The Scourge Of Racism
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Released January 5, 2024
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As I have written in other places over the years, my passion to reach and restore men did not come about as a vision I had one day in the flesh for a new fangled approach to church growth. It is the direct result of the visionary leadership of the risen Christ in me to see my own unmet needs for instruction and development as a Christian man and what I soon discovered were those of a great number of other men in and out of the churches! Though many Christian men out of spiritual ignorance and church neglect were not pressing their pastors for teaching that addressed issues of biblical manhood and mission, like me, they were seeing the lack of it in weak and defeated lives.1
For this reason, I was among the throngs of men in Promise Keeper events during the last decade of the 20th century searching for answers. And while I had some powerful instruction and so enjoyed the amazing temporary experiences of multi-ethnic men loving on Jesus and each other, I still lacked a biblical worldview of manhood that transcended hypocritical conservative white, middle class moral definitions of responsibility. Men of my race were hurting as I was and hungry for an authentic Word from the Lord that spoke of manhood without having to be white or tormented with the charge to responsibly provide, while because of racism, being denied equal opportunities to do so.
So, I began to earnestly seek the Lord and study His Word for answers knowing Him to have been true to it in many other questions of this life I had previously brought to Him (Luke 11:9-13; James 1:5-8). In the process of time, the Lord helped me to see and begin to deal with the mental and emotional issues I grappled with as a black American male. As a pastor in 1998, I was led by the Lord to share what I had learned in a seminar growing out of the continuing From Slavery To Victory Education Project entitled, “Releasing The Strong Man.”2 But very few proud black men turned out. I continued praying, studying, learning, growing, teaching and writing about biblical manhood.
In the meantime, the Lord was also enlarging His vision in me for restoring men. He showed me the havoc my own failures had caused especially to my progeny and what was happening in black communities, our nation and the world because men were without Him and a biblical worldview of manhood. With the advice and consent of our Ministry board of directors, Strong Man Ministries was launched on October 1, 2005 to restore men, their families and communities! The Lord has more than amply shown it is of Him in the fruitfulness He has brought forth from our labor. Indeed, this past June sixty men incarcerated and in recovery made decisions through our Strong Man Of God Rally.
Such decisions and males taught through our Strong Man Institute and Strong Man Academy number close to a thousand now--to the glory of God! The opportunities are such that we are in need of more laborers in the harvest and continue to call for them among Christian men in the churches.3 But for the many reasons I have written about in all of my blogs--being unsaved, untaught, unchallenged and comfortable on the bench in passivity among them, very few respond. Few too are those that see our obviously God enabled fruitfulness in the work and step up to financially support us knowing that this Ministry with all others must have it to continue to exist and operate.
Understanding how bombarded all of us feel by the seemingly endless appeals for donations to the many worthy causes today, I have refrained from speaking much in the body of a blog about our ongoing financial need. I have instead, urged readers in footnotes to purchase items in our Web Site store as a means to help us. But this is one of the rare times that I am appealing to any readers that are faithful Christians to please seek the Lord about how you might commit to become a financial supporter of this Ministry as a continuing partner or by making a generous one time, tax-deductible gift. The reason again is simple. It takes funds to carry on our work and the Ministry receives very little relative to our labor and fruitful results God brings forth annually to His glory!4
We have not made seeking funds from secular sources a priority, but the Lord’s people and churches because this is the biblical pattern and faithful Christians are supposedly highly motivated in love for the Lord to see His genuine Kingdom causes be supported (Luke 8:1-3; Galatians 6:6; 3 John 5-8). Heading this Ministry since 1985 (laboring 28 of those years without a salary), I can affirm this is a bona fide work of the Lord zealously engaged in His Kingdom causes; uppermost of which is to restore men with the Gospel and instruction on biblical manhood! We are accounted for with God’s faithful in this two minute drill leading finally to Christ’s game ending touchdown! What about you? If you can or will do nothing else, please stand with and support us as we keep after it (Mark 9:38-41)!
1 I am thoroughly convinced of the Lord the practice of Christianity as a manmade religion is the number one reason men in the churches are not getting the instruction they need! Read my two part Blog, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction and the October 2, 2016 post, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart, un- der the category, CallTo Repent.
2 Read the seven part 2006 article, The Renewing Of Our Minds drawing from the seminar in the Journal Archives.
3 Learn more about serving with us on the Ministry Activity Summary Page.
4 Those of you that would like to see an ECFA affiliation attached to ministries you support do not see it with our Ministry since the minimum annual income required to be
be a member is $50,000. We are small in size and income, but our God is still using us to do a work so much greater than these. As a result, the faithful must recognize
He is working in us and come along side to support (Mark 8:13-21)!
