MUSINGS ON THE KINGDOM - PAST, FUTURE AND PRESENT

KINGDOM PRESENT

As we enter a new year, a new decade, it seems appropriate that we major in on the foundation of the kingdom, past, future and present, and that is SACRIFICIAL LOVE. Love that costs! Love that often hurts! Love that puts others before ones self!

While women can grasp this concept most easily, for it can be related to the maternal instinct found in the bearing and bringing up of a family. Mums sacrifice much for their kids. When we misbehave our Mum still loves and cares for us. We take it for granted. We may well abuse her love, but she still loves us!

Being a man though, I can't really understand this in a truly personal way. For it is not inbuilt into a man's psyche as it is in a woman. That is simply reality.

So how can I, as a man, understand what God requires of me? I have battled with this over the years. I know all about the theory of 'agape love' but it hasn't necessarily implanted itself within me! How can I truly understand and apply these principles to my life?

For me, the answer has come through the concept of servanthood. Men can somewhat understand what it means to be a servant, even if we don't want to become one! Throughout most of my working life I have been a boss, not a worker (although I work harder than most 'workers'!) in the classic definition of the word. However I can understand the job, the role of a servant as it applies in the world. And gradually, the Holy Spirit has been ingrafting some of these behaviours into me. It is a long and ongoing process, I can assure you! But it is one I can understand! Jesus was the ultimate servant, sacrificing His life for yours and mine. As Isaiah prophesied hundreds of years beforehand!

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. (Isaiah 52:13-15)

And we are to follow His example.

26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-8)

May the Lord help us both to receive the full revelation, understanding and application of the practical love of servanthood so that His kingdom may be built upon the earth - now.

(Continued next week)

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FROM THE WORD

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness - so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12)

A Mother’s Request

"Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”" (Matthew 20:20-28)

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DAVID'S DOODLINGS

SERVANTHOOOD

561. It is better to be ‘led’ by God than ’bled’ by life.

562. In God, to obey is the better way.

563. Our Christian walk in a ‘t’ – from rust to trust!

564. To serve is to…
… love the unlovely
… help the helpless
… befriend the lonely
… rebuild the brokenhearted
… soothe the sick
… bless the poor
… raise up the downtrodden
… seek the lost
… comfort the dying

565. True servants add their own desires to the end of the queue.

566. Pride demolishes, while servanthood builds.

567. Leaders of character understand the twin character difference between serve and slave.

568. To serve is God initiated, to slave, human imposed.

569. A servant serves by choice, a slave through fear.

570. For down to be up, up must first be down.

571. A ‘servant leader’ is beyond the world’s comprehension. And many Christians too!

572. To serve is a privilege, to abuse the server, a sacrilege.

573. Show me a true servant and I will show you one whom God truly loves.

574. To abuse God’s servant is to abuse God himself.

575. Maturity in God is learning that service is a privilege, not a burden.

576. The firepower of God’s Army is ‘service’.

577. Service is the invincible secret weapon of God’s Army.

578. ‘Service with a smile’ means to ‘go the extra mile.’

579. The world works by taking away, God by giving away.

580. To go down to go up is logical. Ask a bouncy ball!

581. To serve is a blessing, to lead a challenge. To be a servant leader, a challenging blessing!

582. A theologian thinks, a worshiper feels, a servant acts.

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CRANWELL'S CARTOON

"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 2:1-10)





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TUESDAY TEACHINGS

THIS WEEK: SERMON ON THE MOUNT - THE KINGDOM WAY continues.....

.......with a look at the (surprising ?!) blessing given to those who mourn.

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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." ***

139. VALUE FOR MONEY
After church one Sunday morning, a mother commented, "The choir was awful this morning."
The father commented, "The sermon was too long." Their 7-year-old daughter added, "You've got to admit it was a pretty good show for a dollar."

138. CHURCH-LITE
Does it seem to you that churches these days just expect too much from their people? Well before you remember that Jesus told us to pick up our cross and follow Him daily, read the following announcement, then repent!

Has the heaviness of you old fashioned church got you weighted down? Try us! We are the New and Improved Lite Church of the Valley. Studies have shown we have 24% fewer commitments than other churches. We guarantee to trim off guilt, because we are Low-Cal... low Calvin, that is. We are the home of the 7.5% tithe. We promise 35 minute worship services, with 7 minute sermons. Next Sunday's exciting text is the story of the Feeding of the 500.

We have only 6 Commandments-- Your choice!! We use just 3 gospels in our contemporary New Testament *Good Sound Bites for Modern Human Beings*. We take the offering every other week, all major credit cards accepted, of course. We are looking forward with great anticipation to our 800 year Millennium.

Yes, the New and Improved Lite Church of the Valley could be just what you are looking for. We are everything you want in a church... and less!!

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What percentage of a watermelon is water?

