FOR JESUS’ LOVE 7
Leadership Traits
By
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (July 23, 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, faith leads us on for all things are indeed possible, just believe to receive. In the Name of Jesus, we pray for the saving of our souls and we pray for the gift of everlasting life. Many of us are at temptations’ door, lest we faint not and become a stumbling block unto ourselves constantly falling but getting back up and spinning our wheels, going nowhere. How many of you driving in your vehicle of choice found yourselves stuck in mud trying to move forward with your wheels spinning---trying to back up out of the mud to go around the place where you became bound, trying to swerve to the left or swerve over to the right, manipulating the power of the vehicle for release but all that you received was your wheels spinning, fruitless efforts? It was a pitiful shame when you struggled like that trying to bear fruit yet your yield was null and void and the people of your circle no longer regarded you as a valid member of their inner circle even more so of the congregation and frustration set in---burdening you down.
Of course, the story would be just wonderful if a goodly Samaritan came by and helped you with resources to pull you up out of the mud so that your wheels could resume its course and you could continue to run your course. Don’t we all pray for a goodly Samaritan to come along when we find ourselves stuck in the mud with our wheels spinning, frustrated? For Christ’s sake---just know that feeling frustrated was not a new feeling for man and spinning your wheels without bearing fruit was not a new revelation of man? Well, we know whomsoever Christ Jesus freed is free indeed yet we find ourselves stuck in mud spinning our wheels, in fruitless efforts waiting for the promised breakthrough, maybe a prophet of God prophesied over you that you were entering in your season to bear fruits. Quite naturally, you blamed leadership because the problem is always leadership. You began questioning your leaders, seeking out the leaders who have the power to change or transform your reality---saying in prayer:
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Where is my Jesus, where is my Lord? Heavenly Father, I pray in the Name of your only begotten Son, for relief from my situation, my circumstance that which binds me day in and day out without delivering me to my season of promise, for I do believe so why do I not receive. Lord save me from the darkness of my thoughts, dwelling there, please bring me back to your marvelous light, to the light of Jesus, so that my witnessing will not be in vain--- use me to be a testimony for the people for it is far better for me to stand as an example before the people than to be ignored by my brethren and by the leadership of the church. Lord save me, in Jesus Name. Amen.
Most importantly, the Jewish exiles after more than a half-century of bondage in Babylon and the subsequent restoration of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem felt frustration as Ezra witnessed an endeavor to hinder work after the people of Judah would not let the people of the land join in with them to get the work done; “And the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia” [Ezra 4:4-5, KJV]. Therefore, the people said the Jews were rebellious and would not pay toll, tribute, and custom to the king’s revenue, once they rebuilt their city and set up their walls again [4:13]. Hence, the building of the temple was delayed---made them cease by force and power until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia [Ezra 4:23-24]. Now, the skill of negotiations for some involved give and take, for others compromise and for the Jews autonomy because they wanted to stand alone with their God in their city within their walls and worship their God in their temple.
The Jews did not let their known adversaries of both Judah and Benjamin [4:1] help them and only sought to follow the mandate of king Cyrus of Persia. They told them, “Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us” [4:3]. Now, frustration prevailed because the people of the land and the king realized that if the Jews did not join in with them they would rule over them, so was the power of their God for the Jewish kings of the past were “mighty and ruled over countries beyond the river, and toll, tribute, and custom was paid to them” [4:20]. So, in our frustration of the day---in our situations and circumstances we know the issues that bind us to frustration.
Today, as we face frustration we act and behave in a blameless way as if we know not the beginning and the end of our frustration unwilling to even go to God, for the answer to release us from being bound in frustration, for in the post-exilic time from Babylon the Jews spoke of what King Cyrus commanded them to do not what God commanded them to do. They were still loyal to the king of Babylon who they felt freed them not their living God who freed them from bondage in Babylon. Sincerely, as we reflect on the hard lessons of our forefathers who were pressed down in frustration, we find ourselves knowing our Almighty God for the Prophet Isaiah in exhortations to praise God said to the people:
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“Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretched forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
That confirmeth the word of the servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” [44:21-28].
