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: 942 Published: 11 Nov 2019
THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW?
CATHEDRAL v TABERNACLE/TEMPLE
Greek (Western)
A cathedral is built to be a glimpse of the heaven we are to escape to when we die.
A cathedral was built in such an ornate fashion so as to give attendees a glimpse of what heaven, to which we are to escape to when we die will, in human understanding, be like. This was and is illustrated through the architecture, music, artworks, sculptures, furniture and religious ceremonies, drawing a worldly picture of a perfect heaven, a spiritual nirvana, free of all the suffering and pain we experience here on earth.
While many churches today are not so ornate, the principle remains the same. The church is a temporary refuge where we gather with others of like mind to experience God, before dying or being zapped off this wicked earth in the rapture, to escape this evil world.
This is called a 'dualistic theology', as it teaches the separation of a perfect heaven from an imperfect earth. Verses interpreted to justify this conclusion include.....
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)
and.....
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18)
Eastern (Hebrew)
The Tabernacle/Temple was the dwelling place of God, here upon the earth.
The Jewish perspective however, is entirely different. God was and is to dwell with them, here upon the earth. Their responsibility was to prepare a place for Him to live, as seen in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon.....
8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. (Exodus 25:8-9)
God's presence literally filled the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and then the Temple.....
10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. (1 Kings 8:10-11)
The everlasting nature of this, dependent upon the people’s obedience, was confirmed by the prophets.....
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” (Ezekiel 37:26-28)
Even after the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelt between the 2 cherubim’s, had disappeared, Jesus still referred to Herod's, far less grand Temple, as being His Father's house.....
16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16)
And again, Jesus referred to end times when He said.....
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
The analogy was of a Jewish wedding where the husband to be, upon the engagement, went back to his father’s house and built a room onto it for his bride to be.
Of course we are to be the bride.....
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7b)
And we are to come down from heaven to live on the earth.....
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)
The Jewish understanding is that they are to prepare, to help build, the Lord's kingdom upon the earth, now. That is not just an Old Testament concept, but is carried forward into the New, when we are called to pray.....
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
To finish today we will compare the differences between the Western Cathedral and Eastern Tabernacle/Temple mentalities in their differing understandings of salvation.....
1. THE GOAL OF SALVATION:
Cathedral Mentality: To escape this world and go to God's dwelling place in heaven.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: To prepare a place fit for God's dwelling here, among His people.
2. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:
Cathedral Mentality: Exists in heaven, not upon the earth.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: Is God's reign among people here upon the earth.
3. THE MESSIAH IS COMING:
Cathedral Mentality: In order to take us away from this world.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: In order to reign over us in this world.
4. MESSAGE:
Cathedral Mentality: Get your ticket now or you might miss the train.
Tabernacle/Temple Mentality: The kingdom of heaven is coming! Get ready to receive and serve the king.
CONCLUSION
Upon grasping this truth, both our lives and the church will be transformed! For 'walking with Jesus' is not simply a matter of mental acceptance, but requires a lifestyle totally dedicated to fulfilling the will of the Father so that the kingdom may be prepared for the return of Jesus to rule and reign upon the earth.
Are we willing to pay the price?
Find out more about us at.....
FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.....
Healing From Leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16)
At a man’s request.
“I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Immediately he was healed from his leprosy. “Make sure you don’t tell anyone,” Jesus told him. “Go and show yourself to the priest and give the offering which Moses required as public proof.”
Healing the Paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26)
As Jesus returned to Nazareth.
“My friend, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven.”
When queried about being able to forgive sins.
“Why are you thinking evil thoughts in your hearts? What is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Get up and walk’? But to convince you that the Son of man does have the authority to forgive sins…” “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
Matthew the Tax Collector Called(Matthew9:9-13 , Mark 2:13-17, Luke 5:27-31)
“Follow me!”
Jesus was then criticized for mixing with undesirables, while eating at Matthew’s house.
“Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and discover what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call those who do right—I came to call sinners.’”
(Continued next week)
Download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
ON WORKING HOLIDAY
A MUZUNGU’S (White Man’s) THOUGHT – Issue 16
Will continue in December
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
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SEEING IS BELIEVING!
HI HO, HI HO, IT'S OFF TO WORK (Filming) WE GO!
A friend of ours from New Zealand, John Fickling recently came to film a documentary on the Hospital, with the highlight being our first cataract operations. He was ably assisted by our local man, Moses. Many hours of video and heaps of stills were taken which now need to be edited back to 12 minutes or so.
A team on the way to film Gladys, at her home. Gladys is one of our general patients whom Kathy, in particular, has helped greatly.
