WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?

THE CHURCH AS PROCLAIMED BY PAUL - Part 2

Paul was continually led by the Holy Spirit throughout his life and ministry. For example.....

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6-10)

And again.....

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. (Acts 18:9-11)

Paul was insistent that water baptism must also be accompanied by that of the Holy Spirit.....

Paul in Ephesus

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:1-7)

He followed the Spirit's leading, even when he knew it would lead to hardship.....

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24)

Even when the danger was confirmed by others operating in the Holy Spirit too.....

10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” (Acts 21:10-15)

The Lord encouraged him in his hardship.....

11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:11)

Miracles accompanied him all the way, even when he was shipwrecked on the way to Rome.....

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. (Acts 28:1-6)

Holy Spirit power permeated his preaching.....

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Paul sums up well, the need for the Holy Spirit's power and guidance in living the Christian life.....

Wisdom From the Spirit

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” — 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)

Again, the life of Paul also shows.....

THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS ARE ONES WHO ARE OBEDIENT TO THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THEIR LIVES.

(Series to be continued next week.)

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FROM THE WORD

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

"We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship." (Acts 20:13-38)

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

Wisdom From the Spirit

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16)

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DAVID'S DOODLINGS

KNOWING GOD

351. The more I discover about God the more I realise there is to know.

352. The closer I get to God, the more I realise how big He is and how small I am.

353. While God graciously accepts me as I am, His desire is for me to become more like Him.

354. When God moves, the results are beyond our imagination. Why then do we try and do His work ourselves?

811. Sanctification is 'the means', holiness 'the end'.

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CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER

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TUESDAY TEACHINGS

THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF...
THE SEVEN REVELATIONS OF THE LAMB - Part 3

That Jesus came as the fulfilment of the Feast of Passover, where the blood of the lamb was placed on the door-post to provide protection against the angel of death, is generally well understood in the church today.

It is at the very heart of our faith. We will see what happened.

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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. ***

774. KIDS TEST
Can you imagine yourself to be the nun that is sitting at her desk grading these papers all the while trying to keep a straight face and maintain her composure!

PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE WORDING AND SPELLING.

IF YOU KNOW THE BIBLE EVEN A LITTLE, YOU'LL FIND THIS HILARIOUS!

IT COMES FROM A CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEST. KIDS WERE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ABOUT THE BIBLE WERE WRITTEN BY CHILDREN.

THEY HAVE NOT BEEN RETOUCHED OR CORRECTED. INCORRECT SPELLING HAS BEEN LEFT IN.

1. IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS. GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.

2. ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AND ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.

3. LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.

4. THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.

5. SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIMSELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.

6. SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.

7. MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS

8, THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT.

AFTERWARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

9. THE FIRST COMMANDMENTS WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.

10. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.

773. ANGELS EXPLAINED BY CHILDREN
I only know the names of two angels. Hark and Harold. Gregory, 5

Everybody's got it all wrong. Angels don't wear halos anymore. I forget why, but scientists are working on it. Olive, 9

It's not easy to become an angel! First, you die. Then you go to heaven, and then there's still the flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes. Matthew, 9

Angels work for God and watch over kids when God has to go do something else. Mitchell, 7

My guardian angel helps me with math, but he's not much good for science. Henry, 8

Angels don't eat, but they drink milk from Holy Cows!!! Jack, 6

Angels talk all the way while they're flying you up to heaven. The main subject is where you went wrong before you got dead. Daniel, 9

When an angel gets mad, he takes a deep breath and counts to ten. And when he lets out his breath, somewhere there's a tornado. Reagan, 10

Angels have a lot to do and they keep very busy. If you lose a tooth, an angel comes in through your window and leaves money under your pillow. Then when it gets cold, angels go north for the winter. Sara, 6

Angels live in cloud houses made by God and his son, who's a very good carpenter. Jared, 8

All angels are girls because they gotta wear dresses and boys didn't go for it. Antonio, 9

My angel is my grandma who died last year. She got a big head start on helping me while she was still down here on earth. Katelynn, 9

Some of the angels are in charge of helping heal sick animals and pets. And if they don't make the animals get better, they help the child get over it. Vicki, 8

What I don't get about angels is why, when someone is in love, they shoot arrows at them. Sarah, 7

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What do cats, camels, and giraffes have in common?

