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
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Issue No: 480 Published: 03 Jan 2011
JESUS TALKS ABOUT THE KINGDOM (Kingdom mentions in the Gospels)
The Fulfillment of the Law17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)
What on earth is Jesus talking about? We have to keep the Law! Me - I am saved by grace! The Law does not apply to me! Look here, it says so.....
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
So what is the story here, Jesus?
The first lesson is not to take a single verse or passage of Scripture in isolation.
Let's just take a simplistic illustration. I want to teach you to drive a car. I tell you to put your foot down on the accelerator in order to go to your destination. Wonderful! So simple! But if that is the only instruction I give you, you are surely going to crash the car - and soon! So I must also teach you how to use the brake. The one is of no use without the other. Then there are road rules that are to be obeyed. A Road Code that needs to be learned before you can drive the car safely.
So we have the accelerator and brake of GRACE and FAITH, but without the Road Code of the LAW, we will not be able to effectively drive the car.
The second lesson therefore, is that the LAW is a guide to help form our CHARACTER.
Without the Law we would not know, in any depth, how to live our lives for Jesus. Jesus summed up the Law.....
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
.....but the Law sets out principles of how we are to love our neighbour.
The third lesson is that the Law reveals Jesus.
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.†(John 1:47)
And.....
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?†35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.†When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. (John 12:34-6)
The problem Jesus had, was not with the Law itself, but those who taught it. For they emphasized the legalistic aspects rather than the true thrust of the Law.
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (Matthew 23:23)
Today, a primary reason we have a negative attitude towards the Law is because Jesus had such a strong opposition in and to the teachers of the Law of the day. But, as Jesus said in our kingdom passage.....
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Of course, some of the Law e.g. the sacrifices, foreshadowed Jesus, and were fulfilled by Him, so they are no longer applicable today.
12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:12-14)
Others, such as the dietary laws, were countermanded.
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.†14 “Surely not, Lord!†Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.†15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.†16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (Acts 10:9-16)
But the behavioral laws set out in the 10 Commandments, remain our 'Road Code' for living a kingdom lifestyle today. We ignore them at our peril.
19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)
What is my, what is your, kingdom inheritance to be?
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FROM THE WORD
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael"The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.†Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.†“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?†Nathanael asked. “Come and see,†said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.†“How do you know me?†Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.†Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.†Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.†He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.â€" (John 1:43-51)
Seven Woes
"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. “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. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’†(Matthew 23:1-39)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
HELPS856. The best way I have found of satisfying my own needs is to meet the needs of others more needy than me.
857. Depression focuses on self, optimism on others.
858. Consumerism is an insatiable burden, altruism an abundant blessing.
859. A godly church is focused on meeting the needs of others before its own.
860. Self is simply selfish!
861. It is truly amazing how helping someone else helps me even more than it helps them.
862. The best way to solve problems within is to look without!
863. True happiness comes through what we give rather than what we get.
864. 'Helps' help change the world.
865. Helps help helplessness.
866. Amazingly, when we focus on others our self-image sharpens.
867. To achieve happiness, change your G-force focus from 'Get' to 'Give'.
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MIRTHFUL MOMENT
A new series of cartoons to bringa 'smile on the dial'!
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF... LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFESTYLE continues.....The 'new year' is well and truly with us now, so back to two parables!
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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." ***
284. JERICHO WALLS
The new pastor of a rural church dropped into a Sunday-school class and began quizzing the students to test the effectiveness of the teacher.
"Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?" he demanded of one boy.
"It sure weren't me, Reverend," the boy said.
Turning to the embarrassed teacher, the pastor exclaimed, "I suppose that's a sample of the kind of class you maintain!"
"Now, Reverend, Timmy's a good boy and doesn't tell lies. If he said he didn't to it, I believe him."
Thoroughly upset, the pastor took the matter to the church's board of deacons. After due consideration, the board sent the following message to the minister: "We see no point in making an issue of this incident. The board will pay for the damages to the wall and charge it off to vandalism."
283. PASTORAL CANDIDATES
The following is a confidential report on several candidates being considered for a pastorate.
ADAM: Good man but problems with his wife. Also one reference told of how his wife and he enjoy walking nude in the woods.
NOAH: Former pastorate of 120 years with not even one convert. Prone to unrealistic building projects.
