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: 645 Published: 24 Feb 2014
WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?
THE POST APOSTOLIC CHURCHAgain I acknowledge that much of the material that follows is drawn from the excellent publication by Eddie L. Hyatt, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity. For specific references to the writings quoted, please refer to that publication.
We now move on to the post-Reformation eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
1700-1900
EDWARD IRVING AND THE CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH
Edward Irving ((1792-1834) a Scottish native, received an MA, aged 16, and was ordained in the Church of Scotland in 1822. A powerful preacher, moving to London, he took the pastorate of the Caledonian Chapel where he attracted large and influential crowds.
GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
In 1827, Irving preached a sermon series on baptism, referring to Acts 2:38 - repent and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This was to be for today too! This was developed alongside the doctrine of Incarnation (Christ had taken on human sinfulness but triumphed over it through Holy Spirit power), a doctrine at odds with the church teaching of the time. Commenting on ongoing spiritual gifts he said.....
If they ask for an explanation of the fact that these powers have ceased in the Church, I answer, that they have decayed just as faith and holiness have decayed; but that they have ceased is not a matter so clear. Till the time of the Reformation, this opinion was never mooted in the Church; and to this day the Roman Catholics, and every other portion of the Church but ourselves, maintain the very contrary.
A CHARISMATIC OUTBREAK IN SCOTLAND.
At the same time, a charismatic outbreak was occurring in the Gareloch and Port Glasgow regions of western Scotland. In the town of Fernicarry, a young lady, Mary Campbell, lay dying of TB. On March 28, 1830, while praying with her sister and a friend, the Holy Spirit came on her with power, as later quoted by Edward Irving .....
... and constrained her to speak at great length, and with superhuman strength, in an unknown tongue, to the great astonishment of all who heard, and to her own great edification and enjoyment in God.
Concurrently, in the Port Glasgow area, prayer meetings were being held, praying for a restoration of spiritual gifts. In April 1830, James McDonald had a spiritual experience he identified as Holy Spirit baptism. A few moments later, he went to his sister Margaret's room, who was near death and commanded her to rise from her bed. She did so, miraculously healed!
James then felt led to write a letter to Mary Campbell, with whom he and his family were acquainted. Telling her of Margaret's healing he commanded her to arise as well. Mary did so and later wrote...
...a power which no words can describe; it was felt to be indeed the voice of Christ... I was verily made in a moment to stand upon my feet, leap and walk, sing and rejoice.
A few evenings later, on 18 April, 1830, both James and his brother spoke in tongues for the first time. The next night they again spoke, and interpreted also. The first (and very appropriate) interpretation was.....
"Behold! He cometh—Jesus cometh!"
Stirring the whole area, these events became known far and wide, and people came to visit the McDonald house from England and Ireland, as well as Scotland.
Quoting directly from Hyatt.....
Irving received the reports of these events with a mix of excitement and caution. "I felt it to be a matter of too great concern to yield up my faith to anything but the clearest evidence."5 He realized that if true, "it would revolutionize the Church and make such an upturning as the world had not seen."6 After discussing the events with eyewitnesses, including members of his own church, and interviewing the Spirit-baptized ones themselves, Irving concluded that this, indeed, was a genuine work of the Holy Spirit.
So we can continue to say.....
THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS ARE ONES WHO ARE OBEDIENT TO THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THEIR LIVES.
(This section to be continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS continuedThe Lord has asked me to compile a publication of the words Jesus spoke, as recorded in the New Testament in chronological order. I have got about halfway, and have found it very enlightening and encouraging in my relationship with Him. The final version will have changes of layout and version used, but this is a foretaste of things to come. Of course, it is not a Bible substitute! I Hope you find it helpful too, in your walk with Jesus.
Jesus Heals a Man Blind Since Birth (John 9:1-12)
The disciples asked why he was blind.
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,†said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.â€
“Go,†“wash in the Pool of Siloam†(Pictured)
Jesus Finds the Excommunicated Blind Man (John 9:9:13-41)
Jesus speaks to the man and then the Pharisees.
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?â€
“You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.â€
“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.â€
“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18)
Jesus continued. The Pharisees could not accept.
“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.†“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.â€
(Continued next week)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
GENERAL873. To 'win' God we must first 'lose' ourselves.
