Christ Our Triumphal King

This week records one of the most significant events that are recorded in biblical history which is Psalm Sunday and Passion Week. It is significant because on Sunday Jesus was praised and worshipped by the enormous crowd who recognized Him as the promised Messiah. There were joy and rejoicing from the huge crowd as prophecy was being fulfilled. Zechariah 9:9 states, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Believers in the OT had waited patiently for the promised Savior and during Jesus’ earthly ministry He authenticated that He was God’s Son who brought salvation to mankind. This day the crowd praised Jesus by saying “Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Friday many of the same crowd cried “crucify Him.” what a turn of events?

Zechariah 9:9 captures the core of Jesus’ ministry in that Jesus is just; He displayed humility in His mode of transportation into the city of Jerusalem by riding on a lowly ass and colt. Jesus could have come in royal splendor but instead chose humility. In doing so Jesus had the right view of Himself, His Father—God and all humanity because He knew His mission were to bring salvation to mankind. Jesus was triumphal because He willingly came to earth to go to the cross and give His life in such disgrace. See! Jesus is the bridge that connects man and God; as sin caused the separation. Allow me to paint this picture clearer, picture in your mind Jesus on the cross with one hand reaching to His heavenly Father and the other reaching out to man. What a merciful bridge to have?

Love and compassion is being displayed in this scenario because God the Father needed a sinless body to redeem man, which Jesus supplied and was willing to be temporarily separated from His Father during those dreadful hours on the cross.

These closing questions come to mind, would you have recognized Jesus as Lord and Savior? Would your conduct have been the same on Friday as it was on Sunday?

Let’s pray, thank You Jesus for my salvation, thank You Father for sending Your Son to take my place on the cross for this I will continually sing Hosanna and forever bless the name of Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ministerial Leadership Gifts for Christ’s Church

Ephesians 4:11

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”

Today’s discussion is the prelude to a lesson that is forth coming in the very near future in my online class via YouTube.

Why did Christ give these specific gifts for His church leadership? Christ gave these gifts so His called leaders could prepare His people for service work (Ephesians 4:12). Each gift has a special purpose and responsibility in proclaiming God’s Word. Each of these gifts are working together so there is unity in the Spirit and faith (vv 4, 12) as there is one body—Christ’s –the church. Each gifted person is called by God. Why? Christ did so because “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in all” (vv 4-6).

What is the purpose of these gifts? Verse 12 provides the answer by stating, “For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Notice the verse did not say self-edification, but instead stated that these gifted leaders are to train and release every member of the church to do ministry in some corner of the world proclaiming Christ to others. This represents church growth while edifying Christ and adding to the kingdom of God.

How are unity of the Spirit and faith maintained and perfected? This is accomplished by accepting in faith the gospel messages from the above named gifted leaders who have been called by God to train His people. Christ’s leaders who proclaim the truth about God’s Word and those who hear will grow in grace thus advancing toward spiritual maturity as it relates to Christ (v 15) and will no longer be looked upon as children who will be swayed by “every wind of doctrine” (v 15) because they will know the truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This verse is essential to our spiritual growth and maturity. It is noteworthy to say that only true gifted and called leaders of God will proclaim the Word of God as there are many false proclaimers who are trying to boggle the mind of God’s people with false doctrine.

What are the functions of Christ’s called leaders as noted in our scripture text? An apostle is one that have been called, commissioned and given the authority by Christ Himself to serve as His representative in proclaiming God’s Word. Prophets are and were essential to the church in the OT and NT as they are spiritual leaders gifted in receiving and communicating revelations received from God by the Holy Spirit. Evangelists are those persons called by God with a special anointing and commissioned to proclaim/spread His Word world over to the unsaved. When the “Word” is proclaimed it carries the power and gift of salvation. Phillips in Acts 21:8 was a great evangelist who preached Chris. Pastors are persons called by God to devote themselves to the ministry of shepherding and overseeing the spiritual needs of a local congregation of believers. Lastly, teachers are gifted-called leaders who alongside apostles, evangelists, pastors and prophets that have been given the gift to clarify, expound and explain God’s Word with clarity, effectiveness and power to build up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:12).

