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: 340 Published: 28 Apr 2008
TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM (continued)
What sort of a leader was Jesus?The first comment has to be that Jesus was most unlike the leader the Jews (or we for that matter) expected.
The Old Testament prophets spoke about a Messiah who would rescue the people from their bondage. The Jews, who were continuously under occupation by the various super powers of the times, naturally thought that their rescuer would be a warrior king who would bring back the glory days the nation of Israel experienced during the time of Kings David and Solomon.
This is what the people were expecting on Palm Sunday and their disappointment and frustration rapidly turned into anger and rejection, so just a few days later, Jesus was hung on the cross to experience the dreadful death of a criminal or traitor, deserted by nearly everyone who had once followed Him. Of course, had we been there, we would never have done such a thing! Or would we?
I would suggest that the leadership style of Jesus was so different to what we, in our human condition understand, that we too would have misunderstood and sided with the people of Jerusalem on that dreadful but wonderful day.
You see, Jesus rejected a worldly form of leadership when He resisted satan's temptation right at the beginning of His ministry.
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,†he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.†10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’†(Matthew 4:8-10)
Yes, at this time Jesus stated that His leadership style would be different, one of servanthood and obedience, not to His own will or that of the people, but 100% to the will of His Father.
For Isaiah had prophesied, and the people ignored,
"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:1-3)
From this description by Isaiah, we can assume that Jesus did not look like Jim Caviezel or any other 'Hollywood Jesus'.
In fact, other than Roman Historians Tacitus and Josephus who recorded the fact that Jesus had lived in Palestine, the secular world took virtually no notice of Him. Atheists have seized upon this paucity of information to try to prove that Jesus didn't even exist!
For Jesus was not a leader in the sense that the world knows and understands. Unlike King Saul, He was not outstandingly tall or handsome. He had a basic following of 12 (then 11) men who had been rejected by the Rabbis of the day as intellectually inferior, not suitable to their requirements. His most loyal supporters were a small group of women, some of whom were related to Him. In fact, after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, there were only 120 followers left. If the Holy Spirit had not come at Pentecost, no doubt the 120 would have quickly dwindled away too.
Jesus was a leader who lived amongst the people, sharing life with them, both its ups and downs. He was initially lauded and applauded by the common people but later in His ministry was cast aside by most of them too. Of course, He was never acceptable to the secular or spiritual leadership of the day. He experienced the sorrow and suffering of rejection and finally lost His life when both the rulers and people combined to get rid of Him.
Not a leader we would admire, or follow.
Yet Jesus, this failure in worldly eyes, inspired a movement that has changed more lives and had greater influence upon the world over the past 2000 years than any other!
Amazing! Incredible! Thank you Jesus!
(To be continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.†Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’†Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,†he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
â€â€˜He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’†Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’†Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,†he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.†Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’†Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:1-11)
THE SUFFERING AND GLORY OF THE SERVANT
"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
RELIGION, REVELATION AND GOD'S KINGDOM1041. Revelation and religion make incompatible companions.
1042. Religion resists change while revelation requires it!
1043. Revelation formalised soon becomes religion institutionalised.
1044. God's kingdom breeds revelation, religion, rules.
1045. Religion is man's adaptation of God's revelation.
1046. When religion fails you, turn to God.
1047. So often the church attempts to compete with God's kingdom rather than promoting it.
1048. God's vision is our mission.
1049. Religion is the eager repository of yesterday's revelation.
1050. Revelation is eternal truth meeting today's circumstances.
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 ...
CRANWELL'S CARTOON
15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! (Joshua 6:15-16)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THE MOSAIC COVENANTAfter breaking the Abrahamic Covenant, Moses, the one God chose to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, was given a replacement covenant, appropriate to the situation the people were now in.
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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." ***
714. YIPPEE!
A Sunday school teacher was teaching kids about doing good things always and never to do things one will be ashamed of.
To make her point she told the kids never to do anything in private that they would not want anyone to see them do in public.
"Yippee!" cried little Johnny from the back of the class, "No more bathing!"
