The Scourge Of Racism
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Although I have previously reported the hostility of many professing Christians and their churches practicing manmade Christianity the religion as their response to my service of love to them from the Lord over the years,1 I am in no way mystified as to why (Ephesians 6:12)! For this reason, the Lord’s ultimate consequence for those that refuse His call to repentance and revival through every means He employs is destruction as this edited 2012 repost soberly warns. Even so, it also presents the Lord’s stirring call to action to His aspiring strong men and great women of God!
Originally Posted August 19, 2012
If the Christian life is a supernatural life, it only stands to reason that any assembly of authentic Christians would be supernatural in character.2 After all, God dwells in each Christian and therefore, fills their assemblage (John 14:16-17; Romans 8:8-11; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22). As a result, works of divine power ought to be the norm when believers assemble since God is in our midst! However, in many stoic American churches a Spirit empowered shout of praise to God is a rare event much less in the moment miracles (Mark 6:5-6). Many even believe they are being noble and dignified to hold their peace in church unlike king David and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Chronicles 15:25-29; Revelation 19:5).
In fairness, other churches confuse ardent chaos with the Spirit’s presence and working. They think by allowing such disorder they are mimicking what the Holy Spirit authentically did on the Day of Pentecost when the entire assembly of Christ followers was set ablaze praising God in all of the languages Jews living in the land and from the dispersion spoke (Acts 2:1-13). And though the gathering crowd was confused about how it was that they heard the praise of God in their various languages, this confusion was their own from ignorance as unbelievers, not caused by God as Peter explains (Acts 2:14-39) and later, Paul instructs the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:6-40).
Satan has known from the beginning that he would not be able to destroy the Church of the living God, the eternal construction of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:15-18)! So, he has labored to infiltrate the churches with impostors and seduce the faithful into compromise and rebellion. Of the greatest compromises professed Christians have made since the first century is to seize control of churches to operate in the flesh and effectively dismiss the controlling influence and help of the Holy Spirit. This scenario is eerily similar to watching God abandon Solomon’s Temple because Satan used the same tactic with ancient Israel (Ezekiel 8:6, 9:3, 10:18-19, 11:22-23). Thus, why should it amaze anyone that such churches would either be dead or lukewarm (Revelation 3:1-3, 14-20)?
In smug pride and arrogance, many American Gentile Christians look down on ancient Israel thinking similarly to her first century leaders Jesus rebuked, “We would not have done what they did in their day,” (Matthew 23:29-33). In fact, however, they are doing exactly what the ancient nation in the flesh did and worse if after having been introduced to Christianity as a supernatural work of God, they turn it into a religion of human control and effort (Galatians 3:3). Relying more heavily on the use of worldly legal forms and methods of self-governance as Americans first rather than the instruction of God’s Word as Christians, there is political intrigue and subterfuge, contentions and even murders in full display of flesh works (Galatians 5:13-15, 19-21; James 4:1-10).
So in the flesh are many professing Christians and their churches today, they do not even see any difference enough in themselves and the planet’s many other religions that in the name of ecumenicalism, they seek fellowship with them on equal footing. This they do in willful defiance of and disregard for their holy calling (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Do not all of the guilty realize you will give account of your sin to Christ who because He lives, sees and hears you (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)? No, we are no better than ancient Israel; just presented a superior covenant with the same responsibilities of faith, love, obedience and fruitfulness which failing in, results correspondingly in more severe consequences (Luke 12:47-48, 13:6-9; John 15:2a, 6; Hebrews 10:26-39; Revelation 17:1-19:4).
As the Spirit has given renewed unction this summer, I have been calling for repentance and revival among American Christians and their churches that are withering because I have not just seen the process from afar as a student of the Bible, history and statistics or observing others. But by the unsearchable ways of God I have seen the withering process firsthand as a pastor that presided over the death of a local church.3 If a professing Christian or church will not be what the Lord intended, they have no value to Him (Matthew 21:18-19; Luke 14:34-35). While He will give time for repentance in most cases, without it, His judgment befalls them as it did ancient Israel.
Therefore, let every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ rise up in His love and holy character to labor with me in prayer and deeds for repentance and revival among American Christians and churches (Jude 20-23). We labor in watchfulness of the night that is falling to “strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die” (Revelation 3:2, NKJV).4 And understanding our natural weaknesses and reluctance to step out of our comfort zones into certain suffering, in the reviving fire of the Holy Spirit we also seek a renewed “boldness” and power to do the will of Christ amid His mighty works in support (Acts 4:23-33, NKJV)!
As I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, we labor with fellow saints strengthened and emboldened through revival to conduct a final fulfillment of the Lord’s commission to us as His Church on earth in the unique supernatural character she possesses (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Understanding too, that this revival is preparation for the foretold global war against us that unfolds in earnest during the night that is falling, we continue to labor steadfastly in prayer for the Lord to launch His foretold end to this evil world system and Kingdom come in its place (Psalm 119:121-128; Luke 11:2; Revelation 8:1-6, 22:20). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style, under the category, Call To Repent.
