A Weekly World Wide Word of Encouragement to those in the Ministry
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Issue No: 1009 Published: 15 Feb 2021
AGAIN, PLEASE, PLEASE.....................
........................read today's 'A DAVID MUSING'
It is another vital message for us all.
Thank you
Blessings
David
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
CATHEDRAL v TABERNACLE/TEMPLE
Greek (Western)
A cathedral is built to be a glimpse of the heaven we are to escape to when we die.
A cathedral was built in such an ornate fashion so as to give attendees a glimpse of what heaven, to which we are to escape to when we die will, in human understanding, be like. This was and is illustrated through the architecture, music, artworks, sculptures, furniture and religious ceremonies, drawing a worldly picture of a perfect heaven, a spiritual nirvana, free of all the suffering and pain we experience here on earth.
While many churches today are not so ornate, the principle remains the same. The church is a temporary refuge where we gather with others of like mind to experience God, before dying or being zapped off this wicked earth in the rapture, to escape this evil world.
This is called a 'dualistic theology', as it teaches the separation of a perfect heaven from an imperfect earth. Verses interpreted to justify this conclusion include.....
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)
and.....
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18)
Eastern (Hebrew)
The Tabernacle/Temple was the dwelling place of God, here upon the earth.
The Jewish perspective however, is entirely different. God was and is to dwell with them, here upon the earth. Their responsibility was to prepare a place for Him to live, as seen in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon.....
8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you (Exodus 25:8-9)
God's presence literally filled the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and then the Temple.....10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:10-11)
The everlasting nature of this, dependent upon the people’s obedience, was confirmed by the prophets.....
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” (Ezekiel 37:26-28)
Even after the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelt between the 2 cherubim’s, had disappeared, Jesus still referred to Herod's, far less grand Temple, as being His Father's house.....
16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16)
And again, Jesus referred to end times when He said.....
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
The analogy was of a Jewish wedding where the husband to be, upon the engagement, went back to his father’s house and built a room onto it for his bride to be.
Of course we are to be the bride.....
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7b)
And we are to come down from heaven to live on the earth.....
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)
The Jewish understanding is that they are to prepare, to help build, the Lord's kingdom upon the earth, now. That is not just an Old Testament concept, but is carried forward into the New, when we are called to pray.....
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
To finish today we will compare the differences between the Western Cathedral and Eastern Tabernacle/Temple mentalities in their differing understandings of salvation.....
1. THE GOAL OF SALVATION:
Cathedral Mentality: To escape this world and go to God's dwelling place in heaven.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: To prepare a place fit for God's dwelling here, among His people.
2. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:
Cathedral Mentality: Exists in heaven, not upon the earth.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: Is God's reign among people here upon the earth.
3. THE MESSIAH IS COMING:
Cathedral Mentality: In order to take us away from this world.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: In order to reign over us in this world.
4. MESSAGE:
Cathedral Mentality: Get your ticket now or you might miss the train.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: The kingdom of heaven is coming! Get ready to receive and serve the king.
CONCLUSION
Upon grasping this truth, both our lives and the church will be transformed! For 'walking with Jesus' is not simply a matter of mental acceptance, but requires a lifestyle totally dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Father so that the kingdom may be prepared for the return of Jesus to rule and reign upon the earth.
Are we willing to pay the price?
(Continues next week)
Acknowledgements: http://www.followtherabbi.com and http://hethathasanear.com and http://www.wildbranch.org
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
Spoken to the Pharisees.
“But what do you think about this illustration? Once there was a man who had two sons. He went to the first son, and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘I won’t,’ but afterwards he was sorry for what he said and he did go. The man went to the second son, and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I’ll go,’ but he didn’t. Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?”
The first.
“I tell you the truth: tax-collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you,” “John came to show you the way to live right with God, and you didn’t believe him, but the tax-collectors and prostitutes did believe him. Later, when you saw what happened, you still didn’t repent and believe him.”
Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-18)
A parable spoken against the chief priests and Pharisees.
“Here’s another illustration. There once was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. He rented it to some tenant farmers, and then left to go to a different country. At harvest time, he sent his servants to the farmers to collect the fruit that belonged to him. But the farmers attacked his servants They beat one, killed another, and stoned another. So he sent more servants, but the farmers did the same things to them. So then he sent his son. ‘They will respect my son,’ he told himself. But the farmers, when they saw the son, said to each other, ‘Here’s the heir! Come on! Let’s kill him so we can take his inheritance!’ They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When the vineyard owner returns, what will he do to those farmers?”
Kill them and give the farm to others, the Pharisees replied.
“So haven’t you read the Scriptures?” “‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it is wonderful in our eyes.’ That’s why I’m telling you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to a people who produce the right kind of fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken, but it will completely crush anyone it falls upon.”
Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14)
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who organized a wedding celebration for his son,” Jesus explained. “He sent out his servants to everyone who was invited to the wedding to tell them to come, but they refused. So he sent out more servants, with the instructions, ‘Tell those who are invited, “I’ve prepared the wedding banquet. The bulls and fattened calves have been killed—everything’s ready. So come to the wedding!”’”
“But they ignored the invitation and left. One went to his fields; another to take care of his business. The rest grabbed the king’s servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king became furious. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and burn down their town.
“Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited didn’t deserve to attend. Go into the streets and invite everyone you find to come to the wedding.’ So the servants went out into the streets and brought back everyone they could find, both the good and the bad. The wedding hall was full.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man who didn’t have a wedding robe on. He asked him, ‘My friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ The man had nothing to say. Then the king told his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and throw him out into the dark, where there’ll be crying and grinding of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
(Continued next week)
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
171. Have you noticed how the most 'holey' socks always find their way to the top of the pile?
179. The one thing you can rely upon is the unreliability of weather forecasts.
191. Earthly governance is based upon society imposed rules but godly governance requires individuals to care for each other.
194. Earthly governance is imposed from without, but godly governance bubbles up from within.
192. 'To be or not to be?', that is Shakespeares question. 'To be and to do', that is God's answer.
193. In the human body, pain facilitates the healing process. Unfortunately it's the same in the spiritual!
197. A life without pain is a life devoid of feeling.
195. Men generally think of a group in terms of averages, while women view it as a collection of individuals.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK:GOD AND MAN continues.....
... as we look at the next two steps of obedience we must follow in order to come to maturity in Christ.
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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. ***
11. The Ingenuity of Youth
After church one Sunday morning a young announced to his mother. "Mum, I’m going to be a minister when I grow up."
"That’s wonderful son," his mum said, "but what brought you to that decision?"
"Well," the son replied, I’ll have to go to church anyway, so I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit still and listen!"
12. Heavenly Qualifications
The pastor was talking to a group of young children about believing in Jesus and going to heaven. At the end of his talk he asked confidently, "And where do you want to go?"
"Heaven!" they shouted in unison.
Now on a roll he asked, "And what do you have to be to get there?"
"Dead!" was one boy’s immediate reply.
QWIK QWIP: “Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church.”
13. Funny How….
….$20 looks so big when you take it to church,
but so small when you take it to the mall.
….long it takes to serve God for an hour,
but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of basketball.
….long a couple of hours spent at church are,
but how short they are when watching a movie.
….we can’t think of anything to say when we pray,
but don’t have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.
….we get thrilled when a game goes into extra time,
but we complain when a sermon goes longer than normal.
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 CURSE OF RELIGION OVERCOMING RELATIONSHIP
A WARNING
It is with a sad heart that I have to write about the reality of ‘the church’ as it has existed for the past, at least 100 years generally, and more in the case of the traditional churches.
As the church became ‘respectable’ in society, in the Western world in particular, so the emphasis has changed from having to have a real, vibrant personal relationship with Jesus, in order to withstand the persecution you inevitably faced, to one of acceptance, even of high regard, in the community.
This respectability has moved a believer from being an outcast, a rebel in societies sight, as Jesus was, to an organization respectable to belong to, and good for business! The reasons for joining the church changed from a genuine relationship with our Saviour and Lord resulting in a changed life, to being the ‘thing to do’ to get on in life.
Yes, good values are taught, Society too, has benefited from Christian Ethics. I fact, the constitutions of Western societies have, until more recent times, been based on them. The US Constitution is notable, but far from the only example.
The logical conclusion of this has been that churches have become more like ‘country clubs’ than vital, on fire, gatherings for Jesus!
Added to this is the, oh so sad, division into denominations, each of which has their own point of theological difference, while on the whole, following a similar theology in most areas. However, the minors become majors, and there are now more than 30,000 Christian denominations in the world! How sad! And what a laughingstock it has become to those looking in from outside!
I was brought up as a Baptist, then finally, after much resistance and criticisms of Pentecostals, becoming one! LOL! In latter times, before coming to live here in Kenya, I had quite a bit to do with Anglicans. A crazy, mixed up kid I am! A Baptist –Pentecostal –Anglican! What a terrible description of my spiritual life!
In reality, I went from being a ‘churchian’ in my early years, to a time in the world, to finally, a sold out disciple of Jesus from my early 40’s until today.
Once I was at an Anglican camp for those who wanted more of God than they were able to get in their congregations and Parishes. It was a most interesting experience for me, being from a completely different religious culture. At the end of the weekend I asked the attendees how they would describe themselves, Anglicans or Christians. Without exception, these godly people answered Anglican. I was so disappointed. After this weekend of seeking and successfully meeting with God, these lovely people still considered themselves Anglicans first, before being Christians. The denominational hold is so strong.
So here is the warning
As society becomes ever more humanist in nature, being s Christian, let alone of a particular denomination, is becoming socially unacceptable and ridiculed, while finally, persecution is coming. Yes, some ‘socially acceptable’ churches will be tolerated, those who are genuine, sold out disciples of Jesus, from every denomination, will be rejected from society, in whatever form that may be.
It will not matter then what denomination you were. It will be irrelevant in the times that are coming upon us, even now. Political action, such as we have seen in the American 2020 election, will not be an option any more, for the large majority of society will oppose those who finally decide to put Jesus ahead of all else in their lives. Again religion, your denomination won’t help you! It will be irrelevant! For our strength comes from Jesus, by heeding the guidance of the Holy Spirit and obeying the will of God the Father in our lives.
God’s kingdom is here! It lives within each one who is a sold out believer of Jesus. It is time for all the disciples of Jesus to take a stand! To see the true kingdom of God, not a political or denominational one, developed and expanded here on earth, not just in Heaven. Have we got the courage?
Remember the Lord’s (disciples) Prayer, then and now,
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven.
The time ahead will tell how willing we are to be living kingdom builders for Jesus, no matter what persecution we receive.
David Tait. 11 February 2021. www.wwj.org.nz
Until next time.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
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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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