The Scourge Of Racism
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Though it is repeatedly taught in the New Testament that what is called “Christianity” cannot be lived out through the natural will and strength of human effort as a religion, from the first century until now sinful human beings have kept trying in futility and shame.1 Of course, Satan delights in this reality since it helps sell his lie that what God has gloriously accomplished in Christ to save mankind from our sins is really just another of the many equally valid religious inventions of men. Those of us that know and love the truth grieve with the heart of God that a counterfeit form of Christianity exists competing with the real thing either ruining or turning away earnest seekers (2 Timothy 3:1-9).
The Person and work of Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen, ascended, glorified and coming again to rule this earth forms the biblical core of “the faith” (Jude 3-4, NKJV). He and the Father have sent the Holy Spirit into the earth to actualize the divine will to save souls through the preaching of the Gospel about and witnessing of Christ (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:8). Still concerned about how Satan has confused things, I wrote this edited 2012 repost as the Spirit led to stress again how He in life changing residence and power is the central and essential superior factor that distinguishes an authentic Christian from one that is a mere professor (John 3:1-8,14:15-18; Acts 19:1-10).2
Originally Posted March 11, 2012
One of the major reasons the history of the churches on earth is filled with confusion, stained with human blood and pot-marked with evil corruptions of all kinds is the deadly, formal appearance of Christianity as a flesh driven religion not long after the first century eyewitness apostles passed from the scene. In fact, the Lord Jesus apparently deals with a church in the onset of religion first in messages He gives to seven churches of Asia through John, most likely the last living eyewitness apostle (Revelation 2:1-7). The reality that Christ not only has first-hand knowledge of what is going on within, but judges every local church in all generations accordingly should be totally sobering to us.
The once spiritually vibrant church at Ephesus had been nurtured by the apostle Paul who also foretold the devastation that would come by corrupt shepherds (Acts 20:17-31). Still, by the time of John’s recording of His Revelation later in the century, the Lord Jesus commends the church’s resistance of false apostles and teachers along with their persevering labor for His name sake. But He then calls for the individuals making up this church to repent from the one thing He had against them: they had left their “first love”--Him (Revelation 2:4, NKJV)! This matter is so serious to the Lord, He promises to remove the church from among His churches unless they repented! Why?
Is it not because our individual relationship with and corporate devotion to the risen Lord in Holy Ghost fired love is His highest priority for us (Luke 14:25-26; John 21:15-17; Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:19)? And had it not been the loveless, flesh driven works of Jewish religion that put the Lord on the cross (Acts 2:22-24, 3:11-17)? Besides all of that, the Christian life is a supernatural life that cannot be lived in the flesh nor can flesh works please God (Romans 8:6-9). All throughout the biblical record whenever men turn their hearts from God, sin and the rigor mortis of outward religion soon set in to His great displeasure (Isaiah 1:10-15; Matthew 23:1-33).
In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,3 Jesus Christ is shown from the Bible as a Man full of the Holy Spirit and power for His service from the time of John’s baptism (Matthew 3:13-17). Having the preeminence in all things and blazing a trail of example for us who would believe in Him thereafter, aspiring strong men of God and the churches they assemble in are all likewise baptized in and live full of the Holy Spirit. This means the Spirit initiates then leads, controls and empowers the aspiring strong man of God’s life moment by moment. It also means God’s power through the Holy Spirit not human effort characterizes his life in all things.
There is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. Not even studying and knowing the entire written Word of God can replace the Spirit’s priority and manifold work in the life of a believer. Indeed, it is of the highest form of futility to know the Word, but have no power to do it (Romans 7:14-24). But now, fully related to Christ Jesus in faith, the aspiring strong man of God is able to love, obey and serve Him in power through the agency of the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:25-8:5)! This is the Christianity of the apostles and New Testament of the Bible. Anything else is an empty knock off of manmade religion destined to destroy its practitioners and be destroyed (Revelation 17:15-19:4)!
1 See the August-September 2016 posts on Christianity as a powerless religion of human invention beginning with the two-part, Christianity The Religion Of Men on August 21st under the category, Instruction.
2 Read my March 1, 2015 post, The Mark Of A Genuine Christian and those that follow through March 22nd under the category, Instruction.
