The Scourge Of Racism
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The Lord and necessity stirring my heart, I write today celebrating the thirty-second year since this Ministry began operations October 1, 1985 and to follow up a post I made back on July 9, 2017 entitled, Laboring To Restore Men under the category, The Cause. In both instances I hope that you will allow the Holy Spirit to stir your own heart to come along side of and financially support the Ministry that has made possible this biblically sound, instructional, thought provoking, challenging and edifying weekly Strong Man Of God Blog as well as all of the resources including my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics that are available at this critical hour in world history.
If I could sum up the history of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. as the organizational parent of Strong Man Ministries and source of all our other activities in a phrase, it would be “faithful and fruitful.” How glad I am that this phrase finds great favor with the God of the Bible and indeed, He gets the glory that the Ministry can be described in this way since He made it possible (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 31:23, 124; John 15:1-8)! Through so much adversity mostly from carnal, religious professed and compromised Christians, God has enabled us to persevere to do His will in faithfully proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost while also teaching and warning those in opposition face to face and using many media tools which today incorporates the internet.
Tens of thousands of human souls here in America and many parts of the earth have been reached by this Ministry in thirty-two years. We will not know the full extent of the fruitfulness our God has caused us to have until standing before Him to receive the rewards of service in the Day of Judgment (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11). All of what has been done to date has been done with very limited human and financial resources--again, to God’s glory! When I look back over the years, I am amazed at all of the expensive media stuff from billboards to national radio broadcasts God has made a way for us to do with little or no money declaring His uncompromised Word.
Following the conventional market driven wisdom of doing non-profit and Christian ministry, we certainly would not be proclaiming God’s uncompromised Word as it is written. Doing so, of course, is the primary reason relative few Christians have stepped up to support us. Market driven non-profit and Christian ministry sees needs or surveys what people’s felt needs are and seeks to create products and services to address them. Having Marketing in my educational and work experience, I initially saw the unmet need in 1985 for Christian media programming targeting black Americans. I set out to meet it through founding this Ministry and raising funds from Christians to make it happen.
However, after six months, it was clear I was running into the same religious brick wall I had been introduced to as a baby Christian that lacked with other things, Kingdom vision among many black American Christians and churches; toleration of the sin of racism among my white brothers that could not fathom helping me help anyone.1 Thirty-two years later, this state of affairs largely remains intact--though I thank God for the exceptions to it that have supported us. Also, in market driven wisdom I have had my share of closed doors among major publishing entities that equally reject authors that they do not believe have content people--Christian women in particular--will buy.
Praise God, rejection has not been the whole story! At the end of that first six months He answered my “why” prayer by plainly making known my calling to me modeled after that of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:1-3:11, 16-21, 33:1-9). Then, I understood, though I never dreamed I would be suffering faithfully with God’s help at this despised task so long. For I am treated as an enemy by many of those I have been sent to serve in the love and mercies of God. My messages are not my own; they originate with the Lord who does not do marketing surveys to determine what may be popular or controversial (avoiding controversy because of God’s Word has never been possible for His faithful servants including the Lord--Luke 6:26; John 7). He cares that the lost hear the Gospel to be saved; those professing to know Him obedient to retain what they have (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)!
Not the lost nor even the baby or weak in faith Christian, but the faithful who appreciate faithfulness and fruitfulness as God does are those that we seek to help support this Ministry in its work! Where are you? Or do you also as so many in line with the world today no longer see the proclamation of what is considered the intangible Word as of utmost importance in the human condition, but only what is tangible in ministering to physical needs? The Lord preached the Gospel and met physical needs, but clearly made the need to be restored to God the priority (Matthew 4:1-4, 12-5:6, 6:25-34; John 6)! We will not fraudulently change or add to our God ordained mission as a first priority to tug at your heart over human physical needs just to get your money.
The mission objectives of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. through its varied ministries has remained preaching the Gospel, teaching God’s Word uncompromised, helping willing churches do their work and being faithful representatives of Christ in the world to whatever end He has willed. Please support us because of these Kingdom rooted mission objectives and the still Heaven esteemed values of faithfulness and fruitfulness this Ministry exhibits.2 You can give securely now on our Web Site, https://www.thestrongmanofGod.org/Give.3 Otherwise, send your cash, check or money order made out to Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. to: P.O. BOX 56704, Portland, OR 97238. Your gift is tax-deductible and a letter receipt will be sent. Thank you.
