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It is said of Jesus Christ, He was “born to die.” Consider that as a man’s life ambition for a moment. No, we cannot even fathom such a thing since most of us spend our lives doing everything possible to stave off the inevitable. However, the Son of God and Man came into the world with the express ambition to secure salvation for fallen mankind by the only means possible: the shedding of His own sinless blood culminating in death (Mark 10:45, 14:32-42; Luke 24:44-47; Hebrews 9:11-22). As this edited 2011 Commentary shows, ambition is of God and can drive men in noble and ignoble activities. Marginalizing men demoralizes them and chokes off their natural ambition.
Originally Published December 2011
Tied directly to visionary leadership is the necessary drive to fulfill what has been envisioned. This drive is called ambition. Without this drive no man would have ever set out to achieve or accomplish anything. The so-called advance of civilization never would have occurred nor buildings that touch the clouds, sports records, great musical compositions, technological breakthroughs or sea voyages to the earth's edge. Ambition is the natural companion to visionary leadership and like it, is another of the transmittable attributes of God imparted to man made in the divine image and likeness. Therefore, of itself, ambition is not evil. Men on the sidelines stifle human achievement.
As it originates in God, ambition is a marvelous quality of the divine nature. Indeed, not only does God envision the thing to be done, but He also exerts the drive and power to make it happen! In the case of the universe, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands,” (Psalm 19:1, NIV). The perfect ambition of God acted to bring forth the physical creation with a joyful ultimate purpose: the creation also of His image bearer, man. Even when it appeared that this act of love was a bust because of man's sin in the garden, God announced His plan to help him (Genesis 3:15). From the Seed of the woman would come hope and deliverance.
Package it any other way you want to, Christmas for Christians celebrates the unbridled ambition of God Almighty to save the creature of His love. For this plan of His was not hatched in a “fly by the seat of the pants” moment of inspiration when His creature fell. But He foreknew man's failure and planned from eternity to send His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be our Savior and Champion (Matthew 1:18-21; 1 Peter 1:20-21)! Seven centuries before His birth the prophet Isaiah ended an inspired utterance announcing it saying, "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this," (Isaiah 9:6-7, NKJV). What is the Lord's zeal but His passionate ambition for His causes?
What is the joy of the mother of Jesus, a virgin that miraculously carried Him in her womb if not at the ambition of God fulfilled in her centuries after the promise (Luke 1:46-55)? What is the joy of the angels if not at seeing the unshakable will and ambition of God to save lowly mankind take another step closer to realization (Luke 2:8-14)? Moreover, what is this ambition in the Son of God to serve His Father as a youth (Luke 2:41-52); this Son of Man too who upon reaching the prime of adulthood, began His fulltime service to God? His genealogy through His mother goes back to the first man and historically demonstrates the longsuffering ambition of God to save (Luke 3:23-38)!
"Like father, like son," the saying goes. Thus, Jesus Christ spent the next three and one half years of His life consumed with the ambition to please His Father and do His will which preeminently involved the salvation of lost mankind (Luke 19:9-10; John 6:38-40). In His ambitious warfare and work He victoriously contended with "that serpent of old" for the liberation of His people from prisons of darkness, torments and afflictions of every kind including death. In the process, He fulfilled His personal ambition born of love for His Father to seek His glory (John 8:48-50, 12:27-28, 15:8, 17:4). Finally, in His death on the cross He completed His ambition and mission to save (John 19:30)!
The excellent divine virtue of ambition is nearly impossible to see in its purity in fallen men. Influenced by sin and often deceived by Satan, fallen men dream dreams and pursue them with the most selfish of motives. Truly, what evil men in their selfish ambitions will not do even persecuting the righteous (John 11:45-53; James 5:1-6). The chief end of ambition in sinful men is personal pride of achievement and glory from other men. This is true too for no small number of those professing to be Christians and working in ministry. The aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ takes to heart the apostle Paul's instruction to do nothing out of selfish ambition, but all for the glory of God (2 Corinthians 10:17-18; Philippians 2:3-11). Such men give us our fleeting look at noble ambition.1
Nevertheless, men sidelined because their historical visionary leadership and ambition are no longer valued is leaving its mark. Many decry the loss of American ingenuity that once dreamed never before imagined inventions, built companies to produce them and created jobs. The News is filled with stories of suffering families and disillusioned, out of work men. Many churches have few men and a number of them suffer the inability to fulfill their divine design because of oppression by threatened leaders that pander to the women. Like a bizarre nightmare, the very group that claims to know God cooperates with the world in deconstructing men as He designed (1 Timothy 4:1-2). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Learn more about the aspiring strong man of God by getting a copy of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available through all major internet
booksellers, by order from your favorite brick and mortar bookstore and in the Strong Man Store.
