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: 754 Published: 11 Apr 2016
CHRISTIANITY - A CULTURE, ORGANISATION, OR A RELATIONSHIP?
It is easy to criticize the church and its religious ways, but the real question is 'what do we do about it?' That is the challenge that we as God's disciples face today. Over these 12 weeks we are looking at practical ways God is calling His church, you and me, and the body corporate, to change today. These are taken from my publication A REVELATION OF……. GOD'S CALL TO HIS CHURCH, published 10 years ago. I do not pretend that the changes are easy, but they are necessary for God's kingdom to be established on the earth in preparation for the return of Jesus.Let's now summarize the 12 principles we have discussed.....
PRINCIPLE 1: God is calling out to Himself today a 'Mary church'.
PRINCIPLE 2: God is calling out to Himself today a 'church of 'Christ-like disciples'.
PRINCIPLE 3: God is calling out to Himself today a people prepared to allow the Holy Spirit to inhabit and change their lives on an ongoing basis.
PRINCIPLE 4: God is calling out to Himself a servant church, one prepared to sacrifice everything for Him, as did His Son, Jesus.
PRINCIPLE 5: God is calling out to Himself today a people who are prepared to give their all to Him.
PRINCIPLE 6: God is calling out to Himself today a people who will worship Him with their whole life and being.
PRINCIPLE 7: God is calling out to Himself today a church fully focused upon Him.
PRINCIPLE 8: God is calling believers to grow into disciples.
PRINCIPLE 9: God is calling His people out of buildings and back into the community.
PRINCIPLE 10: God is calling His people to become personally involved in meeting individual needs within the community.
PRINCIPLE 11: God is calling all His people to become personally involved in the ministry of the kingdom.
PRINCIPLE 12: God is calling His people to change focus from the material to the spiritual.
ARE WE UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
(Continued next week)
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUSMay we hear what the Lord is saying to us.
Jesus Questioned on Paying Taxes (Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:19-26)
To Caesar, by the Pharisees’ disciples and the Herodians.
“Why are you trying to trap me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that is used to pay the tax.â€
“Whose image and whose title is inscribed here?â€
“You should give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God,â€
Sadducees Question Jesus on the Resurrection (Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27,
Luke 20:27-40)
Using the example of who is to be the husband of a woman married seven times.
“Here in this age people marry and are given in marriage,†“But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and the resurrection from the dead don’t marry or are given in marriage. They can’t die any longer; they’re like the angels and are children of God since they’re children of the resurrection. But on the question of whether the dead are raised, even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush, when he calls the Lord, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is
not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him they all are alive.â€
What is the Greatest Commandment? (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34)
As asked by the Scribes and Pharisees.
“The first commandment is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your spirit, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There’s no more important commandment than these.â€
(Continued next week.)
You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
***NEW*** FIRST BOOK NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
Finally, my book "TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH" is now available worldwide for electronic download on Amazon (Kindle) for $US0.99c . Unfortunately there has to be charge in order to list.This has been a journey for me, I but have now mastered the technology and believe it is the right time to do this.
Now only a further 40 odd books and booklets, written over 15 years, to go!
Your support would be appreciated and it could well change your life!
Check it out here.....
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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.
Download the free PDF here.....
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
THANKS GIVING, PRAISE AND WORSHIP638. True worship is a way of life.
639. Freedom in worship sets us free!
640. Worship is a gift made to be returned to the sender.
641. More worship, worship more.
642. One person’s curse is another’s praise.
643. Praise is an attitude, not an emotion.
644. Praise blesses both the giver and the receiver.
645. Worthy worship works wonders with worshippers wellbeing.
Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgement of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now over 1300 David sayings for you to view at ...
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK:A REVELATION OF... THE THREE PRIESTHOODS continues............ as we commence our look at the priesthood of Jesus.
Check out all the available teachings at...
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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. ***
307. LIL JOHNNY
One Sunday morning the Pastor noticed little Johnny was standing staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The young man of seven had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up and stood beside him and gazing up at the plaque he said quietly, "Good morning son."
"Good morning Pastor" replied the young man not taking his eyes off the plaque. "Sir, what is this?" Johnny asked.
"Well son, these are all the people who have died in the service," replied the pastor. Soberly, they stood together staring up at the large plaque.
