Rediscovering God's Plan for Mankind

By Nia Redmon

God’s Word Provides Readers With a Distinct Sense of Purpose

Does your life have purpose? From where does that purpose originate—from mankind? Or from God? Nia Redmon addresses these questions, Rediscovering God’s Plan for Mankind: “For I Know the Plans I Have for You” (Jeremiah 29:11). She offers a provocative look at how historic world and religious events have impacted man’s perception of God’s Word; the formalization of Christianity as it is known today, and mankind’s movement away from God’s original plan for the human race.
Drawing upon decades of life experience and religious research, Redmon explains that the purpose of the book is to bring you to the realization that no matter what local assembly you attend, a personal and intimate understanding of God’s sovereign will is critical for spiritual growth and development. She based the book’s title on Jeremiah 29:11, which prophesies the 70-year exile of the Israelites in Babylon. Although the situation may not have seemed like a good one for the people of Israel, it was still part of God’s purposeful plan. Embracing God’s purpose, Redmon affirms, is the cornerstone of our lives.
The author has a no-nonsense style that speaks directly to her readers. In this book, we will delve deeply into the Scriptures to examine God’s plans and purpose for mankind. God is the Originator of purpose and has designed His plans in a manner that will bring His purpose to fruition.”
The book is divided into four sections, each of which emphasizes a critical aspect of God’s Sovereign plan.
Part I highlights the attributes of kings, but most importantly the Heavenly King—The God, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A king’s word is law and stands unchangeable except by Him, Redmon reminds us. Examination of scriptures that describe God and His use of different individuals for accomplishing His plans is found here, as well as an exploration of the words plan and purpose, and their mutual dependence.
Part II describes the history of the church, including what is outlined in the Scriptures as God’s plan, what this has developed into, how it came about, and how we get back to God’s original intent.
Part III reviews the subject of holiness, both as a lifestyle and requirement in order to see God. It is a topic that seems to have been forgotten in Christianity. Holiness is not defined by the clothes a person wears or a particular denomination.
Part IV covers the law, and what does and doesn’t apply to Believers. Comparison is made between God’s Law and human or Christian tradition. This section examines the purpose of the Law of God. This Scripture-laden section also revisits the teachings of Jesus and Paul.
Rediscovering God’s Plan for Mankind will appeal not only to Christian readers who are interested in growing in their lives and in their faith, but it also speaks to all people who are searching for purpose in their lives. In the midst of our troubled world, it is an ideal gift that will remind friends and family of the true nature of God’s message.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nia Redmon
• Release date: Sep 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9780979036804

Book preview

Rediscovering God’s Plan for Mankind

For I Know the Plans I Have for You

( Jeremiah 29:11)