In having made reference to Harvey Weinstein and the sex scandal spinning around him as I did in the introduction to last week’s blog, in follow up, I am led by the Lord not to judge him, but to declare His Word on the ancient use of sex as a tool of power and ambition. Let me be biblically correct from the outset: all sex outside of male and female marriage is sin--period (Genesis 2:18-25)! The beautiful sexual intimacy of marriage God intends for a man and his wife outside of that framework is not only immoral in His eyes, but cheapened and degraded. This is all the more so when sex becomes a medium of exchange for anything including the promise of success in any career field.
Before going further, let me also say that a man should make no further advances on a woman after being firmly rebuffed by her.1 All touching of a female’s body (genitals, breasts, legs, buttocks or any other parts she asks not to be touched) is inappropriate and out of bounds. Intimate touching is to be considered private foreplay between a man and his wife (Proverbs 30:18-19). Rape, of course, is sin before God and men with even a tiny bit of morality and conscience (Genesis 34). Men know all of this, but the tempting work of demons, testosterone driven lust, deceitfulness of sin to include arrogance, conceit, pride, selfishness and evil mindedness easily overrule doing what is right.2
Thus, female prostitution is of the oldest professions and rape, of the oldest crimes on earth because sinful men--many as passionate hedonists--believe they have the manifest right and entitlement to be sexually gratified by women as need, convenience and opportunity present themselves. A natural historical development was that the most powerful of men could command the sexual indulgence of large numbers of women as wives, concubines and slaves (1 Kings 11:1-3). Of the most stinging pain American slavery still holds for many black American males is the sexual abuse and rape of our slave foremothers in some cases even while married to slave husbands.
From such positions of power, typically men have exploited women for sex in exchange for granting them their ambitions. Sinners too and no dummies, rather than as victims, many women have purposely and wickedly leveraged their bodies and sexual talents to manipulate lust filled men weak and powerful to gain what they were after. “You got to use what you got, to get what you want.” So goes the modern female line with roots in very ancient times. In the Bible, Tamar posed as a face covered prostitute to be impregnated by her father-in-law, Judah, (Genesis 38) as one example and Bathsheba surely knew who David was as another (2 Samuel 11:1-5).
Then there are the seductresses like Delilah with Samson who use sex to conquer a man for their own ends and/or payment by their benefactors (Judges 16:1-20). Some are simply in it for the sport and prize of owning a man’s soul as Solomon warns (Proverbs 6:20-7:27). Others, as women of power, pursue men of their choosing (a fact cheered by some feminists today). Potiphar’s wife with Joseph, an aspiring strong man of God is an example.3 In this rare occasion of being rejected, she took vengeance by falsely and successfully crying rape (Genesis 39:1-20). This, by the way, illustrates the ability women still have to this very day to ruin men with false sexual accusations.
As Solomon pensively resigns, “there is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, NKJV). More and more women entering the predominantly male work force from the beginning of the industrial revolution until now has seen incidences of male exploitation, harassment and molestation increase. Because of sin, expect this to continue. Hollywood among the industries of recent invention has had moguls such as Harvey Weinstein as accused, to take sexual advantage of female ambitions for stardom. And while much is being made of how wrong this is as it should be, in all balance, the Lord would equally have female aspirants check their character and souls and consider whether ambition for whatever is worth using sex as a means to achieving it (Mark 8:36-37).
Indeed, for do you not know that ambition for anything of this passing world enough to sell your soul or body for is evil (Genesis 3:1-13, 25:29-34; Hebrews 12:12-17)? What all seem to be missing in this current blame game is that the living God is holding accountable both sinful men and women as perpetrators and self-described victims of using sex as a medium of exchange for whatever reasons. Everyone now saying, “me too” that kept silent for the sake of career aspirations rather than real fear of bodily harm or forgiveness; who invited, welcomed or were flattered by advances, sexual language, touches or attempts to “make love” is a deceitful hypocrite with no innocence before God holy, true and just who judges (Psalm 69:5; Proverbs 30:20; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Jeremiah 17:9-10)!
Therefore, neither active seducers, promiscuous fornicators, adulterers, pornographers or exploiters, harassers, abusers, molesters, rapists, prostitutes, pimps or sex traffickers of any human being will endure before God without consequence now and lacking repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, eternally on Judgment Day (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 21:8). Let all of the guilty then, repent now! And for all that are true victims of sex related human sin, repent of any bitterness against the perpetrator(s) among your sins and turn to Christ as well in order to receive God’s forgiveness. Then, having been forgiven, be healed in God’s power to forgive those that have harmed you (Mark 11:25-26; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:30-32).4
1 Ladies, this means you are not and will not be playing coy or hard to get in the ancient game of male pursuit and female “catch me if you can.” Your seriously firm no is
“game over!”