1 See my two part August 21-28, 2016 blog, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction and the October 2, 2016 post, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart, under the category, Call To Repent to learn about some of my early experiences with Christianity as manmade religion.
2 To see a summary of our recent faithfulness and fruitfulness click the Learn More link on the Operational Needs Page.
3 This Ministry does not see or handle your debit or credit card information and uses PayPal as its trusted, exclusive online payment processor.
As should be plain to anyone that read the March 14, 2021 post the Lord led me to write presenting the biblical Gospel, salvation from sin is the uppermost concern of the living God for His human creatures.1 Every other instruction, promise and benefit follows from this divine priority and is built on that spiritual foundation. Any professed Christian preacher, teacher or anyone else that asserts otherwise is deceived and as a deceiver, not telling the truth (Mark 1:14-15, 13:10, 16:14-16; Luke 19:9-10, 24:46-47; John 3:16-18; 1 Timothy 1:15)! Also, God’s salvation is not obtained through any other person or means except His Son, Jesus Christ, (John 14:6; Acts 4:8-12).
In continuing concern for black males without Christ and now, also those that profess to know Him, I write as He leads to dissuade any that may consciously or unconsciously believe the social good works they are doing are good enough for Him to slide you into Heaven and eternal glory. Not so, according to God’s Word the final authority for what Christianity is all about. Indeed, Paul, the Jewish apostle to us Gentiles makes it clear that neither by attempting to keep “the law,” its works or those considered good by sinful mankind can anyone “be justified in” the sight of God, but only by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:19-4:4; Galatians 2:15-16, 3:10-14, NKJV)!
A works based salvation is common to manmade counterfeit Christianity as men strive to be good and do enough through their own efforts to make it into Heaven. Of course, those with no interest in religion at all during these socially conscious latter days also seek to do good works as a false show of inherit human goodness that is impressive to people and they think God too, should He be taking note. The Lord led me to address this contemporary pitfall of people doing social good as a replacement for His call to repentance from sin and salvation in a 2016 post.2 For professed Christians, such a notion wickedly attempts to redefine biblical Christianity and is heretical!
The reason no works or deeds no matter how noble or good can impress God our Creator enough to dismiss human sin is because of who He is eternally in character--holy, righteous and just (Psalms 90:2, 99:1-5, 9, 111:2-3, 7-8).3 As holy, God is wholly other than and set apart from sin. Sin offends the holiness of God and stirs up His wrath against it! Perfectly righteous, God can never just “let sin slide” or uphold it, but must judge it out of His perfect justice. He created angels and man perfect, but some of the angels and man sinned. God has judged all fallen sinners giving only willing mortal man grace to be saved from His wrath and eternal separation to Hell (Revelation 20:10-15).
After being saved by grace through faith in Christ, His followers enjoy intimate fellowship with Him and the Father. This fellowship is possible only because the blood Christ shed on Calvary is effectual forever to enable divine forgiveness and cleansing upon our continual humble and honest confession and repentance from our sins--often revealed in the study of the written Word along with the Holy Spirit’s convicting work (Psalm 19:7-14; John 16:5-11; 1 John 1:1-2:2). Faithful Christians in this biblical context do good works serving Christ and fellow man at His direction through the power of the Holy Spirit to glorify God (Matthew 5:14-16; John 12:25-26,13:12-17; Acts 2:44-47, 9:32-43)!4
Truly, for the Christian as it is written, “Faith without works is dead,” (James 2:14-26, NKJV). Thus, we in Christ do not do good works to be saved, but because we are saved and as a result, God who is at work in and through us is glorified (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-15)! Here is where the Lord gives sober warning to church folk doing even “wonders” in His name beyond the typical dead churchy works carried out in the midst of manmade counterfeit Christianity the religion thinking they are pleasing Him. For unless you are doing the will of His Father which is first to actually be saved by grace through faith in Christ and walking in the intimacy of relationship with Him, your works are worthless as a means to gain entry into Heaven and immortal glory (Matthew 7:21-23, NKJV).
