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
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Issue No: 959 Published: 09 Mar 2020
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW?
TO COMPREHEND OR REVERE
Greek (Western) The Greeks learn in order to comprehend.
We read the Bible to try to understand more and more about God. We endeavour to develop a 'systematic theology'. We want all our questions answered, all our problems solved, and all contradictions (in our mind) to be resolved. We use the Bible as a textbook, in order to build up a concrete but abstract picture of what an infinite and incomprehensible God is like. We try to reduce God to our own level of understanding.
This trend is intensifying as our levels of human scientific understanding increase in this post-industrial, information age. We are rapidly replacing 'God' with the 'god of science and technology'. We learn in order to use. We want theological answers that can be instantly applied to overcome the problems of life. We try to make the Bible into something it is not, distorting it in the process.
Sadly, we no longer preach the Gospel, cast out demons, heal the sick and make disciples, but rather, we market CD's, books and religious paraphernalia. Preachers are glorified who attract people and money. Books are published, not necessarily for the principles they contain, but because they will appeal to a mass market.
Eastern (Hebrew) The Hebrews learn in order to revere.
REVERE: To show devoted deferential honour to: regard as worthy of great honour
SYNONYMS: adore, deify, glorify, worship, reverence, venerate.
Reverence engenders unconditional acceptance rather than analytical understanding.
The Bible teaches, from earliest times, that we are to revere God.....
4 It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)
An explanation from a Jewish perspective follows.....
"To the Jewish mind, the understanding of God is not achieved by referring to a Greek way to timeless qualities of Supreme Being, to ideas of goodness and perfection, but rather by sensing the living acts of His concern, to His dynamic attentiveness to man. We speak not of His goodness in general but of His compassion for the individual man in a particular situation"('God in Search of Man' by Abraham Heschel, page 21)
Faith is not built by ultimate understanding, but through experiencing God's actions in one’s life. Jesus taught.....
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: ”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:36-8)
And seeing the result of His actions in the lives of others.....
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-5)
This is why we will never truly witness to Jews and Moslems through words only. The Eastern way is to learn from personal experience and the witness of the result of other's personal experience, as reflected through their behaviour.
Experiential love however is not an excuse to justify and accept ungodly behaviour. For reverence and sinful living are mutually exclusive concepts.
This is illustrated in the teachings of Paul, who was regarded as a leader of, what we would call, the fundamentalist 'Nazarene Sect', who preached the 'tough stuff' which scared the governor, Felix, one who thought basically with a Greek mindset!
5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect..... 25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” (Acts 24:5,25)
If we truly revere God we will humble ourselves in order to let God develop the 'fruit of the Spirit' in our lives.....
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-5)
Understanding is helpful, but application, godly.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. Discipleship (obedience to God) rates higher than theology (knowledge of God) every time.
2. Our behaviour is more important to God than our understanding.
3. Worship is not singing spiritual songs to God, but rather, a lifestyle of deep reverence of God, 24/7.
4. Our church structure needs to reverse the current infatuation with theological degrees and appointed position, to one of seeking for, and honouring, holiness and righteousness in leadership and people alike.
5. Lord, forgive us, for we have sinned.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Sermon on the Mount(Matthew 5:1-7:29, Luke 6:17-49)
The primary ‘life teachings’ of Jesus.
Ask, Seek, Knock (Matthew 7:7-12)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Everyone who asks, receives; everyone who seeks, finds; and everyone who knocks has the door opened for them. Would any of you give your son a stone if he asked for bread? Or if he asked for fish, would you give him a snake? So if even you who are evil know to give good things to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. “Treat others the way you want them to treat you. This sums up the law and the prophets.
Narrow and Wide Gates (Matthew 7:13-14)
Enter by the narrow entrance. For the entrance is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many travel that way. But the entrance is narrow, and the way is difficult that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The Tree and Its Fruit(Matthew 7:15-23, Luke 6:43-5)
“Watch out for false prophets who come wearing sheep’s clothing, but who on the inside are vicious wolves. You can recognize them by their fruits. Do people harvest grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So every good tree produces good fruit, while a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruits.
“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven—only those who do the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me at the day of judgment, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and drive out demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’ Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Leave me, you people who practice wickedness!’
Wise and Foolish Builders(Matthew 7:24-9, Luke 6:46-9)
Everyone that hears the words I say, and follows them, is like a wise man who built his house on solid rock. The rain poured down, and the floods rose, and the winds blew hard against the house, but it didn’t fall down, because its foundations were on solid rock. Everyone that hears the words I say, and doesn’t follow them, is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain poured down, and the floods rose, and the winds blew hard against the house, and it fell down—it totally collapsed.”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 28
It is really interesting, looking from the distance of backcountry Kenya, at the effect coronavirus is having on people in the West and in Asia. Of course, in the areas where the outbreak is currently severe, such as China, South Korea, Italy and now, Iran, the precautions being taken to stop its spread, are commendable if, in all probability, futile in the longer term.
