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: 804 Published: 27 Mar 2017
NO INSPIRATION!!! WAITING..........
These editorials are written with the Lords inspiration. When you don't have any David, DON'T WRITE!Unfortunately, most of write or preach because it is expected of us. We must perform and meet the schedule or deadline, whether it be a Sunday sermon or a weekly PGIM!
The tyranny of time and expectations sadly takes precedent over God's inspiration and leading. But on we go anyway.
Worth thinking about?
And acting upon!
Just imagine how boring sermons and teachings would dramatically reduce!
PS: Better be careful not to fall into my own trap here! LOL!
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUSMay we hear what the Lord is saying to us.
Many Desert Jesus (John 6:60-71)
Deciding the teaching was too difficult to accept.
“Are you offended by this? Then what if you were to see the Son ascend to where he was before? The Spirit gives life; the physical body doesn’t do anything. The words I’ve told you are spirit and life! Yet there are some of you who don’t trust me.â€
“This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is made possible by the Father.â€
Now speaking to the disciples.
“What about you? Do you want to leave as well?â€
“Lord, who would we follow? You’re the one who has the words of eternal life. We trust in you, and we’re convinced that you are God’s Holy One.â€
“Didn’t I choose you, the twelve disciples? Yet one of you is a devil,â€
Men’s Traditions Rebuked. (Matthew 15:1-11, Mark 17:1-16)
Jesus asked why the disciples didn’t wash their hands before they ate.
“Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?†“For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother should be put to death.’ But you say that if someone tells their father or mother, ‘Whatever you might have expected to get from me is now a gift to God,’ then they don’t have to honor their father. In this way you’ve annulled God’s word for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! How well Isaiah described you when he prophesied: ‘These people say they honor me but in their minds they don’t care about me. Their worship of me is pointless. What they teach are just man-made requirements.’â€
“Listen, and understand this: it’s not what goes into you through your mouth that defiles you. It’s what comes out of your mouth that defiles you.â€
Parable and Explanation of Man’s Traditions to Disciples (Matthew 15:12-20,
Mark 17:17-23 )
When the disciples commented that the Pharisees were offended by this teaching, Jesus gave this parable.
“Every plant my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted,†Jesus replied. “Forget about them—they
are blind guides. If a blind man leads another blind man, then they’ll both fall into a ditch.â€
An explanation asked for.
“Haven’t you understood this yet?†“Don’t you see that whatever goes in through the mouth then passes through the stomach, and then leaves the body as wasted? 18But what comes out through the mouth comes from the mind, and that’s what defiles you. 19For what comes from the mind are evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and blasphemy 20and those are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands doesn’t defile you.â€
You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
***NEW*** A (PRE) AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
1. TANZANIAN CONNECTIONThis week we traveled north to Taupo, Tauranga and Auckland over a busy 3 days, to meet new people and say goodbye to some old friends.
After 15-20 years we re-met a Kiwi couple, Alan and Lynda Stephenson, who live and minister in Arusha, Tanzania, about a (relatively close) 12 hour drive from Webuye. They have had a successful kingdom ministry there for 30+ years. It was extremely helpful to talk to them and learn from their experience. We will surely work together.
Thank you so much Alan and Lynda. We look forward to working together in the time ahead. View the ministry at..... http://www.joshuaschoolarusha.com/
2. CBM (Christian Blind Mission)
A (long) day trip to Auckland to meet with CBM, formerly the Christian Blind Mission. Founded by a German missionary, Ernst Christoffel, CBM has been helping the blind and disabled for over 100 years. Have a look at the huge and amazing works they do at..... http://www.cbm.org
We look forward to working in co-operation with them over the time ahead.
3. A SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT
This week we have had the fist substantial investment in our Gods actually) EYE CLINIC/HOSPITAL project.
Our special thanks to Rodney Green of the Bluewater Hotel for the generous $5,000 donation. We are now on the way! Thank you Rodney. Thank you Lord. Our first financial goal is $60,000 to build the 4,500 sq. ft. building to house the EYE CLINIC/HOSPITAL.
If you are interested in investing in this project, a detailed Case Statement can be downloaded at..... https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DBgQPnqikwGQqxBLWGaeqwnrm-IPJVWLgWRmvERZUHc/edit?usp=sharing
Check out our website here.....
***NOW***NINE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
9 BOOKS are now available on Amazon (Kindle)!The final one to be added is THE PURGING OF THE CHURCH. It is based on 11 bullet points David Wilkerson, noted author of 'The Cross and the Switchblade', published about changes needed in the church of today to prepare it for the return of Jesus.