3 The book is available at all major internet book sellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
In a time of heightened false profession of faith in Jesus Christ, Christian apostasy, religious deceit all around and universal spiritual declension, the Christian faithful must stand on the Bible to declare its truths with clarity and power! Among those truths is what a real Christian is in person, character, lifestyle and deeds. To attract members and fill churches, too many pastors and churches have lowered the biblical standard of what a real Christian is so that there is no clear difference in a named Christian and a person that is not except in the so-called Christian’s profession of being one and church attendance if he goes. As this edited 2012 repost asserts, the difference is far deeper.
Originally Posted March 4, 2012
Not only does biblically defined faith fill the hearts of aspiring strong men in the image of Christ, but also zeal for the triune God! As I write in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,1 like the zeal of Jesus when He cleared the Temple courts of the merchants and money changers (John 2:13-17), there is a burning passion for God, the divine will, way and Word that drives authentic Christians beyond lip and nominal service. There is a fire in the soul and gut to live for and please God just as was also very evident in Bible saints such as Enoch, Daniel, Simeon, Anna, the prophetess and the apostle Paul (Genesis 5:21-24; Daniel 1; Luke 2:25-38; Philippians 3:7-14).
The apostle Paul makes it clear in Philippians 3:15-16 that he and other zealous Bible saints are not to be treated as exceptions, but the attitudinal rule or standard among all mature Christians. And that is the key: spiritual maturity. God already has planned for and built into His salvation program that those persons saved through faith in the Gospel of Christ enter in as newborn babies that must be fed and helped to grow into maturity by the instruction of His Word (1 Peter 2:1-3). While many churches today are failing to help new converts mature through proper instruction, God clearly puts the onerous on the individual believer to pursue maturity (Hebrews 5:12-14).
I write this after painful lessons learned as a pastor from newly professed Christians that backed away from being taught. While it is true that not everyone who professes faith in Christ is authentic, I wrestled with how many such souls were possibly created by my unclear proclamation of the Gospel or poor instruction on what salvation is truly all about. Later, I found all did receive the right information, but many had just not counted the cost (Luke 14:25-33). Even so, churches must do a better job of informing new believers that God expects them to grow into maturity and then helping them to do so as a matter of intentional discipleship not just general Bible study.
The fire of God powerfully brought and displayed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) burns in the soul of every genuine newborn Christian. So, zeal as a supernatural work of God in believers is manifested and operative at spiritual birth. Thereafter, through proper instruction the new convert is helped to understand this fire is normal, eternal (since the source, the Holy Spirit is eternal) and meant by God to overflow his life and service as a matter of character.2 The believer is also taught he is to do nothing that would quench the Spirit’s fire such as embrace again unbelief and self-sufficiency in any form or live in willful sin (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Finally, he is to be taught when God seems distant, it is absolutely okay to thirst for Him (Psalm 42:2)!
As seen in the lives of aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ, authentic, maturing Christians are far from living a mere profession of faith. They are eternally aglow with the fiery zeal of and for God in their hearts.3 Holy Spirit-filled living transcends mere human religious profession and effort in empty, dead and powerless religion (1 Corinthians 4:20).4 If your experience of Christianity is not as I have described, take your spiritual pulse and make sure you have been born again having truly believed the one and only Gospel of Jesus Christ taught in the Bible (John 3:3-8; Romans 8:8-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
In a brief, 2012 New Year specific blog not to be reposted in full, I wrote the following unedited. “In a nut shell, the Gospel is God’s good news that out of the overflow of His love and grace, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ from Heaven to earth in order to suffer and die on the cross for the sins of the world. He was buried and rose again bodily on the third day that whoever will believe on Him and His sacrifice may in all repentance have their sins forgiven and be brought to eternal, spiritual life by the entry of the Holy Spirit into his inner being. It is a matter of faith and deep yearning to be right with God through prayer that the Gospel does its work in the human soul (Romans 10:6-13).” Moving beyond mere profession of faith, such souls live on purpose to please God and do His will.5
1 The book is available at all major internet book sellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
2 Purposely introducing men to the Christian faith, teaching them biblical manhood which includes divinely willed Christ-like character in traits such as zeal to help them
mature in Christ, is the important work of The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study, available in the Strong Man Store.
3 Celebrating forty years as a Christian, I write about the zeal in me from and for my God and His causes in an April 23, 2017 post, Serving God From The Heart, under the category, Glory To God!
4 See the August-September 2016 posts on Christianity as a powerless religion of human invention beginning with the two-part, Christianity The Religion Of Men on
August 21st under the category, Instruction.
5 This is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ!
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