Little Johnny's voice barely broke the silence when he asked quietly, "Which one Sir, the 8:30 or the 10:30?"
306. JESUS WEPT!
Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and gathered them around Him and taught them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
"Blessed are the meek,
Blessed are they that mourn,
Blessed are the merciful,
Blessed are they that thirst after righteousness.
Blessed are you when persecuted, Blessed are you when you suffer, Be glad and rejoice for your reward is great in Heaven."
Then Simon Peter said, "Are we supposed to know all this?"
And Andrew said, "So we have to write all this down?"
And James said, "Will we have a test on this?"
And Phillip said, "I don't have any paper."
And Judas said, " How much credit does this give me?"
And Matthew said, "May I go to the bathroom?"
And Bathelomew said, "Do we have to turn this in?"
And Simon said, "May I borrow a pencil?"
And Judas Iscariot said, "What does this have to do with real life?"
And James the Lesser said, "Now what was that again?"
Then one of the Pharisees, who was present, asked to see Jesus' lesson plan and inquired of Jesus, "Where are your anticipatory set and objectives in the cognitive domain?"
AND JESUS WEPT !!!!
305. SPEED READING
The parson had been disturbed by a person who was a fast reader. "We shall now read the Twenty-third Psalm in unison," he announced. "Will the lady who is always by 'the still waters' while the rest of us are in 'green pastures,' please wait a minute until we catch up?"
"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: What did Chester Greenwood invent in 1873?ANSWER: Chester Greenwood invented the earmuffs in 1878. He lived in Farmington Maine, USA and every year they hold a parade and winter carnival called ‘Chester Greenwood Day’. Everyone shows off his or her varied and colourful (and often silly) earmuffs. (Can make as much noise as they wish without suffering hearing loss!)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it possible that a caterpillar could have more than 1,000 muscles?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS 427. CREATION: SNOOPY'S VERSION
On the first day of creation, God created the dog.
On the second day, God created man to serve the dog.
On the third day, God created all the animals of the earth (especially the horse) to serve as food for the dog.
On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man could labor for the good of the dog.
On the fifth day, God created the tennis ball so that the dog might or might not retrieve it.
On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to keep the dog healthy and the man broke.
On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but He had to walk the dog.
426.REPEAT AGAIN
What with sermon preparations and anxiety, the new preacher had gotten very little sleep the week before he was to address his flock for the first time.
By Sunday morning, he was both exhausted and extremely nervous. Nevertheless, he managed to make it up the few steps onto the platform and into the pulpit.
The preacher had barely begun his sermon when everything he had planned to say flew right out of his mind. In fact, his mind went totally blank. Then he remembered that in seminary they had taught him what to do if a situation like this ever arose: "Repeat your last point, and let it remind you of what's coming next."
Figuring this advice couldn't hurt, he recalled the very last thing he'd said, and repeated it: "Behold," he quoted, "I come quickly."
Still his mind was blank. He thought he'd better try it again, "Behold, I come quickly." Still nothing.
He tried it one more time. "Behold, I come quickly!" he all but shouted.
In his panic, the preacher pounded the pulpit with such force that he lost his balance, fell forward, knocked the pulpit to one side, tripped over a flower arrangement, and fell into the lap of a little old lady in the front row.
Flustered and embarrassed, the preacher picked himself up, apologized profusely, and started to explain what had just happened.
"That's all right, young man," said the little old lady kindly. "It was my fault, really. You told me three times you were on your way down here. I should have just gotten out of your way!"
425. I BEG YOUR PARDON
And Jesus said unto the Seminary's Advanced Theology Class, "And whom do you say that I am?"
They replied, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the ontological foundation of the context of our very selfhood revealed."
And Jesus replied, "I beg your pardon!"
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
HEIRLESS
Answer at the end of A David Musing
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can download the full version of our Trivia Book at TRULY TRIFFLING TRIVIA Or view all 1232 online at...
GENERAL TRIVIA 1
10: What is the Sea of Chinnereth better known as?a. Mediterranean Sea
b. Red Sea
c. Dead Sea
d. Sea of Galilee
Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk
Heaps more fun and serious 'God Facts' are found at...
IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""!!!!!!! Misers aren't much fun to live with, but they make great ancestors.
