The Scourge Of Racism
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Just as the Church on earth is the only divinely commissioned human agency to proclaim the Gospel and witness Christ, so, only its shepherds and teachers have the priority responsibility to teach those that respond to the message and become Christians. If the Church does not or cannot do her proclamation and witnessing job, God will send angels as He will in days shortly to come (Revelation 14:6-11). But if His chosen human shepherds fail to teach in developing and equipping disciples and especially men as the first priority, then there is no divine back up use of heaven sent angels. Also, we have the issues the Lord leads me to raise in this edited 2012 Commentary.
Originally Published November 2012
Having served the Lord in the ministry of shepherding His flock in local churches, I fully understand the joys and triumphs as well as the relentless pressures, difficulties, hardships and painful sorrows that come with the job. Being a pastor that pleases the Lord and does His will is doable for the man who has truly been gifted for and called to the task. Besides leading the flock to do God's will, central aspects of the task are feeding and tending the flock according to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ's directive to His apostle, Peter (John 21:15-17). Of paramount importance is developing the men; something many pastors are failing to do for any number of reasons.
While the Lord proclaimed the Gospel, taught God's Word to and healed people from all walks of life and genders as they gathered to Him, He only gathered to Himself twelve men to be His apostles. This was not because He was keeping in step with the social customs of His day or attempting to please anybody but His Father. Men are God’s chosen leaders in the family, the foundation of human social organization and His churches on earth. Therefore, our Lord honored the divine design and order (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:13) as well as after consulting with His Father, chose precisely which men to bring near to Himself (Luke 6:12-16).1
Even though one--Judas Iscariot--would eventually betray Him and perish, these men began an intensive time of instruction under Christ to learn about Him, His doctrine, God's program and plans so they might do His will as Christ was also doing (John 17:18, 20:19-23). The Lord has called pastors beginning with the apostles to imitate His example of developing men for leadership and Kingdom service (Ephesians 4:7-16). This does not mean women are neglected. Done biblically, though, it is the men as husbands and fathers that instruct their families in the faith and show suitability for leadership in the local church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-12, 3:1-13).2
The apostle Paul foretold and Peter revealed one of the major reasons many pastors do not "shepherd the church of God" as He intends including purposely developing men: they have corrupt motives (Acts 20:17, 28-30; 1 Peter 5:1-3, NKJV). They also have the wrong idea about the purpose of church members. The flock of God does not exist to support a pastor's selfish ambitions and personal kingdom.3 He exists to build up the members as God also required of Israel's shepherds and was displeased with their failure (Ezekiel 34:1-10). The present hour bears out the devastating result of failed Christian shepherds in that churches have relatively few men and God is not pleased.4
How many men do I know in and beyond my family that are soured on the church and ruined as faithful disciples of Christ because some novice or greedy and corrupt pastor sought to exploit them for personal gain? How many men with a healthy self-concept and sense of dignity will never darken the doors of a church again because some insecure, overbearing and controlling pastor sought to lord it over them contrary to the teaching of Christ (Luke 22:24-27)? Truly, such pastors do not welcome aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ either! Even fallen, men are amazing creatures in that most will easily follow a man that has earned not demanded their respect (1 Samuel 21:10-22:2; Matthew 9:1-13; Acts 16:1-5).
Pastor, how many men sitting in the pews right now are having their need for your personal instruction in Christ to develop them as leaders in the home and church ignored while you are busy with other endeavors that serve your ambitions? As Christ to His apostles and Paul to Timothy, you, sir, are a spiritual father to the men you serve in the local church and equip them to be likewise (Isaiah 53:10; John 14:18, 16:12-15; 1 Corinthians 4:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:1-2). If indeed, Christ has called you to serve His flock as a shepherd under Him, then He wills that you possess His motives and priorities as well as follow His example in your service to obtain His reward (1 Peter 5:4).
