TO SAY OR TO DO, THAT IS THE QUESTION! (With apologies to one W. Shakespeare)

During the week I had an interesting discussion with a friend. My friend's view was that that a word or message from the Lord relating to a practical area of ministry, could be shared in a general way without it first being applied successfully in ones life. I was unhappy about this, being a great believer that we must first 'practise what we preach.' (or teach) For too often, I have heard preaching and teaching of wonderful principles which sound, and are, great, yet have known that the person presenting them, has not successfully applied them themselves.

I remember one hugely anointed teacher in particular, who would captivate you with his brilliant scriptural and revelatory teachings, yet who in his personal walk, failed to live out the principles he so anointedly taught. He has the gift, yet his life is not in submission to the 'Giver.' Fortunately in this case, many others have also recognised this reality, and he struggles unsuccessfully to build for himself the position that his giftings could normally be expected to result in.

Much more dangerous of course, is the one whose deficiencies are less obvious, who operates in their giftings, while secretly living a degenerate lifestyle. But it is most interesting that today, we are seeing more and more of the true lives of these gifted but disobedient people, being exposed by our Lord. Why is this?

It is simply because our Lord is requiring more of His people, particularly his leaders, in these final days. It is no longer sufficient simply to talk the talk. Now we must also walk the walk. For Jesus is to return for a pure spotless bride, a bride pure in thought, word and deed. In terms of the Feasts of the Lord, (see the book 'Eagles Fly High!', freely downloadable on our website at
wwj.org.nz )
it signals a highly significant shift in the Church. From living in the truths of 'Pentecost', where spiritual gifts predominate, to applying the truths of the final and greatest 'Feast of Tabernacles', where a lifestyle of 100% commitment to the will of God the Father is required of us.

For it is no longer acceptable simply to preach 'The Word.' The Word is to become an integral part of our life, before we preach it. Of course, none of us is perfect. We all fail from time to time and require His grace to retrieve us, but we are required to successfully apply His principles before we preach or teach them. No, it's not easy. Yes, it may take longer to share our visions and dreams. But our house will be built on firm foundations, foundations that will stand firm against the tumult of the times in which we now live. And as we become the 'Living Word', so we will change the world around us.

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FROM THE WORD

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” " (Revelation 19:7-9)

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”" (Revelation 21:1-5)

DAVID'S DOODLINGS

Three sayings from the Foolish, Wise and Godly Man series which seem particularly appropriate this week.

*** A foolish man speaks before he thinks, a wise man thinks before he speaks, but a godly man lets his life speak for him.

*** Foolishness is of the flesh, wisdom of the mind, but godliness comes from a heart right with God.

*** A foolish heart seeks only God’s blessings, while a wise heart seeks to bless others, but a godly heart first blesses God.

For more sayings in this series and many more see...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php

LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***

HEY FELLAS!
Three preachers sat discussing the best positions for prayer while a telephone repairman worked nearby.

"Kneeling is definitely best," claimed one.

"No," another contended. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."

"You're both wrong," the third insisted. "The most effective prayer position is lying prostrate, face down on the floor."

The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas, " he interrupted, "the best prayin' I ever did was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

AND A FREE BONUS!

THE COLLECTION PLATE
A little child in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates. When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped-up so that everyone could hear "Don't pay for me Daddy, I'm under five."

Many more good sermon fillers at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/laugh.php

TAPE (MP3) OF THE WEEK

Sorry, due to technical problems, there is no tape available this week. Computers, computers!!!!!!

WHY?

Can you provide the answers to these mysteries of life?

????? Why does food with half the calories costs twice as much?

????? Why is it that the only vacant parking space is always on the other side of the street?

????? Why is it that there are always more last-minute details than there are last minutes?

????? Why are natural, unprocessed foods so much more expensive than their synthetic, over-processed counterparts?

????? Why is the man who invests all our money called a 'Broker'?

????? If its called chilli, why is it served hot?

????? Why is it can you "slow up," but you can't "speed down."?

????? Why do banks charge you a "insufficient funds fee" on money they already know you don't have?

Can you provide some more? There are 90 of life's mysterious challenges to be found at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/why.php

FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEK'S CHALLENGE - AN APOLOGY
It is good to see how many of you do read what is written! For in the pleasure and challenge of personally completing my first newsletter for 2 months, I left out the answer to last week's challenge. I am very sorry about this and will try to get nearer to perfection this week! If I can't get a simple newsletter perfect, how can I hope to do so with my life! I thank God for His endless grace! Amazingly, there is still a little left over for you too!