ABRAHAM: Though the references reported wife-swapping, the facts seem to show he never slept with another man's wife, but did offer to share his own wife with another man.
JOSEPH: A big thinker, but a braggart, believes in dream-interpreting, and has a prison record.
MOSES: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator, even stuttering at times. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.
DAVID: The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor's wife.
SOLOMON: Great preacher but our parsonage would never hold all those wives.
ELIJAH: Prone to depression. Collapses under pressure.
ELISHA: Reported to have lived with a single widow while at his former church.
HOSEA: A tender and loving pastor but our people could never handle his wife's occupation.
DEBORAH: Strong leader and seems to be anointed, but she is female.
JEREMIAH: Emotionally unstable, alarmist, negative, always lamenting things, reported to have taken a long trip to bury his underwear on the bank of a foreign river.
JONAH: Refused God's call into ministry until he was forced to obey by getting swallowed up by a great fish. He told us the fish later spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.
AMOS: Too backward and unpolished. With some seminary training he might have promise, but has a hang-up against wealthy people--might fit in better in a poor congregation.
282. LONG SERMON
A man got up to leave during a long sermon. The minister said, "Where are you going?"
The man replied, "To get a haircut."
The minister said, "You should have gotten one before you came."
The man replied, "When I came in, I didn't need one!"
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FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What and when is Universal Children's Day?ANSWER: Every day! But International Children's Day, November 20, is celebrated as the international day for children. The United Nations General Assembly recommended in 1954 that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day. The holiday is to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of children around the globe. The particular day arose as November 20 was the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989. (Adults rights don’t seem to feature.)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What do you call a group of turtles?
Answer Next Week.
127. SCURRILOUS
Captain Cook lost 41 of his 98-men crew to scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C, during his first voyage to the South Pacific in 1768. By 1795 however, the importance of eating citrus was realised, and lemon juice was issued on all British Navy ships. (The sailors were sour about this!)
128. REARRANGED
Cicadas have their hearing organs in their stomachs, at the base of the abdomen. Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees, or, more precisely, in the oval slit of their forelegs. (Crickets rubbing their knees together with a deafening noise.)
129. GETTING NEARER
Barnard's star is approaching the Sun at a speed of 87 miles/second. By the year 11,800AD, it will be our closest neighbour. (Still leaves plenty of time yet to plan a welcoming party.)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
HOISTER
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - JOSHUA
9) The manna ceased shortly after this feast:A - Pentecost
B - Passover
C - Feast of weeks
D - Feast of tabernacles
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! In a crowd the person with the loudest voice will be standing directly behind you.
!!!!!! Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance. - Kurt Vonnegut
!!!!! "Intelligent" is a term used to describe someone who agrees with you.
!!!! Things aren't like they used to be and they never were.
!!! Horse sense is what a horse has that keeps it from betting on people.
!! If you think your problems are behind you, chances you are driving a school bus.
! I'm getting so absent-minded that sometimes in the middle of a sentence I...
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
JUST JOKES
194. THE TRAINSA Texan is bragging to a Rhode Islander. "In Texas," he drawls, "you can get on a train, ride all day long, and still be in Texas by nightfall."
"Yeah", replies the Yankee, "We have slow trains in Rhode Island too."
193. THE RUNWAY
Airhead Airlines, Flight 101, is coming in for a landing, and the pilot is freaking out.
The sweat is jumping off his brow.
(Plane landing and screeching to a halt.) RRRtttt!
He turns to the co-pilot, and he says, "Man, that is the *shortest* runway I ever landed on."
The co-pilot says, "Yeah, and so *wide*."
192. THE GOOD AND THE BAD
"Today, gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news.
First, the good. Private Peters will be setting the pace on our morning run.' With this the platoon was overjoyed, as Private Peters was overweight and terribly slow.
But then the drill sergeant finished his statement: "Now for the bad news. Private Peters will be driving a truck."
191. THE REAL OIL!
There are a lot of folks that can't understand how we ran out of oil here in the USA.
Well, here's the answer: It's simple.........nobody bothered to check the oil. Didn't know we were getting low. And of course the reason for that is geographical. Most of the
oil is in Texas and Oklahoma, and all the dipsticks are in Washington, D.C.
190. NO CRAYONS
The kindergarten class had settled down to its colouring books. Willie came up to the teacher's desk and said, "Miss Francis, I ain't got no crayons."
