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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| Greek (Western) |
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 In Greek thought, blessings and curses are related to circumstances.
When something good happens such as a promotion or financial success, a person is blessed. If something bad happens, we consider we are cursed. Adore God more and we will be blessed, on the other hand, ignore him and we will be cursed. Put simply, blessings are when good things happen, curses, when bad things happen.
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| Eastern (Hebrew) |
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 In Hebrew thought however, blessings are related to obedience and curses to disobedience.
Good and bad things happen in life, which are totally unrelated to obedience and disobedience. Knowing this, we can better understand the discourse between God, the devil, and Job. God held up Job as an example of one who was willing to suffer for Him, for He knew Job's faith was not dependent upon receiving physical blessings.....
Job 1:7-8
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 Satan, took the typical Greek thought attitude that Job's faith was only so high because he was materially blessed.....
Job 1:99-11
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 So God allowed Job to be tested.....
Job 1:12
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 As we know Job's 3 friends ridiculed him, and Job himself questioned God, but stood firm in his faith. God corrected them.....
Job 42:7-9
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 As this is the Old Testament, where the kingdom was primarily expressed in the material as opposed to the spiritual of the New Testament, Job was rewarded with material blessings for his obedience.....
Job 42:10
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 We fail to understand, because of our Western way of thinking, that all the promises of God are conditional upon obedience. We all too often take the 'blessings verses' out of context, not looking at the conditions upon which the blessings are based, that precede or follow them. We do not understand that there is a cost to following Jesus.
The classic New Testament example is the Beatitudes, where each of the 9 blessings comes at a cost. For example, if we want mercy, we need to show mercy to others.....
Matthew 5:7
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 Jesus concludes this teaching with the statement that we must endure persecution in order to receive the blessings.....
Matthew 5:12
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 Paul too, understood this principle that he participated in the (spiritual New Testament) blessings, only because he was willing to pay the price of obedience.....
1 Corinthians 9:20-21
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This is a profound truth, misunderstood by most believers today.
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| SOME SPIRITUAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY |
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1. The 'Father Christmas' Christianity of 'come to God and all will be well with you' that is so often taught today, is both a dangerous and false doctrine which inevitably ends in disappointment and rejection when it proves not to be true in people's life experience.
2. The primarily spiritual blessings of the New Testament are received by those prepared to pay the price of obedience to the Father's will.
3. Wealth, success and failure, expressed in worldly terms, are normally the result of the circumstances of life, rather than the blessing or cursing of God.
4. The spiritual blessings of God can, and often are, experienced by those in the direst physical and material circumstances.
5. God looks to what we are, rather than how we are or how much we have.
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> THINKING GREEK OR HEBREW continues..... |
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 ..... looking at KNOWING v DOING.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 Our Christian culture is embedded in the idea that blessings are the result of 'being good', and curses, for 'being bad'.
As mentioned above, good and bad can and do arise through 'circumstances of life'. Life is not fair! As Job experienced!
But as with Job, blessings (spiritual in the New Testament, as per the Beatitudes) come through obedience to our Lord.
May our thought patterns be renewed!
IMAGES AND ART: Jerusalem
Mount of Olives
Dome of the Ascension
The Church of the Holy Ascension was taken by Saladin in 1187 and converted into a mosque and remains such today. It contains what is traditionally the last footprint of Jesus on earth before he ascended into heaven.
Two other places are claimed to be the location of the ascension. Constantine's mother Helena built a church under the modern Paternoster Church to commemorate this event. A much later tradition connects the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension to Christ's return into heaven.
Scripture indicates that the Jesus ascended into heaven in the vicinity of Bethany. This village is down the east slope of the Mt. of Olives about 1.5 miles (2 km). In this case, none of the traditional locations for the ascension are correct.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
918. Obedience to Gods will and ways is the very core of the Gospel.
David Tait
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Check
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