Strong Man Of God Blog

On June 29, 2014 in Instruction by Robert Kelley

It is with great joy that I announce the re-release of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics this July 1^st under the exclusive publishing imprint, ODCM Publishing Division a unit of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc., I was privileged by the Lord to found in 1985. This day has come in spite of all of the resisting and hindering tactics the enemy has employed in the process--to God be the glory! Why does this book concern Satan so? Because he fears the prospective results for good among Christian men that will result from widespread encounter with the content. For this re-release, I am reposting two blogs this and next week that stress the great need and urgency for my book. I have done some minor editing in paragraph construction and content in this first repost.

Originally Posted October 13, 2013

There is nearly universal agreement among leaders in the denominations and churches of American Christianity that more must be done to restore men to a biblical worldview of manhood. Of course, given the divisiveness that exists on all other matters great and small within this fractured house, the question of what a biblical worldview of manhood looks like is also the subject of debate. Most, in accord with the superficiality of manmade Christianity the religion however, are satisfied to major on helping men be better generic Christians, churchmen, husbands and fathers as far as that goes.

A few authors have done an excellent job of exploring and presenting a profile of the ideal man almost exclusively as Christian mortals of this present age. Along the way there are periodic large arena events, conferences, monthly meetings, occasional retreats and the annual golf tournament to support the effort to help men come into what is termed, “biblical manhood.” I am empathetic toward, salute and stand with those men that are sincerely and passionately committed to helping restore men to a biblical worldview of manhood. However, it is my conviction from the Spirit and Word of God that bringing them up to the already inferior standard of Christianity the religion as Christians and churchman is missing the biblical mark.

The current standard of manhood Christianity the religion of men promotes causes them to live out of balance; in the constant demeanor of a harmless lamb conversant with all of the words and ways of modern psycho-babble as husbands and fathers. This is an incomplete restoration of men that minimizes the most important eternal aspects of man the creature God is concerned about and instead, maximizes focus on the divinely ordained, but very temporal matters of this present, mortal existence (Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 14:25-27). Too, some among the Christian men’s movement, pastors, churches and their denominations are attempting to craft a non-threatening model of manhood loosely based on Scripture and in their own sectarian images that is also not offensive to secular society especially feminists. This is not only an incomplete restoration of men, but one that is downright corrupt and false!

Finally, far too many in all of the ways an incomplete restoration of men is attempted fail to hold up the absolutely critical role of the Holy Spirit as high as the Bible in the relationship He has with men, in men to craft the man God is making over into the image of Christ (John 3:1-8; Romans 8:1-9; 2 Corinthians 3:18). There is no such thing as “biblical manhood” without the Holy Spirit--why would you even dare to try? These men try because they are religious and deceived by their own arrogance into believing they can concoct a recipe of principles that can make a man God would be pleased with--foolishness!

By way of reminder, the biblical Church of Jesus Christ is not the world or of it! We that authentically make it up with gladness have been called out of the world and its thinking, attitudes and behavior (John 15:19; 17:6, 14-15). We are of the Kingdom of God (1 John 4:4-6, 5:18-20)! We remain in this world only to serve the purposes of our God. The principles and instruction of God’s Kingdom embodied in the Holy Scriptures directly inform every aspect of our thinking, attitudes and behavior as well as form our marching orders while in the world. Thus, as it concerns what a man is and does, what God has said in His Word is our singular and final source of instruction about it. We should not be forming our own beliefs, opinions or doctrines contrary to what God says in His written Word or listening to sinful, mortal flesh no matter how credentialed as a final authority.

God sent Jesus Christ into the world to save and fully restore men by supernatural transformation in line with the original divine purpose for creating man (Genesis 1:26; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 3:4-8). An incomplete restoration of men caused by the worldly focus, willful disobedience and arrogance of religious men displeases God the same way partial obedience does (1 Samuel 15:1-3, 7-11). The guilty must repent and move beyond the superficial and incomplete efforts to restore men typical today unless like the religious leaders of ancient Israel, you wrongly fear no divine consequence for this (Jeremiah 6:13-15, 8:10-12).

I invite every man as an individual seeking a biblical worldview of manhood to purchase and read my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available in the Strong Man Store on this Web Site. Also, as a pastor, education or denominational leader desiring to help men in these latter days learn the biblical worldview of manhood, visit our Strong Man Store to obtain the companion Men’s Group Study with Leader Guide, optional power point instructional support, and Participant Workbooks the Lord led me to produce to teach men the way of The Strong Man of God, Jesus Christ, in the group settings of local churches and beyond!

