This past Sunday (January 8, 2012) I had the pleasure of preaching the pastoral sermon. Our pastor was unable to attend, so I had no prepared sermon. It came to me to preach on the Wisdom of Solomon. When seeking after the subject I audibly heard in the spirit—“2012: The Year of Wise Execution”.

I will post the sermon outline and explanation later in the week. I just wanted to share that portion with you. We’ve prayed, shouted, and begged long enough. EXECUTE WISELY. Just do it! Go forth and live. Amen.

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

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All Hail to the Christ Within!

On this Martin Luther King Day morning, I wonder about the state of our nation. What is it that we’re after? Or are we so divided that the question of what “we” want has become nonsensical? Divisions of race, gender, sexual orientation, politics, religion, and so forth, have not disappeared. On one hand, division can be viewed positively as diversity, which is necessary in a successful democracy.

I heard a clip from Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech on the radio which gave me pause. It reminded me of how each of us can and should make a difference. Yesterday, while reading through the constitution of the Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Church, it states that pastors (and ministers) should visit the sick (members and non-members) and be active in civic life. Those of us in the non-vocational ministry, i.e. we don’t get a living wage from the ministry; have a hard choice to make. The choice is stark, make a living and give the ministry its due time or reconsider why we’re in the ministry at all.

I then heard a brief clip from NAACP president Ben Jealous that stopped me cold. He pointed out that Dr. King learned the importance of social activism from his father and grandfather. Jealous emphasized that those of us born in the 1970s and 1980s were largely cut off from this tradition. We were taught that color doesn’t matter and somehow civil rights successes from the 1960s did all the work. As Rev. Al Sharpton said several week ago, civil rights/activism are still important, if for no other reason than to maintain the ground we’ve already gained.

This ministry has been given the rallying cry—2012: The Year of Wise Execution. The need to read, study, pray, fast, develop patience, meditate, and think first will always be critical to success. BUT if we never execute, how will we make the changes that are so desperately needs in our homes, schools, businesses, municipalities, city halls, county offices, state houses, federal agencies, and the three branches of government. Change comes through action (execution) which is born out of an emancipated thought-process (wisdom).

This is my year, your year, and our year. If you don’t do something now, then when will you? Many goals can’t be completely quickly. But to use that as an excuse to do nothing can no longer be accepted. Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, please do something this year. Act out the faith of the apostles. Act out the faith of Christ. Act out the faith of our righteous leaders. Act out the faith of the great men and women of history. Act out your faith, the faith that you have developed! Act out the faith that works. For we know, faith without works is dead (James 2).

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight
Written January 16, 2012 at age 30

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2012: The Year of Wise Execution
Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Church
Youth Sunday Service—National Headquarters—Detroit, Michigan
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight, B.Sc.

Text: 1 Kings 3; 1 Kings 10; Proverbs 4:1-8
Devotional Reading: Proverbs 4:7

1. Foundation of Lesson (Proverbs 4:7)
• “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)
• Wisdom is more than knowledge; it is knowledge, experience, and application.
   o A young person can be wise but they still need to have patience so that experience can take place.
• Understanding takes time. Understanding is necessary for any endeavor to be successful.

2. Solomon’s Dream—Solomon’s Heart (1 Kings 3:1-15)
• Solomon’s father David was near death. At the request of his leadership team, David appointed his son as king, because various factions were trying to overthrow the kingdom.
• Solomon was anointed, crowned, and went to pray and make public animal sacrifices (the religious law of the day).
• That night God can to Solomon in a dream and asked him what he wanted.
• Solomon asked for wisdom to perform justice toward and for the people placed in his charge.

3. Solomon’s Wisdom & Wealth (1 Kings 3:16-28; 1 Kings 10)
• The story in 1 Kings 3:16-28 is very interesting and worth reading. It shows Solomon’s great wisdom.
• First Kings 10 recounts the Queen of Sheba’s visit.
   o She wanted to see for herself if all the stories about Solomon were true.
   o After challenging him with many philosophical and life questions, she found him to have a wisdom far behind any other.
• Solomon’s great wealth…
   o In 1 Kings 10 alone, Solomon was given 25 tons of gold!
   o And even more telling, in verse 21 it says he received little silver because silver wasn’t as valuable as gold in his time. God will bless us with what we need at any given time!

4. Importance of Wisdom (Proverbs 4:1-8)
• Wisdom is a preservative.
• Wisdom is the key to success.
• Without wisdom our lives we remain stagnant.

Closing
• This declaration is critical—Wise Execution.
• We need to act wisely through prayer, fasting, studying, coming to church services, thinking, planning, and thinking again.
• However, if we don’t execute, all the wise planning will be in vain.
• The year 2012 will be the year we get busy doing the things we’ve been talking about for so long. Not just church matters but matters in our individual lives.

Postscript
• This sermon was put together on location. Our pastor was unable to attend service and it fell upon me to preach in her place. This outline can to me while sitting in the back corridor behind the altar. The subject—2012: The Year of Wise Execution—was the last piece that came to me.
• Thank God for his revelatory power. I’ve been publishing, through the Internet Ministry (www.FatherHurley.com), year declarations since 2008. This is the first one that I had the opportunity to share in a live service on the first service of the year. Again, I thank God.

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