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: 327 Published: 28 Jan 2008
TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM (continued)
Today we will have the first of 2 looks at the next church Jesus chided.THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUN
After complimenting them for staying faithful under persecution, Jesus had this to say;
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. (Revelation 2:14)
This describes a most interesting situation, where even a church that withstands persecution, can still go astray.
Jesus chides the people for going back to Old Testament ways. And not just the 'good' ways, but the bad, that of being misled by the false prophet Balaam.
Balaam was hired by Balak, the Moabite king, (symbolic of the world) to curse the Israelites. Balaam was an interesting man who heard from God yet loved the pleasures of the world more. God told him not to do Balak's will. Balaam had a huge internal battle before finally compromising and setting off on his donkey. We all know that God tried to reach him again through his uncooperative, 4 legged transportation!
In his general letter, Simon Peter succinctly described prophets, both then and now who, like Balaam, succumb to greed.
12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. (2 Peter 2:12-16)
And described their fate!
17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,†and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.â€
(2 Peter 2:17-22)
Prophets are NOT TO ACCEPT MONEY OR GIFTS for the use of their prophetic gift, for the gift is not their own, but belongs to God! Inevitably they will lead people into sin, either physical or spiritual adultery.
Prophets beware!
Peter warns us, the people;
2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. (2 Peter 2:2)
People beware!
We must be very careful to be discerning and not follow prophets who use God's gift to acquire the pleasures of this world.
(To be continued next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
TO THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUM
"“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." (Revelation 2:12-17)
FALSE TEACHERS AND THEIR DESTRUCTION
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! they have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,†and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.â€" (2 Peter 2:1-19)
Refer to Numbers, chapters 22 to 24 for the story of Balak Balaam.
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE922. I obey my master. The question is, "who is my master?"
923. Disobedience comes from Adam and Eve. Obedience is modelled by Jesus. Whom will we follow?
924. Disobedience is selfish, Godly obedience, selfless!
925. Obedience and suffering are common bedfellows.
926. Obedience is refined in the fire of testing.
927. If we obey those we respect, it begs the question, "Do we respect ourselves more than Jesus?"
928. If God knows more than me, shouldn't I take His advice?
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CRANWELL'S CARTOON
WHICH DO WE DO?TO READ THIS CARTOON AND SEE THE OTHER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK BEYOND THE VEIL – 2 NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION ON ATONEMENT THE BOOK OF HEBREWS continuesAs we look at a vital and enlightening difference between the Old and New Testaments, and conclude our study with a summation of what we have learned.
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused****** "Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others." ***
685. LITTLES LOGIC
A father wanted to read the paper, but was being bothered by his little daughter, Susie. Finally, he took a sheet out of his magazine, on which was printed the map of the world. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Susie, and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together."
After a few minutes, Susie returned and handed him the map correctly fitted together. The father was very surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.
"Oh", she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got Jesus in His place, then the world came out all right."
684. MOTOR MIND
One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my son Matthew spoke up from his relaxed position in the front seat. "Mom, I'm thinking of something."
This announcement usually meant he had been pondering some fact for a while and was now ready to expound all that his seven-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"The rain," he began, "is like sin. And the windshield wipers are like God, wiping our sins away."
After the chill bumps raced up my arms, I was able to respond, "That's really good, Matthew." Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little boy take this revelation?
So I asked, "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"
Matthew didn't hesitate one moment with his answer. "We keep on sinning and God just keeps on forgiving us."
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can now download the book 'Laughing At Ourselves' in PDF format at LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
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FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What is a group of flamingos called?ANSWER: A pat. (Got that down pat!)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: How many sweat glands do we have in our body?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS582. FROM BIG TO BIGGEST
The Earth weighs around 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons (5,940 billion billion metric tons) yet the sun is 330,330 times again larger than the earth! (No wonder it has so much energy!)
583. FROM THE RIDICULOUS TO THE SULIME
The South American sloth (a mammal that lives in trees) moves so slowly that green algae can grow undisturbed on its fur, while a mole can dig a tunnel 300 feet long in just one night! (From ‘slothful sloth’ to ‘eager beaver’.)
584. COMFORTING - TO MEN
In Natoma, Kansas, it is illegal to throw knives at a man wearing a striped suit. (But not at a woman though!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
HITTING
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - JUDGES (You be the judge!)
16) Where did Jephthah live?A - land of Uz
B - land of Israel
C - land of Canaan
D - land of Tob
Source: www.biblequizzes.com
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! "It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere."
!!!!!! Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
!!!!! Never give the devil a ride - he will always want to drive.
!!!! Archeologist: A man whose career lies in ruins.
!!! California smog test: Can UCLA?
!! A watched clock never boils.
! To a worm, digging in the hard ground is more relaxing than going fishing.
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PETS RULE!
43. THE BOSSA man goes into a pet shop to buy a parrot. The shop owner points to three identical looking parrots on a perch and says: "The parrot to the left costs 500 dollars".
"Why does the parrot cost so much?" the customer asks. The owner says, "Well, it knows how to use a computer."
The customer asks about the next parrot and is told "That one costs 1,000 dollars because it can do everything the other parrot can do plus it knows how to use the UNIX operating system."
Naturally, the increasingly startled man asks about the third parrot and is told "That one costs 2,000 dollars." Needless to say this begs the question "What can IT do?"
To which the owner replies "To be honest I have never seen it do a thing but the other two call him boss!"
44. AT THE AUCTION
One day a man went to an auction. While there, he bid on a parrot. He really wanted this bird, so he got caught up in the bidding. He kept on bidding, but kept getting outbid, so he bid higher and higher and higher. Finally, after he bid way more than he intended, he won the bid - the parrot was his at last!