Therefore, to the men I share identity with as black Americans and all others: not social good works, but salvation from sin is God’s limited time priority for us and only means of reward from Him! Otherwise, despite self-gratification, the honor and awards of grateful mankind, “you will die in your sins” (whether that is from the “normal” ways mortal men die or the escalating judgments of God leading to His nearing foretold wrath) to await “the judgment seat of Christ” in Hades with no hope of exoneration because you refused to believe in Him through the Gospel (Luke 16:19-31; John 8:21-24; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11, NKJV). I implore you by the mercies of God to seek His salvation now, since as His Coronavirus judgment has reminded us, tomorrow is not guaranteed and sudden happens!
1 See the March 14, 2021 post, The Gospel Is For Black Males Too!, under the category, The Cause
2 Read the January 17, 2016 post, Suffering For Preaching God’s Word, under the category, Instruction.
3 See the May 31, 2020 post, Keeping It Real About God, under the category, Instruction.
4 This is the heart of every Christian man and woman that aspires to be like and obey Christ as strong men and great women of God I write about respectively in my book,
The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. The book is published by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and is available in print or digital formats at major internet
booksellers. You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
In preparing to make this edited 2012 repost, I had to refresh myself on the circumstances that stirred me up before the Lord to write it in the first place. Ms. Rosen’s now famous rebuke of Ann Romney which she walked back the next day certainly led to what is presented spiritually in the post and which I fully stand by in step with the posts I made on feminism last spring.1 However, also heavily on my heart that I did not include then was how that debate was so much one of race and class privilege. Mostly white women up until recent times could have such a debate about the work of women at home or outside of it.
Black women from slavery have had little choice but to work outside of the home to help support their families. What is striking is that the black women I have read about and known personally such as my grandmother, mother and wife did not complain or believe that they somehow were being cheated. Working to help support their families was something that had to be done and they did it with a resolute joy--though they came home tired and with sore feet; looking only for us children and when I married, husband, to show some appreciation by helping with household duties. I confess resentment in my youth I regret to having to wash dishes and do other household chores.
I did better as a Christian husband--although my daughters still laugh about my combing their hair on occasion for school. Women that work outside of the home in black and other communities of color is a fact of life. I salute all that do so including the memory of my grandmother, mother and with thanks to God, my wife, Mary, still with me whose employment and other sacrifices down through our thirty-eight years together have helped make it possible that I could serve in this Ministry. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers who work in and outside of the home; blessing their families as a result!
Originally Posted April 15, 2012
To tell the truth, I was not shocked by the national collision and resulting discussion of worldviews that took place last week on the issue of women that work in and outside of the home. In the second chapter of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, I am led by the Lord to address the 21st century confusion on what a man and woman are head on.2 It is an inescapable issue in light of the rejection of God’s ancient instruction on the matter by the secular world and a rising number of professed Christians along with their churches. And of course, it is the rejection of the absolutes of God’s Word that gives rise to the confusion and subsequent worldview collisions.
Democrat Hilary Rosen’s declaration on a News show that Ann Romney, the wife of Republican Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, “never worked a day in her life,” sparked the latest round of national heated discussion over not only whether stay at home mothers really work or not, but the larger question of a woman’s role and place in the family. Whether she is a card carrying feminist or not, Ms. Rosen’s comment and attitude with it is typical of many women that are. Having encountered many feminists in my years of ministry, there seems to be antagonism toward especially Christian women that willfully choose to be full-time wives and mothers. In their minds, “real women” do the home thing, but only as they also pursue personal ambitions--whatever they may be.
The truth is, the woman that devotes herself full-time to her husband and family is pleasing to God and so is the one that in support of her family, chooses to (or must) work outside of the home as long as she does not neglect any of her divinely assigned responsibilities (Titus 2:1-5). Ah, and that is the catch for the career minded woman who like her male counterpart must often sacrifice family on the altar of achieving success. Clearly, God is not pleased with either a man or woman who does this. Both the stay at home and the employed woman can work hard; aspiring great women of God in the image of Christ in either situation will work very hard in order to please Him and their families. I devote two chapters of my book discussing such women.