Sadly, as I write in my book, The Strong Of God: Back to Basics, many pastors also do not teach their men because they are weak in sin as professing Christians.5 While perfection is certainly not required by God to serve as a pastor, He does expect that each man has shown recognizable growth in spiritual maturity before his service to a local church and continuing growth thereafter. As such, local churches too must shoulder the blame for men absent from or sitting weak in their assemblies due to pastors not doing their job.6 They ignored God's Word and leading in the selection of their pastor (Titus 1:4-9). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See all of this year’s blogs under the category, The Cause, but especially the series, In God’s Revival Men Are Restored, Jesus, Son Of Man and The Value Of Men for
a more thorough treatment of the points in this and the opening of the next paragraph.
2 Lord willing, I will have more to say about this in my next post.
3 Read the September 27, 2015 post, Empire Building On God’s Program, under the category, Call To Repent.
4 Read my July 16, 2017 blog, Pastors In The Two Minute Drill, under the category, The Cause to understand how urgent it is before God for pastors to get their heads back
in the game!
5 The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available at all major internet booksellers and in the Strong Man Store.
6 The companion resource to my book, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study, is an excellent tool pastors can use to intentionally develop men. Learn more and what
men say about it here.
In the final paragraph of my December 3, 2017 post, “Pastors And Developing Men” under the category, The Cause, I lamented as I do in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back to Basics, that another important reason many pastors do not teach and develop their men is because of being weak in sin themselves as professing Christians. In this edited 2012 repost, I elaborate further on this tragic reality which I have seen and experienced in my own journey from the pew to the pulpit. As I stated in that previous post, this is not about anyone being perfect, but God’s expectation of spiritual maturation among all of His sons including pastors and our zeal to pursue it (Philippians 3:12-16).
Originally Posted November 11, 2012
As a babe in Christ, I had no idea at the time that His burden for the churches He placed in my heart during a commanded seven day fast without food or water in February of 1979 was a formal calling to serve Him in the gifting of a watchman/prophet and teacher (Acts 11:27-30, 13:1-3; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 28-29, 14:1-5; Ephesians 4:7-16). I did not seek the associated gifts, calling and ministry nor did I initially embrace them. All I know is that as the Lord discipled me I gained an insatiable desire to know His Word and was drawn to the Old Testament prophets and their prophetic utterances with amazing understanding.
I also boldly spoke out against the wickedness in the churches that I only later began to realize I had been seeing since I was a child! After the thoroughly disappointing and humiliating Fort Worth, Texas launch of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. in the fall of 1985 that included calling pastors and churches to repentance with no result, by the spring of 1986 I was broken before the Lord and about to quit. He took me to Ezekiel 33:1-9 and made me understand the biblical and spiritual grounds of my service on His behalf and at His exclusive pleasure (Revelation 1:9-20). I surrendered in obedience and have been faithful ever since in His strength through many trials.1
In those early days, a number of pastors--a few well intended--told me I was not being heard because I was young, not a pastor and did not understand what pastors have to go through. Then the Lord made me a pastor and I was told you only have a small church and are not impressive enough for pastors of stature to hear you. Now, it is I have no standing to be heard by or to instruct pastors because I was not a successful pastor after having the most recent church I shepherded close its doors (Matthew 11:16-19).2 In the meantime, what the Lord has taught me in over thirty years of service to Him in the churches is that pastors are sinful, fallen mortals as all other men.
Pastors can and many do allow their sinful flesh rather than the Holy Spirit to rule their lives and impact the way they pastor (Galatians 5:19-25). Far from crucifying the flesh and its passions they even indulge it. Prominent is pride, lying, dishonesty, selfish ambitions, covetousness, stealing, envy, jealousies, evil plotting, lording it over the people, heresies, sexual immorality, alcohol and drug abuse. Rather than holding each other accountable for righteous conduct, many even celebrate each other’s sinful deeds. In the same way the outwardly religious people they shepherd do not want to hear and obey the truth of God from His Word that rebukes their sins, so also many pastors.
As I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, it is a great tragedy that many pastors are not aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ.3 Not answering the call themselves, these pastors will surely not teach their men to become such men either. Therefore, as I have from the beginning in obedience to the Lord’s call on my life, I warn and strongly appeal to pastors that are guilty of being willfully weak in the flesh to repent and turn back to Him in all brokenness that the Lord might forgive and restore you. It is a lie from Satan and you have been greatly deceived to believe that because you are a pastor, somehow you have a judgment “get out of jail free card” from God (Deuteronomy 7:6-11, 10:17; Colossians 3:23-25).
