TRANSITION FROM 'THE CHURCH' TO 'THE KINGDOM'

A new series, looking at the some of the changes we need to make to move from a 'church' to a 'kingdom' mindset. (See the last 15 weeks of PGIM)

FROM “THE MATERIAL” TO “THE SPIRITUAL”

In the natural, the desire of almost everyone, is for more material goods, in order to live, supposedly, a better life.

Here's a free tip! If your desire is to build the world's largest religion, promise wealth to your followers - and then deliver on it!

Sadly, too much of the Christian church has gone down this road - at least, the first part of it! The promises of the 'prosperity doctrine' however, have not delivered the goods - other than to the preachers who falsely proclaim them! How sad! No, more than sad! Disgraceful!

So what is the Biblical pattern?

This is where a lot of the confusion comes in. For it depends on whether we look at the New Testament or the Old. For there is a key difference between the two.

OLD COVENANT BLESSINGS

Blessings under the Old Covenant (Testament) were physical and applied to the family in the case of the patriarchs, and then to the nation of Israel. Abraham and his descendants were promised material blessings and a long life - and received them.....

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. (Genesis 15:12-15)

The high point of God's material blessing to Israel was in the time of Solomon, conditional upon obedience to the Lord.....

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:10-15)

Of course, as we know, Solomon went astray, and the history of Israel was all downhill from there, for the success or failure of the country was determined by the degree of obedience or disobedience of the king to the Lord. The country soon divided into two - Israel and Judah. First Israel disappeared as a nation.....

5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes. (2 Kings 17:5-6)

.....and then Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians.....

The Fall of Jerusalem

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
25 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, 5 but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 6 and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. 7 They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. (2 kings 24:20b-25:25:7)

The Temple, and city, was destroyed and the majority of the people exiled to Babylon.....

8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 10 The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon. (2 Kings 25:8-11)

.....while a remnant of the people of Judah returned under the leadership of Nehemiah and rebuilt the city walls.....

15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. (Nehemiah 6:15)

The Temple was rebuilt.....

15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. (Ezra 6:15)

but not to its former glory.....

12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. (Ezra 3:12)

After the Babylonians, the nation continued to be under the subjugation of Greece and Rome, until it finally ceased to exist in AD70. The Roman historian Josephus described its fate.

The Wars of the Jews, Book 6 Chapter 8

(403) So the Romans being now become masters of the wars, they both placed their ensigns upon the towers, and made joyful acclamations for the victory they had gained, as having found the end of this war much lighter than its beginning; for when they had gotten upon the last was, without any bloodshed, they could hardly believe what they found to be true; but seeing nobody to oppose them, they stood in doubt what such an unusual solitude could mean. (404) But when they went in numbers into the lanes of the city, with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook, without mercy, and set fire to the houses wither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest; (405) and when they were come to the houses to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men, and the upper rooms full of dead corpses, that is of such as died by the famine; they then stood in a horror at this sight, and went out without touching anything. (406) But although they had this commiseration for such as were destroyed in that manner, yet had they not the same for those that were still alive, but they ran every one through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with their dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men's blood. (407) And truly so it happened, that though the slayers left off at the evening, yet did the fire greatly prevail in the night, and as all was burning, came that eighth day of the month Gorpieus [Elul] upon Jerusalem; (408) a city that had been liable to so many miseries during the siege, that, had it always enjoyed as much happiness from its first foundation, it would certainly have been the envy of the world. Nor did it on any other account so much deserve these sore misfortunes, as by producing such a generation of men as were the occasions of this its overthrow.

The age of material blessings to a nation was finally over, to be replaced by a better way.

(This topic continues next week)

Find out more about us at.....

http://www.wwj.org.nz/about.php

FROM THE WORD

God’s Covenant With Abram

"After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield, your very great reward.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” So the LORD said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”" (Genesis 15:1-21)

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

"Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

The Fall of Jerusalem

"Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon. But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried the bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver. The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed. Each pillar was twenty-seven feet high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was four and a half feet high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar. The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of his men who were found in the city. Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, and their men. Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.” In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians." (2 Kings 24:20b-25:26)

Read the NIV Bible online at.....

http://www.ibs.org/niv/index.php

***DAILY EZINE!*** 'DAVID'S DAILY DOODLINGS' Subscribe Today

Receive one of David's sayings in your mailbox each day to inspire, challenge or maybe, amuse. To register today, simply click here on@wwj.org.nz>ddd-on@wwj.org.nz and press send. Then it's done! If you have an Irish heritage, you will love the background coloring! Should you wish, check out current and back issues (where you can also subscribe) at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/doodlings/index.php

DAVID'S DOODLINGS

PROSPERITY

177. Earthly prosperity is 'just a little more'. But heavenly prosperity is learning to be content with what the Lord has given.

