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
A FREE service, currently connecting with Christian leaders from 3,000 denominations and ministries, in 70 countries.
Issue No: 605 Published: 20 May 2013
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 23 weeks of PGIM)FROM “ORGANIZED†TO “ORGANIC†(Continued)
We saw 9 weeks ago.......
"under the Old Covenant there was a separation between the Priests and the people, something which re-entered the Christian church through the Roman Catholics and despite attempts to get rid of it through the Reformation, effectively is still with us today, in so many ways."
Then 8 weeks ago.......
At the time of the death of Jesus, a miracle took place (the curtain in the Temple torn from top to bottom opening up, once again, direct access for us to the Father) signifying the change from the Old Covenant to the New. For it was the direct result of, and response to, what happened when Jesus died on the cross.
So what then, are the implications of this change in Covenants?
Over the past 7 weeks.....
1. WE NOW HAVE A PERMANENT SACRIFICE MADE ON OUR BEHALF
2. SALVATION HAS BECOME A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
3. THE KINGDOM IS FOUND WITHIN US
4. IMPLICATIONS OF THE KINGDOM WITHIN
5. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CHURCH
a. THE CHURCH IS NOT THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION
b. GOD'S CALL IS TO 'GO OUT', NOT TO 'COME IN'
This week.....
c. CHURCH IS PEOPLE, FIRST AND LAST (Part 3)
Last week we saw that we must move from a worldly based church system to developing the spiritual kingdom within all genuine believers.
We said that, this week, we would look at ways in which this is to happen. If you are waiting for an A-Z of changing the current church to a kingdom church, you will be disappointed, for there is no way of doing this in a programmed way. Rather, whether inside or outside a formal church, we need to look at the ways in which Jesus said we, as individuals, are to enter the kingdom, and teach and encourage each other to live them out in our lives.
1. LIVE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)
2. BE HUMBLE
4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)
3. DEVELOP SPIRITUAL FRUIT IN OUR LIVES
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: â€â€˜The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.†(Matthew 21:42-4)
4. LIVE OUT IN OUR LIVES WHAT WE SPEAK FROM OUR MOUTH
13 “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. (Matthew 23:13)
5. SHARE THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELOF THE KINGDOM WITH OTHERS
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
6. LOOK AFTER THE POOR AND NEEDY
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matthew 25:34-6)
7. BE PREPARED TO ENDURE HARDSHIP AND REJECTION
21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,†they said. (Acts 14:21-2)
8. LIVE FRUITFUL LIVES
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:10-14)
9. LIVE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS LIVES WORTHY OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12)
10. WORSHIP GOD WITH ALL OUR BEINGS
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.†(Hebrews 12:28)
11. SEEK SPIRITUAL RATHER THAN MATERIAL WEALTH
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (James 2:5)
12. DEVELOP BOTH FAITH AND WORKS IN OUR LIFE
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, Perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)
13. DEVELOP ENDURANCE WHEN SUFFERING FOR JESUS
9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 1:9)
14. WE ARE TOCOMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH GOD - THROUGH JESUS, NOT A MAN
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)
15. KNOWING THAT THROUGH JESUS WE ARE A KINGDOM AND PRIESTS WHO WILL REIGN UPON THE EARTH!
9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.†(Revelation 5:9-10)
16. BELIEVING THAT SATAN IS DEFEATED THROUGH US SACRIFICING OUR LIVES TO AND FOR JESUS!
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:10-11)
17. HAVING THE CERTAINTY THAT JESUS IS RETURNING TO REIGN OVER HIS KINGDOM ON THE EARTH!
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.†(Revelation 11:15)
AMEN.
(This theme to be continued next week.)
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FROM THE WORD
The Parable of the Tenants"“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?†“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,†they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.†Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: â€â€˜The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.†When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet." (Matthew 21:33-46)
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." (Matthew 23:1-13)
The Sheep and the Goats
"“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.â€" (Matthew 25:31-46)
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***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...DAVID'S DOODLINGS
RELIGION, REVELATION AND GOD'S KINGDOM1065. Religion is not the church, but the church too easily becomes religion.