If He has not yet severely dealt with you because you have failed to develop as a Christian before Him and to develop other men, chalk it up to His longsuffering, patience and forbearance not your indispensible position as a pastor (2 Peter 3:9). Thus, it was not because I was unfaithful to the Lord or had forsaken my own spiritual development that I know the pain of a disbanded church as the Lord’s judgment on His house. But I was too faithful in standing on and preaching His Word uncompromised along with growing mightily in it to suit folk steeped in religion so that a number over time departed from under my leadership (as even some depart as offended readers of this blog), while the Lord left me standing strong (Jeremiah 23:28-29; John 6:41-71)!4
Now, if my burden to proclaim the Word of God uncompromised and in growing spiritual maturity to live out biblical righteousness destroyed a local church in God’s will (2 Chronicles 36:15-16; Revelation 2:1-5), what really is holding together the one you shepherd, brother pastor, as you willfully sin against the Lord? How much longer do you have before His judgment finally catches up to you if it has not already (Numbers 32:23b; Jeremiah 23:1-2, 9-40; Micah 3:8-12; Matthew 7:15-23; Hebrews 10:26-31; James 3:1; 1 Peter 4:17-18; 2 Peter 2:4-22)? And if it is all like that for the men God actually does call to serve as pastors, where from His Word is your comfort, sister? The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 The Lord keeps having me repeat the story of my awakening to His calling to the end, I am sure, that sooner or later someone will realize it is biblically consistent and
authentic since by His will, all New Testament spiritual gifts continue to be given by Him until He comes and ends this present, mortal Church era (Zechariah 13:2-6;
1 Corinthians 13:8-12). Without biblical declaration otherwise, the denial of the ongoing display of prophecy among all spiritual gifts is only of sinful human suppo-
sition and suppression in rebellion as is typical of those practicing a manmade form of religion, their proud and arrogant religious leaders and educated elite (Mark 11:
27-33). Other posts with my calling testimony include the October 2, 2016 post, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart under the category, Call To Repent and more recently
on October 1 this year, Not A Market Driven Work under the category, Glory To God!
2 Read the August 30, 2015, post, When Strong Men Of God Weep under the category, Glory To God! and the one that follows to learn more about my most recent ex-
perience as a local church pastor.
3 The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available at all major internet booksellers and in the Strong Man Store.
4 Because of my experience, the Lord has given me a tender and empathetic heart for faithful small church pastors and their struggles. If I can encourage, pray for or
serve you in some way, pastor, please contact me through this Ministry. Stand strong; you are precious to our Lord!
“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!
In last week’s post that was originally a 2012 Commentary, the Lord led me to write about the need for American church pastors that are guilty to be more intentional about developing the men in their churches as leaders. The absence of men in the churches today and their weakness in the pews when they are there is major evidence pastors are failing in their biblically mandated responsibility to reach men for and develop them in Christ. I also present a number of reasons for the failure of pastors in this matter, but reserved discussing an important one this and elaborating on another next week. In this week’s edited 2012 blog repost, it is the equality trap.
Originally Posted November 4, 2012
Writing about equality causes a powerful mix of emotions in me as a black American that has lived all of my life with the painful sting of racism fed inequality. I have endured being treated unequally in both the secular world where without connection to Christ it would be expected and among many white professing Christians, their churches and related entities where I have refused to accept such behavior as representative of biblical Christianity, but frankly, have also come to expect it from experience. Even so, more and more professing white Christians are following the world’s lead in not displaying some of the more openly discriminatory practices of racial inequality.
However, the evil practice of treating a man unequally because of the color of his skin is not the supposed immoral equivalent of a God honoring society treating same sex relations as wrong and forbidding its practice. My skin color was genetically programmed whereas same sex relations are a choice even if the demonically instigated and deceitful allure is over powering. All men are not to be marginalized as a group due to the racism of many white men either. Mysteriously and wickedly, God’s ancient instruction on males and females is being lumped together with racism. By divine assignment men are leaders in the home, church and wider society as it has been from creation.
