Won’t He Do It? God Can Do It Just Like That!

By Ellis O. Henderson EdD MDiv

This book is not for everyone. It is important that I say that because there is a notion that we are monolithic and everyone has to agree. This book is for those who know who HE is. I am watching Deon Cole who is an actor on the show Black’ish and a comedian. He was doing his stand up and he was joking about Black folk saying, “Won’t He do it!”. During the show he asked a white attendee who was “HE” and the boy didn’t know. Brilliantly, he explained to the white doy who “HE” he was and told him to reply appropriately. When Black people hear ``Won't He do it”, immediately they reply “YES HE WILL!”. Cole explained this to the white gentlemen, and spoke into the mic and said, “Won't HE do it?” and the white man replied “YES HE WILL!”. The audience laughed and applauded.
Therefore, this book is for those who know who HE is. This book is for those who know how to reply, “YES HE WILL!”. More importantly, this book is for those who want to know who HE is and why is that. HE to many people is God. Not that God has to be a man or masuciline but God as the Ultimate authority. The authority in which Mom would say, “Wait until you Daddy gets home.” He is that authoritative figure that would make things wrong right. He is a Creator, and the God of the Universe and God of all Gods. Won’t HE do it is a phrase born out of the expericince of the African American Church. The African American Church is the parent of the current Church worship and style in America. Enslaved African created their own worship, culture, and fellowship that has stood the test of time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664137691

Ellis O. Henderson EdD MDiv

My journey to realizing won’t He do it began in Lexington, Virginia. I am the great grandson of Flora Henderson, grandson of Margaret Wright (Henderson), and son of Jackie Davis (Henderson). I have been a husband and will forever be the proud Father of Keirria, Isaiah, Ellis II, Emani, and Eniya, and OG (original grandfather) to Jeremy. I graduated from Valley Forge Military Junior College with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts in 1988. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Old Dominion University in 1991. I began graduate school and completed all class requirements for the Masters of Arts in African American history from Old Dominion University. Yet a call into the ministry left me unable to complete my Master’s thesis on the League of Revolutionary Black Workers, as I began to recognize a failed spiritual movement in the midst of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the 1960s. I graduated with a Masters of Divinity in 1999. I received a Doctorate of Education in Child, Youth, and Family Studies at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 2008. My dissertation title was “Academic Motivation of African American Males in U.S. History.”

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Rev. date: 10/19/2020

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1   Who Is He?

Chapter 2   Yes, He Will!

Chapter 3   What He Won’t Do

Chapter 4   How to Trust Him

Chapter 5   Trust the Process

Chapter 6   Trouble Won’t Last Always

Chapter 7   Try the Spirit by the Spirit

Chapter 8   The Joint Heir

Chapter 9   #Love Wins

Chapter 10   The Church

Chapter 11   Prayzing Changes Things

Chapter 12   When God Is for Us

Chapter 13   The Way of the Lord

About the Author

Benedication

Introduction

This book is not for everyone. It is important that I say that because there is a notion that we are monolithic and that everyone must agree. This book is for those who know who He is. I am watching Deon Cole, who is an actor on the show Black’ish and a comedian. He was doing his stand-up, and he was joking about Black folk saying, Won’t He do it! During the show he asked a white attendee who He was, and the boy didn’t know. Brilliantly, he explained to the white boy who He was and told him to reply appropriately. When Black people hear Won’t He do it, immediately they reply, Yes, He will! Cole explained this to the white gentleman, and spoke into the mic and said, Won’t He do it? and the white man replied, Yes, He will! The audience laughed and applauded.

Therefore, this book is for those who know who He is. This book is for those who know how to reply, Yes, He will! More importantly, this book is for those who want to know who He is and why that is. He to many people is God. Not that God has to be a man or masculine, but God as the ultimate authority. The authority in which Mom would say, Wait until your Daddy gets home. He is that authoritative figure that would make wrong things right. He is a Creator and the God of the universe and God of all gods. Won’t He do it? is a phrase born out of the experience of the African American church. The African American church is the parent of the current church worship style in America. Enslaved Africans created their own worship, culture, and fellowship, which has stood the test of time.

Won’t He do it? as a belief system that God will do what He promised. Won’t He do it? is a state of mind that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17 states,

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their righteousness is from Me,

Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17)

This is the mind-set of those who say, Won’t He do it! They do not believe that any weapon, obstacle, person, thing, or situation will prevent them from prospering. Why? Because God won’t allow it. Thus, the phrase Won’t He do it?

