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: 932 Published: 02 Sep 2019
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW?
DESCRIBING GOD
Greek (Western)
We focus on the being of God.
We like to imagine God as a 'super-sized' human being! We look at the creation of man as being in the physical image of God.....
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-7)
Whereas, as Matthew Henry explains, the image is in the spiritual.....
God’s image upon man consists in these three things:-1. In his nature and constitution, not those of his body (for God has not a body), but those of his soul. This honour indeed God has put upon the body of man, that the Word was made flesh, the Son of God was clothed with a body like ours and will shortly clothe ours with a glory like that of his. And this we may safely say, That he by whom God made the worlds, not only the great world, but man the little world, formed the human body, at the first, according to the platform he designed for himself in the fulness of time. But it is the soul, the great soul, of man, that does especially bear God’s image. The soul is a spirit, an intelligent immortal spirit, an influencing active spirit, herein resembling God, the Father of Spirits, and the soul of the world.
Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.
We seek to define God by the wonders of the physical world about us. Its form, its beauty, and the miraculous for which there is no other explanation. We rationalize God.
Eastern (Hebrew)
Hebrews focus on relationship with God.
Some bragged about their relationship with God.
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; (Romans 2:17)
What God looks like, or even natural wonders are not the focus of Jewish thought. The Psalms major on relationship with God. As so many were written by King David, it explains why God considered David son of Jesse a man after my own heart;
The Psalms are all about relationship, in both good times and bad.....
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. Selah (Psalm 24:7-10)
28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. (Psalm 118:22)
7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. (Psalm 9:7-11)
God is a spirit, as we see when He appeared to Elijah.....
11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11-13a)
And, in the New Testament too, we are to worship our spirit God in spirit and in truth.....
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-4)
Selah.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. We need to take our focus off the natural and look to the spiritual.
2. God is not interested in great buildings and religious ceremonies. He is interested in you! He wants to build a deep personal relationship with you. It does not matter whether you are beautiful or ugly, talented or simple, of high position or low; God loves you and wants to know you better, so He can then share more of Himself with you.
3. The end time kingdom church, the bride for whom Jesus is returning is not a new denomination but is being built informally, on the basis of relationship, firstly with God and also with one another.
(To be continued next week.)
Acknowledgement: http://www.followtherabbi.com
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
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.”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT - Issue 7
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 7
The Kenyan Government, because of so many wild and weird ‘theologies’ – if you can call them that – doing the rounds in our country, has decided to require theological training before anyone can set up a church.
This is a very sad, but understandable reaction, for ministry should be a calling.
I know most will disagree with me, but training only takes you so far. If you haven’t got the calling, ministry will be just a job at best, or an absolute misery, at worst. In both situations, the people ministered to will be the losers.
So many churches today are boring, for the minister is not Holy Spirit led and inspired, but relies on theological teaching which to most people, is dry, uninteresting, and not relevant to their lives.
On the other side, many keen, Spirit filled people enter Bible School full of enthusiasm to change the world for Jesus. In most institutions, the Spirit is replaced by theology that feeds the mind, but not the Spirit. The result is that the mind takes over and the Spirit leaves, for He is no longer needed.
Additionally, graduates come out of College expecting jobs, for that is part of the advertising to encourage potential students to enrol in the first place. Sadly, reality is that many, if not most, will not find ministerial jobs once they graduate. For in today’s world, there are many more graduates than positions available.
While there are many ministers leaving their positions through burnout, disillusionment or some other reason, most congregations want people of experience to lead them. Many graduates give up and may even lose their faith, when their well-meaning expectations are not realized. It is so sad.
So, what is the solution? In my mind there is not one in the current church based system that is so entrenched in the Christian world.
The only hope I can see is the kingdom way. For the individual believer and potential minister to seek God directly with all their being, and see where He leads. Do not get influenced by slick advertising or what others say or suggest, but seek guidance from the source, God the Father, through the Holy Spirit. Be led as He leads you. If He leads you to theological training, be aware of the pitfalls. If the Government requires it, again, be aware of the pitfalls. At all times seek out God and do not let knowledge overwhelm the Spirit.
