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• When The Messengers Are Bound, Pt. 1

              This Black History Month, I cry out yet again as the Lord leads against the failure of the many churches among professing Christian black Americans to be at the forefront of dispensing the tie breaking truths in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our people, hurting men and those on lockdown in particular.  Sadly, one major reason for this is that many of our churches remain caught up in the house of refuge mentality and practice of manmade religion.  Another reason directly tied to this is that many of the leaders of these churches are themselves still bound by Satan with the ties of sin and the continuing mental and emotional legacies of slavery and racism.

   

              Though I have been crying out to the professing Christians and churches of black Americans at the Lord’s directive since 1986 through various media efforts to include our Ministry’s From Slavery To Victory Education Project launched in 1994 and ongoing at www.fromslaverytovictory.org as well as in blogs under the category, Black History on this site, it is very clear many have turned a deaf ear.  For if the number of black American men on lockdown is any indication, things are not improving spiritually, mentally and emotionally for us, but as the Lord has foretold through me, spiraling downward to complete ruin and that in spite of an African-American President in the White House!

   

              Truly, the heavy burden of lifting us up as a people should never have been put on the President, any other sinful, mortal flesh or institution of men because it is impossible.  However, with the Lord strong and mighty, nothing is impossible (Genesis 18:9-14; Jeremiah 32:13-26; Luke 1:30-37, 18:24-27)!  For those who will look to Him with a faith that is more than simply believing He exists, but full confidence and trust in as well as reliance upon Him, He remains a mighty present help in the time of trouble (Psalm 33:16-22, 46:1-3).  What is impossible is pleasing God without faith in Him (Hebrews 11:6)!  What happened to us; we used to know this?

   

              Besides putting our faith in and spreading our love to all of the wrong people, places and things as a harlot of low self-esteem, we have stopped believing on and acting in obedience to the Word of God as it is written!  Or how else is it that our transplanted African slave forefathers that became Christians persevered through their darkest nights with singing and dancing to God that drove their enslavers to fear induced mockery and greater attempts to break them down; their subsequent churches serving faithfully through the height of the Civil Rights era as houses of refuge from the fierce and violent storms of oppression as I have formerly written in Black History blogs.

   

              As I have also written, the house of refuge mentality with all of its attendant manmade religious practices and traditions continue in many churches well past a generation later and have served to impede the spiritual development of our people (Hebrews 5:12-14).  In comparison, retaining the house of refuge mentality is like Israel still insisting on manna after God cut it off.  God had given them manna in the wilderness with instructions on how to collect it.  The bread from Heaven was good when they collected it as God instructed, but was spoiled and stank when they did not.  It stopped coming after they had crossed over into and began to eat the produce of the Promised Land--a new phase in their journey with God (Exodus 16; Joshua 5:9-12). 

   

              Israel wandered in the wilderness in the first place because they had refused to enter and take the Promised Land when God was ready for them to do so (Number 13:30-14:38).  Now, in similitude because of refusing to do His will, professing black American Christians take refuge in their churches while our communities are war zones with our sons filling prisons and graveyards; our daughters enraged protest and with Beyonce, hearken back to the militancy of the Black Panthers as an answer.  But like Moses to whom God showed the deliverance of his people was in his hand, so, we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our hand--if guilty professing Christians will repent, believe and proclaim it from the heart as commanded (Exodus 4:1-5, 14:10-16; Isaiah 49:5-6; Romans 10:6-15)!

