All Hail to the Christ Within!

A coworker introduced me to The Cause Within You by Matthew Barnett. She loaned me this powerful book a couple of weeks ago. Reading through it is touching my spirit. Pastor Matthew is the co-founder of the Dream Center in Los Angeles. A mega-ministry that helps the homeless and helpless, recover from their conditions, addictions, and spiritual depressions. The book has 11 chapters and I will write a reflective article on each quarter of the book.

Chapter 1: A Night on the Streets

Barnett is the son and grandson of well known Assembly of God pastors. The denomination commissioned his father Pastor Tommy Barnett to save a historic church in LA. He found himself choosing his son as his co-pastor. Despite being only 20 years old at the time, Pastor Matthew was ready to go. Through a series of disappointments at the church, the Dream Center was born as a small outreach.

On the 15th anniversary of the ministry Barnett was led to spend time undercover (so to speak) on the very streets he’s been ministering to. He asked himself a question that I find myself asking myself, “Was I settling for what was now a routine process?” I haven’t had such a dramatic experience as Matthew Barnett. But over the last several months I’ve encountered a series of situations equal in depth.

Chapter 2: Lost and Found in LA

While still out on the street, God spoke to Matthew through an impression. He closed His message to Matthew with, “I love these people. If you reach the people that nobody wants, I’ll send you the people that everybody wants.” What a powerful message! Coincides with what Father Hurley declared, “Uplift the fallen humanity.”

God has revealed numerous visions to me. In each of them I see lives being changed in unconventional ways. I’ve been harshly criticized, as Pastor Matthew has, for being too unconventional or failing to conform. After his encounter with the Spirit of God, Matthew said in part, “It no longer mattered that I was only twenty or that I was a white guy in a nonwhite neighborhood. That nobody turned up at my church service or that the denomination probably had something else different in mind seemed less important now. What mattered was that I’d heard from God.”

I was ordained at 20 years old so I can identify with the position he found himself. I wish had been so brave and faced my fears ten years ago. Nevertheless it’s far from being too late—and it’s not too late for you either!

Chapter 3: Sidewalk Celebration

“It dawned on me”, Pastor Matthew thought as he returned home, “that over the course of time, as we pursue the cause that God has placed within us, we unknowingly reshape that dream to satisfy our personal comfort level. The more time and energy we devote to the cause within us, the more likely we are to lose touch with the heartbeat of the original cause, refining it according to our current desires, circumstances, needs, plans, and goals.”

He said a mouthful! I too have lost touch with the original vision God gave me back in January 2000 & August 2002. Now is the time. God has blessed my family with an opportunity to surge ahead and solidify our foundation. I thank God for my wife, who supports me in every way humanly possible. In the past I let opportunities pass me by—never again!

Your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight

All Hail to the Christ Within!

We have a deficit of love in the world. But through preaching and expounding on the simple concepts of Father Hurley’s doctrine we can overcome all evil forces.

While in prayer this morning the spirit of Prince Alfred Bailey came to me. The spirit revealed to me, in part, why Princess Georgia Latimer gave me the spiritual name, Prince Alfred Solomon. Prince Bailey was known by many titles and spiritual names. One of his greatest spiritual names was/is “The Ambassador of Love”. It truly is a powerful name and mantle. As a child I spent seven or eight summers in New York with my godmother Reverend Louise Clements who was Prince Bailey’s handpicked pastoral successor. During her tenure as pastor of the New York State Headquarters of the UHSC, the first Sunday was designated as “Love Sunday”. She would wear a beautiful red robe and the altar staff would march in with red candles.

Today I see the importance of the simplicity of Father Hurley’s message. The attributes of our doctrine are very simple – peace, joy, happiness, success, financial prosperity, love, health, wealth, thought force and the like. When I was pursuing a graduate degree in Philosophy, we learned quite a bit about analytic philosophy. And at its core is the analytic method which states that an author must always define their terms. It’s easy to throw these high sounding words around but to develop these abstract concepts is a lifelong pursuit.

So now let me explain what I mean by the Ambassador of Love. Two relevant definitions of ambassador are “a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative” or “an authorized messenger or representative”. Love has a multitude of applications. At the most basic level love is a strong emotional affection. Spiritual or Godly love is unconditional. God loves us for who we are within and nothing we can ever say or do can change that, however much God despises our negative thoughts, words, or deeds. As the saying goes, “Hate the sin. Love the sinner.” An ambassador of love represents God’s love in this world. They are a diplomatic official of the spiritual world which is incomprehensible to the carnal mind. While the world advocates hatred and revenge, an ambassador of love tries their best to respond to all situations with love and compassion.

