35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Mathew 9:35-8)

Each week, when writing this series, I get thrilled about, and learn more of, God's plans for the establishment of His kingdom on the earth.

So what are the messages for us this week?

Firstly, as modeled by Jesus, the establishment of the kingdom will involve healing every disease and sickness.

Currently we see some healings, but not all.

This was brought home to me on our first trip to Uganda. We were in a village situation where the church consisted of a series of wooden poles supporting a very rusty and 'holy' (excuse the pun) iron roof. It rained! Not a problem! The people simply put up their umbrellas! Wonderful!

A man was brought in lying down on a stretcher. He could not walk. At the end of the meeting Kathy and I were asked to pray for Him. As we prayed I felt the power go out of my body and he got up and walked! Amazing. A foretaste of the kingdom.

As well, an elderly lady came in on sticks. It took 3 meetings over which she was gradually healed and could walk without them.

A third person remained unhealed, no matter how much we prayed for him - and our faith was high! As was his.

God is the healer, not us.

But, as the kingdom is established, the imperfect will become perfect, and we will see total healings, as Jesus showed us in this passage.

Secondly, people are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. As the kingdom becomes established and we change from 'grey' to 'white' kingdom disciples of Jesus in an increasingly 'dark' world, people will more understand their need and the difference Jesus will make to their lives.

It is a sad situation today, where the church, in general, is becoming more like the world in an endeavor to be 'seeker friendly'. We are living in the Laodicean church age, the last of the 7 Revelation churches, a picture of the final church before the establishment of the kingdom.

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:15-17)

As it says, church, repent.......

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

.......and heal yourself!

18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:18)

The next verse, is today taken completely out of context! It is not for non-believers, but directed at you, at me, at the end time, lukewarm church! Jesus is calling us, but do we hear?

20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

We must repent and get our act together while there is still time, or we too will join the unrepentant Jews of Jesus time.......

12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12)

It is hugely interesting and significant that for those who are faithful, as the Centurion was in the following story, we will experience the 100% healing of the kingdom.

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matthew 8:13)

In case you are thinking that this is all doom and gloom stuff, I will finish with the most amazing, and greatest, of all the promises that was made to the 'overcomers' of the Revelation churches. Yes, the Laodicean church received the greatest promise of all the churches! To rule and reign with Jesus in His kingdom!

21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

What an amazing promise! May we indeed take heed of Jesus in order to obtain our full inheritance.

22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:22)

"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Jesus Heals Many

When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."" (Matthew 8:5-17)

To the Church in Laodicea

""To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

164. Personal repentance is a verb, not an adjective.

165. True repentance is an action that results in a life changing reaction.

166. Show me one who walks in forgiveness and talks with their wallet, and I will show you a true believer.

167. It is amazing how a sprinkling of forgiveness can calm a raging sea of hurts.

168. Sadly, the human mind subtly subverts the holy, 'I Am', into the unholy, 'I am'!

187. Forgiveness is unique. The more you give the more you get.

188. Forgiveness is the one thing you can have more of by giving it away.

189. There are two inexplicable things in life - that the bumblebee can fly and that the more forgiveness I give, the more I get.

190. Forgiveness flies away, a leaf borne by the wind, soon to be returned upon the wings of an angel.

378. Medicine heals the body, while forgiveness heals the soul.

379. Forgiveness is a mind soothing balm.

380. Repentance brings peace with God - forgiveness, peace with ones self.

381. The simplest way to avoid repentance is not to sin. All too often I forget to follow my own advice!

1305. True revival is built upon the foundation of tears.

So the next week the young pastor decided to redeem himself self by preaching from the same passage. "Today", he said, "I want to preach to you from the story where Jesus, with 5 loaves and 2 fishes fed 5,000." Then he confidently looked down at the man who had laughed the week before and said, "Now sir, could you have done that?"

"Why sure", the gentleman answered, "if I had was left over from last week."

326. ADAM AND EVE
One day, Adam sat outside the Garden of Eden shortly after eating the apple, and wondered about men and women.

So looking up to the Heavens he says, "Excuse me GOD, can I ask you a few questions?" GOD replied, "Go on Adam but be quick. I have a world to create."

So Adam says," When you created Eve, why did You make her body so curved and tender unlike mine?" "I did that, Adam, so that you could love her."

"Oh, well then, why did You give her long, shiny, beautiful hair, and not me?"
"I did that Adam so that you could love her."

"Oh, well then, why did You make her act so stupid?
Certainly not so that I could love her?"
"Well Adam, No. I did that so that she could love you."

ANSWER:
Edgar Allan Poe, best known for his tales of horror, is credited with being the 'father' of the marvellous mystery genre. Auguste C. Dupin, his super-intelligent and super-logical detective, first appeared in the 1841 story, 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'. (But can a detective be defective?)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Why do pigs like to wallow in mud?