Incredibly, the aspiring great woman of God does not feel nor is she chained to the home if she commits to serving her family full-time. As demonstrated by the woman of Proverbs 31:10-31, she sees fully after the needs of her husband and children first. But then she uses her home honed skills and God-given management abilities to operate businesses and/or serve others. At the end of the day, the family of this hard working woman is blessed by and calls her blessed that is motivated foremost by a desire to please God (Proverbs 31:30)!3
1 Read the posts beginning April 15-June 3, 2018.
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 Visit our Strong Man Store to hear a sample of and consider purchasing the audio resource, Great Woman Of God Mothers.
After many years in and among churches around our nation, it is very clear to me that zealous Christian men sold out to Jesus and Kingdom work are truly a small minority. Many church pastors have resigned themselves to this situation as a norm not willing to accept any responsibility for being in major part, the cause of it in the practice of Christianity as a powerless, manmade religion. In contrast, however, one of the important common characteristics the Lord Jesus and His Spirit-filled apostles had was zeal for God and Kingdom work! Clearly, those already in Christ must be revived first, if more men will be restored to God in these last two minutes of the game!1
Many of the relative few Christian men that make up our nation’s local churches are typically content in their own minds that they fully satisfy any requirement by the Lord to serve Him by doing church works. These are works churches create with at least some biblical basis generally for anyone of any gender such as teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir or ushering. They also make up gender specific activities such as meal prep and service, hosting teas and sewing clubs for women. As a token acknowledgement of their unique skill sets, men by default are to do building repairs, custodial chores, clean up, yard maintenance, heavy lifting, security etc.
These works are standard to local churches settled down in brick and mortar buildings as they have developed over the centuries practicing biblical Christianity or manmade forms of it as religion. The majority of long standing churches operating in religion today, carryout in sinful human strength and tradition what are their dead works; works that are faithless and without the Holy Spirit’s power as they ignore the Lord’s call to repentance and revival (Revelation 3:1-6)! Their few men do what is expected of them while sitting spiritually zoned out on the bench with not a flicker of desire to get in the King’s game contrary to even the natural passion of men to compete!
A number of more vibrant churches recognize they should be doing something more with men. So, they also offer their member men all of the same traditional opportunities for church works and add a regular fellowship breakfast, annual golf or basketball tournament, denominational men’s conference or foreign mission trips. A relative few engaged in church facilitated or at least endorsed “outside” ministries experience the Lord’s joy and power in their service. Still, the remaining majority sits the spiritual bench; passively content to show up to worship and participate in an activity or two as their presumed acceptable service to the Lord since this is all the church requires.
But while practicing biblical Christianity in Kingdom driven churches men should step up to do all of the needed works and participate in ministries of the brick and mortar house, the more “weightier” calling and assignment of God should not be neglected (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42, NKJV). For church leadership and men alike should be utmost concerned about what God considers “acceptable” service in His sight (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:8-10; 1 Peter 2:4-5, NKJV). Do you not believe God’s prophetic Word that in these last two minutes brick and mortar churches will be thoroughly destroyed as many around the world already have been (Revelation 17:16-18:8)?
What then will become of church works? In the fiery persecution of that hour, do you think a choir will be formed to sing in the ashes? No, brethren, think righteously as our Lord instructed (John 7:24)! So, then, God has called men to salvation and restoration as aspiring strong men of God in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29)! As assignment from God, every restored man is to be engaged zealously in the Kingdom cause, work and warfare to restore other men through the Gospel along with teaching and mentoring them in the faith and biblical manhood to the end as Christ and the apostle Paul also exemplified (Matthew 4:17-22; 10:16-39; Luke 23:39-46, 24:46-49; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:11-6:20; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-2:7; 2 Timothy 2:1-13, 4:6-8).
Anything less than carrying out God’s assignment is disobedience which in His eyes is also sin, lawlessness and unrighteousness (Genesis 3:9-11; 1 John 3:4-9, 5:17). If men sold out to Christ in obedience are in the minority as I have seen and statistics bear out, then the majority of professed Christian men in and out of the churches are guilty of disobedience!2 Therefore, those that are not impostors or Christ denying, willful apostates should immediately repent and be revived by the Holy Spirit! The lack of your pastor and church’s participation, endorsement or permission (which if needed, flee since you are in a cult) is irrelevant! The assignment has come to you personally from the Lord Jesus Christ, the highest Authority (Matthew 28:16-18; John 20:21-23)! Get off the bench!
