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
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Issue No: 888 Published: 29 Oct 2018
WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY? Part 59
THE CHALLENGE OF..... LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFESTYLE
THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 ”‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32)
Have you ever sung the song...
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew your Spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew your Spirit within me.
The sacrifices acceptable to you,
O Lord, are a broken spirit.
A broken heart, a contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
How contrite is your heart? But..... it is only a song, David...... I am worshipping as I sing it......you know what I mean.....
What do you mean?
It is so easy to let the religious words flow off our tongue and then do....... nothing!
So now, we can start to understand this parable of the kingdom.
For we are all guilty, at times if not all the time, of uttering words, that sound right for the situation, but which we do not convert into actions.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)
Our God is a God of action, not talk. We are not just to preach the word, but to be the living word. "I am not a preacher," I hear you say - with relief! But nor are we to be just hearers, but rather, doers of the word! No-one is excluded! Not me, not you.
Talk is cheap, action priceless!
Jesus goes on to rebuke the religious, through defining the true meaning of 'belief'. Belief here is a verb, a doing word, a word, a state of being, that requires action! It is not only of the mind, but also of the emotions, and most importantly, of the will.
Who will be obedient to the Lord?
Jesus tells us. It is those who need Him most. It is the most sinful who repent. For they know where they have been and don't want to go back there! They truly understand the meaning of 'turning their life around'.
Many who are reading this will have been blessed to have been brought up in Christian homes where church is a lifestyle inculcated in you from birth. It is easy to sing the songs and say the words, for they come naturally. We can even make a commitment, say the sinner’s prayer and live a good life, but not truly know and live for Jesus. Have been there and done that! I am talking from experience!
For me it took a rejection of this 'churchian' lifestyle and a period of 10+ years living in the world, firstly with success, then monumental failure, to bring me to true repentance.
We are all sinners…..
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans3:23)
The only problem is, many of us brought up to live a good, or maybe, religious, life, do not truly understand our need to repent, as much as the thief or the prostitute does.
For being good will not get us into the kingdom.
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:7)
Another warning to the Pharisees of that day and this!
19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19-20)
We will all perish unless we genuinely repent (turn around and walk away from) our sins.
2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. (Luke 13:2-3)
It took me 42 years to truly understand and act upon this in my life! A slow learner!
How about you?
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36)
On a high mountain, in front of Peter, James and John.
“Get up,” he told them. “Don’t be afraid.”
“Don’t tell anybody what you saw until the Son of man has risen from the dead,”
The disciples were told that the Elijah to return prior to the Saviour coming was indeed John the Baptist.
“It’s true that Elijah comes to put everything in place, 12but I tell you that Elijah has already come and yet people didn’t recognize who he was. They did whatever they felt like to him. In the same way the Son of man will also suffer at their hands.”
Jesus heals Boy With Evil Spirit and Gives Explanation to Disciples
(Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43)
A boy brought out of the crowd to Jesus by his father.
“You unbelieving people!”
“How long must I remain here with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring him over here to me!”
“How long has he had this?”
“Why do you say, ‘if you can?’ “Whoever trusts has every power!”
“Spirit that causes deafness and dumbness, I order you to come out of him and never return.”
The disciples asked how he did it, as they had not been able to.
“Because you don’t trust enough,” “I tell you, even if your trust was as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you.”
Jesus Discusses His Death (Matthew 17:22-3, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43)
With the Disciples.
“The Son of man is going to be betrayed and people will have power over him. They will kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”
(Continued next week)
You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
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HERE COMES THE WARD - (BEDS ON A BODABODA!)
Work on the (temporary) ward continues.
Here are 2 beds arriving on a motorbike. The amount and variety of stuff you can get on a bodaboda is incredible!
The spray painter is on the job. A great paint finish.
Making 17 bedside cabinets for the ward.
Strange as it seems, to me anyway, we need a fence, not to keep people out, but keep patients in if they try to escape! Here Amos is putting boards round the bottom to stop patients burrowing underneath!
***NOW***NINE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
9 BOOKS are now available on Amazon (Kindle)!
All are available worldwide for electronic download on Amazon (Kindle) for $US0.99c . Unfortunately there has to be a charge in order to list.
Your support would be appreciated and they could well change your life!
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http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=david+tait+books/
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'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.
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
353. While God graciously accepts me as I am, His desire is for me to become more like Him.
354. When God moves, the results are beyond our imagination. Why then do we try and do His work ourselves?
811. Sanctification is 'the means', holiness 'the end'.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: A REVELATION OF... THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID - Part 5
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As Christians, if we can't laugh at ourselves, others will! A fun way to start your day. To register today, go down to the bottom of the page link below, click on the subscribe link lao--on@wwj.org.nz (or paste the address in an email yourself and send) Then it's done!
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: “Becoming aware of my character defects leads me to the next step - blaming my parents.”
197. Recipe for Revival?
The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces and laid it upon the altar.
And then Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times.
"Now, said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl in the back of the room raised her hand with great confidence. "To make the gravy," came her enthusiastic reply!
198. Touche!
Old Pete, the town tippler, made it a habit to sleep off his drunks in the church cemetery every Saturday night. On Sunday mornings the pastor of the church would have to go out before services and rouse him, and escort him home before the services began.
Finally he grew tired of the routine, and on Halloween, which fell on a Saturday night that year, he decided to do something about Old Pete. Borrowing his son's skull mask, and donning a choir robe, he settled down in the dark cemetery to await Old Pete's approach. He planned on scaring the devil out of the fellow, and teaching him a lesson.
Finally Old Pete staggered through the graveyard about midnight, unsteadily picking his way through the headstones in the light of the full harvest moon. Rising up from behind a large tombstone, the pastor, calling upon his seminary theatrical training, moaned and swayed in the dimness. Old Pete froze, quaking in his tracks.
"Lord, have mercy!" he cried, much to the satisfaction of the disguised pastor. "It's Death, come for me!"
"Pete..." intoned the preacher in his deepest pulpit tones. "It is time for you to come with me!"
"Don't take me Mr. Death," begged the inebriated fellow. "I'm not ready to go!"
The minister saw his chance. "Then repent, and change your ways." He raised a ghostly arm and pointed to the church. "Seek out the man of God yonder and he will guide you into the paths of life."
Old Pete slumped down next to a headstone. "That won't do any good," he groaned.
The pastor was taken aback. "Why not?" he asked, forgetting his spectral voice.
"Because," explained the downcast Pete, "the pastor of that church is as dead as any of the stiffs out here in the cemetery!"
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 ..... https://www.wwj.org.nz/content/wwj18p47.pdf
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A DAVID MUSING
Jesus does not promise us an easy walk with Him.
The road is narrow and the road up the mountain of God can be steep and slippery at times.
But the promised view from the top is amazing. Plus, hearing those words addressed to you, 'Well done good and faithful servant", from our Saviour and Lord, makes the sacrifice and perseverance all worthwhile.
In times of difficulties and rejection, when all seems against us, we need to remember the ultimate goal and reward.
May the Lord's presence be with you today as you ascend the mountain of the Lord.
Until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
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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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