SOME FUN FACTS

82. TOO POLITE
In a recent 5-year period, 24 residents of Tokyo died while bowing to other people. (Too strenuous an exercise! That's our excuse!)

83. INSIDIOUS
The profile of the average computer virus writer is aged 14-24, talented, bright, and driven by a rebellious, adolescent need to call attention to himself. ('It's an ill wind___' for it does keep Norton and McAfee in business!)

84. A DINKY DIAMOND!
The Taylor-Burton diamond is a dazzling 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond that Cartier bought at an auction. Screen star Richard Burton bought the rare stone the very next day for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, an avid collector of diamond jewellery. (Their ensuing marriage break-up only serves to prove that 'diamonds aren't forever'.)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

BIASED

Christ is a substitute for everything, but nothing is a substitute for Christ. (Ironside)

No one who really wants to count for God can afford to play at Christianity.

If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much.

Time is given us to use in view of eternity.

No one ever lost out by excessive devotion to Christ.

Christianity is Christ!

What many people do not know is that William Penn was not the only famous Penn in Philadelphia. In fact, Penn had two great-aunts who sparked an economic revolution of their own.

William Penn's two aunts were in the bakery business, and they were famous for their pies, especially their apple cobblers and their cherry pies. However, the competition in old Philadelphia was brutal, and the other bakers bound together to try to force the two women out of business.

The other bakers lowered their prices.

But the two elderly ladies lowered their prices even more.

In fact, good William's aunts lowered their prices so much while still baking the best pies in Philadelphia that many of the other bakers were forced out of business.

All over Philadelphia, there was talk of little else but the pie rates of Penn's aunts.

292. THE THIEF
A thief in Paris planned to steal some paintings from the Louvre.

After careful planning, he got past security, stole the paintings and made it safely to his van. However, he was captured only two blocks away when his van ran out of gas.

When asked how he could mastermind such a crime and the make such obvious error, he replied,

"Monsieur that is the reason I stole the paintings. I Had no Monet to buy Degas, to make the Van Gogh.".....

See if you have De Gaulle to send this on to someone else.

I sent it to you because I figured I had nothing Toulouse.

292. OF COURSE!
Teacher: "Max, use 'defeat,' 'defence,' and 'detail' in a sentence."

Max: "When the rabbit cut across the field, defeat went over defence before detail."

293. THE POLISH TRAIN
The engineer of a train passing through Poland could see no lights because the power had been knocked out by a severe ice storm. "We're running out of coal, "he said to his trainman, "but I think we're coming to Gdansk or Danzig, or whatever they call it now. Let's stop and send the porter out to buy some more fuel.

Can you see a sign on the depot that says Gdansk in this dim light?"

The trainman replied, "It appears to be Danzig in the dark.

ATLANTA -- America's mortgage crisis is far from over and home owners are not the only ones in the red. Church congregations across the country are losing their properties at an alarming rate.

Higher Ground Empowerment Center is a small church in the heart of Atlanta's Vine City, the neighborhood Martin Luther King, Jr. once called home from 1965 to 1968.

Dexter Johnson grew up in the historic church on Spencer Street. It is the only church he has ever regularly attended, He became its pastor in 1994.

"God has blessed me with a wonderful group of people who love God, love ministry, and love their pastor," Johnson recently told CBN News.

Weathering The Storms

Higher Ground actually began in 1903 as Mount Gilead Baptist Church. But in 2009, the pastor said God moved him and his congregation to change the name to Higher Ground.

The new name marked the church's rise from ruin after a 2008 tornado knocked down its steeple, ripped off its roof, and left the congregation without a sanctuary for more than a year.

"It shook the foundation of our church," Johnson recalled.

But now, a legal storm is threatening to take away that renovated building.

Higher Ground saw its membership decline in the 20 months it was displaced. Giving also decreased as some congregants lost their jobs in the economic downturn. The property value of the church building also dropped, leaving members with a $1 million mortgage for a building valued at much less.

"Originally, we had a $1.1 million loan. We have negotiated down to $600,000. They want their property," Johnson explained. "They want us out. And there is no more negotiating with the bank. They want us out now."

Higher Ground still occupies the building as its lawyers appeal the church's case in Fulton County Superior Court.

Johnson continues to pray for a future for the 108-year-old church.

"One hundred and eight years of history. We don't want to just see it disappear, be lost in foreclosure. We've been standing on God's Word. We are not going anywhere. We are planted on higher ground," he said.

The matter will play out in court in the next 60 to 90 days. It will take a $600,000 miracle to keep the building open.

More Buildings in Foreclosure

It only takes a short drive to find other church buildings with foreclosure notices and locked doors........

Selling for More Outreach

Business sense led Rolling Hills Baptist Church to put its building on the market a year ago -- even without the threat of foreclosure.