   

              It was never the Lord’s intent that the churches among our people should serve indefinitely as houses of refuge with their own religious program and agenda.  Regardless of culture, race and language the churches of Jesus Christ are supposed to be about His business (Matthew 16:13-18);  the business of making disciples by going as heralds to preach and give witness to the Gospel about Him, the reality of His love, grace and power operative in our own lives.  After disciples are made, they are to be taught the whole counsel of God; the risen Christ laboring with us to the end (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-18; Acts 1:8, 20:17-27)!¹  But the churches can go no further than their leaders (Proverbs 29:18).² 

   

  1 In  a  book  of  his selected sermons entitled, Strength To Love, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2010, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a sermon rejecting Com-

     munism, chided black American Christians for not having the same zeal for proclaiming and witnessing  the  Gospel truth of Christ as the Communist did for his em-

     pty political system.  He challenged the church he served as pastor (and all those in the black community as I do today) to a renewed devotion to the cause of Christ

     such as the early church displayed and away from traditional inward and Sunday focused activities, p.106-108. 
  2 Please  support  our  Books To USA Prisons Project  that  will  send two copies of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back to Basics presenting the Gospel of Jesus

     Christ and biblical instruction about becoming a strong man of God in His image to prisons across the nation.  Go to https://www.thestrongmanofgod.org/Give.

• When The Messengers Are Bound, Pt. 2

              With great empathy for the men who serve as pastors in the churches of Jesus Christ among black Americans as I have also done, I must still declare the truth that far too many are the reason the churches they serve are stuck in the house of refuge mentality, spiritually immature and impotent as well as in rank rebellion against God!  While over the years I have heard pastors say the people are to blame by being unwilling to grow--which is true in some cases, it is the pastors that are fully guilty before God because they are unwilling to repent from what they know is sin and spiritual immaturity in personal conduct and church priorities as they cling to manmade religious practices and traditions.

   

              Since among many churches the culturally admired preaching skill of pastors cover a multitude of sins, character flaws and spiritual immaturity contrary to the teaching of the Bible (Titus 1:5-9), the spiritual state of members or impact on their surrounding community with the Gospel in obedience to Christ does not matter.  Moreover, it is largely immaterial that a pastor may act out to the point of criminality because he is bound by the root ties of the continuing mental and emotional legacies of slavery and racism.  Though we know not even the godliest pastors have arrived, we are not supposed to settle for being bound by Satan as normal (Philippians 3:12-16; 2 Timothy 2:22-26).

   

              Pastors bound by Satan with any tie binding work of the flesh in sin (to include pride) or at the root, the continuing mental and emotional legacies of slavery and racism hurt themselves and their watching congregants because like it or not the Bible declares their leadership is primarily by example (1 Peter 5:2-3).  A pastor can and will not preach Christ as the Deliverer superior in strength that breaks the ties Satan has used to bind up members of the church if he is complacently bound too (Luke 11:14-22).  Satan stronger than sinful men has been able to keep such pastors and members bound even after their supposed new birth because they are unwilling to be set free by Christ.

   

              As a result of being bound, the pastor’s preaching in the house of refuge majors on comforting himself and the people in their spiritual immaturity with God’s grace and mercy, railing against the system depending on his level of social activism and powerless moralizing.  In the latter instance, while he might quote or take his text from Ephesians 4:26 wherein the apostle Paul declares from Psalm 4:4, ‘“Be angry and do not sin,’” and adds, “do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (NKJV), because he is shackled by the root tie of anger as a continuing mental and emotional legacy of slavery and racism, rather than obedience, he will urge all to join him in doing their best in their own inadequate strength to comply (Romans 7:14-23).  Meanwhile, he remains an angry black man.

   

              I know something about being an angry black man because I was until the Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel and power of the Holy Spirit set me free (Romans 7:24-8:4) as I wrote in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics!³  And how did the Lord come to liberate me?  In all confession and repentance before the Lord I owned my sin failures with anger and realization of being helplessly bound by it as a tie on my soul in the light of His Word (Genesis 4:1-8; Proverbs 29:22; James 1:19-20).  I then asked Him for help!  I have since learned that as sinners, it is why we are angry (Jonah 3-4) and what we do with it after it has risen up that will determine whether it is sin or not.  Uncontrolled venting of anger or burying and letting the sun go down on it leads to sin every time.