"Willie," Miss Francis said, "you mean, "I don't have any crayons. You don't have any crayons. We don't have any crayons. They don't have any crayons. Do you see what I'm getting at?"
"Not really," Willie said, "What happened to all them crayons?"
189. IMPRESSIVE
"I play golf in the low 80's," the little old man was telling one of the young boys at the club.
"Wow," said the young man, "that's pretty impressive."
"Not really," said the little old man. "Any hotter and I'd probably have a stroke."
Just have a New Year laugh here.....
BIBLE TRIVIA (Manners and Customs - Houses)
CANDLES.......... weren't a part of Bible life! The King James version uses the word 'candle', because candles were in use at the time it was written. However, the literal translation is 'lamp' or 'light'. Candles had not yet been invented.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
Church's 'Radical Experiment' Shakes Up Alabama City
CBNnews.comBIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The city of Birmingham is in the middle of a radical experiment, spurred on by one of its churches -- the Church at Brook Hills and its pastor, Dr. David Platt.
"There's certainly nothing going on in this church that's attributed to my wisdom or my experience or competence or anything else," Platt told CBN News. "Any good thing is attributable to His Glory alone. The prayer was 'God let me make a difference for You that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.'"
Platt said God put in his heart an overflow of personal conviction - an overflow that he shared with his 4,000-member congregation and through his book, "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream."
The New York Times bestseller asks the question, "Do you believe that Jesus is worth abandoning everything for?" And from this pastor's inward look sprouted a church's outward focus on Birmingham and the world.
"Over four and a half billion people who at this moment are without Christ and are on a road that leads to a crisis eternity, and that's an urgent spiritual need on top of urgent physical need," Platt stressed.
Back to the Bible
So the Church at Brook Hills began "The Radical Experiment" by going back to the Bible.
The Book of Acts describes the early church as selling their property and possessions to give to anyone in need. One of the experiment's main challenges involves sacrifice and setting a cap on your lifestyle. Families were encouraged to limit the amount they spend on themselves.
Sacrificing for a set purpose for several people in the church has meant selling their suburban homes and moving to inner city neighborhoods in Birmingham. To them, it's a way to share the Gospel and free up resources to bless others.
"When we bought our house in the suburbs, we weren't thinking about our neighbors," church member Ben DeLoach explained.
Ben and Kylie DeLoach and Paul and Jessica Ward said God led them to move to East Lake, a Birmingham neighborhood known for crime, drugs, and poverty.
"We were not being intentional about where we lived as far as advancing the Gospel goes," DeLoach said. "When we bought this house we were, and that makes all the difference."
They're already seeing results.
"If they call, we can be five minutes away, instead of an hour away," Kylie DeLoach explained. "So, yes, we've been able to work with several families -- single mother families."
"It's fun and exciting and hard, and sometimes overwhelming, but not scary and uncertain," church member Jessica Ward said.
"There's a peace knowing that we are following God and the comfort that kind of shelter provides," her husband, Paul, explained.
Caring for Orphans, Widows
Another key inspiration for "The Radical Experiment" is the Book of James, which says, pure religion, according to God, is to care for orphans and widows. Church members have committed to taking care of every foster child in their county.
Gene and Benita Bussell adopted twin boys.
"Just like our own story and salvation -- how God takes us, gives us a new name, and gives us a hope that we wouldn't have had without Him. He's done that for Evan and Neil," said Benita Bussell, as tears of joy ran down her face.
Church members Jake and Blair Kelley have two foster children. Jake said "The Radical Experiment" is bringing about racial healing as well.
"Our children are African American, and I was raised in an all-white city in rural Alabama. And there are days. I'll go days without thinking my child is black," Jake Kelley told CBN News.
"People will give us looks sometimes at the mall, and sometimes I wonder, 'What are you looking at?,'" he continued. "But then I realize, we don't look like everyone else, and we do kind of draw a crowd."
Giving More Time
"The Radical Experiment" isn't just about reaching Birmingham. Pastor Platt also encourages his congregation to give about two percent of their time each year, or about one week, to serving in a different context.
For many, that means an overseas missions trip in places like Sudan and India.
"(It was) the first time that we had ever seen children who were dying of diarrhea," church member Spencer Sutton said. "They took us about a mile down a dirt path to a cesspool, and they said, 'This is where we get water.'"
