Religion

The Parable of The Lost Son: 21st Century Edition

Published

9 years ago

June 30, 2015

by Pastor E.A. Deckard
Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward Times

“I want to congratulate all the men out there who are working diligently to be good fathers whether they are stepfathers, or biological fathers or just spiritual fathers.”- T. D. Jakes

“Being a father has been, without a doubt, my greatest source of achievement, pride and inspiration. Fatherhood has taught me about unconditional love, reinforced the importance of giving back and taught me how to be a better person.”- Naveen Jain

THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SON 21^st CENTURY EDITION

Forward Thinkers, we have spent a great deal of time discussing The FOG, “Favor of God” and how the FOG will produce LAG, “Look at God” stories. Today, Forward Thinkers, I’m believing God that more turn around stories will happen today as you read this article dedicated to Fathers across America.

Forward Thinkers, the bible says when men come together in unity it is good like precious oil running down Aaron’s beard and I declare, there is so much potential in this article that someone will go from the bottom to the top.

Forward Thinkers let’s take a 21^st century look at the parable of the lost (prodigal) son:

Luke 15:11-32 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Lost Son Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Forward Thinkers now that we have read the biblical text let’s identify the three personalities mentioned in this parable.

The Father- he represents God the Father

The Younger Son- he represents most of us at some point of our life

The Older Brother- he represents those of us some pretending to be perfect and without sin

Forward Thinkers let me drop this in your spirit and leave it hanging over our heads — John 3:16 says ¹⁶

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

Forward Thinkers, when did God change his mind about whosoever’s and when did he give us the right to choose who whosoever’s were? Today my goal is to speak truth into all three groups of men, because I believe every man reading this article today can relate to one of these men.

Forward Thinkers first let me search out a point; I’ve never heard anyone touch when dealing with the prodigal son.

Forward Thinkers, where is the mother? This is not a story of a deadbeat dad because this man is raising his two sons alone. Let’s celebrate and encourage every man that has Man up in the absence of a woman. Forward Thinkers, on Mother’s Day we go hard celebrating Super Moms but, I don’t see any parades for Super Dads on Father’s Day. You won’t find Hallmark cards on Mother’s Day for single Dads. #FatherMattersToo

Forward Thinkers, you know I’m a student of the bible and history and I noticed the Father is not called a “widow” therefore; the boys’ mother is probably not dead as many have assumed. So Forward Thinkers where is she? The bible counted the sons of Issachar wise because they knew the times so I reason she is in 1 of 3 places:

Locked Up – Forward Thinkers black women are now six times more likely to be in prison than any other group of women in America. Orange is new Black for African American women. Forward Thinkers I was shocked to read that 64% of Black women in prison are mothers.

Hooked Up – Forward Thinkers unfortunately many African women turn to drugs trying to escape the realities of life. Forward Thinkers many women have become hooked on prescription drugs as well as street drugs trying to numb the pain of broken promises and relationships.

Turnt Up – Forward Thinkers many won’t admit this or like this but in our culture today many women prefer twerking over mothering.

Forward Thinkers, if this were a story of a single mother with two sons we would assume the daddy is a deadbeat but in spite of it all this Father stood up to his responsibilities.

Prodigal Son

Forward Thinkers he decided he wanted to experiment with the world not knowing the world don’t play fair.

Let me also drop this in your spirit to all single parents (custodian parent) a child needs the influence of both parents. Whenever you deny one parent the right to be a part of a child’s life that child misses out on what that parent had to offer. Yes, Forward Thinkers every parent has something to offer because, God calls children gifts and God would not bless us with gifts and then not give us the ability to take care of the gifts. Many children get caught up in the world because they are searching for the relationship they missed out on at the house.

Wild Living – Forward Thinkers let’s pause and thank God we don’t look like what we been through. Forward Thinkers I’m honored to know I’ve been assigned to preach the gospel to the Wilding Out Generation.

Poor time and money management – Forward Thinkers how much time and money have we wasted trying to find ourselves in the world? Men we must learn to master both time and money if we desire to be Masters in life.

Hired himself out – Forward Thinkers our bad decisions will have us living beneath our standards and depending on systems that are not designed for us. Forward Thinkers the enemy and his system will never take care of us in a fair way. Forward Thinkers many men make decisions that cost them their freedom and in prison they are forced to work for Fortune 500 companies for free but once they are released from prison they don’t qualify to work the same job they been working for past 10 years. Forward Thinkers I want to put a demand on every company that profits from free prison labor and hold them responsible to educate and employ these same men who are making them richer.

Came to his senses – Forward Thinkers my goal is to help every man I enter into covenant with to come to his senses and encourage him to reach his full potential. Forward Thinkers when a man comes to his senses he realizes the things in his life that don’t make sense.