NIA REDMON

~~~

Smashwords Edition

Petra Communications, Inc.

PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA

Copyright © 2008 Nia Redmon.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Internet—without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact Petra Communications, Inc, P.O. Box 820025, Pembroke Pines, FL 33082.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slighting of people, places, or organizations is unintentional.

First printing 2008 ISBN 978-0-9790368-3-5 LCCN 2007921183

ATTENTION CORPORATIONS, UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: Quantity discounts are available on bulk purchases of this book for educational, gift purposes, or as premiums for increasing magazine subscriptions or renewals. Special books or book excerpts can also be created to fit specific needs. For information, please contact Bruce Williams, Petra Communications, Inc, P.O. Box 820025, Pembroke Pines, FL 33082; 954-457-8919 or 866-534-7637.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified7 Bible, Copyright 81954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Scriptures marked as CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright 81995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked CSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 82001Broadman & Holman Publishers. Lifeway Christian Resources, 127 Ninth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37234.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, Copyright 81993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE7, Copyright 81960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION7, Copyright 81973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 81982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 81996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked YLT are taken from the Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE the praise and thanksgiving I owe to God for allowing me the privilege to write this book. Thank You, Lord, for Your patience, longsuffering grace, and mercy during the times I didn’t make Your work a priority. When I was discouraged, thank You for comforting me through the Scriptures and through Godly associations.

Many thanks to my wonderful husband, Allen. You have supported me from the beginning and have created an environment that allows me to be free to listen to and obey God in all my endeavors. Thank you for all that you sacrifice so that this work (and future works) can be completed. Thank you and I love you.

To Faith and Zoë, my precious daughters, who read the manuscript and made sure it was youth-friendly. Thank you for not complaining when you couldn’t get on the computer or were stuck in the house because Mommy was working.

To Dawn Goss…what a trooper! To volunteer to edit my manuscript as I wrote it was a monumental task. You hung in there with me through the roughest spots and didn’t stop throughout your pregnancy…you go, girl! Thank you just doesn’t seem adequate.

To my father, Pastor Clarence Williams, thank you for teaching me how to rightly divide the word.

To Joan Williams, my spiritual and natural mother and intercessor— thanks for being there. Many thanks, also, for your fastidious editing skills. The grammar police would have been after me if not for your scholarly eye.

To my sisters: Alison, who listened to me talk about the manuscript over and over and did not get tired of hearing about it. Thanks for letting me know I wasn’t crazy. To Bethany and Dee Dee, who provided many motivating and encouraging words. Thanks for your prayers and continuous support.

To Elianah and Professor Gerald Wilson, thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to refine this manuscript. You brought clarity and fresh insight to this work and helped me to develop a balanced text. Thanks, E, for kickin’ it to me—you know.

To Rabbi Neil Lash, and Reverend Ken Johnson, it is an honor to have your validation of the information in this manuscript. You took time from your busy schedules and your precious families and congregations to provide theological guidance. Thank you.

To Monifa Bailey, Erma Byrd, Gladis Redmon, and Sherry Hawthorne, thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to provide additional feedback.

Finally, to Dr. Philip McVay and my extended family at the Cokesbury United Methodist Church in Pensacola, Florida, thanks to all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement to Allen, me, and the girls. I have learned so much from all of you about God’s love, how to trust Him in a new way, and diversity—yes, diversity. I’ll never forget you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Acknowledgments

Introduction

Preface

Part I: The King

Chapter 1: God Is King

Chapter 2: Do Not Question the Potter

Chapter 3: Purpose

Chapter 4: Truth

Part II: Church or Ekklesia

Chapter 5: Church or Chosen

Chapter 6: Historical Cornerstone

Chapter 7: Historical Leaders

Chapter 8: Church and World History

Chapter 9: History of Ekklesia

Part III: Holiness

Chapter 10: Holiness

Chapter 11: Sanctification

Chapter 12: The Tabernacle

Part IV: The Law

Chapter 13: The Perfect Law

Chapter 14: The Law of Faith

Chapter 15: The Assignment

Chapter 16: The Sovereign Lawgiver

Chapter 17: Food Glorious Food

Chapter 18: Idols and Images

Chapter 19: The Sabbath

Afterword

A New Beginning

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

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GREETINGS, IN THE Name of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus.

I consider it an honor and privilege to be God’s mouthpiece at this time.

This book is the byproduct of more than 20 years of prayer, revelation, research, and life experience.

The title of this book, Rediscovering God’s Plan for Mankind, is derived from Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (NIV). The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the prophet, and was relayed to the Israelites who had been captured and deported to Babylon. The people were instructed to build houses, plant gardens, and pray for the peace of the city, because it would be their home for a while. God loved them, but according to His plan, the Israelites were to be exiled in Babylon for 70 years.