Going radical for church member Spencer Sutton has meant starting the non-profit organization known as Neverthirst.
"God told us pretty clearly that the way that we're going to support the local church in difficult areas is through clean water," Sutton said.
"It's just really refreshing that we don't need the biggest and the best," Kelley said. "We can use our resources in a way to further the Kingdom, and that's just been amazing to see the Body of Christ come to live that out."
Keeping it in Balance
Regent University professor Dr. James Flynn said it's refreshing to see this move by the younger generation, but he cautions against imbalance.
"We could begin to emphasize the works," Flynn explained. "It could become a social gospel. It could become all about the works rather than about the Gospel itself, but God is just going to have to take these young champions and give them wisdom on how to lead and to guide the movement."
When Platt began preaching on going "radical," some members left his church. Now he says there are more people at the church than when he started. In addition, numerous churches around the world have expressed interest in starting "The Radical Experiment" with their congregations.
"My life is to be spent for the spread of this Gospel in a world of urgent spiritual and physical need," Platt said.
Via: OpenHeaven.com
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF... THE CHARACTER OF GODUnderstanding God takes more than a lifetime! Through into eternity. Even then, I suspect he may come up with a surprise or two! But this simple revelation may help you understand Him better, as it has helped me.
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WAXING LYRICAL
One Sunday, I was late starting to write PGIM, for I listened in the early morning on the radio to the New Zealand 'All Blacks' beating Ireland 22-3 in a Rugby Union international. By way of explanation, the game was played in Ireland, who were then, 11 hours behind New Zealand time.Finally, coming to write, A David Musing, I had no inspiration, so asked the Lord what to write! 'A poem!' 'No Lord, takes too long! 'Call it Tick Tock!' (God has a sense of humour!) 'Okay Lord.'
The result follows. And it didn't take too long, after all!
TICK TOCK
Hours fly by,
Oh me, oh my!
Deadlines come, deadlines go,
Need to go, with the flow.
Tick tock goes the clock.
The day dawns nice and bright,
Summer's here, heaps of light.
Enjoy the sun,
Have some fun.
Tick tock goes the clock.
Months do pass,
All too fast.
Christmas will soon be here,
Time of goodwill and cheer.
Tick tock goes the clock.
The years, they roll by,
Oh my, how they fly!
From youth, onwards to middle age,
Life proceeds, stage by stage.
Tick tock goes the clock.
A new generation takes the stage,
What's happened? 'Tis called age!
Time flies by now, even faster,
Get ready to meet thy master!
Tick tock goes the clock.
The clock stops... silence reigns.
Now is it loss, or is it gains?
Where will you be the day your time is up?
In hell, or in heaven, with Jesus to sup?
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A DAVID MUSING
It is great to be able to celebrate family, specifically the family of Joseph, Mary and their eldest sibling, Jesus, at Christmas time.We had 3/4 of our family, plus Brendan's friend Susan, here in Napier to celebrate Christmas Dinner (lunch) with my mother, who is not so well. In the afternoon we drove for 2 hours to Palmerston North to have another Christmas Dinner (evening meal) with Kathy's mother and great aunty. Susan's parents, who are visiting New Zealand from Singapore, came along too. A very pleasant evening was had by all.
It is said that you can choose your friends, but not your family! Family feuds do occur. Fortunately, not so much in our families, although we do have our moments.
Looking at our spiritual family of believers in Jesus, we too have our differences. Interestingly, the one thing that brings believers together is persecution! Suddenly our differences disappear!
One sign of the end times is greater persecution. And, of course, Jesus is returning for His one bride. Maybe the two are linked? Something to ponder on as we head into yet another year closer to the Lord's return?
Until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: SHORTIE
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: 9) B - Passover (Joshua 5:11-12)
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CHANGING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS? NEWSLETTER STOPS COMING?
Each week we can lose up to 2% of our readers when they change email addresses without letting us know. Or sometimes, by your server acting strangely and just cutting us off! If you are about to change your address, please advise us of both your old and new addresses here atenquiries@wwj.org.nz and we will happily change our records to ensure ongoing delivery. Thanks.
Please also keep our address in your address book, as sometimes servers will automatically delete your address if there is even a one off problem in delivery. If your newsletter doesn't arrive, please let us know and we will reinstate you.
LINKS
If you would like to link your web site to ours, and ours to yours, please advise us onlinks@wwj.org.nz
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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