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TO THOSE IN MINISTRY
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Issue No: 544 Published: 26 Mar 2012
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW? continues
We are looking at the differences between the Jewish (Eastern) and Greek (Western) ways of thinking, so that we can better understand the ways and teachings of Jesus. (See the last 10 weeks issues of PGIM!)BORN AGAIN
3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.†(John 3:3)
Greek (Western) Greek thinkers consider the so-called 'Sinners Prayer' as the requirement for non-believers to be 'born again'. Salvation is related primarily to a decision of the mind, requiring minimal evidence of changed behaviour.
This position is justified primarily through Galatians 5:1.....
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Unfortunately the verses later in the same passage are ignored.....
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.†15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:13-15)
Eastern (Hebrew) Hebrew thinks understand being 'born again' as a complete lifestyle change. This involves a full commitment of mind, emotions and will, which will be reflected in behavioral change and obedience to God's will.
Words have different meanings, or nuances of meanings in different cultures. Nicodemus, who asked the original question of Jesus as to the requirement for salvation, made the same mistake we do, in relating being born again to a physical experience.
4 “How can a man be born when he is old?†Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!†(John 3:4)
However, the word 'born' in the Hebrew of the time of Jesus was 'yalad', meaning 'bring forth'. So Jesus was not talking about a physical birthing experience, but rather, 'bringing forth a choice of action' by the hearer. The results of the two alternative behavioral decisions are clearly set out in John 3:16-21, It is particularly clear in the Amplified Version.
Firstly, making the behavioral decision to follow Jesus.....
16For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([d]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. 18He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation--he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.] (John 3:16-18 AMP)
Or the alternative, not to change our lifestyle.....
19The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. 20For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved. (John 3:19-20 AMP)
And the result for the true follower of Christ.....
21But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him]. (John 3:21 AMP)
This change in lifestyle is also proclaimed by Paul in Romans. It is through holiness that eternal life is obtained.....
22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22-3)
The 'gift of God' most often refers to the Holy Spirit, and it is through Him that our life is to be transformed. The Bible confirms, in the final chapter of Revelation, the free gift of salvation, resulting in the life changing work of the Holy Spirit, leads to holiness, and the inheritance of eternal life. The words of Jesus, followed by the Spirit and the bride, through John, say.....
12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.†17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!†And let him who hears say, “Come!†Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of (eternal) life." (Revelation 22:12-16)
SUMMARY
The church today views salvation as a decision of the mind, but Jesus taught the necessity of a total life transformation.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. The church must move from the 'easy Christianity' teaching of the sufficiency of the (unbiblical) 'sinners prayer' to a call for true repentance, resulting in a changed life.
2. Discipleship, to help the new believer deal with the huge upheaval of leaving the old for the transformed new life in Jesus, must truly become a prime role of the church.
3. To witness effectively to Jews and Muslims, our actions and lives must reflect the words we speak.
3. Finally, from a father of the faith..... “Christ will be master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. If your life is unholy, then your heart is unchanged, and you are an unsaved person. The Savior will sanctify His people, renew them, give them a hatred of sin, and a love of holiness. The grace that does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people, not IN their sins, but FROM their sins. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.†C.H. Spurgeon
(To be continued next week.)
Acknowledgements: http://www.followtherabbi.com and http://hethathasanear.com
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FROM THE WORD
"NOW THERE was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (a leader, an authority) among the Jews, Who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles--and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born? Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [[a]even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above). The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered by asking, How can all this be possible? Jesus replied, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet do not know nor understand these things? [Are they strange to you?] I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, We speak only of what we know [we know absolutely what we are talking about]; we have actually seen what we are testifying to [we were eyewitnesses of it]. And still you do not receive our testimony [you reject and refuse our evidence--that of Myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit]. If I have told you of things that happen right here on the earth and yet none of you believes Me, how can you believe (trust Me, adhere to Me, rely on Me) if I tell you of heavenly things? And yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, but there is One Who has come down from heaven--the Son of Man [Himself], [b]Who is (dwells, has His home) in heaven. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may [c]not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever! For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([d]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation--he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.] The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved. But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him]." (John 3:1-21 Amplified Version)Freedom in Christ
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.†I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.†If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." (Galatians 5:1-15)
Jesus Is Coming
"“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.†I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!†Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.†“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.†The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!†And let him who hears say, “Come!†Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.†Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen." (Revelation 22:1-21)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
TALKING AND WALKING1317. In Jesus, many talk the walk, but few walk the talk.
