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: 392 Published: 27 Apr 2009
SERMON ON THE MOUNT - THE KINGDOM WAY
The Fulfillment of the Law17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)
EXPOSITION: The Pharisees made a show of outwardly keeping the Law. However their hearts weren't right before God. Jesus didn't come to throw out the Law but to have us live out the law with our whole being, both internal by motivation and external by actions.
TESTIMONY: This is a theme that is frequently misinterpreted today - both ways. Some say we can ignore the Old Testament completely, which is patently wrong, as Jesus said here. Others go back to the pedantic nature of Old Testament Law and ignore the New Testament principle of grace. This can be a real temptation amongst those who have a real heart for Israel and its traditions. Some, in fact, have converted to Judaism, for it remains based upon the Law.
I am a person who gives my best to what I am committed to. Upon becoming a follower of Jesus in my early 40's, through bankruptcy, I tried my best to live in a way that would be pleasing to Him. I am pretty determined and disciplined and was able to make many changes in my life - at least in outward appearances, reminiscent of the Law. I was pleased with my life and progress. As I saw it, if this process continued, I would achieve my goal of coming much more like Him at some future time. I returned to financial prosperity, ministry grew and all was good.
Then, the unthinkable happened! I went bankrupt for a second time, trying to secure our financial future for full time ministry without being a burden on others. We had been double tithing, contributing to our churches building programme, helping others out and paying for 1000's of discipleship courses to be distributed within New Zealand and overseas. How could things go so wrong?!
My second bankruptcy has brought me deeper into Jesus. I now realise how unlike Him I am. I understand that while I may have looked good on the outside (Law), on the inside I am far from Him. I also have learned that while I should not deliberately do wrong, internal change cannot come from within myself through my own efforts, but only by submitting myself to my Lord and allowing Him to change me (Grace).
In order for me to change from being like the Pharisees and become like Him, I have to let go of me! Allow Him to take control of my life.
I have discovered that just like the fallacy of 'easy Christianity' (say a prayer and live how you like), there is no such thing as easy grace either. Surely that is a heresy, David!
No, it is not! God's gracious grace is given to us not as bandaid to cover the cuts and bruises of our bad behaviour, but as an internal medicine to change us from within into the likeness of Jesus. We need to open our 'mouth of submission' to swallow what can be a 'not so tasty' medicine.
I understand that this may be difficult to understand for we are so imbued with the idea that grace comes from a Father Christmas Jesus, at no cost to anyone.
But grace cost Jesus His life, a painful death on a lonely cross, forsaken by His Father and His followers. So, if we are to become like Him, grace will cost us our life too. Then, as promised, through righteousness we can enter the kingdom of heaven - now.
(To be continued next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’†From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known." (John 1:14-18)"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,†and again, “The Lord will judge his people.†It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31)
Submit Yourselves to God
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.†Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:1-12)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
GRACE817. Grace is telling the truth in love.
818. Grace is God's strength blessing our weakness.
819. Grace is love unearned.
821. Grace comes when you let God do it.
822. Be graciously graced with grace!
823. Grace is so much more than a prayer before a meal.
825. Understand grace and you will join with Jesus - by His grace!
826. Apply grace. The response may surprise!
827. We can't outgive God's grace to us - but we could try!
828. Love and grace are brother and sister together.
829. When grace abounds, love thrives.
830. Grace is God's power overcoming our weakness.
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CRANWELL'S CARTOON
14 “Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. 15 When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor. (Genesis 49:14-15)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOMSetting out the principles on which God's kingdom is meant to operate.
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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." ***
41. WHOSE FUNERAL?
The old man had died. A wonderful funeral was in progress and the country preacher talked at length of the good traits of the deceased, what an honest man he was, and what a loving husband and kind father he was.
Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to one of her children,
"Go up there and take a look in the coffin and see if that's your pa in there."
40. GENESIS 3:C-D
A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to "Where do pets come from?"
Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you anymore. We are lonesome here and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."
And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."
And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.
And it was a good animal.