But what saddens me is the hysteria caused firstly by the media, but exacerbated greatly by social media, into a hysterical panic that is completely unwarranted in the circumstances.
The virus is a type of flu. Nearly every year we experience a new strain of flu to which some people succumb, usually those with pre-existing conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 290,000 and 650,000 people word-wide die from influenza.
This is a regular occurrence that we all accept as being a normal part of life. For it is inevitable that we will all die one day.
Coronavirus seems to be a more easily spread virus than normal, not because it is easy to catch, which it isn’t. Rather, because it can be spread before symptoms have appeared on the carrier. Even so, for most people the symptoms experienced are very mild, milder than many, normal flus.
So the hysteria of buying up food supplies and in particular toilet paper and hand sanitizer in my home country of New Zealand, and even more so, in our neighbour Australia, as well as many other countries, is a modern media generated hype, beyond anything we have seen before. It is as if we are all going to have self-isolate, so as not to catch a virus of a similar sort and intensity to that we normally experience every year!
This is another sign of the humanism that has taken over so much of the world, for all are too scared to die for many believe that this life is the end.
We can expect the problems of viruses to get worse in the years to come, as there are more of us humans living ever closer together as the world’s population increases.
However, we cannot let fear rule our lives, and we must learn not to allow the extremes of social media to rule our lives.
There is a famous song of earlier years entitled, “Everyone Wants To Go To Heaven, But No-one Wants To Die.” How appropriate that is in today’s world.
Let all those who follow Jesus remember that there is a better future hope in store for us. PTL!
Shukrani
(Thank You)
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Lve Link.....
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CBM VISITS
Our primary organization sponsor CBM came for a visit. Of course, there was a compulsory 'Kathy cake' which went down well, as always. CBM staff Vicky and Wycliffe do the honours.
They were very happy to be here, feeling a part of the Kingdom family.
TRAINING
Taking a training session on financial responsibility within our organization.
SHORTAGE OF JOBS
Sorting out the many job applications we have received over the past year. Shows the huge shortage of jobs in Kenya!
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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
1278. Earthly fear breeds rejection on earth, Godly fear confirms acceptance in heaven.
1279. Earthly fear results in a negative reaction while the fear of God leads to positive action.
1280. Without holy fear, surely God cannot be God?
1281. Genuine 'fear of the Lord' breeds confidence, not calamity.
1282. Fear of man leads to control by others, while self-control is the fruit of 'fear of the Lord'.
1283. 'Human fear' dominates and destroys while 'fear of God' develops character.
Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgment of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now over 1300 David sayings for you to view at ...
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM continues.....
... as we take a look at the church most quoted as being like that of today, the one in Laodicea
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
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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. ***
385. Of The Devil
Two drunken men were sitting at the local bar when one turned to the other and asked, "What do you think of that 'speaking in tongues' thing? "I think it's of the devil," replied the other man, "what do you think?" "I don't know, but I don't think it's of the devil, because if it was, you and me would have it."
386. Lot's Wife
The teacher was in the middle of telling the Bible story of Lot's rescue from the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When she came to the part about Lot's wife, she said, "And Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt." A little boy's hand shot up. "That's nothing. Last week when my mother was driving to the store, she looked back and turned into a telephone pole."
387. Needed
A pastor had a practice of leaving his pulpit for a brief time during the morning service. While one of his staff made the announcements, he went to tell a Bible story to the children in children's church. One new member didn't understand. One day he said to the minister, "Pastor, you're the first preacher I ever saw who takes a coffee break during the service."
388. Laughter Like Medicine
A pastor listened outside the Sunday School room door while the children recited their memory verse. One little boy repeated it this way, "Laughter does good like a medicine should."
QWIK QWIP: “A pessimist complains about the noise made when opportunity knocks.”
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
On Monday we are going to have a 'Kenyan Wedding' between two of our staff. This is not a church wedding, nor one at a registry office, for I don't think they have such things, in our country area at least.
So what is it then? It is 2 staff who have lived with others previously, deciding they want to settle down together in a long term relationship.
Our staff will bless them in prayer, and Kathy will make a cake. Then, one of them will work the day while the other is on 'an off'!
Kenya has a huge problem with kids in relationships from an early age. StTD's and other sex-related problems are the biggest social challenges that schools here face.
At schools' request, we are now offering sex talks as well as our normal eye health presentations.
We have to be realistic in the situation of the modern world, not simply condemning from a standard religious viewpoint, but helping as we can in the reality of life in the modern world we live in.
Until next week.....
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD
His servant and yours
David Tait
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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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