How could this seemingly negative situation be God’s plan? Israel had a covenant with God. Couldn’t they just use their faith and confess all the promises from the Scriptures to make the captivity go away? No. The captivity was God’s plan. And it was a good plan.

God has a purpose and a plan for everything. God loves you. His plan and His purpose, however, will be done. This book chronicles my exploration into the plans and purposes of God for mankind.

Oh no! you say. Not another book on purpose. Well, yes and no. There are many wonderful books on the purpose for this, that, and the other thing. And God knows we all need to hear that there is a purpose for our lives.

However, Satan, and our own humanity, can skew our perspective. Our focus drifts from: "GOD has a purpose for me, to: God has a purpose for ME." This is not a mushy text that will tell you how wonderful you are and that God will make you rich. In this book, we will delve deeply into the Scriptures to examine God’s plans and purposes for mankind. God is the Originator of purpose and has designed His plans in a manner that will bring His purpose to fruition.

We will revisit world and biblical history and its correlation to God’s plans. Many times we tend to limit the scope of God’s dealings with mankind to our view of Western civilization. We forget that the geographical setting for the Scriptures took place, for the most part, in what is now known as The Middle East. Our modern and Europeanized culture, unconsciously, causes us to limit our perception of God and His global and eternal plan.

God longs for us to get back to Him, and to His Word. We’ll have to dig through much fluff and tradition, and pomp and circumstance, but if we will lay down our plans and pick up God’s plans, we will get there.

MY PART

Approximately 15 years ago I heard Myles Munroe, a pastor from the Bahamas, say something equivalent to the following: All I know, is all I know. That’s all I know, is all that I know. That’s not all that there is, that’s just all that I know. Read that again, slowly: All I know, is all I know. That’s all I know, is all that I know. That’s not all that there is, that’s just all that I know. I never forgot it. This statement helps keep me humble and teachable. As we journey in life we should keep in mind that just because we never heard of a thing, does not mean it doesn’t exist.

God has given me a word of knowledge. I don’t claim to have the only revelation. However, I do know that I am a joint in His body and this book represents the portion I am to supply: being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians

4:16 NASB).

In the human brain there is a substance called serotonin. Many factors contribute to its deficiency, which in turn creates a chemical imbalance. Tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid that prompts the brain to create serotonin. Consider me tryptophan. I’m like a very small element needed to create another small element that is crucial for the proper balance and maximum health and function of the human body—God’s Body.

Part of my supply to the Body is to function as an intercessor and a watchman on the wall. At different times in my life, I have had to work on the wall with sword and shovel in hand and cry with a loud voice to warn God’s people of impending danger. God told me I am similar to the sons of Issachar, who had understanding of the times and knew what Israel was supposed to do (I Chronicles 12:32).

For many years, I have had a heavy heart. I long to see people free from the entanglements of society and free to manifest the awesome power of our Heavenly Father and King. This is the burden God has put on my heart: …I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at My mouth, and warn them from Me (Ezekiel 33:7 KJV).

THE SCRIPTURES

I would like to state my position as to the validity of the Bible. I believe that what we have available to us today is the inspired Word of God. Whether it is in the form of the Torah and Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) or the King James Version of the Old and New Testament, it is the divinely inspired Word of God. However, we all know that there are numerous translations of these writings, and I have used a few.

Rick Warren, in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, explains the sentiments of my heart so eloquently I’ll quote him:

First, no matter how wonderful a translation is, it has limitations. The Bible was originally written using 11,280 Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words, but the typical English translation uses only around 6,000 words. Obviously, nuances and shades of meaning can be missed, so it is always helpful to compare translations.

We should also consider the culture of the people who wrote the ancient Scriptures. The original writers were Semitic, Middle Eastern people. They were farmers, shepherds, and nomads, who, for a great part of their history, were captives to ever-changing kingdoms. Their common day vernacular may not have carried the same connotation with them as it does with us in our day.

If I were to write, God is cool, and it were to be read 200 years from now, what would the reader think? They would have to find a dictionary from this time period to understand the possible meanings and extract one they think would apply.

At times, I include the original Greek or Hebrew word along with its definition. Because there are times when meanings of words get lost in translation, I often refer to the original language used in the ancient manuscripts we have available as of the date of this writing.

The Word of God will not be scarce in this text. You may even feel overwhelmed with scripture. My thought is better to have too much than not