Restoration of the Kingdom of God on earth at Christ’s coming and victory at Jerusalem is only the initial roll out of the promised and long awaited “restoration of all things” the apostle Peter speaks of during his second sermon to fellow Jews after Pentecost (Acts 3:18-21, NKJV). As he attests, restoration of Israel as a sovereign nation and kingdom led by Christ, Son of David along with all creation is the prophetic future theme of the Old Testament (Isaiah 49:8-26; Amos 9:11-12; Acts 3:22-26); a theme the Lord Jesus never refutes, though, He redirects concern about the timing of fulfillment to the present Kingdom priority of restoring men (Matthew 17:11, 19:27-30; Acts 1:4-8).
The restoration cause of God in Christ has focused on man first as the object of His love, grace, mercy and plan for him to rule as His highest creature. The physical universe has held a secondary, subordinate priority place in the restoration work of God even though it came to be ahead of man (Genesis 1:1-26). This is because the heavens and earth exist for man and is his as a dominion. He is, therefore, preeminent in the creation! As a result, man’s fall into sin negatively affected and brought death to the creation (Genesis 3:17-19). But God sent Christ a second Adam to save the willing and restore man’s rule with the physical creation (Colossians 1:9-23; Hebrews 2:5-9).
Thus, restoration of willing mankind from this present age in Christ is completed first at His Second Coming (Romans 8:14-23; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57)! Then, beginning at Jerusalem He will restore the whole land of Israel (Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8). All the land will be purified by the burning of weapons and burial of all the world’s armies slain by the Lord in the war for the city and land; those not buried will have been eaten by birds and animals (Ezekiel 39:9-20; Revelation 19:17-21). As promised by God, Jerusalem, its Temple and the land will be restored with people, beauty, bounty, order and the divinely ordained borders (Isaiah 60:1-18, 61:4; Ezekiel 39:21-48:35; Zechariah 8:1-15).
In all the rest of the earth (not excepted by divine decree) new mountains and valleys will appear; salt and fresh waters along with their creatures will be regenerated. Deserts will bloom; the winds and rain will cleanse and restore the atmosphere. Seedlings and the green grass will sprout; birds, flying and other insects will again delight in their natural habitats to include forests with lush vegetation. Ecosystems will function in perfect order and balance in the Day of the Lord and the earth yield her abundant crops in season (Isaiah 35; Joel 2:18-27). The darkened heavens will be uncovered and once more declare God’s glory (Isaiah 13:9-10; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Malachi 4:1-3)!
The Lord as King will uphold His Word and judge among the nations that survive God’s wrath and His coming (Zephaniah 2:4-10; Matthew 25:31-46). There will be no other gods or religions since all demons are on lockdown. The Lord alone will be worshipped (Psalm 22:27-29, 86:9-10; Zephaniah 2:11; Revelation 15:3-4, 20:1-3)! All of the Lord’s spiritual, moral and ethical instruction along with law and order informed by His Ten Commandments will be restored. Mortal life expectancy will be restored for the obedient; premature decay will show in the sinner’s body (Isaiah 65:20-22). Justice will not be delayed and judgment of the rebel wicked occurs quickly (Malachi 3:5).
Hallelujah! This day of rebellion against God is shortly coming to its end! For the Day of the Lord will also restore His design, order and purposes of mortal mankind! There will be no more male and female confusion. Marriage until death between a man as head and his female wife will be restored as the Lord instituted in Eden. Married fathers will act responsibly. The sanctity of life will be upheld and mothers will no longer murder their unborn. Indeed, all women will desire and submit to the Lord’s purpose and blessing for them to bear children in abundance (Isaiah 65:23; Jeremiah 30:18-20; Ezekiel 36:37). Respect for and submission of children to their parents will be restored and families will prosper under the Lord’s reign (Isaiah 51:3; Amos 9:13-15; Micah 4:4).1
Professed Christians and their churches across the earth are now supposed to be faithfully upholding the will, way and Word of God as it is written; the restored Kingdom reality under Christ in that Day very near. But because many are false, love or fear this present world governed by Satan more than the Lord, they are “falling away” from Him and the truth as foretold (2 Thessalonians 2:3a, NKJV)! In joyfully declaring and longing for Christ’s restoration of all things, I am not angry with or hating anyone. However, I declare what is certain concerning the reign of the Lord in accord with His eternal Word (Psalm 111:7-8, 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
1 Truly, the Lord’s restoration in that Day will vindicate everything I was led by Him to write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics concerning what a man is and does! Since it is all like that, I urge you to get your copy now in the Strong Man Store to know what is bound up in the Lord’s will to restore men and their families.