The world’s clamor for equality is not moral or righteous, but hypocritically rebellious!1 The righteous demands for a more equal and fair society made historically by blacks and other racial minorities has been co-opted and used as a pretext by the mostly white “children of the sixties” to press their own immoral agenda and rebellion against God’s ancient morality for and order of human society (Psalm 2:1-3). This is not just my opinion offered from afar. I experienced the attempted brain washing that has come with this rebellion while in secular colleges in the mid-seventies and early eighties through particularly all of my social science courses.2
And now, the world’s clamor for equality has fully made its way into the churches where worldly anything is not to be tolerated as opposition to God’s program which is already perfectly equal and fair since He is the Author! Thus, the God of the Bible has never condoned or sanctioned racism or its related practices including segregated anything much less churches. This has all been done by those that are guilty in willful defiance of and disobedience to God’s Word. Similarly, those professing Christians that would think God’s male and female roles, responsibilities and order are not equal and fair are rebels and carry a worldly agenda into His house. They are of prospectively three types in their rebellion.
First, they are false disciples and impostors that have never met Jesus Christ personally (Galatians 2:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:13). Second, they are carnal, willfully weak and untaught babes in Christ who foolishly believe the church should look like the world rather than the peculiar people God called us out of it to be (1 Peter 2:9-10).3 Finally, they are self-willed and led, fearful of the world and ultimately ashamed of Christ and the Word of God (Matthew 10:24-33; Mark 8:34-38). Out of this latter group come many of the pastors today who feel pressure to make the world be fond of their churches for the sake of building them bigger and fear of persecution.
Too, their mostly female filled churches demand that women be treated equally and fairly as in the world and have positions of authority God has reserved for men. A special effort to develop men as leaders is a big no-no. Pastors who truly know and love the Lord must resist the temptation to compromise God’s Word and corrupt His program in being caught in Satan’s equality trap. In the first place, your assignment, pastor, is not to build a big congregation. It is to preach the Gospel, baptize and teach those who believe in making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Any legitimate increase in congregation size will come from the Lord not your efforts (Acts 2:47b; 1 Corinthians 3:5-7).
Furthermore, in the example of Christ, you must teach and develop men first as leaders in the home who will then prove themselves worthy to serve as leaders in God’s house. This approach in turn will lead to spiritually healthy homes and churches that are blessed of God even if they are despised by the world.4 Who are you to please in this, brother pastor: God or the world? If you have already compromised and corrupted yourself, repent! Our God rich in mercy through Christ will forgive you. However, you are right to consider the sobering possibility of natural consequences as you attempt to undo the damage you have done. I salute and encourage all faithful pastors to stay on the battlefield--it only gets tougher from here.
1 Read the May 15, 2016 blog post, God Unfair?, under the category, God’s Creatures for more on the world’s brand of equality and fairness.
2 Recent films such as God’s Not Dead 1&2 while fictional, nevertheless, capture how brain washing has morphed into open hostility and contempt now on many campuses toward especially a biblical worldview that challenges all of the rebellious tenets of a secular worldview including evolution to explain origins and science as the final authority on all.
3 Read my May 22, 2016 blog post, The Peculiar People, under the category, Instruction.
4 The Leader Kit for The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study is a great starting place for pastors to consider using this excellent resource in their efforts to teach and de- velop men. It is available exclusively in the Strong Man Store.
In light of all that the Lord has led me to write concerning worldly feminism and the great woman of God in His image since 2011,1 as He continues to lead it is time to fully address the out of place elephant in the room of women pastors. It is not as though the Lord has not had me address this issue before. However, it has mostly been brief statements that speak to women taking authority over men in God’s house such as posts during this Covid-19 year starting with the very first in a footnote.2 In this post, the Lord in grace, mercy and at the end of His longsuffering has me make an extended case for guilty women pastors to repent now, or face His at hand severe judgment!
Search the whole Bible from beginning to end to see if there is one instance of God calling a female to serve Him as a priest in the Old Testament or pastor in the New. You will not find even one because the immutable God is consistent with Himself from creation that men are His elect leaders beginning in the home (Genesis 2:7, 18-24, 3:16, 20, 5:1-5)! As the head of his house in the Old Testament, every man answered to God for his leadership and assigned responsibilities which included leading his family in worship and teaching His way (Genesis 8:20; Deuteronomy 6:4-9). When God established Israel’s priesthood He was very specific and direct in His words to Moses.