   

              Righteous indignation at evil, injustice and real or perceived personal injury naturally gives rise to anger which in and of itself is not sin since a holy God in whose image we are made gets angry too and judges (Genesis 1:26-27; Numbers 25:1-5)!  Where petition for readdress of legitimate wrongs suffered can be made (to include peaceful protest), we pursue this (Acts 16:16-24, 35-40).  In the meantime--regardless of whether or not we get relief, those of us aspiring to be strong men of God in the image of Christ willfully choose to call on the Holy Spirit for supernatural help to forgive the wrong done to us and trust God for vindication as it is written, ‘“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord,’” (Luke 23:33-34; Romans 12:19-21, NKJV).

   

              Now, what I have just written is how the Lord Jesus delivers us one by one from every tie--root or otherwise--binding the soul.  Indeed, whether the ties are of the sinful works of the flesh or mental and emotional, we must own them before the Lord and then soberly confront them with the truth of His Word and power of the Holy Spirit!  We confront with the truth of God’s Word as the Lord Jesus modeled for us because it exposes and destroys Satan’s lies in sin lifted up against God setting us free (Matthew 4:1-11; John 8:31-32).  Through Christ, we confront in the strength of the Holy Spirit as our help because we are truly weak against Satan, sin and self controlled by sin (Philippians 4:13).  Alas though, one must want to be delivered by Christ to engage in the process of liberation!⁴

   

  3 See p. 109-110.  Pick up your Hard or Soft Cover Editions of The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics in the Strong Man Store.
  4 Please  support  our  Books To USA Prisons Project that will send two copies of my book for incarcerated men to over 800 prison libraries across the nation.  Go to
      https://thestrongmanofgod.org/Books-To-USA-Prisons-Project.

• When The Glory Comes

              The stirring John Legend written song, Glory, he and rapper, Common, perform with a little help from a choir as the theme of the movie, Selma, has risen up in my heart again in the present version of the ongoing black American quest for racial acceptance.  Well captured in the song and the current news images of students passionately protesting long tolerated systemic patterns of racial mistreatment in American society, its campuses and streets is the deeply troubling pathos involved in continuing to fight the many centuries long battle that cannot seem to be finally won.  Even so, as the song asserts, the fight continues to be won at last when the Glory comes.

   

              Glory is a fitting close to the film biopic, Selma, that chronicles the challenges and adversities slain Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dealt with to safely and peacefully complete a march over the Edmond Pettus Bridge into the now famous Alabama city in 1965.  Such marches were the cornerstone of King’s purposeful strategy of nonviolent resistance to America’s legally sanctioned racial discrimination against blacks that also involved students peacefully sitting in at segregated eating establishments across the South.  The marchers and protesters stood up carrying in their hearts the long held aspiration of our slave forefathers for freedom, equality and justice.

   

              Recently seeing tears on some faces of University of Missouri black students as they sang, prayed and expressed themselves vocally to protest incidents of racism they felt were ignored or not considered important enough by school officials to investigate coupled with the sometimes very angry marches of those that protest under the banner, “Black Lives Matter,” caused me to easily and compassionately empathize with them.  Transported to my childhood a generation ago when the activities of the Civil Rights Movement unfolded in real time on my family’s black and white television screen, I too began to tear up at the sadness that this seemingly easy to resolve struggle continues.

   

              While I do not find every single sentiment expressed in Glory biblical, I nevertheless, greatly appreciate Legend’s recognition and incorporation of the predominant Christian faith of our people going back to slavery.  Also, his song includes the fight for what should be common human decency as just, an encouragement to peaceful protest, respect for Jesus Christ as victorious after a public crucifixion and of course, the exclusively Christian hope of His glorious return to make things right as themes.  In my mind, these themes enable the song to be an appropriate final anthem for the struggle to a generation forced to face the reality this fallen world will not of its own do right.

   

              Indeed, since Legend’s song invites the wisdom of the elders into the continuing struggle in this generation, I step up.  I qualify to do so now after nearly sixty years of experience being black and having the requisite mental and emotional battle scars from wounds suffered in the struggle with secular white as well as professed Christians that practice racism.  First, understand as God has judged and declares in His Word, all human beings are sinners unwilling and unable to line ourselves up with His perfect standard (Romans 3:9-20).  Nevertheless, God in love, grace and mercy has provided deliverance and help for the willing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-21; Romans 3:21-26).