Is it just me or does anyone else also see the glaring inconsistency of teaching me I am the head of my house by God’s design and purposeful will, but when I come to His house, the God who made me the head changes everything? Like a bizarre, mind bending movie where things are familiar, but out of place and nothing is as it should be, so, the growing number of churches today with women as pastors, worship leaders and authority figures over adult men in what is supposed to be the God of the Bible’s “household,” “family” and “house;” His Father the Lord Jesus taught us in Him to also address as “Father,” (Matthew 6:9; Ephesians 2:19-22, 3:14-15; Hebrews 3:1-6, NKJV)!
There has been a change made in the churches led by pastors that are responsible true enough, but the ever consistent and immutable God has not authorized it as He leads me to make absolutely clear in a very important second Appendix of my book. This change to allow women to speak into the whole church assembly and be deployed into positions of authority over men is exclusively the action of sinful flesh in defiance of Scripture! It has come about from the same demonically deceitful instruction that has also allowed those that pervert God’s sexual design to pastor, lead worship and ministries in what is supposed to be God’s house.
After millennia, to now--at the end of this age--fully set aside men and God’s order of mankind in His house is wickedly brazen; showing no fear of God whatsoever in sinning with such a high hand. You surpass even the people and leaders of ancient Israel who also corrupted themselves in spiritual harlotry, disrespected God’s house, profaned His great name and caused His enemies to blaspheme (Ezekiel 16:23-30; Malachi 1:6-2:16; Romans 2:24; James 4:17). For those who question by what authority I have stood to say such things in crying out against this ongoing rebellion in God’s house, I will ask you an even more important and eternally troubling question.
By what authority have you stood to usurp Jesus Christ, God’s appointed Head of the Church, to dishonor men and change the divine order of mankind in His house as antichrists (Daniel 7:25; Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:15-18)? At the Lord’s command and in the power of the Holy Spirit, I have taken my stand to wage war on and pull down strongholds of deceit in all of the arguments raised up against “the knowledge of God” embodied in the whole counsel of His Word on men and the order of mankind in His house; “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” in His cause to restore men and declaring His judgment on the unrepentant (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, NKJV)!6
For while the world culture may be in rebellion against the will, way and Word of God, such should not be the case among us who have been set apart as His and are His house (1 Peter 2:4-5)! We were saved from out of the world culture not to live to or honor it above God any longer, but as “His own special people” to exalt Him and proclaim His praises with supporting godly deeds (1 Peter 2:9-12, NKJV). So, the world culture may be celebrating with guilty professed Christians in their break with ancient, biblical orthodoxy on men and the divine order of mankind in yet another display of the foretold “falling away,” but the Head of His house is not pleased (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV)!
Let me be very clear from the prophetic Word of God to the professed Christian following after world culture and the unbeliever listening in. The corrupt egalitarian, anything goes world as a tower of Babel you seek to build will not come to fruition without contest from God in severe judgments (Genesis 11:1-9; Revelation 8:1-11:19) or long stand before it is destroyed in wrath by Christ (Isaiah 2:10-22, 13:9-13; Revelation 6:12-17, 16)!7 He now, graciously calls unbelievers to repentance and faith in the Gospel to be saved from His coming wrath; repentance leading to revival among those in sin as professed Christians so they may not be condemned with the world, but rather vigorously preach the Gospel especially to men as the Lord modeled so they might be completely restored.
The faithful pastor should not fret or fear your obedience has been in vain and the wicked in and outside of God’s house are getting away with anything (Malachi 2:17, 3:13-4:3). Those that profess to be Christians and continue to refuse God’s offer of forgiveness through repentance from all disobedience including rebellion against His order of mankind will be caught in the intensifying judgment He has begun in His house and that will be more evident in 2017--beware rebel women in positions of unbiblical authority (Revelation 2:20-23)! It has begun in His house so the world may see God is just and fear; for this assures their destruction without repentance to follow (1 Peter 4:17-18). All who die in their sins also face the judgment seat of Christ in terror (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)!