This book, for many, is a peek into understanding the ways of the Lord and how so many Black folk continue to get over. These phrases are rooted in the Black church experience. The Black church is not a religion. Religion is a systematic belief and practice of theology. Spirituality is a state of mind and how one lives his or her belief and applies theology to life. It is my belief that the Black theological experience can be religious and spiritual. Neither is right or wrong. What is most important is how one uses his or her theology to get over it. What is most important is the person regardless of race: Won’t He do it!

He ain’t just for Black folk. He is for anyone who believes and desires to get over in life and not succumb to death. The Black experience from my perspective is a spiritual movement through music, art, literature, drama, cinema, crying, laughing, protesting, and living. The Black experience has been documented. Yet, at times the Black church has received a lot of warranted backlash about what the church is not or what the church is not doing and should be doing. What is rarely mentioned is what the church has done and how the church in America begun by enslaved Africans still inspires and empowers.

Throughout this written text I will use the names such as God, He, the Divine, the Spirit, or the Divine Spirit. Each are labels I have applied to the Divine. None is greater than the other, but it speaks to the spiritual journey that I am in as I endeavor to live by the Spirit and rely on the Spirit in my spirit to live at a higher level. I’m shedding my past and former life as I express what is in my soul. Thank you for whomever reads this and receives anything from it. More importantly, may we all know that living a spiritual life is achievable. We have lived by our natural and lower nature for too long. It is time we vibrate higher and manifest our spiritual selves into our conscious beings.

The following chapters will be based on sayings that I have heard in my life spoken by Black folk primarily and in and out of the church. When Black folk say Amen, they agree with what has been spoken. Amen is final. However, amen means it is so or so it be. Amen is derived from the Hebrew word āmēn, which means certainty, truth, and verily. In like manner, Ase, which is an indigenous word spoken by young conscious Africans, means it is as spoken. Ase is derived from the Yoruba religion (pronounced ah-sheh, also spelled ashe) and has several meanings. It can mean the power to make things happen and refers to the spiritual life force that flows through things, much like the Chinese concept of chi. Ase can also be used to express agreement—saying Ase! Ase’ and Amen can be heard spoken by African Americans and both can mean Won’t He do it! This is the beauty of the African experience in America and the brilliant way they have meshed religion and spirituality to overcome oppression, hatred, microaggressions, and racism in America. Amen, Ase’, and yes, He will!

What I am about to reveal comes from my living and studying the African American religious experience from slavery until now. This is the condition of my faith’s existence. I am a third generation Christian. I am deeply rooted in the Christian faith with evidence of its effectiveness. It is important that one gets understanding of what he or she will be embarking upon. After years of denial, mental struggle, and emotional instability, finally I have been able to grasp, increase, and be watered by words my grandmother sowed into me as a child. I had an experience with a divine greatness that saved me from my failures. Finally, with gratefulness and humility, I can share the gifts of my walk with the Lord. I dedicate this book to my grandmother, Margaret Wright, who has always believed in me and spoke life into me. She introduced me to her Jesus in 1989 when I was studying Islam. Also, I dedicate this to my mother, Jackie Davis, who taught me how to fight and never stay down. Her presence and that of my stepfather, Mr. D, better known as Melvin Davis, is a daily reminder of God’s grace and mercy. I want to dedicate this book to each of the mothers of my children as I thank them for giving birth to each of my children. I ask their forgiveness for the pain, suffering, and embarrassment I have caused them. To, each of my children—Keirria, Isaiah, Ellis II, Emani, and Eniya—may this book be a guide or testimony that each of you can use to come to understanding and following the Lord. The motivation of this book was encouraged by dear sister/friend Tracey the Grasshopper Ross, who was relentless in her support and suggestions of what I should during our many working sessions. I dedicate this book to my soulmate, the ying to my yang, the one person who loves me, cares for me, hears me, and vibes with me on nature. The love of my life and the only woman that has loved and encouraged me to be me and who will be revealed in due time. Finally, I dedicate this book to the Joint Heirs of the Way of the Lord Fellowship at 1700 Blair Street. Thank you for allowing me to be your pastor and for loving me unconditionally. We are family. We are all we have and all we need. I love each of you.

Chapter 1

Who Is He?