May the Lord be with you.
Shukrani
(Thank You)
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
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VICTORY AT LAST!
When I heard that after 9 months, the microscope and slit lamp had been released from the port, I went Yipeeeeeee!
Then, to my surprise, the next morning, they turned up here, having been air freighted from Mombasa to Eldoret and brought by vehicle from there! They are beautiful!
Thank you so much to K and S for the Microscope, N for the Slit Lamp and J for helping with internal expenses, which have been ridiculous!
We are just so relieved that the saga is over! At least we have learned a lot and next time these troubles will not happen. Missing out on the cutoff of systems change by 4 days has been a real test for us all.
Now we have 2 of our 3 main objectives completed, Residents Permits and eye gear. Just leaves NHIF. We hope to take a trip to Nairobi in the next couple of days with the final report we need. So it is all coming together.
Will send pictures of the assembled machines shortly.
Justus who has sacrificed so much this year to get the items released. Thank you so much, mate, for your loyalty and dedication. The two small cartons contain the Slit Lamp and stand and the large carton is the Operating Microscope for doing cataract operations.
The Slit Lamp for inspecting eyes.
The Operating Microscope
God + Justus Power! Very apt message on Kathy's celebratory cake!
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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
892. Religion promotes people, revelation, servanthood.
893. Religion builds. Revelation breaks down, then builds.
894. Religion breeds status, revelation, servants.
895. In religion, roles are nouns, in revelation, adjectives.
896. In religion, roles are expressed by Title, in revelation, identified through action.
897. Revelation changes hearts, religion tickles the mind.
898. An ounce of revelation is more precious than a tonne of religion.
899. Revelation meeting religion, ignites revolution!
900. Religion is built upon structure; revelation, servanthood.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF... GOD'S CALL TO HIS CHURCH continues
as we look at the next 2 principles.
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
*** Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others. ***
QWIK QWIP: “Yesterday is in the past. Tomorrow is in the future. Today is a gift; that's why it's called the Present.
309. Take Five
One Sunday, a preacher announced that he'd pass out miniature crosses made out of palm leaves.
"Put a cross in the room where your family argues the most," the preacher said. "When you look at the cross, it will remind you that God is watching."
As people were leaving the church, a woman walked up to the preacher, shook his hand and said, "I'll take five."
310. Your Choice
A church was running short of the finances that were needed to do some sorely needed repairs.
The Pastor worried over how he could motivate the congregation to come up with more money. To add to the Pastor's problems, just before the start of worship services he learned that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play.
"Here's a copy of the service," the Pastor said impatiently. "But you'll have to think of something appropriate to play after I make the announcement about the finances."
Following the Pastor's sermon, he paused and said, "Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty. The church repairs are costing nearly twice as much as we expected, and we eed $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up."
At that moment, the substitute organist played "The Star-Spangled Banner."
And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!
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
After 9 months and a lot of (Kenyan) shillings, we finally received our donated cataract operating microscope and the slit lamp, for inspecting eyes, from the port at Mombasa, here in Kenya.
It has been a true trial of patience and perseverance on our part. And to be honest, despair at certain times too, as to whether it would ever happen.
We are just so grateful to our man Justus, who has worked so hard to get the shipment released.
We were unfortunately caught up in a change of systems from local inspection upon arrival, to inspection at the source.
From every experience you need to learn something. We certainly have, so future shipments should be easier.
Spiritually too, we learn from experience. Many of us have bad experiences, but they must not cause us to give up, as we are want to do. Spiritual setbacks are often a lot harder than those in the natural, for they affect us emotionally. I certainly have been through a few. But when you overcome and reach the other side, your walk with Jesus will become stronger.
I can attest to that in my life.
Until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
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 websitewwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
Walking With Jesus Ministries
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Ahuriri
Napier
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 835 0567 International (+64) 6 835 0567
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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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