The Scourge Of Racism
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Clearly, as the Lord has been leading me to write, the most favorable times of the supposed “church age” have passed. Respected observers including Voice Of The Martyrs have been tracking the intensifying hostility and hatred toward as well as persecution of Christians around the globe. In the mix, God is carrying out His millennia ago announced judgment in His house, sifting out faithful from professed Christians among ancient cultures in their lands; separating them from familiar religious structures that are being destroyed. In America, churches are not only dying, but the legal fracture between church and state has become a widening chasm in only a generation as anti-Christians from all persuasions reject the national primacy of Christianity as biblical or manmade religion in every form.
While the handwriting is on the wall for the prophetically foretold hate-filled, anti-Christian sentiment of these latter days to flash over into severe persecution in America as it has and does marching across the planet (Matthew 24:9), many pastors continue to pursue their ambitious church expansion plans in what can only be described as empire building. As the Lord led, I warned in the introduction to the August 16, 2015 blog repost, “Finding God’s Lost Book,” under the category, Call To Repent, such plans driven by the male ego need for leaving a legacy are doomed to come crashing down in God’s judgment! I gave this warning with the following 2012 Commentary I wrote for The Strong Man Of God Monthly Newsletter also in mind that serves as my blog post today.
Originally Published December 2012
It is all the rage today. From corporate chieftains to entertainers, city planners and pimps empire building has migrated from its once exclusive domain among megalomaniac military conquerors and despotic rulers to the common man. Not to be outdone are many pastors and Ministry leaders across America that live for nothing but how to enlarge their name recognition, power, influence and affluence through empires of expanse, brick and mortar. I confess that I am no stranger to such notions and write this as the Spirit leads to myself as much as to fellow servants of God as a warning from the Lord not to go there. For those that have already, our Lord calls you to repent!
As the Lord led me to write in the December 2011 Commentary, The Ambition Of Men, ambition is in man from God as part of our natural make up in being made in the divine image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1-2).1 God is nobly ambitious! Therefore, in and of itself ambition is not evil. Empire building grows out of the God ordained ambition in men to rule, accomplish, build and expand in doing so. As sinners, the corruption of our hearts due to sin influences our motives and causes us not to be concerned about how we empire build (even criminally) or who we hurt in the process. This is evil. In sin, the selfish ambition of men to empire build is of pride and personal glory.
Sinful men of visionary leadership and selfish ambition have historically built great empires. To this day, the world empires of ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece led by Alexander the Great and Rome remain classic studies in empire building. These empires all have in common that they rose and fell in time; their ruins litter the grounds they once stood on. Indeed, God Almighty promises a similar and cataclysmic fate for all the kingdoms of this world with their proudly built structures and monuments to human achievement near the glorious appearing of His King, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 2:10-22, 13:6-13; Daniel 2:24-45; Revelation 6:12-17, 11:15-18)!
The foregoing all being true, it completely amazes me that beginning with the Catholic Church centuries ago and among churches, denominations and ministries of every sort to this hour, ambitious men in the cause of "doing great things for God" labor diligently to build religious empires. These empires are complete with territorial expansion goals and all of the outward splendor and glory of structures men can create in an effort to leave a lasting legacy of their proud achievements. Did these men not get God’s memo from His Word? Every lofty construction of men and mountain is to be brought down close to Christ's return (Revelation 16:17-20, 17:1-6, 15-18:24)!
Many pastors and Ministry leaders reason, of course, that we do not know precisely when the Lord will return. So, buildings of function must be built to serve the needs of the Body of Christ until that Day. True. But this is not what is happening today in many cases as extravagant budgets and fundraising efforts are put into constructing buildings reminiscent of the acclaimed opulence of Vatican holdings to enlarge what are called "campuses." This would not be so bad if it really were all for God’s glory. In truth, many churches especially are expanding their empires to gratify the egos of pastors that see themselves as singularly able to draw and keep crowds. This is pride and arrogance at work.
What a stark contrast to our Lord Jesus! Though He owned and was surrounded by glorious splendor beyond the finite human mind to imagine and possessed a foretold destiny of greatness superior to any other (Isaiah 9:6-7), He allowed Himself to be born in a smelly animal stable to serve the purposes of God (Luke 2:4-7). In so serving, He wore the common clothes of His people and had no residence of His own (Luke 9:57-58). He washed the feet of and allowed Himself to be crucified for sinners. He died having built no buildings or monuments to Himself. However, He rose from the dead and ascended to God in glory leaving behind a legacy of affected disciples.
