I was tempted to miss out this quotation, for many may be turned off by yet another 'doom and gloom' word from yet another 'Christian loony'! Not so! For this is going to be a message of hope and joy to those who truly love Jesus more than themselves! For our time is about to come!

New Zealand is often called 'God's own country' because of its beautiful scenery, and relative peace and prosperity. Yet over the past year we have experienced tumults, from a mine disaster, to earthquakes, floods, and even tornados, on a cumulative scale unprecedented in our history. Relative to the size of our country and economy, the Christchurch earthquakes alone have cost 8% of our whole countries national income (GDP) for a year. While recent events such as the Japanese Tsunami, the Australian floods or even the 2005 Hurricane Katrina in the US were much more devastating in absolute terms, the cost to the particular countries GDP was between 1-2%. So New Zealand is experiencing challenging times, reminiscent of these words of Jesus. Here endeth the doom and gloom sermon!!!

There are 2 kingdom positives that I wish to take out of this passage.

Firstly, from verse 7, kingdom against kingdom.

The verse talks about normal wars and troubles, nation against nation. We have experienced these throughout history. These are to increase. Looming food and resource shortages as the world's population expands and people's expectations grow, will be likely causes.

However, the more important is the spiritual battle, kingdom against kingdom, the kingdom of light against the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of satan. For sold out, kingdom believers, this is a battle to look forward to, for it is a prelude to the kingdom of God finally being established upon the earth, ready to welcome the return of Jesus. This kingdom establishment does not come easily. It must be sought forcefully.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12)

Or, as the King James Version even more 'forcefully' puts it!

12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12 KJV)

In this day and age we will see the 'church' divide into those who compromise with the world, such as the 'gray' church in Laodicea.....

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 3:16-17)

And the kingdom church, which Jesus went on to say would be holy and pure 'white'.

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)

This principle cannot be taught by human teaching but must be made real to each one of us individually, through the 'eye salve' of the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

The reward for those who are prepared to make the sacrifice is the greatest of all those promised to the churches of Revelation, to rule and reign with Jesus.

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 12:21)

Hallelujah! Isn't this something worth fighting for!

Secondly, from verse 14, this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world.

While we have been extending the reach of the preaching of the gospel, it has been the gospel of 'salvation', rather than the gospel of the 'kingdom'. So what is the difference?

The gospel of salvation is primarily self-focused. Come to Jesus, and you will be saved and go to heaven when you die.

12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:12-13)

Unfortunately, this is not the whole message of the kingdom. Yes, we do need to be 'born again'.....

3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)

but there is also another requirement - obedience.

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:8)

Salvation is not a 'one time' event, but an ongoing kingdom lifestyle.

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)

And again.....

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:36)

In the words of Jesus.....

9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14)

At this time, and in this way, the fulfillment of the Lord's Prayer will be seen.

10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Satan has been, is being, and will be totally defeated and Jesus will reign in His kingdom upon the earth along with His overcoming, pure and perfect church.

""To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 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. 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. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 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. 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."" (Revelation 3:14-22)

Shining as Stars

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." (Philippians 2:12-18)

Warning Against Falling Away

1002. Holiness is an attitude reflected in behaviour.

1003. Holiness comes, as we let the hold on our lives, go.

1004. The 'Law of Holiness' needs to be written in our hearts and applied through our will.

1005. Holiness grows as we walk hand in hand with Jesus.

1006. Every day is to be a 'holy-day'

1007. Holiness is a way of life, not a doctrine.

1008. Holiness grows as my will goes.

1009. To walk on the path of holiness I need Jesus at my side.

1010. Holiness is tough, but hell, deadly!

1011. Life is a game, living holiness the aim.

Not remembering that name in the Bible, his mother asked, "Who is Isme?" "I guess it was a horse, the horse a man by the name of Isaiah rode." "What are you talking about, there's no mention in the Bible of Isaiah riding a horse", the mother responded.

"Well, he must have", said the young boy. My teacher read from the place where Isaiah said "Woah, Isme!"

357. JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE PASTOR
As nearly everyone knows, the Pastor has practically nothing to do except -

Decide what is to be done;
Tell somebody to do it;
Listen to reasons why it should not be done;
Listen to reasons why it should be done by someone else;
Listen to reasons why it should be done in a different way;
Follow up to see if the thing has been done;
Discover that it has not;
Inquire why;
Listen to excuses from the person who should have done it;
Follow up again to see if the thing has been done,
only to Discover that it has been done incorrectly;
Point out how it should have been done;
Conclude that as long as it has been done, though incorrectly, it may as well be left as it is;
Wonder if it is not time to get rid of the person who cannot do a thing right;
Reflect that certainly any successor would be just as bad, or even maybe worse;
Consider how much simpler and better the thing would have been done if one had done it himself in the first place;
Reflect sadly that one could have done it right in twenty minutes, and as things turned out, one has to spend two days to find out why it has taken three weeks for somebody else to do it wrong.

356. BUSINESS IS BUSINESS
After watching sales falling off for three straight months at Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Colonel calls up the Pope and asks for a favor.

The Pope says, "What can I do? "The Colonel says, "I need you to change the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken'. If you do it, I'll donate 10 Million Dollars to the Vatican."

The Pope replies, "I am sorry. That is the Lord's prayer and I can not change the words." So the Colonel hangs up.

After another month of dismal sales, the Colonel panics, and calls again. "Listen your Excellency. I really need your help. I'll donate $50 million dollars if you change the words of the daily prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'" And the Pope responds, "It is very tempting, Colonel Sanders. The church could do a lot of good with that much money. It would help us to support many charities. But, again, I must decline. It is the Lord's prayer, and I can't change the words."

So the Colonel gives up again. After two more months of terrible sales. The Colonel gets desperate. "This is my final offer, your Excellency. If you change the words of the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken' I will donate $100 million to the Vatican." The Pope replies, "Let me get back to you."

So the next day, the Pope calls together all of his bishops and he says, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that KFC is going to donate $100 million to the Vatican."

The bishops rejoice at the news.

ANSWER:
In January 1999, misleading reports appeared in the media that suggested Pluto was about to lose its status as a planet and be reclassified as a minor planet or even an asteroid. The furore was caused by a suggestion to include Pluto in a specialised listing of 'Trans-Neptunian Objects', a group of smaller objects that have been discovered in the outer solar system beyond Neptune's orbit. These objects are similar to Pluto, though drastically smaller. Astronomers did not intend to imply that Pluto was not a planet by suggesting its inclusion on the list, but the assumption that Pluto was being 'demoted' caused an uproar anyway and the International Astronomical Union had to issue a statement confirming that Pluto remained our ninth planet. (Mickey and Donald were so pleased not to lose their good friend!)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Where and when was the first underground train line opened?

SOME FUN FACTS

49. AND WE DRINK IT!
Vinegar was the strongest acid known to the ancients. (Dissolves our stomachs?)

50. DRINK MORE WATER
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off. (Drink or die!)

51. KEEPING FIT
A United Parcel Service delivery person typically makes up to 300 pickups or deliveries a day. That compares to someone doing 600 sets of step aerobics a day. (They should be paying the Company to work there!)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

SEATBELT

A - a tree stump
B - a bear's carcass
C - a cave
D - a lion's carcass

Source: www.biblequizzes.com

!!!!!! If it's good they will stop making it.

!!!!! Most people don't make the same mistake twice, they make it three or four times.

!!!! If it is ironic, it's possibly true.

!!! Any bad habit is easier than the corresponding good habit.

!! Problems that go away by themselves usually come back by themselves.

"If you break a window," he said, "and then place cardboard there instead, that is a substitute."

After the sermon, a woman who had listened intently shook hands with him and wishing to compliment him actually said, "You were no substitute. You were a real pane."

97. THE FAMILIAR
A detective who spent his entire career in plain clothes quit the police force and bought a farm.

"What kind of crops do you plan to grow?" the police chief asked the farmer-to-be.

"Carrots and potatoes," the man replied.

"Why carrots and potatoes?" asked the chief.

"Because," answered the ex-detective, . . . "I'm very fond of undercover crops."

98. IT'S NATURAL
A Polar bear walks into a bar and says to the bartender, "I'll have a gin.........................and tonic."

The Bartender says, "What's with the big pause?"

The bear answers, "I don't know. My father had them, too!"

99. IT'S IN ORDER
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.

The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee".

The husband said, " You are in charge of the cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."

Wife replies, "No you should do it, and besides it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."

Husband replies, " I can't believe that, show me."

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and shows him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says ..

Iran ranks second only to North Korea for its poor treatment of Christians, according to Open Doors' World Watch List. Believers make up a tiny minority of the nation and pay dearly for their faith.

