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: 1118 Published: 20 Mar 2023
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
HOW MANY "YOU'S" IN YOU?
Greek (Western) In Western thought, we separate body and soul, assigning different values and behaviours to each.
The body, essentially, is corrupted by earthly desires and sicknesses. We believe it is unimportant, being left behind when we die - maybe the sooner the better! The 'real us', on the other hand, our mind and our emotions, is what is of real importance and what will go to heaven once life here is finished. Hence we place great store upon what we know about God, studying at Seminaries and Bible Colleges, and about how we feel, how happy we are.
Interestingly, by downplaying the importance of the body, we can very easily justify sin as being unimportant and inconsequential. For only the physical you sins, the 'real' you doesn't!
We quote.....
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
..... without understanding that the writer is actually referring to the whole person throughout this passage.
To summarise, knowledge about God and experiencing feelings of happiness, are the priorities of our Christian walk.
Eastern (Hebrew) In Hebrew (and other Eastern) thought, body, soul and spirit are integrated as one, the state of which is reflected through a person's actions.
As God is holy, so man is to be holy also.....
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)
Man is created in God's image.....
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
..... to be holy and righteous, as God is, and as Paul endeavoured to be amongst the people.....
10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. (1 Thessalonians 2:10)
James was 'hot' on this subject, a theme which permeates his Epistle.....
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-17)
Upon accepting Jesus, we are to seek to become like Him and do what He would do in the here and now. We need to give ourselves to Him completely, body soul and spirit. We need to seek Him as to how to love our neighbour, how to treat our family, how to live our life. God cares about every part of our life, from the spiritual revelation to the mundaneness of much of everyday life.
As King David said in the well-known Psalm.....
4 Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.(Psalm 25:4-5)
Amen.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. Following Jesus requires all of us, body, soul and spirit.
2. We are to be Jesus to others. How we act determines our true depth of faith.
3. The church needs to overturn its preoccupation with theology and start living like Jesus.
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
Sermon on the Mount(Matthew 5:1-7:29, Luke 6:17-49)
The primary ‘life teachings’ of Jesus.
Eye for an Eye (Matthew 5:38-42)
“You’ve heard that the law said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t resist someone who is evil. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to them as well. 40If someone wants to sue you in court and takes your shirt, give them your coat too. If someone demands that you go one mile, go with them two. Give to those who ask you, and don’t turn away those who want to borrow from you.
Love for Your Enemies (Matthew 5:43-8, Luke 6:27-36)
“You’ve heard that the law said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so you may become children of your heavenly Father. For his sun shines on both the good and the bad; and he makes the rain fall on both those who do right and those who do wrong. For if you only love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax-collectors do that? If you only speak kindly to your family, what more are you doing than anyone else? Even the heathen do that! Grow up and become completely trustworthy, just as your heavenly Father is trustworthy.
When Giving to the Needy (Matthew 6:1-4)
“Make sure not to do your good deeds in front of people, just so they can be seen. Otherwise you won’t have any reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to the poor, don’t be like the hypocrites who blow their own trumpets to announce what they’re doing in the synagogues and in the streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth: they already have their reward. When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand’s doing. That way what you give will be in secret, and your Father who sees what happens in secret will reward you.
(Continued next week)
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***DAILY EZINE!*** 'DAVID'S DAILY DOODLINGS' Subscribe Today
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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
SUCCESS
124. A failure learned from is a step towards success.
125. God specialises in turning worldly failures into heavenly successes.
126. Worldly success is fleeting, heavenly glory, eternal.
127. Worldly success is like the rainbow ' beautiful for all to see for a short time. Heavenly glory is that elusive pot of gold, which once found never decays.
128. At the end of the fleeting, worldly glory of the rainbow, the unseen, eternal, heavenly pot of gold is found.
129. Don't be seduced by the fleeting rainbow, but rather, search for the eternal pot of gold.
130. The pathway to a successful life is built with many paving stones of failure.
131. The Jesus in us, makes us invincible in Jesus!
132. Life brings strife. Overcoming strife brings back life.
169. Challenge and opportunities are bedfellows. For the one is inevitably born out of the other.
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CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
As Christians, if we can't laugh at ourselves, others will! A fun way to start your day. To register today, go down to the bottom of the page link below, click on the subscribe link lao--on@wwj.org.nz (or paste the address in an email yourself and send) Then it's done!
THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TEACHING.....
A REVELATION OF... REVELATION 12:11WALKING WITH JESUS continues
The next step in our walk with Jesus, having first experienced the saving grace of the blood of Jesus, is to seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as an everyday spiritual reality in our life. For we need to release His power in order that He might truly be our comforter, guide and friend on a daily basis.
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
QWIK QWIP: “The most effective answer to an insult is silence.”
324. Not To Be Outdone
During Sunday services, a Pastor is so overwhelmed with religious fervour that he drops to his knees, puts his forehead to the ground and says "Before you Lord, I am nothing."
Not to be outdone, the Deacon also gets down on his knees, puts his forehead to the floor and says, "Before you Lord, I am nothing."
Moved by their humility, a layman in the fourth row steps into the aisle. He falls down on his knees, puts his forehead to the ground and says, "Before you Lord, I am nothing."
The Deacon, noticing the guy, elbows the Pastor. "So," he whispers. "Look who thinks he's nothing."
325. Dear God:
Why is Sunday school on Sunday? I thought it was supposed to be our day of rest. Tom
Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before. You can look it up. Bruce.
I didn't think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool. Eugene
Our school teacher told us that Thomas Edison invented light. But in Sunday school they said You did it. So I bet he stoled your idea. Sincerely, Donna
326. The Microschlock Bible
(A parody. Adapted by Bellgamin)
Customer: Oh salesclerk, could you help me please?
Clerk: Hi, my name is Velma and I'll be your Support. What's your problem?
Customer: The book of Psalms is missing from this Bible I bought here yesterday.
Clerk: Try looking again. Maybe Psalms will be there this time.
Customer: No, it's still missing.
Clerk: Maybe it's the way you're using the Bible. Try opening it from the back instead of the front.
Customer: Even when I open it from the back, Psalms is still missing.
Clerk: Maybe the Bible is incompatible with your eyeglasses. Did you wear READING glasses while you used this Bible?
Customer: I don't need glasses. My eyesight is perfect.
Clerk: Hmmm...if you say so. Well, it might be a configuration problem. How was the Bible set up?
Customer: They just handed it to me in a cardboard box. What has that got to do with the fact that Psalms is missing?
Clerk: Can you remember everything you did before you noticed the book of Psalms was missing?
Customer: I took it out of the box, of course!
Clerk: Oh oh! That could be the cause of your problem. Anyway, that Bible is rather out-dated technology. Have you considered upgrading to our most recent version?
Customer: You folks have updated the Bible?
Clerk: Certainly. We just issued Bible-98, version 2.1. It comes with 100 free hours on the internet, plus one full year of Tech Support.
Customer: Okay, bring me Bible-98. I'm running late now.
Clerk: Here you are sir. Bible-98, the latest thing.
Clerk starts to leave.
Customer: (Examines Bible) Hey, wait a minute! What are all these extra pages glued in between the Bible pages? I didn't ask for those.
Clerk: No problem sir. They can be removed for a slight extra cost. Of course, doing so will void the warranty and your Bible might not function properly without them.
(And so it goes. Er..... did anybody say McWindoze?)
QWIK QWIP: “Worry takes as much time as work and pays less.”
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 glorious game of cricket! I know all you Americans, and other countries where cricket is not played, will laugh at this!
How can you play for 5 days and not achieved a result! LOL!
Well, that is true, but in our hurried world, watching cricket is very soothing.
However, it can be exciting too. The last 2 matches New Zealand has played, one against England and the other Sri Lanka, the result was determined on the last ball of both matches, at the end of the fifth day! That was amazing! First time in test history, I would imagine. Both times New Zealand won, which made it a lot better! LOL!
In our world we have got so busy, and we want results immediately. This is the way of our world.
But finding God takes time. We must spend time in His Word, in worship, in prayer and waiting silently on Him to communicate with us.
That is the way of God.
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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