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: 421 Published: 16 Nov 2009
MUSINGS ON THE KINGDOM - PAST, FUTURE AND PRESENT
KINGDOM PRESENTLast week we established that the kingdom is a spiritual condition within each believer.
It is important to understand that the meaning of 'believer' in English is not what was understood in Jewish culture at the time of Jesus. We separate thoughts from actions. Jewish culture did not do this. The word 'disciple', while not precisely the same, provides a better general understanding of the Jewish concept of what it means to be a believer. Our thoughts and words need to be backed up by actions, by how we live our life.
If then, the kingdom is within, surely it is logical that the kingdom must already be on earth as well as in heaven? The kingdom has come.
In the past we have been taught that we need to put up with living on the earth, in satan's domain, until we die or are 'zapped up' into the heavenly kingdom where we will live happily ever after, forevermore!
But how can that be right if the kingdom is within?
If indeed, the kingdom is within us, then surely we are to become the kingdom in the world.
I want you to stop and think about this, for it brings about a profound change in understanding our walk with Jesus.
Now we can start to truly comprehend, the first and primary petition of the Lord's prayer. After glorifying Jesus we petition;
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
Confirming our discussion above, we have previously understood this to be looking forward to the return of Jesus. But if indeed the 'kingdom is within', as Jesus said, this must have a present meaning too.
For you and I, as disciples of Jesus, are part of the kingdom now. In the Lord's Prayer then, we are praying about a present kingdom, about His will being done on earth today.
We are only just starting to touch on the implications of this profound truth. Today's is a short message, but I wish to stop here to give you time to think, contemplate, and pray, before going on further.
May the Holy Spirit (not David!) reveal His truth for you.
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
Prayer"“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: â€â€˜Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:5-15)
The Coming of the Kingdom of God
"Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.†Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.†“Where, Lord?†they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.â€" (Luke 17:20-37)
"Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?†Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.†The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?†But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken." (John 2:18-22)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
RELIGION, REVELATION AND GOD'S KINGDOM1071. Religion is revelation become tradition.
1072. Tradition is religion's friend, but the deadly enemy of revelation.
1073. Tradition moulds revelation into religion.
1074. Revelation revs 'Revs'!
1075. While knowledge is gained at a theological seminary, revelation comes from the father heart of God.
1215. The understanding that God's kingdom is available now is the greatest motivator of all for keen Christians.
1216. There's no need to wait. Seek God's kingdom now!
1308. Religion is based upon dependence, the kingdom, interdependence.
1309. Religion looks inwards, the kingdom, upwards and outwards.
1310. The kingdom is not centered round teaching and preaching, but rather, living out teaching and preaching.
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CRANWELL'S CARTOON
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What
should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?†12 “Pick me
up and throw me into the sea,†he replied, “and it will become calm.
I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.â€
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they
could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they
cried to the LORD, “O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this
man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man,
for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.†15 Then they took Jonah
and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the
men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD
and made vows to him. 17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow
Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said:
“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the
depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and
the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over
me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look
again toward your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the
roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in
forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer
rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless
idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of
thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD.†10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and
it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (Jonah 1:11-2:10)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: RELATIONSHIP V THEOLOGY - THE POWER OF THE CALLIs ministry a profession or a calling?
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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." ***
121. VISITING CHURCH - AGAIN!
A one-dollar note met a twenty-dollar note and said, "Hey, where have you been? I haven't seen you around here much."
The twenty answered, "I've been hanging out at the casinos, went on a cruise and did the rounds on the ship, back to the United States for a while, went to a couple of baseball games, to the mall, that kind of stuff. How about you?"
The one dollar note said, "You know, same old stuff - church, church, church."
120. PERFECTION
An evangelist had a great revival camp going. One night he was up in front of a large audience, speaking on imperfection. He asked his audience towards the end, "Has anyone ever known anyone who has come CLOSE to the perfection of our lord, Jesus Christ?" Nobody, of course raised their hand. So he issued the question again. "Anybody! Has ANYONE ever known that kind of perfection?"
Finally a guy in the back raised his hand, so of course he was asked to stand up. "Tell us. Tell us who you knew who was so close to perfection."
The man responded, "My wife's first husband."
119. DOT COM PRAYERS
When my brother said, "Amen" after grace one night, one of his children asked what "amen" meant. Before he or his wife could answer, their five-year-old responded, "It means "send."
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: How far can a kangaroo jump?ANSWER: A large kangaroo can clear more than thirty feet (9m) in one
jump. (Gets there quickly ‘in leaps and bounds’.)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What was the first toy ever advertised on
television?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS304. REAL DEEP
The North Atlantic Deep Water Current is an oceanic ‘river’ that carries twenty times more water than all the rivers of the world put together. (Underneath, unseen, unsung, but unsurpassed.)
305. A KING HIT
The venom of the King Cobra is so deadly that one gram of it can kill 150 people. Just to handle the substance can put one in a coma. (Natures biological warfare.)
