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: 396 Published: 25 May 2009
SERMON ON THE MOUNT - THE KINGDOM WAY
Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)
EXPOSITION: The Jews were generally reluctant to use the name of God in vain. In fact they venerated it so much that they would not even write it in full. However, they swore on other things and made oaths. In this exposition of the third commandment, Jesus called on us all not to swear upon anything, but simply to say 'yes' or 'no'.
TESTIMONY: In our modern world, we do not generally make a habit of swearing on things as much as the Jews did, but swearing, using God's name (including Jesus and the Holy Spirit) is endemic in our Western society.
Sadly, the use of other 'bad language' also, commonly known as swearing, is becoming more and more common amongst Christians also.
Personally, perhaps because I was brought up in a home where this was unacceptable, it probably became ingrained in me early in life and so has not been a problem personally for me.
It is however, one of the first areas that can slip if we are not careful, as is illustrated by the language many Christians are using today.
Interestingly, not using foul language is one obvious sign of difference in believers to people of the world. When we let our yes and no stand for and by themselves without being embellished with expletives, it stands out to others who don't.
The main area where oaths are required today is in the legal system. Whether or not to swear upon the Bible is an individual matter of choice. Personally I do not have a problem with this.
I do have a problem though with societies or organisations that require one to swear an oath in order to join. I simply would not join.
When one thinks about the things we so easily and naturally do in life, the wisdom of Jesus in this matter is clear to see. May we take it on board in our lives.
(To be continued next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
"“I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.†Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.†So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.†So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.†That is why it was called Galeed. It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.†Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.†So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home." (Genesis 31:38-55)"On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.†The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus." (Matthew 14:6-12)
"“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it." (Matthew 23:16-22)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
GROWING IN GOD25. To the believer Jesus is Saviour, but to the disciple he is also Lord.
26. The stairway to great faith is climbed one step at a time. A single leap courts disaster.
27. Our most dearly held beliefs often inhibit God’s further revelation to us.
28. The foundation of our spiritual house is to be built upon the solid rock of Jesus, the walls constructed using the insights of the fathers of the faith, while the ‘roof of truth’ is God’s revelation to us today.
29. As we grow in God, what we are to do assumes greater importance, than what we are not to do.
30. A new believer focuses upon the ‘thou shalt not’s’, while a mature disciple develops the ‘thou shalt’s.’ in their life.
31. God’s word is a two-edged sword, revealing both love and judgement.
32. To believe in God is good, to hear from God is great, but to obey God reaps the ultimate reward.
33. A man’s wisdom is based upon experience, but God’s wisdom comes through revelation.
34. It’s easy to be wise in theory, but a lot more difficult in practise!
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CRANWELL'S CARTOON
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,†he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.â€
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.†51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,†Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.†53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!†55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. (Luke 8:49-56)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM continuesAs we look at the churches of Thyatira and Sardis.
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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." ***
51. 'FOOL'
A minister was opening his mail one morning. Drawing a single sheet of paper from an envelope he found written on it only one word: 'FOOL'.
The next Sunday he announced, "I have known many people who have written letters and forgot to sign their name.
"But this week I received a letter from someone who signed his name but forgot to write a letter."
50. COULD THIS BE TRUE?
A British clergyman struggled along with a small congregation in a small neighborhood. A commercial firm offered to supply free hymn books, provided they could insert a bit of discreet advertising into the hymnals. The pastor was reluctant but finally agreed. When the hymnals arrived, he eagerly examined them and was delighted to find no brash advertisements on or inside the covers.
The next Sunday, his flock began to sing from the hymnals. All went well until the third song, in which the congregation lifted their voices in unison to the melodious notes of:
Hark the herald angels sing,
Hanson's pills are just the thing;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
Two for men and one for child.
49. A TOOTHLESS WARNING___
"Lead a righteous and spiritual life," admonished a minister to a young rascal he caught causing trouble, "for there will be weeping, wailing and a gnashing of teeth among the wicked who pass on to the next world."
"What if you haven't got any teeth?" said the boy.
"Teeth will be provided!"
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FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Where did the term ‘private eye’ originate?ANSWER: We get ‘private eye’ from the famous logo of the Pinkerton
Detective Agency -a wide-open eye. The company, founded in the 1800s,
had as its motto: ‘We never sleep’. (So can specialise in finding those
who sleep together illicitly.)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Who wrote the first detective novel?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS379. FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS
Dry ice does not melt. It sublimes, meaning it goes directly from a solid to a gaseous form. On the other hand, dirty snow melts faster than clean snow. (How about dirty dry ice?)
380. NOW THAT'S REAL INFLATION!
During the early 1920s, at the height of the inflation in the German Weimar Republic, one American dollar was equal to 4 trillion German marks. (Truly, ‘money not even worth burning’! Helped Hitler Hijack His Country)
381. DON'T EXPECT TO WIN
According to Gambler's Digest, an estimated $1 million is lost at racetracks in the US each year by people who lose or carelessly throw away winning tickets. (Those who literally ‘throw their money away’!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
EVENTS
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - WATER WATER EVERYWHERE!
