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: 1157 Published: 18 Dec 2023
A REVELATION OF....... HOLINESS
APPLICATION OF HOLINESS TO OUR LIVES (Revelation 12:11 )Part 1
There are numerous examples Biblical patterns of three that relate to our lives. However we are going to limit ourselves to one that succinctly and beautifully sums up the basis of God's plan of how we should walk with Him, how to attain holiness. It's found in one, small, 29 word verse, tucked away in the middle of the last 'Book of Revelation'. Incidentally it's the verse on which Walking With Jesus Ministries is based, defining the pathway leading to holiness.
One day I, in my usual, unusual fashion, was feeling good with myself for nearing my goal of finishing reading the Bible from beginning to end. But the Lord stopped me at Revelation 12:11. He told me to base a ministry upon this verse and went on to explain what it meant. Once I got over the initial shock, I did!
This special verse talks about a particular, some would say, 'peculiar' group of people able to overcome satan, the ultimate fulfilment of holiness. We know from experience that these are not your normal Christian, for our lives surely reflect the obvious - that in most of us, satan has not yet been fully overcome. Yet through these simple 29 words, Jesus reveals how it is to be done.
"They overcame him (i.e. satan. See verse 10) 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)
Here we are given a cumulative three-step process as the means by which we can attain holiness. To become fully reconciled with the Father! To become reflections of Jesus! As taught by the Holy Spirit!
What Jesus did 'positionally', spiritually, for us on the cross, we still have to apply 'experientially', practically, to our lives. This dilemma of the ongoing battle within us between our old earthly and new heavenly natures, is described vividly by the Apostle Paul.....
" I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:15-20)
So let's now have a look at the 3 steps towards holiness.
THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB (Jesus)
Belief in Jesus, is the first and foundational step in our Christian experience. The words used by John the Baptist in announcing the ministry of Jesus were:
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
And of course we are forgiven through the blood that represents life. His life for our life, as God requires.
"In him we have redemption through his blood (His life), the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:7-8)
So we take the first step on our walk through believing and personally accepting that Jesus died for us, as 'the blood of the Lamb'. We cannot earn our salvation through living a good life, but are accepted back into relationship with God the Father through the blood of Jesus. Jesus is our one and only 'hope' of salvation.
THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY (Holy Spirit)
Receiving forgiveness for our sins though, is just the beginning of our Christian walk. We next have to grow into the likeness of Jesus, not physically, (fortunately ladies!) but spiritually. To help us do this, Jesus promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit. He arrived 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead, having overcome satan and sin on our behalf, on the day of the Jewish 'Feast of Weeks', which we call the Day of Pentecost. ('Pente' meaning 50)
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:25-26)
The Holy Spirit empowers us to make the necessary adjustments and changes in our lives required to become more and more like Jesus. As Paul said:
"Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done — by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit." (Romans 15:17-19)
"But how do we relate, 'the word of their testimony' to the Holy Spirit," I can hear you asking? Well, that was my question of the Lord too, when he first stopped me at this verse. And as usual, He had the answer! He took me to Matthew 12:34.
“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
The book of James similarly tells us that “no man can tame the tongue (3:7)”. Yes, in the end, no matter how we try to cover things up, when tested, the words we speak reflect our heart attitude. And our heart, the symbolic seat of our emotions or feelings, is the realm of the Holy Spirit. That is why, when we are baptized in or released into the power of the Holy Spirit, our ability to express our emotions in our worship, in the adoration of our God, increases amazingly.
“so that with one heart and mouth (by the Holy Spirit) you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)
The power of 3 once again! The Holy Spirit builds the reality of Jesus into our life. He increases our level of 'faith'. I have found this to be reality, when looking at individual Christians and churches. For those empowered by the release of the Holy Spirit, while still having lots of faults, are usually more open to allowing Him to change them, generally showing a greater dedication towards the expansion of God's Kingdom.
(Continued next week)
FROM THE WORD
THE BEAUTIFUL WORDS OF JESUS
Ten Lepers Healed (Luke 17:11-19)
But only one, a Samaritan, gave thanks.
“Go and show yourselves to the priests.”
The Samaritan returned.
“Where are the other nine? Didn’t anyone else come back to praise God—only this foreigner?”
“Get up and go on your way. Your trust has healed you.”
The Coming of the Kingdom (Luke 17:20-37)
Answering the Pharisees.
“Once there was a judge in this particular town who didn’t respect God or care about anyone,” “In the same town lived a widow who time and again went to the judge, saying, ‘Give me justice in the case against my enemy!’ For a while he didn’t want to do anything about it, but eventually he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t respect God or care about anyone, this widow is so annoying I’ll make sure she receives justice. Then she won’t wear me out by her coming to see me so often.’
“Listen to what even an unjust judge decided,” said the Lord. “Don’t you think that God will make sure his chosen people receive justice, those who cry out to him day and night? Do you think he will make them wait? No, I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. However, when the Son of man comes, will he find people on earth who trust in him?”
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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.
Download the free PDF here.....
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
692. Show me faith. Show me works. And I will show you a faith that works.
693. Building faith takes time but good works are always ready and waiting.
694. How much faith does it take to do good works?
695. People come, people go, but needs go on forever.
696. Works reflect the light of Christ in us to a dark world.
697. Faith reflects our place in God, works reflect God's place in us.
698. Faith is internal, works external.
699. Works are the reflection of our faith to a disbelieving world.
700. Works are the single most convincing expression of our faith.
Many more at.....
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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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.....
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF... DIVIDING THE WATERS (part 3)
The second part of our look at the crossing of the Red Sea and its application to today's church.
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
440. What Kind of Class?
Back in the middle 1980's our pastor wanted to recognise a ladies class for a recent accomplishment. He quickly found out he was between a rock and a hard spot. You can't mention that this is the ladies class aged 55 and above. The next thought he had was that this was the ladies class with the highest number enrolled of any class in the church.
Much to his embarrassment the statement came out "the large ladies class". The congregation erupted in laughter as our red faced pastor sat down.
441. What Kind of Offering?
Someone had a great idea. We'd sell stock in our mission trip to help cover the cost. However, the promotional announcement in the bulletin that was suppose to promote our Initial Public Offering said something different. On the front page of our Church weekly
newsletter was this heading to our message from our pastor: Initial PUBIC Offering. It erased any doubt about the newsletter readership.
442. Poor Geography
A little girl from Minneapolis came home from Sunday school with a frown on her face. "I'm not going back there anymore," she announced with finality.
"I don't like the Bible they keep teaching us."
"Why not?" asked her astonished mother.
"Because," said the little girl, "that Bible is always talking about St. Paul, and it never once mentions Minneapolis."
QWIK QUIP: “Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.”
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
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM DAVID AND KATHY
That time of year has come around again!
For many it is a happy time of sharing with families.
For others, Christmas isn't so happy. Memories of loved ones lost, or a bad experience at this time. Some may have no families to share Christmas with.
Unfortunately, in the Western world particularly, where there are so many broken families, it can be a time of loneliness as families are spit is different directions. For kids particularly, this can have a big effect on the celebration.
Having had several Christmases in village Kenya, where Christmas is a family time, when people come back to the villages from the city. No presents are given. Many go to church on Christmas Day where the church, most likely, will put on a simple meal for those there. People will then spend the rest of their holidays catching up with families and friends.
Christ's birth has been remembered,
So unusual for Westerners particularly, but it is the way Christmas should be celebrated.
Christmas greetings to you and yours from us.
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