Those first disciples were and we nearly two millennia later are to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and His Kingdom; making new disciples that form the only thing He vowed to build: His Church (Matthew 16:15-18)! Besides our immortal glory at the resurrection and crowns of reward, the disciples we make in obedience to Christ's commission (Matthew 28:18-20) are the only enduring legacy of our earth sojourn for we shall behold them forever (2 Corinthians 1:12-14; Philippians 2:14-16, 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)! Thus, with His attitude and promise of reward, we labor to enlarge Christ’s eternal Empire in the hearts of men (Philippians 2:3-11). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 This Commentary was posted March 11, 2018 under the category, The Cause. I also address the issue of ambition discussed in that Commentary as well in my book,
The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
Looking back over everything the Lord has led me to post this year thus far, I am struck by how many bedrock New Testament commandments and instructions are being blatantly trampled upon by the many leaders and people that profess to be Christians in the churches they make up. I wrote about how as “ambassadors” of the “one Lord” Jesus Christ we are all supposed to be saying the same thing (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 4:1-6, NKJV).1 Ambassadors represent a country or kingdom and speak and do among those in the nations they are assigned what their leader that appointed them has commanded. Not to do so is to invite certain consequences including dismissal!
The apostle Paul rhetorically asserts our Lord Jesus Christ is not divided (1 Corinthians 1:13), but we are and willfully so as each theologian, denominational leader, pastor, etc. teaches his following in accord with what is right in his own sight in spiritual lawlessness rather than what the Lord has purely declared in His Word; not “repeating God’s words after Him” as the religious educated elite are fond of saying (Judges 17:6; Proverbs 14:12). Paul also tells us why this is all so. In fulfillment of his prophecy each one teaches with a nuance that attracts followers to his wisdom and himself, not God and His wisdom in the Gospel resulting in followers for Christ (Acts 20:26-30; 1 Corinthians 1:17-25).
Because His program matters as I write in this edited 2012 Commentary, God’s judgment of the errant, disobedient and usurping ambassador/teachers is just (1 Corinthians 3-4:13; 2 Peter 2:4-11).
Originally Published March 2012
As I remind pastors in the closing chapter of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,2 Scripture plainly holds Jesus Christ up as Lord and Head of His Church (Ephesians 1:15-23). Christ presents His will (God's program) for those that belong to Him through new birth and supposedly make up the churches in the same Scripture He is proclaimed Lord! The local churches therefore, are not free to do as they please apart from the will of Christ. Yet, the evil spirits of disobedience, heretical corruption and apostasy that well began their work before the passing of the 1st century eyewitness apostles have brought their efforts in these latter days to a near frenetic intensity.
The aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ delight to honor Him as Lord. They honor Jesus as Lord in their personal lives, in the local churches and before a watching world. They willingly honor Jesus as Lord out of their embrace of that factual truth from Scripture, the reality of meeting and walking with Him in His Lordship (John 14:18-20) as well as the joy of Holy Ghost fired affirmation (1 Corinthians 12:1-3)! As a result, they are not rebellious against or selective in their obedience to the Lord as the normative experience of their lives. When they sin, they do not delay to confess and repent before the Lord in all sincerity (1 John 1:5-2:6).
In the churches aspiring strong men and great women of God eagerly seek to fulfill His program to preach the Gospel to and make disciples of the nations; baptizing and teaching them to obey all of His will expressed in commandments communicated by His eyewitness apostles (Matthew 28:19-20). They do their part in God's program according to the gifts, calling and ministries they receive from the Lord through the agency of the Holy Spirit. They fully understand the Church is the Body of Christ and He the eternal Head. They labor in love to faithfully serve the members therein; being careful to obey the Lord's order of His assembly presently on earth (1 Corinthians 12:4-14:40).
Too many times I have heard preachers, teachers and professed Christians dismiss obedience to God's Word as an unimportant side issue to relationship with God. They portray God the Father as some benign, doting grandfather, Jesus as a cool, anti-rule keeping hippie sage and the Holy Spirit as a feel good force that just want us to love the Lord. However, Christ died to reconcile us back to God who had breached the relationship beginning with the disobedience of our forefather, Adam (Romans 5:6-21). Willful disobedience is not to characterize the New Covenant relationship of the Christian with the Lord he loves (John 14:15, 21-24; Hebrews 10:15-22; 1 John 3:4-10, 5:3).