1 As the Lord led, I launched 2017 crying out to and warning pastors and churches to come to terms with this inescapable truth. Read the January three part Blog, In God’s
Revival Men Are Restored, under the category, The Cause.
2 Statistical data on the absence and low participation of men in the churches is ubiquitous! I cite them in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available in the
Strong Man Store or you can certainly quickly Google for example, “statistics on men in the churches.”
Watching some of the many nature programs on television these days that idolatrously exalt non-sentient “mother nature” as the source cause of behavior programming in things that live on earth, I have come to appreciate and glorify the living God as a faithful Christian all the more for “His handiwork” in all of His creation (Psalm 19:1, NKJV)! That handiwork includes His programming right down into the DNA of most living things on earth. God’s will expressed from the beginning is that every living thing reproduce itself (Genesis 1:11-13, 20-31). It is so. God also programmed His reproducing creatures to act instinctively out of observable and definable roles and responsibilities.
So, for example, science has observed that certain penguins mate for life with the male and female each carrying out their separate duties while both go to get food for their offspring. How did the penguin parents know to do this and who told them they had to? Nobody; it is programmed in their genetic make up to provide food for their offspring! Human beings also have parental instincts programmed in us by God, but the difference between us and the animals is we have been given the freewill to override His genetic programming in sin and willfully rebel against His express commandments and instructions to our detriment as write I in this edited 2011 Commentary.
Originally Published October 2011
Who said it is the man and husband of the family that is responsible to provide for them? God, the Creator of man has modeled and taught so in His Word! But now, near the end of this world as we know it, many are rebelling against the instructions of God for the order of the family including a rising number of professed Christians. They treat the Bible as dated, but the declarations of worldly government officials and science worshipping professionals as sacred. They are more concerned about the world's approval than God's. As a result, their homes are as confused as those of the ungodly. Meanwhile, the wrath of the Bible's God looms on the horizon to destroy our nation and world.
In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,1 I am led of the Lord to address the 21st century confusion on male and female roles and their responsibilities in the family. It is not a pretty picture and statistics in the book bear this out. In arrogance, sinful humanity moved by various motivations, but primarily secular humanism, feminism and sexual perversion, have sought to re-define men, women and the family. It is of pure arrogance because in anybody’s worldview, how can you improve upon perfection? God's design presented in His Word is perfect because He is the Perfect One! But these unjust gods would usurp the Almighty and create their own world (Psalm 82).
Let every professed Christian be reminded it is not the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are flawed as God designed, it is we ourselves as sinners. God has already given a helpful fix for our problem in the cross of His Son, Jesus Christ, and new birth through the Holy Spirit. Even in this we are not yet perfected on this side of Heaven. So, in great zeal to please God and do His will we intentionally labor daily in the strength He supplies to live out the roles He has assigned us. The outcome should be that every Christian man, woman and family renders a far superior portrait of God's perfect design than any of the world to His glory (Matthew 5:14-16)!2
In God's design a man is the lead provider in the family because he is so in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26a). God as the Head and Father of Adam initiated his existence and immediately provided for his needs (Genesis 2:7-10). He provided a comfortable environment and shelter, food, beauty, water as well as His up close and personal presence for relationship. Though everything grew of itself, God still made Adam Eden’s caretaker providing Him with responsible work (Genesis 2:15). After Adam fell in sin, God ordained that He should continue to work, but now, it would be harder as he would have to toil to make the earth yield its bounty (Genesis 3:17-19).
In the image and likeness of God a man as the head and father of his family works to provide for them. From Adam, men have worked to provide for their families whether it was building shelter, digging wells, farming, fishing, hunting etc. and then returned home to provide themselves. God also designed men to in general be bigger and stronger than women in order to help fulfill their historically demanding physical assignment as a provider. Indeed, the apostle Paul writes the command, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat," (2 Thessalonians 3:10, NKJV). Able-bodied men that sit at home idle while their wives work sin against the Lord despising His order and assignment.
