(01/07/2014) That We Might Know

For our first time in 2014, we take up the Scriptures on Scripture format to acknowledge that Christian believers often do not speak and think in accordance with their own carnal, material and social experience, because all are to respond to guidance and instruction from GOD that comes by the imparted, indwelling Spirit.

SOME THOUGHTS ON

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:  for they are foolishness unto him:  neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  (1st Corinthians 2:  12-14, KJV) 


Exodus 4:  11-13 (KJV)  11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?  12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.  13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.


Deuteronomy 4:  5-10 (KJV)  5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.  6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.  7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?  8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?  9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life:  but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;  10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.


Psalms 25:  8-9 (KJV)  8 Good and upright is the LORD:  therefore will he teach sinners in the way.  9 The meek will he guide in judgment:  and the meek will he teach his way.


Proverbs 9:  8-10 (KJV)  8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.  9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:  teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.  10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:  and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.


Isaiah 2:  2-4 (KJV)  2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:  for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:  and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:  nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.


Isaiah 28:  24-29 (KJV)  24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?  25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?  26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.  27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cumin with a rod.  28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.  29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.


Matthew 5:  18-20 (KJV)  18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:  but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.


Matthew 28:  19-20 (KJV)  19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.


1st Timothy 6:  3-5 (KJV)  3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;  4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,  5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness:  from such withdraw thyself.


John 14:  22-27 (KJV)  22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?  23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:  and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings:  and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.  25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.  26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.


Job 36:  7-12 (KJV)  7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.  8 And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;  9 Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded.  10 He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.  11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.  12 But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.


1st Peter 1:  13 (KJV)  13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;


There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually understood.  I ask readers to share Scriptures they feel should be added in the Comments area (see example, below).  I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(08/28/2013) Numberless

     Alarmed that in future years the March on Washington (1963) will only be known as a secular event, today, I felt forced to share my personal testimony as someone who is a living witness, and was then a participant.  Choosing a simple, yet challenging rhyme scheme (ABBA), I prepared a piece (below) I hoped could engage all its readers at multiple levels, and convey the full range of feeling and ideas that were ignited within me.  Every aspect of life in America was expressed and touched upon through the March.  The Movement embraced action to address the entire spectrum of private and public, secular and spiritual issues.  Included were access to schools, acknowledging and correcting abuses of legitimate authority, activism as ones religious duty, affirming our Constitution and acknowledging the Declaration of Independence, capitalism, competition, divine governance, economic development, ecumenicalism, equal opportunity, ethnic diversity, faith and public service, ending segregation, federal covenants, freedom riders, freedom fighters, labor organizing, poverty, prayer, racial equality, rights to lawful assembly, self-defense, self determination, states’ rights, the nature of leadership, the continuing cycles of revolution, threats of apostasy, heresy and spiritual confusion, the Ten Commandments and voter registration, to name a few.  Your comments are welcome.


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  Hear another parable:  There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.  Again, he sent other servants more than the first:  and they did unto them likewise.  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?  They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner:  this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken:  but on whosoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.  (Matthew 21:  33-44, King James Version)

                                                    NUMBERLESS

[A poem recalling a special experience of growth, peace, protest, and prophecy written for The 50th Anniversary of the March On Washington, D. C. that was led by Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963]
 

Because by effort men must secure
Their name for honor, for being wise
Blood and nobility justifies
Until the force of law is mature

Trial by ordeal and duel to the death
say only righteousness can prevail
And divinity will never fail
The innocent ones to their last breath

Ten paces, turn, then fire at will
The dawn will crack and blast as blood flows
Or swords are crossed, en garde, with blade blows
Mighty to cleave, split, thrust, or to kill

Instead of the executioner
A solemn undertaker attends
No satisfaction until life ends
Not his duty bodies to inter

The witness to a violent act
Declaring manliness took the field
Or foolhardiness that would not yield
Only cowards die shot in the back

The unseen attacker, a viper
In robes of rank malice stained with shame
Forfeits his life, his own good name
To strike as a serpent, a sniper

True records must show, although he died
The affair of honor King engaged
Was not that of one simply outraged
Because of hate, racism and pride

Like those denying resurrection
Already there are those who say
No prophet from GOD appeared that day
Rejecting all divine correction

The pioneers writing history
Must bear an anointing heaven sent
To discern any sacred event
And testify with integrity

The spirit of truth like justice filled
The hearts and minds of those who obeyed
A chanting Jericho march displayed
Warriors submitted as GOD willed

And when the cry of the dream was cast
Like a gauntlet before our nation
Blind eyes were healed through revelation
And believers became free at last

I was there, I fell and rose with King
Just seventeen, daring to be brave
And refusing the chain of a slave
Evidence that death has lost its sting

Adults often miss what children see
When flesh and spirit both face the test
Declaring GOD has been manifest
The plain imprint of divinity

I could see the future we desired
The very things being talked about
Were even then being carried out
Trust in our Maker was required

Numberless the evening shadows fall
Yet, we look to the young to be bold
To repel the wolves that stalk the fold
Willing to destroy and ravage all

To turn pasture into killing ground
By the law of the claw and slaughter
The duty of each son and daughter
Watch and pray to hear the shepherd’s sound

Sheep achieve no more than sheep will dare
Despite the limits set upon youth
They are capable of knowing truth
Even when the foe is foul, unfair

We still face men who attack as mobs
Prejudice and discrimination
Ignorance with alienation
We still need housing, we still need jobs

As then our humanity must shine
Nonviolence and the law must rule
The ballot box and court room the tool
Our Avenger, He who is divine

Grace is not a gift for those who flee
Who endorse despair and will not stand
It is for those who march through the land
Whose weapon will be humility

The good fight of faith is only won
When a life of service is complete
Having never stooped to lie and cheat
We will overcome by deeds well done








©Michael Andrew Williams, 2013.  All rights reserved.