ANSWER: Cats, like camels and giraffes, walk by moving their front and hind legs on one side, then the front and hind legs on the other side. When most other animals move, the front leg on one side and the hind leg on the other move together. (Having only two legs makes decision making so much easier.)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: How can birds sit on electric wires without being injured?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

832. A LOT OF WORK
The first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary was published in 1884. (Did the word ‘dictionary’ exist before the first one was compiled?)

833. CAT NAP
There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds. (Officially! Lots of others round our place!)

834. DRIVE ON THE LEFT?
Comes down to keeping your sword hand ready for fighting. In the days before cars, people tended to keep to their left when passing others on the road in order to be in the best position to defend themselves. (They were living in a feudal society; they had to be careful!) Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left so that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him. This practice was made official in a Papal Edict by Pope Benefice around 1300 AD. The Pope told all his pilgrims to keep to the left. In 1773, the UK government introduced the General Highways Act of 1773 to deal with the increase in horse traffic on the roads. The government recommended everyone keep to the left. In 1835, they made it an actual law. (Left it enacted until today.)

835. Drive on the Right?
Blame it on France. During the period of the French Revolution, the French began to drive on the right. Some say it was just part of the country's sweeping social reforms. Others blame it on the left-handed Napoleon. One explanation is that the French aristocracy drove their carriages at great speed on the left-hand side of the road, forcing the peasants over to the right side for their own safety. When the revolution started, the aristocrats joined the peasants on the right side as a matter of self-preservation. The first official record of this was a keep-right rule introduced in Paris in 1794. When the Americans were severing ties with the British, they adopted the keep-right policy of the French. Today, only about a quarter of the world drives on the left and they live mostly in countries that once made up the British Empire. (So the British are right, on the left!)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

ALUMNA

Answer at the end of A David Musing

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66 BOOKS... 66 QUESTIONS

64: 3 John: Who is named as refusing to acknowledge John's authority and talking wicked nonsense?

a. Fortunatus
b. Antipas
c. Linus
d. Diotrephes

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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

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

!!!!!!! Some bankers are generous to a vault.

!!!!!! Is a hypocrite someone who writes a book on atheism and prays it will sell?

!!!!! If God *really* wanted us to use the metric system, there would have been ten disciples.

!!!! I actually have too much will power. It's won't power that's in short supply.

!!! Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I say it I'm compelled to wash my mouth out with chocolate.

!! I pawned my chess set.

! My wife and I met at the hospital. We both had kidney stones. You could say we met in passing.

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JUST JOKES!

Aussie baiting week! Sorry Aussies. Love you really!

299. CAUGHT OUT
Ernie had an awful day fishing, sitting on the lake all day without a single bite. On his way home, he stopped at the supermarket and ordered four walleye. He told the fish salesman, "Pick out the four largest ones and throw them at me, will you?" "Ok. But, why do you want me to throw them at you?" "Because I want to tell my wife that I caught them."

298. FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Two friends lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were sick of winter, so they went to a travel agent and booked a trip to Australia.

When the two friends got off the plane - still dressed for Canadian winter weather - they wandered into a pub and sat down. The locals wondered about these strangers, so one of the Aussies walked over to the visitors and said, "G'day, mates. Where're you from?"

"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan," one of the Canadians replied.

"Ahhhh," said the Aussie, returning to his table.

"So where are they from?" the other locals asked.

"Don't know, mate," replied the Aussie. "They don't speak English."