The apostle Paul upbraided the Jews of his day for their hypocritical conduct that caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of God. How much more would he upbraid Christians in likeness today (Romans 2:17-24)? Indeed, the name of our God and His Son are regularly blasphemed in the media and on the streets of our nation due to the hypocritical conduct of professed Christians and churches that have no shame. The Gospel is maligned because racial division and bitterness mark the churches more than love. God's Word in the Bible is maligned because proud church leaders and teachers in disobedience will not say the same thing doctrinally (1 Corinthians 1:10; 1 Peter 3:8).
If professed Christians and their churches will not honor Jesus as Lord and obey the divine will revealed in Scripture, then who else on the planet will? If professed white Christians and those of color refuse to love one another in disobedience to Christ, then how will the world know that we are truly His disciples (John 13:34-35)? If professed Christians regard the instruction of Scripture on God's family order, gender roles and responsibilities as dated, then how valid is Scripture as a continuing source of authority for other aspects of our faith and practice?3 Clearly, the foretold latter day apostasy and deception are upon us to the eternal detriment of the guilty (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:3-4)!4
God's program matters because men are saved and built up when we who say we love Him remain true to it. Moreover, God's program matters because Christians as aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ are the living signs of His Kingdom coming to earth; lights shining in a dark world (Philippians 2:14-16). Finally, God's program matters because the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share a holy disposition and wrath toward unrepentant sinners including those that profess to be Christians (Psalm 2:7-12; Isaiah 63:7-10; Matthew 7:21-23; John 8:21-29; Acts 5:1-11; Hebrews 10:26-31; Revelation 19:11-16). Repent! The time is nearer than you think. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the opening of the March 31, 2019 post, Technically Speaking…, under the category, The Cause.
2 The book is available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
3 As the Lord led, I wrote the following as an addendum to this Commentary in our March 2012 Strong Man Of God Newsletter: “The final source of Christian authority is
the unchanging Word of God contained in Bible translations that are true to the earliest preserved manuscripts (2 Timothy 3:14-17). It is not what fallen men say or
even say about the Word no matter how credentialed who easily read into the texts and twist the Word to say what they want bringing judgment on themselves (James
3:1; 2 Peter 3:14-16).”
4 In the same addendum I concluded: “Christians have been forewarned by the Lord Jesus and His apostles that false messiahs, prophets and teachers would rise up
to deceive (Matthew 24:4-5, 11; 2 Peter 2:1-3). It is so. They also warn about latter day apostasy (as the Commentary above references) that is very unambiguous in
its full blown form (Matthew 24:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). It has been unfolding in earnest for a generation complete with outrageously deceitful teachings and
growing hostility toward the faithful. If the Lord Jesus and His apostles warn that falsehood and apostasy are to typify the days leading to His return, then professing
Christians need to snap out of their worldly slumber, strengthen their resolve to stand firm on God’s Word alone and prepare for worse (2 Timothy 3:1-13).”
Why have some professing Christians and their leaders during the course of my thirty plus years of service to the Lord accused me of being too serious and strict; my biblical instruction, naive? Isn’t it because they are not very serious about the Lord nor seek to fully obey His Word as it is written? In the shallow waters of faithless superficiality through manmade Christianity the religion, compromise or the corruptions of falsehood, these accusers resent anyone who with zeal to proclaim and live out the light of biblical Christianity exposes their darkness. But praise be to the triune God, only faith and full obedience to the end have been and will be rewarded (Numbers 14:20-24, 30-38; Hebrews 3:5-19, 10:35-39)! Anyone that believes to the contrary is deceived.
Truly, what the Lord led me to write in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and to reiterate in the following edited 2011 blog repost, the Bible as God’s Word is a lost book to many insincerely professing American Christians. Statistics on Bible study and other measures of biblically taught faithfulness compiled by those such as The Barna Group sadly still support my Spirit empowered assertion. Just as the many insincere 7th century BC Israelites for whom the Book of the Law became lost as they went astray from the Lord, so, too, many insincere professing Christians today who are willfully disobedient to the Word; living and doing as it pleases them.
