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: 960 Published: 16 Mar 2020
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW?
THE RESURRECTION 'BODY'
Have you ever wondered why Jesus was resurrected with a physical body? Surely, if the kingdom is purely spiritual, way up there in the sky, a spiritual body would have been better, to show us what our own heavenly body would be like?
Greek (Western) In the Greek, the concept of God being interested in both our bodies and spirit is rejected.
We see God being only interested in the spiritual. We spiritualise Biblical prophecy eg. Inventing Replacement Theory, replacing the literal return of the Jews to Israel. (This became an initial, formal reality in 1948!)
We downgrade the physical to being bad; to be shunned or hidden, while the spiritual is elevated to the extreme.
The concept of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell in our physical bodies is a very difficult one for us to accept. (Today my body is wracked with diarrhoea, due to something I ate yesterday! I certainly find it difficult to understand that the Holy Spirit would want to live there! I don't want to today either! Can you see how we think?)
Continuing with the toilet humour, David Pawson relates how that mentions of a Jewish blessing for going to the toilet amuses Christian audiences – because of the Greek mindset that God is not interested in the proper working of our bodily functions, but a Jewish audience would not react because Jews see no separation between physical and spiritual. (Please may I think like a Jew, as today I have spent lots of time in there!)
Earth is bad, heaven is amazing. Lord rapture us (another false teaching in the escapist way it is taught) there quick!
Greek minds do not accept revelation; only reason. The Greek mind asks “Why must I do it?”
Eastern (Hebrew) In Hebrew thought, the interrelation of physical and spiritual is regarded as being natural.
Jesus explained it first.....
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-1)
After the resurrection, the Jewish believers, while surprised to see Jesus, expected and accepted a bodily resurrection, for the kingdom of God is to rule both the spiritual and the natural. How could Jesus rule on earth if He only had a spiritual body? Jesus was seen, touched and ate fish.....
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
Paul understood the conundrum gentiles have.....
22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. (1 Corinthians 1:22-5)
Hebrew reliance is on God and His Torah. The Hebrew mind asks “What must I do?”
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. We must banish escapist theologies from our theology and teaching.
2. We must choose to live godly lives now, not to wait until we die and go to heaven.
3. We must work out our free salvation through physical actions that cost us our life.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7;1-10)
Through the faith of the Centurion, without visiting his home.
“I will come and heal him,”
“I tell you the truth, I haven’t found this kind of trust anywhere in Israel. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into utter darkness where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”
“Go home. Because you trusted that it would happen, what you asked for has been done.”
Jesus Raises the Widow of Nain’s Son(Luke 7:11-17)
When the boy’s body was being taken outside of the town.
“Don’t cry,”
“Young man, I tell you, get up.”
Jesus Commends John the Baptist (Matthew 11:1-19, Luke 7:18-35)
When approached by John’s disciples asking Jesus if He truly was ‘the one who was to come’.
“Go and tell John what you’ve seen and heard. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised back to life, the poor are told the good news. How good it is for those who are not offended because of me!”
“About John: what did you expect to see when you went out to meet him in the desert? Some reed blown about by the wind? Did you come looking for a man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who have stylish clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes he is, and I’m telling you, he’s much more than a prophet. “It was written about him in Scripture: ‘Look, I’m sending my messenger to go before you to prepare your way.’ “I tell you, no one born of women is greater than John, but even the most unimportant person in God’s kingdom is greater than he is!”
But the Pharisees disagreed.
“What shall I compare these people to?” “What are they like? “They’re like children sitting in the market who tell one other, ‘We played the flute for you but you didn’t dance; we sang sad songs but you didn’t cry.’ When John the Baptist came he didn’t eat bread or drink wine, but you say he’s demon-possessed. Now the Son of man is here, and eats and drinks with people, but you say, ‘Look, he spends his time eating too much food and drinking too much wine. Plus he’s a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ However, God’s wise ways are proved right by all who follow him!”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 29
It is impossible to avoid Covid–19, for its effect on the life of the world is startling and rapidly increasing.
Two days ago, the New Zealand Government announced the toughest yet travel restrictions, with all arrivals needing to self-quarantine for 2 weeks.
Obviously this will kill the tourism industry, now the country’s no. 1 foreign currency earner. Many people will lose jobs and businesses will fail. Now Australia and other countries are following in New Zealand’s footsteps. International aviation will grind to a halt.
Today, Sunday, France has announced even more draconian internal measures, with all shops, except supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations, to be closed for a fortnight at least, in order to reduce the spread of the virus. People are being requested to stay home, if at all possible. Just imagine the effect! A whole country effectively closing down!
Whether this is justified or not, only time will tell.
While this seems to be developing into a particularly nasty flu, we need to keep it in perspective.