297. GETTING READY
During the Super Bowl, there was another football game of note between the big animals and the small animals. The big animals were crushing small animals and at half-time, the coach made a passionate speech to rally the little animals.

At the start of the second half the big animals had the ball. The first play, the elephant got stopped for no gain. The second play, the rhino was stopped for
no gain. On third down, the hippo was thrown for a 5 yard loss.

The defense huddled around the coach and he asked excitedly, "Who stopped the elephant?"

"I did," said the centipede.

"Who stopped the rhino?"

"Uh, that was me too," said the centipede.

"And how about the hippo? Who hit him for a 5 yard loss?"

"Well, that was me as well," said the centipede.

"So where were you during the first half?" demanded the coach.

"Well," said the centipede, "I was having my ankles taped."

296. THE VISITOR
A Swiss guy visited Sydney, Australia, and pulled up at a bus stop where two locals were waiting.

"Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?" he asked. The two Aussies just stared at him.

"Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?" he tried. The two continued to stare.

"Parlare Italiano?" Other than a glance at each other, there was still no response.

"Hablan ustedes Espanol?" Still nothing.

The Swiss guy gave up and drove off, extremely disgusted. When he was gone, the first Aussie turned to the second and said, "Y'know, maybe we should learn a foreign language."
"Why?" the other replied. "That guy knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good."

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BIBLE TRIVIA (About The Bible)

THE OLD TESTAMENTS.....

..... first 5 books (the Pentateuch) were already considered authoritative Scripture by Ezra's time in the 5th century BC. The other books were recognized as part of the Old Testament at later times.

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

Historic Non-Stop Prayer Sweeps Muslim Indonesia

CBN News

BOGOR, Indonesia -- A powerful prayer movement is rising in the world's largest Muslim nation. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Indonesian Christians intercede for their country.

It was a scene never witnessed before in Indonesia's history.

"I don't know another nation on earth like Indonesia where the church has become so passionate and united in prayer," Tom Victor, with the American-based Great Commission Coalition, said.

A Worldwide Prayer Call

Last year, more than 9,000 Christians from around the world descended on the Indonesian archipelago for a massive prayer gathering led by scores of Indonesian churches united to see the name of Jesus Christ lifted.

Dr. Bambang Widjaya was a key architect of the event.

"We can see the zeal, not only among the evangelical or Pentecostals, but also in the mainline churches and Catholic that we need to spread the Good News of Christ all over the country," Widjaya said.

Global prayer leaders were amazed at the Indonesian believers' unity in praying for their country and the world.

"I just think the Father is looking out on the corridors of heaven and he's saying, 'Hey, Jesus, come here. Look! Look! Look down at Indonesia," Victor exclaimed. "Hey, they are really loving each other, they are getting it, and they are fulfilling your prayer. Hey, watch this."

"And he's blowing [His Holy Spirit across the country] and everything is going to a new dimension, something we don't understand in the natural," he continued. "There's favor, there's faith, there's grace and they are transforming a nation."

Twenty-Four Hour Prayer

It's a spiritual transformation that Christians here say is bathed in 24-hour prayer.

Thirty miles outside the sprawling capital city Jakarta sits a multi-story building that serves as a prayer tower for around-the-clock intercession.

"Twenty-four hours a day we are praying for churches in Indonesia, all the pastors and lay leaders. There's not a single hour or day that goes by without prayers lifted up for our country," Jeffrey Petrus said.

Petrus is caretaker of the prayer tower. For 12 years this simple room with several bunk beds has been his home away from home.

"We take shifts of four hours a day. When people get tired, they come in here, take a short rest on one of the bunk beds, then back to praying," he said.

Dedi Purwanto works with Petrus as a prayer leader. He said the prayer rooms are packed with people at all hours of the day.

Purwanto believes the prayers lifted from this place and other sites across Indonesia are shaking the spiritual foundations of his nation.

