler climate of South Africa, Africa as a while seems to have avoided the worst of the virus. It is simply another problem to be added to the many others we face, such as malaria, flooding, droughts, locusts, poverty, and many more. Puts things into perspective for us and maybe is a lesson to rest of the world. You don’t know how lucky you are!
Fear creates havoc, both is our personal lives and in the societies in which we live. Sadly, there appears to be little difference in the reactions of Christians and non-believers to Covid.
There is a song, that states this so well. “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no-one wants to die”! This is the truth about most Christians today. We love life more than Jesus!
Because we are not prepared to give our whole life to Him, irrespective of the cost, the established church is blending into the world, and slowly disappearing through irrelevance.
Jesus was different to the society He lived in - and we are called to follow His example. Unless people can notice the difference in us, we are simply not committed to Him.
In these turbulent times all believers we are called to make a choice. Whom will we follow? This does not mean not wearing masks. Martin Luther, who lived through the Black Death, suggested we look after ourselves, be sensible in what we do, and leave the rest up to our Lord.
Living for Jesus is not seen in these superficial things, but in applying the Fruit of The Spirit to our lives, being obedient to His directions for us, and being prepared to give our lives to Him, even unto death.
Are we prepared to make this personal commitment today?
Shurakini
(Thank You)
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
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MY FRIEND RICHARD
A very positive and cheery man, who came for a successful Cataract Operation and we bonded!
A GLASSES WORKSHOP
We now, thanks to CBM, have an Optical Workshop, where, for the majority of cases, we can diagnose and make spectacles on the spot! One visit is all you need!
Here our Optometric Technician, Ronnie, is grinding a lens down to a size to fit the frame.
Overall, it is a more complex process than I thought.
Ronnie fitting the glasses
One happy client!
Average cost $NZ75 ($US50) for a cash paying client.
We hope to start a subsidized scheme for school children in the future.
Obviously, if we can produce many pairs, the cost can come down considerably.
***NOW***NINE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
9 BOOKS are now available on Amazon (Kindle)!
All are available worldwide for electronic download on Amazon (Kindle) for $US0.99c . Unfortunately there has to be a charge in order to list.
Your support would be appreciated and they could well change your life!
They are all found at this link.....
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=david+tait+books/
***DAILY EZINE!*** 'DAVID'S DAILY DOODLINGS' Subscribe Today
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'THE WORDS OF JESUS' REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR PDF DOWNLOAD
Join the many who have downloaded the 'The Words of Jesus'. I am sure you will be blessed by it, as I have been.
One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lord's words drawn from all the Gospels, and the elimination of repetition between Gospels.
You may be surprised by the different perspective this presentation gives you both in understanding of His life and ministry, and in achieving a closer relationship with Him.
Download the free PDF here.....
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
97. I can never catch up with my worries, for they are all about tomorrow.
98. Rarely does tomorrow's worry become today's problem.
99. Today's worry rarely solves tomorrow's problems.
100. An apple a day keeps the Doctor away, but a worry a day keeps him fully employed.
101. Repentance is when you change a 'worry' into a 'sorry.'
102. Laughter is the only medicine I know where the side effects are even more beneficial than the medicine itself.
103. After birth on earth, a dearth of mirth reduces self-worth, leading to an increased girth.
208. The ultimate worrier does not have the time to concern themselves with today or tomorrow for they are still too busy worrying about what happened yesterday.
356. An optimist tackles a problem while the worrier lets the problem tackle them.
357. Magicians and worriers both create illusions. Magicians entertain others, while worriers entertain themselves.
358. Worry is like the fast breeder nuclear reactor, which feeds upon itself. Unsurprisingly, neither has proved to be of lasting benefit to mankind.
359. Somehow, it seems easier to build a mountain of worry than a molehill of achievement.
360. A worry a day keeps the psychiatrist in business.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: RELATIONSHIP V THEOLOGY - THE POWER OF THE CALL concludes
Summarising the fundamental change that is taking place on the church.
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
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REPRODUCTION OF NEWSLETTER CONTENT
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
*** Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others. ***
451. Good Looking
The Baptist church had a small congregation of very faithful people - all but Marvin the farmer, who had quit coming to church.
Pastor Feingold went to Marvin's farm, and asked him why he didn't attend anymore.
"Gee, Preacher," Marvin said, "I only have these coveralls and old boots, and I don't want to come to the Lord's house dressed so shabby."
Pastor Feingold said, "I've got a spare shirt, sports coat, slacks and shoes I'll give you if you'll come back!"
Marvin agreed, so Pastor Feingold returned that afternoon with the clothes. Next Sunday Marvin didn't show up again.
The Pastor went out to Marvin's farm and asked, "I gave you all those clothes, why didn't you come to church?"
"Well, brother," Marvin said, "I got up and showered and shaved, and I put on those neat duds, and I looked in the mirror. I looked so doggone good I went to the Episcopal Church!"
452. My Best
A man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter who led him down the golden streets. They passed mansion after beautiful mansion until they came to the end of the street where they stopped in front of a shack. The man asked St. Peter why he got a hut when there were so many mansions he could live in.
St. Peter replied, "I did the best I could with the money you sent us."
453. Very Religious
My husband is very religious.....
He won't work if there's a Sunday in the week.
A DAVID MUSING
It is some weeks since I have written a Musing.
Over this time the world has continued in some weird ways.
Corona is now making a second visit in many places, particularly in the West.
Here in Kenya, where we moving towards summer, the virus has not seriously taken hold.
In the County we live in, with a population of 1.5 million people, we have only seen 20+ cases. In the larger cities it is worse, but not at pandemic levels.
Kenyans immune systems have to be strong, to fight the diseases and sanitary conditions in many places that are all a part of life.
The West has basically gone soft. With medicines expected to fix everything. When something resistant to medicines comes along the body cannot cope with it.
Progress obviously has many benefits, but sometimes becomes the victim of its own success.
That is life!
Until next time.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
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ABOUT US
WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Hastings, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God's people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ's return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord's direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our websitewwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
7 Bull Street
Ahuriri
Napier
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 835 0567 International (+64) 6 835 0567
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz
Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "... so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole - and have a smile while doing it!
For comments upon and contributions to this service, please contact
david@wwj.org.nz