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
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Issue No: 1132 Published: 26 Jun 2023
A REVELATION OF..... THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID
THE LORD IS TO BE FEARED!
8 Then David was angry because the LORD’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. 9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” (2 Samuel 6:8-9)
DEFINITION OF 'HOLY FEAR' (New Bible Dictionary)
"This comes from the believer’s apprehension of the living God. According to Luther, the natural man cannot fear God perfectly; according to Rudolf Otto, he is ‘quite unable even to shudder grauen) or feel horror in the real sense of the word’. Holy fear, on the other hand, is God-given, enabling men to reverence God’s authority, obey his commandments and hate and shun all form of evil (Je. 32:40; cf. Gn. 22:12; Heb. 5:7). It is, moreover, the beginning (or principle) of wisdom (Ps. 111:10); the secret of uprightness (Pr. 8:13); a feature of the people in whom God delights (Ps. 147:11); and the whole duty of man (Ec. 12:13). It is also one of the divine qualifications of the Messiah (Is. 11:2-3).
In the OT, largely because of the law’s legal sanctions, true religion is often regarded as synonymous with the fear of God (cf. Je. 2:19; Ps. 34:11, Moffatt), and even in NT times the term ‘walking in the fear of the Lord’ was used in connection with the early Christians. Gentile adherents of the synagogue were called ‘God-fearers’ (Acts 10:2, etc.; cf. Phil. 2:12).
In the NT generally, however, emphasis is laid on God as loving and forgiving, the One who through Christ gives to men the spirit of sonship (Rom. 8:15), and enables them boldly to face up to life (2 Tim. 1:6-7) and death (Heb. 2:15) without fear. Nevertheless, a reverent fear remains; for the awesomeness of God has not changed, and there is a day of judgment to be met (2 Cor. 5:10f.). Godly fear stimulates the believer to seek holiness (2 Cor. 7:1), and is reflected in his attitude towards his fellow-Christians (Eph. 5:21)." [
King David reacted to the death of Uzzah in the predictable human way! "God, I am doing this good thing for you and this is how you treat me!" He could not immediately understand what he had done wrong and reacted in the fashion most of us would! Anger is a very human emotion, and not as far below the surface as we would like to think, when we are provoked.
David's anger turned into fear as he started to realise the full extent of what the Lord had done. Would he be next - or his people? Then, realising his disobedience and seeing the difficult situation he was now in, he decided he needed time to think things over.
THE PROBLEM
In these days of the 'Age of Grace', which emphasise God's love for us, we all too often forget that God has a balanced character, one of both love and judgement. We are now experiencing the love, but on the aptly named 'Judgement Day', we will face His judgement for the things we have - or have not - done.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
(2 Corinthians 5:10)
David experienced God's reaction in a most dramatic way. Quite justifiably, a brave warrior who slayed Goliath and many others, knew he had met his match - and was afraid! A sobering lesson for each and every one of us!
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-7,30)
Even Jesus had a reverent fear of the Father.
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. (Hebrews 5:7)
As was prophesied by Isaiah.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:2-3)
THE LESSON
As did David and Jesus, we too, are to fear the Lord. This is not the negative fear of doing nothing in case we provoke judgement, but rather, a positive motivator to put our lives right with God, now!
Through the love of Jesus in dying on the cross, our sin has been forgiven. This however is only one side of the balance. The side of the balance we hear about all the time, in this, the Age of Grace.
6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil. (Proverbs 16:6)
The Bible tells us that if we are prepared to judge ourselves now, and make changes, we will not be subject to judgement later.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27-32)
So, there is a call for us to change our lives to conform and perform to the will of the Father, to be holy, as reflected in Jesus through the Word as taught to us by the Holy Spirit.
END TIME CHURCH TRAIT 2: A people fearing the Lord now, conforming to Christ in holiness, in order to avoid judgement later.
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS ”
Many Desert Jesus (John 6:60-71)
Deciding the teaching was too difficult to accept.
“Are you offended by this? Then what if you were to see the Son ascend to where he was before? The Spirit gives life; the physical body doesn’t do anything. The words I’ve told you are spirit and life! Yet there are some of you who don’t trust me.”
“This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is made possible by the Father.”
Now speaking to the disciples.
“What about you? Do you want to leave as well?”
“Lord, who would we follow? You’re the one who has the words of eternal life. We trust in you, and we’re convinced that you are God’s Holy One.”
“Didn’t I choose you, the twelve disciples? Yet one of you is a devil,”
Men’s Traditions Rebuked.(Matthew 15:1-11, Mark 17:1-16)
Jesus asked why the disciples didn’t wash their hands before they ate.
“Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?” “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother should be put to death.’ But you say that if someone tells their father or mother, ‘Whatever you might have expected to get from me is now a gift to God,’ then they don’t have to honor their father. In this way you’ve annulled God’s word for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! How well Isaiah described you when he prophesied: ‘These people say they honor me but in their minds they don’t care about me. Their worship of me is pointless. What they teach are just man-made requirements.’”