   

              Obstinate white men guilty as sinners have resisted doing right from slavery because racism is not just about skin color, but guarding selfish privileges and opportunities--economic and otherwise.  In light of this, consider also your generation’s wholesale embrace of the world’s sinfully invented political correctness, tolerance, multiculturalism, gender and sexual equality and how these concepts have not brought the long quest of our slave forefathers to full realization.  In fact, in spite of these concepts and a very morally tolerant African-American President, your generation is still marching to protest racism!  A holy God is constrained to help because so many marching are in rebellion against Him as willful sinners (Proverbs 14:34; Jeremiah 5:20-29; Romans 1:18-2:11).¹ 

   

              Second, understand that the resistance in guilty white men to do right and your own rebellion is not only driven by sin within, but outside forces are at work too.  Ultimately, the struggle of our and all people that long for a world of love, acceptance, peace and justice is opposed by fallen angels led by Satan (Ephesians 6:12).  This is why finally, the struggle will continue until the Day I am pleased to say is near; the Day when Jesus Christ, the Glory of God comes in wrath to insert Himself and His Kingdom into this world (Revelation 1:7-8, 6:12-17, 11:15-19, 19:11-16)!

   

              Wholeheartedly come back to the biblical faith of our Christian slave and free forefathers so that you will not suffer the fate of those who mistreat you and all sinners before it is too late!  For the kingdoms of fallen men and angels will be destroyed, the victory of Heaven justly won and His righteous reign rolled out! ²  Those who waited on Christ living as it pleases Him (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10, 2:10-12) will joyfully stand in that Day with elect Jews in His triumphant, eternal Kingdom (Isaiah 25:6-10a).³

   

  1 Read the June 2015 blogs under the category, Black History.

  2 Read the July 26, 2015 blog repost, Final Deliverance From The Evil Oppressor under the category, Encouragement.

  3 With a learner’s heart, I challenge my fellow black American readers to set aside the convictions you may have from the worldview of a victim,  to  consider  a biblical
     worldview of the enslavement and suffering of our people presented on our From Slavery To Victory Web Site;  reading  all  the  way  through  the  brief  presentation
      to the Victory Page.   Follow this link, https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Healing/The-Journey to be taken directly to the presentation.

• When Ability Is Not Enough

              The recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain along with our nation’s high suicide rate which counts a few of my relatives too, are reminders of how precious hope is as a soul resource.  For this reason, there should be no doubt why Satan works hard as a lion to capture and drag so many to his lair of darkness to deceitfully convince them there is no light; no hope such that death is appealingly the only false escape.  Hopelessness, loneliness, emptiness and despair can be dark and dangerous places that not even money and fame can overcome--though popular culture continues to feverishly sell the lie that these accomplishments will solve everything. 

   

              While she did not commit sudden suicide, the 2011 tragic death of Amy Winehouse I briefly wrote about in this edited repost follows after and precedes too many others of the rich and famous who died from slow death lifestyle choices that included the abuse of alcohol and drugs.  Among these were the stellar entertainers Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Prince all demonstrating again that not only money and fame, but superior talents and abilities are not sufficient to resist the destructive forces of this world system waging war against human souls (Ephesians 6:12).  For the record, nominal Christianity or other religions which many have cannot deliver in the war for the soul ether!

   

              Praise God for the light of “a living hope” those of us truly in and sold out to Jesus Christ by faith have and need to be more deliberate about witnessing to others that do not know Him regardless of their status in the world (1 Peter 1:3, NKJV).  Not only does the Gospel--that Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day--save our souls through faith, but we begin what is intended to be an eternal relationship with Him!  This relationship with the risen Christ supplies all that a human soul needs to overcome everything that the world system uses against us in the unavoidable war of this mortal age (Genesis 3:1-15; John 16:33; 1 John 5:4-5).

