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: 1045 Published: 25 Oct 2021
CAN IT ? SURELY NOT! BUT IT IS!.....................PGIM IS --------- TWENTY YEARS OLD!!!!!!!*******
That is 1045 issues (see the Issue No. at the top), without missing a single week!
Thank you Lord for life and giving me good health over this time. Am so grateful!
I started writing PGIM when i was 54, so you can guess my age now!
Of course we have all changed over 20 years, both you and me!
For me, my hair has turned grey. We have changed cities in New Zealand twice, and for over 4 years now, have relocated, at God’s request, to here in Webuye, Kenya, something I could not ever have imagined 20 years ago!
I am not good at looking back for, unusually for my age I guess, my mind is fixed on the future. As my friend Rodney Francis in New Zealand says, "The best is yet to come!".
We should not limit ourselves as we grow older, for God can use and will use us, irrespective of our age, There is no retirement age in God!
Here is my first editorial from 20 years ago, the events mention still having repercussions today.......
ONE MONTH ON.....
... from the terrorist attacks in the US and one week into the promised American reprisals, it is time for us, the world-wide Christian community, to carefully and prayerfully consider this new situation we ourselves in.
Inevitably, within the 'church', there will be those who strongly agree with reprisals, others who are ambivalent, while some will strongly oppose them. And we all have valid scriptural beliefs upon which our opinions are based!
Whatever our views about these events, and governmental responses to them, there is more general agreement that the spiritual battle, for the hearts and minds of people world-wide, has markedly intensified since the tragedies of September 11.
Our spiritual response therefore, must be both definite and unifying. For the Bible tells us that we are to:
1. PRAY extensively and intensively. For prayer, fasting and the implementation of 'The Word' in our lives, are our primary weapons of spiritual warfare.
2. WITNESS to the hope of salvation in Jesus, throughout the whole world.
3. HELP others, through application of the 'love principle', upon which effective Christianity has always been based.
With the imminent onset of winter in Afghanistan, a massive relief effort is necessary if a huge, human tragedy is to be avoided. The concern and more importantly, the reaction of Christians to this critical situation, rates as our first and greatest opportunity to witness to the reality of our faith. Not only to these desperate people, but to the whole world, in particular many Moslem communities. For the eyes of a suspicious and critical world are upon 'the church' at this time. Let us respond by working together through our amazing Aid Agencies, by political means, and through prayer, to be the witness of Jesus to the world it so needs, in this crucial hour.
So that is it.....
20 years
1045 weeks, including Leap Years)
240 months
1680 weeks
7304 days
175,316 hours
10,518,984 minutes
639,189,040 seconds later.
WOW! CAN'T BE THAT LONG!
LOOKING FORWARD TO REPEATING THM ALL OVER AGAIN!
PS: Would be interested at hearing from you at david@wwj.org.nz
JESUS - INTHE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK
During the week, as I the Book of Hebrews, I was prompted to share to share some Scrptures with you, as part of the 20 year anniversary of PGIM.
The writer, likely Paul, urged us .....
Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.(Hebrews 6 1-3)
He showed me that the church today 2000 years after the time of Jesus, is still focused on on the elementary teachings - repentance, faith, doctrine, the Holy Spirit, Heaven not kingdom, and eternal judgement, or not.
Of course, these things are very important for the unsaved and new believers, but as we grow in maturity in Christ we need to progress further in our walk with Jesus.
Sadly, few do. We are embroiled in the elementary principles, as believed by our denomination, and stay there all our Christian lives.
I was brought up as a Baptist where, as the name suggests, full immersion baptism is their focus, and the highlight of a believer's life. You are saved, which is all you need, until you die, when you go to heaven. Everything else is is ignored, considered to be in a far distant place compared to baptism. Some things are changing now, in some places, as the Charismatic movement has invaded some churches.
However, Holy Spirit baptism of the Spirit filled churches has not been the full answer, as they tend to focus on that first and foremost. Many become dissatisfied however, with the constant repitition of the focus, whether it be worship, the Word, or prayer, of their specific church.
There has to be more!
The Lord then led me to the Scripture about Melchizedek.
First of all, in Psalms, where King David had a revelation of the Saviour to come.....
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”(Psalm 110:4)
In Hebrews Chapter 7 there is a full description of Melchizedek and his comparison to Jesus. It starts by describing how Melchizedek was both the king and priest of what, at the time, was a small settlement on a hill, called (Jeru)Salem. Abraham gave him a tithe of his spoils in battle, as a thanks giving to God for looking after him in the rescue of his nephew Lot and his family from Sodom.
As a King -Priest, his days had no beginning or end. Quite possibly a pre-incarnation of Jesus. It is a mystery to us.
Many hundreds of years later, when the Israelites were released from the tyranny of Egypt through the leadership of Moses, guided by God, the priesthood and kingship became separated, so perfection was no longer in place with either party. The kings sinned and the priests also. David and Bathsheba and Aaron's sons are two well-known examples.
