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: 1170 Published: 06 May 2024
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, talanted 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.
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE BEAUTIFUL WORDS OF JESUS
The Jews Continue to Reject Jesus (John 12:37-50)
In spite of His miracles.
“If you trust in me you’re not just trusting in me but also in the one who sent me. When you see me you’re seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light shining into the world, so if you trust in me you won’t remain in the dark. I don’t judge anyone who hears my words but doesn’t do what I say. I came to save the world, not to judge it. Anyone who rejects me and does not accept my words will be judged at the endtime judgment in accordance with what I have said. For I’m not speaking for myself but for my Father who sent me. He is the one who instructed me what to say and how to say it. I know that what he told me to say brings eternal life—so whatever I say is what the Father told me.”
Preparations for the Passover (Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:7-13)
Instructions to Peter and John.
“Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.”
“When you enter the city you’ll meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him and go into the house he enters. Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the dining room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ He’ll show you a large upstairs room that already has the necessary furniture. Prepare the meal there.”
Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples (John 13:1-20)
Peter protests.
“You won’t realize what I’m doing for you now. But one day you’ll understand.”
“If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me,”
“Anyone who has had a bath only needs to wash their feet and then they’re clean all over. You are clean—but not all of you.”
“Do you understand what I’ve done to you?” “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that’s who I am. So if I, your Teacher and Lord, washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example, so you should do just as I did. I tell you the truth, servants are not more important than their master, and the one sent is not greater than the sender. Now that you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
I’m not talking about all of you—I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill Scripture: “The one who hares my food has turned against me. I’m telling you this now, before it happens, so when it does happen you will be convinced that I am who I am. I tell you the truth, whoever welcomes anyone I send welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me.”
Download the whole of THE WORDS OF JESUS at.......
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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.
Download the free PDF here.....
Available on Amazon at $1 at Author name - David Tait
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
849. An ounce of grace yields tons of love.
850. Grace is like a bumblebees flight. We can't explain how it works, but it does!
851. To grow in grace is to grow in God.
852. God smiles when we give His grace away to others. For He has an endless supply.
853. Grace binds hurts.
854. 'Grace' is God's gift to us, 'love', ours to Him in return.
855. The cross of Jesus is the ultimate example of God's grace and love to us.
1307. Grace is God's love embedded in us.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
Check it out at...
'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.....
THIS WEEK: 12 LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM‘DIVIDING THE WATERS’
With a look at the diverse, challenging areas of grace, money and miracles in the church today.
LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
QWIK QWIP: “Our faith is like the air that we breathe. It is only the current breath that gives life.”
481. Cowboy Joe
Cowboy Joe was telling his fellow cowboys back on the ranch about his first visit to a big-city church.
"When I got there, they had me park my old truck in the corral," Joe began.
"You mean the parking lot," interrupted Charlie, a more worldly fellow.
"I walked up the trail to the door," Joe continued.
"The sidewalk to the door," Charlie corrected him.
"Inside the door, I was met by this dude," Joe went on.
"That would be the usher," Charlie explained.
"Well, the usher led me down the chute," Joe said.
"You mean the aisle," Charlie said.
"Then, he led me to a stall and told me to sit there," Joe continued.
"Pew," Charlie retorted.
"Yeah," recalled Joe. "That's what that pretty lady said when I sat down beside her."
482. The Newborn
A proud mother named Ella brought her newborn baby to a church social one afternoon.
The ladies were all making a fuss over Ella's baby.
Like any good mother, Ella was closely watching her newborn when she saw a little girl approach. The little girl started having a very one way conversation with the infant
When the little girl began asking the newborn questions, Ella smiled at her and said, "The baby can't talk yet."
The little girl, in all innocence, looked up at Ella and asked, "Does it need new batteries?"
QWIK QWIP: “God can mend broken hearts. You just have to give Him all the pieces.”
483. Christmas Dinner
Four-year-old Veronica was asked to give thanks before Christmas dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation.
Veronica began her prayer by thanking God for all her friends, naming them one by one. Then she thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all her aunts and uncles.
Then she began to thank God for the food. She gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip.
Suddenly Veronica fell silent. Everyone waited and waited.
After a long silence, the young lass looked up at her mother and asked, "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't He know that I'm lying?
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
Or read even more online at.....
A DAVID MUSING
This week we went to a new doctor, located some distance from where we live currently, here in New Zealand.
Sadly ,not only here in New Zealand, but in many places throughout the world there is a shortage of General Practitioners (GP’s), who deal with patient’s everyday problems.
The interesting thing about this surgery though is that it is run by a Christian doctor. The whole atmosphere was different to other surgeries we have been to. We were looked after really well by all the staff and made to feel at home. Prayers started the day we were told, and you could see the benefit in all who were there.
How is your business or place of work? Can others see the difference in you?
For here on earth, we are to represent the kingdom of God in our lives, both at work and at home.
How are you representing your Jesus today?
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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