‘“Now, take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest…,’” (Exodus 28:1, NKJV). Plainly in the foregoing God makes His sovereign choice as to who of tribe, family and gender in Israel would serve Him as priests. Then, the Lord ensures that all understand His election of Aaron and his sons to serve Him as priests is for all time by declaring to Moses: ‘“The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So, you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons,’” (Exodus 29:9b, NKJV). Though women were singers (Nehemiah 7:66-67), none ever led worship nor served as priests or Temple attendants but the sons of Levi.
In the New Testament that fulfills God’s promise of a New Covenant with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34), her promised Messiah and King inaugurates it through His shed blood at their rejecting hands. Though not descended from Aaron, Jesus Christ is God’s exalted High Priest because His Priesthood is of a different, eternal spiritual order (Matthew 21:42, 26:26-28; John 19:5-22; Acts 4:8-12; Hebrews 4:14-5:11, 7-10:18). He as God’s great High Priest has made those of us who believe on Him from either mortal gender priests to serve God in the eternal “spiritual house” He has made us to be individually and together as His living Body (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10, NKJV).3
Yet, as the Lord and His apostles make clear, the spiritual priesthood believers enjoy through faith in Him does not invalidate God’s order of mankind and election of men to lead in the home as well as the local churches during this present mortal age. Indeed, the Lord Jesus had a golden opportunity to demonstrate any change in God’s order and did not when He appointed His twelve apostles that were all men. And later, after His resurrection when the eleven sought His will for one that would replace Judas who betrayed Him and committed suicide, the Lord has them select a man who met the apostolic criteria though, women were there including His own mother (Acts 1:9-26).4
There were no female apostles, pastors, elders, church sponsored ministry leaders or teachers over men in the first century churches or for nearly all of the centuries after until now, except in sin rebuked by Christ (Revelation 2:18-29). Paul--the Lord’s apostle specifically to us Gentiles where aberrations from God’s will from creation would be most prolific (Romans 1:18-32)--gives the reason when He presented and affirmed God’s order of mankind as the Father, Christ, man and woman to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:2-10)! He and the apostle Peter also affirm God’s will that wives submit to the headship of their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1-6).
Moreover, Paul brought the direct command of Christ to Corinth and all of the churches to adhere to God’s order when the whole church met together which he reiterated to next generation leadership, Timothy, his son in the faith (1 Corinthians 14:33-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-15). To Timothy also he sets forth the perpetual will of Christ as to who is to be considered for the positions of pastor (to include an elder since a pastor was often both) and deacons in the local churches. In laying out their qualifications, the apostle is unequivocal that only men who demonstrate ruling ability at home are to be considered for these positions (1 Timothy 3:1-13). This was no glass ceiling artificially installed by sinful men, but instructions from Christ consistent with God’s order of mankind from creation!
Seeing then, that God has made no change in His order of mankind to be honored and practiced in the churches, the change that has taken place even celebrating professed Christian women taking authority over, teaching and shepherding men as church pastors has come from them and their male supporters.5 This is rank rebellion and a “latter times” display of foretold apostasy originating from “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” as “the Spirit expressly” declared to the apostle Paul. For the woman pastor is a total contradiction and repudiation of Scripture and sound doctrine. Such women are out of order in the sight of God no matter how much they claim to have His calling and sanction and according to His Word, are not telling the truth (1 Timothy 4:1-2, NKJV)!6
Therefore, unless the guilty do thoroughly repent and abandon their demonically inspired rebellion and apostasy, the Lord is about to bring on you what He did the false prophets and wicked priests of old who also lied on Him and the promised end of all false teachers (Jeremiah 23:9-40, 28; Ezekiel 13; 2 Peter 2). The Lord will make you an example and omen of what lays ahead for your sister rebel feminists who make no pretense about knowing Him! Again, I exhort you to repent from your rank rebellion pursuing Satan’s dead end path to power and renown.7 Instead, in all humility and submission aspire to become a great woman of God in Christ’s image (Mark 10:35-45)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 My breakout blog posts challenging the satanic deceit of feminism that has infiltrated many churches take up the month of May 2015 as 2011 commentaries refuting four
classic arguments attempting to justify its presence that arise from sinful mortal flesh, not God’s Word. You do well to read these series of posts beginning May 3rd under
the category, The Cause and on May 31, 2015, What Does God’s Word Say?, under the category, Instruction if you have not already before taking to social or any other
media to assail me.
