The Scourge Of Racism
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One of our readers this past week became the one millionth to read this Blog since its launch on this Web Site back on January 28, 2014. While one million is small potatoes in the blog universe, having been a pastor that considered six people in Sunday service a good day during one of the lowest points in my ministry, I fully appreciate all that turn aside each week to read what the Lord has given me to write. To God be the glory! It is exactly because I have been around churches a long time that I am able as the Lord leads to write about what I have seen and heard as I do in another post this week on character featuring an edited 2011 Commentary.
Originally Published August 2011
Serving the Lord and His churches over the past thirty years I have found a troubling lack of consistent courage among too many leaders in standing for the truth and righteousness of God's Word. Many of these men--pastors and denominational leaders--will stand firm and even get ugly defending or protecting concerns for which they have a personal stake. However, in the face of potential suffering for taking a stand for God's Word, I have seen no small number wimp out as a matter of course.1 While I also have had my instances of failed courage standing for God's Word, spiritual and moral timidity among men appears to be rife and growing in our churches and nation today.
Next month Sherwood Pictures, the Christian film studio operated by Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Georgia and producers of the greatly acclaimed Fireproof, will release another excellent picture focusing on men, Courageous. The movie weaves together the lives of four police officers and one Hispanic construction worker. It opens with an incredible display of courage by a black officer. After tragedy strikes the family of one of the white officers, the men begin meeting to challenge themselves to a higher standard of commitment to their families and character. Their commitments are tested requiring each to live up to the courage of his commitment. One of the men does fail.
I highly recommend Courageous be seen by men (especially with their families) most importantly for its attempt to restore the sense of honor that used to attend the display of courage by men on and off battlefields. Important also (in light of my July 2011 Commentary)2 is the film’s intentional effort to show white, black and brown men equally called upon to display the character trait of courage. The film does not sugar coat the reality that acting in the courage of your convictions may cost you as I have painfully experienced in my years of ministry. Even so, when the conviction one has is of the cause, truth and righteousness of Christ in God's Word, I am learning it is worth it.
Courage is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "the ability to face danger without fear." Lack of courage has caused many of the leaders I have known over the years not to stand with or help me in my ministry for fear of exposure as spiritual frauds or hypocrites, the loss of jobs, comfortable lives etc. while knowing my work and message are biblically solid. The Bible is filled with examples of men that stood in the courage of their convictions, suffered for it, but were rewarded by God. Among them are Joseph who would not commit adultery (Genesis 39, 41:38-45), David who slew Goliath (1 Samuel 17:26-51), Daniel who defied a king (Daniel 6) and Christ, death (John 2:18-22).
The aspiring strong man of God will be taught courage by Him as a matter of building into us the character of Christ. Indeed, courage is one of twelve character traits of Christ I write about in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics that God forms in willing Christian men through the crucible of painful life experiences.3 This is why it has been so troubling to me about the many pastors and leaders I have encountered that have lacked not only the courage of conviction, but other basic character traits of Christ such as humility, obedience, faithfulness, zeal and integrity. The Bible is clear; God does not give any of His true sons a pass on possessing the character of Christ.4
It is God’s express will that we be “conformed to the image of His Son,” (Romans 8:29, NKJV). Christ’s character is also the purposeful mission of His discipline in our lives (Hebrews 12:3-11; 2 Peter 1:1-8). So, either the spiritually timid men I speak of have been outright religious impostors or they are stubbornly resisting God's character building program which the apostle Peter indicates is not at all a good thing (2 Peter 1:9-11). This resistance is no doubt a major reason so many of our leaders fall into sin bringing shame upon themselves, Christ and His Church. It is also why so many of the men under them in the churches rise no higher in the faith than they have.
The courage of conviction and boldness to speak or act accordingly comes from the Lord and is to characterize the lives of His aspiring strong men as we “stand fast” in Him (Acts 4:13-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:15, NKJV).5 Unless professed Christian men do step up in droves aspiring to be strong men of God in the image of Christ that possess among their character traits His courage, American Christianity will continue its slide into irrelevance. Unprepared to stand fast in the severely trying days shortly ahead, many will be destroyed in the cowardice of apostasy (Matthew 10:24-33, 13:20-21; Revelation 14:9-13, 21:7-8). Not so God’s aspiring strong men (Hebrews 10:38-39)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the August 9, 2015 repost, Silent Endorsers Of Evil under the category, The Faith.
2 This Commentary, Biblical Equality And Equity, was posted July 5, 2015 under the category, Call To Repent.
3 My book and the companion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study are both available in the Strong Man Store.
4 Read the January 28, 2018 post, Character Is Required Of Christian Men and Men Of Integrity posted on January 6, 2019 both under the category, Instruction.
5 See the November 25, 2018 post, Standing In The Evil Day, under the category, Encouragement.
Today, the Lord would have me build an important bridge from the January 13, 2019 post, The Courage Of Conviction, under the category, Instruction, to a social issue and His preachers. The social issue is the wicked practice and tragedy of abortion solemnly held up, prayed about and protested by still not enough professed Christians and churches on this very day set apart each year as Sanctity Of Life Sunday. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a preacher who with God imbued courage, led many to stand up to nonviolently protest America’s oppressive and unjust treatment of its black citizens a generation ago before being assassinated. We celebrate his holiday tomorrow.
