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TO THOSE IN MINISTRY
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Issue No: 1046 Published: 01 Nov 2021
A WALK THROUGH THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES
THE STORY
A farmer who has sinned has come to the Tabernacle of Moses, to seek forgiveness of his sin by bringing the best lamb of his flock. He has entered the gate (of SALVATION THROUGH JESUS) of the Tabernacle. He has made his SIN SACRIFICE upon the Brazan Altar and is now ready to learn about the front part of the TENT OF THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Now the High Priest describes the Holy of Holies where the PRESENCE OF GOD THE FATHER DWELLS. Finally the High Priest describes his procedure on the DAY OF ATONEMENT, when both his and the Israelites unintentional sins are forgiven.
ESTABLISHING GOD’S PATTERN FOR THE CHURCH
“POTTED” HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
THE EARLY CHURCH:
30AD April: Death of Jesus on the cross. (The day of the Feast of Passover)
April: Resurrection and appearance to Mary Magdalene. (The day of the Feast of Firstfruits)
May: Ascension to heaven. Believers reduced from 500 to 120 at Pentecost.
May: Pentecost. Holy Spirit arrival. 3,000 added to the Church. (The day of the Feast of Weeks, that is Pentecost) Symbolic restoration of the 3,000 killed for making the infamous golden calf while the law was being given to Moses on Mt Sinai, at Pentecost, approximately 1,500 years before. Chance? No way!
33AD Church still confined to Jerusalem. Many miracles occurred as they moved in the power of the Holy Spirit. However, contrary to popular belief, the very early church was not keen to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). They had a siege mentality. They did not want to see the Church taken over by gentiles as their nation had been by the Romans and others, in the past. Jesus preached to the Jews, so they also carried on in the same way, in the same tradition or ‘comfort zone’. They were disobedient to His new command, which may well have had important implications for all Church history, as we will see later. Conversions occurred and the Church spread, but mainly through people visiting Jerusalem and taking ‘the way’ home with them.
37AD The conversion of Paul, aged 29. After a period of seclusion, Paul started his ministry at age 30, the same age as Jesus. Significant, in that it was the age the Levites and priests started work in the Tabernacle, the accepted age of spiritual maturity. Paul, a Jew born in Tarsus in Greece, a Roman citizen, trained as a Pharisee from a young age in Jerusalem. An internationalist, he was called to do the work the Apostles and early church had neglected to do. Not God’s first choice but the ideal backup – right age, right birth, right training and fully committed to all he did, whether it was persecuting the Christians or leading them to Christ! Initially the churches were set up with unity of doctrine and church government but gradually, as Paul’s letters show, divisions began to appear.
48AD Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to sort out a crucial problem within the early church that was causing a division between Jewish and gentile believers. The argument concerned the necessity for gentile believers to follow Jewish law and tradition, in particular the need for male circumcision. A ‘painful process’ for an adult male, but a requirement for entry into Judaism. After lengthy debate it was agreed that under ‘grace’, this previous legal requirement was no longer necessary. Much to the relief of gentile male converts, I’m sure! Tradition dies hard though! Legalism of a different sort didn’t take too long to return, particularly once the state got involved with the church. For the survival of the state effectively depends upon the rule of law.
68AD May or June: Paul executed in Rome. He had succeeded in establishing toehold churches throughout much of the known world, using his normal method of first preaching to the Jews in the local synagogue. When the Jews threw him out, which they invariably did, he turned to the local gentiles. The city authorities then usually ejected him, usually at the request of the Jews! The churches of this time were small, mostly house churches, initially at least. No giant cathedrals yet!
70AD 5th August: The burning of the temple, as prophesied by Jesus. Still hasn’t yet been physically replaced although there are Jews wishing to do so. As Christians, Jesus is our ‘spiritual temple’, so the rebuilding of a physical temple is unnecessary.
