International Circle of Faith (ICOF) 19 December 2014 THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY! (TGIF!) A WEEKLY WWW (world-wide word) OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO THOSE IN MINISTRY TWENTY-FIVE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS Not clearly numbered and listed, as in the Old Testament outward Law of the 10 Commandments, they are found among the teachings of Jesus in the 4 Gospels, and are available for all who have a heart to seek them. We all too easily think, with the emphasis that Jesus places on love and forgiveness, that he didnt teach any absolutes. But, as can be seen here, Jesus did place boundaries on believers behaviour, along with instructions for Godly living. I have grouped these into 3 categories for easier comprehension. Dont take my word for it! Study the Scriptures! David Tait Walking With Jesus Ministries wwj.org.nz LOVE THE 25 COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS! BRILLIANT! Dr Bernie Wade President - ICOF Global Union You may download the PDF here WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY? (Continued) David Tait THE POST APOSTOLIC CHURCH The major question now is, where is the church of the 21st Century heading. Fourteen years into the new century, it is becoming more apparent that God is doing a new thing. But as we have seen over the past 2000 years, through the Dark Ages, the Reformation and the Holy Spirit revivals of the 20th century, the Holy Spirit will always be to the fore of what transpires. Regrettably from a human perspective, all past movements of the Holy Spirit have come to an end, primarily because man has codified them and taken over. Like Moses, the worlds humblest man and the closest to God before Jesus, when he hit the rock, (which he had done successfully before to bring water), rather than talk to it as God had instructed him to do,(Numbers 20:13) man has always seemingly known better than God. This cost Moses the opportunity to take the Israelites into the Promised Land. So where do we go from here? What is God doing here and now, and into the future. THE CHALLENGE OF..... LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFESTYLE To conclude this series on the history of the church, past, present and likely future from a Holy Spirit anointing perspective, I will finish, over the weeks ahead, by looking at the Parables of Jesus which set out the principles of living a kingdom lifestyle. The relevant Scriptures can be accessed by clicking on the blue links. THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED 30 Again he said, What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade. 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. (Mark 4:30-34) A description of the botanic characteristics of the mustard seed is interesting. The seed of both black and white mustard is similar in size, about 1.0 to 3.0 mm (1/8 inch)(11) so it is not the smallest seed but it is the smallest seed of those which you plant in the ground clearly indicating that the Lord was not comparing the mustard seed to all plants but only to those which were commonly grown. There would be numerous plants familiar to His audience with smaller seeds, of which the best example would be the seed of the black orchid. But there are few plants which grow so large in one season as a mustard, and few plants would be characterized by such rapid germination of the seed. Mustard planted one day could begin growing the next. A grown black mustard would still be a herb, botanically speaking, but sometimes a very big herb, popularly considered a shrub. There are wild mustard plants over ten feet tall near the Jordan River, and even in moderate climate a mustard plant may grow that tall, provided it gets enough sunshine. It must, moreover, be remarked that generally trees in most parts of the Holy Land do not reach a large stature. The stem of a mustard plant also becomes dry and wood-like, which gives it the aspect of a tree..... In summary, the three features of the mustard plant emphasized by the Lord are the small size of the seed, the large size of the plant in relation to the seed, and the rapid growth.