Surveying internet articles on abortion as a social justice issue, I was amazed not by the divergence of opinion, but by how the phrase “social justice” was defined, claimed and used by basically two different sides. And since social justice as a contemporary concept draws its most important personification by way of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., each side also claimed him as a likely endorser. In this post, it matters not where Dr. King may or may not have stood on abortion since he made no quoted direct and specific declaration one way or the other. What matters to the God of the Bible is where all of the truly called preachers of His Word should courageously stand!
Because definitions are an integral part of the intensifying spiritual warfare of these latter days, I cannot in good conscience go any further in this post until I first give proper definition to the terms “social” and “justice.” In its first layer of definition for social, Microsoft Encarta relates it “to human society and how it is organized.” Encarta goes on to associate social with how “people in groups behave and interact” as well as how they live or prefer to live as part of a community. Justice is defined first as “fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made.” It also refers to the legal system and how laws are applied according to this dictionary.
So, then, it would seem that by combining the words social and justice one would come away generally understanding the phrase to mean the ways in which a human society has established standards of fairness and behavior that are upheld and enforced within it. However, the world governed by Satan cannot endure such simplicity and must complicate things with this definition of the phrase: “the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.”1 And there it is, “human rights.” Differing views of legitimate human rights and the source of morality is the reason our society is divided on the social justice issue of abortion.
Faithful Christians--every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ--start with God and His Word rather than fallen, sinful human assertion no matter how scholarly or brilliant in understanding anything about societal function and concepts such as justice that originate with Him!2 Indeed, God as our Creator has made us in the divine image and likeness to function in community as God from eternity (Genesis 1:1-3, 26-28, 2:7, 18-24; Luke 3:21-22; John 15:17, 17:11, 20-26). Referring to God, Scripture proclaims: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne,” (Psalm 89:14, NKJV). God is the source of righteousness and justice!
God introduced His righteous and just nature into the human experience when He gave a command and the consequence of disobedience to the first man (Genesis 2:15-17). The man sinned and God brought His just consequence (Genesis 3:1-6, 17-19).3 For generations thereafter, Adam’s progeny were without righteous and just laws and nearly all destroyed as lawless in the global flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 4:1-24, 6:5-13). God, not man; God later gave to Israel and the world His righteous and just laws introduced through Moses (Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Romans 5:12-14). In His Law, Israel and any other human societies had a perfect standard of justice (Psalm 19:7-8; Romans 7:12).
Our nation’s Declaration Of Independence declares we derive certain rights from God. While individual rights were recognized in God’s laws, they never overstepped the eternal morality issuing forth from the righteousness and justice those laws embodied (Psalm 111:7-8, 119:142; Proverbs 14:12)! Thus, no human individual or society on earth apart from government punitively has the right to take another human life which begins by God’s design at the moment of conception (Genesis 9:5-7; Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 18:18-20; Romans 13:1-4).4 It is here that every God called preacher is to take his stand to uphold the righteousness and justice of God’s Word and speak up to call out societies engaged in the unjust, wanton murder of its weakest citizens (Jeremiah 7:28-31).
Truly, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. courageously stood up when called upon by the Lord to cry out for and demand social justice for oppressed, segregated, disenfranchised, poorly educated and impoverished black Americans from a nation claiming “In God We Trust” a generation ago (Psalm 103:6). But now, a folk more helpless and voiceless than my slave forefathers cries out to God for social justice; even the unborn whose right to live by divine sanction is taken away in their mother’s wombs. Why are the many preachers who know God’s Word silent? Why do they not courageously stand up like Dr. King for black Americans and cry out with one voice on behalf of the unborn? Is it not because they do not all know the Lord or have His heart (Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 10:13-16)?
Is it not also because the racial group in this society with the highest number of abortions today are black Americans whose post-Civil Rights era leadership that includes many preachers sold them out long ago like Esau for some stew (Genesis 25:29-34)?5 Therefore, unless they seek it now, they will not find a place of repentance in the judgment (Isaiah 1:10-20; Hebrews 12:12-17)! And to the nation that has made law the unjust right of women to murder their unborn as Israel once sacrificed its children to demons (Psalm 106:37-38): the Lord will stand for the unborn and vindicate their blood as their Avenger in His holy wrath (Psalm 9; Jeremiah 7:32-34; Nahum 1:2-6; Zephaniah 1:14-18)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Goggle “define social justice” and see the definition offered by Wikipedia.
2 Learn more about the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ from my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and com-
panion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study. They are available in the Strong Man Store.
3 Death as a consequence of the first man’s sin included separation from fellowship and harmonious community with God (Isaiah 59:1-2) followed by the same among
humanity at every level beginning in the family; working its ruinous end among brothers and spouses (Genesis 4:8; Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 19:1-8). The Lord Jesus
Christ alone through His death, burial and resurrection has made restoration of life, fellowship and harmonious community with God and among all humanity possible
(John 3:16-17, 11:23-27, 14:6; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:1-7; 1 Peter 3:8-12).