Now, therefore, woe to the pastors that oppress and marginalize the men you shepherd! You will give an account of every soul harmed by your disobedience. If the Lord commands Israel’s faithful to keep the “Law of Moses” and to look for Him to send Elijah before “the great and dreadful day of the Lord” to restore men and their children, how is it that you have failed to grasp you are to keep His Word and labor to make ready a people prepared for His coming through restoring men and their children also (Malachi 4:4-6, Luke 12:42-48, NKJV)? Does not the judgment of Adam, Aaron, Solomon, Jeroboam, Ahab, Asa and the Pharisees frighten you at all (Genesis 3:17b-19; Exodus 32:25-35; 1 Kings 11:9-13, 13:33-14:11, 21:17-26; 2 Chronicles 16:11-14; Matthew 23:25-24:2)? The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
6 I have addressed most of the more popular arguments of the rebellion in all of my May 2015 blogs.
7 The tragedy of inequality among mankind does not originate with God’s creation of men and women for when all was created, He declared His work ‘“very good,’” (Genesis 1:31, NKJV)! After this, the next greatest statement of human equality came from the lips of the first man when he raved about the woman made from him in perfect correspondence to him in every way (Genesis 2:23). Human inequality originates with sin and all of the evil ways it corrupts the human heart (Mark 7: 17-23)! This being true, how can the noble cause to eliminate sin invented human gender and racial inequality, for example, be lumped together with that of over- turning the decree of God that only sex inside of male and female marriage is righteous? Therefore, until my final breath as a Christian black American male. I will be offended by the sexually immoral person’s evil and false claim that rejecting his sin is equivalent to rejecting me as a man of color by the purposeful design of God! Read my May 8-15, 2016 blogs.
Far from the supposedly hope quenching gloom and doom view of Bible prophecy foretelling the apocalyptic end of this present world as we have known it even many professed Christians hold, is the gloriously bright reality captured in the phrase, “the Lord reigns,” (Psalms 93:1, 96:10-12, 97:1-9, 99:1-3; Revelation 19:6, NKJV)! These three words are exclaimed on the earth and in every other realm of existence after the victory of Jesus Christ at Jerusalem!1 Indeed, elect, mortal Israel and surviving Gentiles of His grace are urged to join the glorified immortal saints in joyful celebration of the King; singing His praises with awe and jubilation (Psalms 47, 98, 100, 150:1-4; Isaiah 12)!
As the faithful reflect from this mortal vantage point prior to the coming Day of the Lord, it is beyond tragically sad that all of humanity does not accept God’s free offer of salvation and restoration through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For knowing the end from the beginning, salvation and restoration has been in God’s heart from eternity when He saw that man would sin. Giving His creature free will, God also saw that many would exercise it and reject His gracious offer of pardon with immortal glory. For this reason, any sadness we have now should move the faithful to proclaim the Gospel and witness Christ to unsaved fellow humanity with all the more zeal!
For truly, we of all people have known from God’s Word that deliverance from and an end to this present evil age governed by fallen angels was finally going to come. Rule over the earth or any part of physical creation was not intended for them, but man under the sovereign and righteous reign of God (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8). However, Adam rejected God’s rule (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-6)! Nevertheless, the Day of the Lord was telegraphed in His foretelling of Satan’s defeat by the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15)! Patient and longsuffering over the millennia, God first celebrates restoration of His Kingdom rule through Christ outside 1st century Jerusalem (Colossians 2:11-15).
Doing my assigned Kingdom work with many tears for the lost and disobedient professed Christians along the way, I gladly leave it behind for a moment and in God’s will come to the foretold second celebration of His rule restored by Christ at Jerusalem! With His prophetic Word, faith and Kingdom vision causing me to be in attendance, I join in the celebration--shouting, clapping, dancing and singing praises to King Jesus; yes, in unrestrained joy shouting with all of my voice “the Lord reigns, He reigns forever and ever!” “All glory, praises and honor be unto Him!” Then, like David, with total abandon I dance before the “King of glory,” (2 Samuel 6:12-15; Psalm 24, NKJV)!
Subsequently, I realize again I and all of the saints around me are shining with God’s glory and explode in fresh inexpressible joy--yet, I am expressing it fully (Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 13:41-43; 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, 54-57; 1 Peter 1:3-9)!2 My slave forefathers may have truthfully sung “nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” On this Day, though, everyone under, on and positioned over the earth knows my joy in the Lord with all of the saints for His victory; vindicating our faith, hope and suffering in Him (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12)!3 “Glory to God; glory to the ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ who reigns and alone is worshipped forever more” (Zechariah 14:9, 16-19; Revelation 11:16, NKJV)!