!!!!!! A true friend is one that lets his grass grow as tall as his neighbor's.
!!!!! A baby-sitter is a teenager acting like an adult while the adults are out acting like teenagers.
!!!! The attitude within is more important than the circumstances without.
!!! The collapse of character begins with compromise.
!! Whoever follows a crowd will never be followed by a crowd.
! Wisdom whispers - foolishness shouts.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
LIFE'S A LAUGH
202. WHOSE EYES?A buddy of mine was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane stopped in Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay,
and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.
Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. My buddy had noticed him as he walked by and could tell the man was blind because his seeing eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight. He could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him, and calling him by name, said, “Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" The blind guy replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs."
Picture this: All the people in the gate area came to a complete quiet stand still when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with the Seeing Eye dog! The pilot
was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered.
They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!
203. TOOTH FAIRY
This is a true story that happened to my neighbor years ago when our children were little.
Laura and Patty shared the same bedroom and when Laura lost a tooth, she placed it under her pillow. The next morning when she awoke, her tooth was gone and some money was in
its place to put in her piggy bank. Patty went quietly up to her mother and said, "Mommy, I know who the tooth fairy is."
Her mother replied, "How do you know?"
"I saw you put money under Laura's pillow last night when she was asleep, " Patty stated.
Rather surprised, her mother replied, "Well, I guess you're right, I was the tooth fairy."
Patty thought for a moment and with a big grin on her face said, "Now if you're the tooth fairy, then Daddy must be God!"
204. VERY SAFE
A teenage boy and his grandfather go fishing one day. While fishing, the old man starts talking about how times have changed. The young man picks up on this and starts talking about the various problems and diseases going around.
Teen says, "Grandpa, they didn't have a whole lot of problems with all these diseases when you were young did they?"
Grandpa replies, "Nope."
The teen says, "Well, what did you guys use for safe sex?"
Grandpa replies, "A wedding ring."
205. DAY OR NIGHT?
[I remember] when I was in high school and was in an advanced physics class. Keep in mind that these students were supposed to be the ones more capable of understanding and going much further with some pretty advanced stuff.
Well, our teacher was a hobby astronomer, with some pretty nice camera and telescope equipment. One day he brought in some pictures he had taken of the sun to see the sunspots etc. During the "slide-show," one of the students asked:
"Were these pictures taken during the day or at night?"
After a couple of minutes of uproarious laughter from the rest of the class, he finally realized his mistake.
206. LIMP
Andy came to work one day, limping something awful. One of his co-workers, Josh, noticed and asked Andy what happened.
Andy replied, "Oh, nothing. It's just an old hockey injury that acts up once in a while."
Josh, "Gee, I never knew you played hockey."
Andy, "No I don't. I hurt it last year when I lost $100 on the Stanley Cup play-offs. I put my foot through the television..."
Let's laugh at life together here.....
World’s obese population hits 641 million, global study finds
LONDON | BY KATE AND KELLANDMore than 640 million people globally now weigh in as obese and the world has more overweight than underweight people, according to an analysis of global trends in body mass index (BMI).
A startling increase in rates of obesity in the past 40 years means the number of people with a BMI of more than 30 has risen from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014, the study found. More than one in 10 men and one in seven women are obese.
BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in metres squared, and is an indication of whether a person is a healthy weight. A BMI score over 25 is overweight, over 30 is obese and over 40 is morbidly obese.
"The number of people across the globe whose weight poses a serious threat to their health is greater than ever before," said Majid Ezzati, a professor at the school of public health at Imperial College London.
"And this epidemic of severe obesity is too extensive to be tackled with medications such as blood pressure lowering drugs or diabetes treatments alone, or with a few extra bike lanes."
To try to make a real difference, Ezzati said coordinated global steps were needed, including addressing the pricing of healthy foods versus unhealthy foods, or taxing high sugar and highly processed foods.
Yet excessively low body weight remains a serious public health issue in the world's poorest regions, the study's authors said, and rising global trends in obesity should not overshadow the problem of many people not getting enough to eat.
In South Asia, for example, almost a quarter of the population is underweight. In Central and East Africa, about 12 percent of women and 15 percent of men are underweight.