1066. Religion kills, God upskills.
1067. Religion is a gathering of like minds, God's kingdom, one of godly natures.
1068. Religion insidiously enters the church through repetition.
1069. Repetition is religion's close ally.
1070. As people we are inherently religious, for we enjoy feeling comfortable - even in our discomfort!
1071. Religion is revelation become tradition.
1072. Tradition is religion's friend, but the deadly enemy of revelation.
1073. Tradition moulds revelation into religion.
1074. Revelation revs 'Revs'!
1075. While knowledge is gained at a theological seminary, revelation comes from the father heart of God.
1215. The understanding that God's kingdom is available now is the greatest motivator of all for keen Christians.
1216. There's no need to wait. Seek God's kingdom now!
1308. Religion is based upon dependence, the kingdom, interdependence.
1309. Religion looks inwards, the kingdom, upwards and outwards.
1310. The kingdom is not centered round teaching and preaching, but rather, living out teaching and preaching.
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 ...
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...TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF... THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID - Part 5We all look good when things are going well, don't we?
But the real test of the true state of our walk with Jesus, is how we react when we are placed under pressure. Particularly if we believe the trial is not of our own making!
If we can remain joyful in the Lord and His goodness during the hard times, we are truly reflecting the genuineness and depth of a mature faith.
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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...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. ***
640. SAINT MARY'S
Bill Gates my father is not. As church treasurer, he had two files labeled "St. Mary's Income" and "St. Mary's Expenditures." While copying them from a Macintosh to a PC,
he had no idea the PC would automatically truncate the file names to ten characters, eliminate spaces, and replace apostrophes with periods. Now the church's income is stored
in "St.Mary.sin" and expenses in "St.Mary.sex."
639. TOUCHE!
One day at an old country church, there was to be a double sermon. First, there was a young preacher boy that would preach his first sermon. After him, an old veteran preacher that was well respected in the community was to preach.
All of the "pre-preaching" things took place. There was good singing and nice specials among other things. These all went very well.
Well, as the time for the young preacher to preach came closer, he realized something very dreadful. He leaned over to the old preacher who was sitting next to him and said, "I forgot my Bible, and all of my notes are in it!"
The veteran preacher seemed cool and calm as he replied, "Don't worry son, God will provide. Here, use my Bible. Just speak what's on your heart, and I'm sure God will bless it."
The young man hesitantly took the old Bible, and made his way to the pulpit. Well, this preacher just started preaching away, and had a great time doing it too. The sermon he preached was so great, that at the end when there was an alter call, nearly the entire church came forward. The boy was relieved as he left the pulpit and made his way to his seat.
During the message, the old preacher started to listen to the sermon closely, as it seemed very familiar. After a few minutes, he realized what had happened. The young preacher found the notes that he was going to use for the sermon that he was about to preach. He got very nervous as the boy came down to him. "Now what am I going to do?"
The young preacher calmly said, "Don't worry. God will provide!"
638. TOP COW
The wise old Mother Superior from county Tipperary was dying. The nuns gathered around her bed trying to make her comfortable. They gave her warm milk to drink, but she refused it. One nun took the glass back to the kitchen.
Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey the nuns had received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened and poured a generous amount into the warm milk.
The nun took the glass back to Mother Superior's bedside, and held the glass to her lips. Mother drank a little, then a little more. Before they knew it, she had downed the whole glass, down to the last drop.
"Mother," the nuns asked earnestly, "please give us some wisdom before you die."
Mother Superior slowly raised her head, and with a pious look on her face whispered, "Don't sell that cow"
" 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 ...
FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: How long was the world's longest prayer meeting?ANSWER: How long does prayer meeting last in your church? Do the ‘fidgits’ set in after ten or twenty minutes? Let’s say the average prayer meeting is an hour. But the world's longest Prayer Meeting? Multiply an hour by 24; multiply that by 365; and then multiply that by 100! That tallies up to 876,000 hours. The longest prayer meeting in the world actually lasted even longer than that! It began on August 27, 1727, in Herrnhut, Germany, when Moravians under Count von Zinzendorf commenced an around-the-clock prayer chain that lasted more than one hundred years! (Generations of prayer warriors involved?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it true that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile?
