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: 412 Published: 14 Sep 2009
SERMON ON THE MOUNT - THE KINGDOM WAY
The Wise and Foolish Builders24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.†(Matthew 7:24-7)
EXPOSITION: The hearers of Christ’s word are here divided into two sorts; some that hear, and do what they hear; others that hear and do not. Christ preached now to a mixed multitude, and he thus separates them, one from the other, as he will at the great day, when all nations shall be gathered before him. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.
TESTIMONY: Jesus uses this graphic illustration as the conclusion of His great sermon, to define the difference in eternal destiny between 'hearers' and 'doers' of His Word.
We live in an area that is prone to earthquakes. In a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in 1931, here in Napier, 236 people were killed including one of my aunties, aged 6 at the time.
A few weeks ago we took a lease on a building in our sister city of Hastings, also affected by the earthquake of 1931, in order to open a new Seekers clothing shop. The local Council required the landlord to spend over $300,000 on strengthening the building before allowing a change of use from storage to retail. The deal fell through.
Our prospective landlord would have loved to have us there, but he wasn't prepared to 'pay the price' necessary for our occupation.
How much that is like us! We love the idea of having Jesus in our life but we are not prepared to pay the price of changing our habits, our traditional way of doing things, be they good or bad. Strange as it may seem, many times we are happy being unhappy, as we are comfortable in it. For change is never comfortable!
The problem with foundations is that while they take much effort to build, in the final analysis, they are hidden from view! Yet, as Jesus illustrated, without the foundations of trials and testings, of submission and obedience to the Father, of developing the character of Jesus in our lives, living well, going to church and doing good deeds of the publicly seen walls and roof of the house of our life, will be futile. A showy waste of time when it comes to the storms of persecution, and to Judgment Day.
My life is not perfect! These words apply to me as much as to you. The Lord has changed, even transformed me, over the years of my Christian life, but there are still areas remaining to be dealt with. Some I know about, others that He has not yet revealed to me. While I have considerable natural determination and willpower, I have discovered that there are very few changes that I have been able to make in my own strength. Particularly as one matures in Jesus, foundational aspects of our character are exposed and change required. For example, while it may be relatively easy to stop the negative behaviour of stealing, it is be a lot more difficult to develop a positive, generous, giving personality. Such things take time.
I am slowly learning to stop trying to 'do it myself', but to go to the Holy Spirit with an open heart, mind and will, and give Him permission to change me. It does work, in His timing.
As Jesus himself said, prior to His death;
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13)
May we submit to our Lord, allowing Him to build solid foundation in our life that will withstand the storms and carry us through to eternal life with Him.
(To be concluded next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
The Work of the Holy Spirit"“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.â€" (John 16:5-16)
Peter’s Confession of Christ
"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?†They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.†“But what about you?†he asked. “Who do you say I am?†Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.†Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.†Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ." (Matthew 16:13-20)
"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
GODLINESS1251. Godliness is like climbing to the top of the mountain. It takes effort, it can be chilly, there is little company, but the views from the summit are heavenly!
1252. Godliness is going 'down' in self in order to go 'up' in God.
1253. Godliness is available to us all, but only obtained by the few prepared to pay the life price.
1254. To the foolish, life in Christ is a security blanket, to the wise, a lifestyle, but to the godly, their very reason for being.
1255. The foolish try to change themselves, the wise allow God to change them, while the godly submit their very being to the Lord and His will for them.
1256. God redeems the foolish, loves the wise, but truly seeks the godly.
1257. We are happy to seek everything from God, but loath to give Him back everything of us, in return!
1258. We need to empty the house of our life, in order to make room for His replacement furniture.
1259. The simple choice of godliness - will 'I' or will 'I not' give God 'my will'!
1260. Godliness grows as me goes!
1261. Godliness is discovered in truly entering into God's rest.
1262 - 1271.
Godliness is...
....... putting God's heart in place of mine.
....... placing other's needs before my own.
....... keeping short accounts with God and others.