306. AN OPEN SECRET
In her 1990 autobiography, talk show host Sally Jessy Raphaël said this about the entertainment field: "I secretly believe that there are more villains than good guys in this business." (So even talk show hosts can work out what we all know – eventually!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
ENDOW
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - PROVERBS
9) Pride goes before destruction:A - and a hundred blows to the back of a fool.
B - and a fool's mouth is his ruin.
C - a haughty spirit before a fall.
D - but humility goes before honor.
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...
!!!!!! Some marriages are made in heaven, but they ALL have to be maintained on earth.
!!!!! Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in 5 or 6 days, then perhaps giving "advice" to God, isn't such a good idea!
!!!! Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up...
!!! Words are windows to the heart.
!! The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground.
! Too many people offer God prayers, with claw marks all over them.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
JUST JOKES
298. FOREIGN LANGUAGETwo friends lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were sick of winter, so they went to a travel agent and booked a trip to Australia.
When the two friends got off the plane - still dressed for Canadian winter weather - they wandered into a pub and sat down. The locals wondered about these strangers, so one of the Aussies walked over to the visitors and said, "G'day, mates. Where're you from?"
"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan," one of the Canadians replied.
"Ahhhh," said the Aussie, returning to his table.
"So where are they from?" the other locals asked.
"Don't know, mate," replied the Aussie. "They don't speak English."
297. GETTING READY
During the Super Bowl, there was another football game of note between the big animals and the small animals. The big animals were crushing small animals and at half-time, the coach made a passionate speech to rally the little animals.
At the start of the second half the big animals had the ball. The first play, the elephant got stopped for no gain. The second play, the rhino was stopped for
no gain. On third down, the hippo was thrown for a 5 yard loss.
The defense huddled around the coach and he asked excitedly, "Who stopped the elephant?"
"I did," said the centipede.
"Who stopped the rhino?"
"Uh, that was me too," said the centipede.
"And how about the hippo? Who hit him for a 5 yard loss?"
"Well, that was me as well," said the centipede.
"So where were you during the first half?" demanded the coach.
"Well," said the centipede, "I was having my ankles taped."
296. THE VISITOR
A Swiss guy visited Sydney, Australia, and pulled up at a bus stop where two locals were waiting.
"Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?" he asked. The two Aussies just stared at him.
"Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?" he tried. The two continued to stare.
"Parlare Italiano?" Other than a glance at each other, there was still no response.
"Hablan ustedes Espanol?" Still nothing.
The Swiss guy gave up and drove off, extremely disgusted. When he was gone, the first Aussie turned to the second and said, "Y'know, maybe we should learn a foreign language."
"Why?" the other replied. "That guy knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good."
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BIBLE TRIVIA (Weights and Measures)
WEIGHTSWeights in the Bible followed their own system of measure. In ascending order from the smallest pim, beka or gerah to the larger shekel, mina and talent(The parable of...). For the smaller weights, balances were used to get an accurate measure.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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Laying on of Hands at Shekinah Glory meeting in Paris - The Rise of Evangelicals Challenges Secularism in France
by Lizzie Davies, The London GuardianPARIS, FRANCE - As the piano strikes up, the congregation sways, palms to the ceiling, fists in the air, murmurs of hallelujah punctuating the music. Pastor Franck Lefillatre, besuited and bathed in the spotlight on his podium, intones into a microphone.
"Let out the words that are in your heart," he urges. His whispers crescendo to booming rhetoric. Behind him, emblazoned in gold lettering, are the words: "Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today, eternally."
As evangelical services go, this gathering on a rainy Sunday afternoon is nothing unusual. In countless churches around the United States and many other countries it would be a staple means of Christian worship.
But this is not the American Bible belt. It is the Church of Paris-Bastille, and this congregation is just one of a growing number of evangelical communities spreading through France and prospering in spite of its staunchly secular – and Catholic – traditions.
via OpenHeaven.com
Edited by News Editor
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
THE POWER OF THREEA brief look at the amazing way both God and HIS Church are patterned in three’s. An insight to the past present and future.
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WAXING LYRICAL
Normally writing verse takes longer than writing prose. But not this time!IN A HURRY!
Time is short,
Too much sport!
Bad attitude,
No gratitude!
Put Jesus first,
Develop thirst!
Do come aboard,
Jesus is Lord!
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A DAVID MUSING
This week I had to confront the manager of one of our Seekers stores about a particular behaviour. She resigned.Facing up to difficult situations is never easy. As believers, we can make the instruction of Jesus to 'turn the other cheek' as an excuse not to confront issues we face in life.
38 “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. (Matthew 5:38-9)
I believe that these verses refer to a heart attitude of seeking revenge for a wrong that is done to you. It does not mean that we are to let another's actions continue to have such an effect upon us that it will destroy us through inaction.
In my case, for example, our branch would have ended up having no customers or staff and a large ongoing rent bill, had I not taken action now. There was no malice or element of revenge on my part. I bear no grudge to my former employee. But the situation had to be dealt with.
Perhaps you have some situation in your life that you have not been prepared to confront. We all do! Today, being the first day of the rest of our life, is a good time to do something about it! Do you not think?
As I was, you will likely be very pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
Until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: OWNED
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: C - a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
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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