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: 1108 Published: 09 Jan 2023
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
BLESSINGS AND CURSES
Greek (Western) In Greek thought, blessings and curses are related to circumstances.
When something good happens such as a promotion or financial success, a person is blessed. If something bad happens, we consider we are cursed. Adore God more and we will be blessed, on the other hand, ignore him and we will be cursed. Put simply, blessings are when good things happen, curses, when bad things happen.
Eastern (Hebrew) In Hebrew thought however, blessings are related to obedience and curses to disobedience
Good and bad things happen in life, which are totally unrelated to obedience and disobedience. Knowing this, we can better understand the discourse between God, the devil, and Job. God held up Job as an example of one who was willing to suffer for Him, for He knew Job's faith was not dependent upon receiving physical blessings.....
7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:7-8)
Satan, took the typical Greek thought attitude that Job's faith was only so high because he was materially blessed.....
9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” (Job 1:99-11)
So God allowed Job to be tested.....
12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:12)
As we know Job's 3 friends ridiculed him, and Job himself questioned God, but stood firm in his faith. God corrected them....
7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer. (Job 42:7-9)
As this is the Old Testament, where the kingdom was primarily expressed in the material as opposed to the spiritual of the New Testament, Job was rewarded with material blessings for his obedience.....
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)
We fail to understand, because of our Western way of thinking, that all the promises of God are conditional upon obedience. We all too often take the 'blessings verses' out of context, not looking at the conditions upon which the blessings are based, that precede or follow them. We do not understand that there is a cost to following Jesus.
The classic New Testament example is the Beatitudes, where each of the 9 blessings comes at a cost. For example, if we want mercy, we need to show mercy to others.....
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
Jesus concludes this teaching with the statement that we must endure persecution in order to receive the blessings.....
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:12)
Paul too, understood this principle that he participated in the (spiritual New Testament) blessings, only because he was willing to pay the price of obedience.....
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:20-21)
This is a profound truth, misunderstood by most believers today.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. The 'Father Christmas' Christianity of 'come to God and all will be well with you' that is so often taught today, is both a dangerous and false doctrine which inevitably ends in disappointment and rejection when it proves not to be true in people's life experience.
2. The primarily spiritual blessings of the New Testament are received by those prepared to pay the price of obedience to the Father's will.
3. Wealth, success and failure, expressed in worldly terms, are normally the result of the circumstances of life, rather than the blessing or cursing of God.
4. The spiritual blessings of God can, and often are, experienced by those in the direst physical and material circumstances.
5. God looks to what we are, rather than how we are or how much we have.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
Jesus Clearing the Temple (John 2:12-25)
Overturning the tables and driving people out with a whip. Talking to the dove sellers.
“Take these things out of here! Don’t turn my Father’s house into a market!”
Then when His authority was questioned by the leaders and a miracle asked for.
“Destroy this Temple, and in three days I’ll raise it up!”
Jesus Meets Nicodemus at Night (John 3:1-21)
The Jewish teacher.
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “Unless you are reborn, you can’t experience God’s kingdom.”
Nicodemus asked how?
“I tell you the truth, you can’t enter God’s kingdom unless you are born of water and the Spirit,” “What’s born of the flesh is flesh, and what’s born of the Spirit is Spirit. Don’t be surprised at my telling you, ‘You must be reborn.’ The wind blows wherever it wants, and just as you hear the sound it makes, but know where it’s coming from or where it’s going, that’s how it is for everyone who is born of the spirit.”
“You’re a famous teacher in Israel, and yet you don’t understand such things?” “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and give evidence regarding what we have seen, but you refuse to accept our testimony. If you don’t trust what I say when I tell you about earthly things, how would you ever trust what I say if I were to tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven, but the Son of man came down from heaven. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up, that everyone who trusts in him will have eternal life.
“For God loved the world, and this is how: he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who trusts in him shouldn’t die, but have eternal life. God didn’t send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Those who trust in him are not condemned, while those who don’t trust in him are condemned already because they didn’t trust in the one and only Son of God. This is how the decision is made: the light came to the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their actions were evil. All those who do evil hate the light and don’t come into the light, because they don’t want their actions to be exposed. But those who do good come into the light, so that what God accomplishes in them can be revealed.”
Jesus Begins to Preach in Capernaum(Matthew 4:12-17, Mark 1:14-15)
Giving the message of salvation after the arrest of John the Baptist.
“The time predicted has come,” “God’s kingdom is near. Repent and believe in the good news.”
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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
35. The biggest impediment for many in delaying a decision for Christ is the mistaken belief that the present 'Age of Grace' will never end.
36. God's nature is finely balanced between love and judgement. As His love has predominated for the past 2000 years, how fearsome then must be the single Day of Judgement that is to come.
37. We know in life, that all good things come to an end. How is it then, that we continue to believe that the current age of God's grace and mercy will go on forever?
38. Why is it that I continue to walk round and round the mountain when I know when the path to the top goes up?
178. God's gracious gift of grace is the reason to walk in truth, not an excuse to continue in sin.
317. God's graciously given grace gift gallantly galvanises garrulous, grateful gentiles!
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK:
Wait and see.
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
292. Church Pew Position
A couple who usually sat in the back whenever they attended the church service.
One particular Sunday they decided to move up to the front in order to be sure to hear the sermon.
Even though they had been attending the church for several years, the long time church member they sat next to did not recognise them, but cheerfully said, "Good to have ya with us! Where y'all from?"
Taken by surprise, the husband mumbled, "The back."
QWIK QWIP: “A coincidence is when God performs a miracle, and decides to remain anonymous.”
293. You May Be A Preacher If . . .
* You've ever lied to the choir director about how good the cantata sounded.
* Your wife has amassed a huge collection of unsolicited casserole recipes.
* You think Exegesis should be an Olympic Event.
* You love to eat lunch alone so you don't have to say grace out loud.
* You sort of enjoy inviting the Mormons in to "talk."
* People apologise to you after they use profanity.
* While shaving, you've pointed at yourself in the mirror and shouted, "REPENT!" just to see what you look like doing it.
* You ever talked to a person who was sitting on a bedpan.
* You find yourself counting people at a sports event.
* You've spoken for free, and are worth every penny of it!
* You received an anonymous U-Haul gift certificate.
294. Real Letters That Children Sent To God
Dear GOD,
Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother.
-Larry
Dear GOD,
bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.
-Nan
Dear GOD,
Is it true my father won't get in Heaven if he uses his bowling words in the house?
-Anita
Dear GOD,
Did You mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?
-Norma
Dear GOD,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay?
-Neil
Dear GOD,
What does it mean You are a Jealous God? I thought You had everything.
-Jane
Dear GOD,
Did You really mean "do unto others as they do unto you"? Because if You did, then I'm going to fix my brother.
-Darla
Dear GOD,
Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.
-Joyce
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A DAVID MUSING
I love flowers.
Probably why we grew them commercially for a number of years!
Actually it was hard work, but I have never lost the enjoyment of viewing flowers.
In Kenya, cut flowers is one of the major export crops, as parts of the country have just the perfect weather and soil conditions. They are grown in huge greenhoues, for protection from the weather and bugs. In fact we grow he best roses in the world!
It is easy though to forget the maker of all plants, whether they be flowers, vegetables trees, or even weeds. Adam and Eves punishment! And ours too!
Let us look to nature as we come into 2023, and marvel and enjoy God's marvellous creation.
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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