FOR JESUS’ LOVE 8
Leadership Traits
By
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (August 2, 2017)
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (St. John 21:15-17, King James Version [Christ’s charge to Peter]}
Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, the faith leadership trait permits us to obey the good faith preaching and good faith teachings of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus as revealed to us in the gospel readings of the Holy Bible. Most importantly, not only do we respect a strong good faith leader but we respect an anointed good faith leader to help us follow Jesus better than when we were babies in the faith on milk (I Corinthians 3:1-3, KJV). As we grow, issues in situations afflict us, burden us down, plague us, and lead us astray off the straight and narrow when at times like these we are on a slippery slope tried in the fire while living an abundant life and the battle field of life does not let us forget that we must continue to fight the good fight until we reach the end of our course. In fellowship, the leadership of an anointed strong man of faith is a comfort to an ailing body and an ailing soul with a weak conscious, in need of constant spiritual healing. An anointed man of God spiritually of a sound mind covers his membership---those God gave to him with the sincere love of God without asking for anything in return, especially during hardships when you have nothing to give or hardly anything to give. To see the spirit of an supernaturally anointed leader strong in faith leading the membership to conquer demonic possessions, spirits of poverty or lack and any and all the hindrances that witchcraft builds up in a follower of Christ Jesus’ life to shorten their days and take away all the gifts promised since the days of old for abundant living is a curse upon the joy in their lives---to steal it away.
Accordingly, the prophetic book---The Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah’s message of encouragement, graphic portrayals of the Messiah in the Old Testament was a sense of comfort and hope during exile from Jerusalem, captive in Babylon spoke of the anointed. “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes,
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the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.’ [chapter 61; 61:1-11, KJV, Blessings of the faithful]. Yes, indeed, the anointing is a spiritual birth for Prophet Isaiah spoke that the spirit was upon him. I do not need to explain anything to let you know how bad of a place you will find yourself in when the spirit is not upon the leader of your membership for the one body includes you---you are the church, the bride of Christ, in the covenant of Abraham under Melchiseldec. Christ Jesus confirmed the anointing when he read the book of the Prophet Esaias as stated in The Gospel According to St. Luke [4:18-19, KJV], “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the LORD.” This was the day that our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus told the minister and all those that bared witness that he fulfilled the scripture [“And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” [4:20-21]. Jesus was anointed, also according to St. Luke, “As the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.” [2:40, KJV, childhood of Christ].
Magnanimously bestowed, there is something about the anointing that renders a leader able. The anointing is not a growing into---coming into your own---situation. Oh, do you believe? You see Christ Jesus was not waiting for the anointing to begin his public ministry, for Christ Jesus was already in his anointing, since birth---born without sin---God man. However, those of us born in sin must be born again for the Spirit to come upon us (I Peter 1:23, KJV, Christ the corner stone; St. John 1:13; 3: 3-7, KJV; James 1:18, KJV]).
Now Jesus ran his course not like a natural man for he was God man and the life expectancy of man---life on earth was for man because Jesus told Pilate that his life was in the Kingdom of heaven---eternal life yet we look to God and Moses for man’s life expectancy, “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3, KJV)---which answered Job’s need to know the life expectancy of man, God giving man more years than what Moses said, for Moses said in Psalms 90:10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, until we fly away” [ The Book Of Psalms, A Prayer of Moses the man of God, The happy state of the godly.]. Now, Wall Street in the online publication 247WallStreet.com (2017) stated that “in the United States life expectancy is 78.5 years old.” Jesus was not bound to life expectancy for at the time of his death, he was already in eternal life, for he resurrected and walked the earth before he went down to hell and ascended to sit at the right hand of God (St. Matthew 26:64, KJV). He is able, wonderfully so, anointed to live on earth as a God man for the saving of our souls and gracefully planned to prepare a place for us in heaven, for the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
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In closing, God is good and his mercy endures forever. In the Name of Jesus. Be ready when he comes. Christ be with you. Amen.
