Strong Man Of God Blog

            My mother used to steadfastly resist my beggarly appeals to go do what the other kids were doing with, “If all the kids go jump off a cliff, are you going to do it too?”  Of course, I said “no.”  However, for all of the sinful things I did do following after the crowd as a youth, I may as well have said yes.  Similarly, many pastors, elders, church leaders and professing Christians as members shamefully follow after each other’s breaks with God’s Word and worldly compromises in sin.  Like the carnal Corinthians of old, contemporary professing Christians have even divided themselves up with short hand labels (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-4).

            The Lord’s call to take His side in these latter days has nothing to do with the carnal divisions and labels of sinful human invention--or is the Lord to be blamed for this evil as some would have us believe by the fanatical loyalties they display to their political, social and theological factions?  No, but it is the Lord Jesus who dogmatically declared, “…every city or house divided against itself will not stand,” (Matthew 12:25, NKJV).  Clearly, the many in the divided house of American churches have decided an apparently dead Jesus was wrong on this point though the evidence of collapse to the contrary is all around us.  In this blog, the Lord leads me to briefly talk about what His side looks like.

Originally Published January 2011

            In these days of tolerance and avoiding even the appearance of being divisive, calling for Christians to take the Lord's side sounds extreme.  However, those who think this act as if the Lord Jesus is dead.  Such persons show their willful disregard of Bible truth and the reality that if Christ is proclaimed as risen from the dead, He is in fact, alive right now!  This is exactly the truth and reality that is intended to be communicated in the post-resurrection and ascension descriptions of encounters the apostles had with the Lord (Acts 9:1-6, 10:9-16, 18:9-10, 23:11; Revelation 1:9-20).

            If the Lord Jesus is alive as Scripture testifies and every truly born again believer knows from personal experience, then He knows the contemporary condition of His churches.  If the Lord knows the contemporary condition of His churches, then He as Lord would speak to and deal with them in perfect consistency with the whole counsel of God found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  This is what He is shown to be doing in Revelation 2:1-3:22 among seven churches of Asia Minor.  As He did not speak to those churches in terms of worldly political labels such as conservative and liberal, so He does not speak to us this way either.

            The Lord has His own side that stands in judgment of our sin driven divisions in and among the churches.  Indeed, as the Strong Man of God, Jesus Christ perfectly models the divine heart plainly laid out in Scripture which those bent on corruption distort to their shame and destruction (2 Peter 3:14-16)!  He is neither politically conservative nor liberal.  He is however, biblically conservative in preserving God's Word as it is written and therefore, simultaneously liberal in love.  His biblical worldview colors every aspect of His dealings with this world.  He calls every aspiring strong man of God to embrace His example as those taking His side.

            The Lord made it clear to even the strictest of Pharisees shackled by legalism and manmade religion, He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17-20).  In preserving God’s will in His written Word for example, the Lord Jesus (our Creator in the flesh) is completely opposed to murder.  Human life is sacred and so it is written in the Ten Commandments, '''You shall not murder,'" (Exodus 20:13, NKJV).  By His design human life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16).  Therefore, to forcibly terminate a human life in the womb after conception is murder in the eyes of the Lord.  Professing Christians that support abortion for any reason are not on the Lord's side.

            The Lord Jesus taught and put the love of God on display through forgiveness, a myriad of healing works and His death on the cross for our sins.  Tragically, Satan has deceived many that call themselves liberal Christians into believing that the Lord's acts of love were done outside of the Law.  They were not.  The love displayed by the Lord Jesus was in concert with and fulfilled the Law as He had declared (Mark 12:28-34; Romans 13:8-10).  Consequently, those calling themselves conservative Christians that tell a man to get a job, but then with cold hearts block his way through racial discrimination are not on the Lord's side.¹

            The scribes and Pharisees of Israel were meticulous observers of the Law and yet, were called hypocrites by the Lord because they pursued minor elements such as tithing, but neglected the weightier provisions of justice, mercy and faith.  Jesus said they should have done both (Matthew 23:23).  Many conservative Christians in like manner fail to display God's love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) while upholding His Word.  Many liberals with fallen human love fail to uphold God's Word (1 Corinthians 13:4-6).  Sin is never downplayed in the Bible at the expense of being loving or socially concerned (Isaiah 1:16-17; John 8:2-12).  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

1 See my booklet, The Scourge Of Racism, (Portland, OR: Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc., Publishing Division, 2005), p 57.   Purchase the booklet on the
   Resources Page, www.fromslaverytovictory.org.