2 As a lightweight wannabe “player” (translated smooth fornicator seeking sexual conquests) in my youth and early young adult years, I was confused at times by females
that gave mixed signals about their interest level in having sex. A half-hearted “no” with the allowance of deep kissing and heavy petting was (and is by most aroused
men) received as an invitation to continue the pursuit which in that wicked mindset, makes the eventual conquest much more gratifying. On the flip side, as I am shameful-
ly aware from those past days, men caught up can easily be construed as having attempted rape when pressing the pursuit after the half-hearted “no” remains consistent.
So, the best policy to follow even with one’s wife not in the mood is to accept “no” as “no” and stop right then. Thank God we Christian men have supernatural help (if
sought) to exercise His “self-control,” (Galatians 5:22-25, NKJV)!
3 Joseph is among men of the Bible I hold up in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available at all major internet booksellers and in the Strong Man Store.
In an important Appendix of the book, I also speak to Christian men about appropriate sexual conduct before God.
4 Having been molested as a child by two different female teen babysitters and escaped the attempt by a non-immediate family male relative, I know the truth of what I write.
Clearly, as the Lord has been leading me to write, the most favorable times of the supposed “church age” have passed. Respected observers including Voice Of The Martyrs have been tracking the intensifying hostility and hatred toward as well as persecution of Christians around the globe. In the mix, God is carrying out His millennia ago announced judgment in His house, sifting out faithful from professed Christians among ancient cultures in their lands; separating them from familiar religious structures that are being destroyed. In America, churches are not only dying, but the legal fracture between church and state has become a widening chasm in only a generation as anti-Christians from all persuasions reject the national primacy of Christianity as biblical or manmade religion in every form.
While the handwriting is on the wall for the prophetically foretold hate-filled, anti-Christian sentiment of these latter days to flash over into severe persecution in America as it has and does marching across the planet (Matthew 24:9), many pastors continue to pursue their ambitious church expansion plans in what can only be described as empire building. As the Lord led, I warned in the introduction to the August 16, 2015 blog repost, “Finding God’s Lost Book,” under the category, Call To Repent, such plans driven by the male ego need for leaving a legacy are doomed to come crashing down in God’s judgment! I gave this warning with the following 2012 Commentary I wrote for The Strong Man Of God Monthly Newsletter also in mind that serves as my blog post today.
Originally Published December 2012
It is all the rage today. From corporate chieftains to entertainers, city planners and pimps empire building has migrated from its once exclusive domain among megalomaniac military conquerors and despotic rulers to the common man. Not to be outdone are many pastors and Ministry leaders across America that live for nothing but how to enlarge their name recognition, power, influence and affluence through empires of expanse, brick and mortar. I confess that I am no stranger to such notions and write this as the Spirit leads to myself as much as to fellow servants of God as a warning from the Lord not to go there. For those that have already, our Lord calls you to repent!
As the Lord led me to write in the December 2011 Commentary, The Ambition Of Men, ambition is in man from God as part of our natural make up in being made in the divine image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1-2).1 God is nobly ambitious! Therefore, in and of itself ambition is not evil. Empire building grows out of the God ordained ambition in men to rule, accomplish, build and expand in doing so. As sinners, the corruption of our hearts due to sin influences our motives and causes us not to be concerned about how we empire build (even criminally) or who we hurt in the process. This is evil. In sin, the selfish ambition of men to empire build is of pride and personal glory.
Sinful men of visionary leadership and selfish ambition have historically built great empires. To this day, the world empires of ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece led by Alexander the Great and Rome remain classic studies in empire building. These empires all have in common that they rose and fell in time; their ruins litter the grounds they once stood on. Indeed, God Almighty promises a similar and cataclysmic fate for all the kingdoms of this world with their proudly built structures and monuments to human achievement near the glorious appearing of His King, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 2:10-22, 13:6-13; Daniel 2:24-45; Revelation 6:12-17, 11:15-18)!
The foregoing all being true, it completely amazes me that beginning with the Catholic Church centuries ago and among churches, denominations and ministries of every sort to this hour, ambitious men in the cause of "doing great things for God" labor diligently to build religious empires. These empires are complete with territorial expansion goals and all of the outward splendor and glory of structures men can create in an effort to leave a lasting legacy of their proud achievements. Did these men not get God’s memo from His Word? Every lofty construction of men and mountain is to be brought down close to Christ's return (Revelation 16:17-20, 17:1-6, 15-18:24)!
