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: 1167 Published: 15 Apr 2024
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW
COMMUNITY v INDIVIDUAL
Greek (Western)
The Greek focus is on the individual.
Let's face it, in our society, 'I' is the most important letter in the alphabet! 'What’s in it for me?
In the church too, our focus is on what Jesus will do for us...... Jesus loves you. (true) 'Jesus saves' you. (true) Jesus will make you happy. (not true) Onward to the ultimate 'I'..... Jesus will make you rich! (not true) For our natural mind is focused on 'taking', not giving.
Eastern (Hebrew)
The Hebrew focus, on the other hand, is on the community in relationship with God.
This is the pattern of the Old Testament, with God choosing to work firstly through the families of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc).....
8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” 11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21:8-13)
We find this difficult to understand and accept, but the interests of the community, of the continuation of the godly line, was put ahead of the interests of the individual. Ironically, the rejected Esau then became the spiritual root of today's Muslim faith!
This sense of community continued through the chequered history of the nation of Israel, where effectively, the King represented the people before God, either for good or for evil.....
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them. 22 He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD..... 26 He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king. 1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. (2 Kings 21:19-22, 26-22:2)
Moving on to New Testament times, it is easy now to understand the confusion of Nicodemus, a celebrated elder, who naturally thought the spiritual state of the nation was in the ruling council’s hands. Then Jesus turned this world on its head by proclaiming that salvation was now a personal choice.....
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” 4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:1-18)
However, the sense of community was not lost in the early church, where the good of the group as a whole was put ahead of the interests of the individual.....
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. (Acts 4:32-5)
Jesus would have approved.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. While salvation is now a personal decision, our ongoing community response is to be one of giving rather than taking.....
3 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:33)
2. 'Community' is focused on caring and sharing, of putting other's needs ahead of our own.
3. Religious form is superfluous. It is how we live in our community that truly reflects the genuineness of our salvation.
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE BEAUTIFUL WORDS OF JESUS
The Widow’s Mite (Mark 12:41-4, Luke 21:1-4)
Donated to the Temple.
“I tell you the truth: this poor widow has put in more than all the rest together. All of them gave from their wealth what they had, but she gave from her poverty what she didn’t have. She put in all she had to live on.”
Disciples Admire the Temple (Matthew 24:1-2, Mark 13:1-2, Luke 21:5-6)
“You see all these buildings? I tell you the truth: there won’t be one stone left upon another. Every last one will come crashing down!”
The Four Fishermen Disciples Ask Jesus (Matthew 24:3-35, Mark 13:3-31, Luke 21:7-31)
About the signs of the end of the age.
“Make sure no one misleads you,” “Many will come claiming to be me, saying, ‘I’m the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people. You’ll hear about wars, and rumors about wars, but don’t be anxious. These things have to happen, but this isn’t the end. Nations will attack other nations, and kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places, 8but all these things are just the beginnings of birth pains.
“Then they will arrest you, they will persecute you, and they will kill you. All people will hate you because of me. At that time many believers will give up believing. They will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will come and deceive many people. The increasing evil will lead the love of many to grow cold, but those who hold out to the end will be saved. The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed around the whole world so everyone will be able to hear it, and then the end will come. So when you see the ‘evil that defiles’ standing in the holy place that the prophet Daniel spoke about (those who read this please consider carefully), then the people living in Judea should run away to the mountains. Anyone who is on the housetop must not go down and fetch what’s in the house. Anyone who is out in the fields must not go back to get a coat. How awful it will be for those who are pregnant, and those who are nursing babies at that time! Pray that you don’t have to run away in winter, or on the Sabbath day. For at that time there will be terrible persecution—more terrible than anything that has happened from the beginning of the world up till now, and won’t ever happen again. Unless those days are cut short, nobody will be saved, but for the sake of the chosen those days will be cut short.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here’s the Messiah,’ or, ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs will appear, and false prophets too, and they will perform incredible signs and miracles in order to deceive the chosen, if that were possible. Notice that I’ve told you this before it even happens. So if they tell you, ‘Look, he’s out in the desert,’ don’t go looking there; or if they say, ‘Look, he’s secretly here,’ don’t believe it. For the coming of the Son of man will be like the lightning that flashes brightly from east to west. Vultures gather where the carcass is.’
“But right after those days of persecution the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and in brilliant glory. With a blast from a trumpet he will send his angels to gather his chosen ones from every place, from one end of heaven and earth to the other.
“Learn an illustration from the fig tree. When its shoots become tender and leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is coming. In the same way when you see all these things happening, you know that his coming is near, in fact it’s right at the door! I tell you the truth: this generation won’t pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words won’t pass away.
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*DAVID"S DOODLINGS
Enjoy some of David's sayings here, plus 1300 more on the website at.....
'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
818. Grace is God's strength blessing our weakness.
819. Grace is love unearned.
821. Grace comes when you let God do it.
822. Be graciously graced with grace!
823. Grace is so much more than a prayer before a meal.
825. Understand grace and you will join with Jesus - by His grace!
826. Apply grace. The response may surprise!
827. We can't outgive God's grace to us - but we could try!
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
Another laugh or three for you today
Many more on our website below. Also many, may, many more under these categories on our website, wwj,org,nz Look under the heading MAINLY LAUGHS. Choose from.....
THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TEACHING.....
NEXT WEEK: THE 12 FEATURES OF ELISHA’S MINISTRY AS A PATTERN FOR THE CHURCH TODAY - A Summary
Together with the principle message that God is showing us today.
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
472. Tech Support VERSUS Exodus 20.4-5
Tech Support: All right...now double-click on the File Manager icon.
Customer: That's why I hate this Windows -- because of the icons. I'm a good
Christian, and I don't believe in icons.
Tech Support: Well, that's just an industry term sir. I don't believe it was meant to...
Customer: I don't care about any "Industry Terms" -- I do NOT believe in icons!
Tech Support: Okay, then... why don't you just click on the little picture of a file cabinet -- is "little picture" OK?
Customer: [click]
473. The Apple
Rabbi Ezra, his wife, and their children were really curious as to why Gentiles were so fond of eating pork. They decided to try some, but there was nowhere in town they could go and not be seen.
One weekend, the Rabbi and his family travelled to a distant town, went into a restaurant, and ordered roast pork.
While they were waiting to be served, a member of Rabbi Ezra's Synagogue walks in. He sees the Rabbi and his family. The member asks if he could join them for dinner. The Rabbi has no choice but to agree.
A while later, the waiter returns with the Rabbi's meal. He takes the cover off the large platter, and there is a whole roast pig, with an apple in its mouth. The Synagogue member is more than a little shocked.
"What a fancy place," explains the Rabbi quickly. "Just look at how they serve the apple I ordered."
QWIK QWIP: “Funny how much difficulty some have learning a simple gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and explain gossip about someone.”
474. Creation: Snoopy's Version
ï‚· On the first day of creation, God created the dog.
ï‚· On the second day, God created man to serve the dog.
ï‚· On the third day, God created all the animals of the earth (especially the horse) to serve as food for the dog.
ï‚· On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man could labor for the good of the dog.
ï‚· On the fifth day, God created the tennis ball so that the dog might or might not retrieve it.
ï‚· On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to keep the dog healthy and the man broke.
On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but He had to walk the dog.
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
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak and He is strong.
Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me.
Yes Jesus loves me., the Bible tells me so.
Can you remember this? Taught to us in Sunday School around 70 years ago! (surely not that long!)
The point of this is not to display my memory, but to show, in reality, how simple our faith really is.
Love Jesus - love others. Yes, Jesus loves us, and we are to love Him in return.
Why do we make it so complicated?
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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