Professing Christians and especially the men who are God’s chosen leaders in the home and churches beginning with every guilty pastor and elder must repent from abandoning God’s Word as it is written in disobedience! Sirs, as I challenge you in my book, it is time to stop hating the faithful and join us as a king Josiah to the church you serve. Otherwise, since as the Lord’s servant and yours I have been permitted to look ahead in His prophetic Word, I will tell you what I see: I see that your visions of grandeur and perpetual earthly legacy born of ego, pride and selfish ambition are about to be dashed against the rocks as God’s judgment in the churches continues and intensifies (2 Chronicles 34:19-25; Jeremiah 25:32-38; 1 Peter 4:17-18)!
In continuing disobedience, your eternal future is not any better than your destroyed earthly legacy unless you do repent (1 Corinthians 3:5-17)! Why should the men you shepherd view the instruction in my book as somehow new? And why are you so fearful of its contents? I write nothing in my book that is not already written in the Book of books! But again, since the Bible uncorrupted is lost to you as the direct source material of your instruction and equally important example, you scorn and scoff at anyone or anything faithful to God and His Word that shows your shortcomings and corruptions instead of repenting so His Spirit-fired revival might come to you. Know this going forward: only the repentant will enjoy God’s peace in what is coming (2 Chronicles 34:26-28)!
Originally Posted July 24, 2011
One of the most remarkable signs of the times pointing to Christ’s near return is His propheti-cally insightful rhetorical question about the spiritual climate of the world at His coming found in Luke 18:8. His question comes at the end of a parable He gives to encourage men of faith to never lose heart but to always persist in prayer with God. He asks, “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” While we would be tempted in pride to say yes, Christ’s knowledge of the future and the now observable steady decline of authentic, biblical faith among professing believers confirmed by statistics, points to a sobering no to His question.
Christianity’s march from the 1st century to this hour closely spiritually parallels Israel’s march from Egypt to Babylon. Significant in both is the setting aside of God’s Word. In Israel’s case, the Book of the Law was lost in the Temple complex only to be re-discovered by priests who had been ordered to restore the Temple by a faithful king named Josiah. After having the lost book read to him, the king repented before the Lord and feared His righteous judgment for the spiritual situation was far worse than he had thought. They did enjoy a temporary revival (2 Kings 22-23:27).
The fact that I and many other authors are writing books calling Christians to turn back to God’s will, way and Word is evidence that the Bible is lost in many hearts and churches. Physically, the printed pages are everywhere. Indeed, the Bible is the best-selling book on the planet! But due to a lack of genuine faith leading to real repentance, conversion, salvation and obedience among other reasons, the Book is lost to many in plain sight.
I rejoice to have been commissioned of the Lord to write The Strong Man Of God: Back to Basics. But it is heart-breaking to see the faces of men I teach who profess to be Christians, acting as if what I am teaching about being a man is a new discovery. The teaching of my book is and has been in the Book, the Bible, God’s unchanging Word that is to fire our faith and obedience even until Christ’s return. We need to find God’s lost Book once again. You can begin in my book that for the sake of our men, families and communities we might enjoy at least a temporary revival.
Originally Posted January 10, 2014
Welcome to the New Year 2014! The New Year like many things new provides a sense of freshness, excitement, anticipation and the promise of great benefits to come. While writing my December 2013 blogs, the Holy Spirit renewed great joy in me concerning God’s New Covenant with Israel that in “the exceeding riches of His grace” He has opened up to Gentiles willing to enter into its terms and conditions through the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-9, NKJV)! The surpassing greatness of God’s New compared with the Old Covenant include superior promises that bless those who enter into it with Him both now in this present age and endless ages to come!
The Lord has led me to re-post a 2012 blog today as a wrap up word of instruction to follow up the four types of arguments against His program for man presented in this month’s 2011 Commentary Series. This instruction speaks plainly of what the heart and stance of the aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ should be as it concerns correctly interpreting, applying and standing on the already written Word of God. As with everything God wants us to be and do, our Lord Jesus Christ set the example! Indeed, right from the beginning of His ministry when He was tested in the wilderness He provided the needed example and set the standard for us.