Answer Next Week.
869. THE FIRST COMPUTER BUG
Was discovered by Admiral Grace Hooper, in a naval computer. This previously insignificant moth caught in a computer relay switch, causing the computer to malfunction and was the ancestor of the untold millions of ‘bugs’ that live in our computer systems today. (A super fertile specimen.)
870. BEATLES MEMORIES
Why not play the Beatles song ‘Yesterday’ 6 million times to keep alive your memories of the ‘Fab 4’. And by the way… it would only take you 23 ½ years! (Some things you never tire of – perhaps!)
871. HORSE SENSE
There are estimated to be 75 million horses in the world. The longest-lived was ‘Old Billy’, born 1760, died 1822 at a ripe old 62 years of age. (Makes me hoarse, talking about it.)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
AMENITY
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...
66 BOOKS... 66 QUESTIONS
52: 1 Thessalonians: Who does Paul say will rise first when Jesus returns?a. The fathers of old
b. The priests
c. The prophets
d. The dead in Christ
Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! No man is poor who has had a godly mother. (Abraham Lincoln)
!!!!!! The more things change, the more they stay insane.
!!!!! Remember, the lesser of two evils is still evil.
!!!! "One seventh of your life is spent on Monday." (Hank Caruso)
!!! Why is it that when you talk to God you're praying, but when he talks to you, you're crazy?
!! Hell hath no fury like the lawyer of a woman scorned.
! Never wrestle with a pig: You both get all dirty, and the pig likes it.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
PET's RULE
43. THE BOSSA man goes into a pet shop to buy a parrot. The shop owner points to three identical looking parrots on a perch and says: "The parrot to the left costs 500 dollars".
"Why does the parrot cost so much?" the customer asks. The owner says, "Well, it knows how to use a computer."
The customer asks about the next parrot and is told "That one costs 1,000 dollars because it can do everything the other parrot can do plus it knows how to use the UNIX operating system."
Naturally, the increasingly startled man asks about the third parrot and is told "That one costs 2,000 dollars." Needless to say this begs the question "What can IT do?"
To which the owner replies "To be honest I have never seen it do a thing but the other two call him boss!"
44. AT THE AUCTION
One day a man went to an auction. While there, he bid on a parrot. He really wanted this bird, so he got caught up in the bidding. He kept on bidding, but kept getting outbid, so he bid higher and higher and higher. Finally, after he bid way more than he intended, he won the bid - the parrot was his at last!
As he was paying for the parrot, he said to the Auctioneer, "I sure hope this parrot can talk. I would hate to have paid this much for it, only to find out that he can't talk!"
"Don't worry." said the Auctioneer, "He can talk. Who do you think it was who kept bidding against you?"
45. WESTERN UNION
A German shepherd went to a Western Union office, took out a blank form and wrote, "Woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof...woof."
The clerk examined the paper and told the dog, "There are only nine words here. You could send another 'woof' for the same price."
"But," the dog replied, "it would make no sense at all."
Pig out out on Pet Humour Here.....
BIBLE TRIVIA (About The Bible)
THE BIBLE IS THE MOST BOUGHT ..........But least understood book. 9 out of 10 Americans own a Bible, but fewer than half ever read it! Worldwide sales of the Bible are uncountable.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
Islamic nations among world's worst violators of religious freedoms
Monday, May 6, 2013 (10:30 pm)By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)– Of the 15 worst violators of religious freedom in the world, 10 are Islamic states.
Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam severely restrict religious activities by harassing individuals and groups for their beliefs; therefore they have been classified as "countries of particular concern" in the 2013 report by the Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The Commission is an independent advisory body that monitors abuses of religious freedom by identifying nations such as Egypt — whose transitional government has failed to protect religious minorities, usually Coptic Christians, from Islamic-inspired violence — as "governments that are the most egregious violators."
Muslim-dominated Iraq was cited for tolerating "violent, religiously motivated attacks" and the Islamic Republic of Iran for "prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily, or entirely on the religion of the accused." Iran often accuses converts to Christianity of crimes against state security.