   

              Sudden or slow lifestyle suicides then, are very tragic since they are preventable by the simple, child-like decision to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all one’s heart!  While God has allowed for each soul to make a personal decision in this matter, the Lord Jesus is clear that those that reject Him will die in their sins to face the fate worse than any problem or issue one thought so bad in this life: His judgment seat (John 3:16-21, 36, 8:21-24; Revelation 20:11-15).  For this reason, the Lord’s love in me motivates me (and I pray you too, O, Christian) to zealously preach the Gospel to the lost whatever their life station so that they can at least hear of the life giving hope available in Him alone!  For truly, this life gets no easier going forward (Luke 21:25-26).

   

  Originally Posted July 31, 2011

   

              I with so many others all over the world was deeply affected by the death of Amy Winehouse this past week.  Though I had never bought one of her CD’s or even heard a full song of hers on the radio, her death was tragic to me on so many levels.  Most moving for me is the pathos that the talents of this musical giant as sizable as they were, were not enough to stave off the inner torments of her soul including despair.  We have encountered this so many times throughout history among the great and those whose names will never be known except by grieving and bewildered family and friends.

   

              Many commentators brought up the age 27 as notable for such talents of recent memory to abruptly exit from the world stage.  Among them are Jimmie Hendrix and Janis Joplin of my youth.  While I had only begun in those days to really pursue an interest in music and barely knew their names, I remember the sadness in pondering why they had died since they were such excellent musicians.  This all came rushing back to me with the death of Ms. Winehouse.  I still do not have any answers as to why now, so young with so much life potentially yet to live--nor does any other mortal.

   

              However, as a Christian, I do now understand that our abilities, no matter how great, are not enough to give light or minister healing to our souls.  The soul belongs to God and only He has the spiritual remedies we need to cope and effectively navigate through a sin darkened world.  That is the first lesson for the aspiring strong man of God I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.¹  Unlike those outside of Christ, we draw our strength and every other spiritual resource from Him!  As such, while it is true we will all depart this world through one cause or another, despair--an affliction of the soul--is not to be one of them for the aspiring strong man or great woman of God in the image of Christ.²

   

  1 The book is available at all major internet books sellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.

  2 If you or someone you know are wrestling with thoughts of suicide or other self-destructive behaviors or want help with any number of the spiritual, mental or emotional

     issues of our day, visit this resource for an important listing of hotlines some of which are Christian operated.

• When Strong Men Of God Weep

              “I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath,” so, laments Jeremiah the prophet in the aftermath of God’s judgment on Judah which he witnessed after years of warning the people it was coming unless they repented (Lamentations 3:1, NKJV).  Nearly twenty-six hundred years later, I have experienced the prophet’s travail of soul in the midst of the painful fall of great Babylon in progress; the judgment of God within the churches as a prelude to pouring out His full wrath upon the whole world.  In the face of falling great Babylon under His judgment, God calls to the faithful: ‘“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues,’” (Revelation 18:4, NKJV). 

   

              The warning of divine judgment and appeal to come up out of great Babylon is exactly what I have been urging spiritually speaking (the day of the urgent physical call out draws near) in all of my service to the Lord and the churches for over the past thirty years as a watchman/prophet (Ezekiel 33:1-9) and two stints as a pastor.  It is my most recently completed service as a pastor that I write about in the following 2011 blog repost and the two that follow.  To seem to fail at anything hurts, but even more hurtful is to see God’s judgment fall because people refused to give heed to His Word.  That was the experience of Jeremiah that became mine and will be every godly leader’s own until the end of God’s judgment in His house comes at the completed destruction of great Babylon.

   

  Originally Posted July 10, 2011

   

              One of the most profound images of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament is His weeping over the city of Jerusalem because of the dark days of judgment that were coming in light of the people’s rejection of Him as their Messiah (Luke 19:41-44).  Surely this was the humanly unfathomable heart break of God voiced many times through the prophets of the Old Testament but now seen in the tears that ran down the cheeks of the Son of Man.  While we can never know His pain in absolute terms, God has seen to it that we who serve humanity in and outside of the churches can feel it in some small measure (2 Corinthians 2:1-4).  Even so, it is still no lightweight experience.