In summary, each spiritual leader is called by God to proclaim His Word to edify the Body of Christ and promote Christian growth and maturity so there is unity in the Body of Christ as in the Godhead.

Author’s Contact:
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
williwhite8613@sbcglobal.net

Expressions of Gratitude

Luke 16:10-12

Gratitude is expressed as being thankful or appreciative of what God has blessed you with. With that being said we are never to compare our blessing with others because what God has for you is yours and no one can take your blessing. An expression of gratitude is our humility which is having the right relationship with God, others and self in that space and time.

Our appreciativeness of God’s blessing bring into focus our scripture verses as they talk about our being faithful over what we have (least) then God will increase our blessings/responsibilities because this speak to our gratitude and stewardship. Another expression of gratitude is our ability to be happy whether it is little or a lot. Paul comes to mind when he told his followers that he knew how to be happy whether he had plenty (abound) or little. Solomon in Proverbs 28:20 states that “A faithful man shall abound with blessings…” but on the other hand he warns against trying to accomplish riches quickly (partial paraphrase) ---wait on God and He will give the increase.

Another point of view regarding our blessing is recognizing that blessing come from God as divine gifts causing our work to succeed (Deuteronomy 28:12). Our blessing is a sign of God’s presence with us (Genesis 26:3) and is giving us strength, power and the necessary help to succeed (Ephesians 3:16). Lastly, our blessing is God working in and through us to produce good that He may be glorified (Philippians 2:13).

Our expression of gratitude is simply saying “Thanks You God for another day” because He didn’t have to wake us this and every other morning. Regardless of our present conditions is another opportunity to express our love and obedience to our creator and sustainer.

On a personal note, I can see God’s hand working with and through me and I am thankful because when it is time for me to move to the next level it is a smooth transition.

Author’s Contact:
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

Man's Stress

Jeremiah 10:17-24

During my daily meditational time, Dr. Charles Stanley, the President and Publisher of Intouch magazine posed an interesting question, “Why God closes Doors”? As I read the scripture text I could understand the question and come to agree with Dr. Stanley when he concluded the following answers to his question and they are (questions partial paraphrase).

1. God closes doors to prevent mistakes. Man/we tend to make mistakes when we fail to follow God’s directions. God has a perfect plan designed for man’s life and when we learn “lean not to our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), then mistakes are few, because God and His love for His children want to prevent mistakes.

2. God closes doors to redirect out walk. God want man to live and lead holy lives living according to His Will and statues. Let God direct our paths.

3. God closes doors to test our faith and build perseverance. Man and God’s time is never the same, because one day with God is as one thousands years with man. Also, many closed doors are a test of our faith to determine our commitment and perseverance in our walk with God. It has been stated that the race is not won by the swift but to those who finish the course. Life is a journey and there will be trails/ faith builders because when we encounter God delays will build our faith and trust in Him as we learn to “cast all our cares upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7).

4. God closes doors to buy us time. It is ironic that Dr. Stanley concluded this answer because I am a witness that God closed doors is giving/me and humanity time to rethink our decision and timing of the decision. For example, I may conclude the time is now, but God being all knowing says “not yet.” It can be concluded that God’s time is best because His timing perfect.

What can be concluded from closed doors? God closed doors is because He has open another door which is in perfect harmony with His plan and will glorify Him. Throughout my life I have heard that when God closes one door He already have another door open. Therefore, when doors are closed to us, then say God has another path for me to walk and if followed will eliminate undue stress. Man, follow God’s path satisfaction guaranteed!