As he was paying for the parrot, he said to the Auctioneer, "I sure hope this parrot can talk. I would hate to have paid this much for it, only to find out that he can't talk!"
"Don't worry." said the Auctioneer, "He can talk. Who do you think it was who kept bidding against you?"
45. WESTERN UNION
A German shepherd went to a Western Union office, took out a blank form and wrote, "Woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof...woof."
The clerk examined the paper and told the dog, "There are only nine words here. You could send another 'woof' for the same price."
"But," the dog replied, "it would make no sense at all."
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BIBLE TRIVIA
GRAPEVINESare widely mentioned in the Bible and extensively grown in the East. Noah had to plant a vineyard after the flood and is mentioned some 200 times in the Bible. Its origin is unknown, being so old.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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'100%' Christian Village Has Zero Crime Rate
by Lucille Talusan, CBN NewsBALI, INDONESIA - Indonesia's tropical paradise, Bali, is recovering from the stigma brought on by the 2002 and 2005 terrorist bombings.
Over the past year, the number of tourists visiting the region has nearly tripled.
But it's not just the sandy beaches attracting tourists. A unique village called Blimbing Sari is drawing visitors.
Instead of painting blood on their doors as in the Passover in the Old Testament days, to signify their Christian faith, all 250 homes in the Blimbing Sari village in Bali have a balinese cross hanging on their doors.
The villagers there boast that the area has been 100% Christian since 1939, when their persecuted ancestors were given the land as a safe haven by the Dutch government.
"The idea was by taking all of these people, there would be no more Christian movement in the villages," explained Rev. Ketut Suyaga Ayub, head pastor of the Protestant Christian Church in Bali. "But the Christians who came here-- there were 39 families in the beginning-- they found themselves in a new exodus to the new promised land."
Villagers are taught the value of hard work and rest. Every family gets two hectares of land from the government where they farm and raise cows. Even children in the orphanage are taught the value of work.
"These new Christians have a very strong spirit for their life. They understand this is a promising land, because of their prayer. many times, this village was elected as the best village economically, spiritually, the latest one we were elected as a place free from drugs and gambling," Pastor Ayub said.
Ayub believes that another reason the villagers' faith remains strong is because they still worship in the style of their forefathers.
And because the love of God is felt in the community, new settlers who are non-believers are attracted to the Christian faith.
One of them is Giman, a former Muslim.
"I was ill and a villager helped me get a surgery," he explained. "I lived among Christian people. They are nice to me and help me a lot. I learned Christianity. I believe in Jesus Christ as my own saviour.
Ni Ketut Sudarmiasih was a former Hindu who studied at the Christian orphanage.
"When I was a Hindu, I (was) not sure about salvation, if I (would be) saved when I die. But when I believe in Jesus Christ I know I will be with Jesus in heaven," he said.
And perhaps most amazing of all, the Christian village boasts a zero percent crime rate.
Today, government and private organizations flock to Blimbing Sari to learn from its example.
But they are yet to tap the key of her success: a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Source: CBNnews.com
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF……. GIVING TO GODIn Christianity, we hear an awful lot about what God has done for us, but much less of what He desires from us in return!
There is a saying that 'salvation is a free gift, but discipleship costs us everything!' For as Jesus sacrificed His life for us on Calvary's grim hill, so we, in turn, are to model Him, and sacrifice our life for God and for others.
In this study we are going to look at the ways in which we are to offer God the sacrifices He so much desires from us - Praise and Worship, Prayer and Fasting and Tithes and Gifts.
My God sacrificed His son Jesus, for me! Surely, the first thing I can do for Him is to offer back the sacrifices He desires of me. Is that too much to ask?
In theory we would probably agree, but the practice of our lives often tends to fall short of our good intentions!
I trust that this study will encourage you, as it has me, to give back to God what He desires of each one of us.
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WAXING LYRICAL
Many expect life to be easy once they come to Jesus. But His life was not easy - and we are meant to be like Him!LIFE'S ROSES AND THORNS
He hasn't promised a fine bed of roses,
Nor simple solutions, to all life poses.
For roses were created with thorns you see,
Representing life problems, for you and me.
Yet when we see the rose in triumphant bloom,
Its shining beauty overwhelming the gloom,
The thorns' pricks and scratches are all worthwhile,
Put aside, forgotten, when with pleasure we smile.
For there cannot be a rose, without the thorns,
So with trial and testing, we do lock horns.
In order to become the rose God wants us to be,
We must overcome the thorns of life, you see.
Then He will pick us, now His richest bloom,
Taking pride of place in His heavenly room.
Eternal blooms, never ever to fade,
For by His hand, we have been made.
When locking horns with our latest thorn,
Remember the rose - no, it does not mourn.
From glory to glory, we are being made,
The price of the Cross, now fully paid.
(Continued next week.)
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A DAVID MUSING
This week we welcomed Cathy Mumby onto our staff at 'Seekers', and along with Gladys and her expanded team of helpers, what a difference they have made!After 6 weeks of my Kathy and me being the mainstays, it is just incredible to have such wonderful help. Things have got done!
Life in God is much like that. We need to 'do the hard yards' ourselves before God comes to the party and helps us.
Too many people say 'I will do fulfill my vision for God when He provides.' Of course, they end up going to their graves still waiting, and very disappointed and disillusioned.
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: TITHING
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION': land of Tob (Judges 11:3)
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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 websitewwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
290 Flaxmere Avenue
Flaxmere
Hastings
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 8799 911 International (+64) 6 8799 911
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