382. There is no absolute measure of prosperity for our perception of it relates to what we see others have. I wonder what God sees?

383. The problem with prosperity is that we all want to own God's 'cattle on a thousand hills' personally.

385. It is a sad fact that if the rich gave all they had to the poor, poverty would merely be delayed, not allayed.

811. In the Old Testament, success is measured by prosperity, in the New, by sacrifice. Many believers prefer to live in the past!

812. May I learn to rest content with my 'daily bread'.

813. There is no problem with prosperity, only our definition of it.

814. In the Old Testament, prosperity is provision for the future, in the New, sufficiency for today.

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 ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php

CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER

Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com TO READ THIS CARTOON AND SEE THE OTHER PICTURES IN THIS EMAIL YOU NEED TO BE ONLINE. Check it out at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/wwword.php

TUESDAY TEACHINGS

THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF.......THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES - ESTABLISHING GOD’S PATTERN FOR THE CHURCH

A short, introductory study on the application of the principles found in the pattern of Moses Tabernacle apply to the development of the church down through the ages, and beautifully describe the final church yet to come.

This is amazing stuff, explaining why the church is as it is today and how God desires it be in the future!

Not to be missed!

Check out all the available teachings at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/teachings/index.php

*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today

As Christians, if we can't laugh at ourselves, others will! A fun way to start your day. To register today, simply click here lao-on@wwj.org.nz and press send. Then it's done! Should you wish, check out early issues (where you can also subscribe) at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/laughing/index.php

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. ***

608. THE TOP 20
Top 20 Things overhead on the Wise Men's Journey to Bethlehem:

20. You've heard the old saying about the Camel being the ship of the desert? WELLLLL, I'm getting seasick.

19. OK, we got gold. We got the frankincense. We got the Myrrh. Think we should get something more practical, like diapers maybe?

18. I thought this was SUPPOSED to be a WEEKEND road trip. Boy, is my wife ever gonna be irked when I get home.

17. All this gazing at a star while riding a camel is making me woozy.

16. Wise men. They call us Wise men. What's so WISE about wandering around the the desert for three years?

15. I still say it wouldn't hurt to drop by Balthazar's place for another visit on the way back. That was SOME buffet.

14. 16 hours a day on a camel. Are you sure this beats walking?

13. All in all, I'd rather be a shepherd. All they ever do is stand around and WATCH the stars. We have to FOLLOW one.

12. Time to check the map again, I think we took a wrong turn at Amal's house.

11. Why should I always have to be in the rear? It's somebody else's turn to get sand in his face.

10. I need to stop at the Bazaar in the next town and pick up one more gift.

9. Com'on, we gotta stop and ask for directions, if we don't this trip could take years.

8. You guys have any idea how to treat saddle sores?

7. Man, I'm starting to get a rush from this frankincense!

6. You guys ever eat camel meat? I hear it tastes like Chicken.

5. You know, I used to go to school with a girl name Beth Lehem.

4. What kind of name is Balthazar anyhow? Phoenician?

3. Hey, do you either of you know why "MYRRH" is spelled with a "Y" instead of a "U"?

2. Okay, who forgot to give their camel a bath before we left?

And the NUMBER ONE thing overheard on the Wise Men's journey to Bethlehem...

1. Whaddya mean we'll be part of history? A year from now, nobody will have a clue why we did this.

607. THE CUT
I was talking to my preacher I noticed he had cut himself shaving. I asked him about it. He said he was concentrating on his sermon and nicked his chin. I told him next time to concentrate on what he was doing and cut his sermon. - Jeremy Lewis

606. RUN BY WATER
The new preacher, at this first service, had a pitcher of water and a glass on the pulpit. As he preached, he drank until the pitcher of water was completely gone.

After the service, someone asked an old woman of the church, "How did you like the new pastor?"

"Fine," she said, "but he's first windmill I ever saw that was run by water."

" FREE DOWNLOAD: You can now download the book 'Laughing At Ourselves' in PDF format at LAUGHING AT OURSELVES One of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with 800 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/laugh.php

FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: From where does the saying ‘Hobson's Choice’ originate?

ANSWER: Hobson's Choice doesn't simply mean a difficult choice. It means no choice at all, rather like having to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. It originated from Thomas Hobson, a 16th-century stable-keeper, and a paid-up member of the amalgamated union of the bloody-minded. He only hired out his horses on a strict rotation system. Customers couldn't choose a horse for themselves. You got the one nearest the stable door or none! (What other choice did Hobson have?)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it true that hair and nails continue to grow after death?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

906. THIS IS SMALL
Vatican City, containing less than 800 inhabitants and measuring just 0.16 mile, is half the size of the world’s next smallest country - Monaco. Vatican City, the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, is located within Rome. It became an independent country in 1929 and is ruled by the Pope. (More crosses than residents.)

