WITNESS 2
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (January 13, 2016)
“”And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee (Isaiah Chapter 12:1-6, King James Version [The armies of God's wrath]).
Holy Greetings In The Name Of Jesus,
My brothers and sisters, we are scandalized by the evil workings of our time. We, the people of the Great United States of America were shackled to our time of great sufferings and we were shackled to our celebrations---our holidays, so much so in times past we failed to recognize our God in Christ Jesus but Jesus the God of the Sabbath day still healed the people on the Sabbath and did eat the priests' holy shewbread [“And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? And he said unto them, That the son of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (St. Luke 6:3-5, KJV, The Pharisees reproved] hence “fourscore and five priests” were killed by King Saul for giving David holy bread and the sword of Goliath out of the temple to feed and protect himself and his men (I Samuel 21:1-9; 22:1-4, 9-23, KJV [Doeg killeth the priests]). Jesus did not let the Pharisees stand in his way----block him from healing the people, even on the Sabbath Day:
“”And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered
into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose hand
was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him,
whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find
an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts, and said
to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand
forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it
lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? To save
life, or to destroy it? And looking round about upon them all,
he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and
his hand was restored whole as the other. And they were filled
with madness; and communed one with another what they
might do to Jesus” (St. Luke 6:6-11, KJV [The Pharisees
reproved]).
Was not Christ Jesus, himself sacrificed by the Jews during Passover? Did not Christ resurrect from death on the Sabbath:
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[“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to the
sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel
of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the
stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like
lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the
keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here:
for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead;
and, behold, he goeth before you in Galilee; there shall ye see him:
lo, I have told you” (St. Matthew 28: 1-7, KJV Christ's
resurrection]).
Most importantly, our sabbath is in Christ Jesus---our everything is in Christ Jesus, is it not---for our righteousness is in Christ Jesus, our salvation is in Christ Jesus, our strength that comes from the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is in Christ Jesus, our gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus, our wealth is in Christ Jesus for God gives us the power to get wealth, our needs are supplied in Christ Jesus, and our health is in Christ Jesus “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life {St. John 3:16, KJV [The witness of John]). Apostle John said, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (The Third Epistle of John: verse 3, KJV [III John is addressed to Gaius, a man commended for his hospitality]).
Moreover, we find ourselves addressing the systems of the world, broken and fettered in the evil intentions of evil men, for they do not operate to save lives but merely serve man supposedly so that man serves God, however, we failed to serve the people in the systems of the world for the cries of man are heard by God who is still sitting on the throne. It is not the flesh that gives man love for the care of mankind for the systems of the world fashioned by the imaginations of man oftentimes operate in corruption against the good faith and good will of man.
We pray for the lost, blind, bound and unsaved to see Christ Jesus and we pray for sinners alike to accept the wondrous working power of God in Christ Jesus that draws us back to him to save us, never turning back and fainting under the pressure and stress of the heavy loads of trials and tribulations, seeking God's mercy in prayer, for all sinners. We pray for the sinners of the world for the power of God needs not boundaries or parameters with titles to show God's glory by proving that, indeed, God will do as promised, never failing man throughout the earth's cycle of time Before Christ (B.C.) and After the Death of Christ (A.D.). However, many times man has received evil for good. Do you remember what David said when Abigail's husband, Nabal requited David evil for good even after he did not forcefully take all that he had in the wilderness, “Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertaineth unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall” (I Samuel 25:21-22, KJV [David's message to Nabal]). Do you remember God's mercy to David when “the LORD's anger kindled against Israel and moved David to say, Go, number Israel and Judah” (II Samuel 24:1, KJV [David numbereth the people])? What did God say to the Prophet Gad, David's seer?:
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“And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered
the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned
greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD,
take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very
foolishly. For when David was up in the morning, the word of
the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, Go
and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three
things; chose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So
Gad came to David, and told him, Shall seven years of famine
come unto thee in thy land?
Or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while
they pursue thee? Or that there be three days' pestilence in thy
land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him
that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in great strait:
let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies
are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. So the
LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning
even to the time appointed: and there died of the people
from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men”
(II Samuel 24: 10-15, KJV [David numbereth the
people]).
More importantly, trusting God is the single-most important thought of man, in his mind and in his heart, just as is noted on the dollar currency of the United States Of America: IN GOD WE TRUST. David knew to fall into the hand of God instead of falling into the hand of man. Although, God's anger was kindled against Israel and made David say, Go number Israel and Judah, David still knew to trust God over man. David remembered “the spirit of the LORD spoke to him and God's word was in David's tongue, 'The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain” (II Samuel 23: 2-4, KJV [David's Psalm]).
David did not suppose that he knew what God would do when he leveled his anger against Israel and made him tell the people to number Israel and Judah but when David did realize that what he said was against the will of God he made haste to pray to God for forgiveness for David already suffered hunger and being pursued by King Saul.. How many of you are proud-hearted and foolish, seeking to blame God for using you in the way that he so chooses to prove himself through you for the glory of God to be seen by all through you? Would you much rather let man use you, instead---David thought not and chose God over man? How many times has man led you astray and left you there to rot in prison, destined for the fires of hell or out in the ocean in a boat without a sail on days without a wind for you still must wait on the Lord for the time when the tide turned and the time when the wind returned?
It is the same old turn of events is it not that those who look upon those who have not, with denial! You can not deny me God. You can not deny me Christ Jesus, health, and wealth. I will let nothing separate me from the love of God for His love proven time and time again through the will of man is an everlasting faithful love----a love that tested man in the fires of man's stoic heart and in the surety of man's stoic mind. There was a couple inside their home with iron bars on their windows and doors to keep thieves and murderers out but when the house caught fire, the men that came did not think they
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could not rescue them out of the burning house and they pulled the bars off the window, not knowing how they received the strength to do it they saved the elderly couple---pulled them up and over out of death's grip to the light of God---safety.
When the fire chief came he told them what they did was at great risk and great peril to their own safety but he was glad they did do what they did to save the couple that faced death by fire; thank God the couple's neighbors felt compelled to help them, not fearing danger. We know from our bible stories that Jesus was the fourth man---the God-man in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. There is no greater love than the love of God for he will go in the fiery furnace to save you, so the spirit of Christ Jesus was upon the men----the neighbors of the couple in the burning house. Sometimes unbeknownst to ourselves we are chosen by God and the spirit of Christ comes upon us to act---not a challenge.
When 13 homes caught fire in the same State of Georgia the rescue agency that helped with living arrangements, food, shelter and education threw up their hands exhausted with all the fires in the State of Georgia---not knowing how they could continue to provide for so many families suffering house fires, another agency stepped up to provide care and services to families that lost their homes in house fires. Recently, when a former teacher/educator and now a commissioner and his wife's home caught fire they felt uneasy about taking the money raised by neighbors since all their lives they were givers never needing others to help them but a long time friend told them to take the money---which was a resource of help in their very present time of need for they were loved by their neighbors. Do you remember the love of David and Jonathan, King Saul's son, “And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city” (I Samuel 20: 42, KJV [David and Jonathan part]). Jonathan did so much to save David but he could not save himself, his brothers or his father, King Saul on the battlefield with the Philistines (II Samuel 31:1-4, KJV [Saul and his sons slain]). David did not get to spend time with Jonathan his friend and his brother-in-law, ever again, in flesh.
The Lord be with you. Peace between me and thee. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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