Strong Man Of God Blog

            The suffering and death the Coronavirus pandemic will have caused the world by its end is tragic.  It is though, the beginning of God's next level judgments that vindicate His warnings through us crying out to the world about sin and churches their rebellion against His Word, toleration of falsehood and worldly compromises.¹  Indeed, the rapidity by which the pestilence spread throughout the earth, came upon our nation and overtook my January through March 2020 posts calling yet again for repentance among guilty churches and warning of coming judgment will be among my most powerful memories of the event.  As I warned in the opening of a March post, the Lord “ain’t playing.”²

            God’s Coronavirus judgment among other things is to also be considered another significant paradigm shift in His program for Christians and churches of similar end as that which occurred with the Jerusalem church after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1-4).  Negatively, the stoning of Stephen led to a severe persecution breaking out against the Jerusalem church causing “all” but the apostles to be “scattered” in every direction out of the city (Acts 8:1, NKJV).  In the positive, the Jerusalem saints getting run out of town led to their beginning to fulfill the next phase in the Lord’s preannounced will and plan for how He was to be witnessed geographically (Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8, 8:4).

            Negatively, the Coronavirus pandemic has closed the doors of many churches; some that will never open again.  All Christians have suffered and suffer to various degrees through the challenges created by the pestilence; some have the illness and a relative few have died.  Others are enduring the illness of loved ones sickened by the virus and the grief of loss.  Many have failed the test of faith through fear in the event; some are rebounding through repentance.  Some in despair walk away from churches.  Others, called again to repent, continue to rebel in unbelief to their destruction shared in common with apostates who walk away from Christ never to return (Hebrews 3:7-19, 10:35-39).³

            In the positive, the Lord through the Coronavirus pandemic has only mercifully chastened us to whatever extent any surviving Christian and church has suffered (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:3-11; Revelation 3:19).  Guilty where sin has been involved up to the swift onset of the pestilence, the repentant and humbled are freshly giving themselves in fidelity back to God--His will, way and Word!  And while a number of pastors and churches have been creatively maintaining some form of corporate connection to members in the crisis, it should be clearly understood God’s one will, way and Word as it is written involves equipping men to lead His worship at home and in His house!⁴

            Truly, Christian men new and seasoned restored in God’s revival stemming from all of this are to be in the vanguard of a renewed and final push by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel and make disciples of the nations using mortal flesh (Matthew 24:14, 28:19-20; Mark 13:10, 16:15; Acts 26:8-20)!⁵  Our restored sisters are to be just as God designed: helpers and supporters of their husbands and men as they go forth (Luke 8:1-3; Romans 16:1-2); leaders in the cause to reach fellow women and children (Acts 9:36-42).  If that sounds beneath you as a woman and insulting, you still need to repent from the stronghold of pride filled worldly feminism that retains its grip on your heart!

            On this point as with every other matter the Bible plainly commands and teaches we should all be on one accord.  For God does not have a multitude of wills, but there is only one declared consistently and without ambiguity on every issue in His Word as it is written!  Passionately honoring this truth going forward as those revived by the one Holy Spirit, we fulfill Christ’s will delivered by His apostle, Paul, that walking “worthy of the calling” upon us in all “lowliness and gentleness with longsuffering” and forbearing “love” for one another, we strive hard “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” (Ephesians 4:1-3, NKJV).  Over the past 500 years many professed Christians and their churches have striven for just the opposite and we see the result in ungodly divisions!⁶

            However, if it must be as foretold that we go out as “sheep for the slaughter” for Christ’s sake, then, let us go out in unity faithfully pleasing Him and doing His will as we ought--the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in His image (Matthew 24:9-12; Romans 8:36, NKJV)!⁷  For “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all,” (Ephesians 4:4-6, NKJV).  At the moment, we “hide” ourselves physically until the Lord’s indignation passes; laboring using media and waiting to emerge to zealously get after it (Isaiah 26:20-21, NKJV)!  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

1 God’s  vindication  in  my  lifetime  of the word of warning and judgment He assigned in 1986 (Ezekiel 33:1-9) is deeply rewarding to me and I am sure all of His other

   faithful  servants.  Many  of the Bible’s prophets did not have this experience speaking as they did of events far removed into the future (1 Peter 1:10-12).  To be sure,

   the  Lord’s vindication has nothing at all to do with those of us faithfully laboring, but a timely birth and nearness of His glorious Second Coming (Psalm 102:16; 1 Co-

   rinthians 1:16-31; 2 Corinthians 10:17-18)!  Glory to God!

