A Weekly World Wide Word of Encouragement to those in the Ministry
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A WEEKLY ‘WWW (world-wide word) OF ENCOURAGEMENT’
TO THOSE IN MINISTRY
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Issue No: 839 Published: 20 Nov 2017
WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY? Part 20
1700-1900
THE AMERICAN GREAT AWAKENING
(1726-1750)
By 1726, through the demoralizing effect of frontier challenges and several brutal wars, there was a continuing moral and spiritual decline which the formalized religious churches were unable to influence.
JONATHAN EDWARDS (1703-1758) Pastor of the Congregational Church in Northampton, Massachusetts, Edwards expressed his concern for the "general deadness throughout the land", setting himself to seek God for a "revival of religion." Others also began to seek God diligently. In 1726 a spiritual awakening broke out in various regions along the eastern seaboard of the US.
Edward’s home town of Northampton, Massachusetts was one such place. An awesome sense of the Holy Spirit's divine presence permeated the entire community. Edwards reports that during the spring and summer of 1735, "the town seemed to be full of the presence of God." In every part of town, the Spirit of God was powerfully at work until.....
"there was scarcely a single person in the town, old or young, left unconcerned about the great things of the eternal world."
Without formal evangelical outreach, Edward's church filled to overflowing. Edwards commented.....
Our public assemblies were then beautiful: the congregation was alive in God's service, everyone intent on the public worship, every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth; the assembly were in general from time to time in tears while the word was preached; some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbours.
Outsiders often scoffed at the events in Northampton. Yet when they entered the town, their scepticism dissipated in the overwhelming presence of God. Returning home, carrying the revival spirit with them, the awakening spread.
Edwards was particularly known for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", when the congregation grasped the backs of the pews and pillars to avoid, as it were, being consumed by eternal flames. On the other hand, Edwards was very sensitive and could be moved to tears contemplating the love and mercy of God. He commonly spent 18 hours in prayer before preaching a sermon. The resulting revival transformed both the local community and the nation.
GEORGE WHITFIELD (1714-1770) An English, Anglican associate of the Wesleys, but not denominationally prejudiced, he came to America in 1739 and preached up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Everywhere he went, shops shut and workers laid down their tools to come to his meetings. At a time when Boston's population was round 25,000, he preached to a crowd of 30,000 on Boston Common!
Signs and wonders accompanied his preaching. Whitfield once commented.....
Look where I would, most were drowned in tears. Some were struck pale as death, others wringing their hands, others lying on the ground, others sinking into the arms of their friends and most lifting up their eyes to heaven and crying out to God.
Benjamin Franklin, a close non-Christian friend of Whitfield's reported.....
In 1739 there arrived among us from Ireland the Reverend Mr Whitfield who made himself remarkable there as an itinerant preacher. He was at first permitted to preach in some of our churches, but the clergy, taking a dislike to him, soon refused him their pulpits, and he was obliged to preach in the fields. The multitudes of all sects and denominations that attended his sermons were enormous, and it was a matter of speculation to me, who was one of the number, to observe the extraordinary influence of his oratory on his hearers. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.
Both Edwards and Whitfield were rooted in Calvinism, and while accepting spiritual manifestations such as falling under the power of the Holy Spirit, for they accompanied their preaching, they rejected spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues and miracles, saying they ended with the Apostles.
However it is obvious that the power of the Holy Spirit rested with them and had huge political influence. Harvard professor William Perry states,
"The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was a result of the evangelical preaching of the evangelists of the Great Awakening."
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.
Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
Spoken to the Pharisees.
“But what do you think about this illustration? Once there was a man who had two sons. He went to the first son, and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘I won’t,’ but afterwards he was sorry for what he said and he did go. The man went to the second son, and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I’ll go,’ but he didn’t. Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”
The first.
“I tell you the truth: tax-collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you,” “John came to show you the way to live right with God, and you didn’t believe him, but the tax-collectors and prostitutes did believe him. Later, when you saw what happened, you still didn’t repent and believe him.”
Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-18)
A parable spoken against the chief priests and Pharisees.
“Here’s another illustration. There once was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. He rented it to some tenant farmers, and then left to go to a different country. At harvest time, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect the fruit that belonged to him. But the farmers attacked his servants They beat one, killed another, and stoned another. So he sent more servants, but the farmers did the same things to them. So then he sent his son. ‘They will respect my son,’ he told himself. But the farmers, when they saw the son, said to each other, ‘Here’s the heir! Come on! Let’s kill him so we can take his inheritance!’ They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When the vineyard owner returns, what will he do to those farmers?”
Kill them and give the farm to others, the Pharisees replied.
“So haven’t you read the Scriptures?” “‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it is wonderful in our eyes.’ That’s why I’m telling you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to a people who produce the right kind of fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken, but it will completely crush anyone it falls upon.”
Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14)
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who organized a wedding celebration for his son,” Jesus explained. “He sent out his servants to everyone who was invited to the wedding to tell them to come, but they refused. So he sent out more servants, with the instructions, ‘Tell those who are invited, “I’ve prepared the wedding banquet. The bulls and fattened calves have been killed—everything’s ready. So come to the wedding!”’”
“But they ignored the invitation and left. One went to his fields; another to take care of his business. The rest grabbed the king’s servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king became furious. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and burn down their town.
“Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited didn’t deserve to attend. Go into the streets and invite everyone you find to come to the wedding.’ So the servants went out into the streets and brought back everyone they could find, both the good and the bad. The wedding hall was full.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man who didn’t have a wedding robe on. He asked him, ‘My friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ The man had nothing to say. Then the king told his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and throw him out into the dark, where there’ll be crying and grinding of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
(Continued next week)
You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
Experience life here with us in Kenya.
In a week, so much has happened!
IN A WEEK A BUILDING APPEARS!
The pictures say it all!
The Clinic.
THANK YOU WORKERS! THANK YOU LORD!
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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
18. The foolish heart seeks only God's blessings, the wise heart seeks to bless others, while the godly heart first blesses God.
175. The foolish keep all they have for themselves. The wise gives expecting the blessing to be returned. But the godly gives simply to bless God.
205. Foolishness is of the flesh, wisdom of the mind, but godliness comes from a heart right with God.
206. The foolish that go astray remain foolish, the wise become foolish, while the godly seek God's forgiveness.
207. David was a godly man who sinned but remained godly. His son Solomon, a wise man who sinned and became foolish. His son Rehoboam, a foolish man who sinned and remained foolish.
305. The foolish can seek wisdom, the wise godliness, while the godly grow into the image of Christ.
306. The foolish rest content in hope, the wise find faith, while the godly unreservedly love both God and others.
427. The foolish seek nothing, the wise, 'to do', while the godly desire 'to be'.
484. The foolish lust after instant pleasure, the wise seeks knowledge, while the godly yearn for God's truth.
485. Laziness begets foolishness, knowledge wisdom, but the truth, godliness.
870. The foolish one looks inwards, the wise outwards, but the godly, upwards.
1273. The foolish give seeking earthly return, the wise, to build up treasures in heaven, while the godly give their all out of love for God, with no need of reward.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Took me a minute to get this one!
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF...THE SEVEN REVELATIONS OF THE LAMB - Part 7
LAMB OF VICTORY
Our response to what Jesus did for us on the cross is crucial.
Contrary to what many think, it is far more than the 'sinners prayer'.
We will investigate.
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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. ***
QWIK QWIP: “Life is a journey...not a destination. Enjoy the trip!”
74. Confession
In the days when confessions had to be made before a priest, four young boys came together; the priest took them one at a time, starting with the biggest. He was a boy of around age ten, and at the conclusion of a list of wrongdoings, he said, "And please forgive me for throwing peanuts in the brook." The priest was somewhat curious about this last "sin", but decided not to say anything. The next boy, also 10, but a little smaller in size, also recited his list of sins for the week, and ended with the same one, "Please forgive me for throwing peanuts in the brook." Now the priest was getting very curious, but again said nothing. After the third boy repeated the pattern, the priest decided that he would wait until the last of the four before asking about this strange confession. However, when the smallest boy came in, he recited a list of sins, came to the end, and started to leave when the priest blurted out, "But aren't you going to ask forgiveness for throwing peanuts in the brook?" "Why?" asked the boy. "I'm Peanuts."
75. Early to Church!
Ever notice that you have to get to church pretty early to find a seat in the back row?
QWIK QWIP: “Most people will be about as happy, as they decide to be.”
76. Divine Wisdom
A local priest and pastor were fishing on the side of the road.
They thoughtfully made a sign saying, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!" and showed it to each passing car.
One driver that drove by didn't appreciate the sign and shouted at them: "Leave us alone you religious nuts!"
All of a sudden they heard a big splash, looked at each other, and the priest said to the pastor .....
"You think we should just put up a sign that says 'bridge out' instead?"
A DAVID MUSING
This morning (Sunday) I spoke in our small church here on the Compound.
I prepared in the normal way, but when I got up to speak, the Lord put something different on my mind altogether!
OOPS! What do I do?
Yes, be obedient to the Lord!
So we talked and ministered to each other in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This truly is how church is meant to be! Not 100% programmed but led by the Holy Spirit.
So often the Holy Spirit prompts, but we ignore Him, as we know better!
But we don't!
May we all learn to listen and follow the Holy Spirit's prompting in our lives.
Until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
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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
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Ahuriri
Napier
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 835 0567 International (+64) 6 835 0567
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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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