2nd September: The final destruction of the upper part of Jerusalem. Led to the Christians of the area being scattered throughout the known world, taking their faith and beliefs with them. Yes, a tragedy for the Jewish nation. But a positive step for the spreading of the gospel. God’s ways are certainly different to ours!
c.100 Death of the last of the Apostles, John. Authority and unity of ‘apostleship’ disappeared.
THE DECLINE OF THE CHURCH:
130 Laying on of hands becomes a formal ritual.
140 Ministry of the prophets vanishes.
150 Gifts of the Spiritare disappearing entirely.
160 Plurality of eldership fades away.
180 Local church autonomy diminishes as churches start to come under the control of Rome.
187 First infant baptism and sprinkling. Form over substance.
200 Ritual becoming the norm as the church had form but had lost its power. Water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ denied, largely through Pope Stephen.
210 Doctrine of the priesthood of all believers rejected as a class of clerics developed.
225 Church membership became based on a creed rather than salvation.
240 Holiness disappeared and worldliness infiltrated the church.
350 Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion. Salvation by faith not required for membership, with many ‘heathen’ being forced to accept Christianity by the sword.
380 Rome became the final authority in church matters.
THE DARK AGES: An ongoing decline that lasted for over 1100 years until the Reformation.
1300’s Bible translated into easy English by John Wycliffe, and by others into the major European languages, enabling the spreading of the word amongst ordinary people, so setting the scene for the Reformation. Wycliffe’s theme was the interpretation of scripture, by scripture, not by man.
1450 The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg provided the vehicle for the viable spread of the Bible to the masses.
RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH:
Traditional Church
1517Martin Luther started the Reformation with his revelation; “The just shall live by faith.”
Evangelical Church
1524 Water Baptism restored through the Anabaptists.
1559 John Calvin’s book “Institution of the Christian Religion” focused on “salvation by grace through faith.”
1600’s Emphasis on the restoration of spiritual life.
1738 Holiness emphasised by Wesley.
1792 William Carey founded the first missionary society, the BMS, to evangelise internationally.
1800’s Emphasis on social reform based on Christian principles e.g. Lord Shaftesbury in (factory and mining reform) and W E Gladstone (political reforms) in Britain and Charles Finney (abolition of slavery) in the USA.
Pentecostal Church
1901 The birth of the Pentecostal Movement in the USA saw the reintroduction of the gifts of the Spirit in a major way, to the church.
1904 The Welsh Revival was a practical example of the amazing affects that revival can have on society.
1920’s Introduced decades of the ministry of Evangelism to the church. e.g. D. L. Moody, Smith Wigglesworth, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts and many others majoring on the truths of water baptism and often, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The gifts that were restored as a result of this were primarily vocal - speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues and prophecy.
Charismatic Church
1948 First return of the prophetic ministry to the Pentecostal Church through the Latter Rain Movement.
1960’s The Charismatic Movement commenced, taking the gifts of the Spirit into many mainstream churches.
1970’s Prophets fully accepted in the church, bringing with them the truth of the laying on of hands. The revelation gifts that returned were word of knowledge, discernment of spirits and the word of wisdom.
What is apparent from this timeline is the parallel between the decline of the mainline church over the first 4 centuries and its ongoing restoration over the last 5, since the Reformation. The gospel truths and movement of the Holy Spirit however, were not entirely lost during the Dark Ages, being retained in Independent Church movements throughout the world. Considering the close parallels, it is not unreasonable to project into the future, the final restoration of the church, to its initial, early church position before decline occurred.
RESTORATIONS COMPLETION:
kKINGDOM (Tabernacle) Church
2000’s In natural progression, the Apostolic ministry will soon be restored with its associated truths of resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement. The gifts that will accompany this apostolic ministry will be miracles, healings and faith. While healings and miracles have accompanied the ministries of others throughout the century, one of particular note being Smith Wigglesworth, their full release is yet to come. Then too, the governmental authority and unity of the true church, lost when the Apostle John died 1900 years ago, will be restored.
Impossible? In our own power, yes. In God’s power, no!