(Bible Plants - Old Dominion University) Again we must be careful not to read more into the parable than Jesus was meaning. While much speculation has been made about the birds and what they represent, the most likely explanation is that Jesus was making the point that the tree (large shrub) had rapidly grown big from a very small seed, large enough for birds to land on it. In Jewish understanding, prophecy generally has past, present and future applications. I would suggest that this perception also applies to this parable. Obviously teachings of Jesus were only a very small seed at the time, eventually attracting no more than a tiny number of people. Acts 1:15 Over the next months, years and centuries, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom grew rapidly. For example: Acts 2:38-41 Reality is, since that time, the kingdom has grown fastest where and when the light of the Holy Spirit has been allowed to operate in and through His people. The Dark Ages, so named because the light of the Holy Spirit was generally extinguished in the church, saw the kingdom basically shrivel and die, as the mustard plant does on an annual basis. The seed remained however, in small groups of those who continued to be led by the Spirit and were harshly persecuted for it. After a thousand years or so, the flame of the Holy Spirit grew into the fire of the Reformation and spread like wildfire throughout the world. Since that time there have been ups and downs, but the growth of the kingdom plant has been fertilised by the Holy Spirit through revivals. Now we are receiving the understanding that the kingdom is not something just for when we die, or for when the world ends, but to is be established upon the earth through the holy and righteous lives of His disciples. Matthew 6:10 KJV I quote from Doug Fortune, who has studied the Greek meaning of this statement in the Lords Prayer. The word translated as be done is ginomai in Greek, its meanings include- to cause to be, it is the gen in the English word generate, to become or come into being, be brought (to pass), be fulfilled. As we pray, Thy will be done, it is a creative declaration that reaches into the spiritual realm and serves as a catalyst for His will to be gen -erated, a spiritual genesis established in earth, thus causing it to be manifested in the natural realm. It is much more than just wishful thinking! It is a creative genesis! (In Earth as it is in Heaven by Doug Fortune) When I was a relatively new believer I completed a 30 week, (2 hours a week) course called Word of Life. My only theological training. It was through this course that I came into the things of the Holy Spirit, for which I am eternally grateful. At the conclusion of the course the graduates participated in a Presbytery where two outside prophets were brought in to prophecy over our lives. For me, the two prophecies were along similar lines but using different imagery. The first was about me being like the mustard plant, growing into a big tree, while the second was about climbing up a mountain, higher than others had gone, but being guided in my steps, my direction, by Jesus, who had walked the path before me. Throughout the 25 odd years since I have pondered on these things as I have done my little bit in life and ministry to be a disciple of Jesus. However, as I have written about this parable, I have had a new insight into what the Lord was saying to me that evening, long ago. For many are now getting the revelation that the kingdom of God is indeed like a spiritual mustard tree which is and will continue grow rapidly upon the earth in these end times. My desire is to be a part of His kingdom now. Yours too? So we can continue to say..... THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS ARE ONES WHO ARE OBEDIENT TO THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THEIR LIVES. (Continues next week) Find out more about us here FROM THE WORD THE WORDS OF JESUS continued The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-19, 26:12-18) Where Jesus spoke supernaturally to Him. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Its hard for you to fight against me! I am Jesus, the one youre persecuting, But pick yourself up and get to your feet. The reason why Ive appeared to you is to appoint you as my servant, to be a witness for me, telling others how you have seen me and everything I will reveal to you. I will save you from you own people and from the foreigners. I am sending you to them to open their eyes so they can turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and so that they can receive forgiveness for their sins and a place with those who are set right as they trust in me. And to Ananias. Ananias! Get up, and go to Straight Street, the Lord told him. Ask at Judas house for someone called Saul, from Tarsus. Hes praying. Hes seen in vision a man called Ananias come and place his hands on him so he can regain his sight. Who protested. Get on your way, because he is the person I have chosen to take my name to foreigners and kings, as well as to Israel. I will show him what hell have to suffer for my names sake. Pauls Vision and Thorn (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) Paul asks for his thorn to be taken away. My grace is all you will need, for my power is effective in weakness. (Continued next week) You can now download the complete Words of Jesus at DAVIDS DOODLINGS David Tait TALKING AND WALKING 1317. In Jesus, many talk the walk, but few walk the talk. 1318. Religionists talk, disciples walk. 1319. Religionists talk of past glories, disciples walk into present glory. 