ANSWER: A watermelon is 92 percent water. Strawberries are
approximately 99% water! (Both mouth-watering treats!)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Who invented Khaki military uniforms?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

283. PONTIIUS PILATE
After sentencing Jesus to be crucified, 6 years later Pilate ended up killing himself. In 36 AD after Caligula ordered him to come to Rome to explain his actions in the massacre of some Samaritans. It is unclear whether Caligula ordered the suicide or Pilate simply feared harsh punishment. (Or godly conviction over his greatest error!)

284. A LOUSY SELECTION
During the middle ages, mayors in Hurdenburg in Sweden were elected by having the candidates bend forward, resting their beards on a table. A single louse would be placed in the centre and the lucky man whose beard the insightful louse crawled into would be the next mayor. (Have we had lousy politicians ever since?)

285. PARROTING
Parrots, most famous of all talking birds, rarely acquire a vocabulary of more than twenty words. However, Tymhoney Greys and African Greys have been known to carry vocabularies in excess of 100 words. (Am lost for words!)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

DIRECT

Answer at the end of A David Musing

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BIBLE QUESTION - PROVERBS

16) According to proverbs, what makes many friends?

A - wisdom
B - wealth
C - knowledge
D - the mouth

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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""

!!!!!!! It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.

!!!!!! If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

!!!!! If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

!!!! The things that come to those who wait are what's left behind by those who got there first.

!!! Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

!! Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.

! If at first you don't succeed, sky diving is not for you.

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GREAT GROANERS

164. ARM ROBBERY
With the weather sunny and warm, the driver was cruising down the interstate highway when a huge truck crashed into the side of his car, severing the arm at the shoulder. Two young teenagers, observing the accident volunteered to rush the severed arm to the local hospital for considered restructuring to the driver's shoulder.

Several hours later, with the driver at the hospital and no sign of the young teenagers or the man's arm, the police put out an APB for the teenage drivers saying, "This is the worse case of arm robbery in police history." --Lawrence Brotherton

165. HISTORY CLASS
The history class was studying the Revolutionary battle of Saratoga which was probably lost because General William Howe chose to remain in Philadelphia. The teacher then asked the class to explain this major British defeat.

"Lack of no Howe," answered a voice from the back of the classroom.

166. PROVES WISDOM
A Chinese scholar was lecturing when all the lights in the auditorium went out. He asked members of the audience to raise their hands. As soon as they had all complied, the lights went on again.

He then said, "Prove wisdom of Old Chinese saying: 'Many hands make light work.' "

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BIBLE TRIVIA (Old Testament Family Life)

ANCIENT HEBREW WOMEN DID NOT HAVE UNRESTRAINED FREEDOM.....

.....but they did have power and influence in the family. A woman had great influence for good or evil over her husband, and in most cases he showed her considerable respect. Sarah was treated like a queen by Abraham, and in household matters, she ruled in many ways.

Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys

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Christians in Vietnam Hold another Historic Celebration

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

HANOI, VIETNAM (ANS) -- Compass Direct News has reported that for the second time in 10 days, Protestant history was made in Vietnam yesterday (Sunday, December 20, 2009) when 12,000 people gathered for a Christmas rally in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

The event, which took place in the large square in front of the entrance to My Dinh National Stadium in the heart of Hanoi, was said to be 10 times larger than any prior Protestant gathering in history in northern Vietnam.

On December 11, 2009 in southern Vietnam, an estimated 40,000 people attended a Christmas celebration in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon.

Compass Direct News stated that local sources had said that long-requested written permission for the event, entitled “Praise Jesus Together,” never came in spite of several reminders. But four days before the event was to take place, Hanoi authorities and police told organizers " in words as close as they would get to granting permission " that they would “not interfere.”

Said one long-time Compass source, “One can hardly overestimate the importance of such an event in the lives of northern house church Christians. For many, this will have been the first time to join in a large crowd with other Christians, to feel the growing power of their movement, to hear, see and participate in the high quality, and deeply spiritual mass worship.”

Source: (ANS) www.assistnews.net

Via Openheaven.com

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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD

TODAY’S TRULY TRIVIAL TRIFFLING TITBITS...

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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

Here in New Zealand we have 2 public holidays at Christmas and another 2 at New Year. Unlike many of you, Christmas here is in Summer, so we tend to take our annual holidays at this time.

It always used to be the joke that New Zealand closed down for a fortnight over this period. But it is not quite as extreme now as it used to be. Churches though, seem to close down their programmes for a good month while we all spend time at the beach and cooking BBQ's!

I wonder if God takes a holiday? We do take 'holidays' from Him, don't we, but He is always there for us!

Thank you God for being You - and not being like me! You are so faithful and welcome me back, even when I go astray. Thank you Lord.

Have a good holiday!

Until next week.......

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: CREDIT

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: 16) B - wealth (Proverbs 19:4)

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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 website
wwj.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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