In replying to the temptation of Satan to use His own power to satisfy His hunger in acting independent of the Father, our great Champion and Hero, Jesus Christ quoted from and stood on Deuteronomy 8:3: ‘“It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,”’” (Matthew 4:1-4, NKJV). Please note our Lord did not preface His statement with “I think, I feel or I believe.” Some smart aleck will immediately declare, “Well, we are not Jesus.” This is true. However, He purposely conducted Himself as our example to follow in the humility of a disciple and power of the Holy Spirit (John 13:12-17; 1 Peter 2:21). It is to the extent that we foolishly do not do this today that professing Western Christianity and so many of our churches are in a mess!
Our mess is made worse by those who arrogantly insist on reading into Scripture what they want as purposeful revisionists to justify their evil theologies and deeds. Such persons will not escape destruction for this (2 Peter 2:1-3, 3:14-16). Truly, our omniscient and infinitely wise God has given us the special revelation of His Word to look to and live (John 6:63)! Jesus, the living Word and Son of God constantly directed His friends and foes alike back to the already written Word of God. In all of His teaching He quoted it directly, illuminated it or illustrated and applied its truths by use of parable for example. We are to do no less; answering all of life’s issues with what God’s Word says!
Originally Posted April 29, 2012
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV). I have lost count of the number of times I have had to direct professing Christians back to what the Word of God actually says to correct bad thinking and doctrine. While it is tempting for all of us to believe at any given moment that we have such intelligence, knowledge and wisdom to think and utter profound things, when it comes to the things of God, none of us are that brilliant. The only safe place to be as it concerns the things of God is in His Word as a devoted, eternal learner re-saying only what He has already said!
How many doctrinal squabbles, compromised churches, sects, denominations and even cults calling themselves Christian would go away if “I think, I feel, I believe” were not allowed as a preface when speaking of the things of God, but only, “This is what the Word of God says”? Indeed, the “profane and idle babblings” that made their way into the 1st century churches and which the apostle Paul gives his godly counsel about how to combat in 2 Timothy 2:15 quoted above are legion today. And why? Because we have fewer students of God’s Word seeking to be approved of by Him in understanding it and instead have those who use the Word corruptly to hold up their own (and other men’s) fleshy thinking that ruins rather than builds up the hearers (2 Timothy 2:14, 16-18).
In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, we teach men that a very important component of aspiring to be one is studying, internalizing and living out God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit! We are to be diligent--exerting persevering, painstaking effort--in studying and seeking God to know and understand His Word. When we are convinced by God that we have His Word right, then we proceed to teach others in humility what He has said from what is already written. When I have spiritual questions, I want to know first, what does the Word say, not what Dr. whoever said? If I am taught and approved of by God in His Word, then I will never be ashamed from getting it wrong and worse, ruining souls for which I will have to give an account (James 3:1).
Do you feel inadequate to “rightly divide the word of truth?” Excellent! You are just the person God is seeking to teach His Word (Proverbs 1:1-7; John 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14). The first step in approaching Bible study for any purpose is the humility to seek God in prayer for a proper understanding. After all, the Bible is God’s Word. Who best to interpret it to and help you understand it than God (Luke 24:45; 2 Peter 1:20-21)? Additionally, there are some fairly common principles of Bible interpretation such as paying attention to the context of verses you are studying you can learn from books on the subject. This and other principles demand your diligence to apply as God requires so that combined with His help, your study is fruitful and your biblically drawn doctrine meets His approval.1
1 As the Lord led many years ago as a pastor, I outlined seven commonly taught principles of Bible interpretation in a one page document from the excellent non-sectarian book, Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul. Although I would have you get the book, I have provided my Bible Interpretation Document as a free download in our Strong Man Store as a help to any reader interested in doing Bible interpretation as it is commonly taught in biblically grounded seminaries. There is a right way to interpret and apply Scripture. Go to https://www.thestrongmanofgod.org/Strong-Man-Store to get your free Bible Interpretation Document download.
Like the proverbial sweater that unravels from one loose thread, so, the disobedience of one pastor, group of elders, other church leaders and teachers unchecked leads to the disobedience of the many spreading eventually to other churches and beyond. As it is written, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened,” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7, NKJV). Yet, in these latter days first one then another among those serving as leaders and teachers in American churches have backed away from full obedience to the Word of God on some issue for any number of evil motives.
