WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?

THE POST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
Again 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

Many of the influential people we have looked at over this period are not known for their openness to spiritual gifts, but as we have seen, and will continue to see today, they did experience the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives, so preparing the way for the Holy Spirit outpouring of the early 20th century.

A J GORDON (1836-1895)

A Baptist pastor in Boston, USA, and founder of Gordon College, his voluminous writings were widely read in the latter 19th century. Gordon authored such works as The Ministry of Healing, The Two-Fold Life and The Ministry of the Holy Spirit. The book titles indicate the leading of the Holy Spirit in his life. One writer described him as "a major figure on the way to Pentecostalism."

Quoting from Hyatt.....

In his work The Two-Fold Life, Gordon declares, "It is still our privilege to pray for the baptism of the Spirit and to tarry in supplication until we be endued with power from on high." In The Ministry of Healing he not only defends divine healing as a ministry of the church, but he also says that even the gifts of tongues and prophecy "do not seem to be confined within the first age of the Church."

DWIGHT L. MOODY (1837-1899) Pictured

The most prominent evangelist of the second half of the 19th century, he experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1871, through the fervent prayers of two women in his church. He describes the experience.....

I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day, in the city of New York—oh, what a day!—I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name. Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years. I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted. I would not be placed back where I was before that blessed experience for all the world—it would be as the small dust of the balance.

While Moody's ministry was not characterized by Holy Spirit manifestations, healing, prophecy and tongues did occur. For example, an astounded Baptist minister testified.....

When I got to the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, Victoria Hall, London, I found the meeting on fire. The young men were speaking with tongues, prophesying. What on earth did it mean? Only that Moody had addressed them that afternoon.

REUBEN A. TORREY (1856-1928)

As Moody's associate and heir apparent, he popularized Moody's doctrine of a subsequent Holy Spirit baptism experience through the Moody Bible Institute and speaking engagements. He disagreed with the Pentecostals of the early 20th century that speaking in tongues was the necessary, initial evidence of Spirit baptism, although agreed it could occur. He wrote.....

It [Spirit baptism] is the impartation of supernatural power or gifts in service, and sometimes one may have rare gifts by the Spirit's power and few graces...The power may be of one kind in one person and of another kind in another person, but there will always be power.

CONCLUSION

As we can see in our journey through the ages, in the same way that the Reformation did not just suddenly happen, but was prepared for by spiritual people of the centuries beforehand, so the Pentecostal Revival of the 20th century had its foundations laid by the Lord in the 18th and 19th centuries, through men and women filled with, and guided by, 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.

(Continued next week)

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FROM THE WORD

THE WORDS OF JESUS continued

The 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.

The Lamp of Your Body (Luke 11:33-6)

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

Six Woes Declared on the Pharisees and Lawyers (Luke 11:37-54)
When Jesus joined them for lunch.

“Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.”
“And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

Jesus Teaches His Disciples and a Great Crowd (Luke 12;1-12)
Of many thousands.

“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

(Continued next week)

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DAVID'S DOODLINGS

ON REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS

163. True repentance is - a godly principle applied.

164. Personal repentance is a verb, not an adjective.

165. True repentance is an action that results in a life changing reaction.

166. Show me one who walks in forgiveness and talks with their wallet, and I will show you a true believer.

167. It is amazing how a sprinkling of forgiveness can calm a raging sea of hurts.

168. Sadly, the human mind subtly subverts the holy, ‘I Am’, into the unholy, ‘I am’!

187. Forgiveness is unique. The more you give the more you get.

188. Forgiveness is the one thing you can have more of by giving it away.


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CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER

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TUESDAY TEACHINGS

THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF... DIVIDING THE WATERS

We commence our look at the crossing of the Red Sea and its application to today's church.

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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. ***

14. CHILD CHILDBIRTH
In Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny was particularly intent when they were telling how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.

Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as if he were ill. "Johnny, what’s the matter?"

Little Johnny replied in an anguished tone, "I have a pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife!"

13. FUNNY HOW….
….$20 looks so big when you take it to church,
but so small when you take it to the mall.

….long it takes to serve God for an hour,
but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of basketball.