1320. By definition, following Jesus requires walking, not talking. 1321. If we talk, but not walk with Jesus, we will soon be left behind! 1322. We must walk into Gods rest. 1323. In God, talk is cheap, walking expensive, for it costs our life. 1324. Talking changes minds, but walking, hearts. 1325. To talk about Jesus is good, to walk in His ways, godly. 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 here CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... toonfever TO READ THIS CARTOON AND SEE THE OTHER PICTURES IN THIS EMAIL YOU NEED TO BE ONLINE. Check it out here LAUGHING AT OURSELVES ***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused*** 123. OCCUPATIONAL HYMNS The Dentists Hymn.............Crown Him With Many Crowns The Weathermans Hymn..........There Shall Be Showers of Blessing The Contractors Hymn..........The Churchs One Foundation The Tailors Hymn..............Holy, Holy, Holy The Golfers Hymn..............There is A Green Hill Far Away The Politicians Hymn..........Standing on the Promises The Optometrists Hymn.........Open My Eyes That I Might See The IRS Agents Hymn...........I Surrender All The Gossips Hymn..............Pass It On The Electricians Hymn.........Send the Light The Shoppers Hymn.............Sweet By and By The Realtors Hymn.........Ive Got A Mansion Just Over the Hilltop The Pilots Hymn...............Ill Fly Away The Paramedics Hymn...........Revive Us Again The Judges Hymn...............Almost Persuaded The Psychiatrists Hymn........Just a Little Talk With Jesus The Architects Hymn...........How Firm A Foundation The Credit Card Telemarketers Hymn.....A Charge To Keep I Have The Zookeepers Hymn...........All Creatures of Our God & King The Postal Workers Hymn.......So Send I You The Waiters Hymn..............Fill My Cup, Lord The Gardeners Hymn............Lo, How A Rose Eer Blooming The Lifeguards Hymn...........Rescue the Perishing The Criminals Hymn............Search Me, O God The Bakers Hymn...............When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder The Shoe Repairers Hymn.......It Is Well With My Soul The Travel Agents Hymn........Anywhere With Jesus The Geologists Hymn...........Rock of Ages The Haematologists Hymn.......Are You Washed in the Blood? The Mens Wear Clerks Hymn....Blest Be the Tie The Umpires Hymn..............I Need No Other Argument The Librarians Hymn...........Whispering Hope One of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with over 800 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use FACTS FOR FUN David Tait LAST WEEKS QUESTION: What is a Limey? ANSWER: Websters Dictionary defines Limey as slang for a British sailor, so-named because of the enforced consumption of lime juice in the navy to combat the scourge of scurvy. Scurvy was a disease caused by deficiency of vitamin C, characterised by spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin, and extreme weakness. It wasnt until the eighteenth century that Dr. James Lind figured out that scurvy wasnt caused by what sailors ate, but by what they didnt! Fresh fruits and vegetables. Dr. Lind studied sailors with scurvy - so weak they could barely stand up and near deaths door as far as one could tell and how they would remarkably recover in a few days by eating citrus fruits which are full of Vitamin C, as we now know. (Cor blimey, its a limey.) THIS WEEKS QUESTION: Why is the Dead Sea so salty? SOME FUN FACTS 615. ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN The lifespan of a tastebud is a mere ten days. (Careful! Too much blue cheese and they might decide not to reproduce!) 616. BAD NEWS A rat can survive longer without water than a camel can. (But not the Desert Rats. (Soldiers fighting in the African desert in WW2.)) 617. BY A WHISKER A cat uses its whiskers to determine if an opening is too small for it to squeeze through. (Then meows for it to be opened further.) A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU Make another word from this word using all the letters. REACTOR Answer at the end of A David Musing View all 1232 Fun Facts online at BIBLE QUESTION BIBLE TRIVIA 1 3: Which mountain do the Samaritans claim as the true mountain of God? a. Sinai b. Hermon c. Carmel d. Gerizim Source: biblequizzes.org.uk Heaps more fun and serious God Facts are found here IF ONLY ID THOUGHT OF IT! OTHERS SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE RANDOM ACTS of THINKING !!!!!!! If you cross a zebra with a chicken, will you get an egg with a bar code? !!!!!! I knew a gal who couldnt see a movie because she didnt have 16 friends. The theater had told her Under 17 Not Admitted. !!!! Organized people are just too lazy to look for things. !!! Could you call an EKG ticker tape? !! My wife and I took a massage class, but she didnt enjoy my participation. Apparently I rub her the wrong way. ! Some bankers are generous to a vault. 