TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM (continued)

Over the years God has worked to drive the self out of me. My personal success and pride of achievement has been somewhat dented by two bankruptcies! Some of us - actually, nearly all of us - are slow learners! It takes much time for us to change, particularly our ingrained attitudes.

Outward sin can often be relatively easily repented of when we truly come to Jesus. We can appear to be living a new life - and we are. That is tremendous in His sight and a testimony to others of God's goodness and His power to change us. This is as the Scripture says;

18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Or is it?

It is not!

The Scripture says, with ever-increasing glory or as the King James puts it, from glory to glory.

Yes, as I continue to discover and experience, for me (and you) that in order to grow from glory to glory, our ingrained attitudes need to be 'expunged' (a beautiful, descriptive word, even sounding like what it means; 1 : to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion 2 : to efface completely : destroy 3 : to eliminate (as a memory) from one's consciousness) from my (your) life.

For me, my first bankruptcy brought me to Jesus and I dealt with many of my OUTWARD SINS. eg. lying, theft, pornography, etc., etc. However it has taken the second bankruptcy to start dealing with the INWARD SIN in my life. eg. selfishness, pride in achievement, etc., etc. Ask Kathy for more! These things can be hidden form those who know us only superficially eg, even in ministry, and also, to some extent, but much less, to those who know us better such as spouse, family and close friends.

Today I want to illustrate this through the place of money in my life. Even where we think it doesn't, the reality is, money (or property or possessions) plays a hugely important part in all our lives. 24% of the parables of Jesus are directly about money, for He was a very practical teacher, and 80% of them incorporate it indirectly, in one way or another.

As mentioned earlier, I came into relationship with Jesus through bankruptcy, from a lack of money to feed my family, while waiting in the queue to register for the unemployment benefit.

When the Lord re-established us in a successful business, we double tithed, gave away heaps, and paid out lots of money for 6000 copies of the discipleship course, 'Walking With Jesus', to be printed, recorded and distributed. As an aside, just this Friday, a lady came into our shop, saw a copy of the course, and told 'the other Kathy' on the counter that 12 years ago she had written away for it, having seen it advertised in our garden product mail order catalogue, and had become a Christian through it! Praise the Lord!

I just want you to see that while my attitude to money had changed for the better, and Kathy and I were generous with it, I was still working in the domain of kings, using MY money for God's work. The ultimate example of this was when, being called into full time ministry, I attempted to use MY money to build a property portfolio to finance the ministry, so we wouldn't be dependent upon others. A kingly attitude.

I still had much to learn!

For God needed to teach me to be truly dependent upon Him, not myself, for my provision.

So came a second bankruptcy and we started the 'adventure' of the past 7 or so years where we have had a new and different lifestyle and my attitude towards money has completely changed to more of a kingdom orientation, where my money has become GOD'S money.

(Testimony to be continued next week)

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FROM THE WORD

THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”"(Luke 10:25-37)

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.”’ “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)

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

"“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ”‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:14-30)

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DAVID'S DOODLINGS

DARKNESS AND LIGHT

408. The only way to turn off darkness is to switch on the light.

409. The laws of both Nature and the Spirit reveal that light will always penetrate darkness.

410. Most people try to switch off darkness when in reality, they need to turn on the light.

411. There is nowhere so dark that it cannot be penetrated by light.

412. So often we don't appreciate the true value of light until we find ourselves in darkness.

413. Light doesn't shine brightly through a dirty window.

414. We must pull back the curtains to let light shine into the room of our life.

415. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. The one will always mingle with the other.

416. There must always be a barrier to separate light and darkness.

417. There are only two ways to turn light into darkness - building walls to exclude the light, or turning the light off at its source. The second is by far the easiest.

1276. For the darker the darkness, the brighter the light will be seen that shines within it.

Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgement of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now over 1300 David sayings for you to view at ... PROSPERITY

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CRANWELL'S CARTOON

3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. (1 Timothy 6:3-5)











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TUESDAY TEACHINGS

THE WAY TO SALVATION

How we receive God's gift of eternal life.

