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: 1101 Published: 21 Nov 2022
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
JUSTIFICATION/SANCTIFICATION
Greek (Western)
Justification (Just as if I never sinned) is seen as the key element of Christianity.
Interestingly, most of the references to justification are directed towards Gentiles. For example, it is found in the Old Testament, as prophesied by Isaiah.....
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)
…..and then in the New.....
8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” (Galatians 3:8)
We are justified through faith in Jesus.....
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. (Galatians 3:24)
As we have seen previously, this concept of a 'mind decision' appeals greatly to our Greek-trained, ascendancy of thought, patterns. However, justification is to be only the first step in our 'walk with Jesus'.
Eastern (Hebrew)
Sanctification (Put simply, living a holy and righteous life) is regarded as the most important. In the Jewish culture, actions speak louder than words. Hence, living a godly life is their focus.
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
Sanctification is to go hand in hand with justification.....
9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Jesus was holy and righteous.....
14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. (Acts 3:14)
and we are called to the same walk, as seen in the example of Paul, Silas and Timothy.....
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. (1 Thessalonians 2:10)
Again, recognising the holiness and righteousness of Jesus in the final days.....
2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:2-4)
For the Lord is returning for a sanctified, holy and righteous church.....
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
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 19:6-8)
Amen.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. Discipleship, following 'conversion', is essential in order to bring a believer into the fullness of faith Jesus requires of us all.
2. Conversion of those of an Eastern persuasion (Jews and Muslims) is dependent upon our actions rather than our words.
3. Jesus is to return for a pure white, sanctified, holy and righteous bride. We can become that church, or else, God will wait for another generation. The choice is yours, the choice is mine. What will our choice be?
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
The Disciples Ask About the Future of Israel (Acts 1:4-11)
“You don’t need to know about the dates and times that are set by the Father’s authority,”
“But you will be given power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the furthest places on earth.”
Jesus Commissions the Disciples (Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18)
Immediately prior to His Ascension
“Go to the whole world, and announce the good news to everyone. “Anyone who trusts in me and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who chooses not to trust will be condemned. The following signs will accompany those who trust in me: in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak new languages; they will be able to handle snakes; if they drink something poisonous they won’t be harmed; they will place their hands on the sick and they will be healed.”
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. So go and make disciples of people of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to follow all the commands I have given you. Remember, I am always with you, to the very end of the world.”
.
The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-19, 26:12-18)
Where Jesus spoke supernaturally to Him.
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It’s hard for you to fight against me!”
“‘I am Jesus, the one you’re persecuting,’ ‘But pick yourself up and get to your feet. The reason why I’ve 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. He’s praying. He’s 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 he’ll have to suffer for my name’s sake.”
(Continued next week)
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND
This week we have been staying with our friends, Trevor and Kaye, on their deer farm.here in Tauranga.
The farm has a large variety of males, who are kept for the soft velvet which is very valuable today as an ingredient in medicines. They contain an element that the scientists have not been able to recreate chemically.
The deer here have been separated from the herd to have their horns sworn off. It is done under vetinary supervision and a good quantiy of local anaesthetic is used to stop any pain for the animal.
'Rudolph the red nosed reindeer' galore.
It is the end on spring here in New Zealand, so the making of hay, or in this case baleage (green grass). is underway.
In my youger days, hay making was still quite labour intensive, but today it is fully mechanized.
The hay is cut with a wide mower, then turned over with another. Then it mounded into rows ready for baling. The round bales produced by the baler are picked up by the tractor and placed on a trailer to be taken away for wrapping with plastic to protect them from the weather. Finally they are staked in an area for use during the winter.
Here is the baler dropping a completed bale.
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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
THE FOOLISH, THE WISE AND THE GODLY ('Kingdom' Thoughts)
1. The foolish know their strengths, the wise acknowledge their weaknesses and make allowances for them, while the godly seek to overcome them.
2. The foolish need wisdom, the wise godliness, the godly the character of Christ.
3. The foolish deny God; the wise acknowledge Him, while the godly experience their God.
4. The foolish seek pleasure on earth. The wise build treasure in heaven. But the godly seek to build heaven on earth.
5. Earthly possessions are perceived to be:
- Owned - by the foolish.
- Rented - by the wise.
- Administered - by the godly.
6. Our true heart is found in our wallet:
- The foolish spend all on themselves.
- The wise tithe 10% to the provider.
- The godly use all they have been given on the provider's behalf.
7. The foolish reject God, the wise respect God, while the godly live for their God.
8. The foolish speak before they think, the wise think before they speak, while the godly let their lives speak for them.
9. The foolish are satisfied with reading the Word, the wise follow the Word, while the godly are as one with the Word.
10. The foolish listen to themselves, the wise listen to others, while the godly submit to spiritual oversight.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
A REVELATON OF....... THE 3 PRIESTHOODS continues
...... with the conclusion of our look at the Aaronic priesthood.
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
QWIK QWIP: “Many a man is not suspected of being ignorant till he starts to talk.”
275. Kleptomaniac
A man with a nagging secret couldn't keep it any longer. In the confessional he admitted that for years he had been stealing building supplies from the lumberyard where he worked.
"What did you take?" his priest asked.
"Enough to build my own house and enough for my son's house. And houses for our two daughters and our cottage at the lake."
"This is very serious," the priest said. "I shall have to think of a far-reaching penance. Have you ever done a retreat?"
"No, Father, I haven't," the man replied. "But if you can get the plans, I can get the lumber."
276. The Hereafter
A minister told an elderly neighbour that at his age he should be giving some thought to what he called "the hereafter." the neighbour told the pastor that he thinks about it many times a day.
"That's very wise," the minister said.
The neighbour explained that it's not a matter of wisdom. And then he added, "It's when I open a drawer or a closet and ask myself, 'What am I here after?'"
277. When is the Resurrection?
A very zealous soul-winning young preacher recently came upon a farmer working in his field. Being concerned about the farmer's soul the preacher asked the man, "Are you labouring in the vineyard of the Lord my good man?"
Not even looking at the preacher and continuing his work the farmer replied, "Naw, these are soybeans."
"You don't understand," said the preacher. "Are you a Christian?"
With the same amount of interest as his previous answer the farmer said, "Nope my name is Jones. You must be lookin for Jim Christian. He lives a mile south of here."
The young determined preacher tried again asking the farmer, "Are you lost?"
"Naw! I've lived here all my life," answered the farmer.
"Are you prepared for the resurrection?" the frustrated preacher asked.
This caught the farmer's attention and he asked, "When's it gonna be?"
Thinking he had accomplished something the young preacher replied, "It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day."
Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping his brow, the farmer remarked, "Well, don't mention it to my wife. She don't get out much and she'll wanna go all three days."
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A DAVID MUSING
This week we have been staying with our special friends from Tauranga on their deer farm.
It is really nice to be back with them and talk about old times, but more importantly the future. Our friends are a a few years older than us, but no matter how old we are, we should look forward to what is still ahead.
While we are in this world God can still use us if we are open to Him. After all he took us to Kenya when we were 69 and 70.
I had a much older friend Anne, in this same city, many years ago, and she was useful to God until a ripe old age in her 90's, when she went home to her Lord.
Yes, we all have our creaks and groans, as the body is showing its age, but it is our state of mind and submission to the Lord's will, that counts most!
Let us look to our Lord for instructions, no matter the age we are, from 9 to 99!
Until next time
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
Webuye 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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