100S more here GREAT GROANERS 89. THE PIGEONS I was driving to work this morning when my car stalled in the damp weather. I was sitting in the car at the side of the highway, contemplating my next move, when a pigeon flew down and landed right in the middle of the hood of the car. It seemed fairly tame, and I soon became fascinated in watching it up close as it strutted around and made cooing noises. A few minutes passed, and two more pigeons flew in and joined the first bird. Pigeons seem to be attracted by crowds, and soon I was sitting there with a whole hood full of pigeons, all cooing loudly and beginning to change the color of my hood. Gradually I noticed that the birds seemed to be trying to get my attention, which was unnerving, since I had always regarded pigeons as rather stupid birds. But, sure enough, several of them were dragging a piece of rope around on the hood, and several others were flying out in front of the car and returning to the hood. All of a sudden, I realized what they were doing, so I yanked open the door and wildly chased them all off. No way was I going to be pigeon towed! 90. CANVESSLESS A news item this morning was about a local coal miner. It seems That his vocation was painting, but since he couldnt afford to buy canvasses he simply painted on the wall of his small cottage. Unfortunately, a gang of youths broke into his cottage earlier this week and defaced his paintings. Yesterday the young miscreants were charged in court with having corrupted the murals of a miner. 91. THE BOSS The Head of The Church of Humor is the Puntiff. 92. DEFINITIONS Antacid: Uncle Acids wife. Antelope: How she married my Uncle. Arbitrator: A cook that leaves Arbys to work at McDonalds. Avoidable: What a bullfighter tries to do. Baloney: Where some hemlines fall. Bernadette: The act of torching a mortgage. Bottom: What the shopper did when she found the shoes that she wanted. Bucktooth: The going rate for the tooth fairy. Burglarize: What a crook sees with. 93. REVENGE Frogs have it easy; they can eat what bugs them. 94. THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT Bert has this friend who always seemed to lean slightly to the left all the time. It used to bother him, so he suggested his buddy Louie should see a doctor, and have his legs checked out. For years, Louie refused... told Bert he was crazy. Last week, Louie finally went, and sure enough, the doctor discovered his left leg was 1/4 shorter than his right. A quick bit of orthopedic surgery later, Louie was cured, and both legs are exactly the same length now, and he no longer leans. So, Bert says, You didnt believe me when I told you a doctor could fix your leg. Louie just looked at Bert and said, I stand corrected. Much more of my favourite humour here China: The paradox of the rapid spread of Christianity in China Will reprint the full article in 3 sections over 3 weeks. (David) The rapid spread of Christianity in China is forcing an official rethink on religion, reports The Economist. Christians in China have long suffered persecution, but since the death of Mao in 1976 the party has slowly allowed more religious freedom. There are about 57,000 so-called Three Self churches - self-supporting, self-governed and self-propagating. They profess loyalty to China, and are registered with the government. Many Christians however meet in unregistered house churches, which the party for a long time tried to suppress. But Christianity is hard to control in China. It is spreading rapidly, and infiltrating the partys own ranks. The line is blurring between house churches and official ones, and Christians are starting to emerge from hiding to play a more active part in society. The Communist Party has to find a new way to deal with all this. There is even talk that the party, the worlds largest explicitly atheist organization, might allow members to embrace a dogma other than that of Marx. There are more Christians in China today than there are members of the 87 million-strong Communist Party. The upsurge in religion in China, especially among the ethnic Han who make up more than 90% of the population, is a general one. New Christian churches and Buddhist temples are springing up everywhere. While there were perhaps 3 million Catholics and 1 million Protestants when the party came to power in 1949, there are more Christians today than there are members of the 87 million-strong Communist Party. Most are evangelical Protestants. Yang Fenggang of Purdue University in Indiana (USA) says the Christian church in China has grown by an average of 10% a year since 1980. He reckons that on current trends there will be 250 million Christians by around 2030, making Chinas Christian population the largest in the world. Yang says this speed of growth is similar to that seen in fourth-century Rome just before the conversion of Constantine, which paved the way