“Listen, and understand this: it’s not what goes into you through your mouth that defiles you. It’s what comes out of your mouth that defiles you.”
Parable and Explanation of Man’s Traditions to Disciples (Matthew 15:12-20,
Mark 17:17-23 )
When the disciples commented that the Pharisees were offended by this teaching, Jesus gave this parable.
“Every plant my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted,” Jesus replied. “Forget about them—they are blind guides. If a blind man leads another blind man, then they’ll both fall into a ditch.”
An explanation asked for.
“Haven’t you understood this yet?” “Don’t you see that whatever goes in through the mouth then passes through the stomach, and then leaves the body as wasted? 18But what comes out through the mouth comes from the mind, and that’s what defiles you. 19For what comes from the mind are evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and blasphemy 20and those are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands doesn’t defile you.”
(Continued next week)
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*DAVID"S DOODLINGS
Enjoy some of David's sayings here, plus 1300 more on the website at.....
'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.
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
PROSPERITY
177. Earthly prosperity is 'just a little more'. But heavenly prosperity is learning to be content with what the Lord has given.
382. There is no absolute measure of prosperity for our perception of it relates to what we see others have. I wonder what God sees?
383. The problem with prosperity is that we all want to own God's 'cattle on a thousand hills' personally.
385. It is a sad fact that if the rich gave all they had to the poor, poverty would merely be delayed, not allayed.
811. In the Old Testament, success is measured by prosperity, in the New, by sacrifice. Many believers prefer to live in the past!
812. May I learn to rest content with my 'daily bread'.
813. There is no problem with prosperity, only our definition of it.
814. In the Old Testament, prosperity is provision for the future, in the New, sufficiency for today.
815. Worldly provision comes through people, godly provision through the Providor, for whom people are but one resource.
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CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
Another laugh or three for you today
Many more on our website below. Also many, may, many more under these categories on our website, wwj,org,nz Look under the heading MAINLY LAUGHS. Choose from.....
THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TEACHING.....
A REVELATION OF....... 3 KINGDOM AGESSOCIETIES OF THE KINGDOM AGES (2nd of 2) THREE SOCIETIES Part 2
As we progress through the kingdom ages we see how God was able to reveal more of Himself to us. For we gradually developed a greater capacity to understand and the ability to disseminate God's revelations of Himself.
Now we have the internet! What will the future bring?
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
365. Not Too Funny
Pastor Beaverson was approached by a visitor after the service. "Pastor", she said. "I really appreciated your sermon. However, there's just one thing. I still can't figure out what the connection was between your text and the rest of the sermon."
366. Cars in Heaven
It seems the head Deacon died and went to heaven. When Saint Peter met him at the gate, he explained that because of all of his good deeds done on earth, he would be given a Mercedes for his heavenly transportation. "It could have been a Rolls Royce", the Deacon commented. "But there were a number of deficiencies in your record, so this is the best we can do for you."
A while later, the Music Director died, and also appeared before Peter. He didn't fare quite so well, but was given a Yugo to drive. Although he accepted this graciously, inwardly he was upset, especially when he saw the head Deacon driving around heaven in his silver grey Mercedes.
Then one day, as the Deacon rounded a corner, he saw that the Music Director had had a terrible accident. His Yugo had crashed into a tree, and it appeared to be totally wrecked. And then he noticed that the Music Director was outside the car, and was laughing uncontrollably.
So the Deacon pulled his Mercedes to the curb, and jumped out to inquire what had happened. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why are you standing here laughing when you just smashed up your car?" "Because," said the Music Director between gasps for air, "I just saw Pastor Hester go by on roller blades."
QWIK QWIP: “people are so consumed with what others think about them rather than what God thinks about them.”
367. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
A man appeared at the Pearly Gates and knocked. St. Peter came out and asked him what he wanted. He said, "I want to get in please."
St. Peter asked him to name one thing nice he had done for someone during his life. He replied that one time he saved an old woman in front of a convenience store. She was getting beat up and shoved around by a large gang of bikers out front, and so "I just went up and kicked the biggest biker in the shins, and the old lady got away."
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
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A DAVID MUSING
The past 2 Sundays, we have been attending a small church group based on kingdom principles.
How wonderful it was for me! The first Sunday the leader spoke on Revelation, Chapter 11.
How marvellous it was for me to hear him teach verese 11, the verse on what God's ministry through us is based.
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 lives so much as to shrink to death (obedience to God the Father). (Revelation 12:11)
And remarkably, here in a small town in rural New Zealand, he quoted and taught upon the last part of the verse! Very few places in the world would teach on this part of the verse, anywhere in the world. So what a thrill it was to me!
This week I was very impressed with the study and knowledge of the people attending.
These are true kingdom traits
May this revelation spread around the world. And may we get a new interest in the bible and the wonders contained in it.
Amen.
Until next time
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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