And God was pleased.
And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.
And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."
And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."
And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them.
And they were comforted.
And God was pleased.
And dog was content and wagged his tail.
After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."
And God said, "No problem! I will create for them a companion who will be with them forever and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."
And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.
And Cat would not obey them.
And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.
And Adam and Eve learned humility.
And they were greatly improved.
And God was pleased.
And Dog was happy.
And Cat didn't care one way or the other.
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: From where does the saying ‘Hobson's Choice’ originate?ANSWER: Hobson's Choice doesn't simply mean a difficult choice. It
means no choice at all, rather like having to choose between the devil
and the deep blue sea. It originated from Thomas Hobson, a 16th-century
stable-keeper, and a paid-up member of the amalgamated union of the
bloody-minded. He only hired out his horses on a strict rotation system.
Customers couldn't choose a horse for themselves. You got the one
nearest the stable door or none! (What other choice did Hobson have?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it true that hair and nails continue to grow
after death?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS391. MAGNIFICATION
If a glass of water were magnified to the size of the Earth, the molecules comprising it would be about as big as a large orange. (Large multiplication giving a small answer.)
392. NOT A SURE BET
In horse races, the favourite wins fewer than 30 percent of all races. (In the human race too!)
393. STICKY STUFF
Many hair sprays are made largely of cellulose, the major ingredient of the cell walls of plants. Ethyl cellulose adhesives dry quickly, do not remain tacky, and wash out with water. (Plant a plant in your hair.)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
SLUICES
Answer at the end of A David Musing
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can download the full version of our Trivia Book at TRULY TRIFFLING TRIVIA
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BIBLE QUESTION - HILLS AND MOUNTAINS
20) Where did Gideon have his army prior to confronting the Midianites?A - Mount Gilead
B - Mount Tabor
C - Mount Gerizim
D - Mount Gilboa
Source: www.biblequizzes.com
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets.
!!!!!! Millions who long for immortality don't know what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
!!!!! Since I have the shape of a yeast roll, don't you think I would make a good roll model.-Lawrence Brotherton
!!!! Credit cards are VERY dangerous. Every time I try to use one somebody starts chasing me with scissors. - J. Bothne
!!! I'm as broke as the ten commandments.
!! I have three college degrees: One undergraduate and two post-graduate. With those and 45 cents, I can get a cup of coffee.
! Some power saws are a cut above the rest.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
JUST JOKES
152. SCIENTIFIC LOGICScientists have shown that the moon is moving away at a tiny, although measurable distance from the earth every year.
If you do the maths, you can calculate that 85 million years ago the moon was orbiting the earth at a distance of about 35 feet from the earth's surface.
This would explain the death of the dinosaurs... the tallest ones, anyway.......
151. I RECKON SO!
A man traveling down a country road was forced to stop before a giant puddle covering the entire road. Looking to the side of the road, the man noticed a farmer leaning on a fence. "Think it's safe to cross?" the man asked.
"I reckon so," replied the farmer.
The car was immediately swallowed by the puddle as the man drove in. In fact, it was so deep that he had to roll his window down to swim out of his car back to the surface. As his head broke the surface the man said to the farmer, "I thought you said I could safely drive through this puddle!"
"Well, shoot!" said the farmer, scratching his head. "It only come up chest-high on my ducks!"
150. CURE-ALL
"The young army doctor was stationed at a remote dispensary in the South Pacific.
One day he was puzzled about treatment for one of his patients.
He radioed a base hospital:
"Have case of beriberi. What shall I do?"
An Administration Assistant got hold of the message and replied, "Give it to the Marines. They'll drink anything."
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BIBLE TRIVIA
'The Song of Miriam'...... a victory chant led by Moses' sister after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, is thought to be one of the oldest poetic verses in Hebrew Scripture.
"I will sing unto the Lord
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he is hurled into the sea." (Exodus 15:21)
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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Greater than gold: Witnessing Christ in Beijing
by Anne ThomasAt every Olympic Games since 1984, the 'Evening with the Stars' evangelistic event has rallied Christian competitors, spectators and locals in an act of Christian witness to celebrate the ultimate victor: Jesus Christ.