Many pastors and Ministry leaders reason, of course, that we do not know precisely when the Lord will return. So, buildings of function must be built to serve the needs of the Body of Christ until that Day. True. But this is not what is happening today in many cases as extravagant budgets and fundraising efforts are put into constructing buildings reminiscent of the acclaimed opulence of Vatican holdings to enlarge what are called "campuses." This would not be so bad if it really were all for God’s glory. In truth, many churches especially are expanding their empires to gratify the egos of pastors that see themselves as singularly able to draw and keep crowds. This is pride and arrogance at work.
What a stark contrast to our Lord Jesus! Though He owned and was surrounded by glorious splendor beyond the finite human mind to imagine and possessed a foretold destiny of greatness superior to any other (Isaiah 9:6-7), He allowed Himself to be born in a smelly animal stable to serve the purposes of God (Luke 2:4-7). In so serving, He wore the common clothes of His people and had no residence of His own (Luke 9:57-58). He washed the feet of and allowed Himself to be crucified for sinners. He died having built no buildings or monuments to Himself. However, He rose from the dead and ascended to God in glory leaving behind a legacy of affected disciples.
Those first disciples were and we nearly two millennia later are to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and His Kingdom; making new disciples that form the only thing He vowed to build: His Church (Matthew 16:15-18)! Besides our immortal glory at the resurrection and crowns of reward, the disciples we make in obedience to Christ's commission (Matthew 28:18-20) are the only enduring legacy of our earth sojourn for we shall behold them forever (2 Corinthians 1:12-14; Philippians 2:14-16, 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)! Thus, with His attitude and promise of reward, we labor to enlarge Christ’s eternal Empire in the hearts of men (Philippians 2:3-11). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 This Commentary was posted March 11, 2018 under the category, The Cause. I also address the issue of ambition discussed in that Commentary as well in my book,
The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
With the humble disclaimer that because of my many failures in the past before and after being saved as well as a less than stellar evaluation from my wife after checking in with her before sitting down to write this post, I am by no means the poster man for fulfilling everything I am writing about promoting females. Nevertheless, I aspire as in all things related to becoming a strong man of God in the image of my Lord, Jesus Christ, our example for which my wife gave me brownie points--less than perfect man that I am! Keeping it real ladies, imperfection is a major part of the problem many of you have with and want to fix in men while you revel in all of your own splendidly displayed!
Let’s start with whether there is a biblical mandate for males to be concerned about the welfare and promotion of females at all. Yes and it runs as a narrative thread throughout the Bible! The mandate with an affirmation of female importance is initiated by God’s actions at the creation to wit: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them…,” (Genesis 1:27-28a, Emphasis Mine, NKJV). Females are not an unnecessary appendage to males, but a functional part in the design of mortal man by God and vital partners to fulfilling His purposes of procreation in and ruling the earth (Genesis 1:28).
In His purposes, God made sure the first male saw the value of his female partner by initially showing him life without and no other corresponding creature like her (Genesis 2:18-20).1 Then God did something thoroughly unique in the way He had been bringing forth creatures. He put the first male, Adam, to sleep, opened up his body, took out “one of his ribs,” closed him back up and proceeded to construct a female from the rib He had taken out. When He was finished, He brought her to Adam after which he uttered his famous response: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man,” (Genesis 2:21-23, NKJV).
God’s approach to creating her and that foregoing statement of the first male about his female companion plainly assert for all time the intrinsic equality, worth and dignity she has with him! In their creature being, man the male and female are made of the same inner and outer stuff and are uniquely of the same kind. There is no other creature exactly like man--male or female. These truths scream equality, but they fall on deaf ears today because now, in their sinful, fallen state females believe they have gotten the short end of the stick since though just as capable in many respects, God in sovereignty has elected males to be the lead rulers in His order of mortal mankind.
Today’s full on rebellion against God by particularly Western females and their male supporters has not improved on His order or mankind at all. It has served prosecuting females well during this time God has tolerated their acrid ascendancy, but left in its wake much individual and family ruin as well as such disorder with other social maladies like sexual immorality and systemic racism, our society is teetering on the brink of collapse. While nothing I say will sway the most rabid, hardened feminists, I appeal in the name of Jesus Christ to any professed sisters in Him to realize it is a lie from Satan that God is not concerned for your proper advancement in this life.
The key word here is “proper.” Throughout the rest of Scripture God is seen stepping in to help females whether protecting them from the treachery of sinful men (Genesis 20; Numbers 27:1-11; Malachi 2:13-16; John 8:2-12), delivering them in dire circumstances (Genesis 21:1-21; Luke 7:11-17) or highly favoring them (Micah 6:4; Luke 1:26-38). And when it suited His purposes, in one case He advanced a female to rule over men for the sake of His people (Esther 4:13-17).2 However, as the unchanging rule of His order of mankind, God has not confused the issue by being so for females that He has reversed His righteousness on display from the beginning through the male as Federal Head and leaders of mankind (Genesis 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:2-12, 15:20-23, 45-49)!
