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: 966 Published: 27 Apr 2020
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW?
WHO DOES IT?
Greek (Western) In the Western church the leadership pronounce, while the people, simply receive.
The pastor prepares, preaches and teaches, prayers come from the front (often a mini sermon couched in prayer type language) to which the people are encouraged to agree. Very often too, worship teams dominate praise and worship.
We are a leadership driven church. We pay the pastor to 'do the religious stuff of life' on our behalf! And usually, lot's more beside! Ask any pastor! Or pastor's wife! As people, so busy living life in an increasingly frantic world, we separate the 'spiritual' from our everyday life and delegate our responsibility to paid staff. Then we turn up on Sunday for an hour or so to hear how the pastor has been looking after us during the week! If we are not happy that they have done enough, we move to another church! (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration, but I trust it makes a point!)
Eastern (Hebrew) In the Eastern way of thinking, spirituality is an all-embracing part of the life of both the individual and the community.
The Jewish (and Muslim) emphasis is on personal prayer in a collective situation. The reason for praying at a number of specified times during the day reminds people to pray often, as an integral part of day to day activities, and to get all the community praying together as one. Prayers are both short and frequent.
This community principle is seen in the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray, which today, we call the Lord's Prayer.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ”‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, (Matthew 6:9)
As you can see, we are taught to pray the plural 'our' rather than the singular 'my', which would be more appropriate in a Western context.
This communal principle is reiterated many times throughout both the Old Testament and the New.
In the Old.....
16 But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. (Isaiah 63:16)
..... and in the New. Paul, in his introduction to the Roman church, took this communal approach also.....
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
A further prayer difference in Eastern culture is the time spent in thanksgiving for what the Lord has done for the community, in doing so, encouraging all that His presence will be with them now. For instance, when the army was going out to war.....
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. (Deuteronomy 20:1)
The goodness of God to the community is seen as an encouragement of faith to the individual.
SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY
1. We must learn that our spiritual and daily lives are one and cannot be divided.
2. We must stop delegating responsibility for our spiritual lives to others, paid or unpaid, professional or otherwise. We are responsible for our own ongoing salvation.
3. Understand that we are a part of a broader community of believers.
4. Learn to pray frequently as part of a community.
5. Learn to put the needs of our family in God above our own.
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Parables by the Lake(Matthew 13:1-35, Mark 4:1-34, Luke 8:4-18)
Told from a boat anchored away from the shore, out there because of the size of the crowd.
Parable of the Weeds Explained (Matthew 13:36-43)
In private, as requested by the Disciples.
“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of man,” Jesus explained. “The field is the world. The good seeds are the children of the kingdom. The weed seeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy that sowed the weed seeds is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are harvested and burned so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will gather up every sinful thing and everyone who does evil, and will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then those who live rightly will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. Anybody with ears should be listening!
Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl(Matthew 13:44-6)
Followed by more parables.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, reburied it, and then full of joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
The kingdom of heaven is also like a trader looking for good pearls. When he found the most expensive pearl ever he went and sold all he had and bought it.
Parable of the Net(Matthew 13:47-52)
Once more, the kingdom of heaven is like a fishing net thrown into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. When it was full it was dragged ashore. The good fish were put into baskets while the bad ones were thrown away.
“That’s the way it will be when the end of the world comes. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from the good, and throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
“Now do you understood everything?”
“Every religious teacher who’s learned about the kingdom of heaven is like a house-owner who brings out from his storeroom both new and old treasures,”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 34
SEEKING THE KINGDOM
The benefit for those under the Covid-19 lockdown is that we have more time available than we have had in times past in our busy, go, go, go, world!
The question is, “What are we going to do with this time?”
Can I suggest that an answer may be to seek the kingdom of God.
How do we find the kingdom?
Simply, by spending time in seeking a more intimate relationship with Him.
Today, for many, we have an advantage that has not been there for a long time. Peace and quiet - should we desire it. We can turn off the TV and radio. Should we have kids, they will go to sleep – sometime. There are no visitors. There is not even church and its related activities to distract us and occupy our time. We can’t rely upon the pastor for our ‘spiritual fix either.
Now is the time to seek God directly for ourselves.
Actually, we have just found the secret of the kingdom!