In chapter 7, the writer goes on to describe the relationship between Jeus and Melchizidek.....
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6)
And how did Jesus live?
By sharing with, and being OBEDIENT TO, the will of HIS FATHER!
This is most clearly illustrated on the Mount of Olives, when talking to His Father about His upcoming crucifixion.....
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
So it is with us today. We have learned that Jesus is our ultimate King/Priest. We too must follow His example.
Yes, it is vital to believe in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and vital to have the infilling of the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us.
BUT IT IS ALSO VITAL TO BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE OUR WILL TO THAT OF THE FATHER, AND FOLLOW HIS COMMANDS FOR US.
It is not easy! But sacrificing our lives for Jesus is our ultimate command. It may cost us our life as it did for all but one of the disciples and many, many, matyrs over the past 2,000 years, and still does today. For most of us however, it means giving up our desires and wishes for those of the Lord. Hard -yes, but ultimately the most rewarding way, as well as being God's desire for you and me.
Kathy and I do endeavour to 'practice what we preach', as the saying goes.
I hope that over the past 20 years of PGIM you have learned about the message the Lord gave me when weeding the flowers on our flower farm of the time, which was the foundation stone of Walking with Jesus Ministries.
It was Revelation 12:11, talking about how to overcome satan. It is still as relevant today. as it was then and will remain so until the return of Jesus.....
They overcame him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) and the word of their testimony (through the Holy Spirit); they loved not their lived so much as to shrink from death. (Obedience to God the Father)
Without obedience to the personal will of the Father, satan will not be overcome. We have an amazing Father, reflected in Jesus, taught and guided by the Holy Spirit, but we are to mature, and follow His will for us in order to fulfil our destiny in Him.
Amen.
A FEW ITEMS FROM THE FIRST ISSUE
Enjoy!
As you will see, the message hasn't changed!
Photo is from today! The hair has faded from 20 years ago!
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO CAN LAUGH AT THEMSELVES, FOR THEY WILL NEVER CEASE TO BE AMUSED***
Nine year old Joey, was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie - talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom. But if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"
(God's way was the better one! A lesson for our time?)
More 'church humour' at...
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
"A foolish man speaks before he thinks, a wise man thinks before he speaks, but a godly man lets his life speak for him."
"It’s easy to be wise in theory, but a lot more difficult in practise!"
IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
***When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
***Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was that they escaped
teething.
***Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
***To some people, religious freedom means a choice of churches to stay home from.
***One who boasts of being a self-made person relieves the Lord of a lot of responsibility.
***Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.
***Was Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark?
There are many more fun and thoughtful thoughts at
IF YOU HAVE TIME, TAKE A LOOK AT 'A GOOD MAN GOES TO HEAVEN?'
A highly relevant poem in today's world about that contentious issue of whether being a good person is all you need to be to get to heaven.
Check it out on the web at...
A DAVID MUSING (The first one)
The terrible tragedy of September 11 has had an incredible impact on the minds of people, all round the world. Mankind has again been rudely reminded of the fragility of human existence, and has become more open to spiritual explanations for it.
Even here, in far away New Zealand, 2,000km south-east of Australia and a full 17 hours flying time from Washington and New York, our highly secular National Television News reported a 10-15% increase in church attendance over the weeks following the nightmare. While in part, this has been an expression of solidarity with our American readers in your time of trouble, there has also been a significant resurgence of interest in spiritual matters, both within and beyond the church.
For very evident in the coverage of the unfolding nightmare, was the unity amongst Christians involved in the horror. The question asked in the fleeting seconds available amidst the carnage wasn’t, “Are you Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant? Traditional, Evangelical or Pentecostal? Calvinist, Armenian or Charismatic?” But rather, “Do you love Jesus?” Yes, when faced with the grim reality of that unbelievable situation, this basic truth was all that really mattered.
The Bible itself succinctly states, in Revelation 12:11, the keys to winning the spiritual battle in which, like it or not, we find ourselves deeply involved. It clearly sets out the 3 requirements for satan’s defeat (The lower case ‘s’ in satan is a personal protest!)
“They overcame him (that is satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Three positive responses are required if we are to overcome the spiritual forces arraigned against us.
1. Do we really believe in Jesus?
2. Are we prepared to fully live life as a testimony to Him?
3. Are we ready to die for Jesus, should that be required?
Do you realise that there were more martyrs for Jesus during the 20th century than in all the previous nineteen centuries combined? Martyrdom is not simply a fact of history, but an ever-present possibility for many Christians!
Our personal answers to these three questions will determine the fate of the church in these vital, turbulent days. Yes, it’s now up to you and to me. As fully committed believers and leaders, working together towards the same goal we, the Church, will be victorious. Revelation 12:11 confirms it!
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 website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 2
Webuye 50205
Kenya
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