Therefore, in a biblical worldview, males do not advance females by leading them into rebellion against God’s order of mankind. All men advance females generally when we treat them with dignity and protective care; “understanding” and “honor” as the valuable partners they are as wives in God’s mortal purposes for mankind (1 Peter 3:7, NKJV)! Christian husbands love our wives “just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her;”3 loving them too, as we do our “own bodies.” Linking back to Adam’s understanding of his unique relation to his wife and famous exclamation the apostle Paul adds, “he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church,” (Ephesians 5:25, 28-29, NKJV).4
As I write in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, God expects females to use the natural skills He has given them to be faithful companions as wives and helpers as mothers in the home first.5 But just like the woman written about in Proverbs 31, He does not limit her to managing the home nor should any male. God blesses the enterprising woman who fears Him as she uses her natural and acquired skills (such as are obtained through a mother’s training or formal education) outside of the home for the benefit of her husband, family and the community. Putting herself last, her ambition is to honor God and her husband; bless him and her household. Personal satisfaction, contentment and joy come in accomplishing these things, not fighting God’s order (Proverbs 31:23).
1 Read the series of four posts presenting the value of women beginning April 22, 2018 with The Value Of Women To God that continue for the rest of that month into May, concluding after Mother’s Day on May 20th. All posts in the series are under the category, God’s Creatures.
2 See the three-part post beginning April 18, 2021, Daughters Of This Age, under the category, God’s Creatures. The sovereign Creator can absolutely make an exception to His own rule, not the creature! Also, please note that Esther’s promotion was not the result of her fulfilling an ambition or lust for authority over men to be a queen!
3 Does any professed Christian in his or hers right mind really believe that in Christ’s sacrifice of Himself for His Church He surrenders the Headship God assigned to Him as Lord over her as a gesture of love and equality (John 17:20-26; Ephesians 2:22-23; Colossians 1:15-18)? No way! So, why are guilty professed Christian men thinking themselves so noble toward their wives and females they surrender their divine election to lead? Those doing so are not hearing from God, but are greatly deceived by the evil one since envy remains an eternally damning sin in His eyes (Proverbs 14:30; Romans 13:8-14; Galatians 5:19-21; James 3:13-18)!
4 If all males were treating females and our wives as I write here, then, none could deceive themselves about the demonically stirred source in sin of their ambition for all things male. It would clearly stand out as the evil it is!
5 The book is available along with companion works The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store.
I testified in a another blog it took me twenty-two months after becoming a Christian to come to the place of full surrender to the Lord. After seven days of fasting without food or drink, intensive Bible study, prayer and meditation the Lord commanded and conducted me in, I came forth from that death of the old Robert Kelley, a new man alive with blazing zeal for Him!1 Besides the Spirit’s joyful fire burning like an inferno in the deepest recesses of my inner man, that zeal was driven by thanksgiving to the Lord for saving me, seeing His awesome power displayed in my life and coming to understand the shared victory I have with Him over death!
Too, as I wrote in the blog referenced earlier, while I did not know then that the Lord was also giving me an initial introduction to the gifting, calling and ministry He had for me, I knew that motivationally, I wanted, was eager and ready to serve Him in some way! Imagine my surprise when in the churches, few shared my zeal for the same Jesus they declared saved them too! In fact, to this day I remain dumbfounded (with righteous indignation also, now, knowing the dulling role manmade religion plays in the matter) at how casual and lackluster yet, ready to be exploitive for their own purposes many professed Christians are of those that are newborn in Christ!
How could folk that claim to be reading the same Bible as me miss the roll call of souls that served God zealously out of a heart of faith, love and gratitude reaching all the way back to Abel (Genesis 4:1-8; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:10-12)? Even formerly avowed idol worshippers and pagans demonically possessed encountering the power of the living God emerged from the experience in fullness of lasting gratitude and wanting to faithfully serve Him from the heart (2 Kings 5:1-19; Mark 5:1-20)! Not dull hearted, ho hum religionists fill the pages of Scripture as those that please God and who He uses mightily, but those on fire for Him and His causes!
Learning about such men as Moses the prophet, David the king, Ezra the priest and Paul the apostle of Christ caused me to understand that my zeal to serve God from the heart was the norm of His expectation, not the exception as religionists would have us believe. Over my forty years such folk have repeatedly charged me with being “too serious.” Is being too serious about God even possible considering how serious we as sinners are about our sins? Indeed, I continue to marvel that God has been able to do anything worthwhile with me given the thoroughly flawed character I possessed to include all of the common issues of fallen men such as pride and selfish ambitions.
