THE CHURCH OF CHRIST 5
by
Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (March 14, 2016)
“A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it....And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?...Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (St. Luke 8:5,9,11-12, King James Version [The parable of the sower-those that fell by the way side]).
Greetings In The Holy Name Of Our Lord And Savior, Christ Jesus,
My sisters and brothers, those that fell by the way side, are not those that fell among the thorns, for those that fell by the way side did hear the word of God but the devil---old slew foot got in the way---came between those that heard and the word of God, so that the seed---the word of God was trodden down on the ground and the fowls---the birds ate the seed because the devil took the seed away from those that did hear the word of God---out of their hearts so that they could not---would not believe and be saved. We live and we learn yet we fall by the way side not because we do not hear---not even because the seed was not planted in our hearts but because we let the devil have his way---we let the devil snatch the word of God out of our hearts and cast it down so that the word could be trodden upon as scratch feed for the birds---the fowls, to devour---as nourishment for the birds instead of the seed we need to grow in faith. Did you turn around---fall by the way side from a cause that made you feel the fire of Christ Jesus inside of you----that made your passion overflow in prayer and supplications and then in a twinkling of an eye you were finished with it---no longer interested in the cause, for without you knowing it, realizing what happened to you, the devil stole your seed right out of your heart and with the seed---the word of God planted inside of you, also went the fire of your passion for the cause that you stood up for, was willing to go to battle for, resisted all temptation to stop the good fight---for in your prayers you sought the way of God---the righteous way of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, to help you stand in the gap, until the truth prevailed to resolve all the issues that plagued you that formed this matter into a cause worthy of the intercessory power of Jesus---so that the arm of God would come down to earth to judge this matter---to permit the truth in, to cut between the bone and the marrow, leave no stone unturned, in the faith of Jesus, bearing the knowledge and wisdom of the word of God? I know how it feels to stand alone, for the people. I know the truth of feeling “spare me” but knowing you must go on and hold on, for the truth to prevail, be of the chosen stock, to go the extra miles, to follow the process to the end, not turn back, forsaking not your Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, who died to save you---who freed you, who took the chains off your body, took the chains off your heart, took the chains off your mind and delivered you time and time again back to God, into his hands---his tender embrace, for the love of Christ Jesus saved you and your sisters and brothers.
Today, I heard that the people started the recall process of four commissioners in a local municipality in southwest Georgia with the cause that the commissioners silenced their voice, took their voices away during meetings demanding an application to be filled out to specify details of what the citizen wanted to speak about to receive approval to speak and if anyone spoke out-of-turn or without having submitted an application that person or those persons who fell by the way side would be punished for a few months. However, the people resisted this condemnation and desired freedom to spontaneously engage in dialogue with their elected commissioners and decided they would not be boxed in a corner, for every thought that they might have---silenced not able to speak what is and was on their mind, for the God they serve might not let them hear the word of God at the time they filled out the application and to not receive permission to speak at the moment that their concern---the issues
2
at hand, were hot on the table, for the word of God could be the deciding truth that sways the board of commissioners with the people to accept the truth In the real world spontaneity has its place and in every world known and unknown to man, the word of God prevails so it is not for us to say that those who prepared through the application-to-speak process were anymore well-prepared than those who were led by the way of God. Let us just use proper decorum and respect when speaking to one another and when engaging in dialogue with one another [correct the problems with the four recall applications: two needed to be notarized and two were not returned as per the local news station (WALB, 2016)] and let the spirit of Christ Jesus who is a lawyer in a courtroom who bears the government on his shoulders prevail so that we truly leave each meeting, in peace, knowing the truth prevailed., so that we walk in the way of God [“Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law” Isaiah 42:24, KJV; The office of Christ] and the Lord might prosper our ways [“...Hinder me not,...Genesis 24:56, KJV; servant sent to get Rebekah for Abraham's son Isaac]” to keep us in the way of God [“...Jacob vowed...If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go,...so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God” Genesis 28:20, KJV; Vision of Jacob's Ladder] We only champion the good and right way as was the problem during the time of King Saul, the first King of Israel,
“Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD
in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider
how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly ye
shall be consumed, both ye and your king” (I Samuel 12:23-25, KJV
[Prophet Samuel comforteth Israel]).
Most importantly, we live to witness the shaking of the heavens, the earth, the sea, the dry land, and all nations. Those who fall by the way side who let the devil in, might not survive the shaking and might not remain even though in their hearts---the corrupted hearts that they let the devil in, still desired to stay since the devil did his bidding and left them fallen by the way side to bear the sin. Is not this the same old dirty---mean and nasty trick that the devil played on Eve [Adam and Eve]---snatched the truth right out of Eve's heart and then through Eve snatched the truth right out of Adam's heart, for why did he not question the fruit, where it came from and what kind of fruit it was that she gave him before he ate, since Eve was of him and he, of God? We stand in the light.
Furthermore, I do not want to be accused of leaving anyone broke down, sitting in their car on the side of the road, as I heard a man's child say one day in a local super chain grocery store---words that I knew came from his father for the profound impact of those words resonated a wisdom not of a child especially a child of learning disability who depended on his father to teach him the way of the world. I knew it was a rehearsed colloquially enriched saying---a saying of the deep south---a didactic line of thought that compelled a response either in your heart or in your mind---a hidden saying, kept secret, only for the children of their household to keep them safe but the special child with learning disability did not understand that [“out of the mouths of babes”] and spoke it out to the world while in a local grocery store out in the world, so the secret saying that passed down, was out---heard by all in the immediate area of the store, for his voice loudly screamed it out. Now that the secret saying was out perhaps it was best served to help us all, for the car and the saying was not what could save us, only Christ Jesus. This colloquially enriched saying, not of vernacular speech, for each word singularly was a proper English word not broken or slang, reminded me of Apostle Paul, a young lawyer disgusted with the uneducated (The Acts 9:1-22, KJV [Saul “fell to the earth”]), once named Saul after King Saul, the first king of Israel, who fell down shaken up on the road to Damascus when Jesus changed him and blinded him giving him a mission to preach the good news abroad,
3
“”For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while,
and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry
land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former,
saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith
the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:6-9, KJV [The people encouraged]).
In closing, sometimes we have to rebuild the House of God, an incredible feat of ordinary priests and extraordinary laymen whose primary purpose was given only to the chosen ones of God, in faith the men of faith let the truth of God prevail before the coming of Christ even after exile [carried away to Babylon] they returned to Jerusalem to rebuild and those acquainted with the teachings of Apostle Paul understood the power of faith in the great line of splendor in Hebrews---those who took courage and believed without seeing Christ Jesus. We find ourselves somehow akin to them, not seeing Christ Jesus but believing the bible stories witnessed by the apostles. They wanted to live the life, promised---the gift of everlasting life,
“Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised,
saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those
things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those
things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we
receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace,
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:26-29,
KJV [The new covenant commended]).
May the mercies of our Lord and Savior, our God Almighty sustain us in Camilla, Georgia to fight the good fight in the strength and righteousness of Christ Jesus, yet another blessed day. The LORD be with you. Give God the glory. In The Name Of Jesus. Amen.
