REPENT
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (October 23, 2015)
“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here [“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them]”; “...the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices...these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish...Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?,,,except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (St. Matthew 12: 41, Jonah 3:5, St. Luke 13:1-5, King James Version).
Greetings In The Holy Name Of Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, Apostle Paul throughout his travels from Macedonia, to Greece, back to Macedonia, to Asia, to Philippi, to Troas, to Asos, to Mitylene, to Chios, to Samos, to Trogyllium, to Miletus, to Ephesus---where he witnessed to the elders of the church, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”, before he went to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, implored repentance to the brothers---the leadership of the church and to the women who followed the teachings of Christ Jesus (The Acts 20:1-22, KJV). I infallibly witness to you, repent for the forgiveness of your sins, as our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus witnessed to you, as Apostle Paul witnessed to you, and as all the apostles, evangelists, teachers, of those times, the times we live through today and the times to come witness to you, “Repent” [“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” St. Luke 15:7, KJV]. Metaphorically speaking, the ship plows the ocean just as pastors plow the fields. For the members of the church---members of Christ Jesus, miserably entrenched in sin and challenged in leadership, must step-in-line with the will of God from Abraham to Christ Jesus and beyond. Most importantly, the greatest challenge for the faint of heart and those with a weak conscious is to know, the Words of God, the Words of Christ Jesus, in an undeniable obedience, that does not waver or entertain Satanic influences.
Moreover, I speak to you of one case and point, there was a man advertising his play over the television who posed his words to compete with all the other activities in the local area said, “Forget the preachings, forget Bible stories, come see the truth of a person in everyday life.” It sounds a lot like Satan competing against God, in the Garden of Eden, doesn't it, “...Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5, KJV [Man's shameful fall]). Yet another case and point---on the animal level, a male cousin said, “I have a dog that I want to give away---someone got him from the pound for $20 and now his weight is 75 pounds, he's trained...in reply I said, I have only one girl dog and four boys and their parents, the mother was killed by my neighbors and smoked in a can like a fatted pig and the father disappeared---I have not seen him since I returned back to the farm from holiday---Well, they did not teach their puppies about mating or how to mate, and I am sure this dog you have is of the world---worldly---seen a lot of things in his travels---even at the pound. I do not want my dogs to learn about mating yet just dwell in peace because my girl dog is the only girl dog for at least 10 miles, she can not fight with all those male dogs that will come try to mate with her. You know just like God did not want Adam and Eve to know about evil. I do not want my girl dog and her brothers to know about mating. I know the dog you have will teach them some things---fighting (competing for the girl dog)---even digging holes in the ground all around the garden...in reply he said, You can't give a dog away. Well, I am going to call the pound...in silent reply I said, I only want my 2
dog back---the one that disappeared---that was now I believe, stolen. I thought more about how my cousins called my brother while I was on holiday and asked, How many dogs does she have? Also, I thought about communication with the cousin trying to give a 75 pounds dog away when I returned to the farm about where my dog was and he said, he is probably tied to a tree back in the woods but I thought, who and why---was he back in the woods tied to a tree? I did not go back in the woods to search for him. Hunting season had begun and too many people were back in the woods, preparing to hunt and hunting; so far, no one came with a dog that was tied to a tree back in the woods.”
Interestingly enough, sometimes while in possession by the devil---when you are captive, you just do not see how subtle the approach of the devil is, to convince you, to persuade you, to influence you, to sin, for the battle within your body is a spiritual battle of the will of God versus the will of Satan [“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1, KJV]. Now in reflection of the first case and point, Are not the preachings and the bible stories, the truth of the lives of people in everyday life? Also, in reflection of the second case and point, Why did someone take my dog, if they had this well-trained 75 pounds dog available to them, then why would they want my dog? I recalled someone said, “A sin is a sin, if it is a sin committed by a person with a very expensive coat or a person who does not have a coat, at all; a sin is still a sin”. Truly, sometimes you do not see evil in the person---the subtle approach of Satan that draws you in, to make you decide to sin---it is your decision.
Moreover, inasmuch as the subtlety of the serpent tries to draw you in, to sin, the meekness of Apostle Timothy keeps you in the faith of Christ Jesus:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth....And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure
will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (II Timothy
2:15, 24-26, KJV [Timothy exhorteth towards constancy]).
In closing, the royal priesthood must help the pastors plow the fields of Jews and Gentiles, for the weakness of the conscious and the flesh, truth be told, is our very own weakness, in the one body of Christ Jesus. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. The Lord be with you. Amen.
