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: 733 Published: 16 Nov 2015
CHRISTIANITY - A CULTURE, ORGANISATION, OR A RELATIONSHIP?
I want to tell you about 2 experiences I have had with seminaries that have really witnessed to me.In the first, I was in Ethiopia and was invited to speak at the national Lutheran Seminary.
It was an amazing experience, as when I shared about the Tabernacle of Moses the Holy Spirit turned up in power, which was amazing for a the Lutheran denomination.
I spoke on the furniture of the Tabernacle and explained how it represented the progression through our personal lives and the development of the church. Through the gate and in the Outer Court were 2 items of furniture. the Alter representing salvation through Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, and the Washing Basin, speaking of the washing of the Word and baptism.
After the amazing session, one of the students came up to me and said that, in Lutheran theology, the Washing Basin was outside the Tabernacle gate.
It took me a moment to understand what he was meaning. For he was talking about infant baptism, where the children are baptized at birth before being able to make their own commitment to Jesus through Confirmation. (Also unbiblical)
All I could say to him was, "that is not what Scripture says."
We twist theology to fit in with our background and beliefs, rather than what Scripture says.
The second situation was in Benin City, Nigeria. I conducted a seminar over 2 or three days and some Doctors of Theology from a local Bible School attended. When I first started they were very skeptical, but as time went on they were convicted by the Holy Spirit, and entered fully. Afterwards, (and this is not the only time I have had this experience) one of the DrTh's came up to me and said, "I have studied and taught theology all my life, but this is the first time I have understood what it (Jesus) is all about."
Yes, we get so entranced in the details of our theology, that we lose the simple truth of Jesus. We then argue and separate from those who don't agree with our interpretation. In reality, most of us study about the Bible through Books, TV and seminars, etc., instead of studying the Bible for ourselves, letting Jesus reveal Himself to us through it.
Sadly, this preoccupation with theology applies to church appointments of pastors, ministers, etc. Without a theological qualification it is virtually impossible to get a ministerial position, irrespective of the calling on one's life. Incredibly, even in Pentecostal churches that are meant to be led by the Holy Spirit where people are supposedly called through spiritual gifts given by Christ.....
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12)
I will not quote individual cases, although I well know of those who have been appointed to positions solely through qualifications and have been spectacular failures. Basic understanding of the principles of Jesus is of course necessary for leadership, but a formal theological degree or diploma does not necessarily indicate, as my Nigerian experience shows, a personal relationship and understanding of Jesus. The church has embraced the educational system of the world.
Let us get back to the Bible.
Continued next week.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUSMay we hear what the Lord is saying to us.
Peter’s Question (Luke 12:41-48)
Is this parable for us or for everyone?
“Who then is the trustworthy and wise manager, the one person in the household that the master puts in charge to share out their food at the right time? It will be good for that servant when his master returns and finds him doing what he should. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of everything. But what if the servant were to say to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and then starts beating the other servants, both men and women, feasting and getting drunk? That servant’s master will return unexpectedly one day at a time he wasn’t aware of, and will punish him severely, treating him as totally untrustworthy.
“That servant who knew what his master wanted and yet didn’t get ready or follow his instructions, will be beaten severely; but the servant who didn’t know and did things deserving punishment will be beaten only lightly. From those who are given much, much will be required, and from those who are entrusted with more, more will be demanded.
Bringing Division, Not Peace (Luke 12:49-53)
I have come to set the earth on fire, and I really wish it was already burning! But I have a baptism to go through, and I’m in agony, wishing it was over! Do you think that I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, I bring division. From now on, if there are five in a family, they will be divided against each other: three against two, and two against three. They will be divided against each other—father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.â€
The Times Interpreted (Luke 12:54-59)
Now speaking to the crowd.
“When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘a rainshower’s coming,’ and it happens. When a south wind blows, you say ‘it’s going to be hot,’ and it is. You hypocrites, how is it that you know how to rightly interpret the weather but you don’t know how to interpret the present time? Why don’t you think for yourselves and judge what’s right? As you go with your accuser to the magistrate, on the way you should be working on a settlement. Otherwise you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you won’t get out until you’ve paid the last penny.â€
(Continued next week.)
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'THE WORDS OF JESUS' NOW AVAILABLE FOR PDF DOWNLOAD
Join the many who have downloaded the 'The Words of Jesus'. I am sure you will be blessed by it, as I have been.One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lord's words drawn from all the Gospels, and the elimination of repetition between Gospels.
You may be surprised by the different perspective this presentation gives you both in understanding of His life and ministry, and in achieving a closer relationship with Him.
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
DARKNESS AND LIGHT408. The only way to turn off darkness is to switch on the light.
409. The laws of both Nature and the Spirit reveal that light will always penetrate darkness.
410. Most people try to switch off darkness when in reality, they need to turn on the light.
411. There is nowhere so dark that it cannot be penetrated by light.
412. So often we don't appreciate the true value of light until we find ourselves in darkness.
413. Light doesn't shine brightly through a dirty window.
414. We must pull back the curtains to let light shine into the room of our life.
415. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. The one will always mingle with the other.
