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
A FREE service, currently connecting with Christian leaders from 3,000 denominations and ministries, in 70 countries.
Issue No: 1106 Published: 26 Dec 2022
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM DAVID AND KATHY
May 2023 advance your walk in God as you listen to Him and get to know Him better.
David
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
PRAYER
Greek (Western) Our prayer is primarily help and request orientated.
In Greek life, prayer was not a consistent everyday event, the gods being called upon when something was wrong or someone had a need. In times of celebration in the great arenas, the gods would be called upon to make the event successful, by leaders praying lengthy and colourful prayers on behalf of the people. The success or failure of the prayer was judged by the results. If fine weather was requested and it rained, the gods were displeased.
Many elements of these early Greek attitudes to prayer remain with us today in our prayer lives. For example, in most services, the minister will pray on behalf of the people. And we will simply agree, by saying 'Amen' (So be it.)
Eastern (Hebrew) Hebrew prayer is short, frequent, at set times, and oriented towards thankfulness for what God has done thus building faith for what He will do.
Prayer is regarded as a communal activity even when the people are apart, as they are praying at similar times. Moslems apply a similar principle in their 5 daily prayers facing towards Mecca. It can be communal or individual, but even in the communal, the people pray individually.
This personal communal element is illustrated in the Lord's Prayer which starts not 'my' but 'our', and which is normally said together, more reflecting the Eastern pattern..
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
”‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, (Matthew 6:9)
Adoration of God is the preamble to most Jewish blessings....
"Baruch atah YHVH Elohenu melech haolam"
or "Blessed art thou O YHVH OUR Elohiym, King of the Universe ..."
The result of thankfulness given for past victories and blessings provides the faith to face present battles in life. This was literally so here.....
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. (Deuteronomy 20:1)
Of course, supplication, that is personal requests, have a role in Eastern prayers, but do not assume the place of dominance they do in our own. Most of the Psalms emphasize God's glory and great deeds, even when making requests of Him.....
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help. (Psalm 22:19-24)
The major problem, for Jews and Gentiles alike, is we are keener on talking than listening in our prayers. The more disobedient and self-centred we become the less likely we are to listen to what God wants to say to us. For genuine prayer is a two way interaction, us speaking to God, and God speaking to us.....
In the Old Testament.....
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
…..and in the New.....
3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10:3-4)
May we learn to become as one with our Master and Lord.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. Prayer is a participatory, not a spectator, activity, even when done in groups.
2. Prayer is to be an ongoing regular, and spontaneous, part of our daily lives.
3. Prayer is not a religious exercise, cased in flowery words, but a simple two way conversation between us and God.
4. We need to adore, confess, and give thanks to God, as well as make our requests known to Him.
5. We need to listen to, and obey Him, when He speaks to us.
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS (A new start for a New Year!)
The Young Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)
To His parents looking for Him, Jesus said.
“Why is it that you were looking for me?” “Didn’t you know I should be here in my father’s house?”
John Baptizes Jesus (Matthew3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-3, John 1:33-4)
John protests.
“Please do so, because it’s good for us to do what God says is right,”
Temptation of Jesus(Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13)
By satan in the desert.
“As Scripture says, ‘Human beings do not live by only eating bread, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
“As Scripture also says, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
“Go away, Satan!” said Jesus. “As Scripture says, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him, and him alone.’”
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN NEW ZEALAND
Looking forward to a 'new year' of development in the hospital.
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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.
Download the free PDF here.....
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
GROWING IN GOD
20. God's rest is a gift, but resting in God a way of life.
21. God's rest is learned, not earned.
22. God's rest is free, not earned. Rest in God is also free, but learned.
23. Gods rest is freely given, but rest in God must be freely learned.
24. A believer receives God's rest, but a disciple rests in God.
309. Man seeks to strive for God. God wants us to rest in Him. Couldn't be easier, couldn't be harder!
310. God's rest is to be sought not only in death, but firstly in life
311. Lord, teach me not to strive!
312. At work we seek rest. In God we strive to work. Something is wrong here!
313. Resting in God seems too easy to be religious. It is! And it isn't!
1304. The more we work on ourselves, the less opportunity God has to work in us
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
A REVELATON OF....... THE 3 PRIESTHOODS continues
....as we look at the history of the church and see what the Bible says.
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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: “You had no choice from where you came. But you CAN choose where you go from here.”
287. Liquid Plumber
A Pastor in Oregon called a plumber to fix a leak in the parsonage bathroom. When the plumber finished the job, he left a bill in the bathroom itemising the repairs. There was also a P.S. He drew an arrow pointing to a bottle of Liquid-Plumber that the pastor kept in the bathroom, and noted: "How would you feel if you walked into someone's house and found a bottle of 'liquid pastor'?"
288. Further Pastoral Candidates
MELCHIZADEK: Great credentials at current work place, but where does this guy come from? No information on his resume about former work records. Every line about parents was left blank and he refused to supply a birth date
JOHN: Says he is a Baptist, but definitely doesn't dress like one. Has slept in the outdoors for months on end, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders
PETER: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper-even has been known to curse. Had a big run-in with Paul in Antioch. Aggressive, but a loose cannon.
PAUL: Powerful CEO type leader and fascinating preacher. However, short on tact, unforgiving with younger ministers, harsh and has been known to preach all night.
JAMES AND JOHN: Package deal preacher & associate seemed good at first, but found out they have an ego problem regarding other fellow workers and seating positions. Threatened an entire town after an insult. Also known to try to discourage workers who didn't follow along with them.
TIMOTHY: Too young!
METHUSELAH: Too old . . . WAY too old
JESUS: Has had popular times, but once his church grew to 5000 he managed to offend them all, and then this church dwindled down to twelve people. Seldom stays in one place very long. And, of course, he's single.
JUDAS: His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good connections. Knows how to handle money. We're inviting him to preach this Sunday. Possibilities here.
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
Or read even more online at.....
A DAVID MUSING
New Year's resolutions normally die early in the New Year and we frustratingly go bck to our old ways!
We need a resolution that will work all the year.
Let us try putting Jesus at the centre of our life and let Him run it for us.
Now that truly is a New Year's resolution that will work!
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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