....... blessing God before myself.
....... giving myself to God because I truly love Him, without expecting a return.
....... absorbing the ridicule of others without reacting negatively.
....... being sold out to God's will for my life.
....... truly entering God's rest.
....... being prepared to die for my Lord.
....... Christ likeness.
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
7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. (Jonah 4:7)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF KINGDOM PEOPLEWe commence the final part of our study on the Transformation of the Church, by looking at the characteristics of kingdom people.
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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." ***
95. WHOSE LAW?
A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES." When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note. "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't
give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION."
94. WHICH ARE YOU?
"Somebody has well said that there are only two kinds of people in the world - there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and, there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."
93. IN THE 'NICK OF TIME'
A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him in front of the service station. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. "Reverend," said the young man, "sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip." The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my business."
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: Are there really such things as elephantgraveyards?
ANSWER: Elephants do not really have 'graveyards,' but field workers
and other people occasionally encounter several unexplained elephant
skeletons in one location. Once, people believed these places were
elephant graveyards. These people speculated that elephants could
sense when they were going to die and took themselves to graveyards
just before their deaths.
Another, more probable explanation sees the ‘graveyards’ as a result of
the elephant's teeth. Elephants wear out their molars from eating coarse
vegetation. And, after an elephant has worn out six sets of molars, no
more molars grow in to replace the old ones. As the last set of molars
wears down to nubs, old elephants frequently retreat to swamps to fend
off starvation by eating soft water plants. Eventually, these animals do
die, though, often while they are in the water. Their bodies sink below the
water and remain there for years. Later, if the swamp dries out, the bones
of several old elephants may be found in the newly exposed land. (Death
comes to all – turtles, elephants and us!)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What infamous Countess was a mass murderer?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS331. BUILT BIGGER
London's Millennium Dome, the largest of its kind in the world, was over one kilometre (.6 mile) in circumference and covers over 80,000 square meters. (Evoking memories of the days of British ‘dome-inion’ over the earth)
332. WELL TRAVELLED
A drop of water may travel thousands of miles between the time it evaporates into the atmosphere and again falls to the Earth as rain, sleet, or snow. (When does a drop become a drip?)
333. A COLD MORNING
A ‘pogonip’ is a heavy winter fog containing ice crystals. (More than a bit nippy!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
STRANGE
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 - WATER WATER EVERYWHERE!
20) The fish which swallowed Jonah was in this sea:A - Salt Sea
B - Black Sea
C - Mediterranean Sea
D - Sea of Galilee
Source: www.biblequizzes.com
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! If you wish to dwell in the house of many mansions, you must make your reservation in advance.
!!!!!! It seems like every time history repeats itself, the price doubles.
!!!!! Children are natural mimics; they act like their parents in spite of every effort to teach them good manners.
!!!! It is when we forget ourselves that we do things that are most likely to be remembered.
!!! If we find life on other planets, what would happen to the Miss Universe pageant?
!!If you put your nose to the grindstone, you'll get a flat face.
! If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
GREAT GROANS!
79. THE PUNISHMENTA sailor was caught AWOL as he tried to sneak on board his ship at about 3 am.
The chief petty officer spied him and ordered the sailor to stop. Upon hearing the sailor's lame explanation for his tardiness, the officer ordered the sailor, "Take this broom and sweep every link on this anchor chain by morning or it's the brig for you!"
The sailor began to pick up the broom and commence performing his charge. As he began to sweep, a tern landed on the broom handle. The sailor yelled at the bird to leave, but it didn't. The lad picked the tern off the broom handle, giving the bird a toss. The bird left, only to return and light once again on the broom handle. The sailor went through the same routine all over again, with the same result. He couldn't get any cleaning done because he can only sweep at the chain once or twice before the blasted bird returns.
When morning came, so did the chief petty officer, to check up on his wayward sailor.
"What in the heck have you been doing all night? This chain is no cleaner than when you started! What have you to say for yourself, sailor?" barked the chief.