1076. A dose of adversity is the best treatment for a swollen ego.
1272. Practice makes 'less imperfect'.
1275. We can make a world of difference by being different to the world.
1276. For Christ, the world is won one by one!
1312. Theology is based on knowledge while understanding is grounded in relationship.
1313. Our best sermon is our life.
1314. Sadly, many Christians are more concerned about the Bible version you read than the Bible you live!
1316. It is great to LOVE the Word, but it is God's desire for us to LIVE the Word. What a difference a letter makes!
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CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: REVELATIONS REVELATION! continuesWe will consider the promises made to overcomers in the next 2 churches, those in Pergamum and Thyatira.
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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. ***
852. 12 REASONS WHY A PASTOR QUIT ATTENDING SPORTING EVENTS
1. The coach never came to visit me.
2. Every time I went, they asked for money.
3. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly.
4. The seats were very hard.
5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with.
6. I was sitting with hypocrites—they only came to see what others were wearing!
7. Some games went into overtime and I was late getting home.
8. The band played some songs I had never heard before.
9. The games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands.
10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches, anyway.
12. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.
3. SUNDAY SAVINGS
Johnny (It’s okay all you Johnny’s – don’t be offended - John is my second name too!) came skipping into the house with a big ‘all day sucker’ in his mouth. "Where did you get it? his mother asked."
"I bought it with the dollar you gave me."
"But the dollar I gave you was for Sunday School!"
"I know mum, but the minister met me at the door and let me in for free!"
2. MODERN DAY RELIGION
A teacher asked her students to draw a picture of their favourite Old Testament story. Moving around the class she saw many beautiful and moving drawings. Then she came to Johnny (why is it always Johnny?) and saw his picture of a man driving an old car.
"It’s a lovely picture Johnny, but what is the story?"
It’s simple, Miss, "Doesn’t it say in the Bible that God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden!"
" 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: Which three of the United States are not states? Why?ANSWER: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Virginia are not states. They are all commonwealths. (Must be common, not stately?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Why isn't Puerto Rico on the list of countries?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS 736. GENDER DIFFERENCES
Women blink nearly twice as much as men. (Thought it was women who caused men to blink!)
737. BEHIND THE TIMES
The Russian ‘October Revolution’ was actually in November our time, as the Russian Calendar was 13 days behind most of the rest of the world. (Their revolutionary ideas were too.)
738. CATS RULE
Catgut actually comes from sheep and horses. (Cats only produce condescension.)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
SEVERED
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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BIBLE FIRSTS
Returns next week.Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""FROM ALBERT EINSTEIN
Albert Einstein was selected "Man of the Century" by Time Magazine for his Theory of Relativity. Here is some of his "down-to-earth" wit and wisdom:
!!!!!!! If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies.
!!!!!! Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe.
!!!!! Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.
We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
!!!! A + B + C = Success if, A = Hard Work, B = Hard Play, C = Keeping your mouth shut.
!!! The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.
!! Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit next to a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.
! Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
LIFE'S A LAUGH
91. THE BOSSThe Head of The Church of Humor is the Puntiff.
92. DEFINITIONS
Antacid: Uncle Acid's wife.
Antelope: How she married my Uncle.
Arbitrator: A cook that leaves Arby's to work at McDonald's.
Avoidable: What a bullfighter tries to do.
Baloney: Where some hemlines fall.
Bernadette: The act of torching a mortgage.
Bottom: What the shopper did when she found the shoes that she wanted.
Bucktooth: The going rate for the tooth fairy.
Burglarize: What a crook sees with.
93. REVENGE
Frogs have it easy; they can eat what bugs them.
94. THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT
Bert has this friend who always seemed to lean slightly to the left all the time. It used to bother him, so he suggested his buddy Louie should see a doctor, and have his legs checked out.
For years, Louie refused... told Bert he was crazy. Last week, Louie finally went, and sure enough, the doctor discovered his left leg was 1/4" shorter than his right.
A quick bit of orthopedic surgery later, Louie was cured, and both legs are exactly the same length now, and he no longer leans.
"So," Bert says, "You didn't believe me when I told you a doctor could fix your leg."
Louie just looked at Bert and said, "I stand corrected."
95. OF ZERO AND NOTHINGNESS
A man was passing a small courtyard and heard voices murmuring.
He went in and saw an altar with a large zero in the middle and a banner that said 'NIL.' White-robed people were kneeling before the altar chanting hymns to The Great Nullity and The Blessed Emptiness.
The man turned to a white-robed observer beside him and asked, "Is Nothing Sacred?"