Where is the outcry about Tuberculosis (TB) that kills 3,000 people every day of the year?
Or Hepatitis B, Pneumonia, HIV/Aids and Malaria, all of which kill over 2,000 people each and every day.
Covid-19 on 9 March killed 57 worldwide. Now it will perhaps be around 300+ per day.
This is causing emergency measures in the extreme to be taken worldwide.
The obvious question that arises is one of perspective. What about the 5 diseases mentioned that kill over 11,000 people combined, each and every day of the year? What radical measures worldwide, are taken to eradicate these?
None.
Our hospital here in back country Kenya, deals with the challenges these diseases cause, every day. There is minimal help.
Why?
The answer is obvious. They mostly don’t affect people of the developed world. HIV/Aids now has a control measure, so it is also relegated in the world’s thinking.
The remainder though, affects 99%, the underdeveloped world. Out of sight- out of mind! They don’t affect me, so why worry!
May this wake-up call motivate the world to compassion for those less fortunate people in the world who live with the far greater risk of death from disease, each and every day.
Shukrani
(Thank You)
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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
1241. The godly one keeps short accounts with both God and people, while seeking to do God's will with every fibre of their being.
1242. Godliness is not human perfection but the way of discipleship, lived by the blood of the Lamb, through the word of our testimony, and by 'dying' to self. (Revelation 12:11)
1243. Godliness is a partnership. God's offers the blood of Jesus and we are to offer our life in return.
1244. As worldliness goes, godliness grows.
1245. My desire is that God says about me, "David is a man after my own heart."
1246. Wisdom impresses the world, but godliness makes an impression on God's heart.
1247. The godly one has God's heart for others.
1248. God witnesses to others through His godliness as developed in us.
1248. God gives us many gifts. Godliness is the gift He most desires in return from us.
1249. To be 'good' is great, but being 'God' to others, is godly. The difference is 'o' for 'obedience'.
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 look at the positive side, the first of the 2 churches Jesus commended, that at Smyrna.
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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. ***
389. God's Will
A farmer was on his way to town to buy a cow. On the way he stopped for a brief visit with his neighbour who was a Christian. "Where are you going today," the neighbour asked. "I'm going to town to buy a cow." Well actually, the Christian neighbour instructed, you ought to say, 'the Lord willing, I'm going to town to buy a cow.'" "What do you mean, I have the money, they have the cow, I'm going to town to buy a cow."
With that, he resumed his walk. Just before reaching the town, the farmer was mugged, his money stolen, and he was left unconscious by the side of the road. When he finally came too, and realising all his money was gone, he started to limp back towards home. The Christian neighbour saw him coming, and hastened to help.
After hearing the story, the Christian farmer asked, "So now what are you going to do?' "Well, the Lord willing, I'm going home."
390. It's An Ill Wind.....
After coming out of the water, a new member exclaimed, "Good grief, preacher, I forgot to remove my wallet from these trousers. It's dripping wet." "Hallelujah," exulted the preacher, "We could stand more baptised wallets."
QWIK QWIP: “Truth does not need a defender - only an investigator."
391. Painting the Church
The Pastor was painting the church one Saturday to get it nice and spiffy for services on Sunday. He had two sides of the church done when he realised that he didn't have quite enough paint to finish.
Since he was many miles from where he could buy more paint and he was running out of time, he decided to thin the paint down so he'd have enough to finish the job. After finishing the third wall, he realised he had to thin the paint even more to make it stretch.
He finally finished and was standing back to admire his work when it started to rain. He watched in dismay while the paint ran down the windows and exposed the old colour on the last two walls he had painted.
Just then lightening struck followed by an ear splitting clap of thunder. From the sky came a loud voice saying,
"Repaint, repaint, and thin no more."
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
As the world moves into a rapidly increasing state of turmoil over the Covid-19 virus outbreak, there is a panic arising amongst populations, one usually reserved for times of war.
Governments are making unprecedented, draconian decisions, in order to try and prevent the spread of the virus.
Kathy and I have had to cancel a trip from Kenya, where we live, to Britain booked for mid-April, to celebrate our Golden Wedding (50 years of marriage) with many members of our family. The Lord willing, we will celebrate there later in the year, once things settle down again.
The real question to me, and to us all, is how we are or will, cope with the fear that has been engendered, primarily by media, whether it be mainstream or social.
How is our faith coping with all that is going on? Times such as this test where we really are in God. Are we scared? Are we trusting in the Lord to look after us? Are we afraid of death? Do we truly believe that there is life after death? That we are going to a better place?
Or are we reacting fearfully, in the same way as those that do not know Jesus as Saviour and Lord?
Let this difficult time be a wakeup call to the true reality of our faith in Jesus.
May the Lord bring us through, both physically and spiritually.
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.
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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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