907. TO SLEEP OR NOT TO SLEEP.......
Elephants sleep very little, a mere 2 hours a day. Cats, on the other hand, sleep for as long as 14 to 18 hours a day. (A ‘catnap’ should really be an ‘elephantdoze’.)

908. A 'KNOTTY' SOLUTION
A "knot," the unit of speed on water, originated during the Middle Ages when sailors would throw a log tied to a knotted line over the stern of the ship. They would then feed the line out according to how fast the ship was moving. This let them judge water speed by counting the number of knots they paid out on the line in half a minute. (‘Knot’ a lot! More rope between knots now?)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

GLIBNESS

Answer at the end of A David Musing

FREE DOWNLOAD: You can download the full version of our Trivia Book at TRULY TRIFFLING TRIVIA Or view all 1232 online at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php

66 BOOKS... 66 QUESTIONS

40: Matthew: Who asked “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews”?

a. Wise men
b. High Priest
c. Herod
d. Shepherds

Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk

Heaps more fun and serious 'God Facts' are found at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.php

IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

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

SAYINGS FOR YOU TO PONDER

!!!!!!! It's the little things that hurt. You can sit on top of a mountain, but you can't sit on top of a pin.

!!!!!! Note on Church Bulletin Board: "Parents, be the soul support of your children."

!!!!! Some people use religion like a bus ~ they ride on it only when it's going their way.

!!!! Speak well of your enemies ~ you made them!

!!! You cannot stumble if you are on your knees.

!! Most of the world's useful work is done by people who are pressed for time, or are tired, or don't feel well.

! Humility is a strange thing ~ the moment you think you have it, you have lost it.

100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/thought.php

TILL DEATH DO US PART!

23. THE DENTIST'S VISIT
One day, a man walks into a dentist's office and asks how much it will cost to extract wisdom teeth.

"Eighty dollars," the dentist says.

"That's a ridiculous amount," the man says. "Isn't there a cheaper way?"

"Well," the dentist says, "if you don't use an anaesthetic, I can knock it down to $60."

"That's still too expensive," the man says.

"Okay," says the dentist. "If I save on anaesthesia and simply pull the teeth out with a pair of pliers, I could get away with charging $20."

"Nope," moans the man, "it's still too much."

"Hmm," says the dentist, scratching his head. "If I let one of my students do it for the experience, I suppose I could charge you just $10."

"Marvellous," says the man, "book my wife for next Tuesday!"

24. AN ACCURATE AUTOMOTIVE ANALYSIS
A wife experiences some car trouble and calls her husband at work.

WIFE: "Hey, honey. There's trouble with the car. It has water in the carburettor."

HUSBAND: "Water in the carburettor? That's ridiculous."

WIFE: "I tell you the car has water in the carburettor."

HUSBAND: "You don't even know what a carburettor is. I'll check it out. Where's the car?"

WIFE: "In the pool."

25. MOST HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH
A dietician was once addressing a large audience in a major city. "The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago," he stated unequivocally.

"Red meat is awful for your physical well-being. Soft drinks erode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. Vegetables tainted with pesticides can be disastrous, and bread made from refined flour is terrible for you!"

The physician with a beef against food addressed the audience with a question. "But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?"

A 75-year-old man in the front row stood up and said with certainty, "Wedding cake!"

More marriage and family humour here.....

http://wwj.org.nz/tddup.php

BIBLE TRIVIA (Festivals and Holidays)

DEDICATION (HANUKKAH.....

..... is celebrated in the month of Kislev, on the 25th day (John 10:22)

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

HIS Nets: Churches and the Life-Saving Power of Malaria Nets

By Melissa Barnhart , CP Contributor
February 11, 2013|6:37 pm

HIS Nets distributes insecticide-treated sleeping nets in Kenya in 2010.
More than 216 million people contracted malaria in 2010, and 655,000 people died that same year worldwide from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To combat these grave statistics, HIS Nets, a Christian nonprofit, is working with churches and partner-organizations to distribute insecticide-treated sleeping nets to people throughout sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Since 2008, HIS Nets has distributed more than 130,000 nets to families, pregnant women, and children who live in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Haiti and other countries that are impacted by the malaria epidemic.

HIS Nets was established in 2004 by T. Thomas of Norman, Okla., after one of his daughters almost died from malaria during a family mission trip to Africa. The calling instilled in their family has inspired people throughout the world to help raise awareness and fend off the disease.

Each net costs $6 and is used to protect an entire family from mosquitoes for up to six years. When malaria nets are properly used, incidence of infection is cut in half and child death from malaria can decrease by one-fifth.