Going back to my father’s house – Forward Thinkers the bible says to train up a child and this is further proof his father was a strong man because he did not run back to his mother. Forward Thinkers the father in this parable represents God the Father because he never stopped loving his son.

The Father –

Forward Thinkers notice the father was waiting on his son to return. This is a perfect example of unconditional love and forgiveness. I’m grateful that we have the opportunity to serve a God that never counts us out no matter how far away we go.

The Older Brother

Forward Thinkers, the older brother is acting like many in the 21^st century church always judging the lost but never encouraging the lost. The older brother is also the group afraid to take risks but quick to judge those bold enough to leap out into the deep. Some people are sitting around waiting for somebody to die to get their belongings instead of venturing out to create their own legacy. The older brother also displays a jealous spirit and is disconnected from the journey of life. Forward Thinkers it’s hard to trust a man with no scars.

Forward Thinkers verse 32 sums up the entire parable: ^{32 “}But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Forward Thinkers we are blessed that God allowed his grace to keep us until we came to our senses.

Pastor E. A. Deckard is the Senior Pastor/Founder of the Green House International Church now located, in Houston, Texas, and the Woodlands, Texas. To contact Pastor Deckard for speaking engagements contact him at pr.ghic@gmail.com or the church website www.ghic.net

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Faith Tabernacle A.O.H. Church Welcomes New Assistant Overseer Edmund A. Singleton

The Faith Tabernacle A.O.H. Church of God in Richmond announced last week that it is honored to welcome Assistant Overseer Edmund A. Singleton II as our new Pastor and to introduce him to the Richmond community. At the 108th A.O.H National Pentecostal services on June 10, 2024, Asst. Overseer Singleton was appointed Pastor of the Faith Tabernacle A.O.H. Church by the National Presider, Bishop Lawrence Williams.

Published

3 months ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Faith Tabernacle A.O.H. Church New Assistant Overseer Edmund A. Singleton. Courtesy of Faith Tabernacle A.O.H. Church.

By Pamela Carter

When Jesus sent out his twelve disciples to minister the gospel he told them how they should conduct themselves as kingdom servants (Matt. 10:5–15). But he also spoke of the responsibility of the people to receive these ministers as his official representatives. Jesus insists that the way people receive his ministers reflects their relationship with God (Matt. 10:40). He invites God’s people to welcome “a prophet in the name of a prophet” and “to receive a righteous man’s reward” (v. 41).

At the 108^th A.O.H National Pentecostal services on June 10, 2024, Asst. Overseer Singleton was appointed Pastor of the Faith Tabernacle A.O.H. Church by the National Presider, Bishop Lawrence Williams.

His official installation services will be on Oct. 19, 2024, at 6 p.m. PT. Pastor Singleton will be the 3^rd Shepard appointed to this ministry over its 69-years of existence.

Singleton, originally united with the Faith Tabernacle church in 1993, under the leadership of Bishop George and Elder Verley Ayers. He served diligently on various ministries, including Youth Department, Deacons, Ushers, an the Choir.

In 2001, the Lord called him to the ecclesiastic ministry. He began his studies and tutelage to receive his Reverend licenses in 2003. At the request of Bishop Ayers, he studied and passed his Elder’s exam and was ordained an Elder at the 90^th Pentecostal meeting in 2006. In 2021, he was elevated to Assistant Overseer of the Western Region Diocese by Bishop Lawrence Williams.

In 2020, Pastor Singleton founded the Jehu Unchained Podcast, a Christian show to help individuals discover who God is and the benefits of being a born-again believer. His listenership continues to grow and has spread worldwide. In 2021, he launched the Jehu Unchained non-profit organization, geared to encouraging and supporting the youth in our community.

Pastor Singleton is a native of Oakland and a graduate of Kennedy High School in Richmond. He attended Contra Costa college and has worked in the construction industry for over 30-years.

Pastor Singleton is blessed to be married to his wife, Sister Kristie Palmer, for 27 years. They have two children, Edmund, III and Kayla.

As a husband and father, he brings a bit of wisdom, a sense of humor and a love for God’s people. He as a passion for the youth and witnessing the transformation of souls by the power of God.

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#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: Prayer is Your Power

Published

2 years ago

February 6, 2023

Oakland Post

Prayer is about faith. It is believing that God hears us.

Faithful Utterances

By Dr. Froswa Booker-Drew | Texas Metro News

This week, a friend informed me that she was following the ambulance to the hospital with her husband. Her husband was going through a major health crisis. She wasn’t the only one who reached out—a friend’s mother had unexplained pain and another friend contacted me about her friend’s son who was hospitalized with pneumonia. Each of them asked that I pray for them.

I consider it an honor to pray for others. Prayer is powerful and I love that I have a group of friends who I can turn to that I call the “prayer warriors” that when I send a text to lift up the concerns and issues of others before God, they go into battle mode.