….long a couple of hours spent at church are,
but how short they are when watching a movie.

….we can’t think of anything to say when we pray,
but don’t have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.

….we get thrilled when a game goes into extra time,
but we complain when a sermon goes longer than normal.

12. HEAVENLY QUALIFICATIONS
The pastor was talking to a group of young children about believing in Jesus and going to heaven. At the end of his talk he asked confidently, "And where do you want to go?"

"Heaven!" they shouted in unison.

Now on a roll he asked, "And what do you have to be to get there?"

"Dead!" was one boy’s immediate reply.

" 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 ...

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Who were the Buccaneers?

ANSWER: Today, ‘buccaneer’ is simply another word for pirate. Buccaneers started out as hunters on the islands we now know as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their name came from the French word ‘boucan’ (meaning barbecue), as they liked to barbecue their meat on grills. The Buccaneers were driven out by the Spanish in the sixteenth century and to get revenge they teamed up with other persecuted peoples, such as escaped slaves and deserters, and began attacking Spanish ships, particularly those bringing goods to the Spanish American colonies. By the seventeenth century, the word ‘buccaneer’ was used to describe pirates and privateers based in the West Indies. (Do ‘buccaneer businessmen’ have West Indian Tax Havens?)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Which two books in the Bible do not mention God?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

724. LIKE MINDS
The electric chair was invented by a dentist. (Was the dentists chair was invented by an executioner?)

725. EMBARRASSING
Donald Duck comics were once banned in Finland because he didn't wear pants. (My son tells me that when he comes out of a shower, he wraps a towel around him, then just puts on a shirt!)

726. A 'NOT SO FRIENDLY' SPARKLE
Did you know that you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider? (Life is dangerous in the fast lane!)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

DIRECTOR

Answer at the end of A David Musing

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BIBLE FIRSTS

6: What is the first of the beatitudes given by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount?

a. Blessed are the pure in heart
b. Blessed are the poor in spirit
c. Blessed are the meek
d. Blessed are the merciful

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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

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

!!!!!!! A smile is God's cosmetic.

!!!!!! The curve of a smile can set a lot of things straight.

!!!!! An egotist is a person who is me-deep in conversation.

!!!! When an egotist meets another egotist, it's an "I" for an "I". Really, they are both I-sores.

!!! He who fiddles around seldom gets to lead the orchestra.

!! He who throws dirt loses ground.

! Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week.

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JUST JOKES

339. SPELLING POEM
PC Spelling Checkers have become increasingly common and increasingly important... But are they always everything they're supposed to be? Having read this I can now blame a lot of my mistakes on the spell checker!

Spelling Poem

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

338. THE EMERGENCY
To address an emergency call a doctor came to see a rich patient at his home, who was screaming with extreme stomach pain and was surrounded by many anxious relatives. The Doctor kicked all the relatives out of the room, closed the door with patient and he inside.

After a while he came out and asked, "Please give me a pair of scissors." People gave him stainless steel scissors.

He again went inside, closed the door and soon came back. He said, "Please give me a hammer." He got one.

A number of times he repeated the routine of going inside, closing the door and then coming back again for a new tool.

Finally he came outside one more time and asked, "Please give me a screw driver." The oldest son could not stand it any more and lost his patience. In a crying voice he pleaded, "Doctor please tell us what has happened to our dear Dad. Will he live? Could we open his will?"

The doctor said, "No, I don't know yet... I am still trying to open my stupid bag."

337. IN MEMORY OF RODNEY DANGERFIELD (Photo)
Rodney Dangerfield, passed away at UCLA Medical Center, aged 82, but his humor lives on.

When we got married my wife told me I was one in a million. I found out she was right.

I saw my psychiatrist. I told him, "Doc, I keep thinking I'm a dog." He told me to get off his couch.
.
What a childhood I had, why, when I took my first step, my old man tripped me.

Last week I told my psychiatrist, "I keep thinking about suicide." He told me from now on I have to pay in advance.

I know the best way to get girls. I hang out at prisons and wait for parolees.