4) Elijah drank from this river during a drought:A - Jordan
B - Kidron
C - Kerith
D - Tigris
Source: www.biblequizzes.com
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! Integrity is like oxygen. The higher you go the less there is.
!!!!!! There's more to life than increasing its speed.
!!!!! Life is a do-it-yourself project.
!!!! The person who buys the most raffle tickets has the least chance of winning.
!!! Good parking places are always on the other side of the street.
!! Consistency isn't always good especially if you're consistently wrong.
! When you try to be sophisticated something will happen to make you look bad.
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JUST JOKES
331. CHICKENSThe farmer's son was returning from the market with he crate of chicken's his father had entrusted to him, when all of a sudden the box fell and broke open. Chickens scurried off in different directions, but the determined boy walked all over the neighborhood scooping up the wayward birds and returning them to the repaired crate. Hoping he had found them all, the boy reluctantly returned home, expecting the worst.
"Pa, the chickens got loose," the boy confessed sadly, "but I managed to find all twelve of them."
"Well, you did real good, son," the farmer beamed.
"You left with seven."
330. LOOKING
"I hear the First National Bank is looking for a new teller."
"I thought they just hired a new teller last week."
"Right. That's the one they're looking for."
329. HOPEFUL
"Dear IRS: I would like to cancel my subscription.
Please remove my name from your mailing list..."
328. IT'S ALL ABOUT NUMBERS
A factory owner said to a store owner, "Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your patronage. I wish I had twenty customers like you."
"Gosh, it's nice to hear that, but I'm kind of surprised," admitted Smith. "You know that I argue every bill and always pay late."
The factory owner said, "I'd still like twenty customers like you. The problem is, I have two hundred."
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BIBLE TRIVIA
SAMARITANS...... didn't have a good reputation amongst the Jews. They were bad neighbours, having had a long and unhappy history together. Samaritans first came into the land when the Assyrians conquered Israel. An offshoot sect, they followed the books of Moses but not the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures, resulting in bad blood between the two. (Photo of Samaritan Priest)
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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Atheists Are Losing Their Children to Godliness
WASHINGTON, DC - Militant atheism may be on the warpath in the English-speaking world, but recently its advocates had to take on board some unwelcome news.According to the latest American research, parents with no religious affiliation are losing the battle to indoctrinate their children. A majority of those surveyed who grew up in atheist or agnostic households, or where there was no particular religious attachment, later chose to join a religion. In comparison only 13 per cent of those raised as Protestants and 14 per cent of cradle Catholics later severed connections.
These unexpected findings come from a study, Faith in Flux, by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. About 54 per cent of those reared in unaffiliated households have since got religion. Nearly 40 per cent have become Protestants, 22 per cent evangelicals, 13 per cent mainline and 4 per cent have joined one of the black churches. Six per cent converted to Catholicism and 9 per cent embraced some other faith.
Among the reasons the unchurched offered for their conversion, 51 per cent did so because they had spiritual needs that were not being met. Less attributed the change to life-cycle reasons: marriage (23 per cent), moving to a new community (15 per cent), the death of someone close (10 per cent) or separation-divorce (6 per cent). The survey also looked at what attracted those raised with no religious affiliation to their present faith tradition. The most commonly cited was enjoying the services and style of worship (73 per cent).
Source: AusPrayerNet.org.au
© 2009 Spirit Alive Australia
via OpenHeaven.com
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
WAXING LYRICALAstonishingly to me, the web page of poetry is consistently one of the most popular on the WWJ site.
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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
(Continued from last week.)
"Mr Bumble, you are a scientific miracle,
My understanding, insufficiently empirical,
For it is obvious you can soar far above,
Which I simply can't, for money or love!"
"I feel a lot better now," said Mr Bumble,
"To see you on your knees, so humble,
Maybe I can fly again without a fumble,
I'll give it a good go - LET'S NOW RUMBLE!
Wings flapping,
Slowly at first,
Then revving,
Give it a burst!
Now into the air again, Mr Bumble flew,
"Yes, I can still fly!" that he now knew,
Up, up, into the blue,
Buzz, buzz, it's true!
There are two lessons here, in life to be learned,
Neither pull another down, nor be the one spurned,
For word's are so powerful you see,
When taken and used by our enemy.
We're to encourage one another to fly high,
Sometimes it's difficult, but let's give it a try.
Yes, twill give a whole new outlook on life,
As well as keeping Mr Bumble, out of strife!
For the 'Fruit of the Spirit' we are to develop,
Yes, love, peace and joy, our life will envelop.
So when we meet the Mr Bumbles of our daily walk,
We can help them fly higher, through our godly talk.
(Concluded next week.)
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A DAVID MUSING
This week has brought the first real chills of winter to our area but has also warmed our hearts as we finally, after 2 1/2 years work and preparation, load our first container of clothes for Africa.The challenges continue as is usual in the first time you do anything. In this case both how to fit the most in, then, how to do it the most efficiently. We are getting there on both counts.
It is much like faith. The first time is always the most difficult! I guess that is why God keeps on getting us to move onwards into new things, or else the 'faith factor' is quickly lost in the normal, predictable, grind!
Now, what does He have for us next!
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: STEVEN
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: 4) C - Kerith (1 Kings 17: 3-5)
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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!
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