As I close this article I must say the spirit has laid this mantle heavily on my heart. Let us not allow any negative inclination or thought hinder our success. There is too much work to do to allow a moment of weakness to turn into a lifetime of sorrow. Life goes by all too quickly. Princess Latimer taught us many Sundays about the power of love and how to live a “life of love”.

Praise God for the spirit of the Ambassador of Love, Prince Alfred Bailey. Praise God for the mantle of love which still exists. Love will change the world! Hallelujah. Amen.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Reverend George H. Latimer-Knight
Edited, August 15, 2010 at age 28

A video response to an anonymous commenter to the Church Politics (http://fatherhurley.com/2010/05/church-politics) article posted over the weekend. Be encouraged! Don’t allow the foolish actions of others deter you from doing God’s work and becoming all that you can be in the Kingdom of God. Amen. Amen. Amen.

All Hail to the Christ Within!

One of the greatest challenges facing the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth is church politics. This article is an attempt to get a handle on church politics and learn its proper usage.

Church Politics Defined

Church politics are generally seen as negative but really it is neutral. Politics is “the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.” (politics, 2009) Using this definition of politics we see that even the church, especially an association or organization of churches, must be governed. There are bills to be paid, decisions to be made, positions to fill, committees to form, ideas to be fashioned and executed, and the Word of God to be preached by people trained to do so.

Good Church Politics

Good church politics to me is when all parties involved can sit down and have an open and honest debate about whatever issues are on the table. So in a ministers’ meeting, for instance, all the ministers will give their views on the agenda, give a fair hearing to each other’s views, modify ideas where necessary, vote on the issues, and leave the meeting feeling good about what has been accomplished. The same would go for a Sunday School teacher’s meetings, deacon’s board meeting, trustee board meeting, etc. And when it comes to position appointments, the body making the decision should consider all qualified candidates, pray and meditate about it, talk it over, and put a good person in place. The person won’t be perfect, because no one is, but they should at bare minimum love God, love the church, and be willing to work at being effective.

Bad Church Politics

Bad church politics is just the opposite of this ideal. All sorts of negatives thoughts or spirits enter in when it’s time to make decisions. “Bad church politics comes about when church leadership departs from either the leadership of the Holy Spirit or from the guidance of the Bible… Sadly, some church leaders have got to the point where they must rely on techniques of manipulation and domination in order to maintain their positions of influence and authority. Such leaders are insecure and are easily threatened by those whom they cannot control.” (Fackerell, 2007) This spirit of manipulation and domination creeps into leadership in all areas of life. How does this happen? It happens when people begin to define themselves by the titles they hold. Once this unnatural process is completed then of course they will do any and everything to hold on to their position.

My Church Politics Philosophy

One of our Assistant Prince’s shook my hand after a session in our past convention and said, “Hey how you doing George. I mean Reverend. Well is it alright if I call you George?” My reply, “Reverend is not on my birth certificate.” After which we both laughed. Yes I want to be respected but not because of “Reverend”. The scripture says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1 NIV) So if “George Hubert Latimer-Knight” stands for something good then it doesn’t really matter what title is in front of my name or what title or degree initials are behind my name. Your name gives your titles powers – your titles will cause you to lose power if misused.

For me, disagreeing with someone is not disrespectful, especially when it is done out of love.
One should never completely disrespect leadership but a healthy disagreement can be helpful. I’ve been told this is not the case, but it is so. In the business world, whether I was a peon or in management, I have always been encouraged to speak my mind. I always thought first and tried to say my piece in the kindest, nicest, and most effective and helpful way possible. But that same approach in the church world brings on comments like, “you don’t respect your leaders” or “you have said things that have put you in a very bad position” or “I hear people talk about you”. It seems almost a thing of the past to obey Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Why Not Avoid All This Church Foolishness Altogether?

Well it’s natural to consider just avoiding the church world altogether. Though this is tempting to the flesh, it doesn’t solve anything. If we withdraw from the church, then guess what, the same mess that led us to leave will still be going on. As one of our past mothers used to say, “You’ll be at home mad and missing your blessings. While the people you’re mad at will be at church doing the same things they’ve always done.”

The power manifested when true saints of God gather is too rich and powerful to miss because a few people don’t know how to act. Glory to God! Jesus declared, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) So according to the scripture, if I can find just one other person to link up with then I will receive a touch from God. Furthermore Hebrews 10:25 teaches, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Don’t give us on the vision (of God) because of a few silly pigeons (low minded people).