416. There must always be a barrier to separate light and darkness.
417. There are only two ways to turn light into darkness - building walls to exclude the light, or turning the light off at its source. The second is by far the easiest.
1276. For the darker the darkness, the brighter the light will be seen that shines within it.
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CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK:SERMON ON THE MOUNT continues.......... as we look at purity, the hardest beatitude to achieve but the one with the greatest promise, and peacemaking.
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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. ***
249. LETTER FROM GOD
One day God sent one of His angels to earth to see how things were going. The angel came back and reported to God that things were very bad and very few people seemed to even want to live a godly life. God decided he had better send another angel for a second opinion. After a short time that angel came back with the same report.
So God decided that he would send a letter to each of the people that he felt were truly willing to serve Him and encourage them to keep the faith and continue to strive in the midst of evil.
Do you know what was in that letter?
No? Oh sorry, I guess you didn't get one.
248. PIPE ORGAN
A local church built a new sanctuary. They moved their very fine old pipe organ from to the new sanctuary. It was an intricate task that was completed successfully.
The local news heralded . . . "St. Paul Completes Organ Transplant."
247. NEVER HEARD IN CHURCH
10) "Hey, mister, get up! It's my turn to sit on the front seat!"
9) "Pastor, I was so blessed that I didn't even notice the service went over time by 35 minutes!"
8) "You know, I enjoy coming to Sunday School so much more fun than going fishing on Sunday."
7) "Oh, good! We have another missionary with us today!"
6) "Pastor, I'd like to volunteer to be the permanent teacher for the junior high Sunday School class."
5) "Yes, I would so appreciate having the opportunity to serve on the clean-up committee!"
4) "I just love singing choruses I've never heard before."
3) "Well, it seems the sanctuary is already filled, so let's just start the service early."
2) "Pastor, we would like to send you to the month-long Bible seminar on Maui."
And the number one statement never heard in church is:
1) "Nothing inspires me like the annual stewardship campaign!"
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FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Why do we call twins who are attached to each other physically, ‘Siamese twins’?ANSWER: We call physically-attached twins ‘Siamese twins’ because of a famous pair of twins in the 1800s who were actually from Siam. Chang and Eng, brothers attached at the chest, were brought to the US by famous circus promoter P.T. Barnum. They eventually married Sarah and Adelaide, unattached sisters, and had 22 children between them. They died in 1874, within hours of each other. If they had lived in the twenty-first century instead of the nineteenth, they most likely would have been surgically separated. (Would they have been happier though?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it possible for twins to have different fathers?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS 477. BABY FARMING
On August 12, 1895, Minnie Dean became the first woman to be hanged in New Zealand. Her crime was "baby farming." She would adopt unwanted babies for a certain fee and then dispose of them, a "service" she began in 1889. The police caught on to Minnie after six years and found her to be most certainly guilty when they dug up three bodies of infants in her flower garden. (Since then we have taken to farming 40 million - was once 70 million - sheep and 10 million cattle, between only 4 million people.)
478. NO SHEEP PLEASE
Oxford University requires all members upon admission to the Bodleian Library to read aloud a pledge that includes an agreement to not "kindle therein any fire or flame." Regulations also prohibit readers bringing sheep into the library. (An island of quaintness in an ocean of practicality.)
479. NO FLASH
It is forbidden to take photographs at a Quaker wedding. (Memories to remember - in the memory.)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
STREAMED
Answer at the end of A David Musing
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AN AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
From the village outside Kisii I moved on to the town of Kimilili.There I had meetings for 2-3 days with pastors and leaders of various churches. Not a large gathering, 30-50 from memory. But very receptive.
I have discovered throughout this trip that numbers are not everything. For you can minister more intensively and personally to a smaller gathering. Unlike traditional church views, where numbers, be it attendees or conversions, are all important, the kingdom is spread through God's revelation to individuals, for the kingdom is within.
I have previously experienced situations where numbers of attendees and conversions on ministry trips have been greatly exaggerated for the people back home. However, this is not the way of the kingdom - nor should it be of the church!
What has come back in feedback in addition to desiring to enter the Holy of Holies, has been the importance of pastors and leaders not putting themselves above the people, through, dress, seating, pulpits, etc..
I gave a CD of my publications to the couple I was staying with. Jarad put the CD on his laptop. Finding the first publications, he exclaimed, "Did you write that?!" For he had already downloaded the publication from elsewhere before even hearing of me. A great surprise and satisfaction that just maybe, the teachings are being distributed on the net!
Altogether a most interesting introduction to Cleopas and the people. I look forward to returning one day.
Photo is of Kimilili Market, which we visited.
(Continued next week.)
WHICH BOOK?
In which Gospel is this account found?9: Coin in the Fish's Mouth?
a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John
Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""THOUGHTS FROM STEVEN WRIGHT
1 - I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
2 - Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
3 - Half the people you know are below average.