Prayer is a weapon and I think many of us don’t understand its power until we need it. For many of us, it’s a routine, something that’s more about religion than it is about relationship. We have gotten prayer twisted as some exchange solely for stuff. God is not a celestial Santa Claus dropping off gifts. Prayer is an opportunity to go before to God sincerely in relationship. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.

Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:5–8)

Prayer is about faith. It is believing that God hears us. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) I realize that my prayers are even more powerful when I am in relationship with others seeking God: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). It’s dangerous when we see prayer as a way to manipulate God into doing what we want. There is nothing wrong with bringing your requests before God but it’s important to check our motivation and intention. It’s also important to know that just because God doesn’t answer our prayers in the way that we want does not mean that God doesn’t love us.

It doesn’t mean that God does not hear us. It does not negate the omnipotence or goodness of God, either. We must believe that God is able. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) It’s easy to blame God when things don’t go the way we want them to—”the rain falls on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

Terrible things happen to good people often. We live in an unjust world with people making decisions that are informed more by profit than people. We cannot take those principles into our relationship with God. We must believe that “… all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) …. God is concerned with our hearts, with people and cares for us even when things don’t go the way we’d like. I can report that all of the individuals we prayed for had excellent results.

God is good! Yet, I realize that this isn’t always the case. Prayer is powerful. God wants us to have this daily form of communication. 1 John 5:14, tells us: “And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Don’t use prayer just when you need something. Just as all relationships require consistent communication for growth and results, the same is even more important in our relationship with God. Prayer is a powerful partnership with God that can move mountains when we believe!

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the host of the Tapestry Podcast and the author of three books for women. She is also the Vice President of Community Affairs for the State Fair of Texas. To learn more, visit drfroswa.com.

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Black History

AFRICAN-ISH: The First Christmas Story

Both Joseph and Mary were of the lineage of David, Joseph descended from David’s son Solomon (and Bathsheba), and Mary extended from another son Nathan. Therefore, they were required to go to the little town of Bethlehem, in Judea and there, in a cattle shed Jesus was born. (Bethlehem is 70 miles south of Nazareth and 5 miles southwest of Jerusalem).

Published

2 years ago

December 26, 2022

Oakland Post

The four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John chronicled the full theme of Christ as the universal Savior.

By Simon Burris

The narrative of Jesus’ birth and proof of his Hamitic (Black) African bloodline* began in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis chapter 10, in the Land of Ham, located in southwest Asia and Africa. Three most prominent Hamitic personalities: Abraham, Isaiah and David.

People and places of Hamitic origins are underlined.

(1) Abraham the patriarch was Babylonian (Ethnic Ethiopian). Gen. 11:31; (2) Isaiah a prophet lived 750 years before Christ, predicted the virgin birth was a nephew of Amaziah a Judahite (Canaanite) king; and (3) David the great king of Israel was a descendant of Abraham, also of Tamar and Rahab (Canaanites).

The (Hamitic) Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-34

The Birth of Jesus: (about 6-4 BC)

Mary the virgin mother of Jesus and her husband Joseph the “foster” father of Jesus, a carpenter, lived in Nazareth, a town in northern Palestine.

At this time Emperor Augustus of the Roman Empire decreed that a census would be taken. Everyone in his domain had to go to his or her hometown to register. He probably ordered Cyrenius ( Quirinius ) the Afro Roman governor of Syria / Judeadistrict to take charge and supervise the mandate.

A short time later shepherds from the countryside as well as Wise Men (Magi) from neighboring countries Arabia, Babylonia,and Persia traveled to the nativity site, paid homage and worshiped the infant-Savior.

Now Joseph was warned by the Lord in a dream that Herod the Edomite king of Judea was plotting the murder of the child, fled with his family to Egypt, returning to Nazareth after the death of Herod.

Jesus had siblings, brothers Joseph, Simon, Epistle writers James, Jude, and several sisters. The last mention of Joseph occurs in the Gospel of Luke when he and Mary take the 12-year-old Jesus to Jerusalem. Mary played a vital role all through Jesus’ life, from the day He was born till the time of the crucifixion.

Conclusion: The four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John chronicled the full theme of Christ as the universal Savior. *Descendants of Ham’s sons Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt), Put (Libya) and Canaan (Ancient Palestine/Israel). Genesis 10: 6-20

Footnotes: Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?

The ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice on December 25 as the birthday of the SUN; the Babylonians and Persians -SON of the SUN. Some 300 plus years after Jesus’ earthly demise, Roman Emperor Constantine in 336 legalized this date as the birthday of the SON of GOD – JESUS the CHRIST! Originally: Christ’s Mass.

Eurocentric racism: Pope Julius II in 1508 commissioned Michelangelo, Raphael and other Renaissance artists and church scholars to portray and depict almost all major biblical characters as Europeans (Caucasians), save servants and slaves.