Not that I have now arrived at perfection. However, perfect Father that God is, He in love has patiently instructed, rebuked and chastened me in my development as a son, disciple and servant.2 Over forty years of His discipline He has redirected my focus, for example, from seeking in pride and selfish ambition to be successful. Truly, all of the former kings of Israel had achievements, but God was not impressed. Always with God, it is honoring Him with faith, love, obedience and faithfulness. So, He focused me on being faithful out of a heart to please Him whether religious church folk applaud or not (Numbers 12:1-8; 1 Samuel 13:14, 16:6-13; Ezra 7:8-10; 1 Timothy 1:12-17)!
For this reason too, though Satan has tried through many so-called successful Christian leaders in my journey, I have not yet sold God out for the sake of some great attainment or desire to build a monument to myself issuing forth from pride and selfish ambition (oh, that younger preachers are reading this). Nor by the Lord’s grace have I obeyed some pastor’s corruption of His Word for personal benefit. I have, though, predictably suffered hate and ostracism among other things for this (1 Kings 22:1-38). The Lord Jesus--who is the ultimate example of faithfulness--has also taught me that obedience to Him and His Word has a far greater reward and is more fulfilling than pleasing and being popular with men (Luke 6:22-23, 26; John 12:42-43; Hebrews 3:1-6).
Ezra’s devoted heart to God was such that when it was told him that many including spiritual leaders among the captives returned from Babylon were again brazenly violating God’s law by marrying pagan women from the surrounding lands, in grief he not only tore his clothes, but plucked out chunks of hair from his head and beard. In astonishment, he spent the rest of the day fasting without food or drink and by the evening sacrifice, was found crying out to God in confession and repentance for his people (Ezra 9). The Lord has made me to know such a heart as His own with regard to the spiritual condition of the many professed American Christians, pastors and churches in rebellion against Him.
I have been perceived as weak and ridiculed for weeping publically over God’s people in sin. But the assembly wept and confessed their sins with Ezra that day; mingling their warm tears with the cold rain they stood outside in which most of the guilty repented during the following days (Ezra 10). I would that all professing to be Christians that are guilty come to or regain a zeal to serve Him from the heart through sincere confession and repentance from the sin that has hardened their hearts to God! Without a faithful heart in these latter days, escape from satanic enticement to unfaithfulness and snares of destruction God is allowing to test every heart, will not come easy (Hebrews 3:7-19). Thank You, Lord, for forty years of Your loving discipline and heart makeover!
1 Read the October 2, 2016 blog, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart, under the category, Call To Repent.
2 Learn more about how God restores us as sons, disciples and servants in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics on sale as an E-Book in two formats now
through June 20th for 40% off in the Strong Man Store at our redesigned, new look Web Site, www.thestrongmanofGod.org!
The Lord’s call to passionately return to the work He originally commanded His disciples as one of the major outcomes of repentance and revival is to guilty Christian leaders too so they can get out in front and lead the way! For it has been the failure to faithfully lead God’s people by biblical precept and example that has brought them, the churches and the nation to the present crisis.1 Passivity on the one hand and the pursuit of selfish ambitions on the other in satanic captivity to religion has caused these leaders to stubbornly resist God’s longsuffering call to repentance and revival until now as I have seen and is historically displayed by ancient Israel’s leaders in His Word.
Generally speaking, intense enthusiasm or passion for a cause is a common trait among men from ancient times and certainly the majority of godly men in the Bible to include, of course, Jesus Christ, the Strong Man of God they unknowingly or knowingly sought to emulate (John 2:13-17)! To lack zeal for the Lord’s cause is one of those clear indicators of being devoid of the Holy Spirit in either never having had His indwelling presence or in quenching His fire through unbelief and disobedience (John 3:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Both cases exist among professing American Christian leaders because the Holy Spirit is largely irrelevant to the existence and activity of manmade Christianity the religion.
As I have witnessed and found validated by research, the typical American church is led and attended by men that can only be described as passive. Passionless leaders routinely go through the motions of conducting services and presiding over the traditional annual whatever activities mostly women enjoy, while the relatively few men that attend or participate mimic their disposition. David Murrow calls the situation a “leadership crisis” and cites a 2002 George Barna survey that showed that while 92% of 2,400 Protestant pastors called themselves leaders, a specific definition of leading and having spiritual gifts tied to it or a vision dropped the percentage down to the single digits.2
I have also witnessed and read the statistics many times over of Christian pastors that are filled with energetic passion to fulfill their visions of achievement and greatness in raw selfish ambition. Not souls for the Kingdom, but warm bodies to fill seats and offering plates to enable these men to realize their definition of success (which is typically to gain recognition and a brick and mortar legacy by exceeding the congregation size and empire expanse of another pastor) is their priority. Never mind there is no divine mandate whatsoever for pastors to do this in the New Testament, though this sinful ego pride of leaders is portrayed in Scripture (1 Samuel 15:10-12; 2 Samuel 18:18).
