Jesus Saves
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (1/6/2014)
“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole” (The Acts 4:10, King James Version [The persecution of the disciples]).
Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus,
My brothers and sisters, Jesus the Prince of Peace came to uplift us up to the spirit out of the trappings of the flesh to a peace-filled faith that delivers eternal life. Most importantly, those who hungered for war, Jesus encouraged to thirst for the living waters of eternal life. God sent his son to change how man lived in his belief system, to place man in the abiding grace in the faith of Jesus which no longer taught an eye for an eye but turn the other cheek. God sent his son to take away the power given to money on earth, to heal with the power of God yet the disciples failed to heal on one occasion and Jesus admonished, “Ye of so little faith”. Why could the disciples not heal as Jesus did to wholeness, the body of diseases, mental illnesses and varied sicknesses even poverty at the laying on of hands, a touch to the body, and the speaking to the issue of the person to manifest change, which advanced the healing instructions of the prophets of old the early fathers from waiting for healing to immediate healing to wholeness?
According to Luke the physician, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit out of the man's son when the man in the company that followed Jesus complained to Jesus that his disciples could not cast the spirit out. Jesus said, “...O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither” (St. Luke 9:41, KJV [casting out devils]). Yet, the disciples forbade another man who was not a disciple to cast out a devil using the name of Jesus. Jesus told them if the man was not against them he was for them. Further to chastising the disciples for little faith Jesus did not let them forbid those who did not follow in their company and who were not selected to be disciples to cast out devils in his name.
Jesus commended humility of the disciples with followers not in their company, “...Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not; for he that is not against us is for us” (9:49-50 [humility]). Yet, we the disciples of Jesus remain, of man bound and trapped in the flesh; for the power of God is of a spirit, the words of God are of a spirit and your belief in God is of your spirit. Jesus denied discipleship to those who did not forsake all that he hath. Luke the physician witnessed Jesus said, “Or what king, going to make war against another king sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple”(14:31-33 [denied discipleship]).
Henceforth, Luke the physician witnessed Jesus sent out seventy that he appointed to every city and place that he would come to in order to heal the people. Jesus said,
“And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it
shall turn to you again...And the seventy returned again with joy, saying
Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said
unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give
unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the
power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”
(10: 5-6, 17-19 [seventy appointed by Jesus to heal]).
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Therefore, Jesus' public ministry drives quality of the care of man to no cost. However, today's world speaks only low cost to the people. Last Sunday, on January 5, 2014, on Meet the Press, David Gregory's interview revealed that “the modernization of healthcare drives quality to low cost” (NBC, 2014). Obviously, those words spoke to the flesh of man for the spirit of man even in a sovereign nation, who believes in Jesus in a belief system that follows the gospel of Jesus sees in the spirit the supernatural manifestation outpouring overflowing unlimited to us---, not merely the possibility of low cost. How many times have you heard, it is yours for the asking, for a mere price of $4.95, $2.95, $2.00, or $1.00?
What do you think of when the corruption similar to the whoredom of Babylon nickels and dimes you to nothing and all your money runs out, you must know where you are, in the scheme of things, is of man, not of God for Jesus provided at no cost? Since we fail to uplift to spirit, to the peace of the faith of Jesus, we suffer in the flesh of man and some feel down caste and others feel down trodden. Yet Jesus showed the multitude the way, so we reflect where we are, of man not of spirit, of God. The flesh is incapable of tapping into the supernatural outpouring overflowing unlimited to us. Now, John, a disciple of Jesus witnessed the woman of Samaria, commonly spoke of mostly as the woman at the well with Jesus.
Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he” (St. John 4: 24-26, KJV [God is a spirit]). So, let us ponder where we are, not of spirit but where we find ourselves caste down of man in the world.
If the modernization of healthcare as a system drives quality to low cost, so must coincide then, the modernization of church outreach in particular and other organizations in general to drive quality to low cost. Why do we need a system of healthcare? The status quo of healthcare resided in cottage industries controlled by states; fragmented across state lines not a whole system without the necessary information technology that is permitted to cross state lines objectified and approved by the United States of America's Congress as a bill of law so the new healthcare system moved forward without information technology, with hope that all that is needed for quality to drive low cost will catch-up to the new healthcare system. What do the people say to this reasoning, “LORD, I need somebody to help me now and I do not have even the $2.00 or $1.00 to co-pay the community healthcare center, speaking of the people's response off-the-cuff in small groups not empirical data measured for truth of quality?Now, the need for outreach to partner with the community center to deliver healthcare services and emergency services is paramount for those who earn an income of $15,000.00 or less.
Remember the saying, “I did not know I was poor, poverty-stricken until you set the margin and marginalized me in that group of $15,000.00 or less. I just did not know I was poor until you told me I was poor” (Anonymous, n.d.). Someone drew the line. With church outreach in partnership with the community center to drive quality to no cost, family budgets are not robbed by a system that initially intended to help but the practice in the system corrupted results in and of the system. The devil is in the details of low cost for he comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
Accordingly, Early Today on Monday, January 6, 2014 said, “The healthcare budget is $2.8 billion; that is $8,900 for each man, woman and child” (NBC, 2014). We all know that 50 percent of the healthcare budget is more likely than not Medicare of which those baby boomers aged 66 and above rule the group with some at age 62 perhaps getting in medicare early. Now, every man, woman, and child is not using up the budget of $2.8 billion, for many folks hardly ever go even to use up the possible two times a year visit with co-pay but there are those who suffer illnesses not caused by themselves and many who do cause their own medical problems eating away at the fat of the budget creating great cost for all Americans especially individuals. Inasmuch as the $8,900 for every man,
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woman and child sounds equitable, all for one and one for all the cost to get into the budgeted healthcare system is qualified by income so those earning $15,000.00 or less should pay less but that is just not true for individual plans not yet quantified and the only way to stay afloat is to apply for medicaid but medicaid wants to get paid back, if at all possible then might require that you sign some sort of promissory note to pay out of your estate when you die if that is truth of the medicaid program and stands in light of the new healthcare law.
According to the gospel readings of John, the disciple, Jesus said, “...All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (St. John 10: 7-11, KJV [Christ is the door to life more abundantly]). By the blood of the lamb we are saved, of the spirit of God Jesus prevailed to save us all.
We must let go and let God work it all out in our individual lives for those who stand as individuals and for those in groups, your group quantified you, hopefully the quality of the large numbers of your group already delivered low cost and we pray the service is of the same quality. I prophesy to you that many will come away not so much of this time in their life but of any time in their life a victim of the spirit of the snake, the serpent, the devil who found joy in this time of change to slowly move through neighborhoods taking all that they can steal, kill or destroy with a happy face not of a snake, serpent, or the devil but with a face of man so the spirit of the snake is working through man. You are a victim because you do not know Jesus. Do not invite the snake in to your temple for Jesus.
Do not let the snake enter in to rule you. Do not do the snake's bidding with a smile on your face, to persecute your neighbor, those you should love. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God” (I John 4:7, KJV [love is of God; John exhorteth brotherly love; there is no fear in love]). May God bless you, in the name of Jesus. May the peace of Jesus dwell in you.
May the grace of Jesus cover you with God's love.
