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: 1136 Published: 24 Jul 2023
A REVELATION OF..... THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID
A WALK OF SACRIFICE
13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. (2 Samuel 6:13)
Many preachers say David made sacrifices every 6 paces but this isn't specifically stated in the wording.
There were three reasons why David made this twin sacrifice after 6 paces.
As repentance for getting things wrong the first time!
As thanksgiving for the blessings on the house of Obed-Edom.
As a sign of obedience to God's ways.
THE PROBLEM
Today, we are taught that Jesus made the final sacrifice and that no other sacrifice is required. While this is true regarding the restoration of our relationship with God the father, i.e. salvation, it is not so when it comes to our walk with Jesus. For as Jesus sacrificed everything to the Father, so we are also to sacrifice our lives to Jesus.
THE LESSON
A three part lesson on sacrifice.
Understanding the gravity of sin and the need of quick repentance to keep short accounts with the Lord - and doing it! For God's judgement is a fearsome thing.
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10;26-31)
For God knows everything we do and are, judging our thoughts as well as our actions. Nothing can be hidden from Him!
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)
We learn that by living righteously now we can avoid God's judgement later.
31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. (1 Corinthians 11:31)
- Today we are to offer sacrificial praise, to thank Jesus for what He has done for us. Not just a few 'religious hallelujahs' but heartfelt praise from the very depths of our being!
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:11-16)
- The final sacrifice, the one that most distinguishes the disciple from the believer, is the sacrifice of our life to Jesus. Putting aside our own dreams and ambitions in order to do the will of the Father, as Jesus did, no matter what the cost. Three times He confirmed, even though in the human aspect of His nature He didn't want to, He would lay down His life for the Father.
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.(Matthew 26:42-44)
And the same is to apply to us! We are no longer to follow the pattern of the world, but be transformed into the pattern of Christ, submitting to the will of the Father, even at the cost of our life.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)
While some are called to physical martyrdom, for most of us, our death is to be a spiritual one to our own nature and life. It is only through this sacrifice that satan can be overcome.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelation 12:10-12)
Dying to our own nature is what our walk with Jesus is all about.
4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:4-6)
Our spiritual and natural natures are in conflict.
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Galatians 5:16-18)
We are instructed to be like Jesus and not follow our natural nature.
14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:14)
In fact, contrary to the 'easy Christianity' theology that abounds today, if we don't live as Jesus did, we are not truly His followers!
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:9-13)
Indeed, the consequences of our continuing to sin are dire!
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)
But the desire of those who are 'serious' about God, having sacrificed their lives for Christ, is to become 'sons of God' as Jesus was, is, and evermore shall be!
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:14-15)
END TIME CHURCH TRAIT 6: A sacrificial people, desperate to become 'sons of God'.
(Continued net week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
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.”
Paying the Temple Tax (Matthew 17:24-7)
By Peter, to be paid to the taxman
“What do you think, Simon?”
“Do the kings of this world collect their taxes and duties from their own sons or from others?”
“In that case the sons are exempt. But to avoid giving offense to anyone, go to the lake, and throw out a fishing line with a hook. Pull in the first fish you catch, and when you open its mouth there you’ll find a stater coin. Take the coin and give it to them for both me and you.”
(Continued next week)
PHOTO: Jesus Yeshua in hebrew
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*DAVID"S DOODLINGS
Enjoy some of David's sayings here, plus 1300 more on the website 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
211. Learning humility in defeat trains us to remain humble in success.
212. Boasting is of the human heart, but humility is God's heart for us.
396. True humility cannot be generated in the mind, for it comes from our spirit.
397. True humility arises when confidence in God overcomes confidence in ones self.
398. Humility is a positive attribute, not a weakness.
399. False humility reflects weakness, but true humility exudes godly strength.
400. The truest expression of a godly character is reflected in humility.
1306. True humility is 'putting Jesus first' in our life.
Many more at.....
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
Another laugh or three for you today
Many more on our website below. Also many, may, many more under these categories on our website, wwj,org,nz Look under the heading MAINLY LAUGHS. Choose from.....
THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TEACHING.....
A REVELATION OF....... 3 KINGDOM AGES: MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS
One of the greatest misunderstandings in the church today relates to the definition of success in our walk with Jesus.
There has changed with each kingdom age. The major problem is that we forget which kingdom age we now live in!
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
QWIK QWIP: “God Promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.”
376. Chicken Dinner
After a community worship service, a farmer invited the local pastors, reverend, and priest back to the farm for dinner. At the meal, each clergy was served a whole young chicken. As the three returned to their cars, a rooster was seen strutting about, chest puffed out and held high. "He sure seems full of himself," commented the pastor. "He has good cause to be proud," answered the farmer. "He just had three of his children go into the ministry."
377. The Contest
Between moments of dispensing wisdom, it seems that historical religious leaders had also learned software programming. One day, a great contest was held to test their skills. After days and days of fierce competition, only two leaders remained for the last day's event: Jesus and Mohammed.
The judge described the software application required for the final test, and gave the signal to start writing code. The two contestants feverishly typed away on their keyboards. Routines, classes, applets and applications flew by on their screens at incredible speeds. Windows, dialogs, and other intricate graphics began forming on their monitors. The clock showed that the contest would soon be finished.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightening flashed and the power went out. After a moment, it came back on - just in time for the clock to announce that the last competition was over. The judge asked the two contestants to reveal their finished software. Mohammed angrily said that he'd lost it all in the power outage. The judge turned to the other competitor.
Jesus smiled, clicked a mouse, and a dazzling application appeared on his screen.
After just a few moments, the judge was clearly impressed and declared Jesus the victor. When asked why the decision was made, the judge pointed out the unique characteristic that set the winner apart from all the other leaders: Jesus saves.
QWIK QWIP: “Isn’t it amazing how long a couple of hours spent at church, but how short they are when watching a movie.”
378. God Is Real And Truly Working It Out !
There was a Christian lady who lived next door to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her. He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?" Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no God?"
But she kept on praying. One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord explaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was gonna do.
AS USUAL, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself. "Hmph...I'll fix her." He went to the grocery store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the front porch, rang the door bell and then hid in the bushes to see what she would do. When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing and shoutin' everywhere!
The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told her, "You ol' crazy lady, God didn't buy you those groceries, I bought those groceries!"
Well, she broke out and started running down the street, shouting and praising the Lord. When he finally caught her, he asked what her problem was...
She said, "I KNEW THE LORD WOULD PROVIDE ME WITH SOME GROCERIES, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS GONNA MAKE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!"
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
The Book of James, Jesus' brother, in the Bible, caused much controversy in the early days, as to whether it should be in the Bible.
Why?
Because it was about practical, not so much spiritual, behaviour.
To me it is one of the most valuable books in the Bible, for it teaches me what behaviour is expected of me in this life.
Of course, the rest of the New Testament, particularly the Beatitudes and the parables that follow, are important behavioural guides also. But James is really down to earth in the way he puts things.
Too many think that giving your heart to Jesus is all you need to do to earn your 'Ticket To Heaven'. Sadly these ones are being misled in a big way. For if our behaviour does not match what we say we believe, heaven's door will be far away.
The Jews, of whom Jesus was one, way of thinking, is that there is salvation past, present salvation, and salvation to come. We must live out our salvation in order to be truly saved.
Not a message thay many do not want to hear. How about you?
Untill next time
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 website
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Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 2
Webuye 50205
Kenya
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
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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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