TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF KINGDOM PEOPLE

RELIANCE UPON GOD

Following on from last week, the seventh characteristic of kingdom living is a reliance, a true dependence, upon God.

Of course we, particularly in the West, blithely declare in church on Sunday our dependence upon God, but spend the rest of the week focused upon earning sufficient money to make ourselves independent of Him!

Now do we worship God ourselves, but take 'spiritual bytes', participating in worship led by others who are, at best, seeking to take us into the presence of God, at worst, putting on a performance.

In our works too, we show our independence, as we endeavour to do God's work for Him through the programmes that we participate in that keep us busy but are not God driven.

In each of these 3 areas God desires us to be dependent upon Him.

The Lord's Prayer has lost its popularity today, particularly in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, supposedly because of its rigid form, but in reality, probably more because of its unpopular content!

It is the kingdom prayer!

10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

This is followed by principles of kingdom living, the way in which the kingdom on earth will be brought about.

The first of these is;

11 Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

You see, God knows the primary motivator that takes us away from Him - self-sufficiency. He desires, indeed requires, dependence upon Jesus, rather than our VISA card.

Of course, a month or two ago, you may well have laughed at me, but with the current financial implosion, the promise of 'daily bread' is becoming more real, even desirable!

For my many readers and friends in areas where you truly do have to rely upon God for your daily provision, even though you do not like it, you are truly blessed. For God wants us to be dependent upon Him. And collecting treasures on earth, no matter how small, take us away from Him.

Kathy and I are trying to live this way. We own only a few household possessions, having cut down and down on the size of the homes in which we have lived. Our business is growing fast, but it is all owned by a Trust, on the Lord's behalf. We are endeavouring to financially live a kingdom lifestyle.

Secondly, we need to depend upon the Lord spiritually. I love worship! I love worshipping with others! I love, on the rare occasion, entering into the Holy of Holies in worship.

However, group worship is not the essence of spiritual dependence upon God. In a way, it is like cheering your team on at a football match. Excitement and emotion flows. It is great fun, a real buzz, but rarely intimate.

To be truly spiritually dependent upon God we must wait upon Him to hear from Him. Not in the spectacular, but in the quiet intimacy of one to one relationship. Such was the experience of Elijah;

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-30)

God is not deeply found in the group experience of worship, wind, earthquake or fire, but in the 'gentle whisper' of a one to one encounter. This is where our spiritual intimacy, dependence and instruction truly comes from.

Thirdly, our works. Yes, a subject James is very hot on. Our faith needs to be reflected in works. But these need to be 'God' works, not 'good' works. The number of 'o's' is critical.

God does not want us to be tired out, to become burned out, through doing continual gooooooood works!

God works are specific. The more we rely upon Him, the more He will lead us in what to do. And He will not have us substitute works for relationship with Him and with our family. I certainly need to be reminded of this often! For I am project rather than people motivated.

There are millions of good projects out there but let us not forget:

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3)

May we rely upon the Lord in all areas of life. This is the way of the kingdom.

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FROM THE WORD

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: ”‘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 LORD APPEARS TO ELIJAH

"And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”" (1 Kings 19:9-18)

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

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DAVID'S DOODLINGS

RELIGION, REVELATION AND GOD'S KINGDOM

1012. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the biggest hindrance to God building His kingdom is man building his. It's called religion.

1013. Man organises the god out of God!

1014. Religion builds tradition, the Spirit, change.

1015. Religion builds tradition, the Spirit breaks tradition down.

1016. One person's vision becomes their successor's job.

1017. The kingdom of God is built upon relationship, not organisation.

1018. Mankind cannot build the kingdom of God for He has already done it far better than we ever could.

1019. While religion may desire to build God's kingdom, it finally succeeds in building its own.

1020. The kingdom of God doesn't need to be built, rather, grasped hold of.

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CRANWELL'S CARTOON

POPEYE AND SPINNACH RATHER THAN SAMSON AND HAIR!

21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” 25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. (Judges 16:21-30)








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TUESDAY TEACHINGS

GOD AND MAN continues...

as we enter into the third and most important part of our study, making Jesus the lord of our life doing the will of the Father, as Jesus did.

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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." ***

762. SAD INGENUITY
Police do a great job, but this policeman comes close to winning the ingenuity award.

A driver did the right thing, stopping at the intersection even though he could have Beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman behind him went ballistic, pounding on her horn and screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to drive through the intersection with him. Still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.

The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm awfully sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and swearing a blue streak at him.

I noticed the "Choose Life" licence plate holder, the "What Would Jesus Do?" bumper sticker, the "Follow me to Sunday School" bumper sticker and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the boot.

Naturally, I thought you had stolen the car.

761. CONDOLANCES
A cowgirl, who is visiting Texas from Arkansas, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. She sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When she finishes them, she comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowgirl, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."

The cowgirl replies, "Well, you see, I have two sisters. One is in Australia, the other is in Kentucky. When we all left our home in Arkansas, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each
of my sisters and one for myself."

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there. The cowgirl becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. She orders three mugs and drinks them sip by sip in turn.

One day, she comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When she comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."

The cowgirl looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in her eyes and she laughs. "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," she explains, "It's just that my husband and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking." "Hasn't affected my sisters
though."

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Is a raven and a crow the same bird?

ANSWER: A raven is a type of large crow, with a distinctive croaking call.
Therefore all ravens are crows, but not all crows are ravens. (Ravens
crow about this!)


THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: How old are ‘prefab’ (prefabricated) houses?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

480. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
In Somalia, Africa, it's been decreed illegal to carry old chewing gum by sticking it onto the tip of your nose. (By gum man. It’s just not done thing!)

481. DON'T DARE DRIVE DRUNK!
In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing squad. (The final solution!)

482. JUST TRY NOT TO!
In Pakistan, it is considered rude to show the soles of your feet or point a foot when you are sitting on the floor. (For inflexible Westerners this is almost impossible not to do. Try it now!)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

UNTRIED

Answer at the end of A David Musing

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BIBLE QUESTION - YOU BE THE JUDGE!

11) How many men volunteered to go with Gideon?

A - 32,000
B - 22,000
C - 10,000
D - 40,000

Source: www.biblequizzes.com

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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

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

BILLBOARDS IN ARIZONA

!!!!!!! We need to talk.
-God

!!!!!! I love you and you and you and you and...
-God

!!!!! Will the road you're on get you to my place?
-God

!!!! Follow me.
-God

!!! Have you read my #1 best seller? There will be a test.
-God

!! My way is the highway.
-God

! You think it's hot here?
-God

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LIFE'S A LAUGH

53. CONCRETE ADVICE
After a lady's car had leaked motor oil on her cement driveway, she bought a large bag of cat litter to soak it up. It worked so well, that she went back to the convenience store to get another bag to finish the job.

Remembering her, the clerk remarked, "Lady, if that were my cat, I'd put him outside!"

54. IF IN DOUBT.......
A lady was lost in her car in a terrible snowstorm. She remembered what her dad had once told her: "If you ever get stuck in a snowstorm, wait for a snowplow and just follow it."

Pretty soon, a snowplow came by and she started to follow it. She followed the plow for about 45 minutes. Finally, the driver of the snowplow got out and asked what she was doing.

She explained that her dad had told her that if she ever got stuck in a snowstorm to follow a plow.

The driver nodded and said, "Well, I'm through with the Wal-Mart lot. Now you can follow me over to K-Mart."

55. I FIGURED
Checking out of the grocery store, I noticed that the bag boy was eyeing my two adopted children curiously. They often draw scrutiny, since my son's a blond Russian, while my daughter has shiny black Haitian skin. The boy continued staring as he carried our groceries to the car. Finally, he asked. "Those your kids?"

"Yes, they are!" I answered proudly.

"They adopted?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"I thought so," he concluded. "I figured you're too old to have kids that small."

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BIBLE TRIVIA

PEACOCKS...

were the last of the precious cargo mentioned from Ophir. Although native only to southern India and Sri Lanka, people have spread it around the world. Really hardy, it can adapt to a wide range of climates and living conditions.

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

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GHANA: Four Thousand New Churches!

The Church in Ghana has taken a giant leap in cross-cultural missions over the past ten years. In 1997 a collaborative national initiative started with this question: "Are any Christians from southern Ghana working in one of the 37 unreached groups of the north? Has anyone moved to the region, and learned a language, in order to share the gospel?" A survey among Christians came up with a disturbing answer: "No." "Not a single Ghanaian missionary was doing ministry in the north," reported mission leader Ross Campbell. "All cross-cultural ministry was being done by Western missionaries and their converts."
That was a wake-up call, and southern churches took up the challenge. Denominations focused their resources on the north, and cross-cultural missions came up in a big way. As a result, in the last 10 years at least 4,000 new churches have been planted, with many more being discovered in a current research update. And every single one of the 37 people groups have been penetrated with growing church-planting movements.

Source: Joel News via GO GLOBAL MISSIONS REPORT 2008 No. 64

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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD

A REVELATION OF....... THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID

Sandwiched between Moses Tabernacle, representing the church, and Solomon's Temple, representing the Millennial reign of Christ, David's simple tent is a picture of the end time church that will last for but a short time before Jesus returns.

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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

“Of course, you know you can’t really fly!” I rashly said,
As diplomatic as taking a sledgehammer to his head!
“For the ‘Laws of Aerodynamics’ you know,
State that ‘up in the air,’ you cannot go.”

‘Your shapes all wrong
To push you along!
Your body’s far too big!
Ever seen a flying pig?’

In full swing now, big in my bumble bee knowledge,
Intensively learned during five full years of college.
“Your little wings wear out beating ten thousand times a minute,
Therefore your life span is only sixty days – at the very limit!”

Was somewhat surprised at my clever words’ effect,
For these, I thought, he would automatically reject.
But to take on board my knowledge, he did elect,
My erudite words, to him they did only deject!

“You humans are simply so superior
Us bumbling bees, greatly inferior!
You know more about me than I do!
So what you say, must surely be true.”

“It's true then! I can’t really fly?
Yes, about to fall from the sky!
Life now seems just not worth the living!
Even with all the effort, I’ve been giving!

So at that very moment he gave up trying,
Knew he should, no longer now be flying,
From a rapid ten thousand beats a minute,
To wings folded, his heart no longer in it.

(Continued next week.)

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A DAVID MUSING

WHAT 2 WRITE?

What 2 write?
I don't know.
A 'word byte'?
Only 'so so'.

Had the flu,
Perhaps U2?
Not much fun,
Work 2b done!

But we survive,
Am still alive!
Better next week,
With U2 speak!

Until next week...

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: INTRUDE

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION': A - 32,000 (Judges 7:3)

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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 website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.

Walking With Jesus Ministries
7 Bull Street
Ahuriri
Napier
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 835 0567 International (+64) 6 835 0567

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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