   

              As of July 1st I became the retired pastor of the St. Mark Baptist Church.  I was brought to this circumstance because our church disbanded this past June 30^th.  As the church’s last pastor I take full responsibility for our dissolution due officially to a lack of numerical growth and inability to meet our financial obligations.  I take responsibility for several reasons.  First, for fourteen and one half years I have preached the Gospel and the whole counsel of God uncompromised.  Many do not want to hear about sin and holy living anymore but only what God will do to meet their felt needs.

   

              Second, I was unwilling to adopt constant entertainment, worldly tricks and gimmicks as methodology for getting people into our church.  We did do many creative outreach events including block parties, Vacation Bible School and evangelistic concerts featuring Christian artists.  We also went door to door in our neighborhood several times and taught our people friendship evangelism.  We did community ministry involving mentoring, sports and prison evangelism, direct mail etc.  Thousands were reached, some visited but not enough stayed to take root.  Third, in fear and honor of the Lord I ran an orderly and tight ship of integrity--too tight for many religion minded persons.

   

              Last, of course, my stand on God’s fixed order for the family in the home and His church thoroughly explained in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics served as a bone of contention in and outside of our congregation.  My stand invited slanderous verbal persecution against me, much of it from professed Christians.  In all these things I have wept before the Lord and been comforted by Him as He made me understand His own pain from sinful humanity including that which I too had brought Him.  True to His ways, the Lord was not letting the man commissioned by Him to write urging other men to become strong in Him escape the painful process.

   

              In the same way I am not a perfect man, in no way do I wish to convey I was a perfect pastor who was a victim of all the things I have written.  I made some people skill and judgment mistakes along the way.  Reflecting back, in spite of the difficulties I had much joy seeing the few “get it.”  I also closed the eyes of a number of saints I look forward to seeing again in glory--praise the Lord!

   

              In the end, our remaining members acted with nobility in being willing to dissolve the church rather than fire their pastor because they found no fault with my essential doctrines, lifestyle or leadership.  I am honored and blessed that they should think so highly of me.  With the tears of God’s heart break in my heart, I have given myself over fully to the work of restoring men, their families and communities as my future that perhaps there will be many as a result that escape the world’s turn to experience His foretold dark days of judgment drawing ever closer.

• Christ Persecuted As A Child

            It is once again only the apostle Matthew who relays the events that unfolded when “wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,” ‘“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews,’” (Matthew 2:1-2a, NKJV)?  Stargazers as part of their religion, these Gentiles had seen a very special star suddenly appear in the sky where they lived and concluded not just any king, but the King of the Jews had been born and came “to worship Him,” (Matthew 2:2b, NKJV).¹  The text is clear these Gentile religious men made no small stir in the city of Jerusalem upon their arrival as they diligently sought to confer with any Jew in the know about the birth and whereabouts of their King.

   

            Indeed, news of the persistent inquiring of the Magi reached the ears of Rome’s appointed king of the Jews, Herod.  He and the entire city were disturbed by what these men asserted about the birth of God’s foretold, long awaited King of Israel and Anointed One (Isaiah 9:6-7, 49:1-13, 61:1-3; Jeremiah 23:5-8, 33:14-16).  So “troubled” was Herod who understood the foretold King was also the Messiah, he “gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together” and “inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”  They correctly told him, ‘“In Bethlehem of Judea’” and quoted from Bible prophecy to substantiate their answer (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:3-6; Luke 2:1-7, NKJV).²

   

            Still frustrated at not being able to prevent Christ’s birth or kill Him immediately afterward, Satan seized upon Herod’s violent jealousy for his throne to have him deceitfully engage in a scheme to kill Him as soon as he learned His precise location in Bethlehem.  “Secretly” summoning the Magi, Herod first determined when “the star appeared” they had seen.  This would give him an approximate idea of how old the Child was.  Then, he gave the information he had to the Magi and “sent them to Bethlehem” saying, ‘“Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also,’” (Matthew 2:7-8, NKJV).