People of the African diaspora have many names they use to describe the supernatural divine presence. Many refer to God, the Universe, the Spirit, the Divine Spirit, or the Divine. I have heard God referred to as something, the Father, Poppa, my Daddy, Jesus, the Lord, Yahweh, the Universe, the Spirit, He and She, Mother, and other names that I cannot remember. I do not think one name is suitable, as each name depends on the relationship the individual has with the Divine. For me, I see God as the Divine Spirit, but I often say God or the Universe depending on who I am around. With all that said and done, Black folk understand He to be God the Father and Mother, the one who is a mother to the motherless and father to the fatherless. The title Black folk is a term of endearment that speaks to a group of people who are more than family. They are people who love me unconditionally, accept me for who I am, and allow me to be my authentic self. These folk can be white or Black, but I am focusing on Black folk because I was reared in an African American family. Black folk means those of a similar soul understanding that just get it. They understand what is being said with little explanation.

But I do need to explain who He is for those who do not know. He is a lily in the valley. He is a wheel in the middle of a wheel. He is the one who woke me up in my right mind. He is the one who gives me sight when I am blind. He is the one who loves me when I know no one else loves me. He is the one who pulls me out of the muck and miry clay. He is a way maker, the one who makes a way out of no way. He is the one who is the author and finisher of my faith. He is the alpha and the omega. He is the one and only God. He is my Jehovah Jireh (the Lord will provide). He is my Jehovah Nissi (the Lord is my banner). He is my Jehovah Rapha (God is my healer). He is my Jehovah Shalom (God is my peace). He is my El Shaddi (the Almighty God). Most Black folk do not speak Hebrew, but many older saints can tell what these phrases mean.

The word saints is an intimate term heard often in the Black church to identify those in attendance as saints and not sinners. The word saints informs the folk that God sees them as saints—ones who are without sin. The saint reference is based on scripture and not being seen on what one does. Being referred to as a saint means you have arrived, and that you possess the holy qualities that make you special in the eyes of God. Some Black folk believe God sees them through Jesus, and they are not what they do. This is connected to the unconditional love of God that inspires Black people to love people even though they mistreat them or hate them. Few people do not understand why Black folk can keep loving their oppressor or can love their enemies. It is because they believe themselves to be saints, not sinners, and because God commands them to love. This love is not relevant to those who have not endured pain, suffering, and made it through. Making it through is what He does. He just got me through is what I have heard. God can make a way that appears impossible—that it is what He does and who He is. Won’t He do it? Yes, He will!

It is important to know that He is not a religion. He is not based on gender but in something larger than the universe. One of the greatest challenges is being able to see beyond our struggles into our future. The worst experience in life is not knowing that God is working on your behalf. The moment of hopelessness can be blinding. There have been times in my life in which I was not sure if there was a He. I learned in seminary that God was a spirit and not a personal pronoun. Over time, it does not matter what God is if I know what God is not. One of the lessons from my grandmother was that she did not care whether Jesus was Black or white. Nor did she care whether God was male or female. All she cared about was that God was always on time and that God loved her unconditionally. The unconditional love of God is the basis of who He is.

Personally, it is crucial for me to know the ethnicity of Jesus and His complexion because of how the European image has been used as a tool of white supremacy. Brilliantly, African Americans were able to overcome the white image of Jesus to topple white supremacy. The love for freedom is valuable within the African American experience. When love is taught properly, hate will dissipate. America is in denial about love because of the racist control of a few. Many people believe in love, which is why I love as I do, and I believe that He will do it. More importantly, for most of my life I limited God and what I desired to do. As a result, horrendous mistakes because of my limited faith and lack of trust occurred. Once I came to the realization of what God could do, I was forced to surrender and trust God to be who God is. God is God, and we must stop placing God in a box to be what we want God to be.

We have been taught to limit God. We have been taught to doubt God. We have been taught not to believe what God can do. We look at others and compare ourselves and doubt that God can do for us what we assume God is doing for others. God can and will do whatever He chooses. Often, we do not believe in God until we have no other options. I was guilty of trying every venture but what I desired most. I desired to pastor, but I did not believe God would grow the church. I became attached to who I thought God was. I never wanted to be only a pastor; I did not see value in pastoring because of the scrutiny others endured. We have so many people pastoring churches as a business opportunity instead of their calling. Pastoring is not a profession. Pastoring is a service rendered unto the Lord. God won’t do what He is capable of until we get out of the way. We must remove