A Collection of Theological Essays

By Elder Willie Foster

This book of essays includes some theological work of the author while studying at the Bible Centre of Rochester and Syracuse. He sincerely prays that everyone who reads this book will be blessed and enlightened through the words on these pages. It is also his hope that the reader develops the desire to dig deeper and further into God's Word. Within this book, the reader will find some thought-provoking words designed to enlighten and encourage readers at all levels. Between these pages, the readers will find topics such as the following:

1. The black church: a brief look at the black church from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade era to the modern black church.

2. Peter's denial: a look at Peter's frailties and growth.

3. and 4.New Testament Gospels I and II: a brief look at the gospels and their characters.

5. Peter and Paul: a survey of the dedication of Peter and Paul.

6. A comparison of Abraham and Lot: a survey of who these men were, their weaknesses and strengths.

7. Law of first mention: a look at how this law plays out in Scripture.

8. The universal God: an overview of atheism, evolution, polytheism, and materialism versus God the Creator.

9. The doctrine of salvation: a brief look at some aspects and concepts of salvation.

10. Who is Jesus: a look at the deity of Christ.

11. The Holy Spirit: an introduction to the Holy Spirit.

12. St. John's Seven Signs: a review of the seven miracles in the book of Saint John.

13. Justification: our doorway to the kingdom of God.

14. Effective leadership: a few things every believer should know.

15. Esther: the move of God: a brief look at a book that does not mention God's name or prayer.

16. The sacrificial offering system: the significance of blood to man's reconnection with God.

17. There is a war going on: a brief look at how sin entered the universe and earth and the believer's tools to win in spiritual warfare.

18. Exegesis on the Lord's Prayer: a discussion concerning the Lord's prayer.

19. Exegesis prayer: man's communication with God, sermon outline.

Starting his educational journey in the religious arena has been very rewarding and uplifting. Everyone, especially in ministry, should invest in the formal study of God's Word. It takes a little more to win souls and minister in today's world than in years past. Scripture informs us that the world is becoming weaker and wiser; therefore, soul winners should seek to become wiser and more knowledgeable in God's holy Word. Thus, the author encourages anyone starting in the ministry to grasp a good grip on Scripture learning and understanding before taking on the devil in ministry. Learn about the religious systems at work and other religious persuasions. The Scriptures tell us to "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781684989904

Book preview

A Collection of Theological Essays

Elder Willie Foster

Copyright © 2022 Elder Willie Foster

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-68498-989-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68498-990-4 (Digital)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022920489

Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgments

Elder Foster wants to acknowledge the following people:

First of all, his pastor Dr. Renardo D. Ward, Greater Harvest Ministries Church of God in Christ, 3509 Boxdale Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38118, for his support, prayers, and mentorship.

Dr. Martin Johnson of Memphis, Tennessee, for his mentorship and for the nights he sowed into him so many scriptures and lessons.

Then there is Professor Dr. Gregory Smith, The Bible Centre of Rochester, for his patience, instructions, and mentorship.

Missionary Pearl Lewis and Betty Burton of Benton Harbor, Michigan, his two sisters who offered him comfort and support through the years.

And his friends Missionary Matilda Cushinberry and Missionary Brenda McGlown, his editors and advisors.

There are many more he could mention. However, at this point, these are the prominent people he pulled from and got him where he is today. Therefore, Elder Foster offers his sincere thanks to each of them.

Contents

The Black Church

Peter’s Denial

New Testament Gospels I

New Testament Gospel II

A Comparison of Abraham and Lot

Law of First Mention

The Universal God

Doctrine of Salvation

Who Is Jesus?

Holy Spirit

St John: Seven Signs

Justification

Effective leadership for Ministry

Esther: The Move of God

The Blood Sacrifice

There Is a War Going On!

Exegesis on the Model Prayer

Prayer: Man’s Conversation with God

Bibliography

The Black Church

Introduction

The new world unfolded into some heavy, unbearable, and trying times for the Africans. Who would have ever dreamed of the obstacles they would face in a land so far away and so strange? One day, they were enjoying their gods and their families and loved ones, but everything changed all at once. As we glance back, we can see the problems they faced. These Africans were snatched away from the homeland, stripped of family and their African heritage, shackled, chained, bound, and packed into cargo ships like sardines in a can. They were prohibited from speaking the language and enslaved in a hostile white world where the Christian white man attempted to instill this sense of being inhuman. As they struggled for freedom and acceptance, they met many adversities. Many drowned as they were taken through the transatlantic slave trade system.

Those who survived found themselves in a land where they knew no one and were powerless to make the white masters accept them as human beings. They were bred like livestock, beaten like criminals, and sexually abused like sex toys, all at the whim of the white master. They needed a haven, hiding, or healing place in these times. Therefore, the Africans devised a means of survival. With the wind in their backs and God leading the way, many came to trust him as time passed. Thus, the black church was born in slavery. As we look back over the existence of the black church, we can see the good she has done; we must now ask the question. What have the black church’s historical roles been, and are those roles the same today?

The Awakening of the Black Church

The inception of the black church began when an attempt was made to restrict blacks to the gallery, which caused them to walk out. At this point, the sleeping giant was awakened!