            Some of our readers may have wondered why I have been reposting blogs.  Our Ministry has been suffering great satanic opposition that has included the sudden disappearance of a Web Site that formerly hosted The Strong Man Of God Blog from May 2011 through January 2014.  Another question others may have concerns the origin of the line, “The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, ‘Who is on the Lord’s side?’” which periodically concludes my blogs.  With great soberness not only do I share with you in all candor that the Lord Jesus spoke that question into my spirit, but also in this blog, I present the biblical and spiritual circumstances that led to it.

            Before and since beginning to write an internet blog, I have been writing a commentary for our Strong Man Of God Monthly Newsletter, a print publication Strong Man Ministries publishes.  In prayerfully seeking the Lord for the subject and content of the December 2010 issue, He took me to Exodus 32 and led me to write the words that are the specific content of this and the next two blogs.  I invite you as Scripture does to judge whether I truly speak from the Lord’s heart, mouth and written Word seeing that I have found no reason to be ashamed of or edit what I previously wrote except for greater grammatical accuracy (Deuteronomy 18:15-22; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22).  In the event you have not noticed as a regular reader, I fear God!

Originally Published December 2010

            History is an excellent teacher when men are wise enough to learn the lessons it offers.  For example, the Old Testament is filled with historical lessons individual Christians and our churches are even told by the apostle Paul were written for us to take warning (1 Corinthians 10:1-11).  But from the highly compromised spiritual state so many American churches are in, it is very apparent the warning of Paul and Israel's Old Testament experiences are going unheeded.  Indeed, spiritual adultery is so brazen and prolific the time has come to echo the cry of a righteously indignant Moses throughout the land, "Whoever is on the Lord's side--come to me," (Exodus 32:26, NKJV)!

            The voice echoing Moses is that of the Lord Jesus Christ delivered by His faithful prophets and church pastors; men who are God rather than people pleasers.  Men unlike Aaron who after Moses had gone up on the mountain to God, listened to the people to make them a god that would go out before them (Exodus 32:1-6).  This took place after just a scant forty days had gone by when Aaron and all the people had heard the very voice of God commanding them to neither put any god before Him or make an image of anything and bow to it.  But there it was, a golden calf that the people bowed to and indulged themselves in pagan revelry to honor (Exodus 32:7-20).

            When Moses returned he demanded to know what the people had done to Aaron to make him bring this sin on them.  After first blaming the people for the evil in their hearts, Aaron then wants Moses to believe he cast their gold into the fire and magically the idol appeared (Exodus 32:21-24).  Before you laugh, realize that is exactly the same kind of tall tale many pastors are telling each other today.  They have to give the people what they want even if it means compromising God's Word or the people bent on evil will leave.  The Lord Jesus who died to redeem sinners is not buying it and in righteous indignation is about to deal severely with American churches (Revelation 2:12-17).

            Before that day very near, the Lord is crying out among us to find out who is on His side?  Who is that servant that has remained faithful while the Lord Jesus like Moses has been away on Heaven's mountain with the Father; the servant who understands the local church is not his personal kingdom to rule as he sees fit, but a stewardship responsibility for which he will give an account (Matthew 24:45-51)?  When Moses cried out for the people to take sides, only his brethren of the tribe of Levi answered the call to be on the Lord’s side.  They went through the camp slaying those that continued in rebellion even after Moses had destroyed the idol (Exodus 32:25-29).

            For those with ears and will hear, the strong man of God cause is bound up in the Lord's call to His people at this hour to take sides.  Of the many golden calves American churches have built, compromising God's Word on the family, male and female roles in the home and churches is especially wicked.  They have given heed to the world and corrupted God's Word to support this idol as did Aaron (Exodus 32:5).  Churches, aiding and abetting Satan in destroying humanity's God ordained foundation: families and the men who lead them!  Let every man who fears the Lord and is guilty repent while His mercy is still near.

            Let every pastor who is guilty repent and issue the Lord's cry to His people you have been entrusted to shepherd and supposedly love.  Destroy the golden calves of compromise with the world in your midst.  For the destroying angels of God's judgment have already unsheathed their swords and are about to move among the churches to deliver His great displeasure.  It is certain; it is done because Christ has already made atonement for the sins of the guilty that have looked to Him.  But the rebels who continue defiantly in their way will be plagued by the Lord (Exodus 32:30-35).  Who will learn from Bible history and be on the Lord’s side?  Let him come to the Lord right now!