Dr Sam Mings founded the initiative nearly 25 years ago at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. At this year's Olympics in Beijing, China, he is leading the outreach initiative RT2008BM (Right Track 2008 Beijing Mission) in what will be his seventh Olympics outreach.
Each year, Christians in the host city play a vital role in putting the event together and so the tradition continues in Beijing, where expats church the Beijing International Christian Fellowship are key organisers of the main event, the 'More Than Gold Evening with the Stars'. The event takes place within wider evangelistic efforts over the Olympics under the clarion banner, 'What we're about is worth more than gold'.
The outreach event and service will be joined by one of the greatest Olympians of the century, US sprinter and committed Christian Carl Lewis when it takes place at Beijing's 1,800 capacity 21st Century theatre on Sunday.
At a time when persecution watchdogs are warning of greater persecution over the period of the Olympics, a huge banner promoting the RT2008BM event drapes the front of the theatre, located in the heart of downtown Beijing.
"To organise such an evangelistic rally within the midst of an Olympic festival, to arrange for athletes to come and speak in the middle of their contests, to prepare the promotional materials, advertising paraphernalia and to motivate the local Christian community to get on board, is a marvel beyond words," says Mark Tronson, Baptist minister and International Prayer Network director for RT2008BM.
Dr Mings and Tronson anticipate that the turnout of athletes and locals will surpass any previous outreach event in an Olympic host city.
"This will be incredibly significant in China, a communist country; something like this has simply never previously been dreamed of," says Dr Mings.
"The Olympians sharing their 'power and inspiration source' must be unprecedented.
"Even more impressive is that the message will go out from the host city to the world. The situation is unparalleled."
Adds Tronson, "This is what has been achieved since 1984. Each host city's evangelical community has mobilised behind this remarkable outreach."
The Beijing International Christian Fellowship serves as a worship centre for expats, with members from no less than 70 nations. Its international make-up is the basis for its permission from authorities to function openly as a Christian church in China, where religious freedom is curtailed by the communist government.
"Once again the Lord had established a situation whereby the RT2008BM might function during the Beijing Olympics," notes Mark.
The 'Evening with the Stars' event will kick off with a 'Parade of the Stars', in which the Christian Olympians will be greeted by Carl Lewis, Dr Mings and the pastor of the Beijing International Christian Fellowship, Jon Davis.
For Dr Mings, though, the stars are there for one purpose and one purpose only.
"It will be a historic moment to remember forever in the glorifying of the Lord Jesus Christ."
2009 Christian Today
via openheaven.com
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
'TABERNEAGLE' THOUGHTS FROM.....A poster of thoughts about living life in Tabernacles. Out of a human mind but hopefully with God given inspiration. An A4 sized wall (’loo?’) hanger. A4 size.
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WAXING LYRICAL
My wife likes crosswords. I prefer Sudoku. But it is fun to play with words occasionally!'USING'
It's amusing
Is no musing.
Mind abusing.
Now accusing.
Brain fusing.
Never 'using'!
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A DAVID MUSING
Happiness and busyness have been our companions this week!Happy to have our family with us from Scotland and busy at work. Kathy too, has had to go back to work this week to keep the 'eyes of Napier' (she works for an eye surgeon) in seeing condition.
Getting a work-life balance is difficult, particularly in today's busy world. There are so many calls on our time. Work, church etc., etc. Often relationships take a back seat - spouse, family.... and Jesus!
The photo shows some 'family time' with Kathy , myself, our lovely daughter-in-law Catriona, and our 3 grandchildren, Nathan, Charis and Eva (Right). Andrew, our son, was taking the photo, which is usually my job!
Now to spend more time with Jesus!
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: CELSIUS
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: A - Mount Gilead (Judges 7:1-3)
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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
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!
For comments upon and contributions to this service, please contact
david@wwj.org.nz