"There is power when hundreds of thousands of believers meet in either small prayer groups, houses of prayer, or prayer towers like this one," Purwanto said.

World's Largest Muslim Population

Nearly 13 percent of the globe's Muslims live in Indonesia, making the island nation home to the world's largest Muslim population.

Located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans in Southeast Asia, Indonesia boasts a thriving economy and is one of the key political power houses in the region.

"For years we've been praying for our government, the media, and young people. We've also prayed for better relations between Christians and Muslims. God is answering those prayers," Petrus said.

And Christianity is growing despite the occasional reports of Muslim harassment.

Christians credit the massive prayer movement that's connecting some 500 Indonesian cities with more than 5 million intercessors with giving them a deeper passion to see the nation and the world won for Jesus.

"I do believe that there is power in prayer, especially in united prayer, like the body of Christ like this," Rev. Daniel Pandji, who heads up Indonesia's National Prayer Network, said.

In an unprecedented show of unity, Christians filled the country's national stadium last year, with millions more watching on television, as they pledged to reach every village, town, and city in Indonesia with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"All of the churches here in Indonesia believe that Jesus is the only answer for the country," Dr. Widjaya said.

Back at the prayer tower, Petrus and his faithful prayer warriors are on their knees.

"Day and night, weekends and holidays, we'll be here crying out to God for our country and the world," he said. "This is our calling to be the watchmen on the walls of Indonesia."

George Thomas

Via: OpenHeaven.com

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WAXING LYRICAL

Another Bowentown adventure. It is amazing how the Lord communicates with you
when you are genuinely seeking Him. I am one of those strange people who enjoys
running – well, most of the time anyway. This poem shows how the Lord is not 2000
years behind the times, but communicates with us in ways that are relevant to our
circumstances and life.

ON THE RUN

Running down the beach, exhausted I was feeling,
Reaching the end, before long I would be keeling.
So I stopped, taking some time to look around,
It was perfect, sea beaten rocks there did abound.

Stark cliffs, forcefully thrusting through the sand,
So powerful there, showing God’s mighty hand.
But from wee crags, big trees were able to grow,
A loving God too, one who we can get to know.

I sat down on a rock to rest my weary legs,
The water is close by, my attention it begs.
As I watched the meandering of the sea
The Lord said, "It has a meaning for thee."

So I looked through the rocks at the lip of a wave,
Rolling gently towards me, as though through a cave.
"Was the tide going out or was it coming in?"
"It could it be the Spirit", I thought with a grin.

I watched the waves, resting on my perch of ease,
Flitting in, sliding out, look at us! they did tease.
"What is it Lord, you’re trying to show me here?"
"Bide your time, my son, no need to shed a tear."

Patiently I waited as the waves lapped on the beach,
The Lord had a lesson, me he was trying to teach.
Yes, the tides coming in – no, maybe it’s going out,
My decision making process, churned all about.

I can see it now, for the water’s coming close,
An answer revealed, before I become morose!
"But what does it mean Lord, please reveal it to me,
This incoming tide, the meandering of your sea."

"Now I have your full attention, the time is here,
For in the right direction, you I will now steer.
The waves are those of My Spirit, my son,
With the tides of life, in and out, they do run."

Yes now I see, how the waves ebb and flow,
Like moves of the Spirit, they come and they go.
But the longer I sat, the more persistent they became,
Greatly increased in power, it was no longer a game.

The Lord said, "This is what happened, over the times,
For My Spirit is always with Me, He perfectly rhymes.
My Spirit’s tide was out, for many hundreds of years,
But now is coming in, will put to rest, man’s fears."

Concludes here.....

http://wwj.org.nz/waxing.php?poemId=00008

A DAVID MUSING

Waiting continues.....

..... then - out of the blue - a phone call!

Will the waiting soon be over? For me? For you?

Until next week.....

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: MANUAL

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' d. Diotrephes (3 John 1:9-10)

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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 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!

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