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
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Issue No: 1019 Published: 26 Apr 2021
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
SPIRITUALITY
Greek (Western) To the Western mind, life is dualistic, with a separation between the physical and emotional, and the spiritual.
Spirituality is otherworldly. The emphasis in both teaching and living is to go to heaven where all physical pain and the cares of the world will be left behind. The physical and emotional are regarded as evil, so physical and emotional self-denial is good. Initially, the monastic system grew out of this thinking while today escapism is reflected in the (false) rapture teachings.
Spirituality is considered to be of the mind. Therefore, those who have been trained in theology are considered to be more worthy than those who haven't. This has led to a division between clergy and people, starting with the Roman Catholic Church, and which, formally or informally, still remains today.
We separate the (bad) physical and emotional from the (good) spiritual. So we celebrate the spiritual in church for an hour or two then go back into the world and happily live an unspiritual life.
Eastern (Hebrew) In the Eastern way of thinking spirituality is earthly, not otherworldly.
Man was put on earth to look after it.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis1:27-8)
Mankind was given comprehensive instructions on how to look after earth, from planting crops, to celebration, to work, to rest, to handling money, and how to take care of the poor. For example.....
12 “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed. (Exodus 23:12)
Appropriate emotionalism was encouraged, along with the physical.....
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
That the spiritual is a part of this world, is reflected in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. For example.....
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)
Jesus did not send His disciples to heaven, but into the world, to follow His example.....
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:18-19)
Marriage is perhaps considered to be the most spiritual thing one can do. Sex within marriage is regarded as particularly spiritual, just touching the surface of what our union with the Messiah is to be. We are to participate in the glorious marriage with the Lamb of God.....
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:7-8)
When the Scriptures speak of 'the flesh', they are speaking of our worldly nature, our pre-Christ nature. As Paul said.....
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Philippians 3:4b-6)
Now, although no longer of the world, in our new nature, we are to remain in the world and to be its light. As Jesus said.....
14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
May we build His kingdom upon the earth.....
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. To accept that the renewed physical and emotional within us is good, is to be celebrated, and not rejected as unspiritual.
2. Forget about the escapism of early rapture teaching. We will meet with Jesus in the sky upon His return, coming to His kingdom on earth with Him. (Matthew 24;30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
3. To understand that, (and behave like), we are part of His kingdom now being built upon the earth.
4. To live life to the full, spiritually, physically and emotionally, as worthy witnesses of our Lord Jesus in the here and now.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Jesus Comforts the Disciples (John:14:1-31)
In general.
“Don’t let your minds be anxious. Trust in God, trust in me as well. In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If this wasn’t so I would have told you. I’m going to prepare a place for you. Once I’ve gone and prepared a place for you, I will come again and take you with me, so that you can be there with me too. You know the way to where I’m going.”
To Thomas.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and you have seen him.”
To Philip
“Have I been with you such a long time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I live in the Father and the Father lives in me? The words I speak are not mine; it’s the Father living in me who is doing his work. Believe me when I tell you that I live in the Father, and the Father lives in me, or at least believe because of the evidence of all that I’ve done.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who trusts in me will do the same things I am doing. In fact they will do even greater things because I am going to the Father. I’ll do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified through the Son. Whatever you ask for in my name, I will do it.
If you love me, you will keep my commands. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who will always be with you. The world cannot accept him because it isn’t looking for him and does not know him. But you know him because he lives with you and will be in you.
“I will not abandon you like orphans: I will come back to you. Soon the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. On that day you will know that I live in the Father, you live in me, and I live in you. Those who keep my commands are the ones who love me, those who love me will be loved by my Father. I will love them too, and will reveal myself to them.”
To Judas (not Iscariot)
“Those who love me will do as I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with them. Those who don’t love me don’t do what I say. These words don’t come from me, they come from the Father who sent me.
“I’m explaining this to you while I’m still here with you. But when the Father sends the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, in my place, he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.
“Peace I leave you; my peace I’m giving you. The peace I give you is nothing like what the world gives.
Don’t let your minds be anxious, and don’t be afraid.
“You’ve heard me tell you, ‘I am going away, but I will come back to you.’ If you really loved me, you would be happy because I’m going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I’ve explained this to you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will be convinced. I can’t talk to you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no power to control me, but I’m doing what my Father told me to do so that the world will know that I love the Father.
Now get up. Let’s go.”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
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'THE WORDS OF JESUS' REMAIN 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.
One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lord's 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.
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DAVID'S DOODLINGS
211. Learning humility in defeat trains us to remain humble in success.
212. Boasting is of the human heart, but humility is God's heart for us.
396. True humility cannot be generated in the mind, for it comes from our spirit.
397. True humility arises when confidence in God overcomes confidence in ones self.
398. Humility is a positive attribute, not a weakness.
399. False humility reflects weakness, but true humility exudes godly strength.
400. The truest expression of a godly character is reflected in humility.
1306. True humility is 'putting Jesus first' in our life.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
(Don't need sprinklers here in Kenya as it is the start of the rainy seaon! And does it rain! But then goes away.)
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK:GOD AND MAN continues.....
as we look some more at attaining holiness.
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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. ***
40. Genesis 3:C-D
A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to "Where do pets come from?"
Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you anymore. We are lonesome here and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."
And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."
And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.
And it was a good animal.
And God was pleased.
And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.
And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."
And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."
And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them.
And they were comforted.
And God was pleased.
And dog was content and wagged his tail.
After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."
And God said, "No problem! I will create for them a companion who will be with them forever and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."
And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.
And Cat would not obey them.
And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.
And Adam and Eve learned humility.
And they were greatly improved.
And God was pleased.
And Dog was happy.
And Cat didn't care one way or the other
41. Whose Funeral?
The old man had died. A wonderful funeral was in progress and the country preacher talked at length of the good traits of the deceased, what an honest man he was, and what a loving husband and kind father he was.
Finally, the widow leaned over and whispered to one of her children,
"Go up there and take a look in the coffin and see if that's your pa in there."
QWIK QWIP: “If you don't start, it's certain you won't arrive.”
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
It is often difficult to determine the difference between 'good' and 'God' actions. One less 'o'!
It is esier for a believer to do good works, than to seek God for what He wants you to do.
It is simpler to do what the pastor or a friend asks of you, than seek the will of God for your own life.
For Kathy and I, we have ended up in Kenya, running a hospital and ministering when we have time. No-one would have suggested that to us, but God.
I remember, 25 plus years ago, writing a discipleship course, 'Walking with Jesus'. That is another miraculous story, for I was a new Christian, with little biblical training.
In the course, when talking about obedience, I quoted a well known song at the time, with the lyric, 'Don't send me to Africa'. And, where did we end up? Africa, of course! God has a sense of humour!
I desire for you that you too, will listen to what God has to say to you, whether it is from the Word, a word of knowledge or prophecy confirmed by the Word and your own Spirit, or simply hearing God talk to you directly through the Holy Spirit.
Then, not be afraid to do it! So often that is the case with many of us, for we are too comfortable as we are!
From my own, several times in life, example, you will be pleased you did. For walking in the Lord's path for you, while challenging, is ultimately, the most satisfying service you could offer yourself and Him!
Until next time.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
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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 website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 2
Webye 50205
Kenya
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!
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