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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." ***

729. 16 BIBLICAL WAYS TO AQUIRE A WIFE

* Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. Then she's yours. -- Deuterononmy (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)

* Find a prostitute and marry her. -- Hosea (Hosea 1:1-3)

* Find a man with seven daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. -- Moses (Exodus 2:16-21)

* Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. -- Boaz (Ruth 4:5-10)

* Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. -- Benjaminites (Judges 21:19-25)

* Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. Note: this will cost you a rib. -- Adam (Genesis 2:19-24)

* Agree to work seven years in exchange for a woman's hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Then work another seven years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. That's right. Fourteen years of toil for a woman. -- Jacob (Genesis 29:15-30)

* Cut off 200 foreskins off of your future father-in-law's enemies and get his daughter for a wife. -- David (1Samuel 18:27)

* Even if no one is out there, just wander around a bit and you'll definitely find someone. (It's all relative of course.) -- Cain (Genesis 4:16-17)

* Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. -- Xerxes or Ahasuerus (Esther 2:3-4)

* When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, "I have seen a ...woman; now get her for me." If your parents question your decision, simply say, "Get her for me. She's the one for me." -- Samson (Judges 14:1-3)

* Kill any husband and take HIS wife. (Prepare to lose four sons though). -- David (2 Samuel 11)

* Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. (It's not just a good idea, it's the law). -- Onan and Boaz (Deuteronomy or Leviticus, example in Ruth)

* Don't be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity. -- Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-3)

* A wife?...NOT!!! -- Paul (1Corinthians 7:32-35)

* Become sinless, and die in atonement for others, and you can marry a whole bunch of people. -- Jesus (Revelation 15?)

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Is it true that August stole a day from February?

ANSWER: : Yes. Under the Julian calendar, February had 29 days and the
other months alternated evenly between 30 and 31 days. Because July
had 31 days, the month following it was supposed to have 30 days. But
that was the month that Augustus had brought Egypt under control and
entered the city in triumph and he had to have it. He couldn't, of course,
be duly honored with a LESSER month, one with fewer days. So to make
his month as long as Julius' month, they had to steal a day from February
(making it just 28) and add it to August (making it 31). (They also messed
with September and the remaining months, in order to avoid three
months in a row with 31 days.) (The Emperors thought they ruled time
too!)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
a. What is the youngest book in the Old Testament?
b. What is the oldest book of the New Testament?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

528. HEAR FROM THE REAR
The Katydid bug hears through holes in its hind legs! (Can hear what others are saying about it as it leaves.)

529. HUNGRY PEOPLE?
In the White House, a stock take showed 13,092 knives, forks and spoons! (A cutlery cleaner’s catastrophe.)

530. TNTERNAL CONSUMPTION
Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they can’t find any other food! (I wonder what I would taste like?)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

SKIDS

Answer at the end of A David Musing

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BIBLE QUESTION - WORKERS AND TOOLS

16) Who did Solomon say were the best at felling timber?

A - Sidonians
B - Philistines
C - Men of Judah
D - Assyrians

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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""

"A Hatfull Of Spare Thots!"

15. Take time to laugh for it is the music of the soul.
16. If anyone speaks badly of you, live so none will believe it.
17. Patience is the ability to idle your motor, when you feel like stripping your gears.
18. Love is strengthened by working through conflicts together.
19. The best thing parents can do for their children, is to love each other.
20. Harsh words break no bones but they do break hearts.
21. To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it.

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JUST JOKES

175. JUST IN TIME?
The scene: Alexander Graham Bell's laboratory.

An exciting new discovery is about to take place. Mr. Bell and his assistant, a man named Watson, have been hard at work on Bell's new invention to transmit sound over wires.

As Mr. Watson toiled away in the room with the receiver, he suddenly hears ... ring, ring , ring .... then....

"Good evening, sir. Are you paying too much for your long distance service?"