2 See the January 5, 2020 part one post of the two-part, Revelation’s Seven Churches In Time, under the category, Bible Prophecy. While the footnote points up the dis-
obedience of male pastors in allowing women to teach and take authority over men in the Lord’s house, the same is done in the body and a specific call to repentance
made to women pastors in a footnote of the April 19, 2020 post, Does Anybody Repent Anymore?, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 See the August 23, 2020 part one post, The Churches Under Judgment, under the category, Instruction.
4 See the May 20, 2018 post, The Value Of Women To Jesus Christ, under the category, God’s Creatures.
5 For those with a copy, read the second Appendix of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. The Lord leads me to refute the lie God has made a change of
some kind in His attitude toward or implementation of the divine order of mankind. You can also read my November and December two-part Commentary,
When Did God Change? Published by the Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clarity and updated web
addresses in the footnotes, my book is available as is the newly released Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study at major internet booksellers such as Amazon,
Barnes & Noble and ChristianBooks.com. These book sellers with Apple also have the digital download of the book. Type the titles into their search engines if neces-
sary. You can also purchase the book and all Strong Man Of God Brand Group Study Print Resources in the Strong Man Store!
6 Because most women are in greater touch with their emotions, it is very easy for evil men (to their chagrin) and demons to manipulate their strongly held and trusted
feelings. However, no matter how strongly you may feel, the Holy Spirit will never lead you to defy and disobey God’s written Word since that would be fighting against
Himself! If Satan is wise enough not to fight against himself, how much more wise is God not to do so (Matthew 12:22-30)? Anyone is self and/or demonically deceived
to believe God would lead them to disobey His Word and in making the Holy Spirit a party to your deceit, in danger of unpardonable blasphemy against Him (Matthew 12:
31-33)!
7 And woe to the men in willful disobedience who have usurped Christ and enabled this rebellion! I especially appeal to my professed Christian black American sisters in
so many churches where their numbers are in the majority and well represented among rebel women pastors to hear the Lord through me on this (Ezekiel 33:1-9; Acts
20:26-27; Revelation 2:21). Repent and voluntarily walk away as those did that escaped the fate of famous rebels Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 16:20-35). Yeah,
it’s serious like that!
With this edited 2013 Commentary, I launch the New Year by connecting back into the one just ended to wrap up the Lord’s charge to pastors for now, while also speaking to men in the pews. Of my saddest experiences serving the Lord in local churches over the years has been the countless times I have witnessed professed Christian men fail to accept calls to leadership; instead, letting our sisters (some sensing the inappropriateness of this; others like Eve caring nothing about divine order) take them. Worse, naturally, has been seeing men be purposely overlooked for leadership in favor of women by pastors for any number of reasons to include rewarding faithfulness to them, not God.
Originally Published January 2013
A pastor friend recently suggested that perhaps a reason many women are more visible in church leadership roles today is because they are eager to step up while the men lay back. In a complicated mix of sound reasons including rank rebellion against God's Word, no doubt, my friend is right. Indeed, as the Lord has led, I have spent the last two Commentaries speaking to pastors and Ministry leaders about our stuff.1 But make no mistake about it; the men in the pews are the objects of God's concern too. Surely, our God is not pleased that professed Christian men are refusing to step up and take hold of leadership responsibilities in the home and local church.
In support of faithful pastors everywhere and the righteousness, instruction and truth of God’s Word, I am challenging the professed Christian men reading this who are guilty to repent from every self-permitted reason in disobedience for not stepping up to lead as God has called you. For our Creator made the divine intent very plain from the beginning in Word and deed that men are purposely chosen to lead among equals (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7-3:21; 1 Timothy 2:13). To refuse to lead as God has ordained is sin as seen in how the Lord spoke to Adam at his fall and because it is the creature rejecting his Creator’s will to His face (Genesis 3:17a; Isaiah 29:16, 45:9-10)!
