The Scourge Of Racism
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Released October 5, 2023
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God’s salvation from my sins in Christ is the best thing that ever happened for me! When I think about how by even at the young age of twenty I had lived such a sinful life and was still alive to tell about it, I am fully thankful to God for His longsuffering He obviously had graciously and mercifully shown me. A wretch if there ever was one not a few who knew me in those days would hesitate to affirm, I marvel to this day that God forgave my sins, filled me with His Holy Spirit and took up residence in me on that Easter Sunday 1977 to begin the intended “forever” relationship He undertakes with all of those He saves (John 1:12-13, 3:1-8, 7:37-39, 14:15-24; Acts 2:36-39, NKJV).
While it took the Lord another 22 months from when He entered my life to finally have me get real with Him during a time of fasting and consecration He commanded me to,1 in the years since, I have been undergoing everything I wrote about from Scripture in a post earlier this month concerning the transformational renewing and regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.2 I am a living witness that when a professed Christian gets real with God in all submission and letting go of the world, the Holy Spirit will supernaturally act to begin transforming our way of thinking formerly governed by Satan, sin and self for example, to the bring it into line with “the mind of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, NKJV).3
In The Scourge Of Racism, I write about experiences with racism from my youth that filled me with anger and futile bitterness.4 Having been made in the image of the perfectly just and righteous God (Genesis 1:26a) though it is fallen due to sin, all mankind at some level has an angry reaction to injustice and unrighteous wrongdoing. For this cause, I can still be angered by the bigoted attitudes of racism and attending acts of discrimination I experience and/or see happen to others in the world. But now, after years of the mind renewing work of the Holy Spirit I am learning to dispose of my anger properly (Ephesians 4:17-32). When I do, bitterness cannot set up in my heart.5
In renewing my mind, the Holy Spirit has also fully convinced me to trust in Christ’s defeat of racism and all sin on the cross (Hebrews 9:26b); His fiery victory over racism and all forms of evil in the coming vengeance of His and the Father’s wrath (Romans 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; 2 Peter 3:10-13)! Too, the Holy Spirit has given me the means through His spiritual gifts, calling and ministry to help His way in the right now struggle against racism and all of the harmful sins of humanity. As a preacher of the Gospel, I am able to joyfully herald the salvation of God in Christ that made human and my inner regeneration possible; teach about it as a teacher to willing believers and as I have in The Scourge Of Racism, serve also as the Lord’s watchman/prophet calling His people to obedience.
1 Read the February 17, 2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God!
2 See the November 12, 2023 post, Loving With The Love Of God, under the category, Instruction.
3 Aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ are taught in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics that having the mind of Christ is an absolute imperative! The book is available in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
4 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 31-32. These cited pages briefly present my introduction to racism growing up in Seaside, CA on the Monterey Peninsula. Get the recently released book in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
5 Bitterness as an entitlement right of victimization many blacks cling to is contrary to the will of God for the professed Christian (Ephesians 4:30-32). If you are living in bit- terness you are walking outside of Christ. He bids you return to Him. Understand this fully by watching our thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube.
God is awesome beyond human words to express, for even in the judgment of His “wrath” as the prophet prays, He does “remember mercy,” (Habakkuk 3:1-2, NKJV)! Consequently, a remnant of Israel will be forgiven in accord with His grace at the return of Christ and because “He delights in mercy,” (Psalm 103:8-10; Micah 7:16-20; Zechariah 12:10-13:1, NKJV). In parallel with Samson’s story as I write about in The Scourge Of Racism1 and biblical revival spurred by repentance among those of ancient Judah at the time of Hezekiah the king, the Lord is displaying grace and mercy to those of His Church that with humbled hearts return to Him during the adversities of His judgment.2
I will leave it to the reader of this post to discover the particulars surrounding the parallel story of the American Church with the Bible’s physically strong man, Samson (Judges 13-16).3 Suffice it to say here that although Samson had failed the Lord miserably in his spiritual weakness leading to utter humiliating disgrace, God showed him grace at his end such that he had a final outstanding fulfillment of his calling and mission. The Church of Jesus Christ exists on earth at all and in America not by the will of sinful flesh, but His (Matthew 16:13-18)!4 God has made Him the Head (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:15-18). Many over the centuries have willfully forgotten these biblical truths.