More importantly, in frustration, did we consider that God placed us who practiced sin of rebellion in the frustration that we practiced just as those of his children in the sin of rebellion in the state of confusion that they practiced with their faces [For righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces [Daniel 9:7] and for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” [I Corinthians 14:33, KJV] and even placed those who were in the sin of rebellion in the delusional state that they practiced [“I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not” [Isaiah 66:4, KJV]. Apostle Paul spoke pertaining to delusions that, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” [II Thessalonians 2:11-12, KJV]. Are you practicing the sin of rebellion through frustration? How long will we deny the power of our living God giving man and non-living objects---inanimate, power to persuade us in our lives---delighting in unrighteousness, not taking our problems even our joys to God in an intimate relationship with God, for that was why King David was a man after God’s own heart for he was constantly in communication with God even in his sinful nature the weakness of his flesh and even though God still spoke to the prophet to speak to King David, David still spoke to God? Apostle Paul spoke to the Galatians, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” [Galatians 2:21, KJV}.
Furthermore believers who delight in frustration of the grace of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus will not let grace prevail for the saving of souls. For Apostle Paul said to the Hebrews, “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further
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need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also in the law.” [Hebrews 7:11-12, KJV]. So, is your frustration with the oppression and riches received in the first covenant and the forgiveness of the broken branches with the Levites in priesthood or is your frustration with the oppression and riches received in the second covenant and the grafted in branches with the priesthood in Judah? “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second” [Hebrews 8:7, KJV]. Man breached the first covenant in the fall of Adam thereby in need of the second covenant of grace---Jesus, to save us.
In closing, in Romans, Apostle Paul said, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew…I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal…there is a remnant according to the election of grace…the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Interestingly enough, Apostle Paul spoke of David in his writings to the Romans, And David said, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness…For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches…”[Romans 11:1-36, KJV}.
God bless us in the distribution of wealth as we believe to receive, for all things are indeed possible, in the Name of Jesus, according to the riches. God bless us in fellowship. God bless the earth and the fullness thereof, in the Name of Jesus. Remember the old gospel hymn,
I’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord. Trusting in His Holy Word. He’s never failed me….
Prophet Isaiah spoke to the people the Word of God,
“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me?
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Yea, there is no God; I know not any…” [Isaiah 44:6-20]. Apostle Paul sais, “And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another…” [Romans 15:12-33, KJV].
In closing, in Apostle Paul’s great letter on Christian freedom, similar to Apostle Paul’s theme in his letter to the Romans, wherein he used what has become known as the Pauline format, in the doctrinal section, he said, ‘That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14, KJV [All believers are justified]). However, for those in unbelief, he said, “Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness” (Romans 4: 9, KJV [Abraham justified by faith]).The faith of the forefathers of old is evident when the Prophet Isaiah said, “Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest” (Isaiah 32:15, KJV [The coming of the Lord, Christ Jesus]). Furthermore, “Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruit field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest” [29:17}?
Henceforth, Joel, known as “the Prophet of Pentecost” in his prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit told Judah to repent to receive God’s blessings, material and spiritual, for God would act upon Judah directly to punish them for their sins.[2:28, KJV]. The Holy Bible said Joel was the kind of man who could see the eternal in the temporal even during a locust plague which he interpreted to the people of Judah as the Day of the Lord. Accordingly, the Prophet-Priest Ezekiel who was carried into exile in Babylon received his call and used his ministry in his dual role of both prophet and priest, in the position of “watchman’ to speak to a helpless people of hope and certainty of restoration to their homeland and of worship in the Temple, again. He told them that God said, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19, KJV [A remnant shall be saved]): Therefore, Luke spoke of Peter preaching the stirring sermon on the Day of Pentecost, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (The Acts of the Apostles ,chapter 2; 2:33, KJV [Many are converted]). Truly, faith is Christ Jesus freed Israel from out of Babylonian captivity; out of exile from Jerusalem and the Worship at the Temple to receiving the Holy Ghost Spirit in one body (“the forest”)---we have come this far by faith.
What generations of leaders could not see or hear, Christ Jesus’ public ministry made possible for all to see miracles, spoken prophesies beheld and the promise of faith walking amongst them. Christ be with you. Lord save me. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