While it is evident women are also eager and ready to lead, God has elected men to do so in this present age beginning in the home. After this, men are to lead at every level of human social organization and exclusively of those who approach to minister to God in leading public worship (Genesis 8:20; Exodus 28:1; 1 Chronicles 23:13; 1 Corinthians 14:26-40; 1 Timothy 2:11-14; Hebrews 5:1-6).2 Why God has done this is bound up first in His sovereign will that none of us creatures has any standing to challenge (Romans 9:20). As well, He has done this because the leadership of men is tied to the eternal destiny of man as the highest creature of God and ruler over all the works of His hands (Hebrews 2:5-13).
No secular or religious authority on earth has the right to change God's election of men to lead. Therefore, those that have undertaken to do so have put themselves on a collision course with the already simmering wrath of God. Pastors and elders, this means every one of you also no matter how much you call yourself after the rebellion of this world system "setting things right in equality and fairness." As I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, you have no authority to ignore or change God's Word.3 You must obey it as supposedly you are teaching others to do or like all of the disobedient, suffer the consequences too (Isaiah 24:1-6; Jeremiah 25:30-38; Romans 2:5-11).
I fully feel your pain as it concerns the tug and pull of the hostile world culture surrounding us that is constantly calling into question the will, way and Word of our God. They may say His Word is outdated, but you, man of God and faith, shepherd under Christ of His flock are to stand faithful. Or did you not know from the beginning that you were called to war and the rank of a captain in God's army at that (2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 4:7-16, 6:10-20; 2 Timothy 2:3-4)? Certainly, you are not ashamed of Christ and our peculiarity as the people of God are you (Mark 8:34-38)? Therefore, you capitulate and surrender ground to the enemy every time you pass over a man reluctant to lead and instead call on the eager woman causing both to sin (Matthew 18:6-9).
As for the professed Christian men in the pews, do not wait, but hasten to your pastor and elders seeking assignments of leadership responsibility; being willing to train appropriately as preparation.4 No more laying back in fear like the men in Deborah's day when it was time for war; step up boldly to read Scripture or pray (Judges 4:4-10). A pastor should be overwhelmed with the ardent response of men aflame, ready to serve for Christ! Woe to him if he does not call upon or permit such ones to serve that seek to obey God in motive and gifting (1 Corinthians 12:18-21; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11). Also men, no more passive labor in the Gospel cause of Christ, but diligent effort to witness and win souls because the Holy Ghost empowers your own (John 20:19-23; Acts 1:8, 2)!
Your experience then, sir, should be like that of Job's reflection of his own in Job 29 before his trials. In the grace and strength God supplies to your life, you are blessed above all of the unsaved. In your irrefutable standing as a godly leader, you are respected in the public square and looked well upon by the less fortunate whose cause you have served. As a man of royal command possessing God's wisdom, your counsel is sought and your words are waited for. Such men aspire to be strong men of God in the image of Christ (Matthew 4:23-25)! Oh, that this were so! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Refers to the December 3, 2017 post, Pastors And Developing Men, under the category, The Cause originally published as a November 2012 Commentary and the
September 27, 2015 post, Empire Building On God’s Program, under the category, Call To Repent originally published as a December 2012 Commentary. For the
point being made, the December 2017 blog reposts directed to pastors, Developing Men: The Equality Trap and Pastors As Developing Christian Men both under the
category, The Cause, are also now included in this reference.
2 Read the three part January 2015 blog series, Worshipping God Without God and the post that follows it, Final Considerations On Worshipping God all under the cate-
gory, Call To Repent.
3 The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available through all major internet booksellers, by order from your favorite brick and mortar bookstore and in the
Strong Man Store.
4 This statement is made with the presumption that Kingdom activity and ministry is involved. Frankly, I do not blame men for not being interested in leading some of the
self-serving, non-Kingdom related programs and activities the churches of manmade religion come up with.
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.
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