Both passive dispassionate and energetic selfishly ambitious pastors have equally resisted the Lord’s call to repentance and revival through me because many say, “the Lord has not said anything to me.” Of course, historically, the prophet comes mostly after God cannot get through to the people and their leadership because they have resisted Him first (Ezekiel 2:1-5, 3:4-7)! The leaders do offer guidance that is supposed to help me gain their ear such as abandon the Lord’s futile calling and carry on as they do to have success. But if I do that, would I not foolishly become guilty of the very things the Lord sent me to cry out against and warn about the consequences (1 Kings 13:1-32)?3
Indeed, it is for the Lord today among church leaders that are guilty as it was in days of old among Israel’s flesh driven religious leaders. Those weak and passive leaders too caused the people “to err” (you consider it a good thing that women rule over men, but the Almighty regards this as utter weakness--Isaiah 3:12, 9:13-17, NKJV) and looked upon their service to God with contempt (Malachi 1:6-14). The selfishly ambitious back then as well were always seeking for a way to fulfill their desires for success and wealth by laying out self serving visions and protecting evil rulers in their sin to be king makers and for gain. They also schemed to bilk the people and profaned God and His service as though He was unable to see any of them (Psalm 94:4-9; Ezekiel 13:1-7, 22:23-29).
The failure to lead as Holy Ghost gifted and called visionary leaders with ambition to fulfill the divine cause in the churches is truly a long standing crisis that has now brought the whole nation to the brink of sudden, catastrophic judgment! Therefore, professing Christian church leaders that are guilty must lead the way in all heartfelt repentance and plea for revival (Joel 2:12-14). Those that do not will suffer with all and endure complete humiliation in their experience of God’s wrath when it falls upon the nation (Ezekiel 13:8-16). You were given the opportunity to “stand in the gap” when God called, but you refused bringing not rapture, but wrath to yourselves (Ezekiel 22:30-31, NKJV). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the September 20-November 1, 2015 blog posts addressing pastors, other church and wider leaders.
2 David Murrow, Why Men Hate Going To Church, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), p. 71.
3 Related snares set out by these leaders include the counsel to “get to know” each one personally so that supposedly they can discern my authenticity (which in the
end, does not seem to matter since they still refuse to repent or support the Ministry) and using the old adage, “you catch more flies with honey than you do with
vinegar.” To both the Lord’s Word shows neither He nor any of His faithful prophets in any generation ever sought the approval of men for the privilege of communi-
cating the divine message or softened it for the sake of acceptance. Truly, their harshest words were reserved for Israel’s religious leaders (Matthew 3:1-10, 23:27-
33). God validates His sent ones and with His Word, confirms their message to be either accepted or rejected! Yes, I painfully know this means a hard road for
the faithful prophet to the shame and condemnation of unrepentant, professing Christian religionists and their leaders.
Divergence and confusion unnecessarily attend to God’s written Word within professing Christianity during these latter days in part because many have developed their own made to order Bible. As the Lord led me to write about in my first post of the New Year, there are over nine hundred just English language translations of the Bible in whole or part today as evidence of the problem.1 A related cause are the falsehoods involved in lying on the Holy Spirit as the source in every case for that many translations rather than owning what it is in ego and the presumed divine concurrence with the right of American free enterprise to produce and bring them to the marketplace.
Surely, it is not God behind the multitude of English language translations, their divergences, resulting confusion and desolation of souls as well as humiliating scorn of the Christian faith by the watching unsaved world or would someone really try to convince me the Holy Spirit is the “author of confusion” contrary to what Scripture as it is written says (1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV)?2 Indeed, would He who inspired Scripture millennia ago now, in these latter days actually cater to individual preference in doling out interpretations of it after having the apostle Peter emphatically write, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NKJV)?3
No, but the same folk that have historically lied on the Holy Spirit otherwise, have not been afraid to tamper with and alter the written Word inspired by Him to benefit all mankind and especially those that are saved through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 31:9-13, 24-26; Psalm 102:12-22, Romans 15:1-6; 2 Timothy 3:14-17)! The Word of God is “life” to those who love it (Deuteronomy 32:44-47; John 6:63, NKJV). Consequently, the Lord has commanded that no one should “add to” or “take away from it” without punishment for causing His people to “stumble,” (Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Mark 9:42-48; Revelation 22:18-19, NKJV)!
