Strong Man Of God Blog

         Surely, especially the young souls of this 21st century will ask me, “What is the big deal about women leading men in the churches? They are doing so everywhere else in the world. Aren’t you just being sexist, legalistic and judgmental?” If the matter of divine order was not to be taken seriously, then I am thoroughly convinced God would not have me wasting my time bothering with it as it concerns restoring men or for any other reason. However, divine order is the critical issue of this present age. Since fallen angels and mankind have rebelled against it, the Holy God has pronounced judgment on both! God is a God of order throughout all of existence (Jeremiah 23:24).

         As the Lord led me to write about in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, the divine Family of Father, Son and Holy Spirit have order within their triunity and equality as God. God the Father reigns as absolute supreme, sovereign with the Son and Holy Spirit in joyful submission. The Holy Spirit carries out the will of the Father and the Son. From eternity, the triune God has reigned over the environs and creatures of the spiritual realm (Exodus 3:13-14; Psalm 90:2). Led by a single rebel, some of the holy angels created in the order of their domain and ranks rebelled against God to be condemned to everlasting fire (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:3-4, 20:10).

         It is written: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” (Genesis 1:1, NKJV). With that statement as the opening of the divine commissioned written communication to mankind through Moses, God makes the unequivocal declaration that God is the Creator of the entire physical creation or what is called today, the cosmos which according to the Encarta Dictionary is “the universe considered as an ordered and integrated whole.” Indeed, the order that exists in the universe from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies in the billions filled with solar systems and planets such as our earth in orderly procession is mind boggling (Psalm 147:4-5; Isaiah 40:25-26)!

         Clearly, the God of order created the cosmos with order! Even the most cynical fools among scientists today that say “there is no God,” must acknowledge the staggering order of the cosmos (Psalm 14:1-3, 19:1-6, NKJV). Our Creator even created His cosmos, the earth and its contents in an orderly fashion leading to the apex and ultimate purpose for the divine work: the creation of man to rule over all that God had created (Genesis 1:2-26; Psalm 8; Hebrews 2:5-8a). God gave mortal man purpose and order (Genesis 1:27-28, 2:7). Man dwelt in a body of order and could appreciate not only the technical wonder of the creation that surrounded him, but its beauty (Genesis 2:8-14).

         In the order God gave man, God retained the right of sovereign Headship as Creator giving him tasks and a commandment (Genesis 2:15-17). After creating his female companion from him for him in accord with the divine order of marriage, she led them to rebel against God (Genesis 2:18-3:6). Nevertheless, their sin did not cause God to change the divine order of marriage. As I wrote in an April 2011 Commentary for another platform, “Man as male and female in marriage is God's orderly program for them to fulfill His purposes in this age. Man the male as the head of his family--even after falling in sin--is so by divine will, design and order (Genesis 3:16b).”

         We now exist in and observe a cosmos as well as earth with all of its many systems of order after their ruin at the rebellion and fall of man (Genesis 3:17-19). As God did not change the divine order of marriage after man sinned and the pre-announced judgment was carried out, neither did God alter the ultimate divine purpose for mankind to rule over the cosmos. In accord with the foreordained divine plan, the Son of God came down to make atonement for our sins in His death on the cross, burial and resurrection so that God might righteously forgive and fully restore men that believe (Hebrews 2:8b-18). After redeemed men, God will also restore the cosmos (Romans 8:18-22).

         Truly, the Lord Jesus and His apostles joyfully heralded God’s good news! The apostle Paul in particular sent to the Gentiles taught the will, instructions and commandments of God’s order faithfully (1 Timothy 2:11-15). But now, knowing the plain warning of the apostle Paul that applies to all men (Romans 1:18-2:16), many professing Christians are participating in the world’s rebellion against God’s order of marriage and that of His house with women leading and taking authority over men. Therefore, as only a foretaste and warning of the wrath to come, the whole world that banks on the dependable order of time installed by God at creation will experience among other of His judgments very near, its abrupt disruption as humanity has known it on earth (Revelation 8:12-13).

