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: 898 Published: 07 Jan 2019
OBSERVATIONS FROM AFRICA
THE HAPPINESS INDEX
One early observation we made after arriving here was how, in spite of deprivation, the village people here in Kenyan villages are soooooooo much happier than we in the West.
We have been forced to ask ourselves – why?
It soon became apparent that a less pressured life, with very much lower expectations, is many more times desirable from a happiness perspective, than the rampant consumerism of the West, where we always are wanting more, and more, and more, material goods. Happiness in possessions is at best, fleeting.
Busyness, stress and overwork to gain more, is self-defeating in the end. It simply does not bring happiness on a long term basis.
You may ask then, ‘why we are building a hospital here?’
Firstly, God told me to.
Secondly, even though people are generally happier with life, medical services are poor and life expectancy is round 66 years. Infant mortality is improving, but is still poor.
There is a conundrum here of course.
Western medical expertise and hard work has developed the quality medical services, even if it is at the cost of general happiness!
There needs to be a balance between the two ways of life.
The village people here need to become more motivated, but we of the West need to become content with less and spend more time developing relationships with each other, particularly within families.
Can we find a middle way for the benefit of all?
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
The Lamp of Your Body (Luke 11:33-6)
No one lights a lamp and then hides it or places it under a bowl. No, you put it on a lamp stand so that those who come into the house can see the light. Your eye is the light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body is in the dark. So make sure the light you have in you is not actually darkness. If your whole body is full of light, with no areas of darkness, then it will be completely illuminated, just as a bright lamp gives you light.”
Six Woes Declared on the Pharisees and Lawyers (Luke 11:37-54)
When Jesus joined them for lunch without ceremoniously washing His hands.
“You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you’re full of greed and wickedness. You’re so foolish! Don’t you think the One who made the outside made the inside as well? If, acting from within, you do acts of kindness to others, then everything will be clean to you. Shame on you Pharisees! You pay tithe on herbs and plants, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You need to pay attention to the latter, while not leaving the former things undone. Shame on you Pharisees! You love to have the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect when you go to the markets. Shame on you! You are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing.”
“Shame on you lawyers too! You place burdens on people that are too hard to carry, but you don’t lift a finger to help them. Shame on you! You build memorial tombs to honor the prophets, but it was your own fathers who killed them in the first place! By doing this you are witnesses showing that you agree with what your fathers did. They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs!
“This is why God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will kill, and others they will persecute.’ Consequently, this generation will be held accountable for the blood of all the prophets shed from the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel right up to the blood of Zachariah who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held accountable for all of it. Shame on you lawyers! You have removed the key of knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you prevented others from going in too.”
Jesus Teaches His Disciples and a Great Crowd (Luke 12;1-12)
To the Disciples.
In the meantime the crowd had grown to several thousand and they were trampling each another. Jesus spoke first to his disciples. “Beware the yeast of the Pharisees—hypocrisy. For there’s nothing hidden that won’t be revealed, nothing secret that won’t be made known. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and whatever you whispered in private will be announced from the rooftops. I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, for once they’ve done that there’s no more they can do. Let me make it clear whom you should be afraid of. You should be afraid of the one who after he has killed has the power to dispose of them in Gehenna. That’s the one you should be afraid of. 6Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God doesn’t forget a single one of them. Even the hairs on your head have been counted. Don’t be afraid—you’re worth more than many sparrows!
“I tell you the truth, those who declare they belong to me, the Son of man will also declare they belong to him before God’s angels, but those who deny me will be denied before God’s angels. Everyone who speaks in opposition the Son of man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
“When you’re brought to trial before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself, or what you should say. The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what’s important to say.”
(Continued next week)
You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
On holiday with the half of our family that is in Britain! My first in 18 months.
Expecting the arrival of our 4th grandchild while we are there. An exciring time!
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Kenyan boys.
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***DAILY EZINE!*** 'DAVID'S DAILY DOODLINGS' Subscribe Today
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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
518. True love takes time.
519. True love is like a good cheese. It takes time to mature.
520. Passion and action combine to build God's kingdom.
521. True love is a verb, rather than a noun.
522. Love becomes just another 4-letter word unless it is worked at.
523. Lust sells newspapers, while love builds relationships.
524. Love and lust both start with the same letter, but there the similarity ends.
525. Lust takes ' love gives.
526. Lust lasts but a moment, but love a lifetime.
527. With lust, the thrills precede the spills.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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 TABERNACLE OF DAVID - Part 14 - THE HOLY OF HOLIES IS EMPTY!
Let's investigate!
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
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. ***
220. A Great Mistake to Make
A preacher phoned the city's newspaper. "Thank you very much," said he, "for the error you made when you announced my sermon topic for last Sunday. The topic I sent you was 'What Jesus Saw in A Publican.' You printed it as 'What Jesus Saw in a Republican' I had the biggest crowd of the year!
221. A Child's Prayer
Johnny had been misbehaving and was sent to his room. After a while he emerged and informed his mother that he had thought it over and then said a prayer.
His mother was pleased. "If you ask God to help you not misbehave," she said, "He will help you."
"Oh, I didn't ask Him to help me not misbehave," replied Johnny. "I asked Him to help you put up with me."
QWIK QWIP: “Christianity is a religion of paradoxes: The way up is down; the way to get is to give; the way to be first is to be last; and the way to live is to die.”
222. Apples and Cookies
Children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples.
The nun made a note, "Take only one: God is watching."
Moving through the line, to the other end of the table, was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A boy wrote a note, "Take all you want: God is watching the apples."
QWIK QWIP: “When God measures a man, He puts the tape around the heart instead of the head.”
223. Sleeping Through the Sermon
I was pastor of a small church in a rural community. Wilbur and his wife, Leah, attended every Sunday morning. Wilbur was a farmer, and whenever he came into the house from the field and sat down, he would fall asleep.
It was such a habit that when he came into church and sat in the pew he would also soon fall asleep. I discovered that some of the members of the church were taking bets to see how long I could keep Wilbur awake on Sunday mornings.
Wilbur's wife was embarrassed by his behaviour, especially when he began to snore. She tried everything to keep her sleepy spouse awake. She complained to him that she was getting calluses on her elbow from poking him in the ribs in a futile attempt to keep him alert. One day while shopping in the grocery store, she saw a small bottle of Limburger cheese. Leah bought it and dropped it in her purse.
The next Sunday morning I had just started the sermon when Wilbur began to nod. When I finished the first point in my three-point sermon, I could see I was losing him. As I started the third point, Wilbur began to snore. Quietly, Leah opened her purse, took out the bottle of Limburger cheese and held it under her husband's nose. It worked. Wilbur sat up straight and, in a voice that could be heard all over the church, said, "Leah, will you please keep your feet on your own side of the bed!"
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
O-N H-O-L-I-D-A-Y!!!
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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david@wwj.org.nz