   

            Departing from Herod, the Magi started for Bethlehem as directed and shortly encountered again “the star which they had seen in the East.”  When they saw it, they were filled with “exceedingly great joy” believing what even many professed Christians refuse to that this unique star which first appeared to them in their country then, disappeared, had now, reappeared and actually went ahead of them guiding them to “where the young Child was” because it was supernatural (Matthew 2:9-10, NKJV)!  Natural stars do not behave like this.  Entering “the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him,” (Matthew 2:11a, NKJV). 

   

            Don’t miss that; they fell down on their faces and worshipped Christ!  As far as we know from Matthew’s account, none of the Jews from Jerusalem, their chief priests, scribes or Herod joined the Magi in their quest to locate and worship their King.³  Herod only deceitfully suggested he would if the Magi found Him and brought him back word.  But these Gentiles came hundreds of miles by faith to worship the King of the Jews and did so; falling prostrate before Him!  After this, they “opened their treasures” and “presented gifts to Him,” (Matthew 2:11b, NKJV).⁴  Warned by God in a dream, they did not go back to Herod, but returned to their own land a different way (Matthew 2:12).

   

            God sent an angel to also warn “Joseph in a dream…” to ‘“take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod (and ultimately Satan behind this evil) will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’”  Joseph did as he was told and took his family to Egypt fulfilling a prophecy when they returned after Herod’s death that clearly identifies Christ with His people, “Israel,” (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:13-15, NKJV).  Meanwhile, feeling deceived when the Magi did not report back to him, Herod issued an edict to kill “all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old (the uppermost age Christ may have been from the Magi’s timeline) and under,” (Matthew 2:16, NKJV).

   

            The reprehensible deed carried out, Matthew informs us it fulfilled a prophecy given by the prophet Jeremiah centuries before (Matthew 2:17-18, NKJV).  Joseph was alerted to Herod’s death by the Lord’s angel in a dream when it occurred not long after his massacre of Bethlehem’s male children two and under.  He then brought his family back to Israel from Egypt (Matthew 2:19-21).  However, thinking of returning to Judea, he became “afraid” because Herod’s son as treacherous as he sat on his throne.  After “being warned by God in” another “dream,” Joseph “turned aside into the region of Galilee” and back to “Nazareth.”⁵  This is where the young Child grew up into Manhood protected from Satan’s harm by God and His parents (Matthew 2:22-23; Luke 2:41-52, NKJV).

   

  (Thank you for being a reader of the Strong Man Of God Blog in 2022.  Lord willing, my next post will be on Sunday, January 8, 2023 when I will continue this current series of instructional posts that began on November 27, 2022.  Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you and yours!)

   

  1 How  these  men  came  to  this  conclusion  only  God knows for sure since scholars debate how much influence interaction with the Jews, their faith and Old Testament
     Scriptures had during the years they dwelt among  them first as captives in the Medo-Persian Empire, then, voluntarily in large numbers over five centuries (see the book
     of  Esther  and  Daniel  5:30-6:2, 28).  One  thing  is  certain, God  had  touched the hearts of these Gentiles deep enough to act on what they understood the star meant
     in being willing to make an over nine hundred mile journey for four months minimum not only to lay eyes on this Jewish Child King, but to worship Him (Psalm 117:1).

  2 Read the December 11, 2022 Post, Christ Persecuted To His Birth, under the category, Instruction.

  3 Like many professed Christian religionists to this day, the Jewish religious leaders and people read and knew what the Bible said, but did not in faith believe and act on it!

  4 While  their gifts to the young Child were a continuing act of worship, they were also God’s provision for the family to help support them through the difficult days He fore-
     knew they were about to experience.

  5 Let every professed Christian take due note of the obedience and submission of Joseph to God through all the dreams presented to him.  While dreams are easily debat-
     able,  not  God’s Word as it is written and still many refuse to obey and submit!  Such ones are not aspiring strong men or great women of God in the image of Christ as I
     write  about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics since obedience and submission are character traits God forges in the willing.  The book is available at
     your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore and the Strong Man Store.