WHEN IS AN APOSTLE AN APOSTLE?

Seemingly, the latest status symbol in the Church is to be called an 'Apostle'. Many men are calling themselves, or being called, by this title with little understanding of what an Apostle truly is. Most people see the apostolic role as being a church planter or leader of a group of churches. While Apostles may well be such, that is not their true apostolic purpose. For under the ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11 the definition of the Apostle in the Greek is, a 'special messenger.'

The great Apostle Paul's key contribution and influence to the Christian Church was not found in the churches that he set up, many of which have now completely disappeared, but rather, in setting out the theology upon which our church today is still based. This was, by far, his most unique and valuable contribution to God's church.

As the ministry of the Apostle is restored to the church, which is happening in these days, so God will use His 'special messengers' to reveal more of his truth to His church. The books of Hebrews and Revelation are the most difficult to understand in the New Testament. Yet over the past few years a much greater understanding of Hebrews has been revealed and in time, the same will happen for Revelation.

Yes, we are living in exciting times when God is revealing more and more about Himself to His people. So let us not be fooled by man's promotion of Apostleship but first seek out whether a person is indeed one of God's 'special messengers'. Most true Apostles will likely prefer to be known as 'God's servants' anyway! For that, for all of us, is our true calling.

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FROM THE WORD

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless the house of Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.
14 May the LORD make you increase,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 115:1-3,10-15)

DAVID’S DOODLINGS

More on Faith.

### Without dreams there is no hope, but without faith, no reality.

### Without challenges there can be no accomplishments. Faith lubricates the challenges and drives the accomplishments.

### As we grow in God, so our hope is expressed through faith and our faith through love.

There are now over 430 David sayings for you to view at ...

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AN INDIAN EXPERIENCE

On the Thursday before leaving the city of Trichur we visited a friend we had made in the church there, who was living with her mother and brother. Before we left, we prayed for both the mother and daughter. The Lord gave me an unusual word for the mother in that He said that she had one thing left to do for Him.

The next Tuesday we received an email to say that our friend's mother had died the day before. I do not know what the one thing was, or if she had done it or not in the 3 days before her death, but it certainly was a sobering reminder for me of the necessity to keep short accounts with God, as we just don't know when our time will come to depart from this life. A very sad and sobering Indian experience.

MP3 DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK

We regret that due to technical difficulties with the Inspirational Tapes site there is no download available this week. In fact, technical difficulties abound with getting this newsletter out this week also! So please bear with me if your administrative enquiries haven't been attended to, in the short time I have had to prepare this newsletter. All will be fixed by next week. It is a bit of a challenge to get back into 'computer mode' after 5 weeks away! Particularly when things decide not to behave as they should!

FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Is there really such a thing as a flea circus?

ANSWER: Yes, flea circuses first appeared in Europe in the 1820s and featured such spectacular diversions as the reenactment of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. They died out sometime in the middle of the last century. Trainers use the fleas' natural responses to stimuli to encourage them to jump and move around and even pull props. Of course, the performers are tiny, so a magnifying glass is necessary for a good view.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION What is the only bone in the body that does not connect to other bones?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS
ST. ELMO’S FIRE
St. Elmo's fire is a luminous electric discharge that appears on sharp projections such as steeples and mastheads of ships during intense storms. Sailors have a superstitious dread of it, but it is actually an explainable natural phenomenon. Mediterranean sailors named it for their patron saint, St. Elmo. (A saintly halo?)

BALL LIGHTENING?
Imagine seeing a strange glowing sphere that moves through the air. Experts cannot explain what 'ball lightning' is, but it occurs during lightning storms and may be an ordinary bolt of lightning. Witnesses who have observed this rare phenomenon typically report the ball of light is about the size of a grapefruit (but it may be much larger or smaller) and that it survives for only a few seconds. Some also report a bad smell. (Reported as UFO sightings too?)

