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: 159 Published: 08 Nov 2004
NO! ...... YES! YES! YES!
Thank you America for this week valuing morals in an increasingly morally bankrupt world.The main talking point of your presidential elections throughout the rest of the world has not simply been the result, but the 'exit poll' motivation behind the voting pattern. The fact that there are still many Americans who value morality, preferring God's traditional family structure over today's all-inclusive alternatives. The traditional family that the major religious movements of the world, Christians, Moslems and Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others, all consider to be the very foundation stone of society.
Other Westerners are amazed that the insidious march of secular humanism has not yet permeated your society to the same extent as it has the remainder of the Western World. Yes you, and some of us along with you, are being ridiculed for being old fashioned and 'non-inclusive'. For daring not to agree with those who place unrestrained, unlimited personal freedom ahead of the family unit of Mum, Dad and Kids that God planned and Jesus promoted. Of course, you do have huge rates of divorce, but it appears the ideal remains strong amongst many.
No, we cannot agree with the war in Iraq and many other things that you do, but this week we have been encouraged that there is still a place for moral principles in a valueless world.
Thank you America.
Now, how about convincing Hollywood.....
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FROM THE WORD
ADULTERY"“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
DIVORCE
“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
OATHS
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:27-37)
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:9-14)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY133. In marriage the two become one flesh, but still have two minds.
134. A successful marriage is a process, not an event.
135. While men philander, the family meanders.
136. Women (men). Love to love them – would love to understand them!
137. The ‘secret ingredient’ of a successful marriage is ‘mutual commitment’.
138. True love equals commitment.
139. God gave Eve to Adam as the perfect companion. The last thing they agreed upon was to eat the forbidden fruit. Nothing has changed.
140. Adversity proves true love.
141. Adversity makes or breaks marriages.
142. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but too long an absence leads the heart to wander.
368. The most satisfying thing in parenthood is when children become friends.
369. When the family founders, society sinks.
370. A successful society is built upon the foundation of fully functional families.
371. Society is simply a gathering together of families. Therefore it is simply impossible for society to be better than the family foundation it is built upon.
548. A nation's true wealth is best measured by its families' health.
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Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgement of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now more than 800 David sayings for you to view at ...
FROM YOU - TO ME - TO YOU
Hi David:Your site is very interesting and informative, thanx. I have been a 'receiver' (blessed) to your WWJ ministry this past year. It's amazing the amount of information that you include on your site - how do you manage?!.......course you would have to say, "by God's help" and I would agree, but 'whew'!
In the article (below) are facts you presented about bible distributions throughout the world. Have you not heard of the Gideons International?
This organization was started (in 1871) by two traveling men that met in a hotel far from their homes. They enjoyed christian fellowship and decided that it would be good to leave a bible in the hotel for use of others. With growing help, these two started leaving bibles where ever they stayed. In ten years they had placed one million bibles! Now the Gideons are in 179 countries and are placing one million bibles every 6 days! The bibles are translated in 82 languages.
We Gideons pay dues, travel at our own expense, speaking primarily in churches to make a report of what God has done in peoples lives after receiving a Gideon placed scripture and to seek their help to print more bibles. We have the standard King James version that you see in hotels, etc, the large print NT primarily for hospitals. We distribute the NT in a red cover to schools 5th graders. The green covered one is for college campuses. The white one to graduating nurses. The black one to the military (mostly at induction centers). The brown ones are personal workers (gideons) testaments while the blue one is for the Gideon auxilliary (wives of gideons).
You can confirm this information by contacting the gideons at InformationServices@gideons.org.......
Hope this has been helpful information for you.
You are a blessing,
jj
Gideon in the Obion County camp (Tennessee)
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The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. The United Bible Societies (UBS) estimate they have distributed nearly 9 billion Bibles, whole or in part, since 1947.
In 1989, the American Bible Societies (ABS) distributed more than 106,387,551 Scripture portions in the United States alone. During the same year, a worldwide partnership of Bible Societies distributed well over 650 million Scripture portions and about 15.5 million Bibles.
In 1988, the 1,000th anniversary of the baptism of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, the Soviet Union, in an agreement with the UBS (United Bible Society), received hundreds of thousands of Bibles. According to a recent U.B.S. report, Bible portions are available in 2,123 languages, the complete Bible, in 349 languages, and the New Testament in 841 languages. In 1995, they distributed 565 million Bibles and Bible portions to 200 countries.