4 - 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5 - 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
7 - A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
JUST JOKES
246. I KNOW IT IS EARLY...I know it is early, but every year about this time, I start to long for the holidays. Maybe you are like me when it comes to the holidays. Some people REALLY love Christmas. Me, I love Thanksgiving. Last year I had my chance to do the traditional thing of shooting my own turkey for Thanksgiving. Man... you should have seen the people scatter in the meat department.
245. THE DRUMMER
A little boy runs up to his mother and shouts, "Mommy! Mommy! I want to be a drummer when I grow up!"
The mother sweetly replies, "You can't do BOTH."
244.0000
FIREWORKS
It was the Fourth of July and the fireworks had lit up the sky.
As the last one burned out, a four-year-old piped up, "Daddy, do God's feet ever get burned?"
243. THE TAXI
A Japanese tourist hailed a taxi in downtown Chicago and asked to be taken to the O'Hare Airport.
On the way, a car zoomed by and the tourist responded, "Ohhh! TOYOTA!! Made in Japan!! Very fast!"
Not too long afterward, another car flew by the taxi.
"Ohh! NISSAN!! Made in Japan!! Very fast!"
Yet another car zipped by, and the tourist said, "Ohh! Mitsubishi!! Made in Japan!! Very fast!"
The taxi driver, who was 100% American, was starting to get a little miffed that the Japanese made cars were passing his Ford, when yet another car passed the taxi as they were turning into the airport.
"Ohh! Honda!! Made in Japan!! Very fast!"
The taxi driver stopped the car, pointed to the meter, and said, "That'll be $150."
"$150? It was so short a ride! Why so much?"
"Taxi meter. Made in Japan. Very fast."
242. NEW!
Have you heard about the amazing new discovery?
It’s a pill that is half aspirin and half glue for people who have splitting headaches.
Just laugh more here.....
Almost 1,000 Jewish People Saved in One Day!
Sid RothI recently returned from Odessa, Ukraine where I held the most successful Jewish evangelistic meeting in our ministry’s history! One thousand unsaved Jews attended, and better than 99% made public professions of faith! I have never seen so many miracles happen in such a short period of time. At least one-half of the unsaved Jews said they were instantly healed in their seats. (I urge you to watch the video above that I recorded right after the event.)
God is in a hurry to get Jews saved!
This high number and percentage of healings and salvations of unsaved Jews has never happened in my forty-plus years of ministry. God is in a hurry to get Jews saved! Especially Ukrainian Jews—this country is involved in a civil war.
Odessa is an amazing city. In addition to 50% of the population having Jewish ancestry, I felt an open heaven there. I believe God wants this entire city saved.
We did something different on this outreach. At the end of the evening, I invited these brand-new Jewish believers to a meeting at a local church the next day. We had 750 people show up, 100 of whom attended my lecture the night before.
I had promised at the outreach that for those who came the next day, I would pray for them to walk in the same power I operate in, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After a time of teaching, I told them the qualification for this gift was to be born again. The entire congregation of 750 stood up and prayed the prayer of salvation. Then I prayed for them all to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The Witches Knew I Was There
My outreach meeting the first night was held on Halloween in a city known for its high number of witches. There are thousands advertising as New Age healers. The witches knew I was there. The spiritual assault hit me on the plane as I was landing in Odessa. Praise God for my intercessors. What the devil meant for evil turned into a historic masterpiece.
These outreaches are very expensive but the rewards are priceless! We had to keep everything confidential before the event. If the wrong people knew, they could have aborted the meeting. We are arranging even now for an outreach in another country with the potential of another 1,000 unsaved Jews being saved this year!
Via OpenHeaven.com
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WAXING LYRICAL
When you suffer from lack of inspiration, real rubbish comes out!NON-SENSE
My inspiration has gone,
Mind isn't switched on.
Oh dear, what shall I do,
Just haven't got a clue!
So a witty ditty I ought to write
In the hope all will be alright,
For you to entertain if not inform,
The purpose for which I was born?
But to entertain one must have a wit,
If one's not to become a total twit,
For from wit to twit is a very, very, very small jump,
A 't' for Tait or 't' for tea - just a tiny wee bump.
It's easy to write nonsense you see,
Likely send us both up the tree,
The view from the top is an amazing sight to behold,
If to climb back down to earth, we are not too old.
Well, this dribble has gone on long enough,
For I know you are made of sterner stuff.
You would not bother to waste your ink,
On verse that really is, simply stink.
Stuck in the tree,
That, you can see,
Of my own volition,
While on a mission.
Stop now!
Pow wow!
Bid you bye,
From the sky!
More of David's poetry here.....
A DAVID MUSING
All our thoughts, prayers and sympathies are with the people of Paris today.I do not want to say much other than quoting Scripture on the root or inheritance of Muslims - from Abraham through Ishmael.
4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.â€
6 “Your slave is in your hands,†Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.†Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?â€
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,†she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.†10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.â€
11 The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.â€
So until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: MASTERED
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' a. Matthew (17:24-27)
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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!
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