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: 397 Published: 01 Jun 2009
SERMON ON THE MOUNT - THE KINGDOM WAY
An Eye for an Eye38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42)
EXPOSITION: This is a change from the Old Testament law of retaliation. There, the decisions were only meant to be applied by a magistrate, and except in the case of murder, a monetary compensation could be substituted. However, by the time of Jesus this law was being misinterpreted, to wrongly allow individuals to take the law into their own hands.
In essence, Jesus is teaching us two things here.
1. We must not seek revenge from those who hurt us.
2. We must only not hurt our neighbours, but seek to do them good at all times.
TESTIMONY: We have a legal system! We have rights! (In fact today, we are taught our rights but not our responsibilities!) Surely then, we should use them to get justice for ourselves?
Not according to Jesus!
Forgiveness is a hard lesson for all of us to learn. Some say 'revenge is sweet', but what I have observed is that the desire for revenge leads to bitterness which remains, even when revenge is obtained!
Bitterness eats away our soul like a voracious cancer. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a soothing balm to the soul.
But our human nature screams out for revenge when we are hurt. That is our immediate reaction, both mine and yours, when we are wronged.
To not hold grudges, is something I have had to learn over the years of my walk with Jesus. This is particularly true with other Christians and in the church, where many are hurt the most!
I remember one occasion where I was accorded a position by a denominational grouping, not at my request, but which was then protested and revoked by my local pastor, as I had not done the formal training and filled in the proper paperwork.
When my pastor told me, I was graceful about it, and he commented that I took it very well. Of course I learned a lesson from it, but have not held any grudge. And I have an inner peace about it that I could not have had, had I become bitter about a perceived injustice.
Often, those closest to us hurt us the most. On Saturday night I was at a meeting where the speaker, one of New Zealand's more prominent pastors, talked of a recent experience where his daughter had offended him greatly. He wanted her to apologise and she wouldn't. He got bitter about it and it starting affecting his enthusiasm for ministry.
Finally, in a meeting in our neighboring country of Australia (yes - some good things come out of Australia! [Just friendly Kiwi - Aussie rivalry! Don't worry I am not getting bitter!]), the speaker had a word of prophecy directly for him as he sat far away, up in the balcony, "Love the one who has wronged you." Not exactly what he wanted to hear! But his enthusiasm immediately returned! He came home, took his daughter back into their home and simply loved her. Within a week she had apologised to all the family for her actions.
Not all cases work out as well as this, but even if she hadn't expressed forgiveness, the pastor himself was back in the place where his ministry could regain its effectiveness.
Yes bitterness can happen to anyone at any time.
"Lord may I be open and responsive to your wisdom in my dealings with others."
(To be continued next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
"â€â€˜If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.’â€" (Leviticus 24:27-32)Living Sacrifices
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)
Rules for Holy Living
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:1-17)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
ON REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS163. True repentance is - a godly principle applied.
164. Personal repentance is a verb, not an adjective.
165. True repentance is an action that results in a life changing reaction.
166. Show me one who walks in forgiveness and talks with their wallet, and I will show you a true believer.
167. It is amazing how a sprinkling of forgiveness can calm a raging sea of hurts.
168. Sadly, the human mind subtly subverts the holy, ‘I Am’, into the unholy, ‘I am’!
187. Forgiveness is unique. The more you give the more you get.
188. Forgiveness is the one thing you can have more of by giving it away.
189. There are two inexplicable things in life - that the bumblebee can fly and that the more forgiveness I give, the more I get.
190. Forgiveness flies away, a leaf borne by the wind, soon to be returned upon the wings of an angel.
378. Medicine heals the body, while forgiveness heals the soul.
379. Forgiveness is a mind soothing balm.
380. Repentance brings peace with God - forgiveness, peace with ones self.
381. The simplest way to avoid repentance is not to sin. All too often I forget to follow my own advice!
1305. True revival is built upon the foundation of tears.
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 ...
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 continuesWe take a look at the church most quoted as being like that of today, the one in Laodicea.