The transition from an economy that was agrarian and agriculture based to one that is city, industrial and now technology driven over the past 200 hundred years has certainly been influential in giving men and women a greater diversity of work opportunities. However, God's design of their roles remains the same. Men have the lead responsibility to provide for their families. God will not be mocked nor will He allow His Word to be discarded without more than natural consequences to those who defiantly insist on destroying His design of male and female roles and their responsibilities.
Truly, the state of our economy and lack of work today is another of the many warning judgments from the Lord intended to be remedial and cause our nation to turn back to Him.3 All of our leaders in and outside of the churches need to consider the nation's greatness to this point was never a matter of so-called “exceptionalism” procured by our own wisdom and might. No, but as the song says, "God shed His grace on thee."4 Therefore, the word of the Lord to our nation is repent lest He pour out on the land the wrath that is deserved even before the time (Jeremiah 25:29-33; Luke 12:47-48)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can
also get a print copy of the book on sale in the Strong Man Store.
2 Assembled together as God’s house in local churches (Hebrews 3:1-6), the portrait of His perfect design of the family is supposed to be affirmed, not obliterated as is
taking place in clear rebellion with the world against God among many churches. Don’t these folks understand the immutable God never has and never will reward un-
faithfulness considering it blasphemy or rebellion (Ezekiel 20:27; Hebrews 3:7-19)?
3 This was originally written during the economic downturn that had begun in 2008. All such downturns should serve not only as reminders of how precarious human
economies are at any given moment, but for us to also realize it is not a sound idea to purposely offend God upon whom upturns and sustained prosperity depend
(Psalm 107:33-38).
4 Words are from the patriotic song, America The Beautiful, written first as a poem by Katharine Lee Bates in 1895 according to Wikipedia.
After addressing the strategic use of television specifically to advance the evil cause of rebellion against God and His Anointed, He now leads me to speak to the use of the medium by professing Christianity.1 With a degree in Radio and Television Broadcasting, graduate degree in Communication and over thirty-five years in the field mostly heading up a small media ministry in the express will and facilitation of the Lord, He has qualified me to speak and so, I do in this urgent latter day post. In days soon to come, Christian broadcasting will be globally targeted for eradication which is why it must be maximized now in its use for God’s causes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
To the credit of the initial Christian visionaries that understood God’s purposeful, creative hand in, vision for and use of the unfolding means of mass communication over the past century, there is such a thing as Christian broadcasting. For while the pioneers of radio and television broadcasting desperate for program content were initially welcoming of what was called religious programming mostly from Christian churches and their denominations, by the middle of the 1960s this began to slowly change due to the rising costs of production and air time and commercialism as well as the cultural shift toward secularism hostile to Christianity.
Television in particular--which provides pictures and sound--had such potential for good in the Kingdom cause of God to disseminate the Gospel of His Son and biblical instruction throughout the earth. This meant not only the opportunity to have men stand to preach and teach God’s Word, but to also be creative through such arts as drama. I feel blessed to be part of a unique generation that grew up watching the low tech clay animation of Davey and Goliath that presented important high moral lessons. The show was produced by the United Lutherans and featured the memorable hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, written by their famous founder, Martin Luther, as the theme music.
Nevertheless, the staple of Christian television fare has been worship services by large churches along with the preaching and teaching of their well known clergy. These churches and their denominational entities also provided holiday specials and helped to sponsor the televised specials of Evangelists such as the now departed Billy Graham, who was a trailblazer in the use of radio and television. Others in the Christian television vanguard include the also departed Paul Crouch, founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Together, these have all given Christian television its global presence.
Christian television’s global presence has not come without some scandal. Most Christian television networks feature so-called televangelists that dominate their programming schedules because they pay for the air time. But this has led to much and in some cases, questionable fundraising due to extravagant lifestyles bred of success.2 There has also been sensational heretical and conflicting teaching as well as sinful cultural compromises such as with feminism that allows women to take authority over and teach men.3 Nondenominational stations and networks that dominate the Christian broadcasting landscape are hesitant to deal with these issues (if they in guilt too will at all) because of the loss of income involved in removing paying customers from the air.