The Bible is, some calculate, a $200 million-a-year retail market in the United States. According to a recent national survey concluded in US, the average American home had four bibles and almost all U.S. homes had at least one or more. Most the Americans prefer the King James Version (KJV).
David
You are a man after my own heart.
Being a former military officer and also a follower of Jesus, I have often seen examples of the wrong choice of leadership style whether in churches or parachurch organizations.
I suspect that those misapplying leadership principles in Christian settings have either overlooked, forgotten, or simply reject the teaching of 1 Pet 2:9
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
Often I think leaders are afraid to let God speak through His people. It would mean loss of control for the leader and might imply that the people collectively can hear God's voice more clearly than an individual leader.
With gratitude for the opportunity to serve,
Wes Bowers
Community Relations Representative
The JESUS Film Project/International Ministries
Campus Crusade for Christ, Canada
Your comments to me or fellow readers are always welcomed at... david@wwj.org.nz
This is an opportunity for you to express your views, which may not be my views. But none of us have a mortgage on all the truth - except for Jesus!
A MESSAGE FROM ROY
Although this PGIM! e-letter is sent free, some readers have decided to support this Ministry one or more times a year by sponsoring a week's PGIM! @ USD $50.00. Can I ask you to consider sponsoring a specified week/s? You will get an acknowledgement on your particular week/s of sponsorship (unless you do not want it). If you are interested to help this very informative & helpful newsletter, please email me, Roy McGreevy, as it is God who authored this idea through me in the USA. roy@kscbtv.com. I look forward to hearing from you... thanks. RoyTUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF... SERVANTHOOD: Part 3 of 7This week, the third part of our 7 week series relating to servanthood, with an emphasis on its application to leadership. I trust it is a challenge to you, as it has been to me. And we all need to be challenged don't we! For Jesus was the ultimate servant - and we are to become more like Him. I trust this will help you in your walk with Jesus. See mail section for comment on this teaching.
Mailed to subscriber's mailboxes tomorrow. If you are not on the mailing list you can register at tteach-on@wwj.org.nz
Previous teachings on the First Miracle of Jesus, the Book of Ruth and God's character can be viewed at...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
315. LOT'S WIFE
The teacher was in the middle of telling the Bible story of Lot's rescue from the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When she came to the part about Lot's wife, she said, "And Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt." A little boy's hand shot up. "That's nothing. Last week when my mother was driving to the store, she looked back and turned into a telephone pole."
314. CHRISTMAS CONFUSION
The Sunday School children had been asked to draw a Christmas nativity scene. When the teacher reviewed what they had done, she noticed that one picture, in addition to Mary, Joseph, Angels, Shepherds and Wisemen, also had a rather plump man standing off to the side. So the young artist was asked to explain who this was. "Oh," he said, "that's round John virgin".
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can now download the book 'Laughing At Ourselves' in PDF format at LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
Now one of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with 670 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at ...
FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Was Napoleon really a short man? (Or would have been, had I included it!)ANSWER: Napoleon Bonaparte was five feet and six and a half inches tall. While short for a male in our day, in Napoleon's day it was a bit taller than the average Frenchman.
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Do eyes change size as we age?
Answer Next Week.
753. RISING TO THE OCCASION
In 4000 BC, Egyptians discovered yeast's leavening abilities and turned out more than 40 types of bread. (But did they open ‘Hot Bread Spops’?)
754. WHICH IS WORSE?
Pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck's real name is Arnold Dorsey. (From worse to ‘worster’).
755. ADDDING FLAVOUR
Official FDA guidelines allow whole pepper to be sold with up to 1 percent of the volume made up of rodent droppings. (Or you could try eating ‘seasoned mice’ for a change!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
GENTILES
Answer at the end of A David Musing
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can download the full version of our Trivia Book at TRULY TRIFFLING TRIVIA
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BE INSPIRED WITH A MESSAGE FROM INSPIRATIONAL TAPES
In conjunction with Inspirational Tapesinspirational.org.nz we are pleased to offer you the opportunity to download the following message in MP3 format, free of charge. Inspirational Tapes offers a range of over 4,000 Audio Cassette Tapes, CD's and Videos to members worldwide, for hire, download or purchase.
This week's free download is...