"Honest, chief," came the reply, "I tossed a tern all night and couldn't sweep a link!"
80. THE SOUP
Checking the menu, a restaurant customer ordered a bowl of vegetable soup. After a couple of spoonfuls, he saw a circle of wetness right under the bowl on the tablecloth.
He called the waitress over and said,
"It's all wet down here. The bowl must be cracked."
The waitress said, "You ordered vegetable soup, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Maybe it has a leek in it!"
81. THE FLY AND THE COW
A farmer was milking a cow and a fly was flying around. He shushed it away with his hand and it flew in the cow's ear.
He kept milking and the fly came out in the milk bucket.
The farmer thought to himself, "In one ear and out the udder".
More groaners here.......
BIBLE TRIVIA (Relationship Between the Shepherd and the Sheep)
THE LAW OF MOSES SPEAKS OF TITHING......... of giving 10% from the flock. (Leviticus 27:32) To do this, Jewish writers explain that the shepherd called his animals to him. As they passed under his rod through a narrow entrance, he would mark every 10th one with his rod, which he had dipped in dye.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
Lots more 'God Facts' are found at...
Former Body-Shop Worker Opens Prayer Stand, Sees Healings
by Lindsey Collom, The Arizona RepublicSAN TAN VALLEY, AZ - Hand-painted fiberboards welcome motorists to Matthew Cordell's roadside stop with this message: "Prayer Stand, Drive Thru Open."
People stop by to make a variety of prayer requests, from the healing of ailments to the safety of children going to college for the first time.
One woman pulled in on her way to Urgent Care for chest pains. He said the pains subsided with prayer, and she went home instead. In another instance, Cordell said a man with a severe brain injury began improving following his intercession.
via OpenHeaven.com
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF... SERVANTHOOD & LEADERSHIPA timely reminder of what our calling as 'Jesus Followers' and particularly as leaders is really all about. Essential reading, especially for anyone involved, or wanting to become involved, in Christian leadership. You might well change your mind!
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WAXING LYRICAL
Faith is an issue for all of us. As humans, doubt is a greater part of our nature than we would like it to be! But why?FAITH
I wonder why, when 'faith' is an issue,
So often then, we reach for a tissue,
To mop up the tears of doubt you see,
That assail us now, both you and me.
For on the one hand, we trust God with our all,
On the other, human doubt, our faith does stall!
"Will He or wont He?" we are wont to think,
Our faith, once so strong, begins to sink.
"You've always proved faithful to me, my Lord,"
While former blessings, I wish I could hoard!
Each new level requiring greater trust in Him,
Memories of past successes faded, now so dim.
If today's faith was the same as in the past,
Our belief in Him, just simply wouldn't last.
It would just be our own strength that had won,
Not that of our Lord, Jesus Christ the Son.
Now, today's challenge is to break new ground,
Then our faith in Him, it will be truly found.
Oh Lord, please help me in my unbelief!
You've come through again - what a relief!
Put simply, it's the way God's faith works,
Though to our human spirit, it still irks!
So if now, we are to mature and grow,
Trusting Him's, the only way to go!
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A DAVID MUSING
We have finally got our container off the wharf in Accra, Ghana, and have now waited for our turn to have the clothes in it sorted ready for sale.There must be a lot of good cheese and wine in Africa, as everything takes time! (We have a cheese TV ad in New Zealand about the time it takes to make a good cheese. Of course, good, old wine, is Biblical!)
This week we look forward to seeing the results of our labours of the past 2 1/2 years come to fruition. Well, at the very least, another step on the way. For our ultimate aim is to generate funds to 'help people help themselves.'
My special thanks to my friend Collins Nwaya who has travelled to Ghana from Nigeria to oversee the operation. His frustrations have surely been greater than mine! Yet he has been a rock of patience. Thank you mate!
This week!
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: SARGENT
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: 19) B - Jabbok (Gen 32: 22-24)
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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