         Again, as I wrote in that 2011 Commentary, “If the fixed order of day and night that God has established were to be disrupted, chaos on earth would ensue. So it is now with human rebellion against His fixed order of the family” and I add for this blog, His house. But no one seems to care about this except the faithful--every aspiring strong man and great woman of God! Since the world and many professing Christians in rebellion believe that casting aside the divine order is no big deal, God is about to show them as a consequence how wrong they are. Let the faithful saints be comforted in their foreknowledge and understanding of why the Lord’s judgment suddenly falls. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”

         Rather than fear of judgment where there is mental and emotional torment, God would have His sons relate to Him in “perfect (complete) love” that involves full obedience to His will, way and Word (John 14:15; 1 John 4:17-19, NKJV). This is also the heart of godly fathers toward their children. However, if His sons who claim to love Him do not obey, then as the perfect Father, God who loves us, chastens us as even we human fathers do out of love for our children (Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:11-12, 13:24; Hebrews 12:3-11). Therefore, if a man wishes to minimize the fear of God’s judgment as chastening in his life he should repent from sin and live in obedience (Revelation 3:19).

         For this reason, pastors, elders and leaders that bristle at God’s call to repentance from your compromises and defiant corruptions of His Word to have your own way in putting women in authority over men in the churches should reflect deeply on God’s advance announcement of judgment. If not impostors, are you not sons of God too with those you shepherd supposedly under Christ in the churches? If you are so big in your own eyes the judgment of God elicits no fear in your heart when you know that you are guilty, then, you are too big! As it is written, ‘“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble;’” the humble submit to God in repentance (James 4:6-10, NKJV). 

         Pastor, elder, and leader: your proud resistance of the Holy Spirit is not only bringing judgment on you, but also ultimately--if you care--all of the men and women of the church who are following your compromised lead. Consequences for your disobedience are already negatively impacting the few men in the church you are supposed to be serving. Indeed, because of you they are confused and compromised! They are confused because if they are students of God’s Word to any extent, they read and plainly understand what it says concerning the service of women in the local church. But you are clearly not obeying it for any number of fallacious reasons--if you have said anything at all.

         Many of these men have such a regard for their pastor (or their positions) they will tolerate without open question his disobedience in putting women in authority over men as pastors, deacons, worship and ministry leaders. At once such men become compromised by their silence or enthusiastic support for their pastor’s disobedience. They know what the Word says, but most just simply look the other way assuming God must be okay with it. Some comfort themselves that God will deal with the pastor if he is wrong. In truth though, God holds us all accountable for what we know. Therefore, pastors, elders and leaders too are to be rebuked even publically for “sinning” and we are not to share in another man’s sins (1 Timothy 5:19-22, NKJV).

         In line with the apostle Paul’s instruction, of course, a number of men who want to be true to God and obedient to His Word feel forced to leave the church after properly confronting their pastors and there is no repentance. This is very sad since these men are being demanded to choose between submission to disobedient pastors and the Word of God. Ironically, nearly all of the disobedient pastors will attempt to force submission to themselves by misapplying the Scriptures that righteously teach submission to church leaders. However, undoubtedly, Scripture is assuming the obedience of the pastors. When they are not obedient, God is to be obeyed (Acts 4:13-31, 5:17-32).

         I sorrow greatly for the sincere men that become disillusioned because of pastoral disobedience to the point they leave churches and many never return. These are grown men not fools or children easily duped. And while they should continue to seek out other local churches where the leadership is submissive and obedient to Christ and God’s Word, those churches are getting harder and harder to find! I sorrow also for the confused men and compromised sons of God still in the churches where God’s Word about the order of His house is not obeyed because it opens the door to their willful disobedience in other areas, more compromise and perpetual weakness in Christ.

         Truly, both Christian men and women that look the other way in the face of clear pastoral compromise of God’s Word because “we love our pastor,” are allowing themselves to be led astray and are opened to still greater corruptions from such men. For if a man will compromise one part of God’s Word to serve his purposes, what other parts of the Word will he not fear God enough to avoid compromising? On top of this, these church members become followers of the pastor in a cult of personality and idolatry instead of Jesus who is Lord of His Church and governs it in accord with the written Word (Psalm 40:6-10; Matthew 5:17-20; Colossians 2:6-10; Hebrews 10:5-7).

         We have seen the scandalous ruin of pastors and collapse of churches time and again in these latter days that have been caught up in the cult of personality. Not even the godly pastor can follow behind to clean up the mess without great difficulty lest he run off the many that became complacent under the previous leadership believing the new leader leads them astray though he teaches the Word of God uncompromised. Therefore, from the pulpit to the pews our strong man of God cause and message calls for soul deep repentance in God’s house to properly and fully restore men in order, peace and obedience as befits the lives and assembly of the sons of God.