713. THE BIBLE IN 50 WORDS
God made
Adam bit
Noah arked
Abraham split
Joseph ruled
Jacob fooled
Bush talked
Moses balked
Pharaoh plagued
People walked
Sea divided
Tablets guided
Promise landed
Saul freaked
David peeked
Prophets warned
Jesus born
God walked
Love talked
Anger crucified
Hope died
Love rose
Spirit flamed
Word spread
God remained.
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can now download the book 'Laughing At Ourselves' in PDF format at LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
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FACTS FOR FUN
LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What is the lowest place on Earth?ANSWER: The Dead Sea, located near some of Israel's most famous
historical sites, is the lowest place on Earth. It lies further below sea level
than any other place in the world. (The only place you can float below sea
level?)
THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Are pigeons and doves of the same family?
Answer Next Week.
SOME FUN FACTS549. HARD ROCH WORK
A scientific study has shown that Hard Rock music makes termites chew through wood at twice their normal speed. (To get away from it all?)
550. SACRIFICIAL LOVE
A female ferret will die if it goes on heat and can’t find a mate. (Reproduction is literally a life and death matter here.)
551. WATCH YOUR STEP
The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet, all the time. (And you thought donkeys were stupid for looking down!)
A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
Make another word from this word using all the letters.
ROMANCE
Answer at the end of A David Musing
FREE DOWNLOAD: You can download the full version of our Trivia Book at TRULY TRIFFLING TRIVIA
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BIBLE QUESTION - WORKERS AND TOOLS
9) Why were there no 'blacksmiths' in Israel in the days of King Saul?A - No need for them
B - Weren't allowed
C - No craftsmen
D - No metal available
Source: www.biblequizzes.com
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IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!
"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""HOW OLD?
!!!!! He looks like a million bucks -- after taxes
!!!! She's been pressing 30 so long, it's pleated.
!!! When it comes to telling her age, she's shy -- about 10 years shy.
!! I've stopped exercising. Pushing 50 is enough exercise for me.
! He's so old he just got a prospectus from an old-age home marked "Urgent"
100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...
PETS RULE!
43. THE BOSSA man goes into a pet shop to buy a parrot. The shop owner points to three identical looking parrots on a perch and says: "The parrot to the left costs 500 dollars".
"Why does the parrot cost so much?" the customer asks. The owner says, "Well, it knows how to use a computer."
The customer asks about the next parrot and is told "That one costs 1,000 dollars because it can do everything the other parrot can do plus it knows how to use the UNIX operating system."
Naturally, the increasingly startled man asks about the third parrot and is told "That one costs 2,000 dollars." Needless to say this begs the question "What can IT do?"
To which the owner replies "To be honest I have never seen it do a thing but the other two call him boss!"
44. AT THE AUCTION
One day a man went to an auction. While there, he bid on a parrot. He really wanted this bird, so he got caught up in the bidding. He kept on bidding, but kept getting outbid, so he bid higher and higher and higher. Finally, after he bid way more than he intended, he won the bid - the parrot was his at last!
As he was paying for the parrot, he said to the Auctioneer, "I sure hope this parrot can talk. I would hate to have paid this much for it, only to find out that he can't talk!"
"Don't worry." said the Auctioneer, "He can talk. Who do you think it was who kept bidding against you?"
45. WESTERN UNION
A German shepherd went to a Western Union office, took out a blank form and wrote, "Woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof..woof...woof."
The clerk examined the paper and told the dog, "There are only nine words here. You could send another 'woof' for the same price."
"But," the dog replied, "it would make no sense at all."
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BIBLE TRIVIA
THE SHOFAR...used to create the blasts of sound when the walls of Jericho fell, is made from a ram's horn. Ancient sheep often grew huge horns from which musical instruments were made. The horn was heated with steam until it was soft enough for its natural curve to be straightened out. Then the wide end where the horn had been attached to the ram, was bent almost at a right angle.