How to Fight Bad Church Politics

Here are 10 steps I have used to fight bad church politics:

1. Learn to control your temper. – It takes time to do this. The urge to go off every time someone says something foolish is real. Fight it! Learn to respond and don’t react.
2. Don’t respond to gossip. – Most times when people say, “well I’m just telling you about what people are saying about you”, they are one of the main ones talking about you or against you.
3. Live a moral life. – I remained a virgin until I got married. And I got married at 27!!! That was very difficult but because of that many attacks that folks wish they could wage against me cannot be waged. If you have been sleeping around then stop! If you have been committing adultery then stop! Bringing in a parade of different sexual partners weekly then stop! Time living a moral life defuses foolishness.
4. Be open and honest about past mistakes. – How can people gossip about what you did when you preached on it and say what you learned from it? My wife taught me this. People can’t hurt your feelings calling you names behind your back when you’re called that name and said how you’re working on it. Another example…One pastor said, “If one of you young ladies gets pregnant just stand up and tell the church. If you try to hide it you’re going to cause more gossip than if you had just said it yourself in the first place.” The principle applies to almost anything that you’re done.
5. Participate in various church functions, meetings, and events. – In doing so you will learn how to operate and conduct yourself.
6. Prefer a ministry over a title. – By that I mean you don’t need a title to operate in God’s kingdom. Title dependency breeds bad church politics. Examples…you don’t need a title to pass out church literature, volunteer to run a church entertainment or function, serve on a committee or two, pray for the sick, give a financial donation to a college student in your church or community, send encouraging cards to those who feel down (card ministry), write brothers and sisters who are incarcerated (prison ministry), or spread cheer and the word of God on the Internet (internet ministry).
7. Allow the spirit to promote you. –Most of the church positions I have or have held were given to me with no questions asked, i.e. “George you’re going to do this”, or I volunteered.
8. Be flexible. – Flexibility is a necessary tool in the toolbox of all masters.
9. Don’t let your title or position define you. – Some people, upon being moved from a position, are never quite the same. Commit yourself to God’s work and be willing to serve in whatever capacity you can at the time.
10. Let your works (track record) speak for you. – When I do have to respond to my critics it gives me great pleasure to simply offer a brief list of my work in the church. This normally quiets them down quite a bit.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight
Written May 15, 2010 at age 28

Bibliography
Fackerell, M. (2007, 05 10). Church Politics. Retrieved 05 15, 2010, from Christian-Faith.com: http://www.christian-faith.com/forjesus/church-politics
politics. (2009). Dictionary.com. Retrieved 05 15, 2010, from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/politics

555 has a new meaning to me which will soon be revealed. For now I will leave you with Isaiah 55:5…

“Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” NIV

“Behold, you [Israel] shall call nations that you know not, and nations that do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.” Amp

“You will call out to nations you have never known. And they have never known you, but they will come running because I am the LORD, the holy God of Israel, and I have honored you.” CEV

“Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.” Traditional KJV

All Hail to the Christ Within Each One!

Thank God for bringing us over into this new calendar year 2010. I had delayed giving the year declaration because the spirit did not reveal one to me yet. But in our afternoon service yesterday the spirit overshadowed me with a message for the youth. And this morning while talking to a fellow clergy about it the spirit spoke – “2010 – The Year of Understanding and Change”.

I will do a few videos on the subject but these words understanding and change are deeply intertwined. We need to get things straight in our lives this year! The same old, same old, will not help us this year. There is a great calling we all must fulfill and its time we get moving with it. We need to become more practical minded in our goal-setting.

Times are too critical to be lazy, foolish, and purposeless. God wants us to make a change for the better. This desire is the basis of the holy scriptures of all loving faiths. Yet dear ones change cannot come with without understanding.

May God bless you! Peace, joy, happiness, and financial prosperity are yours in 2010 if you heed to the call of God.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight
Written January 11, 2010

God bless you my brothers and sisters. The spirit of God has brought us the last few hours of 2009. No matter what happened in this calendar year—know that God has a greater plan and calling in 2010. As we enter into this new decade let us shed off the garments of doubt and fear and put on the whole armor of God.

My wife and I are now about to go to the Star Blessing. This is the first one using Father Hurley’s Star since 1993 which Princess Georgia Latimer’s conducted. The spirit is doing something new, something grand, something powerful. Watch out for your redemption is drawing nigh unto you. Believe it and receive it now in Hurley’s precious name. Christ spoke through Jesus and said the work must go on. Though he departed from earth over two millennia ago his spirit and work still stand. Hold on saints! Hold on for the spirit will have its way in 2010! Amen. Amen. Amen.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Reverend George H. Latimer-Knight
Written December 31, 2009 at age 27