As foretold, the King One with the Holy Spirit will reign in the reverence of His Father in truth, righteous judgment, unimpeachable justice that punishes wicked mortals in accord with what their sins deserve, divine wisdom, knowledge, strength, perfect fairness, impartiality and tenderness toward the meek (Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Psalm 99:4-5; Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-5; Matthew 5:5). Men will be taught the ways of the Lord and from Jerusalem His law will go forth throughout all the earth. In consequence, under His rule a real, thorough and lasting peace will prevail on the earth. Men will turn their weapons into tools and study war no more forever. The ferocity and carnivorous behavior of related plants and animals will cease (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11: 6-10; 65:24-25; Micah 4:1-3)!
The King will rule over mortal men with a “rod of iron” from His glorious throne at Jerusalem; elevated in height and beauty by Him (Psalm 2:8-9; Zechariah 14:8, 10-11; Revelation 19:15, NKJV). And we, His saints, shall reign on the earth with Him in all of the same character qualities and governance as He (Psalm 150:5-9; Daniel 7:26-27; Revelation 1:4-6, 2:26-29, 5:9-10, 20:4-6)! “Glory, glory to God for His awesome vindication of His faithful; of those that endured to the end proclaiming the Gospel to restore men and standing firm on His Word!”4 If only all professed Christians today could truly believe that what is unfolding in the world--great evil, a creation in labor pains and His coming wrath--is heading toward the exceedingly better Day of God’s Kingdom restored to earth!
1 I acknowledge that I with many other prophecy teachers and authors have conveniently named earth’s final war, “Armageddon” as is the case in my December 20, 2015 re-post, Reigning With Christ On Earth, under the category, Bible Prophecy that I recommend be read along with this present post. Technically, though, Armageddon is the hill or tel of Megiddo in northern Israel overlooking plains easily corresponding to the prophet Joel’s “Valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:1-2, NKJV). It serves as the ma- jor assembly area, staging ground and launch point of the world’s armies with Antichrist for war against Israel and Jerusalem. Christ descends upon the Mount Of Olives immediately in front of Jerusalem on the east and engages the enemy there delivering it while also overseeing His swift victory in the war actually raging all over Israel in- cluding Armageddon and around it (Isaiah 63:1-6). Then my Lord the King will enter Jerusalem to great acclamation as before, but this time on a white horse and with all knowing in absolute certainty who He is (Matthew 21:1-11, 23:37-39; Revelation 19:11)!
2 See the July 31, 2016 blog, The Immortal Bodies Of God’s Eternal Sons, under the category, God’s Creatures to learn more about the glorious immortal bodies of the saints!
3 Read the November 29, 2015 blog, When The Glory Comes, under the category, Glory To God!
4 Check out the Give Page on our Web Site to see how you can support the ongoing work of Strong Man Ministries to restore men.
I have felt the pain of men in many ways at the hands of compromising and disobedient pastors as I have shared in various publishing platforms, other blog posts and earlier in this one. I have seen threatened pastors purposely hold down (oppress) eager men lest they show them up in any way and disrespect capable others by purposely putting women over and marginalizing them. I have also heard pastors put men down and treat them with contempt from the pulpit for not being enthused to step up to do humanly invented churchy stuff. Men disillusioned and disengaged from the local church have consistently told me of feeling exploited by pastors that are corrupt, self-focused and see their value only as servants to their ambitions in building personal fiefdoms.
Again, like a man under the controlling influence of alcohol and drugs, so, it is only because of being in the sinful flesh and deceived by demons that for any wicked reasons there are pastors who have refused to honor men and God’s order of mankind in His house (1 Timothy 4:1-2). I know and admit in my book how easy it is to begin down the slippery slope of compromise and disobedience on this; in my case, to avoid conflict with tradition. However, confronted with a pastor friend’s challenge of my own incomplete obedience in 2003, I had to give it up. I was wrong, confessed it and repented! The conflict I tried to avoid came, but I stood and was glad to no longer be in disobedience to God!
Oh, it is so much better to be in conflict with men and demons than the holy God as the Lord Jesus warns (Matthew 10:27-39; Luke 6:22-23)! Then came the Lord’s deeper instruction behind the directives of His Word which we Christians walking by faith are to always trust is there (Matthew 5:17-48; 2 Corinthians 5:7). Thoroughly sinful and ignorant in our finiteness, how could we ever realistically believe we could find wrong in God (Deuteronomy 32:1-6; Job 34:10-30, 36:22-23; Isaiah 40:12-17; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 1:25)? Let the guilty even now fall on his face in utter humiliation, guilt, shame and repentance (Job 42:1-6; Isaiah 29:15-16; James 4:4-10)!
