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: 331 Published: 25 Feb 2008
TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM (continued)
THE CHURCH AT LAODICEAWe now come to the last and worst of all the seven Asian churches, the reverse of the church of Philadelphia; for, as there was nothing reproved in that, here is nothing commended in this, and yet this was one of the seven golden candlesticks, for a corrupt church may still be a church. Here we have, as before,
I. The inscription, to whom, and from whom.
1. To whom: To the angel of the church of Laodicea. This was a once famous city near the river Lycus, had a wall of vast compass, and three marble theatres, and, like Rome, was built on seven hills. It seems, the apostle Paul was very instrumental in planting the gospel in this city, from which he wrote a letter, as he mentions in the epistle to the Colossians, the last chapter, in which he sends salutations to them, Laodicea not being above twenty miles distant from Colosse. In this city was held a council in the fourth century, but it has been long since demolished, and lies in its ruins to this day, an awful monument of the wrath of the Lamb. 1.
1. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.
The church at Laodicea is regarded by many as being symbolic of the church of today, as it was the 7th of seven churches mentioned, therefore applicable to the end times in which we now live. Shockingly, it was, as other commentaries state, the worst of all the churches. Sobering isn't it?
Let's read what Jesus had to say:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:14-17)
The church today, particularly in the West, is wealthier than at any other time in history. The pernicious prosperity doctrine is preached by many in the false hope of becoming even richer. Sadly, as I have experienced, the poor throughout the world, are all too often exploited to give what little they have in a desperate bid to escape their poverty. The only ones who end up getting rich are the preachers and promoters of this false doctrine.
Wealth leads to independence, to self-reliance, as we no longer need to rely upon God for our material needs.
Jesus tells us here that really, in spite of our self-confidence, the people of Laodicea, and we by implication, are actually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.!
This is truly a hard message to get across, for the magnetic attraction of materialism is so hugely powerful in our lives. We are indoctrinated on a daily basis through the media, peer pressure and in many other subtle ways.
Rich churches today are regarded as having received the blessing of God. Such was the Laodicean church. Jesus did not agree!
Kathy and I are shifting house to a rented 2 bedroom unit, from our current, relatively small by New Zealand standards, 3 bedroom house. Over the past few years we have given away all the money we had, not that it was a lot, and now only own our household possessions. These too, we have tried to minimise. Yet now that it is time to shift again, we find we still have far too much 'stuff', much of which has been stored away since our last shift, 2 1/2 years ago! Just in case we needed it!
Moving into a small unit will force us to downsize once again. But it isn't easy in the society in which we live, where people are judged by the possessions they have. Sadly, even amongst Christians.
I am not saying that our choice of a (relatively) minimalist lifestyle is the only way to go to get nearer to God. Nor, necessarily, what you should do. However we, along with many millions of others, particularly in the Third World, do understand the meaning of the Lord's (disciples) Prayer when it says, 11 Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)
As we move to look at the successful churches that Jesus commended, we will see that their values and situations were very different to those which we regard as being 'successful' in the church today.
How much we need to be reminded of the Parable of the Rich Fool so that we don't meet his fate.
‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.â€(Luke 12:20-21)
God desires for us to be dependent upon Him for our provision.
(To be continued next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
TO THE CHURCH IN LAODICEA"“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.†(Revelation 3:14-22)
PRAYER
"“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: â€â€˜Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:5-15)
THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL
"Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.†Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?†Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.†And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.â€â€™ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.†(Luke 12:13-21)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
BELIEVERS v DISCIPLES243. A believer loves the Lord, but the disciple's love is unconditional.
244. The believer serves the Lord in strength, but the disciple is made perfect through weakness.
245. God is part of the believer's life, but the central focus of the disciple.
246. A believer forgives, but the disciple also forgets.
247. A believer communicates with God at their own convenience, but the disciple's heart is open to the Lord at all times.
430. A believer knows, but the disciple does.
1077. Believing is free, discipleship costs your life.
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CRANWELL'S CARTOON
"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 18:9-13)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK BEYOND THE VEIL – VICTORY!Something completely different!