The ultimate source and beneficiary of the resulting divergence and confusion from the made to order Bible is Satan as I wrote in that January 9, 2022 post! Moved to gain successes by any means in his war of hatred against God, Satan has deceived and taken advantage of persons as individuals or through sectarian organizations to follow their egos and selfish ambitions to create the many types of English language translations that exist.4 Ostensibly however, their objectives are the benevolent good of making the Bible easier to read, understand or less offensive pandering to worldly desires. Naturally, a number of these such as cults, wittingly produce corrupt, self-serving Bibles.
The solution for the time left is for biblically conservative leaders to come into consensus that word for word translations from the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic languages be the standard Bibles of primary authority and use. After this, encourage other types of translations vetted for accuracy and free from modern cultural influence, bias, corruption of or compromise with the plain meaning of word for word translation texts be only supplemental. Finally too, dissuade the marketing of any new designer translations that cater to vanity, personal preference or present the interpretive slants of preacher media stars as so-called “study notes” that engender divergence and confusion.
Alas though, fallen, sinful flesh being what it is, the foregoing is just too easy and fraught with unthinkable injury to ego, selfish ambitions, carefully crafted legacies and income.5 The kind of doctrinal divergence and confusion that exists within professing Christianity not only from the made to order Bible, but the pride of self-exalted hearts is not new, but a continuation from the time of the Lord’s apostles in the first century when they had to contend sometimes with each other to bring the truth of God’s will in His Word to light with it (Acts 8:9-25, 11:1-18, 15:1-29; Galatians 1:1-10, 2:11-21)! Shamefully, divisions rooted in narcissism, human loyalties and profit remains prime obstacles to leaders saying “the same thing,” (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13a, 3; 1 Timothy 6:3-10, NKJV).
While we live in a nation of freedom, Christians are not free to opinion or teach what we please from God’s Word! Our first citizenship is in Heaven where we answer to our sovereign Lord reigning with absolute authority (Colossians 3:1-2). What is written in the Word He Personifies, authenticated, taught and obeyed during His sojourn on earth as well as had the Holy Spirit further disclose to His apostles for us, we are expected to fearfully treat as sacred and live out (John 1:14, 8:13-20, 16:13-15, 17:17; 1 Peter 1:13-21)!6 Doing so will give rise to a biblical worldview toward all of this mortal life.7 Free enterprise may grant the right to create the made to order Bible, but this does not mean God does or that it will be “helpful,” (Proverbs 14:12; 1 Corinthians 6:12-13, 10:23-24, NKJV).
1 See the January 9, 2022 post, Easier To Read Bibles, under the categories Bible Prophecy and Instruction.
2 Read the May 22, 2022 post, Made To Order Spirit?, under the category, Instruction.
3 There is an excellent set of uniform Bible interpretation principles that are well presented by Dr. R.C. Sproul in his book, Knowing Scripture, and widely taught in reputable seminaries the world over. Sadly though, even many of the scholars, pastors and teachers that are taught these principles do not apply them! For this reason, as the Lord has led, I have sought to put the principles and other information into the hands of ordinary Christians to help the willing properly interpret the Bible and get the most out of their study of it in the Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course now, featured on our Strong Man Virtual Institute’s YouTube Channel. The video course and op- tional (but recommended) Study Guide available for free download in the Strong Man Store replace and expand upon a one sheet document this Ministry formerly offered also as a free download.
4 As I asserted in the sixth footnote of that January 9th post, Satan’s attack on the Bible is a very important strategic move meant to undercut the good God intends through its purity (Psalm 19:7-8) and destroy the corrupters along with those corrupted by its altered content (2 Peter 3:14-17)!
5 I have repeatedly and painfully not only witnessed this truth, but experienced it among church pastors, elders and other religious authorities during my born again journey. Most recently, I could not in good conscience join or accept the pastorate of a church because the pastor’s legacy tainted by disobedience to God’s Word they expected me to uphold, was deemed more important than the repentance that would have allowed me in. In all of my similar experiences over the years, the religious have chosen to view me as lacking the requisite humility to pay my dues and follow leadership rather than see the biblically taught priority behind my choices and actions (Acts 4:7-19, 5:26-29).
6 This is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God Back To Basics. It is available with the compan- ion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
7 A biblical worldview stands on the foundational practice of objectively reading, understanding and purposely applying God’s Word as it is written just as the Lord Jesus and every godly person named in the Bible does. Once again, it is not what you or I think, feel or believe, it is what does God’s Word say? See my May 31, 2015 post, What Does God’s Word Say?, under the category, Instruction. At this hour lack of a biblical worldview is widespread in professing American Christianity and among its leaders as a recent study by the Cultural Research Center directed by Dr. George Barna at Arizona Christian University reports. This means that many are already com- promised and ill-equipped to make a faithful stand for Christ in a culture that is intensifying its hostility toward our God and His Word they are failing to fully love and em- brace as “the truth,” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, NKJV).
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