2 See the March 15, 2020 post, Torn Between Two Masters, Pt. 1, under the category, Call To Repent.

3 Read the April 19, 2020 post, Does Anybody Repent Anymore? under the category, Call To Repent.

4 Pastor,  it  never  did nor will it serve any good biblical end going forward to reserve the church house with its buildings and programs (which God has now, powerfully

   shown  He  can  do  without and does not absolutely need especially when things are not going to be done His way) as the exclusive place of instruction, worship, fel-

   lowship  and  ministry.  In  the  wisdom  of God from the beginning every man was assigned by Him to be the spiritual leader of his house (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-3, 21,

   4:1-7, 8:20; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 1 Timothy 3:2-5, 12).  While you can easily teach the men of the church you lead to do as I have instructed in the free document, Men

 Leading Family Worship At Home, save yourself some time since it has already been prepared.  Download it from the Strong Man Store and use it!

5 Read the more thorough six-part treatment of this reality that begins July 30, 2017, Restoring Men In the Two Minute Drill, under the category, The Cause.

6 The  apostle  Paul, who wrote of divisions in the church at Corinth numbering just a handful, would be astonished to find them in the tens of thousands throughout pro-

   fessing  global  Christianity  today!  Too,  he would marvel that few consider this state of affairs abnormal and wicked in the sight of God who now, judges; calling guilty

   leaders to repentance (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-4).  While Paul’s focus in the passages just cited was on divisions created by personality loyalties, all should be clear

   the  great  apostle would not condemn them caused by the faithful standing firm in disallowing the biblically defined sin of those that insist for example, on practicing all

   forms of sexual immorality--a reason God Himself will exclude all such persons from the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 6:9-20; Galatians 5:19-21). 

7 I  write  about  the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.  Get a print copy or digital download of the book 

   at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).  You can also get a print copy in the Strong Man Store.

            The holy days of Passover, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday have come and gone now, and the Coronavirus pestilence has continued to take its toll in human suffering and death across the earth as many in the medical community feared.  The frantic hunt for a remedy continues also though, it has actually been available from the outset.  However, the world in sinful pride and obstinacy does not want to seriously consider it.  Like it or not this is due in some measure to especially professed Western Christians not being willing to implement the remedy themselves and credibly proclaim it to the world or in follow up to my April 5, 2020 post, did anybody repent as called upon by God?¹

            Since the Coronavirus is not His ordained end for mankind, let the scientists keep working for a cure and vaccine that God in grace and mercy may grant them to finally obtain though, this pestilence will remain with others to follow.  That said, I understand why the unsaved wicked have an aversion to repentance from sin having once been among them.  But I confess to continuing amazement that this is the case among professed Christians to whom at the Lord’s command since 1986, I have been blowing the trumpet of warning He gave me and sounding His call to repentance (Ezekiel 33:1-9)!  Professed Christians have ostensibly only gained entry into Christ through repentance and faith.

            Supposedly, the Gospel was to them as it should have been the joyous announcement that God is willing to forgive all of the past transgressions, sins and iniquities of fallen sinners that repent and believe in the atoning death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Those that did so were supposedly brought to new birth and eternal life by the Holy Spirit as He indwelt them and reconciled to God in New Covenant relationship (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 1:16-17, 3:21-26, 5:6-11, 8:1-6).  Knowing salvation’s cost and our Holy Father’s eternal hostility to sin, supposedly they were regularly confessing and repenting from it to avoid breaking fellowship (Romans 6; 1 John 1:5-2:2).

            Alas, though, in the likeness of my ministry predecessors I have been blowing the trumpet in futility to a professed people of God that refuse to hear!  From the leaders to the people the many are open rebels against the will, way and Word of God as was ancient Judah right up to and during His judgment that sent them to Babylon in 586 B.C.  Indeed, as with Judah in those days so, the wickedly bold in the churches today answer God’s call to repentance with ‘“What have I done,’” (Jeremiah 8:4-7, NKJV)?  Consequently, the prophet Ezekiel was commissioned and sent to Judah labeled a “rebellious nation” and “house” as captives in Babylon (Jeremiah 10:17-18; Ezekiel 1:28-2:5, NKJV)!

            I learned to read the old fashioned way using simple books with simple phrases like, “See spot run.”  The accompanying picture helped me understand what I was reading.  Now, God has made the commandments of His Word plain enough as written for the simplest minds and hearts to understand (2 Corinthians 1:12-14).  He has also given us the Holy Spirit as our Teacher to make things even plainer (John 14:15-26, 16:12-15; 1 John 2:26-27).  Thus, when Christ, for example, commands with supporting doctrine through His apostle that women are not to stand in usurpation “to teach or have authority over a man,” it is plain enough to understand as “See spot run” (1 Timothy 2:11-15, NKJV)! 