A poem about our '3 stage' walk with Jesus.
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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." ***
692. TOP TEN SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE READING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH:
10) The Preacher announces the sermon is from Galatians ... and you check the table of contents.
9) You think Abraham, Isaac & Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the 60's.
8) You open to the Gospel of Luke and a WWII Savings Bond falls out.
7) Your favorite Old Testament Patriarch is Hercules.
6) A small family of woodchucks has taken up residence in the Psalms of your Bible.
5) You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn't listed in either the Concordance or the Table of Contents.
4) Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: "Who gave you this stuff?"
3) You think the Minor Prophets worked in the quarries.
2) You keep falling for it every time when Pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums.
And the number one sign you may not be reading your Bible enough:
1) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story: "Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."
691. YOUNG FAITH
Little 5 yr old John ran to his Grandmother one rainy winter morning.
"Nana! Do they have telephones in Heaven? I've got to call God right now!" he said.
"John, why do you have to call God?" she asked.
"Because I've been praying and praying for snow all morning and look, He made a mistake. All its doing is raining!"
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: Why do we call twins who are attached to eachother physically, ‘Siamese twins’?
ANSWER: We call physically-attached twins ‘Siamese twins’ because of
a famous pair of twins in the 1800s who were actually from Siam. Chang
and Eng, brothers attached at the chest, were brought to the US by
famous circus promoter P.T. Barnum. They eventually married Sarah and
Adelaide, unattached sisters, and had 22 children between them. They
died in 1874, within hours of each other. If they had lived in the twentyfirst
century instead of the nineteenth, they most likely would have been
surgically separated. (Would they have been happier though?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it possible for twins to have different
fathers?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS570. BUSY BODY
Our bodies create and kill 15 million red blood cells per second! (Amazing that there is time left for anything else!)
571. MOUSE HOUSE
The average mouse pad 8.75 inches (220mm) by 7.5 inches (185mm). (How is it that those who hate mice can still manage to operate a computer?)
572. NOT SO PRICKLY
The Aubergine or Eggplant is a part of the Thistle Family. (Sour taste too!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
SIDEMAN
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - JUDGES (You be the judge!)
20) How long did Jephthah judge Israel?A - 1 year
B - 3 years
C - 5 years
D - 6 years
Source: www.biblequizzes.com
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! My mind contains many good ideas, but it is not always easy to squeeze one out.
!!!!!! There is a guaranteed way to get what you want: want less.
!!!!! "I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places." (Henny Youngman)
!!!! BEWARE: I'm acting under the influence of human nature.
!!! No wonder I feel so tired - I'm older now than I've ever been before.
!! No wonder I'm so confused - one of my parents was a man, the other was a woman.
! I hope there is a next life because I'll definitely need another life to understand this one.
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PETS RULE!
In memory of our cat 'Girl' who died this week, the best cat we have ever had. (Shown in photo)6. 10 TOP CAT THOUGHTS
1. I could have sworn I heard the can opener.
2. Is there something I'm not getting when humans make noise with their mouths?
3. Why doesn't the government do something about dogs?
4. I wonder if Morris really liked 9-Lives, or did he have ulterior motives?
5. Hmmm ... If dogs serve humans, and humans serve cats, why can't we cats ever get these stupid dogs to do anything for us?
6. This looks like a good spot for a nap.
7. Hey -- no kidding, I'm sure that's the can opener.
8. Would humans have built a vast and complex civilization of their own if we cats hadn't given them a reason to invent sofas and can openers in the first place?
9. If there's a God, how can He allow neutering?
10. If that really was the can opener, I'll play finicky just to let them know who's boss!
14. ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BIRTHDAYS I LEARNED FROM MY CAT!
* Be finicky - they'll try harder to please you.
* Give attitude - get attention.
* If you don't like your presents, SULK.
* If you get bored at your party - just curl up for a nap.
* Don't stress out over your first grey whisker
* Act completely unimpressed by the presents you receive.
* Remember, this is your day, so if anyone bugs you, you're allowed to hiss and spit.