My doctor told me to watch my drinking. Now I drink in front of a mirror.

And I drink too much, way too much; my doctor drew blood he ran a tab!

One time my whole family played hide and seek. They found my mother in Pittsburgh!

Oh, last week was a rough week. I noticed my gums were shrinking. I was brushing my teeth with Preparation H.

Oh, my wife loves vacations. The other night she told me, "I wanna go someplace I've never been before." I took her to a men's room.

Oh, when I was a kid I was poor. We were so poor, when my father died; they asked my mother, "Paper or plastic?"

You wanna have laughs? Do what I do.

When I go through a tollbooth, I keep going. I tell the guy, "The car behind me is paying for two."

Just have a longer laugh here.

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Brownsville Revival's Steve Hill Dies of Cancer

CBNNews.com

Monday, March 10, 2014

Steve Hill, the evangelist of the Brownsville Revival, passed away at his Alabama home Sunday after fighting a long battle with cancer. He was 60 years old.

"Today, March 9, Steve crossed the finish line. Steve lived every day with eternity in view, today he finally saw it with his own eyes. The Church has lost a general in the faith, heaven has gained a saint," a post on his Facebook ministry page said. "Please remember Jeri, Ryan, Shelby, Kelsey and the family in your prayers."

Hill is best known as one of the leaders of a revival that began on Father's Day in 1995 at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Fla.

A reported 4 million people from 150 countries attended the services, reporting deliverance from drug and alcohol addictions and a fresh desire to preach God's word.

"A great warrior has fallen," Billy Wilson, president of Oral Roberts University, said. "One of the great evangelists of our generation is standing in God's presence today."

"My heart grieves for us, yet, my heart rejoices for Steve-he has made it," he continued. "I have lost a friend, a cheerleader, and a fellow laborer in Christ. We love you, Steve."

DAVID'S DOWNLOAD

A REVELATION OF... PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Find out the meaning for today of this famous parable, as it applies to Christians.

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WAXING LYRICAL

What will the new year bring? Still applicable 5 years later.

2009

Running out of time,
Another year's over,
A lemon or a lime?
It's over Rover!

Can't change the past,
Memories will last.
Of good things done,
Others, not begun.

2009's nearly here
Let us be of good cheer,
And not turn the recession,
Into personal depression.

Money may well be tight,
But there's still light,
Jesus is ever on the throne,
No matter how much we groan.

Come into His presence,
Experience the essence,
Of His grace and glory,
In the heavenly story.

"Rest in my goodness,
With thankfulness,
For I am the Lord,
Me you can afford.

I am always here for you,
Will ever see you through,
You're in the palm of my hand,
With me, forever you'll stand.

Come now and rest in me,
One plus one is three,
My love for you is always free,
Accept it, then you will see.

One day the world will end,
Eternity with me to spend,
But now, come build my kingdom here on earth,
You're my precious pearl, beyond all worth."

More of David's poetry here.....

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A DAVID MUSING

This week, having recovered from opening our new shop and reliving my long lost youth in playing the Country Squire in 'Shakespeare in the Park', I was able to get back to work on 'The Words of Jesus', which the Lord had asked me to do months ago now.

The problem I had had with this was finding a contemporary Bible version that was not copyright, to draw the verses from. I had found one, but it was based on a 100 year old translation that had been 'upgraded' language wise, but which was still not what I really wanted. It is the version I have been using so far in 'From The Word'.

But the Lord's ways are greater than mine! In the time of my 'hiatus' a new, free to use version had been posted on the net, in contemporary English, which I found when looking for the previous version I had used. From next week, you will see it being quoted from, and I am sure you will agree that it presents the words of Jesus in a way that better connects with you and I, living in the 21st Century.

Had I not been delayed, I would not have gained access to this, as I would have already completed the publication! Thank you Lord for your perfect timing. His ways most surely are different to ours!

Okay, it has meant extra work for me, changing all that I have already written, but that is not important in the overall scheme of things. My prayer is that you will find the publication helpful in your walk with Jesus, when it is finally finished.

So until next week.....

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: CREDITOR

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' a. The widow's son (Luke 7:13-15)

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 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