Author’s Contact:
Good Shepherd Writing and Publishing LLC
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
williewhite8613@sbcglobal.net

Our Response to God's Word

Given our previous discussions regarding the Word of God on the nature of His Word and the power of His Word, the question now becomes, how do we respond to the Word of God? The Bible provides in clear and unmistakable languages how one is to respond to God’s Word (Isaiah 1:10; Jeremiah 7:1-2; Acts 17:11; Matthew 13:23). One must respond enthusiastically and with a willingness to adhere and a desire to understand His Word. We are to praise God for His Word (Psalm 56:4, 10; Psalm 119:47, 113) as well as responding with love, delightful joy while thanking God for His inerrant Word for all to live by. Hearers are to accept what it says and hide it in our hearts, then hearers are to trust His Word for it is true (Psalm 119:42). There is hope and promise in His Word. God is faithful in keeping His promises to all humanity. He promised a Savior—Jesus came to earth as humanity’s sacrificial lamb. Most importantly, hearers are to obey its commands and live as directed by the Word of God.

Ministers/teachers/leaders who are called to minister His Word is to rightly divide His Word (2 Timothy 2:15); preachers are to preach with faithfulness (2 Timothy 4:2); as all believers are called to proclaim God’s Word the world over (Acts 8:4). Believers are a set aside people who have heard and responded positively to God’s Word.

Author’s Contact:
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
williewhite8613@sbcglobal.net

The Power of God's Word

This week’s discussion will focus on the second in a series on the Word of God from the prospective of its power. Scriptures states that God’s Word stand firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1; 24-25). God’s Word is dynamic and powerful and it accomplishes great things (Isaiah 55:11).

Outlined below is some of the powerfulness of God’s Word:
A. God’s Word is creative. We understand by His spoken Word all things came into existence. Psalm 33:6 states the by “the Word of the Lord were the heavens made.”
B. God’s Word has the power to sustain all creations. Hebrews 1:3 states, “God sustains all things by the word of his power.”
C. God’s Word has the power to impart new life. 1 Peter 1:23 states “by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” John 1:4 refers to Jesus as “the Word of life.”
D. God’s Word releases His grace, power, and revelation by which believers grow in their faith and their commitment to Jesus Christ.
E. God’s Word is the sword (Ephesians 6:17) by which all believers use to fight Satan. Jesus spoke the words “it is written” to fight Satan during His temptation in the wilderness.
F. It is God’s Word that will judge all mankind regardless of whether we chose to accept or reject His Word we will be judged!

Author’s Contact:
Williewhite8613@sbcglobal.net
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

The Word of God

Isaiah 55:10-11
The Lord has led me to do a three part series on the above topic discussing it from these perspectives:

(a) the Nature of God’s Word, (b) the Power of God’s Word, and (c) our Reactions to the Word of God.

Today we will discuss part a, which refers to anything that God has said directly, example when God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden it was God’s Word (Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:9-19). God spoke His word to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), Isaac (Genesis 26:1-5), and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15). God also spoke to the entire nation of Israel at Mount Sinai as well as giving Moses the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-19).

God also spoke through the prophets and apostles. When the prophets spoke they usually prefaced their statements with “Thus saith the Lord,” or “Hear the Words of the Lord,” or “the Word of the Lord came to me.” This was to let their audience know I am not speaking for myself. We witness the same power of God’s Word when spoken by NT apostles, for example when Paul preached his sermon to the people at Pisidian Antioch (Acts13:16-41), it caused such a stir until “the next Sabbath day almost the entire city came to hear the Word of God” (Acts 13:44). On another occasion when Paul preached to the Thessalonians what the people heard was the true Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 8:25).

What Jesus spoke was the Words of God as He is God (John 1:1; 18; 10:30; 1 John 5; 20). Also, Jesus would often introduce His sayings with “I say unto you…” (Matthew 5:18, 20, 22, 32, 39; 11:22, 24).

Most important, the written Word of God is what the prophets, apostles and Jesus have spoken--the scriptures. It is note worthy to say what preachers and or prophets proclaim in churches today is called the Word of God as recorded in scripture many years ago. A word of caution for all to be aware of false teachers/leaders who try to convolute the true Word of God as many false teachers are present in the world attempting to impede the proclaiming of God’s Word and His kingdom’s progress. God’s Word is powerful and everlasting.

Author’s contact:
www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
wwhite@goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com
williewhite8613@sbcglobal.net.