‘JAWS’ TRUE OR MAKE BELIEVE?
Believe it or not, JAWS author Peter Benchley based his story about a rogue man-eating shark on a real series of shark attacks that occurred along the New Jersey shore in 1916. At that time a single shark attacked five people, and killed four of them. The shark swam up the New Jersey coast, terrorizing beach goers, and actually entered Mattawan Creek where it killed a young boy and the man who dived down to retrieve his body. Just like in the movie, resort owners were loathe to publicize the attacks (the first one received hardly a mention in the local press). A retired seaman who saw the shark when it first swam into the creek wasn't taken seriously. Shortly after the attacks, a Great White shark with human remains inside its belly was killed by two fishermen. Interested in learning more? Check out Michael Capuzzo's book, 'Close to Shore', which vividly recreates the summer of 1916 and the rogue shark that terrorized New Jersey, USA. (Could also, of course, have been about Hollywood itself!)

A PUZZLE FOR YOU!

OBJE4CT

Answer at the end of A David Musing

200 fun facts and trivial trivia now found at ...

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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***

MORE BEAUTIFUL BULLETIN BLOOPERS
13. The Advent Retreat will be held in the lover level of St. Mary's Cathedral.
14. The District Superintendent will be meeting with the church boared. (Bored!)
15. As soon as the weather clears up, the men will have a goof outing.
16. Fifth Sinday is Lent.
17. Thank you, dead friends.
18. Diana and Don request your presents at their wedding.
19. Lent is a period for preparing for Holy Weed and Easter.
20. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget all His benefits.
21. For the word of God is quick and powerful...piercing even to the dividing asunder of soup and spirit.
22. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peach to men.
23. Definition: Persons who are shut-in during bath weather.
24. The lovers in the exhaust fan are not working.
25. Volunteers are needed to spit up food.
26. Head Deacon and Dead Deaconess
27. We pray that our people will jumble themselves
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ANOTHER INDIAN EXPERIENCE

Shortly before leaving India we visited a Tribal Village a couple of hours drive from Suryapet, where we were staying. The drive included some typical Indian/African back roads cosisting of alarge number of portly potholes cleverly joined together in a multitude of designs.

The meeting went well with 6 people coming to Know Jesus for the first time. However, I was somewhat taken aback after the meeting when presneted with a few day old baby, and asked to name it. Now this is a job in our family that I had largely left to my wife Kathy to do. First of all, when told it was a girl, I was about to come up with the name Ruth, after the amazing lady in the Old Testament book of that name. Then I was informed that it was actually a boy! So he was named John. A most unusual and delightful experience in a country that is always full of surprises.

JUST JOKES

A FINE CUT
The personnel manager was impressing the applicant with the prospective job.

"We make parts for microscopes. You'll be required to work with lenses that are ten-thousandths of an inch thick."

"I can handle it," the applicant said, "I used to slice meat in a delicatessen."

125 clean jokes for your enjoyment on...

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GOD FACTS

*** The Garden verse of the scripture -- Num. 11:5
*** The Metal verse of the scripture -- Ezek. 22:19
*** Word "God" occurs -- 4,370 times
*** Word "Jehovah" occurs -- 6,855 times
*** Word "Lord" occurs -- 7,736 times

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CONSIDER THE AMAZING PLAN OF GOD (A PDF DOWNLOAD)

THE POWER OF THREE
A brief look at the amazing way both God and HIS Church are patterned in three’s An insight into the past, a look at the present and view of the future.

Take some time out today…

http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/bk5.pdf

A DAVID MUSING

Arriving home after being away for some time is always for me, an eagerly anticipated and joyful experience. This time was no exception. Kathy was at the airport to meet me and we had a lovely reunion. Particularly as Christmas nears, it is just so nice to be round family and friends.

But unfortunately, Christmas for many people is a time of sadness, without friends or family, a season seemingly without hope. So maybe this year, we can seek out one or more of these lonely people and simply be Jesus to them at this time. Not only will both they and Jesus appreciate it, but you will very likely find that it will be the highlight of your Christmas too. For we all love being loved, don't we?

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today’s Word Puzzle Answer: Foreign object.

CHANGING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?

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LINKS

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ABOUT US

WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Mount Maunganui, 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
P O Box 5160
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand

Phone: (07) 575-7164 International (0064) 7575-7164
Fax: (07) 575-7124 International (0064) 7575-7124
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