Adapted from: '1001 Surprising Things You Should Know About The Bible' MacGregor & Prys
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ZIMBABWE CALL FOR PRAYER
IN WORLD WAR II WHILE HITLER WAS BRUTALLY TAKING OVER THE WORLD, THERE WAS AN ADVISOR TO CHURCHILL WHO ORGANISED A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO DROPPED WHAT THEY WERE DOING EVERY NIGHT AT A PRESCRIBED TIME FOR JUST ONE MINUTE TO COLLECTIVELY PRAY FOR THE SAFETY OF ENGLAND, ITS' PEOPLE AND PEACE.THINGS DRASTICALLY CHANGED AND THE REST IS HISTORY
GOD IS THE ANSWER AND PRAYER IS THE ONLY WAY FOR ZIMBABWE!
IN VIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN ZIMBABWE WE ARE ORGANISING A DAILY ONE MINUTE PRAYER TIME AT 8 A.M. OR 1 P.M. OR 8.00 P.M. AT ANY ONE OF THESE TIMES, PLEASE STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND SPEND THAT ONE MINUTE PRAYING FOR GOD TO INTERVENE IN THE AFFAIRS OF OUR COUNTRY.
SOMEONE SAID IF CHRISTIANS REALLY UNDERSTOOD THE FULL EXTENT OF THE POWER WE HAVE AVAILABLE THROUGH PRAYER, WE MIGHT BE SPEECHLESS.
OUR PRAYERS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL ASSET WE HAVE. TOGETHER. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
IF YOU KNOW ANY OTHER CHRISTIAN BROTHER AND SISTER WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS POWERFUL EXERCISE, PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG.
THANK YOU,
ZIMBABWE 24-hour Solidarity Vigil
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DAVID'S DOWNLOAD
A REVELATION OF... THE FIRST MIRACLE OF JESUSI have never been happy with the explanations I have heard of the meaning of the changing of the water into wine. So I asked Jesus! And He told me! Find out what He said through the Holy Spirit.
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WAXING LYRICAL
Many expect life to be easy once they come to Jesus. But His life was not easy - and we are meant to be like Him!LIFE'S ROSES AND THORNS
Life may be short,
It could be long.
Will we be caught?
Or end up strong?
Money comes,
Money goes.
We do our sums,
But no-one knows.
Healthy one day,
Sick the next.
For wellness we pray,
When ill - now vexed.
All's under control,
Now it falls apart!
We're first on a roll,
Then back to the start!
In God too, we must face this place,
For all's not smooth, in life's race.
Him we are called, ever to revere,
And in daily life, to persevere.
He hasn't promised a fine bed of roses,
Nor simple solutions, to all life poses.
For roses were created with thorns you see,
Representing life problems, for you and me.
Yet when we see the rose in triumphant bloom,
Its shining beauty overwhelming the gloom,
The thorns' pricks and scratches are all worthwhile,
Put aside, forgotten, when with pleasure we smile.
For there cannot be a rose, without the thorns,
So with trial and testing, we do lock horns.
In order to become the rose God wants us to be,
We must overcome the thorns of life, you see.
Then He will pick us, now His richest bloom,
Taking pride of place in His heavenly room.
Eternal blooms, never ever to fade,
For by His hand, we have been made.
When locking horns with our latest thorn,
Remember the rose - no, it does not mourn.
From glory to glory, we are being made,
The price of the Cross, now fully paid.
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A DAVID MUSING
God has a timing for all things. Often different to ours! Usually later!We have been seeking for 6 months for Seekers a shop in our sister city of Hastings, about 20km away from where we now live and operate from in Napier.
Neither a shop of sufficient size at a reasonable rent, nor someone to run it, have worked out.
However this week, both seem to have fallen into place. Neither is finalised yet, but it is looking very promising.
One important thing about maturing in God is to learn to wait upon Him, for both His direction and timing. Neither do they necessarily both come at the same time!
"Lord, may I learn to hear you more clearly and to wait patiently for you to activate your promises in my life."
Until next week...
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: CAMERON. PS: On Saturday our youngest son Cameron, unexpectedly brought home his first young lady, 'Becs', for us to meet, whom he has known for the past 9 months. This puzzle then, picked at random by the computer, seems particularly appropriate this week!
TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION': B - Weren't allowed (1 Samuel 13:19)
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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
290 Flaxmere Avenue
Flaxmere
Hastings
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 8799 911 International (+64) 6 8799 911
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