These disobedient men (and now women in keeping with the rebellious times) continue to loudly profess their undying love for Jesus while they openly parade their disobedience; deridingly labeling those of us sent by God to cry out against their sin “Pharisees” and my personal favorite, “narrow minded.” (Thank You, Jesus, my detractors confirm I have entered “by the narrow gate” as You have taught—Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV!) On His side the Lord has given a definition and set the standard for the real demonstration of love for Him as I write about in this week’s blog. You will note that this blog and the four that follow serve as my uncompromised stand for the family and men as God’s chosen leaders embodied in the cause of the strong man of God and building toward the pre-first release in June 2011 of The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.
Originally Published February 2011
One of the four distinctive characteristics of the strong man of God I have been led of Him to teach and write about in the forthcoming book is that he obeys God to the death. As perfectly modeled by Jesus Christ--the Strong Man of God, steadfast obedience to God's Word is driven by a love motivated desire to please Him and do His will! It is not about being overly strict or legalistic to obey what is plainly taught as God's will in His Word. It is about truly knowing and loving Him. Since He intimately knew and loved His Father, Jesus Christ set His heart to obey His Word and do His will in everything even to His death on the cross (John 3:35, 8:29, 48-58, 10:30, 14:30-31, 18:1-11).
Every man that will follow Jesus Christ and be a strong man of God in His image displays the same characteristic of obedience to the Word of God unto death. The motive for such obedience is the same as it was tor the Lord Jesus: love for God. The Lord Jesus very directly and clearly taught those who would be His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” (John 14:15, NKJV). It is so simple and plain that even a little child can understand this. Yet, in these near the end of this world system days, in and out of churches all over America are professing Christians that claim to love the Lord, but are willfully disobeying His Word.
In no way is this disobedience more apparent than in what is going on in so many professing Christian homes and the churches where God's Word on male and female roles, marriage and family has been cast aside and discarded as outdated. This is done to keep in step with the world and because God's Word is seen as an impediment to personal freedom, ambition and happiness. The fact that this rejection of God's Word is causing devastating family and social ruin does not seem to bother the rebels taught as they are by demons (1 Timothy 4:1). It is also laying the groundwork for the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 2:1-3--a prophetic Word given by God millennia ago.
Whoever is on the Lord’s side does not take their instruction from Him and demons too (1 Corinthians 10:21-22)! Indeed, every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ and on His side faithfully honors and obeys His Word bound up in seven major pillars as it concerns human existence and social organization in this present age.
1. Man the creature has been created by God with purpose--Genesis 1:26-28.
2. Marriage has come from God as a gift to man and instrument for fulfilling His pur-
poses in this present age--Genesis 2:18-25.
3. Marriage is intended by God to be a lifelong commitment between a man and a
woman. Divorce is acceptable only on the grounds the Lord gives in His written
Word--Matthew 19:3-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10-16.
4. All sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman is sin before the Lord--
1 Corinthians 6:9-7:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.
5. God has permanently ordained in this age that a married man is the head of his
wife and family--Genesis 2:7-8, 3:16b; 1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-9; Ephesians 5:22-24;
1 Peter 3:1-7.
6. In God's order, male headship is to be honored beyond the home and especially in
the churches which belong to Him--Matthew 16:15-18; 1 Corinthians 14:33-40;
1 Timothy 2:11-15.
7. Children are a blessing from the Lord even when they come outside of the marital
bond. Their lives begin at conception and they are not to be murdered in or outside
of the womb--Psalm 127:3-5, 139:13-18; Matthew 19:13-15.
These seven pillars erected from God's Word are indisputably plain and straight forward. Therefore, any man--president, apostle, prophet, bishop, pastor, preacher, priest or teacher--that teaches otherwise is not operating on the Lord's side no matter how much they profess to love Him. For He has taught our love is shown by our obedience (John 14:15, 21-24). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
The Holy Spirit continues to stir my heart from last week’s blog, The Never Changing God, under the category, Call To Repent, to remind all of us gifted to preach the Gospel and truths of God’s Word that we are “appointed” by Him as were all who ever came before us (John 15:16; 1 Timothy 2:7, NKJV)! We, therefore, are God’s preachers since it is always the case that the one appointed serves the one who appointed him. Appointed by God, Christian preachers in service and message owe Him loyalty first and above all other loyalties to include churches, denominations and self. That the Holy Spirit would insist such a reminder be given indicates not a few have forgotten these truths.