Let’s now have a look and see if this pattern of church history reflects God’s pattern for the church as expressed in Moses’ Tabernacle
(To be continued)
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7;1-10)
Through the faith of the Centurion, without visiting his home.
“I will come and heal him,”
“I tell you the truth, I haven’t found this kind of trust anywhere in Israel. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into utter darkness where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”
“Go home. Because you trusted that it would happen, what you asked for has been done.”
Jesus Raises the Widow of Nain’s Son(Luke 7:11-17)
When the boy’s body was being taken outside of the town.
“Don’t cry,”
“Young man, I tell you, get up.”
Jesus Commends John the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-19, Luke 7:18-35)
When approached by John’s disciples asking Jesus if He truly was ‘the one who was to come’.
“Go and tell John what you’ve seen and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised back to life, the poor are told the good news. How good it is for those who are not offended because of me!”
“About John: what did you expect to see when you went out to meet him in the desert? Some reed blown about by the wind? Did you come looking for a man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who have stylish clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes he is, and I’m telling you, he’s much more than a prophet. “It was written about him in Scripture: ‘Look, I’m sending my messenger to go before you to prepare your way.’ “I tell you, no one born of women is greater than John, but even the most unimportant person in God’s kingdom is greater than he is!”
But the Pharisees disagreed.
“What shall I compare these people to?” “What are they like? “They’re like children sitting in the market who tell one other, ‘We played the flute for you but you didn’t dance; we sang sad songs but you didn’t cry.’ When John the Baptist came he didn’t eat bread or drink wine, but you say he’s demon-possessed. Now the Son of man is here, and eats and drinks with people, but you say, ‘Look, he spends his time eating too much food and drinking too much wine. Plus he’s a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ However, God’s wise ways are proved right by all who follow him!”
(Continues next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
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Back again!
Thank you for your prayers. Good things are happening. Not there yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter.
AN OUTREACH ON SITE!
Not sure how you can have an outreach at the Hospital, but that's how it was last Thursday!
During the day we had 150 local people come for free hypertension, diabetes, pregnacy and young mums plus cancer screening.
A good day where many were helped and hopefully, many will come to the Hospital on an ongoing basis.
Here they are signing in and their temperatures taken in case of Covid, before proceding further.
Incidentally, we have not had any Covid cases come here. Kenya is at the bottom of the 5th surge, and restrictions have been lifted this week.
Overall, Covid has had a lot less effect here than in the West, 240,000 cases and 5,500 deaths in a population of 50 million.
AT RECEPTION
Clients with NHIF cards and those wanting treatment for other conditions, were processed at Reception.
The man near reception is lookiing away at the TV provided for those waiting. A big attraction to the many who don't have TV sets at home!
KATHY GREETING THE CLIENTS IN HER UBIQUITOUS RED HAT!
Clients waiting to see the docors, or waiting for their Laboratory results.
We have an excellent Laboratory , which is about to develop further, with a greater range of tests being offered.
NEW MOTHERS AND PREGNANT LADIES WAITING FOR SERVICE IN THE MATERNITY WARD
The Kenyan Government has a great scheme that pays for mothers to have their babies in hospital, in order to reduce the child mortality rate.
Unfortuunately they ran out of money for a few months, just as we started with maternity! However it has now started again so we are properly away now.
Working in Kenya, there are many obstacles, many unexpected! However you just have to adjust and do the best you can in spite of the challenges.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?
INTRODUCTION When asking the Lord what He wanted me to write about next, He has led me to look at HIS CHURCH, not in the way of standard church history, but from His viewpoint. I will try my best to be obedient to His wishes. But any errors will be mine!
As you will soon see, the history of His church revolves around the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit's activity upon the earth, rather than what we consider the church to be.