174. SAD STORIES?
Bill, Jim & Scott were at a convention together & were sharing a large suite on the top of a 75-story skyscraper.

After a long day of meetings, they were shocked to hear that the elevators in their hotel were broken & they would have to climb 75 flights of stairs to get to their room.

Bill said to Jim & Scott, "Let's break the monotony of this unpleasant task by concentrating on something interesting. I'll tell jokes for 25 flights, Jim can sing songs for the next 25 flights and Scott can tell sad stories for the rest of the way."

At the 26th floor, Bill stopped telling jokes & Jim began to sing. At the 51st floor Jim stopped singing & Scott began to tell sad stories.

"I will tell my saddest story first," he said. "I left the room key in the car!!!

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BIBLE TRIVIA

LIONS

... were kept by royalty as a sign of status and wealth. Common in the Old Testament, they have now become extinct in the Middle East. Killing one was a sign of great strength, as evidenced by the deeds of David and Samson.

Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys

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Thousands of pastors from mainland China receive fire of God at conference in Hong Kong.

Dear Ron,

The Convention Centre in Hong Kong was packed including its overflows. Never have so many pastors from Mainland China attended a conference in Hong Kong. We are told. I was awed by the passion of these dear people of God. How hungry they are for the Word and Fire of God. It is to me as if the Lord has opened a new chapter and that China will be blessed with the love of God as never before.

Ron, We are three days here “in full flight”, the last day being a “Love Your Neighbour” Crusade at the Expo, which can hold 18,000 people. Please pray for us and China. I'd also ask that you prayerfully consider joining with us in bringing the Gospel to the nations. It is a new day!

Our second day was full of blessing and drama. Peter van den Berg preached in the morning. It was a real highlight! When he served Holy Communion the cross of Jesus was so real that these dear Chinese Christians were weeping openly; it was heart-touching. In the afternoon, I ministered in the last service of the Fire Conference and laid hands on all 5,000 delegates. It was glorious. Then we were to change the venue to the EXPO CONVENTION CENTER at the new Hong Kong Airport, but because of heavy rains a landslide blocked the freeway. Only at 4 PM were we told that one lane had been cleared. Announcements on radio/TV as well as innumerable SMS did the rest and 15,000 people showed up. We had a delayed start, but saw a mighty move of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We were back in the hotel after midnight.

We are reapers, not sweepers! We want to bring in the sheaves. “He shall see the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied.”

Our final day was a truly glorious day. Peter van den Berg, Daniel Kolenda, and I ministered the Word of God! The power of God fell with such might, that it was demanding to take it in! But, these wonderful Chinese Christians did it! All of us here have a powerful sense of God beginning something new and glorious. The young people seem to be the vanguard “sons and daughters prophesying,” as Prophet Joel put it... We are also convinced that our Full Flame Film Series will play a major role in this part of the world. You can view even more photos from Hong Kong here!

On the other hand, Ron, we remain committed to a “Blood-washed Africa,” yet do our part in the world, as the Lord directs us. Thank you for your love and continued support.

In His love and service,

Reinhard Bonnke

Reinhard Bonnke and the CfaN-Team.

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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD

THE TWO MARATHONERS

A thought provoking and entertaining allegory about our journey through life.

How will we run our race?

19 pages from The Walking with Jesus Course.

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WAXING LYRICAL

Normally writing verse takes longer than writing prose. But not this time!

IN A HURRY!

Time is short,
Too much sport!

Bad attitude,
No gratitude!

Put Jesus first,
Develop thirst!

Do come aboard,
Jesus is Lord!

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A DAVID MUSING

THE BUILDING

Look, look, look,
It's all it took,
Not by the book,
Nor how to cook.

Look at one,
Yes, its done!
Too much mon,
It's no fun.

But this week?
More to seek.
Find no leak,
Must be meek.

(To be concluded next week?!)

Until next week...

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: DISKS

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION': A - Sidonians (1 Kings 5:6)

REPRODUCTION OF NEWSLETTER CONTENT

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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
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!

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