            But like the rebels of ancient Judah, after a century of incremental disobedience many in the churches today have fully cast off what the Word of God says about women teaching and taking authority over adult men; attempting with the world to re-define sin and sign God’s name to it in the process (Psalm 2:1-3).²  They also insist the teaching of Christ’s handpicked apostle was parochial, wrongheaded and uninspired personal thinking not proper for a more enlightened time.³  Instead, what they think, feel and believe has taken priority.⁴  As a result, they do not answer God’s call to repent because in their eyes and that of the god they have invented in idolatry, they have not sinned!

            As He spoke to Israel’s tribes, God would know what else can He do and what He did to you that you spurn His love and great salvation (Hosea 6:4-6; Micah 6:1-5)?  In His Coronavirus judgment where you cannot go to church (Isaiah 1:10-14; Amos 5:21-24), you cajole and hope speaking to God of His love and mercy.  You also fast and make prolonged public prayers for the pestilence to end and revival.  But the Lord does not hear you because there is no soul deep repentance or turning from sin (Isaiah 1:15, 59:1-8) like king David (Psalm 51:1-17) and when we first came to Him (Acts 19:18-19; 2 Corinthians 7:10-11).⁵  There will be no revival except among those individual Christians that have met with God and thoroughly repented from their sins (Isaiah 1:16-19)!⁶ 

            Evidence of His reviving work is men restored in the Body of Christ as the whole of God’s Word instructs.⁷  Without complete soul deep repentance and Holy Spirit fired revival that comes to individual believers and sweeps widely across Western Christianity, expect more severe judgment for all the world to see as befell Jonah who also rebelled against God (Isaiah 1:20; Ezekiel 33:10-11; Jonah 1:1-16).  Afterward, those restored in revival will be wholly obedient to the Lord as was Jonah after his time in “the fish’s belly,” (Jonah 1:17-2:10, NKJV).  Too, the world’s resistance to repent as ancient Nineveh once did at the preaching of Jonah will be briefly, but fruitfully overcome (Jonah 3).⁸  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

1 The post is entitled, God Is Speaking, under the category, Call To Repent.

2 See  the November 9, 2014 post, Re-defining Sin, under the category, Call To Repent.  Not doing what the Word as it is written says is willful disobedience; hypocrisy

   and self-delusion if one also claims to love the Lord (1 John 5:3). 

3 This  is  all  biblically  refuted by me as the Lord leads in the second Appendix of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.  Get a print copy or digital down-

   load  of  the  book  at  major  internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).  You can also get a print copy in the 

   Strong Man Store.

4 Read the May 31, 2015 post, What Does God’s Word Say?, under the category, Instruction.  It culminates a month of posts in which the Lord led me to take on the ar-

   guments  of  “I  think (which includes the popular, but unbiblical construction of personal theologies and truth statements), I feel and I believe.”  It does not matter what

   you  or I think, feel or believe about God and His Word no matter how educated.  Only what God’s Word objectively and honestly interpreted and applied actually says

   matters  (Proverbs 3:5)!  This  is  a  point the Lord also led me to stress in posts directed to the religious educated elite within Christendom.  See the October 18, 2015

   post,  Pursuing  Credentials And Authority and the two-part, Religious Educated Elite Wiser Than God? beginning October 25, 2015 all under the category, Call To Re-

   pent.

5 See the August 31, 2014 post, Soul Deep Repentance, under the category, Call To Repent.

6 Read  The  Sham  Cry  For  Revival under the category, Call To Repent, posted on August 17, 2014.  Spiritual revival from God is not a public event though it may take

   place in such a setting.  It is the aftermath of soul deep repentance in the individual hearts of believers that have totally forsaken their rebellion and turned back to God!

   Guilty  women, for example, would renounce their transgressions and iniquities involved in serving the worldly feminist cause; voluntarily walking away from pastorates,

   leading  worship  and  all  positions  where  they  take authority over and teach adult men in the churches and related entities.  Guilty male pastors would completely re-

   nounce  their  pride,  ego  and  selfish  ambitions that have led to phony, entertainment rooted so-called worship with lights and smoke to attract a crowd not to God, but

   their churches.

7 This is in accord with the three-part post the Lord gave me that began on January 8, 2017, In God’s Revival Men Are Restored, under the category, The Cause.

8 Read the six-part post that begins July 30, 2017, Restoring Men In the Two Minute Drill, under the category, The Cause.