* Take the day off and lie in the sun.
* Stay out on the prowl all night long.
* Demand only the most expensive fresh fish for dinner.
* It's a good day to shed your inhibitions.
* Act catty - toy with your presents before you tear them open.
* Don't overdo it with the catnip or you'll regret it in the morning.
* If you aren't getting enough attention, sharpen your claws on somebody's leg.
* Don't let anything or anyone PUT YOU OUT!
And remember...curiosity might kill you, but birthdays won't!
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BIBLE TRIVIA
SHEEPThe most important domestic animal of the Jews. Both goats and sheep were kept, the goats for milk and sheep for wool. Both too, were eaten, but sheep, generally only for sacrifices.
The sheep is mentioned more than 400 times in the Bible, more than any other animal.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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SENEGAL - Sereer-Safen People Responding to Bible Storying
Two women were the first known believers to be baptized among a West African people group of approximately 117,000. Since then, eight more people have been baptized.Most of the Sereer believe in a mix of Catholicism, Islam, and spirit worship. The Sereer-Safen is one of six subgroups among the Sereer, who have a population of 1.4 million.
It took the IMB missionaries Jerry and Monica Grift years of "Bible storying" before any Sereer-Safen made a decision for Christ. This popular Scripture-teaching method involves sharing Bible stories conversationally in cultures where people are less likely to communicate through the written word.
One of the first believers among the Sereer-Safen to be baptized has taken on a leadership role among his people. Jerry Grift continues to train and teach him how to share his faith throughout the area.
Grift also has found success in sharing the gospel among Muslims, which he acknowledges is the biggest challenge among the Sereer-Safen.
"This, along with their traditional religions of old, holds them in Satan's misleading grip," he said. "Many also would never dishonor their parents in changing their beliefs as they live within an 'honor and shame' type culture."
Source: International Mission Board, via GO GLOBAL MISSIONS REPORT
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF……. 3 KINGDOM AGES OF GODAn excellent tool to help better understand Bible history and God's plan for mankind throughout the ages. Kingdom ages, that is! And to get a glimpse of the kingdom yet to come and how we can participate in it.
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WAXING LYRICAL
This poem was 2 years in the writing! The inspiration came, half was written, then I got busy on other things! In the last day or two I have had some spare time, so thought to finish it. (Actually I have had more spare time during the two years but never quite got 'a round tuit'!) I hope the result is worth waiting for!MR BUMBLE
So our 'brmm-brmm bee' plummeted to the ground,
Fortunately for him, landing on a very soft mound
Of leaves gently fallen from a nearby tree,
Disaster averted, I was so thankful to see.
"Why are you down here Mr Bumble", I asked, surprised,
When suddenly it dawned - my mistake, I now realised.
You shouldn't have taken to heart what I said,
Was only theoretical, straight from my head.
Of course you can fly, everyone knows that fact,
Indeed we would rather like to get in on the act!
For God made you in a very special way,
To humble us humans, each and every day.
For when we see how well you can fly,
We realise, no matter how hard we try,
There's knowledge money can't buy,
That's of our God, up there in the sky.
"But I believed you," Mr Bumble sadly said,
"Look at me now, I could easily be dead!
Thank God for the leaves of the tree,
Now I know, He is looking after me"
"Forgive me please," I cried out loud,
Feeling foolish for being so proud,
So full of worldly knowledge is my brain,
To consider others feelings, too much strain.
(Continued next week)
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A DAVID MUSING
I am writing this on the Thursday evening before we shift, having just loaded the van with more of our 'stuff'. When shifting, I think we all wish we had less!The reason for writing early is in case the computer system doesn't work correctly when we shift it. Better to be sure than sorry.
We are so reliant upon computers these days that when they are down, life is difficult! However, without them, you and I would not be communicating right now. This ministry would not be as effective without the internet. To be able to communicate with thousands of people for $200 a month is amazing. Beats licking stamps too!
Had better get back to packing.....
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: MAIDENS
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION': 6 years (Judges 12:7)
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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