Spending personal time with our Father, with Jesus interceding for us, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, revealed in the Word, and through personal communication with Him.
If we desire to build our relationship, we must spend time with our Lord, our Saviour, our God.
How do develop a truly personal relationship with Him? Is it through reading the Bible, or books about God? Yes, but……. Is it through worship? Yes, but……. Is it through prayer? Yes, but……. All these things are good, but there is one thing missing!
Let us look at the example of Elijah. He was called to the mountain for instructions from God. Elijah was desperate! He was being chased relentlessly by Jezebel, even after performing a miracle and seeing God kill the priests of Baal. He cried out in desperation! Maybe as many are doing today.
Did He find God in the earthquake, storm, or fire? No. God spoke to Elijah in a quiet breeze, gentle breeze.
The answer to finding the kingdom is not found just in yelling out to God, but in spending intimate times, listening to what He has to say to us.
Today, that is more possible than ever, for we have the time to do so.
Shurakini
(Thank You)
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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
3. The foolish deny God; the wise acknowledge Him, while the godly experience their God.
4. The foolish seek pleasure on earth. The wise build treasure in heaven. But the godly seek to build heaven on earth.
5. Earthly possessions are perceived to be:
- Owned - by the foolish.
- Rented - by the wise.
- Administered - by the godly.
6. Our true heart is found in our wallet:
- The foolish spend all on themselves.
- The wise tithe 10% to the provider.
- The godly use all they have been given on the provider's behalf.
7. The foolish reject God, the wise respect God, while the godly live for their God.
8. The foolish speak before they think, the wise think before they speak, while the godly let their lives speak for them.
9. The foolish are satisfied with reading the Word, the wise follow the Word, while the godly are as one with the Word.
10. The foolish listen to themselves, the wise listen to others, while the godly submit to spiritual oversight.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: TRANSFORMATION OF THE CHURCH: 3. FROM KINGS TO KINGDOM continues.....
... with a brief look at servant leadership.
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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. ***
403. Meeting God
Two lifelong friends had a running argument. The black friend would argue that God was black, and the white friend would disagree and say that God was white.
One day, they decided to go fishing. On the way back, they were still arguing about whether or not God was black or white. Before they knew it, they where in an accident, and they found themselves in heaven. When they got there, St. Peter met them at the Pearly gates. Again, the question was brought up, "Is God black or white?"
St. Peter told them to have a seat in the waiting room and God would come out and talk to them about it.
While they were waiting, they continued to argue whether God was black or white. Then they heard some footsteps coming. They turned around as the door swung open and in stepped in God in His grandest toga.
They looked to Him expectantly, waiting for His answer to their long running argument.
He smiled at them and said, "Hola muchachos!"
Ya know -- God doesn't care what colour you are - 'cause He made all of 'em!
QWIK QWIP: “Pain and Suffering is inevitable but Misery is optional.
404. Children's Notes to God
Dear God,
Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter.
There is nothing good in there now.
Dear Mr. God,
I wish you would not make it so easy for people to come apart. I had to have 3 stitches and a shot.
Dear God,
It rained for our whole vacation and is my father mad! He said some things about you that people are not supposed to say, but I hope you will not hurt him anyway. Your friend (I am not going to tell you who I am).
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
We live in challenging times.
Most people in the West are under a lockdown of one sort or another.
Here in Kenya, where there are a relatively small number of cases and only 18 deaths in a population of nearly 50 million, we only have a 7pm to 5am curfew to deal with. However, the East of the country, where all the cases are found, is quarantined off from the West where we live, which is virus-free currently.
In a population of nearly 50 million, we have only 350 cases and 18 deaths, so the problem is not severe.
The bigger problem, if a full quarantine were enforced, is that people would die of hunger. For most live day by day, with no Social Welfare to speak of, with few reserves or borrowing capacity to draw upon, both individually and as a country.
These times are a great test of our faith. In whom do we believe? Ourselves, the State, or God? We need to take care of ourselves but ultimately, whether we live or die is in God's hands. May we get closer and closer to Him in these difficult times.
Until next time.....
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
7 Bull Street
Ahuriri
Napier
New Zealand
Phone: (06) 835 0567 International (+64) 6 835 0567
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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