All are available worldwide for electronic download on Amazon (Kindle) for $US0.99c . Unfortunately there has to be charge in order to list.
Your support would be appreciated and they could well change your life!
They are all found at this link.....
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=david+tait+books/
BOOK OF THE WEEK
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW:Understanding Scripture as Jesus did.
One of the major causes of the church not truly walking in the ways of Jesus is that we don't truly understand what the ways of Jesus were, and are! For we view the Scriptures from a Greek (Western), rather than a Jewish (Eastern) perspective. The two are very different.
This book highlights the differences in interpretation between the cultures, opening up a new perspective on what it truly means to follow Jesus.
Downloadable from Amazon for USD99c at.....
https://www.amazon.com/THINKING-GREEK-HEBREW-Understanding-Scripture-ebook/dp/B01EXVV1RM/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BG8M40XDK8ACYG7W6FV2
***DAILY EZINE!*** 'DAVID'S DAILY DOODLINGS' Subscribe Today
Receive one of David's sayings in your mailbox each day to inspire, challenge or maybe, amuse. To register today, simply click here SUBSCRIBE HERE go down to the bottom of the page, click subscribe. Then it's done! If you have an Irish heritage, you will love the background coloring! Should you wish, check out current and back issues (where you can also subscribe) at...
'THE WORDS OF JESUS' REMAIN 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
HEAVENLY TRUTHS GOD HAS SHOWN ME739. - 809. God has shown me that...
... He desires me to change: not me to try and change Him.
... to give in to Him is to grow up in Him.
... life is born out of death.
... life is not meant to be fair.
... we seek spiritual gifts while He desires spiritual fruit.
... submission builds character.
... character outscores performance every time.
... 'to be' is infinitely better than 'to do'.
... we cannot put Him into a box, no matter how big we make it.
... sin caused man and God's thought patterns to become diametrically opposed.
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
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com TO READ THIS CARTOON AND SEE THE OTHER PICTURES IN THIS EMAIL YOU NEED TO BE ONLINE.Check it out at...
TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: JEWISH RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS – FOLLOWING THE CYCLE OF THE HARVESTWe look at the parables application to our lives.
Check out all the available teachings at...
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
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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. ***
445. YOU CANT WIN
When you prepare your sermons in writing, they say that you are just reading off the script and not hearing from God. But when you DON'T have a script, they say that you were not prepared!
444. REVENGE
A 10-year old boy named Freddie wanted to be Joseph in the Sunday School pageant. Instead the teacher cast Freddie as the landlord. Freddie objected loudly, but to no avail.
When the pageant was presented, Mary and Joseph knocked on the door and asked Freddie if he had a room for them at the Inn.
Freddie smiled and said, "Sure -- lots of room. Come on in!"
443. THE VIRGIN MARY
Little Kiana, under the tutelage of her grandfather, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible.
Then one day Kiana floored her grandfather by asking, "Which virgin was the mother of Jesus? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"
"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 percentage of a watermelon is water?ANSWER: A watermelon is 92 percent water. Strawberries are approximately 99% water! (Both mouth-watering treats!)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Who invented Khaki military uniforms?
SOME FUN FACTS 273. LET THERE BE LIGHT
An area of the Sun's surface the size of a postage stamp shines with the power of 1,500,000 candles. (The Son is the light of our lives!)
274. LEFT FOOT FIRST
Astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon with his left foot. (Put his best foot forward?)
275. OSTRICH-LIKE
The word “struthious†refers to something that resembles or is related to ostriches. (To a person with their head buried in the sand?)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
GLIBNESS
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...
THE PARABLES
19: In the parable of the leaven, what is leaven more commonly known as?a. Flour
b. Yeast
c. Bread
d. Salt
Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk
Answer at the end of A DAVID MUSING
IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""MANY MORE MOST INTERESTING THOUGHTS
TAKE TIME OUT FOR TEN THINGS...
Take time out to work ~ It is the price of success.
Take time out to think ~ It is the source of power.
Take time out to play ~ It is the secret of youth.
Take time out to read ~ It is the foundation of knowledge.
Take time out to worship ~ It is the highway of reverence.
Take time out to help and enjoy friends ~ This is the source of happiness.
Take time out to love ~ It is the one sacrament of life.
Take time out to dream ~ It hitches the soul to the stars.
Take time out to laugh ~ It is the singing that eases life's load.
Take time out to pray ~ It helps bring Christ near and washes the dust of earth from our eyes.
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
LIFE'S A LAUGH
113. 100%Little Debbie came running into the house after school one day, shouting, "Daddy! Daddy! I got a 100 in school today!"
"That's great, Sweetheart," said her daddy. "Come in the living room and tell me about it."