The critical break was bad too prominent Philadelphia negros, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, but they receive ample inducement from influential white men. Jones and Allen were leaders of a group of negros who worshiped at St George Methodist Church. In 1787, they were told to take seats around the wall and then, one day, in the gallery. Though they complied, one of the church’s trustees attempted to haul Absalom Jones to his feet doing prayer. The indignant negros, who had recently subscribed to the refurbishment of the church, walked out in a body when the prayer was over.¹

The Resilience of the Black Church

The black church began to breathe, thrive, and mobilize in a way no other organization established and operated by blacks here ever did. She took on several roles as (1) a spiritual sanctuary and community, (2) an agency of social reorganization and reconstruction, (3) a center for justice and equality, and (4) a resource for public and internal educational projects. She has carried many individuals through dark clouds and storms as a spiritual sanctuary and community. The black church is the one place in our community where people come together and pooled their resources to better minister to the church and the community.²

The Center of African-American life, the black church continued to empower and inspire. Today as in 1945, the black church is a spiritual fortress and an economical and political giant. Having survived the Jim Crow era, the black church is still the biggest and strongest institution in black America and is in a powerful position to meet the new challenges of the new century.³

The Social and Economics of the Black Church

As an agency of social organization and reconstruction, she has provided many services to aid and advance blacks and other minorities. Black churches have combined a fervent evangelical theology with a progressive political stance for over one hundred years.⁴

The fact that the civil rights organizations and programs were actively supported by 627 (31.5 percent) churches illustrates how do civil rights movement has become a major watershed. In the history of the black church. Churches that participate in local community crisis events like school desegregation and demonstrations number 111(5.6 percent). Welfare rights and housing rank third with 78 (3.8 percent) churches. Churches that cooperate with health-related agencies a problems #66 (3.3 percent) and 64 (3.2 percent) churches were involved with senior citizen programs. These results show that black churches are active in many community support and outreach programs.⁵

As a center for economic cooperation, slavery was not only degrading, but it also stripped them of everything they owned. It even attempted to strip them from the ability and resources to fan for themselves, which was designed to call them to depend on the white man for survival. Therefore, they had to find a source of economics for simple survival.

Economic values have been predominant in American Society. The discrimination suffered by black people has been economical in character, beginning with the chattel slavery or human beings’ treatment as objects or property. As one of the earliest and certainly the most dominant institutions, the black church has had and will continue to have a very important role in the economic situation of black communities.

The black church helped to create the black self-help tradition an ethos of economic rationality for free and enslaved blacks. The economic ethnic of the black church played a critical role in the transition from slavery to freedom, teaching the value of long-term sublimation.⁶

The Black Church and Its Institutions

As both public and internal educational projects, the black church has been there even when the white church and community have failed or refused to provide African Americans with educational necessities.

The Negro churches were the birthplaces of the Negro schools and all of the agencies which seek to develop the intelligence of the masses; even today, no agency serves to disseminate news and information so quickly and efficiently among Negros as the church.⁷

Since the inspection of the black church, we have never been leaderless. The black church has rolled up her sleeve, dug deep into her pupils, and pulled out some of the world’s best. Some of the significant leaders given by her are as follows:

Nathaniel Paul (1755–1839), …Richard Allen (1760–1831), …Daniel Walker (1785–1830), …Nat Turner (1800–1831), …Daniel Alexander Payne (1811–1893), …James W. C. Pennington (1812–1871), …Henry Highland Garnet (1815–1882), …Samuel Ringgold Ward (1817–1878), …Alexander Cromwell (1819–1898), …Edward Wilmot Blyden (1832–1912), …Henry McNeal Turner (1834–1915), …and Marcus Garvey (1887–1940).⁸

She has also been instrumental in training our old and young. She had established and maintained many schools in the United States and overseas. Some of these schools given to us by the black church are as follows:

C. H. Mason theological seminary, Atlanta GA; Jackson memorial college, Topeka, Kansas; Calvary temple school, Belize, British Honduras; C H Mason school, Port AV Prince, Haiti; C. H. Mason Bible College, Memphis, TN; Saints Academy, Lexington, MS; and C. H. Mason System of Bible Colleges, Houston, TX.⁹

Conclusion

The black church carried the heavy burden of being everything to a group of people whose only earthly hope was the black church. Therefore, she could not afford the luxury of crawling before she walked. Ultimately, she had to hit the ground running! She has been many things to many people and has never failed in her role. Tired and weary, she has been a refuge for runaway slaves: a participant in civil rights, community problems, and community will be in the advance period from her early days as an invisible spiritual community. She has labored in the area of educating our young and old, supported social change and struggle, and provided leaders and leadership at various points in the struggle for black liberation and a genuinely high level of human life.

While the scene has changed from slavery to discrimination of all sorts, the black church has remained focused on its historical role. These roles have not changed and will not change. This is the focal point in the livelihood of black people. She is not only a place of worship but also a place of comfort in times of trouble (deaths and neighborhood problems), rejoicing and celebrations (marriages and births), and a shelter in the times of storm—natural, spiritual, economic, and domestic. She is our black Mecca. She is our haven. The role of the black church is the same today as yesterday, just different struggles for different times and played out on different stages. Nevertheless, her role remains the same.

Peter’s Denial

Introduction

Our Bible consists of sixty-six books—the Old and New Testaments. Prophecies throughout