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: 1114 Published: 20 Feb 2023
PLEASE SEE "A DAVID MUSING"
About the cyclone that hit our home town this week.
Devestating!
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
EDUCATION (I) v EXPERIENCE (WE)
Greek (Western) In Greek culture, physical conquest was immediately followed by the setting up of educational institutions to train the conquered people in Greek culture and ways
What we do, after a revelation is given by God, is to set up a new denomination with its own Bible College, to formalise and disseminate the truths that have been revealed.
Here in New Zealand, the pattern of revelation and formalisation has been experienced within all the Pentecostal streams that arose through the various Holy Spirit revelations of the 20th century. Initial revelation, enthusiasm and changed lifestyle of leaders and people, were overtaken by the formality of organisation, position, theological schools, buildings, programmes and growing lukewarmness amongst both leaders and adherents, focusing more on the little that divides than the much that should unite. This is not unique to the Pentecostal Church but simply follows the pattern of denominational church separation since the Reformation.
The focus is on 'I' as an individual, and the 'bigger I' of denominationalism. The emphasis is on transformation, through education, of the mind.
Eastern (Hebrew) Converts into Judaism are absorbed into Jewish society and culture, so the they can learn experientially the ways of G_d (God)
In early Judaism, converts were absorbed into a tradition and experiential lifestyle, where learning came from absorbing the values and experiences of the forefathers as recorded in the Old Testament, as well as the Rabbi's and leaders of the day. There was a greater tolerance of differing views on many matters. There were 3 or 4 main groups, not the thousands we have today in Protestantism.
When a Jewish boy became a disciple of a Rabbi, he would copy his Rabbi in everything he did. Literally! In every way! Sit. Stand. Gesture. Walk. Eat.....
Jesus took a group of 'students' (disciples), those not good enough to become disciples of the other Rabbis, and trained them in His ways, living with them, teaching them by word and example, sending them out into the mission field to gain practical experience.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. (Matthew 10:1-10)
They participated in His miracles.....
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:16-21)
He answered their questions.....
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:25-9)
They participated in the good times.....
The Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (Matthew 17:1-4)
and the bad.....
Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 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.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:36-41)
Discipleship was a group experience, where the group was more important than the individual, it was both word and deed, and it took place in the school of life, not the academic classroom.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. The group, the cause, is more important than any individual within it.
2. Discipleship involves a change in lifestyle, not just academic knowledge.
3. A godly lifestyle change is the measure of a true conversion.
4. True discipleship training requires interactive experience with others more mature in the faith, in order to grow into the image of Jesus.
(Continued next week)
Find out more about us at the link below
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
The Lord of the Sabbath(Matthew 12:1-14, Mark 2:23-3:6, Luke 6:1-11)
Jesus criticized for picking grain on the Sabbath.
Haven’t you read in the law that on the Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath but are not considered guilty? However I tell you that someone is here who is greater than the temple! 7If you’d known the meaning of this Scripture, ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned an innocent man. For the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
And again for healing a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue.
“Suppose you have a sheep and it falls into a hole in the ground on the Sabbath. Don’t you grab hold of it and pull it out?” “Don’t you think a human being is worth much more than a sheep? So yes, you are allowed to do good on the Sabbath.”
“Hold out your hand.”
Sermon on the Mount(Matthew 5:1-7:29, Luke 6:17-49)
The primary ‘life teachings’ of Jesus.
The Beatitudes(Matthew 5:1-12, Luke 6:20-23)
“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually poor, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who are kind, for they will own the whole world.
Blessed are those whose greatest desire is to do what is right, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are those who have pure hearts, for they will see God.
Blessed are those who work to bring peace, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those persecuted for what is right, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and accuse you of all kind of evil things because of me.
Be glad, be really glad, for you will receive a great reward in heaven—for they persecuted the prophets who came before you in just the same way.
(Continued next week)
Find out more about us at.....
***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!
Many more online at https://www.wwj.org.nz/more-free-downloads
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
Receive one or more of David's sayings in your mailbox each day to inspire, challenge or maybe, amuse. To register today, go down to the bottom of the page link below, click on the subscribe link dd-on@wwj.org.nz (or paste the address in an email yourself and send) Then it's done! If you have an Irish heritage, you will love the background coloring!
Subscription and back issue link is.....
'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
HEALING GOD'S WAY
92. Time heals slowly, love faster, while forgiveness increases the speed.
93. Forgiveness lubricates the healing that both time and love bring.
94. Time heals, love heals better, but only forgiveness heals totally.
95. He who has suffered the greatest rejection, most appreciates the comfort of God's acceptance.
347. God's love is bigger than any human hurt.
348. The secret of inner healing is to draw nearer to God, not run away like most of us do.
349. The bigger the problem, the bigger we can discover our God is.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
Check it out at...
TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: ‘THE RAPTURE’ - SATAN’S PLAN OF DECEPTION WITHIN TODAY’S CHURCH concludes.....
We will sum up what we have learned. May the Lord be with us.