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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." ***
54. ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES...
A priest was walking down his street one day when he noticed a very small boy trying to press the doorbell on a house. The boy was very short and the doorbell was too high for him to reach.
After watching the boy's efforts for some time, the priest moved closer to the boy. He crossed the street, walked up behind the little fellow, placed his hand kind heartedly on the child's shoulder leaned over and gave the doorbell a solid ring.
Crouching down to the child's level, the priest smiled benevolently and asked, "And now what, my little man?" To which the boy replied, "Now we run!"
53. THE TRANSFER
A professor at London University, just appointed to a new post in the United States, informed his three-year-old daughter that she would soon be making her home in America.
That night, when her parents heard her prayers, the little girl started with, "Good-bye dear God, I'm going to America."
52. THE LATEST TRANSLATION
Nine year old Joey, was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school.
"Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the
bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom. But if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"
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: Who wrote the first detective novel?ANSWER: Edgar Allan Poe, best known for his tales of horror, is credited
with being the ‘father’ of the marvellous mystery genre. Auguste C.
Dupin, his super-intelligent and super-logical detective, first appeared in
the 1841 story, ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’. (But can a detective be
defective?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Why do pigs like to wallow in mud?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS376. FIFTEENTH
A fifteenth anniversary is called a ‘quindecennial’. (No wonder it’s a name you don’t hear often. What was it again?)
377. UP IN SMOKE
A perfectly clean fire produces almost no smoke. Smoke simply means that a fire is not burning properly and that particles are escaping unburned. (Maybe ‘money gone up in smoke’ could be reconstituted?)
378. IN LESS THAN A FLASH
A nanosecond is one billionth of a second. (It took 96,587,403,521 nanoseconds to write this, to be exact!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
PREDICTS
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - WATER WATER EVERYWHERE!
5) The water of this river stood in a heap:A - Jordan
B - Kidron
C - Cherith
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"""!!!!!!! God wants spiritual fruit not religious nuts.
!!!!!! Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.
!!!!! Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.
!!!! Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging.
!!! Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional.
!! There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
! A grudge is the heaviest thing to carry.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
LIFE'S A LAUGH
57. PURE ROMANCEA young man called his mother and announced excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams. Now what should he do?
His mother had an idea: "Why don't you send her flowers, and on the card invite her to your apartment for a home-cooked meal?"
He thought this was a great strategy, and a week later, the woman came to dinner. His mother called the next day to see how things had gone.
"I was totally humiliated," he moaned. "She insisted on washing the dishes."
"What's wrong with that?" asked his mother.
"We hadn't started eating yet."
58. SHOCKING!
The Smith's were proud of their family tradition. Their ancestors had come to America on the Mayflower. They had included Senators and Wall Street wizards.
They decided to compile a family history, a legacy for their children and grandchildren. They hired a fine author. Only one problem arose - how to handle that great-uncle George, who was executed in the electric chair.
The author said he could handle the story tactfully.
The book appeared. It said "Great-uncle George occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution, was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, and his death came as a great shock."
59. CINDERELLA ON THE ROOF
When my children received the video of Cinderella as a summer gift, they watched it almost nonstop for three days. Since it was warm outside, we kept the windows open.
Our neighbors were having their roof reshingled by three burly men. As I went out to get the mail one afternoon, I heard a roofer singing, "...put it together and what do you get?"
"From the other side of the house came a chorus of two more husky voices:
"Bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi bobbidi, bibbidi, bobbidi boo!"
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BIBLE TRIVIA
JERICHO...... is the oldest known town in the world. As archaeologists excavated the mound of the ancient city (about 2km northwest of the modern city) they found 5 cities built on top of one another. It appears that Joshua conquered the 4th of these.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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Canadian Media Can't Ignore the Increase of Christianity in Canada Teresa Neumann (May 28, 2009)
"The growth and power of the evangelical movement is a fascinating part of Canada's current fabric."(Canada)—Here's an interesting one for you. Reporter Larissa Liepins has written a report for Canwest News titled For a Growing Number of Canadians it's Hip to be Holy.