for Christianity to become the religion of his empire. In the 1980s the faith grew most quickly in the countryside, stimulated by the collapse of local health care and a belief that Christianity could heal instead. In recent years it has been burgeoning in cities. A new breed of educated, urban Christians has emerged. Gerda Wielander of the University of Westminster (UK), in her book Christian Values in Communist China, says that many Chinese are attracted to Christianity because it offers a complete moral system with a transcendental source. People find such certainties appealing, she adds, in an age of convulsive change. (Continues next week.) Via: OpenHeaven DAVIDS DOWNLOAD A REVELATION OF... HOLINESS A Christian is called to walk towards holiness. While not pretending to give you the complete answer, the 5 examples included here should help you in your understanding of what true holiness is about. And if you so desire, in its application to your life too! Download your free PDF Files here WAXING LYRICAL This was my very first poem, written during a really hard period in my life. For we had lost our business and I was fighting desperately, ultimately unsuccessfully, to stave off bankruptcy. Written in the days before I became a Christian, (it took bankruptcy to do that - some of us are slow learners!) but I was starting to look at what really are the important things in life. Ironically, we are experiencing business problems again! So it extra true again today. BESIDE ME When I look back on all we have done together, Picking the daffodils in the wind and the rain, I am so grateful that whatever the weather, And bearing the back that gives you pain, You have walked beside me. At times it has been a lot of fun, We have laughed, cried and had the odd thrill. But more often you have had to run, To race, to get the job done, but still, You have walked beside me. And now, when my life has collapsed around my ears, Your strength has helped me to keep my sanity, When I have been down and experienced new fears, While I have suffered great blows to my vanity, You have walked beside me. I have worked so hard all these years, To yours and the familys cost. It is hard sometimes to fight back the tears, Yet no matter how much we have lost, You have walked beside me. Your beauty has always drawn me to you Like the bee to the flower of the honeysuckle tree, To me I know you have always been true While surely, sometimes you have wanted to be free, You have walked beside me. And though life at times seems bitter, twisted and curled, Your love gives me strength to go on fighting. I am just the luckiest man in all the world, To have your name next to mine in writing. You have walked beside me. And now as I have to rebuild my life To meet new challenges, to reach new goals. How blessed I am to have you as my wife, To know that however the countryside rolls, You will walk beside me. More of Davids poetry here THE WORDS OF JESUS NOW 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. There have been nearly 350 downloads to date. One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lords 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 is available HERE A DAVID MUSING David Tait Last weeks musing was a bit of fun - this week more serious. For we are having to close down our clothing shop, Chez Labelle, at least at our current location, due to a lack of sufficient sales to pay the bills. This is a huge disappointment to me, to us, for I/we truly believed we were being led of the Lord to open it, 10 months ago. Maybe, in spite of the end result, it was what He wished us to go through. For, in times of difficulty, you either slip away or move closer to, the Lord. Personally, my large steps ahead in the Lord have come as a result of business financial difficulties. It seems to be how He really gets into me more! Painful, but true. In all things, PRAISE THE LORD! So until next week____ MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD. His servant and yours David Tait Todays Word Puzzle Answer: CREATOR TODAYS BIBLE QUESTION d. Gerizim (John 4:5,20, Deuteronomy 11:29) SPREAD THE WORD! Please forward this email on to others, whether individuals or lists under your control. Feel free to add people to our list and we will do the job for you automatically! If you wish to subscribe your list directly to ours, please contact me [email protected] and I will arrange that for you. Contact Information email: [email protected] phone: 502.410.ICOF (4263) web: icof.net Join our mailing list! Forward email This email was sent to dibetsoambrose@yahoo by [email protected] | Update Profile/Email Address | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. International Circle of Faith (ICOF) | 1598 Gills Ridge Road | Bedford | KY | 40006 Reply, Reply All or Forward | More Click to reply all
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