So pervasive is the order of God in every realm of existence, it would be most odd if among mankind His highest creation, He had not provided it (Psalm 104, 148; Isaiah 40:21-26). Indeed, God’s set order of mortal mankind is fully rooted in His eternally sovereign Kingdom rule and plans for us as His creatures. The Kingdom of God does not originate on earth with man, but is completely of and springs from Him at His throne in Heaven (Psalm 11:4). Thus, the Son of God and Man who came from Heaven to rescue and bring willing fallen mankind to glory declares to His adversaries that His Kingdom ‘“is not of this world…not from here,’” (John 18:36; Hebrews 2:5-10, NKJV).
Sent into this world by the Father (the Original Patriarch and Source of patriarchy) to restore all things, Jesus Christ His only begotten Son purposely and aggressively began His work among males as the divinely appointed leaders of mankind (Genesis 2:7-8, 15, 18-24, 3:16b, 5:1-2; Luke 3:23-38; 1 Corinthians 11:7-9; 1 Peter 3:7). In so doing, He honored men and God’s order of mankind! Calling first a group of fishermen to Himself, He told them from then forward they would fish for men as their life’s work too (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11).4 In contrast to many pastors today and true to His calling as the Lord’s Servant, He did not crush or snuff out the yearning hearts of men for God and total restoration to Him (Isaiah 42:1-4; Matthew 12:9-21; Luke 19:1-10).
The Lord Jesus was also the perfect example of Manhood before the Father and faithful service to Him (John 8:28-29). He eventually chose twelve men that He taught and mentored to follow His example (John 6:60-71; 13:12-17). Though one of them did betray Christ, the other men became examples to us brought to Him over the centuries through their eye witness testimony. Their natural male strength, courage, zeal and ambition had been taken over, new abilities added and all energized by the Holy Spirit for the cause of Christ to proclaim the Gospel about Him to earth’s ends (Acts 1:8). So they did and here we are who are born again, faithful followers of Jesus Christ!
As sons of glory in Christ individually and assembled corporately in the churches, the Kingdom of God is supposed to govern every part of our lives on earth now like it has already been manifested since truly it has in us--a very important point I make to pastors in my book (Luke 17:20-21; Colossians 3:1-6). The mandate of Christ our King has been and is to seek out and completely restore men as fallen creatures to God so they might fulfill His purposes for them to rule in His image in the home, His house and if it would accept it, the world during this present age; all creation in the eternal age to come! The Lord has me also stress that because of His preeminent Kingdom rule in us, world culture is not to hold priority sway in our thinking, attitudes and deeds (Romans 12:1-2).
Instead, we by the surpassingly great work of God in, through and for us as we stand on, live out and proclaim His ageless Word are to impact and be transformers of culture (to the extent this is possible even temporarily) as the Bible and history up to the 20th century shows (Daniel 6).5 But how could this be authentically done in that century and now after when God’s own people led by compromising pastors in willful sin are seen to rebel against His Word; allowing my female family members and those of other men contrary to Scripture and God’s order of mankind from creation to teach, take authority and rule over me as an adult male in His house (1 Timothy 2:11-14)? The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
4 For a fuller biblical and my first major public exposition of why men are targeted by Jesus Christ prior to writing The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, purchase the four part Strong Man Of God Audio Release, Fishers Of Men available in the Strong Man Store.
5 No historian of honest scholarship, for example, can deny the general impact for good Judeo-Christian morality from the Bible (even with much sinful human duplicity) has had on Western Civilization and every culture of man it has spread to on the earth since the first century by way of Christianity in its many forms. Certainly, even 20th century men such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were able to stand on biblically drawn morality to challenge segregated America’s racism bringing about a reluctant and still in progress change to the culture a generation later.
Never could I have imagined that of the chief reasons virile men are relatively few among professing Christians and absent from churches are the purposeful acts of many male pastors to oppress and marginalize those they are not exploiting for personal ambitions unless I had witnessed it for myself. If the temporary door of opportunity for the Gospel God is opening in the Donald Trump era will be bountiful to His satisfaction, men restored in accord with His Word and the image of Jesus Christ must be well represented in the fishing net of the churches. Otherwise, because of the times, the folly of continued rebellion against God will become painfully evident.
As I wrote in the October 2, 2016 blog, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart under the category, Call To Repent, if it had not been for the timely and purposeful acts of the Holy Spirit to preserve me in my spiritual infancy, I could have easily been discouraged enough by my experiences in the churches as many men have been to give up. Not only was I not intentionally mentored in the faith by a pastor or other leader, but biblical manhood either. During the early nineties and the rise of Promise Keepers, in only one predominantly black American, Fort Worth, TX church I knew of was there even an attempt to instruct on what my then pastor, Howard Caver, titled, God’s Master Plan For The Family.