Up she goes! Some amazing overhead views have been recorded on this drone, hired from Eldoret.
A teaser photo of the Eye Hospital roof with the Outpatient’s Clinic and Ward at the top right of the picture.
Thank you John and the whole team, for bringing the Hospital alive to people far away. Or it will do, once the editing is completed!
***NOW***NINE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
9 BOOKS are now available on Amazon (Kindle)!
All are available worldwide for electronic download on Amazon (Kindle) for $US0.99c . Unfortunately there has to be a charge in order to list.
Your support would be appreciated and they could well change your life!
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http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=david+tait+books/
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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
1023. Religion is planned, God's kingdom, spontaneous.
1024. God's kingdom is visionary, religion, managed.
1025. Religion is birthed in the institutionalisation of a revelation of God's kingdom.
1026. 'God given' revelation quickly becomes 'man controlled' religion.
1027. God's kingdom is eternal, mankind's religion, transitory.
1028. Religion formalises the spontaneous informality of God's kingdom.
1029. God's kingdom 'upskills', religion removes the 'ups'.
1030. Religion is really 'the opiate of the priests'.
1031. To get closer to God we need to swap the bonds of religion for the liberation of His kingdom.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
NEXT WEEK: POS’ FULFILLED BY JESUS (To be Experientially fulfilled, that is Embraced, by the Church)
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
As Christians, if we can't laugh at ourselves, others will! A fun way to start your day. To register today, go down to the bottom of the page link below, click on the subscribe link lao--on@wwj.org.nz (or paste the address in an email yourself and send) Then it's done!
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. ***
337. Multiple Outlets
On vacation with her family in Montana, a mother drove her van past a church in a small town and pointing to it, told the children that it was St. Francis' Church.
"It must be a franchise," her eight-year-old son said. "We've got one of those in our town too."
338. Come Out
Our children's Sunday School classes were presenting their end of the year program for the congregation - telling about the life of Jesus.
When it came to the part about Jesus' miracles, one little boy said, "Yes, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead!" The teacher urged him to tell us more.
He said, "Well, Jesus told them to open the tomb, and then He said, 'Lazarus, come out!' And it's a good thing he didn't just say 'Come out!' because there would have been a stampede of dead guys."
339. Healthy Lessons?
Two fellows died at ripe old ages and went on to Heaven. It was, of course, the most beautiful, wonderful place imaginable.
One of them, eyes misting with tears, remarked to the other, "Isn't this marvellous?"
His friend replied. "Yes! And to think we could have gotten here so much sooner if we hadn't eaten all that oat bran!"
QWIK QWIP: “I am God's Melody of life and He Sings His Song through me.”
340. What Chapter
A man has been in business for many, many years and the business is going down the drain. He is seriously contemplating suicide and he doesn't know what to do. He goes to the Pastor to seek his advice. He tells the Pastor about all of his problems in the business and asks the Pastor what he should do.
The Pastor says "Take a beach chair and a Bible and put them in your car and drive down to the edge of the ocean. Go to the water's edge. Take the beach chair out of the car, sit on it and take the Bible out and open it up. The wind will rifle the pages for a while and eventually the Bible will stay open at a particular page. Read the Bible and it will tell you what to do."
The man does as he is told. He places a beach chair and a Bible in his car and drives down to the beach. He sits on the chair at the water's edge and opens the Bible. The wind rifles the pages of the Bible and then stops at a particular page. He looks down at the Bible and sees what he has to do.
Three months later the man and his family come back to see the Pastor. The man is wearing a $1,000 Italian suit, The wife is all decked out with a full-length mink coat and the child is dressed in beautiful silk. The man hands the Pastor a thick envelope full of money and tells him that he wants to donate this money to the church in order to thank the Pastor for his wonderful advice. The Pastor is delighted. He recognises the man and asks him what advice in the bible brought this good fortune to him.
The man replies: "Chapter 11."
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 them all online at.....
A DAVID MUSING
Last week I shared about a dream come true - our first cataract operations at the Kingdom Eye Referral Hospital.
This week, I have to share about a dream shattered - that is The New Zealand All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup 3 times in a row.
Sadly for us Kiwis, it was not to be and we were soundly beaten by England in the semi-finals! But that was yesterday. Now we can look forward to the next one in 4 years time!
Life is like that! The ups and downs that make it both interesting and challenging.
In God too, it is the same. We have to walk through the valleys of trials as well as enjoy the mountain top experiences when they arise.
The most important thing is that we don't give up - in the world and in God. He promises He will come through and He does, in His timing.
Our part is not to persevere in preparation for that special day when He promises us He will return.
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
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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david@wwj.org.nz