The Rev. Mitch Randall of North Haven Church in Norman, Okla., said that his church has been working with HIS Nets for several years, and that he returned two weeks ago from Ghana, where he and members of his church had distributed 1,000 nets to villagers.

Randall said that he provides a demonstration to the villagers each time to goes to Ghana, and every time he asks: "How many have lost children to malaria?" And in every village he receives the same response, "too many to count." The mothers and grandmothers then receive the nets "with tears in their eyes and a smile of great joy," he said.

At one distribution site located at a maternity ward in Ghana, Randall said that a retiring nurse told him that every Christian organization arrives in Ghana for good reasons, but that HIS Nets provides a service that saves lives.

In 2007, a five-member team from First Baptist Church in Garland, Texas, was the first group to travel to Angola with HIS Nets, by invitation from the Baptist Union of Angola. The mission group collected enough funds to distribute 2,000 malaria nets to residents who live in the suburbs of Luanda, Angola.

Jim Witt, associate pastor and minister of missions at First Baptist Church in Garland, Texas, said that their mission was three fold. "We went there to explain the causes of malaria, to discuss the prevention of the disease, and to show others how to follow Christ. Receiving the nets was not contingent on following the gospel, and our mission there was not contingent on people following Christ. Everyone who needed a net received one."

When people talk about the African continent the disease that first comes to mind is AIDS. According to HIS Nets, malaria claims twice the number of victims as AIDS.

The CDC estimates that 3,000 children younger than 5 die every day from the disease, because they, along with pregnant women, are the most susceptible to malaria; and one case can lead to 100 other infections. Ninety percent of all cases of malaria are found in Africa.

"The biggest problem is that westerners only think of HIV," said Dr. Lamine Diawara, a Senegalese physician. "HIV is a horrible disease of course. But, it is malaria that keeps Africa down. And the saddest part is that it is an entirely preventable disease."

According to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted when a person is bit by an infected mosquito. Once the parasite enters the body, it multiplies in the liver and infects red blood cells. After 10 to 15 days, infected individuals experience symptoms that include fever, headaches and vomiting. If left untreated the disease becomes life threatening by inhibiting the body's blood supply to vital organs.

The WHO also reports that since 2000, malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25 percent, and 50 of the 99 countries with ongoing transmission are now on track to meet the 2015 World Health Assembly target of reducing incidence rates by more than 75 percent.

Insecticide-treated malaria nets are vitally important in preventing bites from occurring, but their value increases with each passing day as malaria parasites around the world have become resistant to many of the medications used to fight the disease. Prevention is the key.

World Malaria Day will be held on April 25. This year's theme is: Invest in the future. Defeat malaria.

The Christian Post

DAVID'S DOWNLOAD

'TABERNEAGLE' THOUGHTS FROM.....

A poster of thoughts about living life in Tabernacles. Out of a human mind but hopefully with God given inspiration. An A4 sized wall (’loo?’) hanger. A4 size.

Check it out and download your free PDF File here.....

http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/13p0.pdf

WAXING LYRICAL

It's funny how subjective time can be!

LIFE!

Life is short
When watching sport......

But life is so very eternally long,
When the preacher misses the gong.......

Yet, if you time them both on your watch,
The sermon will be shorter than the match!

Funny that!

More of David's offerings at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/waxing.php

A DAVID MUSING

Last weekend, I participated in my friend Rodney Francis's seminar in Carterton, New Zealand. The subject was 'Love and Compassion Related to Spiritual Gifts'. Rodney had a sense of humour asking me, for love and compassion would not in the past been considered my strong points! LOL! God also has a sense of humour, for He arranged for the 2 people who have known me the best for the longest, to be there too! That is my wife Kathy, and my friend Tony, who was actually with me when I met Kathy! So I couldn't fake it!

However, even my wife says I have changed in more recent years, and the Holy Spirit was very gracious and turned up to help me out. There was spontaneous physical and spiritual healings, and forgiveness sought of the Lord. I understand there have been ongoing effects in the church also.

I thank Rodney for the opportunity, and the Lord for being with me. Praise the Lord.

Until next week.....

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: BLESSING

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: a. Wise men (Matthew 2:2)

REPRODUCTION OF NEWSLETTER CONTENT

Most weeks we get enquiries about reproducing, in electronic or print form, articles contained in 'PGIM!' We welcome and encourage you to utilize this material. Freely received, freely given. We would ask though, that the source be acknowledged as an encouragement to others to subscribe to this newsletter also.

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 at
enquiries@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 on
links@wwj.org.nz

DOES THIS EMAIL HAVE A BLUE BACKGROUND AND RED HEADINGS?

YES - Great!
NO - Your web browser needs to be set to 'Rich Text'. If you have an older 'Text Only' browser, this email may also be viewed on our web site at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/wwword.php

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!

For comments upon and contributions to this service, please contact
david@wwj.org.nz