I remain grateful to Pastor Caver for teaching on male and female roles and responsibilities in the home from a biblical perspective, though with many others, he too refused to fully implement God’s order in the church as taught by Paul, the apostle to us Gentiles (Acts 26:12-18). Even Promise Keepers following the packed stadium glory days and fierce, resentful feminist push back toned down its initial fiery call for men to be restored to their biblical roles and responsibilities so women filling the churches in the majority would not be offended. In full deference to the women that buy their products in the main, Christian retailers and media have largely followed suit.1
Now, what was a burgeoning problem of missing men a decade before the close of the 20th has become severe as David Murrow documents in his 2005 book, Why Men Hate Going To Church and unnecessarily complicated in this 21st century! As I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics drawing upon Murrow’s research among others, the matter is complicated by the confusion the secular culture and pandering pastors and churches following after it have created in attempting to craft male, female and family models that are politically rather than biblically correct.2 Social chaos over gender identity and roles, for example, now reaches right into the public bathroom.
While the content, methods and ministries to “disciple” men has exploded, if it will be done biblically, inevitably their roles and responsibilities in God’s house come up. In my book, I have maintained that only teaching a man he is the head of his family in his house is a sinful coming up short of biblical follow through instruction that he is actually so in God’s house and beyond too!3 But the trend set in motion by compromising male pastors early in the 20th century and later energized by the feminist movement to elevate women to positions of unbiblical authority, has exploded today into a full blown rebellion against the divinely set order of mankind.
We may never know all of the reasons pastors began to compromise and corrupt the plain directives of God in His Word. In the final chapter of my book calling the guilty to repentance, though, I am led by the Lord to charge of prime importance that they were not listening to Him, but sin, self and Satan especially through the culture as is so very apparent at this hour. Tied to and driven by this reason are many others. Foremost obviously, some have believed themselves more compassionate toward women than God who could not have intended to treat them so unfairly in His order of mankind. Such men are like earth’s first human king who listened to his wife rather than God accused by Satan of being unfair (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7, 16-25, 3:1-6, 17a).
However, can the creature ever be superior to God his Creator in any measure? Even the Lord Jesus--God the eternal Word and Son in sinless flesh--declared: “My Father is greater than I,” (John 14:28c, NKJV). Some have yielded to the desires of the sinful flesh as did the compromising kings of Judah and Israel, Solomon and Ahab (1 Kings 11:1-8; 16:29-33). And like Jeroboam, others forgot who installed them to rule and from motives of the flesh the culture approves of, have sought to govern as they please (1 Kings 12:25-33). Some like king Asa, act out of fear instead of faith in God’s proven provision. Then they end up as he even did persecuting God’s prophets and oppressing the people they are to serve in bitterness toward God after rebuke (2 Chronicles 16:1-10).
Some are like Aaron who gave heed to the people at Sinai because God had kept them waiting for Moses to return (Exodus 20:1-6, 32:1-6) Similarly, like the Pharisees in manmade religion some believe themselves lofty enough to replace God’s commandments with their own (Matthew 15:1-9). Finally, in the flesh and pride as lords rather than servants, some have not consulted the Lord for His counsel as Scripture teaches pursuing selfish ambitions and compromising God’s order of mankind for the sake of expediency (Proverbs 3:5-8, 8:12-36, 14:12; Mark 10:35-45; 1 Peter 5:1-4). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
1 Read my blogs from June 29-July 27, 2014 for more elaboration on what has happened in professing Christianity and the churches on male and female roles and God’s order of His house.
2 Read the July 20, 2014 blog in particular, Confused Men, Compromised Sons, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Read the September 14-21, 2014 blog, Partial Obedience, Pt. 1&2, under the category Call To Repent.
Faithfully proclaiming the Gospel and witnessing Christ as written in the Bible (Luke 24:44-47; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), all faithful Christian men boldly labor to restore other men beginning in their own families and wherever the Holy Spirit leads (Acts 8:1-5).3 Anxiety about this is reduced by remembering the mission is simply to proclaim what we know from the Word and our own experience with Christ if given the opportunity, not to convert folk! Our work is finished upon rejection and we move on (Luke 10:1-16). When a man does come to Jesus, while local churches still exist he should be taken or directed to one for baptism and sound instruction in the faith and biblical manhood.
