MIND OF CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.
PASTOR THOMAS E. OGLESBY
P.O. BOX 85
NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY 07110
website: mindofchristministries.net
Phone: 973-818-2750
e-mail: mindofchrist@verizon.net
October 2022
“We Want A King”
Dear Believer (s):
Man’s fleshly and physical nature has always led him to want to be like those of the world. Those who follow after and live by the guidelines or ungodly ways of satan.
Men and women today are looking for someone to idolize, to guide them, to tell them, what to do, and to make things better. Many individuals are looking for leadership from the president, and other political figures. Other individuals are looking to and putting their trust in a manager on the job. Some individuals are striving to be like Hollywood stars, sports stars, and renowned worldly singers. So many people are now living by and imitating those on social media. A great number of individuals are looking to those who have enormous wealth to be their god. But more than anyone or anything, we need King Jesus. Let’s not be deceived by self, the world, or the devil. We need to seek and be like Jesus. We need the Spirit of Jesus operating in our lives. He enables us to live a life of peace, joy, love, happiness, and a life of health and prosperity in Him.
We find in 1Samuel 8:4-5, “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” The Israelites wanted a fleshly king just as their neighbors. Samuel’s sons were unfaithful to God and did not honor and obey God as Samuel had done. The Israelite leaders used this as their reason for a king to rule over them. 1Samuel 8:1-5 states, “And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Previously, the Israelites had been led and ruled by God, by priests, or prophets that He appointed. But now they wanted to be ruled like the heathen nations. They wanted a king. In spite of what God told them; how a king would rule and treat them, they still wanted a physical king to rule over them.
“1Samuel 8:6-22 states, “But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.”
Man in his fleshly state or in his soulish realm is still the same today. We reject God because He is a Spirit. God can manifest Himself in any form that He chooses. But man, usually desires a fleshly physical being that he can readily see, feel, and touch.
God has used Moses, Joshua, Judges, Prophets, and Priests to govern His people and lead them. These individuals had led God’s people under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. They sometimes made mistakes and were disobedient, but overall, they were loyal and honored God. But now the people were rejecting God. 1Samuel 8:6-8 states, “But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.”
The Israelites wanted a king. We oftentimes want something so bad, or we are selfish, caught up in our own selfish desires, caught up in our worldly values, that we forget or don’t want what God knows is best for us. When our Soulish Realm. (Mind, will, and emotions), overrides, or takes authority over our spirit, disobedience to God follows. We forget or we deny our sovereign God. When we allow our flesh to rule over us, we are headed for spiritual death and separation from God. Read Galatians 5:19-21. We become an agent of the devil. We believe his lies and we do not follow or believe the truth of God. Read (John 8:44; John 3:33).
God gives the Israelites what they desired. God gave them kings to rule over them and they lead them into war. There were approximately 44 kings who ruled over Israel and Judah. But only a few honored, loved, obeyed, and served God as David did. David fell into sin on several occasions, but his heart was always sensitive to God’s righteous will. He quickly confessed his wrong and sought restoration with the Lord. This is what the Lord said about David in 1Kings 11: 34. “For David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:”
God knew that in order for earthly man to live holy, he had to have a High Priest and a King who would be totally obedient to Him and a spiritual being for earthly man to follow. God knew that man needed someone to deliver him from his sinful state and from satan. Our Heavenly Father knew that He had to write His laws upon the hearts of men. God knew that man needed a Savior and that His Spirit needed to live in the hearts of men. Our God knew that man needed to be comforted, led, and guided, by His Spirit, protected from satan, and empowered to do His will. Our Lord knew that man needed godly discernment. God knew that man needed to be born again. He knew that there needed to be a way for man to be able to come back to Him. God knew that Jesus was all man needed. Jesus is our savior, deliverer, healer, friend, and the only one man needs to live by. God gave us Jesus. He is the only one that we need to worship, to love, and to emulate. Jesus is the one to be Lord of our lives.
We need Jesus as our King. He is the Eternal and Everlasting King. His love is what we all need. Your life cannot be filled with joy, peace, happiness, love, or the fruit of the spirit without Jesus. Don’t be fooled by your fleshly desires, worldly values, or satan.
You must become the spiritual being God created you to be, by accepting Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior and live for Him. If you are not a Christ being today, I offer you now the greatest gift of life; The opportunity to become a son or daughter of God. If you are an unsaved person, repeat this invitation so that you can be saved and join the family of God: “I believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that God raised Him from the dead. Lord, I invite you into my heart forever, and I want to live for you. Thank you for accepting me. Praise the Lord!”
Now that you have received Jesus Christ, please write to me, or e-mail me and I will send you a free Bible. I want to help you in your walk with God.
Let us pray! “God, we thank you for King Jesus and that He is Lord over our lives. We thank you for those who serve Him faithfully. We thank you for those who have just become new members of the family of God. God lead us and empower us to live for You. Let us live so that others will see King Jesus’s spirit in us. I pray that the love of God in us will truly allow those of the world to become Your children and come to serve the Eternal King. We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!”
Thank you for your prayers, and financial support. In order for others to know the true Christ and to enable me to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I ask for your continued, prayerful, and faithful financial support. When you give to this ministry, you are planting into good ground so expect a harvest of blessing according to Luke 6:38.
As in previous years, I want to caution Believers how the devil uses the time leading up to, during and after the Holiday Season to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil is able to do this because so many people seem to lose their focus on God. They instead concentrate more on the things of the world, rather than godly things. We can avoid the devils’ traps by not rushing, avoiding stressful situations, financial pitfalls, poor planning, overspending, being impatient, and not getting enough rest. As well as, not becoming involved in heated arguments with others. We can do this by godly planning and seeking God’s guidance during these hectic times of over-commercialization of the season.
It’s sad but it is true. Large numbers of individuals will not live to see the New Year. They will be killed by the devices of satan. During the Holiday Season, we experience more killings, robberies, scams by crooks to steal from you, fires, accidents of all types, heart attacks, and other health related problems. We see a large increase in bitter family disagreements, and temper explosions which leads to physical and mental harm. Let us all be led by the Spirit of God.
With Love & Prayers,
Thomas Oglesby
Pastor Thomas Oglesby