"Well," began the confession, "I got 50 in spelling, 30 in math, and 20 in science..."
114. UNERASER!
While preparing my Sunday School room on Saturday, I was aided by our youngest in the church, a delightful 2 1/2 year old little girl. She was busy writing on the chalkboard and then decided to erase it. She was using the wrong side of the eraser so it just wasn't working well. She turned to me, holding out the eraser, and said, "It needs new batteries."
115. AND YOU, SIR?
Two intrepid explorers met in the heart of the Brazilian jungle.
"I'm here," declared one, "to commune with nature in the raw, to contemplate the eternal verities and to widen my horizons. And you, sir?"
"I," sighed the second explorer, "came because my young daughter has begun violin lessons."
116. DOBBED IN
When conductor Leonard Bernstein took the New York Philharmonic on tour, he found this note under his hotel room door one night: "I think you should know that the fellow in your band who plays the instrument that pulls in and out only bothered playing during the odd moments you were looking straight at him."
117. TOUCHE!
When I managed a chemical plant, I instituted a rule that there would be no playing games on our computers. So I wouldn't be a hypocrite, I had an information technologist get rid of the games on my laptop. Therefore I was surprised to find my grandson playing solitaire on it one weekend. I asked if he had loaded the game...
"No," he answered, "it was already there. It was just hidden - taken off the main menu."
On Monday I chided our information technologist for not getting rid of the game.
"But," he explained, "I thought I just had to keep it away from *you* - not from a nine-year-old!"
118. NEW VIRUS
Our local newspaper ran several stories about a study that tied male obesity to a virus.
One evening my brother came home exhausted from a long day at work.
"Did you read the paper?" he asked.
"I'm not going in to work tomorrow. I'm calling in fat."
Laugh, not cry, at life here.....
What Does the 'Bible' and 'Jesus' Mean to Muslims? Converted Imam Explains
A former imam from Egypt with strong family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood leadership who converted to Christianity, said Friday that some Muslims in the U.S. are using "Islamic deception" to fool Christians into believing misconceptions about the religion.Mark Christian, who became a Sunni imam at the young age of 13 because his great uncle was a co-founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, detailed during a webinar hosted by the American Pastors Network how he began to question Islam around the age of 23, and eventually left the religion. He explained that he lived "dead inside" for a period of six or seven years before the "truth" ultimately led him on a journey to Christ that took over 10 to 15 years.
"If I look back at my life, I see that Jesus was at every corner trying to get me in, and many times I listened and many, many times, I ran away," Christian said. "But God lured me in and I became a follower of Jesus Christ, and my story is really in the process of being put in a book."
Christian, who is now the executive director at the Nebraska-based Christian nonprofit Global Faith Institute, explained in the webinar, titled "Is Islam Luring the American Church Into Denying Jesus?" that "Muslims are not the enemy, but Islam is."
"It is the sin that we are fighting and not the sinners. We are supposed to love the sinners," he said. "We need to purify our hearts from hatred for any human being and to try to reach out with love but no compromise whatsoever."
Christian, however, asserted that although Muslims are not the enemy, some Muslims in the West are trying to distort the truth about what Muslims really believe in order deceive Western Christians into thinking that Muslims believe the same things they do.
"Many Christians actually want to believe these things are true, others are taking them with a grain of salt, and some don't understand what they really mean," Christian explained. "I want to go one after another and talk about those main things we hear a lot in media, at the church ..."
The first misconceived notion that Christian tackled is the claim that Muslims also believe in the Bible.
"You hear a lot Muslims or others say, 'Muslims are very good because they believe in the Bible as well, and there are verses in the Quran that says that,'" Christian said. "Well, there is no verse in the Quran that says they believe in the Bible. As a matter of fact, [look at] Quran 2:75–77. ... When they say we believe in the Bible, you would think that they believe in the Bible in its current form. The reality is, Muslims say, 'We believe in the Bible.' And you want to believe it's the Bible in your hand. But, they believe in something different."
"The Bible that they believe in is called the "Injil," which is supposedly written by Jesus Himself, and it has been distorted and changed over time," he explained. "The Bible has nothing to do with what they believe in. Some people want to say that they believe in the Bible. That is not the case."
Christian continued by emphasizing that for many Muslims, their concept of the Bible is the collection of three different writings. One [they believe was written] by Jesus called the "Injil," one by Moses called "Torah" and one written by David called "Zabur."
"All of those books that have been written by Moses, David or Jesus Christ are not available right now whatsoever," Christian asserted. "And, the Bible that you have in your hand, the Quran clearly says that it is distorted and not to be believed, not to be followed, not to be written, and not to be touched."