2 Read the 2012 repost of November 22, 2015, The Christian Life Is A Supernatural Life, under the category, Glory To God! 3 Read my August 30 and September 6, 2015 reposts on this subject to learn more. 4 Let me know of your interest in spiritual gifts by answering a single survey question on the Feedback Page of our Web Site.
As I have stated before, many professing American Christians live and their churches carry on as though Jesus--their ostensible Lord--is dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)! Dead men cannot lead or govern from Hades and are completely cut off from this life (Psalm 88:10-12). “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” (Psalm 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 15:20, NKJV). So, upon announcing His authority and giving charge to His disciples in all generations (the ones standing before Him would die) He declares, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” (Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV). As He worked with the first disciples to build His Church, so, those that are His last (Matthew 16:15-18; Mark 16:20; Acts 2:1-41, 47, 4:1-4, 5:12-14).
Christ reigns with all authority over all to include His Church from the throne of God to which He ascended (Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:1-4)! About sixty years or so later He spoke to seven churches of Asia and broadly to all in every generation to follow through His last living apostle, John, with mostly rebuke and warning in what is the last book of Scripture (Revelation 1:9-3:22). Living in believers, He continues His Lordship in real time; giving among other things vision, commands, knowledge, rebuke and warning to those who will hear Him from Scripture (Romans 4:3a) and the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:27-30). As this edited 2012 repost asserts, not without consequences are any professing Christians and churches treating Jesus as dead; doing as they please.
Originally Posted August 5, 2012
A powerful truth in John 15:5 being ignored in many churches today is the Lord instructing, “…for without Me you can do nothing,” (NKJV). I say this after being in and around American churches from coast to coast since childhood where I have seen the unmistakable pattern of religious authority, human strength and works in action that are an artificial imitation of biblical Christianity. The Bible teaches Jesus is the Head over His Church and the Holy Spirit the empowering source of the activity He wills to the glory of God the Father (Ephesians 1:22-23, 3:14-21)!
Perhaps we have misunderstood; the “much fruit” that the Lord refers to in John 15:5 is in accord with His leadership (which presumes abiding in Him and Him in us) in the power of the Holy Spirit who is our Helper (NKJV). It is impossible for this fruit to be produced in the flesh. Therefore, if we kick the Lord Jesus to the curb as our “first love” (Revelation 2:4, NKJV) or in willful disobedience do our own thing in His name, we are doing nothing. This is evident in the very sad, fruitless state of so many churches today with either passive dispassionate or selfishly ambitious, tyrant pastors attempting to make a name for themselves to climb the religious corporate ladder or leave brick and mortar legacies.
There are elders and deacon boards that wickedly conspire to control pastors and churches. Church fights and splits are common along with thefts and sexual immorality. Churches with money in the bank display what they think is spiritual power when they do whatever flesh works seem right to them; offering token prayer petitions for what they intend to do anyway. Other churches steeped in tradition and manmade religion endlessly entertain themselves with annual events to raise money to do little or nothing of what the Lord wills. Is it any wonder that exercising spiritual or grace gifts--another aspect of doing things in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit--is not taken seriously in such churches?
Spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities the triune God gives as a matter of grace to each person that believes on Christ and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the new birth (John 1:12-13). So basic to the Christian’s ability to function in God’s program and the Church is the Holy Spirit, one cannot even say from the heart “Jesus is Lord” except with His enablement (1 Corinthians 12:1-3, NKJV). Nothing Christians have been commissioned by Christ to do can be done without the agency of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts--nothing! Now, there are many gifts, callings and ministries members of the Body of Christ have and all flow from the triune God by way of the working of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
No pastor or local church can say to any member, “you or your gifts are not needed here” since it is God who places each member in the Body as He wills by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). No pastor or church can declare as some have that certain of the New Testament gifts are no longer in play since it is the Lord who has established the purpose, function and order of spiritual gifts in the Church (1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:7-11). Indeed, it is because of the faithless, flesh driven dissertations of especially the guilty religious educated elite devoid of the Spirit that the spiritual bedlam I have seen and experienced in so many churches of various ethnicities and sizes exists today.
Again, the only remedy God provides for this is revival if proud and withering men will see their wicked ways and seek Him for it in all confession, repentance and heartfelt petition before it is too late. Otherwise, the aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ accepts his gift(s), calling and ministry as part of accepting his assigned roles from God. Specifically, he will yearn with love and zeal to serve the divine purposes as a son of God, disciple of Christ and servant through the spiritual gifts, calling and ministry he has been given by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 20:7-9; 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13)! There are no exceptions; every believer has at least one spiritual gift to serve God with.1 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 In 1992 a Fort Worth, Texas church first allowed me to present instruction on the Lord’s spiritual gifts out of the teaching gift I have been given. I have continued to in-
struct on this very important subject as a pastor and welcome any opportunities to do so now through our Strong Man Institute. I am also now in the process of devel-
oping Strong Man Of God resources on the topic to help Kingdom minded pastors and seeking Christians. Let me know of your interest by answering a single survey
question on the Feedback Page of our Web Site. In the meantime, as the Lord has led, I have laid a foundational introduction to the service of aspiring strong men of
God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. I urge every Christian reading this that seeks even a basic, biblical introduction to what serving God in the
Church is supposed to look like to get a copy of the book.
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