While all of the foregoing damages the integrity of Christian television, the continuing Babel and cultural compromises undermine what is supposed to be its unified message and imagery of the Christian Gospel in action (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-6)! The biblical Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) is not heard enough, though, the Christian programmers, television stations and networks all claim they exist to preach it globally; endlessly raising money supposedly to this end. Instead, unlike worldly programmers of sin who do all say and show the same thing, many professed Christian preachers pitch their own conflicting takes on the Gospel and God’s Word as they compete for followers and dollars (Acts 20:30); exporting their Babel and unbiblical compromises to the nations!
As television is supposed to do, this televised unbiblical and confused state of affairs precisely mirrors the spreading harlotries and spiritual dysfunction in American Christianity; a situation that no one of sound mind and Word should attempt to defend. For whatever good there may currently be in Christian television, it has so much greater potential in saying the same thing as it concerns the soul saving Gospel message and being consistently biblical as a divinely useful tool of dissemination. It is to the glory of God that there is indeed, some good on Christian television. Of late, TBN, for example, has made major creative inroads in children’s, youth and ethnic programming on several dedicated networks.4 CBN has the only major professionally produced Christian News program on television.
Even so, repentance from tolerating Babel and compromise is absolutely needed to most effectively use the medium now. Enemies of the cross are shortly to target Christian television and all Christian media in the ramping up of foretold global persecution (Matthew 24:9). This is because in modern warfare, the means of mass communication are seized or knocked out as a priority. Christian persecutors up to and including the Antichrist will be allowed by God to finally silence all means of humanly communicating the Christian message (involving the Gospel, biblical truth and prophecy) in opposition to their own (Daniel 8:23-26; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 13). But God will get His message to the world by an angel one last time before bringing His wrath (Revelation 14:6-7)!5 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the October 14, 2018 post, Grasping For Normal, under the categories, Bible Prophecy and Call To Repent.
2 Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker with their PTL empire at its height in the mid-1980’s have been among those so charged and are a tragic and globally known example.
Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PTL_Club.
3 The Lord leads me to explain why this compromise has been disastrous in the churches and for the Christian witness among the unsaved in many posts especially
under the categories Call To Repent, God’s Creatures, Instruction and The Cause as well as my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available at
all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
4 The leading Christian network in the world shows flashes of the creative possibilities in television with original programming such as productions Drive Thru History
that has its host travel to key New Testament locations in the expansion of 1st century Christianity to explain events in an entertaining way and Creation In The 21st
Century upholding a biblical worldview of creation by interviewing Christian men and women of science and using well done displays, graphics and on location foot-
age. The Gospel is preached by such heavy hitters as Billy Graham in a “Classics” program that replays his crusades, Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. David Jeremiah,
Greg Laurie and Dr. Michael Youssef to name some of the relative few that stand flat footed to regularly include it in their preaching and teaching. Learn more about
TBN at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Broadcasting_Network.
5 Read the September 13, 2015 post, Praise For The Lord God Almighty!, under the category, Glory To God!
“Get your head in the game,” coaches in all sports may be heard to firmly bark at a player that is not focused because of being distracted and making mistakes as a result. Spiritually speaking, “get your head in the game” is what the Lord Jesus is patiently, yet, insistently urging guilty pastors, other leaders and the churches they serve in this critical last two minutes before the world as we have known it in this present age comes to its end! Distracted by selfish and worldly motives in ministry and religion, they are not watching the unfolding of prophetic fulfillment or the corresponding clock indicating time is short. Kingdom work and priorities are not taking center stage as a result!
The Lord Jesus has set His Kingdom agenda in this present age as going into all the earth to preach the Gospel, make, baptize and teach disciples as He has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and gifts to do (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 4:7-16)! In accord with the divine latter day prophetic emphasis and Christ’s focus and example, the first priority of His agenda is men so they may be restored and in turn, restore their families as I have written in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and many other places (Malachi 4:5-6; Luke 1:5-17, 3:1-6, 5:1-11).1 This is the work with men as the priority we are to be fully engaged in until He returns (Luke 19:1-27).