96. OOPS!
A preacher was called upon to substitute for the regular minister, who had failed to reach the church because he was delayed in a snowstorm. The speaker began by explaining the meaning of substitute.
"If you break a window," he said, "and then place cardboard there instead, that is a substitute."
After the sermon, a woman who had listened intently shook hands with him and wishing to compliment him actually said, "You were no substitute. You were a real pane."
Groan more right here.....
How the World's Top 10 Countries Search the Bible Differently
Are pastors preaching Paul too much and Old Testament too little? Leading Bible website analyzes top verses searched by millions worldwide.Kate Tracy
Which Bible verses are searched for most often in the world's 10 most populous countries? Psalm 23, Genesis 1, and 1 Corinthians 13, according to the world's leading Bible website.
Yet China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Russia, and Japan each search the Bible differently, according to a new study of 2013 visits to BibleGateway.com in conjunction with GMI. [Infographic below]
Psalm 23 appeared in the top five searches in nine of the 10 countries, followed closely by Genesis 1 in eight of the 10, and 1 Corinthians 13 in seven of the 10. When looking for a book of the Bible, people begin at the beginning: "Chapter 1" appears in more than 30 percent of Bible Gateway's searches. (CT previously reported that John 3:16 topped the list of searches for individual verses in 2013.)
Two of the four "implications of the search for truth" noted in the study: Are pastors and missionaries preaching too much from Paul? Too little from the Old Testament?
The leading Bible website reports that 92 percent of the world—from 242 countries or territories—spent more than 76 million hours in 2013 "searching, reading, studying, comparing, and sharing the Bible in their own languages." Almost one-third of the site's came from outside the United States.
The only overlap between the top 10 countries that visitors came from—the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Philippines, Colombia, Singapore, and South Africa—and the 10 most populous countries was the United States.
And even though John 3:16 took first in the list of searches for an individual verse, it only appears in four of the 10 most populous countries' top five searches: the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and India.
While passages from the Psalms appeared in all 10 of the most populous countries' top five searches, they account for three of the top five searches in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. The Old Testament rounded out all five of the top spots in Nigeria and Pakistan, while 1 Cor. 13 was the only New Testament passage to reach the top five in Bangladesh.
Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh rank No. 8, No. 14, and No. 48 respectively on Open Doors' World Watch List. The Pew Research Center also ranked the most populous countries and their levels of religious hostility.
Bible Gateway and GMI also reported on specific words people in the most populous countries are seeking: "guidance," "God," "comfort," "the word," "hope," "strength," "identity," "the beginning," "refuge," "mercy," and "love."
Just three search words—love, hope and strength—overlapped with the list of top 10 topical keywords searched last year.
CT has previously noted the Bible verses YouVersion shared most in 2013, as well as how the top 100 searching cities in the U.S. compare to the top 100 believing cities.
Source: http://www.christianitytoday.com
DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF... THE CHARACTER OF GODUnderstanding God takes more than a lifetime! Through into eternity. Even then, I suspect he may come up with a surprise or two! But this simple revelation may help you understand Him better, as it has helped me.
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WAXING LYRICAL
Busyness and creativity are not good bedmates. But I tried!CREATIVE!
Would like to write a poem
to express my creative side,
But first you need to 'knowem'
To be imaginative inside.
But that is just a struggle,
as with busyness I juggle.
So this offering will be very short,
Even though I have lot's to report.
Maybe next week I will have more time,
Time for the jingling bells to chime.
But then again, the weeks may be two,
Slipping both feet into a single shoe.
Or maybe three, or even four,
as we open, our new store,
Enough of this trash,
Now I must dash!
See you again soon,
Is what I croon,
Goodbye for now,
Don't be sour,
Still can smile,
Go extra mile.
Do wend,
The end!
More of David's poetry here.....
A DAVID MUSING
As expected - finally - late in the week - both the clothing and computer arrived and are now being 'operated' on.This newsletter is being written upon my 'old favourite' (but now highly modified), computer. Thank you David.
The clothing is now being hung, sorted, and will soon be priced, for our shop's opening on Friday. A hugely busy week has already started! Got up at 5:30am to come to work to write this PGIM before embarking on shop work! Hopefully not too many mistakes!
Catch up with you again next week, expectantly with good news of our opening.
So until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: DESERVE
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' Returns Next Week
REPRODUCTION OF NEWSLETTER CONTENT
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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