1318. Religionists talk, disciples walk.
1319. Religionists talk of past glories, disciples walk into present glory.
1320. By definition, 'following' Jesus requires walking, not talking.
1321. If we talk, but not walk with Jesus, we will soon be 'left behind'!
1322. We must walk into God's rest.
1323. In God, talk is cheap, walking expensive, for it costs our life.
1324. Talking changes minds, but walking, hearts.
1325. To talk about Jesus is good, to walk in His ways, godly.
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 ...
CRANWELLS CARTOONS
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 â€â€˜In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Acts 2:14-21)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF……. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWERThe Call of the Kingdom
A 3 part study that will challenge some more precepts about your walk with Jesus. We will see the people and the church God is seeking in these end times.
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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." ***
468. HEALTHY COMMUNION
Being a new pastor to an ageing congregation, I told them I would be serving them prune juice in Holy Communion. When asked why I would dare entertain such a thought, I said, "If the Holy Spirit won't move you - the prune juice will!"
467. MATURE PASTORAL WISDOM
The Old Preacher was out fishing one afternoon when he heard a noise beside him. He looked down and saw a frog sitting next to him. The frog said, "Buddy, I've had a spell cast on me. If you'll kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess and I'll make you happy for the rest of your life."
The Old Preacher smiled, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. A little later, he looked into his pocket to see how the frog was doing. The frog said to him again, this time with exasperation, "Buddy, I've had a spell cast on me. If you'll kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess and I'll make you happy for the rest of your life."
The Old Preacher just smiled and kept on fishing. A little later he checked on the frog again. This time it said, "What's wrong with you, fella. I said I've been bewitched. Just kiss me and I'll turn back into a beautiful princess and make you the happiest man on earth for the rest of your life."
The Old Preacher just smiled and said, "Frog, I hate to tell you this, but at my age, I'd rather have a talking frog than a beautiful princess!"
466. VOICE FROM ABOVE
Because our former small-town parish was not a wealthy one, our pastor was dependent on parishioners for upkeep and maintenance of the church. Once he asked my husband, Sam, to rewire the confessionals. The only way to reach the wiring was to enter the attic above the altar and crawl over the ceiling by balancing on the rafters.
Concerned for my husband's safety, I waited in a pew. Unbeknownst to me, some parishioners were congregating in the vestibule. They paid little attention to me, probably assuming I was praying. Worried about my husband, I looked up toward the ceiling and yelled, "Sam, Sam -- are you up there? Did you make it okay?"
There was quite an outburst from the vestibule when Sam's hearty voice echoed down, "Yes, I made it up here just fine!"
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: What invention has resulted in less sleep times for humans?ANSWER: Electric lights! Americans, on average, now sleep 1 1/2 hours
less each day than before they came along. (Is TV is helping redress the balance?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Why do we ‘bless’ somebody after they sneeze?
Answer Next Week.
1139. UNPREPARED?
Ethelred the Unready, an English king of the 10th century, had the dubious distinction of spending his wedding night in bed with his wife and his mother-in –law. (Would never have been ready for that!)