Of my greatest sorrows in doing this Kingdom work and surely the Lord’s exasperation (Mark 9:14-19), however, is seeing great numbers of men and boys come to or rededicate to Him, but having very few churches for one or another mostly sinful reasons that I can send them to for quality discipleship and instruction in biblical manhood.2 These reasons include pastoral self-preoccupation, disinterest, lack of Kingdom vision and priorities through the practice of religion and tradition, fear of offending women, holding to a rebel feminist worldview, fear of virile men and exposure as spiritually weak and inadequate, racism, pride, envy, ignorance and no financial incentive to name some.3
I have also approached pastors and churches to stand with and support us in doing nothing but what is of the Lord’s Kingdom cause and work in the Gospel to restore men. Most of their reasons remain rooted in carnality and disobedience as distractions and keep them from doing so. Of course, some demonically inspired quick thinker will say, “Just because we have not supported your Ministry, does not mean the Lord is displeased with what we have chosen to do for Him.” And again, the Holy Spirit quickly reminds us all that stewards are not in a position to set their own agenda for what they have been entrusted and are insubordinate when they do (Matthew 25:14-30)!
Certainly, having been one, I understand that until now, a relative, faithful few local church pastors and their leadership teams might have said no to us because they act in obedience to what they have understood the Lord has directed them to do Kingdom-wise. The truly Kingdom minded, though, discern the importance of all Kingdom work and as we still do at this tiny Ministry, set aside a tenth of our income to support others doing what we are not! As a result, even among this group of pastors we are told no mostly because of an internal, often arrogant myopic focus that unless it fits their view of worthy, are in control or benefitted in some way, they will not support other ministries.
The pastors and church leadership teams in the majority, however, do not even have a vision for doing any Kingdom work much less its divinely insisted latter day return to restoration through the Gospel and priority of men or a budget! Thus, not having their heads in the King’s game at all because of distractions, they are set in church maintenance mode first which makes saying no to our Ministry doing Kingdom work easy. Once more, someone will say, “How can you ever expect pastors to support your work when you criticize them?” It is not with malice, but the heavy heart of the Lord in tears of love at times that I speak the truth and hope for repentance leading to revival among pastors (2 Corinthians 7:8-12) who in Christ’s image, should lead the way as team captains by precept and example in these last two minutes (Mark 10:32-34; John 12:26, 21:15-22; Hebrews 13:7).
I know that a few pastors bound by the human traditions of religion mean well, but all operate out of the same spiritual ignorance Israel’s religious establishment had when they called for Christ’s execution instead of receiving Him as their Messiah (Acts 3:11-17; 1 Corinthians 2:6-8). God in great patience gave those leaders a generation to repent from their ignorance before unleashing His wrath upon them and the entire nation at the hands of Rome in A.D. 70. There is no excuse for such willful ignorance among guilty pastors today, who want me to believe this or do that jumping through hoops before implying falsely they might do God’s will with men or help us. Like the proverbial frog in the pot, they do not realize God’s foretold judgment of His house first is in progress (1 Peter 4:17-18)!
Pastor, you will give an account! Your distractions of carnality and disobedience leading to dull hearing and lapsed watchfulness are destroying not only men’s lives, but churches in this final two minutes of the game (Luke 12:35-48; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23)!4 Business as usual church may have worked before what is almost unanimously understood as a post-Christian paradigm now in the West, but never again. And how will you justify your sinful distractions to King Jesus at His judgment seat (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11)? Let the willing that are guilty repent and get your heads back in the game before it is too late! Also, support ministries like ours already in the game! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
1 My book in Print and E-Book editions is available in the Strong Man Store as well as all major internet booksellers including Christian Book and Rainbow West Christian Supply. For related Blogs, read the three part, In God’s Revival Men Are Restored, posted January 8-22, 2017 and all others this year under the category, The Cause.
2 Take a look at the number of churches listed on our Web Site Ministry and Church Link Page after seeking to engage pastors with Strong Man Ministries since 2005!
3 Read my two part Blog, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction, the September 25, 2016 Blog, A Leadership Caused Failure and the October
2, 2016 post, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart both under the category, Call To Repent for an elaboration on manmade religion as a significant hindrance to quality disciple-
ship and teaching of biblical manhood conducted by pastors in the churches.
4 Read my sobering August 23, 2015 Blog, Babylon Is Falling! under the category, Bible Prophecy and the two referenced in the footnote along with the related climatic
September 13, 2015 post on the coming end of the local brick and mortar churches as we have known them, Praise For The Lord God Almighty! under the category, Glory To God!
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