Like Samson who started out well, during the assembling years of those fleeing the corruption and turmoil of Europe’s Catholic and Protestant versions of counterfeit Christianity to what would become America, there were some who nobly set out and did the will of Christ as His Church. Others--many others, did not as evidenced by the ignoble history of American slavery, followed after the Lord’s severe rebuke with Jim Crow Segregation which still found ways to violently oppress former slaves and others of color as even spiritual brothers and through the active overt arrogance of racial bigotry and discrimination by some; covert complicity through silence by many to this very hour.
As He led me to write in several previous posts, the Lord is now, moving through His Church in judgment for not only tolerating, practicing and enabling the gross sin of racism, but being so spiritually unfaithful as to serve other gods in idolatry, brazenly stand with the world in rebellion against God’s order of mankind from creation and indulge the sexually immoral among others.5 As has the Church’s sins, Samson’s finally caught up to him as the Lord in judgment allowed him to suffer the full weight of their consequences. After a little season though, the Lord showed Samson grace and mercy by letting him go out (die) fulfilling his calling and mission as intended once more.
Similarly, the Lord extends grace and mercy with bona fide biblical revival to His humbled (remnant to be sure) American Church in the midst of the escalating adversities allowed as part of His judgment. There is so much unnecessary confusion in the use of the word “revival” today. It is used by many especially in Christian media to indicate any apparent event where the activity of God seems to be at work to excite an assembly of people.6 But while everything having to do with the saving and reviving of souls is the supernatural activity of God at work, biblical revival follows His judgment on those already His people, their humble repentance from sin and deeds freshly empowered by Him.
What happened with ancient Judah under king Hezekiah is a perfect example. Following behind the evil deeds of his father, king Ahaz, who had worshipped other gods, sacrificed some of his children to the fire, destroyed articles of, trashed and shut down the Temple putting the priests out of work and leading to God’s severe judgment on the nation (2 Chronicles 28), Hezekiah went the other direction and cultivated a heart of faithfulness to Him. He called upon the priests and Levites to repent and commanded they clean up God’s Temple (2 Chronicles 29:1-19). He then, directed these men to restore worship and led out with other city leaders to participate (2 Chronicles 29:20-36). After this He called all Israel and Judah to commemorate Passover at the Temple (2 Chronicles 30).
Having freshly encountered God through repentance and revival of spirit, the people went forth to tear down the implements of idolatry in the land. The king also saw to it that the Temple and the men God had ordained to serve Him there were taken care of wherever they lived. As is typical of authentic revival that takes place in the heart, the king served God “with all his heart. So he prospered,” (2 Chronicles 31, NKJV). Such revival could have occurred in the American Church years ago, but holding on to the sin of racism among others has prevented it until now. Proud and obstinate, many have not been willing to receive correction.7 However, the severe adversities the Lord in judgment is permitting will change this (Isaiah 57:15, 66:1-2; James 4:1-10; 1 Peter 5:6-11).
1 The book is available in this Ministry’s Web Site Stores including the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. View the short book trailer.
2 Watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord. It is one of the ways the Lord is presently manifesting His grace and mercy; appealing to His professed people as Christians who have strayed from or are not living for Him with a sold out heart to return!
3 Greater are the men that are spiritually strong in the image of Jesus Christ as I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics! The Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions are available in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
4 While the Lord declares in the passage cited regarding His Church, “and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (VS. 18, NKJV), this does not mean as some I have heard assert that destructive evil He permits cannot assail and even diminish it on earth! What He means is “the dead in Christ” which includes every faithful believer and martyr from the first century until He returns are with Him in Heaven, not Hades where those who don’t know Him go when they die to await the judgment (Matthew 11: 20-24; John 14:1-3, 17:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 12:18-24; Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-17, NKJV).
5 Read the July 9, 2023 post, Corrupt Christians Not Hidden From God, the one on July 23, 2023, The Nations Do Not Impress God, both under the category, Call To Repent and the September 24, 2023 post, Racism In Christ’s Church A No-No, under the category, Instruction.
6 See the July 16, 2023 post, God Saves While Judging, under the category, Call To Repent.
7 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 57-58.
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