And yet amid this severe atmosphere, Christ followers are determined to remain in their country and spread the Word. Their persistence is working, and the home church movement is booming--especially among Iranian youth.

"We just believe this is a tremendous opportunity to put Scriptures into the hands of young believers; the youth in that country are incredibly open to the Gospel," says Ken Leggatt with WorldServe Ministries in Canada. "It's an incredibly youthful nation as well," Leggatt adds.

The total median age of an Iranian is about 26-years-old (as opposed to the U.S. median of 36-years-old), and the number of these young people in the nation looking for change is high. Many are welcoming digression from the old oppressive regime of Iran and extremism. Getting Bibles into the country so they can read and learn more for themselves is crucial.

With all this in mind, WorldServe has chosen Iran to be the first recipient of their Million Bible Challenge. "We're making our first shipment of Bibles toward the goal, and that's 10,000 Farsi New Testaments and Psalms that is going to be distributed to believers in Iran," says Leggatt.

There's a serious risk to doing this type of distribution. "Back in December, you'll recall that the day after Christmas there was an arrest of about 25 church leaders," Leggatt reminds us. "Many of those people were detained for months and suffered at the hands of their captors. "

But church leaders are determined, and when distribution is finished, the impact could be significant.

Of course, Iran is in need of more than just these 10,000 Bibles. Leggatt says one partner mentioned, "If there was 10 million Bibles to go into the country right now, that wouldn't satisfy the demand for the Word of God."

Still, these initial 10,000 will touch at least that many lives, and the need for more indicates seeking and open people. As Leggatt puts it, "It's another drop in the bucket, but eventually, enough drops and it'll fill it up."

Gardens and nature have a special place in God's heart too. This is not surprising, for He was their creator! Nor is it surprising then, that He should choose garden settings for key events in His interaction with man to take place.

Hopefully though, this one expresses a more mature faith. You be the judge. I know I am coping with the problems more easily now, knowing for sure that God is on my side.

YOU'RE STILL THERE

There are times in life, when all seems lost,
A cork in stormy seas, I'm being tossed,
Battered about from head to toe,
Don't know how or where to go.
Hurting in every sinew!
Impossible to continue!
Head does burn!
Nowhere to turn?
Run away?
Hey! Hey!
Stop!
Drop!

But surely, you're still there!

Now really, life is unkind,
No, it's not just in the mind.
What have I done, this fate to deserve?
For it's you I've tried, always to serve.
It's not on, Lord, such a fate to befall,
I've done my best, have given my all!

But surely, you're still there!

My thoughts, they just churn away,
Never in one place, will they stay,
Drift in here, shoot out where?
Yes! No! - Lord - it's not fair!

But surely, you're still there!

My mind's in turmoil,
My body in recoil.

But you're still there.

How useless!
All the stress!
Such a mess!
Can't you guess?

But you're still there!

Are you really still there Lord?

You're still there!

But you seem so far away right now,
For I need you Lord, show me how
To get back in contact, to talk with you,
You've always been, so faithful and true.

Yes, you're still there!

"Be at peace David. Stop. Then you will hear,
Gentle words of comfort, to your inner ear.
For now that your life is all at sea,
It's time to come, on bended knee.
So when on me, you do totally rely,
Together, we can reach for the sky."

Lord, you're still there!

"I'm always here for you, my son,
Into my arms, you can surely run.
At times in life,
All get in strife.
But I have not been the cause of your pain,
Instead, using circumstances for our gain,
More about me to learn,
You to me, then to turn."

Yes Lord, you're still there!
Into the fiery furnace I am bound to go,

If the best of my Lord, I'm to get to know.

This is the precious price to be paid,

If more like Him, I wish to be made.
While hating this place, being no masochist,
Of my great need for it, I am a realist!
Yet even while suffering the searing, white heat of the flame,
I will still stand strong in Him, calling upon His precious name.

As you will surely realise now, my birthday falls on American Independence Day. An appropriate day, some people who know me say!

The only problem, I find, is that the day comes round so quickly - quicker each year! Did you know that a normal year is 12 months, or 365 days, or 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes, or 31,536,000 seconds long! I think I will live the seconds this year. Just seems longer somehow!

Of course, we do not know which month, day, hour, minute or second will be our last on this earth. May we experience each one to the full and be ready and prepared for what is to come when this life ends.

PS. The 7 candles do not represent my age! Of course, 7 is the number of completion! Do hope it is not prophetic!

Until next week___

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: TESTABLE