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
As Christians, if we can't laugh at ourselves, others will! A fun way to start your day. To register today, go down to the bottom of the page link below, click on the subscribe link lao--on@wwj.org.nz (or paste the address in an email yourself and send) Then it's done!
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
QWIK QWIP: “It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.”
311. Explaining God
A teacher gave her third grade class an assignment to write essays on the topic, "Explain God." The following was turned in by one of her 8-year-old students..
One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth.
He doesn't make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to Moms and Dads.
God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime and meals. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or watch TV because of this.
Because God hears everything there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy, so you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your Mom and Dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.
Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there aren't any that come to our church.
Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and doing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him.
Jesus was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OKAY.
Jesus’ Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore, He could stay in heaven. So He did. Now Jesus helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary only more important.
You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.
You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong! And, besides, the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.
If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared in the dark or when you can't swim very good and get thrown into real deep water by big kids.
But you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And that's why I believe in God.
312. Gardening God's Way
Plant three rows of peas:
ï‚· Peace of mind
ï‚· Peace of heart
ï‚· Peace of soul
Plant four rows of squash:
ï‚· Squash gossip
ï‚· Squash indifference
ï‚· Squash grumbling
ï‚· Squash selfishness
Plant four rows of lettuce:
ï‚· Lettuce be faithful
ï‚· Lettuce be kind
ï‚· Lettuce be obedient
ï‚· Lettuce really love one another
No garden without turnips:
ï‚· Turnip for meetings
ï‚· Turnip for service
ï‚· Turnip to help one another
To conclude our garden we must have thyme:
ï‚· Thyme for God
ï‚· Thyme for study
ï‚· Thyme for prayer
Water freely with patience and cultivate with love.
There will be much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow.
Download the book 'Laughing At Ourselves' in PDF format at LAUGHING AT OURSELVES One of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with 800 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at ..... https://www.wwj.org.nz/content/wwj18p47.pdf
Or read even more online at.....
A DAVID MUSING
The cyclone I mentioned has now struck, with a vengeance!
Unfortunately our home area of Napier and Hawkes Bay was, unexpectedly, one of the hardest areas hit.
Huge damage was done,mostly through flooding, But Kathy and our son Brendan are safe. I have been staying 300km further south and have had no effects from it at all.
All roads to the outside world, through 3 possible routes, was cut off. Bridges were down, roads collapsed through slips, and more. So 70,000 people in Napier and the same amount in Hastings, were cut off from the rest of New Zealand!
Power was off, and remains so in Napier, as the primary substation was under 2 metres plus of water. They are working on rerouting the power, but after 5 days, as I write this peole are still waiting. For a city, and country, and the Western world, who rely upon power, it is a disaster! Everything works by electricity, doesn't it?
Telephones, mobiles and internet were all out for 3 days, before some cell towers were repaired. But that is not of any use if you can't charge your phone! People have been charging from their cars. Petrol is scarce with only 1 station open, operating on a generator. There were huge queues waiting for the small amount they would be given once they arrived at the station. The same at the 1 station selling gas refills. BBQ's were the order of the day as freezers and fridges defrosted and much food was destroyed. The supermarkets also had to throw out all their frozens and were running out of food anyway. Cash only. But cash machines were not working, of course, so there was no way to get money.
Fortunately, 1 bridge has now been repaired and more food can come and restock the stores, and it allows emergency crews to come in too. Helicopters were the only means of access, but not until the storm had passed, as the wind were too strong to fly in.
A navy ship has now arrived with generators, but of course, they run on petrol! However, petrol supplies will be restored with their arrival.
Power is now the main problem as the cleanup resumes. This will take months, or in some cases, years.
Eight are confirmed dead so far, but 4,500 are still missing throughout the country. It is expected the death toll will increase substantially.
Why does God allow this, is the question we all ask. All I can say is that it goes back to Adam and Eve, for before sin there was no rain. The gardens were watered by springs. Don't believe me? Read Genesis for yourself.
The climate is certainly changing. We can't deny that. The Bible also tells us that in end times these things will happen.
Let us be prepared, not only for disasters, but most importantly, for the return of Jesus.
Until next time
His servant and yours
David Tait
Visit us here.....
CHANGING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS? NEWSLETTER STOPS COMING?
Each week we can lose up to 2% of our readers when they change email addresses without letting us know. Or sometimes, by your server acting strangely and just cutting us off! If you are about to change your address, please advise us of both your old and new addresses here atenquiries@wwj.org.nz and we will happily change our records to ensure ongoing delivery. Thanks.
Please also keep our address in your address book, as sometimes servers will automatically delete your address if there is even a one off problem in delivery. If your newsletter doesn't arrive, please let us know and we will reinstate you.
REPRODUCTION OF NEWSLETTER CONTENT
Most weeks we get enquiries about reproducing, in electronic or print form, articles contained in 'PGIM!' We welcome and encourage you to utilize this material. Freely received, freely given. We would ask though, that the source be acknowledged as an encouragement to others to subscribe to this newsletter also.
LINKS
If you would like to link your web site to ours, and ours to yours, please advise us onlinks@wwj.org.nz
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