Before I start I must give you a little personal testimony. I hope my testimony will show you that what is to come has to be of God, for it is outside my personal nature, experience and inheritance. I was brought up in a traditional Baptist church in the 1950's and 60's. (Yes I am that old! On the outside but not the inside! Well.....) My grandparents on both sides of the family were traditional churchgoers, as were my parents, as is my sister, and most have been active in church leadership. I was brought up to believe, yes, it was ingrained deep within me, that one had it all, when you gave your heart to Jesus and were water baptized (on the Baptist side) or attended church (on the Presbyterian side). I tried giving my heart to Jesus. Nothing happened. My (younger than me) sister was getting water baptized, so I decided to as well. Nothing happened. I attended church until I was 30ish, and to all, including my wife Kathy, was a reasonable Christian.
In fact, a pastor of mine suggested I should go to Baptist College and train for the ministry! If only he had known what was inside of me! During my time at university, I went with some friends to an AOG Pentecostal meeting, hated it, and vowed and declared I would never go back! I didn't. After a disagreement with the church, I left and went into the world, where I remained until I was 42, when we went bankrupt.
At that time I was truly desperate, not being able to look after my family, so truly gave my heart to Jesus when waiting in the queue to register for the dole (Unemployment Benefit) at the Social Welfare Office in Takapuna, Auckland, where we were living at the time.
Over my time away from the church, Kathy got involved with the things of the Spirit. Didn't like it, but couldn't really complain, could I? After my true conversion, we went back to a traditional Baptist church. Kathy did a Holy Spirit course at another church also. I could not understand the notes and ridiculed them. Not a good move! For the next year the Lord told me to go and do the course! Had to eat humble pie!
Over that year of doing the 'Word of Life' course, I came into the things of the Holy Spirit, which changed my life. We eventually joined the Abundant Life Church, where we remained until the Lord took us away from Tauranga to the city of Napier, where we lived before coming to Kenya.
In Tauranga, while working in the fields attending to the flowers on our flower farm, the Lord, in an audible voice, called me to set up Walking With Jesus Ministries, to be based on Revelation 12:11, one of the results of which you are reading now.
11 They overcame him 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. (Revelation 12:11) (Emphasis added, as the Lord gave it to me.)
I do not want to go into now all the things the Lord has done. I just want to say that I now do my best to follow the leading of the Lord, through His precious Holy Spirit residing in me. (And in you too, if you truly believe.) What follows will be a real test of this, for as you can see from the above, it is far outside my natural nature and inheritance, to understand the ways of the Spirit. May the Lord help me as I endeavour to bring His revelation to you.
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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.
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
630. Praise gladdens the heart. Worship strengthens the soul.
631. True worship is reflected in positive actions.
632. Our actions reflect our true worship.
633. Thanksgiving brings forth praise. Praise leads on to worship.
634. With thankful praise, I worship my maker.
635. The freedom to worship is not truly appreciated until it is taken away.
636. God gives us praise and worship so they may be returned to Him.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFESTYLE continues
.....as we look at further kingdom parables of Jesus.
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
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A DAVID MUSING
Have you noticed when in church, or among other Christians, that when things are good, everyone is friendly and encouraging? God is with you etc.
When things are not so good, but not too bad, if you understand, most say, "Trust God, He will look after you."
But when things are desparate, all of a sudden, there is nobody to seen! Maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get the meaning.
As Christians, we are not good in helping one another when things in life go really wrong. For if we are a true Christian, all should go well, all the time! We don't know how to react when life has thrown a curve ball at us or one of our fellow believers.
Many years ago I experienced this, when the Lord hd me looking after a number of people, over time, who had terminal cancer. Most people, definitely including me, have no idea how to deal with this situation However, having been thrown in at the deep end, and 100% out of my comfort zone, I quickly learned that what I needed to do was, absolutely nothing! It was enough to sit with the person, and speak when you are spoken to. For we can not truly share the person's torment, but by simply sit with them, we show God's love just by being there.
Advice is not needed. Words of encourgement will, in reality, be empty. Should the person want advice, they will ask for it.
In this busy rush, rush world, time is the most valuable gift we can give. Time is our gift to others who are facing death. Our time shows that we, and God, cares.
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!
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