Woe to any pastor that does anything other than encourage and begin to teach and personally mentor newly restored men in the faith and biblical manhood or delegate this to another faithful man right away! Given the deteriorating times, if a newly restored man has no pastor or biblically sound church that can be found from one in a house to a larger, brick and mortar building, then the man who led him to Christ should take responsibility to give some instruction and at least baptize him if possible (Acts 8:26-40). Otherwise, the newly restored man should be told to earnestly seek the Lord for a maturing Christian man to teach and mentor him in the faith and biblical manhood (Acts 9:1-19).
Satan’s intense offensive drive in these final two minutes of the game will eventually become widely violent in America, the West and globally well before his Antichrist arrives on the scene (Matthew 24:9). His objective is to hatefully eliminate Christians from the earth as impediments and destroy as many Jews with much of the rest of humanity as possible before certain defeat by Christ at His return! In the meantime, laboring faithfully in the Lord’s Kingdom cause, work and warfare to restore men and standing firm in the faith will require all that God has designed and equipped restored men as aspiring strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ to be!
Truly, in the thick of our two minute drill, all restored men in Christ must seriously honor His instruction as I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and follow His example (Matthew 16:24-25).4 For as a Son, He made pleasing the Father in Selfless devotion and doing His will the core ambition of His earthly life (Psalm 40:7-8). As a Disciple of His Father, the Lord Jesus absorbed and gave Himself over fully in obedience to His instruction as well as trusted Him for help (Isaiah 50:4-9). With a Servant’s heart, Christ endured the scorn of those who rejected and gave Him over to violence and death in order to pay for our sins (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).
In my book, I also point out how the result of Christ’s uniquely Personal work and warfare in God’s Kingdom cause brought salvation and restoration to the world! Commissioned by Him, our work and warfare in the Kingdom cause is to ensure fellow humanity beginning with men as a first priority hears the Good News of Christ’s triumph on our behalf (Romans 10:14-15)! Then, only after this do we baptize and teach those that repent and believe. So, as faithful sons of the Father, disciples of Christ and servants to God and humanity we press with selfless ambition to carry out our mission; willing even to suffer and die in it because with Christ’s heart, humanity is precious to us.
From the earliest times, men have fought and died in wars for all manner of purposes. It is in the hearts of men to face death for even ignoble causes they believe in. How can we not believe in the noblest of causes; that of God’s Kingdom cause, work and warfare in this present age to save and restore, since we who are saved and restored are grateful beneficiaries? There is also the not so small matter of seeking the greatness of God’s promised rewards for laboring to the point of physical death in His Kingdom cause, work and warfare beginning with the resurrection to immortal glory Christ already has (Matthew 5:10-12, 16:25-27; Romans 8:12-18; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; James 1:12)! Of course, in all of this I speak biblically and not as a passive religionist.
As a result, in biblical Christianity character matters! Through much adversity, God builds Christ’s character in restored men aspiring to be strong men of God in His image as eternal identity and in order to work, war and make our defensive stand for the Kingdom to His glory on this mortal side of endless life. Again, I go into more detail in my book. However, in this space, know, for example, Christ’s holy character including zeal, courage, strength, humility, obedience and tested faith of which He is “the Author and Finisher,” is fully demonstrated in His life and ministry (John 2:13-22, 18:1-11; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 5:5-9; 12:1-2, NKJV). God also equips us with the Holy Spirit’s strength and power along with the battle proven armor of Christ (Ephesians 6:10-20)!5
3 Our faithful sisters work cooperatively with their Christian husbands to reach their children. Then, their priority is female family members and other women. Obviously, having been led to Christ by a woman, I am not teaching a woman can never share the Gospel with or witness to a man (John 4:27-30, 39). I give only God’s general rule of priority. However, as it concerns mixed gender group instruction in the faith and one on one mentoring of biblical man or womanhood, the Bible gives God’s ancient, unmistakable instruction (1 Timothy 2:11-14; Titus 2:1-5). The fact I am compelled to make any clarifying statements at all shows the devastating negative impact the rebellious feminist worldview has had on the psyche of many professing Christians (who are made to feel in a biblical worldview such as I teach, women are overlooked in God’s program--what a lie from Satan!) and how far from God’s Word they are. O, my faithful sisters, you have your full part in all that pertains to the bib- lical faith, service, tribulations and glories to come in Christ!
4 You can learn details about my book on its dedicated page at the strong man of God Web site.
5 Learn more about men and causes in the five message CD Series, I AM A Man as well as the war strategy and armor of God by way of my four message Series, We Are At War! available in the Strong Man Store.
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