The study, published on Thursday in The Lancet medical journal, involved the World Health Organization and more then 700 researchers worldwide. It analysed data on weight and height from nearly 20 million adults from 186 countries.
It found that over the past four decades, the average age-corrected male BMI rose to 24.2 from 21.7, and in women rose to 24.4 from 22.1.
This is equivalent to the world's population becoming on average 1.5 kg heavier each decade, the researchers said.
They predicted that if these global trends continue, 18 percent of men and 21 percent of women will be obese by 2025.
Other key findings of the study were that:
* Japanese adults had the lowest BMIs of all high-income countries, while American adults had the highest BMIs.
* More obese men and women now live in China and the United States than in any other country.
* The lowest BMIs in Europe were among Swiss women and Bosnian men. Men in Britain had the 10th highest BMI in Europe and women the 3rd highest in Europe.
* Morbid obesity, where a person's weight interferes with basic physical functions such as breathing and walking, now affects around 1 percent of men and 2 percent of women. In total, 55 million adults are morbidly obese.
Source: http://www.worthynews.com/
DAVID'S DOWNLOADS
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.
Download your free PDF Files here.....
WAXING LYRICAL
This poem was written after becoming saddened, almost disillusioned, by the disagreements and arguments I have been witnessing on an internet forum I belong to, between supposedly 'mature' Christians, mainly ministers, who are meant to working together towards unity! How God must cry! I do!Incidentally, we have had severe floods in New Zealand over the past few days. God's tears? Maybe increased floods aren't a result of global warming after all! But of the divisions in His church!
NOT SURE I WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN ANY MORE!
Not so sure I want to go to heaven any more!
For what I see here, shakes me to the core.
What if heaven was to be the same?
Who would there be to blame!
Not so sure I want to go to heaven any more!
When all I see is raging arguments to the fore.
What if heaven was to be the same?
Who would there be to blame!
Not so sure I want to go to heaven any more!
For we fight on earth and resentments store.
What if heaven was to be the same?
Who would there be to blame!
Not so sure I want to go to heaven any more,
Down here, splits and divisions are folklore.
What if heaven was to be the same?
Who would there be to blame!
Not so sure I want to go to heaven any more!
Disagreement's so rife, just become a bore!
What if heaven was to be the same?
Who would there be to blame!
So maybe I should go to go to heaven now,
To see how God deals with our sacred cow.
Surely heaven can not be the same?
There would only be God to blame!
So how about building His Kingdom on earth?
There's a radical thought, has some worth!
Surely church wouldn't be the same?
When God's kingdom, to earth came!
My friend, we simply have the choice,
To disagree, or speak with one voice.
To defend to the end where we come from,
Or get on with it, and build His Kingdom.
His Kingdom now, has is to be within you see,
Comes as we let Him deal with you and me.
When we go on to seek His heavenly will,
Division and strife, His will, will kill!
The kingdom that disagreement sows,
Is built by treading on other's toes.
But the heavenly kingdom that God does see,
Is founded upon co-operation and unity.
Will you help ease God's frustrations,
By taking the gospel to the nations?
Putting aside, that which does now divide,
The salvation message, others to provide.
Not one has entered through division and strife,
For words spoken in anger do not bring life.
Theological argument hasn't saved a single soul,
Nor a dearly held doctrine made a seeker whole.
But what works every time is a witness of love,
Putting aside the jackal to become the dove.
Yes, as we build His Kingdom on earth you see,
Together, we can all look forward to eternity.
David Tait 21 July 2004
More of David's poetry here.....
A DAVID MUSING
Last night, my wife Kathy and I were talking (we do sometimes!) and the subject of what I call 'Father Christmas Christians' came up.Sadly, in the face of reality, so many believers today expect to have trouble free lives with God's financial provision in particular, always being there. So often this mode of thought is encouraged from the pulpit too.
Have you thought that, if it were true, the whole world would become Christian, for we are all seeking that magical secret of an easy life, aren't we.
Yes, we receive blessings from God. But look at the form they take as beautifully summarized in the Sermon on the Mount.
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-11)
Whom do we choose to believe - our own desires, prosperity preachers, or Jesus?
I know whom, and in whom, I will believe. How about you?
So until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: RELISHES
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' d. Sea of Galilee (Numbers 34:11)
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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