"We could afford to pay those bills," Pastor Frank Mercer said. "But that was all we could do. So this set us free."

The church was only $150,000 away from paying off its mortgage when Mercer asked his congregation to sell the building and use the proceeds to fund missions work at home and abroad.

As a result, the church is on the road during the week with more than 55 missions projects completed this year. Members meet at a movie theater for Sunday services.

It is a concept Mercer thinks may grow as the number of church foreclosures climbs in Georgia and other states, including California, Michigan, Florida, and Texas.

"I don't necessarily mean that every church should sell their property," Mercer said. "But for us, it would have been a sin not to."

See full article here. FULL ARTICLE

Drawn from the trilogy 'Eagles Fly High!', this picture of the final church is presented through prophecy, allegory, poetry, and scripturally based vision.

Definitely a tasty morsel for the hungry in God. For those seeking to discover more about God's plans for their lives and the church as a whole. Find out all about the 'Taberneagle Army' that God is starting to raise up at this critical time in our history.

A 72 page read to both inform and inspire you to make Jesus the Lord of your life.

LIFE WITH THE WIFE

We met at a camp, some thirty-two years ago,
What life was to bring, little then did we know.
Yes, there was a spark, that brought us together,
A mutual attraction - more than just the weather!

Maybe more notice, of the weather should have been taken,
For just a few days later, the City of Wellington was shaken,
By the 'Wahine Storm', the like of which is so rarely seen,
A hurricane! Prophetic of our marriage, could it have been?

Still, two years later in the month of May,
Kathy and David married, on a cloudy day.
In Palmerston North Baptist, our vows were said,
The journey of marriage, lay tantalisingly ahead.

Two years on, after tripping right around the world,
Exploring our roots. In Britain, they were unfurled.
We came home, ready to start our family of four,
Two sons soon, followed later, by two sons more.

So twenty years of our marriage, it did pass,
Oh me, oh my, the time! How it does go fast!
Me, taking the male path of 'girls, gold and glory',
The wife 'at home with the kids', you know the story.

Turning my back on God, over this time,
The vibes between us, they ceased to rhyme.
Resulting in tears, flavouring the baking you see,
Kathy gently sobbing, while making muffins for me.

By now our business, we had lost,
In stormy seas, vigorously tossed,
But then, I did come to the Lord,
For Kathy, that did strike a chord.

To Tauranga City, here we came,
Life never again, to be the same.
The Lord developed new love in me,
For Him, my wife, and all the family.

Over the years since then, our relationship's improved,
As the conflicts of the past, the Lord He has soothed.
Kathy graciously forgave me of my wrong,
On a new foot, life is now going along.

During the last ten years we have grown close together,
Finding strength in each other, whatever the weather.
So now, as we jointly share, life's hopes and dream,
Our relationship's blossomed - you know what I mean.

Not to say that we never, ever disagree!
That 'perfect' couple, I have yet to see!
But we are learning to respect each other's opinions,
So opening our marriage to exciting new dimensions.

Valuing our differences, to paint a finer picture,
Our thought processes, an interesting mixture,
For women think differently, as all men know,
Frustrating sometimes, but helps us to grow!

As we go through turbulent times once more,
My God - no, not again! I am losing the score!
But this time, with God and Kathy on my case,
I'm no longer alone, in running life's race.

'When the going gets tough, the tough get going',
We face things together, our love ever growing,
Amazing the miracle that God has done,
For we enter life's battles, victory won.

So, looking back on those first twenty years,
Could have avoided the flow of Kathy's tears.
If only then, I had been willing to talk with the wife,
Would have banished earlier, much strife in our life!

Now, as we cuddle together, under the covers at night,
Here, 'in the best bed in the world', it is our delight,
To share together, all the adventures of the day,
And so our love blossoms - Lord, long may it stay.

Looking forward to the future, with excitement and hope,
For the Lord's on our side, with problems we can cope.
Our maturing love, gently tightens the bonds of unity,
In the service of Jesus, we're fulfilling our destiny.

This weekend has been 'petrolhead heaven' for we have had the Australian V8 Supercars series racing here in Hamilton, New Zealand, the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Shanghai, China, and the World Rally Championship in Jordan. All three threw up surprise winners! Including a New Zealander, in his first ever race win in the V8 series!

New Zealanders love underdogs! As a very small country, we usually are the underdogs ourselves!

Being believers in today's world, particularly in the West, we often feel like underdogs, as humanism seems to be gaining a greater and greater sway.

However the Bible tells us, that in spite of satan's last desperate efforts, we will have the final victory!

Whom, and in whom, do you believe?

PS: 'Lord, heal me of speed!'

Photo: Shane Van Gisbergen on the way to winning the 2nd race of the Australian V8 series, in Hamilton, NZ.

Until next week___

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: ABIDES