The title is certainly a hook to the story in which Liepins tries to explain why Evangelical Christianity is increasingly being embraced by our neighbors to the north. Her reasons for the apparent phenomena—and her observations—are clearly from a non-Christian perspective. Still, the fact remains: the movement is so pronounced in Canadian society—with evangelical Christians experience double digit growth—that a Global TV documentary narrated by Kevin Newman is airing this week about it.
"The growth and power of the evangelical movement is a fascinating part of Canada's current fabric," Newman is quoted as saying. "But the mutual mistrust between journalists and followers has prevented a judgment-free examination. With our current prime minister among those who believe in this new version of church, we need to examine the evangelical movement for what it is, not what secular Canada assumes it is."
The documentary will also reportedly follow the stories of several young Christians "including Nate, a charismatic youth pastor in Toronto who replaces hymns with hip hop, and Aaron, an atheist whose devout girlfriend hopes he will embrace her faith."
Source: Larissa Liepins - Canwest News Service
Via BCN www.breakingchristiannews.com
and via OpenHeaven.com
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF... GOD'S CALL TO HIS CHURCHWe live in a church system that has evolved over the past, nearly 2000 years. It is obvious that the church had problems of doctrine and organisation right from its formation. Many people are reluctant to admit to this, but there were difficulties between Jews and gentiles in a theological sense, as well as practical organisational problems in terms of looking after the needy widows. However, over the centuries, church structures developed and became formalised along human lines. While the Reformation saw some changes, both in theology and organisation, the old, unbiblical, structures have tended to replicate themselves within our modern denominations and groupings. The Bible warns of this.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
Today, in these end times, God is calling His church back to basics. To its relational roots rather than formal structural organisation and methods that restrict, through human intervention, the Holy Spirit from truly working in the way He would wish.
Yes, God is calling us today to return to the principles set out in the New Testament, not to create the 'perfect church', for it will still have you and I in it, but rather, one capable of absorbing the promised bountiful end-time harvest.
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WAXING LYRICAL
Do you too have days when you need to get something done, but it just doesn't happen! Then, you will understand!TOMORROW
I would like some inspiration,
But find only perspiration!
My brain is running hot,
My pen - certainly not.
Do you have those days too,
When no ideas come through?
No matter what you think or do,
You're dreams just wont come true.
It's a struggle,
Words you juggle.
This way and that,
Even kick the cat!
Not politically correct, of course,
But neither is, 'eating a horse'.
I'm so hungry I could,
Well - maybe I should.
What a good idea!
But I can't even find anything to rhyme with this 'e-a' word!!!
It's absurd!
Nothing heard!
So now it's time for bed,
To go rest my weary head.
Please ignore my uncreative pain,
For tomorrow, I can start again!
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A DAVID MUSING
The dream is now reality! The container is loaded on board the MSV Tasmania and nearly 20 tonnes (60,000 items of clothing) are on their way to Tema, one of two ports of Accra, Ghana, via 2 transfer points, at Singapore, and Antwerp in Holland.There they will be sold and the money received will be used for aid projects in Africa. How will it be spent? That is a good question.
A very successful businessman friend of my father once said that most people spend their time thinking about how they can spend money rather than working to make it! Therefore they never make it!
While the funds will be used on projects to help make people self-sufficient, the individual projects are not yet programmed.
In the meantime the container first has to arrive safely, be sorted and then sold. So there is still a lot of 'water to pass under the ship (bridge)' before the goal is finally reached. No doubt, this too, will have its challenges.
People ask how much it costs to send the container. Just on $NZ9,000, is the answer. It has been paid for out of surpluses from the operations of our stores.
Now, for the second container!
Photo is of the MSV Tasmania (and Kathy) about to be loaded with the container to go to Singapore on the first stage of its journey to Africa. It is a cold day! But we are warm inside!
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: SCRIPTED
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: 5) A - Jordan (Joshua 3:13)
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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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david@wwj.org.nz