Christian also touched on the claim that Muslims also believe in Jesus Christ and the second coming of Christ.
"There are two places I want you to look into. No. 1 is Quran 5:72 and 9:30, and the Hadiths. Hadiths are the sayings of Muhammad," Christian added.
"The difference between Jesus according to Islam and Jesus Christ according to Christians is crucial. No. 1, they believe that Jesus was just a prophet and He did not die on the cross whatsoever but was replaced miraculously on the day of crucifixion by Judas, and Jesus was elevated up to Heaven," Christian added. "So, He never died whatsoever and He was never crucified whatsoever, and He is not the son of God. He is just a prophet. This is a crucial [difference] between our belief in Jesus and their belief of Jesus."
Christian added that many Muslims believe Jesus will come back to destroy the Christian Church and "fight for the cause of Islam" before dying after He defeats the Antichrist.
"When they say, 'We believe in the second coming of Jesus and you believe in the second coming of Jesus,' even though it sounds the same, it is completely different," Christian emphasized. "When Jesus comes back, according to Islam, He will come in to destroy the cross, demolish the Church, and have a sword in His hand to fight for the cause of Islam. When He defeats the Antichrist, He will die like every other human being. This is right before the judgement day, or the violent day, according to Islam."
"So, [Christians] believe in the second coming of Jesus to elevate those who believe in Him and Islam believes that the second coming of Jesus is to come to demolish those who believe in Him as the Savior," Christian continued.
Christian further explained how "prophets" are viewed in Islam.
"The other thing that we hear a lot of Muslims say is, 'We believe in the prophets,'" Christian said. "The Quran 3:67 is very clear. They do believe in all the prophets. They believe in Adam, Eve, all the prophets from Abraham, to Moses, to Noah, to Jesus as a prophet. Here is the big difference and this verse is very clear. All of the prophets, according to Islam, were Muslims."
"What does that even mean even though Muhammad came as the final [prophet]?" he asked. "To be a Muslim is to believe in Allah alone, to either follow Muhammad or prophesize about Muhammad before his coming.
"They believe, according to the Quran, all the prophets lived their life believing in Allah and sharing the message of Allah and telling people to wait for Muhammad, for his coming as the prophecy of all the prophets. When he comes, he will come with the real and final message of Allah. All the prophets, according to Islam, are Muslims because they prophesized about Muhammad."
Christian also touched on how Islam defines the terms "neighbors" and "friends," saying that the Quran states that those who are non-Muslims are not worthy of being considered human beings. He even cites Quran 5:51 to argue that the Quran tells Muslims not to take non-Muslims as friends.
"O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies," the passage states. "They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you — then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people."
SOURCE: http://www.christianpost.com
DAVID'S DOWNLOADS
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ...A unique look at what may have been like to visit the Tabernacle of of Moses.
Download your free PDF File here.....
WAXING LYRICAL
Where do the days go! Maybe we need to relax a little more?DAY COMES, DAYS GO.....
*Do you wonder about time?
Always in short supply.
Your thoughts for a dime,
*Can you think of a reply.
Only sixty minutes in an hour,
Many try to squeeze out more.
Eek! I just don't know how!
Simply don't know the score.
*Didn't you know it was Monday?
And now it has come to Friday!
You know, where does the week go?
Surely not slow, go with the flow!
*God cries when He sees us rush,
On we go, turning life to mush!
*What have I achieved this week?
Have I done all right?
Every challenge met, so to speak?
Really seen the light?
Everything has instead, gone so awry!
*The week ends in tatters!
How could this happen, look to the sky!
Each job, it so matters!
Your comings and goings, always going 'to be',
*Good intentions, with problems you do not see!
Ouch! Didn't get it all done! Out of my tree!
*'Now my son', a voice I heard,
'Or need I shout, so absurd!
Order your life in my perfect way,
Need to put Me first in your day.
Everything you do is not of me,
*Know this, it will set you free.
Needs and wants are not the same,
Only need to put Me in your frame.
We can walk on your life's journey together,
See, I Am with you, whatever the weather.
More of David's poetry here.....
A DAVID MUSING
As our time to move to Kenya comes closer, so the pace of our preparation increases.This is challenging, exciting, and sad, all at once!
Challenging - in having to learn new things. Exciting - as a new experience beckons. And sad - saying farewell to friends in places we are unlikely to revisit before we go.
Again, God is a God of change. And remember, none of us are too old to do so. Not you, not me. Be encouraged that the Lord remains with us, all the time, young or old.
Amen
Until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: BLESSING
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' ANSWER: b. Yeast (Matthew 13:33)
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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