In biblical use, to preach is to herald, proclaim or publish the words or message of God to the human audience He directs. Noah is identified by the apostle Peter as a “preacher of righteousness” and would be one of the earliest in the Bible (2 Peter 2:4-5, NKJV). Appointed by God, Noah preached warning those of his day their righteous Creator was about to destroy them in their wickedness and the evil world they had created (Genesis 6:11-13). After the flood, God would appoint and equip many men to publically preach His messages as prophets (authoritative spokesmen, seers and watchmen) primarily among His chosen people, Israel, but beyond them as well (Exodus 4:10-17; Jeremiah 1:1-10; Jonah 1:1-2; Mark 1:1-8).
In preaching to Israel, Moses foretells that God would raise up a Prophet like, but greater than him (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). This Prophet is the Lord Jesus Christ as the last of the Old Testament prophets He commends, affirms (Matthew 11:7-11; John 1:29-36, 3:22-36). Moses’ announcement came with a solemn warning that reaches right down to this hour concerning any prophet that presumed to speak (or preach) a word in God’s Name which He had not commanded or in the name of other gods--so much for ecumenicalism; all the other gods do not stand on the same ground and are clearly not saying the same thing as the God of the Bible (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
Not only is Jesus Christ the Prophet of God, but He is also the Preacher and Apostle of God’s joyful good news of repentance, faith, salvation and the Kingdom to Israel (Mark 1:14-15; Hebrews 3:1-2)! After His death for our sins, burial, and resurrection, He sent the disciples of His inner circle He had made apostles out to Israel and the nations to make new disciples by preaching the Gospel about Him, repentance and faith in Him for the forgiveness of sins, the New Covenant and promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit as well as God’s Kingdom on the earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23; Acts 1:6-8, 2:1-40, 3:11-4:22)!
Then there is that Jewish apostle of Christ sent specifically to us Gentiles, Saul of Tarsus also known as Paul (1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Galatians 1:11-24; 1 Timothy 1:12-13). He tirelessly preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Roman controlled Asia and Greek speaking Europe; always pressing to preach where Christ and the Gospel had not yet been preached (Romans 15:14-21). It is from him that we learn Christian preachers are an important fulfillment of God’s long ago announced plan to send heralds of His greatest message to the world yet; the Good News of salvation from sin by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ, His Son (Isaiah 49:6, 52:7; Romans 10:14-15)! Truly, God desires the salvation of all men (1 Timothy 2:1-6; Titus 2:11-15).
It was by Paul’s instruction too that we understand preaching is far beyond the wisdom and skill of men even well taught in public speaking. It is the required foundational spiritual gift from God to equip His appointed heralds to deliver His message of salvation in His power (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)! Such are apostles who run to the ends of the earth as heralds preaching the Gospel where it has never been preached, making disciples and planting churches and evangelists who irresistibly preach the Gospel and witness Christ to the unsaved wherever they find themselves. Also, apostles, evangelists along with prophets within the whole Body and pastor/teachers in the local churches preach the Gospel and expound God’s Word to equip His people for service and build them up to maturity in the faith (Ephesians 4:7-16).
The foregoing all being biblically true, it stands to reason that no professing Christian man or woman having declared themselves called of God to preach should conduct their lives in an ungodly manner (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) or preach where He has not authorized in all disobedience (1 Corinthians 14:33-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-15). Neither should any preach a gospel or any other message He has not commissioned from His Word; communication embodying suppositions of their own invention and fleshly wisdom as emissaries of Satan that deny biblical truth and even the Lord of our salvation. The consequences of corruption and falsehood are eternally severe no matter who you are as the original New Testament apostles warn (2 Corinthians 1:12-14, 4:1-6, 11:13-15; Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
Therefore, let all of the appointed preachers of God repent to whatever extent you are coming short of His will while there is still the opportunity since the foretold judgment in His house is already underway. Caught in sin, how shall you escape? If the biblical Gospel and sound doctrine purely proclaimed are no longer enough to make disciples, form or sustain churches, then clearly we are in (and you must accept we are in) the foretold perilous paradigm of the latter days (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:3-4). Resist the evil temptation to slander God, compromise or corrupt His Word to satisfy your personal thinking and ambitions in spiritual weakness to build a following.
Rather, stand as aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ preaching His Word as it is written regardless of the cost and to the end that you may please God and gain an eternal reward! Get a copy of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to learn what being an aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ is all about because it is for preachers too! It is available directly or by order wherever books are sold and in our Strong Man Store at www.thestrongmanofGod.org.
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