1140. TRUE ROYALTY?
Lobsters have blue blood. (Thick skinned, crusty, sunburned aristocracy when boiled)
1141. PROPHETIC?
If you add up all the number on a roulette wheel, that is 1through 36, you get 666, the biblical number of fallen man. (And who said the Bible was outdated?)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
TEDIOUS
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE QUESTION - THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
12: How many measures of flour were used to hide the leaven in the parable of the leaven?a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Four
Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""SAYINGS FOR YOU TO PONDER
!!!!!!! Man is the only creature that blushes ~ or needs to.
!!!!!! Don't be afraid to be honest with God ~ you will never be short-changed.
!!!!! If you aim at nothing, you're sure to hit it.
!!!! When you don't know what harbour you're making for, no wind is the right wind.
!!! If there were no God, it would not have been necessary to invent Him.
!! Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.
! Church members, like automobiles, usually start missing before they quit.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
TIL DEATH DO US PART
65. THE DREAMAfter she woke up, a woman told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine's day. What do you think it means?"
"You'll know tonight." he said.
That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it - to find a book entitled "The meaning of dreams"
66. TROUBLE
A man went to the doctor complaining of insomnia. The doctor gave him a thorough examination, found absolutely nothing physically wrong with him, and then told him,
"Listen, if you ever expect to cure your insomnia, you just have to stop taking your trouble to bed with you."
"I know" said the man, "but I can't. My wife refuses to sleep alone."
67. MAY I?
My girlfriend took her five-year-old daughter shopping with her. The little girl watched her mother try on outfit after outfit, exclaiming every time, "Mommy, you look beautiful."
A woman in the next fitting room called out, "May I borrow your daughter for a moment?"
68. WITH THIS RING....
A young bride and groom to be had just selected the wedding ring. As the girl admired the plain platinum and diamond band, she suddenly looked concerned.
"Tell me," she asked the elderly salesman, "is there anything special I'll have to do to take care of this ring?"
With a fatherly smile, the salesman said, "One of the best ways to protect a wedding ring is to dip it in dishwater three times a day."
More marriage and family humour here.....
BIBLE TRIVIA (Strange and Amazing Facts)
WEDDINGS GALOREKing Solomon is the Bibles most married man! He had 700 wives (all of royal birth!) plus 300 concubines. (1 Kings 11:3)
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
Ancient Hatred: Understanding Iran's War on Jews
CBNnews.comWASHINGTON -- Iran's supreme leader recently said his country would help any Muslim nation or group that attacks Israel. He's called the Jewish state a cancerous tumor that will be cut out of the Middle East.
With Iran's nuclear weapons program advancing daily, that goal may be in sight.
This view of Jews as sub-human sounds a lot like Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, but it goes back much further.
In author Andrew Bostom's book, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism, he describes Islam's early conquests of Jewish tribes in Arabia.
"Mohammed's frustrations in spreading his message were frequently recompensed by murderous attacks on the Jews," he told CBN News.
Bostom explained that Mohammed demonized Jews because they rejected him as a prophet.
"Mohammed himself invokes some of these themes," he said. "For example, one of the punishments of the Jews is their transformation into apes, or apes and pigs, the verses that are commonly heard now."
This "apes and pigs" imagery is found in Islam's core texts, like the Koran and hadiths. The most notorious is the following hadith, often quoted by al Qaeda, Hamas, and other Islamic terror groups.
"Judgment Day will come only when the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them, until the Jew hides behind the tree and the stone, and the tree and the stone say, 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'"
In some verses of the Koran, Jews are referred to as "perverse," "evil," "greedy," and the "heirs of hell."
The Iranian regime takes these verses seriously, starting with the man who founded the Islamic Republic, the Ayatollah Khomeini.
"His image of wiping out the Jews was that all of the Muslims of the world should get together with a cup of water and simply wash it away. But again, annihilationism," Bostom said.
Today, Jews play a central role in the end times ideology of Iran's mullahs. They believe the Mahdi, or Islamic messiah, will return to earth, conquer Jerusalem, and massacre the Jewish inhabitants of Israel.
Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani said that while Israel is a one-bomb country, Iran and the Islamic world could survive a nuclear exchange with the Jewish state.
According to this view, the heavy losses would be worth it for the greater good of wiping Israel off the map.
Via: OpenHeaven.com
DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF... THE POWER OF THREE IN GOD AND THE CHURCHIn walking further with Jesus, I increasingly appreciate that this particular revelation of 'threes in God' has been hugely important in developing my understanding of God and how He works both in the church and in our lives.
It matters not whether you are a 'oneness', 'twoness', or 'trinitarian' believer. The concept still applies. For we're all very good at putting God in a box, limited to the walls of our theology and understanding. But, one day, we will know all the truth of the great mystery of God.
In the meantime, if you can grasp this simple, yet profound concept, I'm sure it will open up new realms of understanding for you too about God and His plans for His people in these end days.
It certainly developed my faith tremendously, being able to grasp more of God's mighty plan for me. And for you too!
Check it out and download your free PDF Files here.....
WAXING LYRICAL
Some people can inspire in the midst of terminal pain and suffering, My mate Basil was one of those.BASIL
It comes to us all, once to die,
Our best to ignore it, we do try.
Don’t know how, nor when, nor where,
Until death, in the face, does us stare.
For most, the sands of time predictably flow,
Plenty of life, our ultimate destiny to know,
Three score years and ten, normally more,
The last few perhaps, may be a chore.
For some though, death comes as a shock,
A life snuffed out at the tick of a clock,
In the fiery inferno of a collapsing tower,
Or a car, ramming another at full power.
But our Basil was chosen for a different task,
A walk through sickness and pain was his ask.
God knew what an inspiration he would be,
And he surely was, both to you and to me.
Basil I have known for a good number of years,
A wise man, a prophet, somewhat given to tears,
A man well respected, both at church and at home,
Salt of the earth, with not too much hair to comb.
But it was only during this current year,
That Basil’s character became so clear,
Oh, what had I missed out on, in days now past,
In a busy life, where spending time, comes last.
Unless the house has been built on a firm foundation,
Trials and troubles easily lead to spiritual ruination.
But through his pain, the light of his Saviour did shine,
What I saw in his life, I would like to see in mine.
Of course, he did naturally ask the question,
“Why me Lord?†I did hear him mention.
Then his wry sense of humour would shine through,
As into perspective, his whole life came into view.
Basil has been an inspiration to us all,
Through his trials, he has walked tall,
The quiet man - thought he had little to offer,
In his ultimate test, came through to conquer.
Basil my mate, us you still inspire,
In that certain faith, we so desire.
I will miss you my friend, so Basil tears I now shed,
As I seek to follow the path, in which you have led.
David Tait: 4 October, 2001
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A DAVID MUSING
On Monday, the day you receive this ezine, nearly 5 months after the event, Kurt, the guy who assaulted Kathy and I at our home, will finally be asked to plead in Court. We understand that he will plead guilty, but you can never be sure until it happens.We have got on with our lives thanks to the powerful healing effects of forgiveness, which is at the heart of the message of Jesus. We can sure vouch that it works! While I can still feel the ongoing sensations of healing to the cuts in my head as the internal stitches dissolve, and Kathy has a couple of scars on her back that remind me of her ordeal (she can't see them, of course!), my thoughts now turn to Kurt.
My prayer is that the experience will jolt Kurt into reconsidering his life's journey. I remember how I had to reach the 'pits' in my life before I was prepared to give my life to Jesus. It really is true that we learn more in the bad times than the good, particularly in Jesus. Hence why the Lord has us go through trials and tribulations. To mould us into His image - if we are willing to let Him do it.
Our experience has strengthened has strengthened me in the Lord. I pray that through his experience, Kurt may find a Saviour in Jesus too.
Granddad and twins (Nathan and Charis) in Scotland.
Until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: OUTSIDE
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: c. 3 (Matthew 13:33)
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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