The question was 'Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?' A couple of people gave the correct answer - 'Yesterday, today and tomorrow.'

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Is it possible for twins to have different fathers?

Answer: Yes. There have been several documented cases of women giving birth to twins who had different fathers, including cases where the children were of different races. To do so, the mother had to have conceived both children in close proximity. There has also
been one recent case where a mother gave birth to unrelated "twins." In that instance, the mother underwent in vitro fertilization and had her own child and the embryo of another couple accidentally implanted in her.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Why do we call twins who are attached to each other physically, "Siamese twins"?

Answer Next Week.

***SOME FUN FACTS***

CHICKEN WINGPOWER
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. (Why did the chicken fly across the road? To get to the other side without dirtying its feet.)

WHERE IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST VILLAGE?
Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village'. (Description by a Texan Indian?)

I WISH 'EYED' GOT A BIGGER BRAIN
An ostrich's eye is bigger that it's brain. (I have days like an ostrich too!)

GETTING THE HINT!
Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression 'to get fired.' (Now simply called euthanasia – mercy(?!) killing)

NO CRIME, NO RHYME (Sorry its meaningless, but rhyming with rhyme is difficult too!)
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, and purple. (Poets beware, take care, or these words, they will you snare.)

UNDER THE THUMB
The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law that stated you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. (Farmers wives were at a disadvantage!)

A CHALLENGE FOR YOU!

This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so plain you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is unusual though. Study it, and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out.

Answer at the end of ‘A David Musing’

Find 150 fun facts and trivial trivia at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php

GOD FACTS

These Bible 'quick facts' may be of interest

1. Number of Authors -- 40
2. The Garden verse of the scripture -- Numbers 11:5
3. The Metal verse of the scripture -- Ezekiel 22:19
4. Word "God" occurs -- 4,370 times
5. Word "Jehovah" occurs -- 6,855 times
6. Word "Lord" occurs -- 7,736 times
7. First complete English Bible -- 1380 A.D.
8. First chapter divisions made -- 1227 A.D.
9. The Greatest Word -- JESUS
10. These Words appears only once in Bible
-- Reverend (Psalms 111:9)
-- Eternity (Isaiah 57:15)
-- Grandmother (2 Tim 1:5)
11. Verse containing all letters except J -- Ezra 7:21
12. Verse containing all letters except Q -- Daniel 4:37

Many more interesting and helpful 'God Facts' are to be found at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.html

IF YOU HAVE TIME YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ... (A PDF File Download)

TABERNACLE TO TABERNACLES: If the mention in our first article of the Feast of Tabernacles and it's relationship to today's church caught your attention, you may like to read this booklet, available for free as a PDF download, which sets out some exciting principles of God's plans for His ongoing church. Well worth the read.

Can be found at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/bk7.pdf

A DAVID MUSING

Coming back to New Zealand after being away for 2 months, my most notable observation has been how little things have changed. For life has simply gone on, peoples challenges and problems are much the same, and sadly, very few victories appear to have been won. It is almost as if time has stood still over the period I have been away.

This is not a criticism, but simply but simply an observation of life here in Tauranga. For nearly all of us are comfortable with our lives. We enjoy the good, and are generally reluctant to change the bad. 'Better the devil we know than the devil we don't,' is an attitude we all too often, consciously or unconsciously, live our lives by.

Last week I mentioned that my eldest son Andrew had turned 30. It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with him and his family so far away in Aberdeen, Scotland, while I was away. To learn more of his hopes and dreams was great. Yet, as a parent, I had to wonder where the last 30 years had gone. Surely it could not be 30 years since I had to change his nappies? The smell still lingers today!

Now I am exaggerating slightly to make a point, but it is true that the finite sands of time pass through our 'egg timer of life' at a pace that startles us when we take the time to reflect upon it. And, fortunately really, we do not know when that final grain is going to fall through and our lives here on earth will be over, once and for all.

These experiences have reminded me that now is the best, and maybe even the last, time for me to make the changes in my life, that my Lord would desire of me. For my heart's desire is to one day hear those beautiful words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." You too?

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's Challenge Answer: The letter "e", the most common letter in the English language, does not appear once in this long paragraph.

LINKS

If you would like to link your web links@wsite to ours, and ours to yours, please advise us on links@wwj.org.nz

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

Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 5160
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand

Phone: (07) 575-7164 International (0064) 7575-7164

Fax: (07) 575-7124 International (0064) 7575-7124
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