JESUS AND GENEROSITY
By: Murray Robertson
Murray is a well known and most successful Baptist pastor, here in New Zealand.
If you have any problems downloading, please let me know at david@wwj.org.nz
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DO YOU KNOW?
Q. What is one of the first things that Adam and Eve did after they were kicked out?Answer at the end of A DAVID MUSING.
Heaps more fun and serious God Facts are found at...
LAUSANNE FOCUS ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Christian leaders from nearly 130 countries recently gathered in Pattaya, Thailand, to consider 31 key issues confronting world evangelization - and learned of one huge challenge that might trump all the others.Is it terrorism? Persecution? Opposition from hostile governments or religions? No. It is this simple fact: Four billion people - about two-thirds of the world's population are oral learners.
They communicate, learn, perceive reality, and embrace core beliefs through orally expressed stories, narratives, songs, and proverbs - not through the books, periodicals, outlines, and other forms of linear thinking preferred by literate cultures (and churches). Some oral learners are illiterate because of lack of education. Many others, however, belong to the thousands of oral cultures of the globe. Some may even read a written language, but it isn't the way they prefer to interact with the world - and with the Word of God. The latter group, by the way, includes millions of postmoderns in
"literate" societies.
Many people in the West rarely read books; they receive all their information by the spoken word, through personal interaction and TV. If we wish to communicate with them online (or any other way), we must understand that they are, to a considerable extent, in an oral culture.
Many more interesting and important facts about God and the church at...
PUNNY TIME!
COLD CAKETwo Eskimos, sitting in a kayak, were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
THE BARBER
After twenty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town decided he had had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him each day. He put on his hat and coat and went to the barber shop, which was owned by the pastor of the town's Baptist Church.
The barber's wife, Grace, was working that day, so she performed the task. Grace shaved him and sprayed him with lilac water, and said, "That will be $20." The man thought the price was a bit high, but he paid the bill and went to work.
The next morning the man looked in the mirror, and his face was as smooth as it had been when he left the barber shop the day before. Not bad, he thought. At least I don't need to get a shave every day. The next morning, the man's face was still smooth. Two weeks later, the man was still unable to find any trace of whiskers on his face.
It was more than he could take, so he returned to the barber shop. "I thought $20 was high for a shave", he told the barber's wife, "But you must have done a great job. It's been two weeks and my whiskers still haven't started growing back."
Expecting his comment, the expression on her face didn't even change. She responded, "You were shaved by Grace. Once shaved, always shaved."
More of the world's greatest groans at...
INTERESTING WORDS AND PHRASES FROM THE BIBLE
THE POWERS THAT BEFirst used by Bible translator, William Tyndale who quoted it from Romans 13:1. "the powers that be are ordained of God." Now means the government, or those in charge.
Lot's more interesting God Facts at...
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ...
A unique look at what may have been like to visit the Tabernacle of Moses in the desert 3,500 years ago. Join a sinner as he journeys to repent before his God.A PDF download...
A DAVID MUSING
It is a beautiful late Spring day here in Napier, New Zealand. (Sorry to all those in the Northern Hemisphere who are going into Winter! But you have just had Summer!) As I look out my window, the temperature in in the low 20's (Celsius that is), the trees are in full leaf and the hills, green. A picture perfect postcard. The bountifulness of Summer with it's harvest of delicious fruit and vegetables is promised in the sparkling rays of sunshine.Five days ago I planted some lawn seed and the first of the new grass is starting to poke tentative, tiny stalks up through the surface. In another 2 weeks the brown soil will be a sea of green, gently blowing in the wind.
Yes, a time of hope, the promise of things to come. For we all love Spring!
Yet, Spring follows Winter. Without Winter, there could be no Spring. Ask those who live in the tropics where sadly, there is neither.
So we must not despise the Winters in our lives, for without them, we would be unable to celebrate the joys of Springtime. Let's remember this during those miserable times of frozenness in the Spirit, when seemingly deserted by God and others. But however cold and barren life may seem today, Spring will return in due season. For that is the way God designed it.
So until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: STEELING
Today's 'Do You Know?' A. They really raised Cain.
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LINKS
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ABOUT US
WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Mount Maunganui, 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 websitewwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
3 Hetley Crescent
Taradale
Napier 4001
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 8449-377 International (+64) 6 8449-377
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