Saudi Arabia suppresses all religious practices outside of its officially-sanctioned Wahhabism. The home of Islam prosecutes individuals for apostasy, blasphemy and even sorcery; it also interferes with the faiths of its guest workers.
Pakistan strictly enforces a controversial blasphemy law while failing to prosecute acts of sectarian violence by its Muslim majority against minority religions.
Religious freedoms in Sudan continue to suffer long after South Sudan seceded from President Bashir's criminalization of apostasy and his government's imposition of a strict interpretation of shari’a.
Nigeria was cited for its religious violence between the militant Muslims of Boko Harem and Christians living in the North; this violence is compounded by the government’s inability to stop the incessant sectarian attacks.
A second tier of dishonorable mention where the abuses of religious freedoms don’t meet all of the criteria to be ranked as countries of particular concern include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia.
DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF……. 3 KINGDOM AGES OF GODAn excellent tool to help better understand Bible history and God's plan for mankind throughout the ages. Kingdom ages, that is! And to get a glimpse of the kingdom yet to come and how we can participate in it.
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WAXING LYRICAL
The inspiration for the first two parts of this poem came from a cross-island trek Kathyand I went on when we were staying on the beautiful Island of Rarotonga, in the Cook
Islands. For those who don’t know, The Cooks are situated around the Tropic of Capricorn
in the Pacific Ocean. A great place to visit! The last part is based loosely on the book
of Revelation, Chapters 21 and 22, the biblical promise of what is to come. Hope it is
both enjoyable and challenging to you. Of course it is just verse, so is not all strictly
theologically accurate! Called poetic licence!
VICTORY!
THE MOUNTAIN CLIMB
I rang a guide, booking a trip for the day,
So Kathy and I, could go out and play,
"Any special offers?" as I always ask,
"Yes sir, but are you up to the task?"
"How much will it cost?" showing more interest,
Now more open to tackling Mount Everest!
"Our special offer is entirely free,"
This now, I couldn’t wait to see!
So off we go in a very smart minibus,
Kathy and I, some others, a group of us.
There we first meet our new guide to be,
Jesus by name, seemed friendly to me.
Hopping off the bus, now ready and eager to go,
Our lot in with Jesus, we were all willing to throw.
Until Jesus said, "There’s a small catch to my generous offer,
The trip’s tough, no turning back," the advice he did proffer.
Two people looked at the track ahead,
Could see the markers, all coloured red.
"Don’t think we can do it," was what they said,
"We’d rather stay in bed, being newly wed!"
"The choice is yours," our guide kindly does cry,
"Maybe another day, you will come back and try,"
As he leads the rest of us on, up into the trees,
"You must try in life, even when there’s no fees."
As we wend our way ever upwards on the path,
Sweating heavily now, would love a cold bath!
The blood red markers were now on every side,
To tree after tree, with love they’d been tied.
This Jesus our guide, is oh so strong,
Always encouraging us to move along,
And when the load is heavy on our backs,
He helps us out, willing to carry our packs.
He shows us all the interesting points along the way,
Has a guidebook, called his ‘Bible’, I heard him say.
Knows all the small birds, twittering from tree to tree,
His oneness with the creation, is just wondrous to see.
For some aren’t used to this mountain climbing lark,
Exercise for them means a leisurely stroll in the park!
Of these ones Jesus takes considerable, extra care,
Before their continual grizzling, gets into our hair!
The tropical rain forest was so lush at the beginning,
But as we progress, the trees they are now thinning,
The further we go, the steeper the track,
Some of us wish, we could now turn back.
But rules are rules, as teachers so often say,
A condition of the trip at the end of the day,
So we all plod on as the going gets harder,
Learning new skills, seeking to be smarter.
Until two of the party hit upon a brilliant idea,
A shortcut ahead, look! There, nothing to fear!
So off they went, full of confidence that they best knew,
More insight than the rest of us, two of the chosen few.
VICTORY continues here
More of David's rhyming offerings at...
A DAVID MUSING
Big news is coming up for us..... In the meantime, we wait. Patience os surely a virtue! For you too? LOL!Until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: ANYTIME
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' d. The dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
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 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