Tagged With: God seeks to fully restore men

Rebel Children Of Godly Fathers

On June 22, 2014 in Instruction by Robert Kelley

The final rebellion of this mortal age will feature the combined forces of fallen angels and unregenerate humans in the multiplied millions led by Satan marching against King Jesus ruling from Jerusalem. This occurs after His millennial reign ends in accord with His Father’s will so that He might eternally destroy them all (Ezekiel 38:1-17; Revelation 20:7-10)! You would think they would have learned their lesson at Armageddon when a thousand years before, God moved to restore Israel and displayed His superior power over the opposing fallen angels and human ancestors of those now being destroyed in His holy fire (Ezekiel 38:18-39:29; Revelation 16:15-21, 19:11-20:3).

However, rebellion rooted in sin can and will not reform itself to submit to God (Romans 8:7). This is the reason God in His infinite wisdom has called men to a salvation that immediately begins to regenerate and sanctify them from sin. Consequently, all aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ understand that the urgent imperative of our fathering like the Father is to lead our children to faith in Christ and teach them about Him by precept and example! I want to encourage the godly men who like me nobly set out to do this very thing but have seen only mixed or limited results; godly fathers whose children are rank rebels of this world in spite of our best efforts.

First, let us be clear. No parents in the history of this world have ever raised a perfect child but God, Joseph and Mary of Nazareth! Therefore, those of you reading this that proudly look down on us with rebel children: it was not your perfect parenting that may have spared you from the more obvious displays of sin in your child’s life or some special favor with God that caused any one of them to get saved. Truly, unsaved and rebellious parents end up with children that get saved every day as was my own case. My parents could lay no claim to leading me to faith in Jesus Christ because they did not even try. My grandmother took us to church periodically and that was it for family outreach.

Second, stop measuring yourself against the supposedly perfect fathering of my fellow authors in their how to books, pastors and the men at church whose children seem to be perfect. If you have done your best in seeking to be a father as modeled by God the Father, then hold your head up in thanksgiving that you have pleased Him--He knows you were not perfect and accepts this fact as reality. After all, He as the only true perfect Father had His creatures destined to be sons rebel against Him (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:6-11). Is anyone in their right mind faulting God as a failed Father because Eve and Adam rebelled? Or which of you perfect fathers will counsel Him (Job 36:22-23)?

Indeed, the rebellion against God by Adam’s seed continues to this very hour even among those claiming to love Him; those who by their rebellion show that they despise Him (Malachi 1:6-14; John 14:15; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 14:33-37). The Bible is also sprinkled with incidents of children rebelling against their godly fathers. One of the most famous of these is the case of Absalom when he rebelled against his father, David (2 Samuel 15). Now, David, as an imperfect father, did have some serious failures including when he did not severely discipline his son, Amnon for raping Absalom’s sister (2 Samuel 13). Still, this was no excuse for Absalom to rebel against his father.

For while God did permit the adversity of a rebellious son to come forth as judgment on David for his sin in the Bathsheba affair (2 Samuel 12:7-12), God Himself rose up against Absalom to destroy him in his rebellion against his father (2 Samuel 17:5-14; 18:1-18). Divine destruction in judgment is the final end of all unrepentant rebels whether it is my child or yours. This is why God made honoring parents one of His Ten Commandments and put capital punishment in the laws of Israel as a stern deterrent for those children that would hit or curse them or be rebellious without repentance (Exodus 20:12, 21:15, 17; Deuteronomy 21:18-21). And woe to those adults that support the rebellion of a man’s child against him as has happened to me (Romans 12:19)!

Last, my fellow godly father, keep praying and hopeful for your rebel child until your dying breath. In contemporary history, Franklin Graham, the son of one of Christianity’s greatest Evangelists, Billy Graham, rebelled as a youth against his father by his own testimony. Yet, like the prodigal son of our Lord’s parable given in part to show God the Father’s patient wait in love for His rebellious sons, he returned home in repentance from the “far country” of rebellion (Luke 15:11-24, NKJV). As Ezekiel 18:1-18 teaches, each soul is responsible to God for his own actions. If after having done your best, your children rebel, God does not hold you accountable--you did not fail!

In the final analysis, our rebellious children have done what their God given free will has desired in rebellion to do: rebel! No question about it; watching the self-destructive deeds of our rebel children is painful and it gets worse. Truly, God’s Word foretells a widespread feature of these latter days is the pain of having our rebel children in the midst of much family betrayal, turn on us to the point of betraying us to death--get prepared (Micah 7:5-7; Matthew 10:21-22, 34-39; Mark 13:12-13)! Nevertheless, your pain will never be greater than our holy God who must destroy them if they never repent. At that time, we will see if the children of the perfect fathers stay true to them and God or not.

Tagged With: Godly fathers can and do have rebel children

Strong Man Of God Blog

Robert Kelley's weekly instruction, observations and reflections inspired by the Lord posted each Sunday night.

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