4 See the August 19, 2018 post, Valuing Human Life, under the category, Biblical Worldview.
5 Read the four-part post beginning February 26, 2017, God Of Restoration And Judgment (and especially part three for which this footnote is specifically made), under
the category, Black History.
A major deceitful doctrine in many churches today and held by their pastors as personal conviction is conveniently that God will not judge His people (or anyone else) for their sins because “He loves us,” when, in fact, His Word consistently declares otherwise (Jeremiah 5:10-13; 11:1-17; Acts 5:1-11; Hebrews 10:26-31). I was impressed recently to read 29-year old Rap star, Kendrick Lamar, charge that pastors fearful of losing church members refuse to preach the balanced truth that the holy God of love also judges sin not forgiven by whomever and as a perfect Father, disciplines His children! He has attempted to address this by telling the balanced truth about God in his music.5
Mr. Lamar is right about the motive of such pastors, of course, since the goal many have in selfish ambition is to build big churches, not biblically astute disciples as is the Kingdom priority in Scripture (Luke 24:25-45; Acts 18:24-28; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 1 Peter 1:22-2:3). A deceitfully constructed, one-sided view of God that has Him in love only looking out to put us into our next season of blessing is patently false; the teaching, a narcissistically crafted and peddled personal conviction inspired by that ancient, false “angel of light” who sends his messengers to obstruct the true light of God’s Word brought by those faithful to Christ (2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:1-6, 11:13-15, NKJV)!
Having been a pastor, I want to assure those faithful to Christ and His Word that I am not seeking to foment rebellion against your biblically sanctioned authority as teachers and leaders in His house (John 21:15-17; Ephesians 4:7-16; Hebrews 13:7-17). However, I remind us that have such authority and would please God to consider that we have the right to be heard authoritatively only as we stand in the Word as in water, not outside of it in our own opinions, convictions and disobedience. We can and should be righteously challenged (lest you lead a cult) once we are seen to be in conflict with or disobedient to God’s Word as the apostle Paul challenged the Judaizers and fellow apostle, Peter, in sinful hypocrisy and was not labeled divisive (Acts 15:1-5, 22-29; Galatians 2:1-5, 11-21)!
Think about it; under today’s standard of what constitutes divisiveness--righteously challenging the personally held convictions of a church pastor from the Word of God--the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul would be considered divisive! And since the carnal standard of divisiveness today is actually the same as it has always been, the Lord and Paul both suffered persecution at the hands of religious men (Luke 11:27-54; Acts 18:1-17). By the way, this is another reason virile, godly men are few in churches filled largely with females and males that are passive conformists: threatened pastors and elders that cannot be challenged from God’s Word label and bar or run them off as divisive!
After warning, “Let no one deceive you by any means,” the apostle Paul explicitly foretells by the Holy Spirit that preceding the Second Coming of our Lord and even the rise of the Antichrist, “the falling away comes first,” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, NKJV). Should we really expect Christian apostasy in its steady growth toward full, global flower to look any different than it does now? Though I am not surprised to see the reality of it having ebbed and flowed for centuries until exploding in the early 20th as I previously wrote, I am amazed as any faithful Christian at the swiftness, expanding breadth and multiple dimensions of Christian apostasy with its natural corollary rebellion in my lifetime.
Indeed, everyone (and particularly leaders in their sin) are typically pleased to have the negative aspects of God’s prophetic Word fulfilled in some far off future away from their present experience and plans (Isaiah 39; 56:9-12; Ezekiel 12:26-28; Amos 6:1-7). However, the reality of our times is inescapable; professed Christians as false and deceitful brethren from the pulpits to the pews proliferate among us as seen by their sinful lifestyles and corruption of God’s Word. No greater Authority than our Lord Jesus warns about and teaches us how to identify them (Matthew 7:15-20, 28:18). It is high time faithful Christians sober up and stop denying this reality. Such persons will be of our fiercest persecutors in days ahead as I have already tasted (Matthew 10:16-39, 24:9-10)!
Nevertheless, God uses the persecution of false and deceitful brethren to expose and eternally destroy them, while certifying His faithful--even every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ--as worthy of our glorious reward! For standing faithful to God in these latter days of worldly and professed Christian rebellion from apostasy involves what it always has: standing faithful to His Word to the end (Isaiah 8:11-22; Daniel 3; Mark 14:53-65, 15:1-39; John 15:18-25; Acts 6:8-15; 7:51-60; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-17; Revelation 2:8-11, 12:11)! This means now, no longer trusting solely what your pastor, elders or any other teachers say about the Word or do as their personal convictions (Mark 7:1-13), but becoming diligent Bible students to know for yourself.6
Kendrick Lamar grew up under teaching that by the personal conviction of leadership taught only that God was love; purposeful Bible reading as an adult showed him otherwise (Acts 17:10-12; 2 Timothy 2:11-22). Also, let every faithful pastor be humble enough like Peter to be corrected from the Word when Paul confronted him; standing firm in the same, but gentle, correcting any in opposition to it as an example of servant-leadership before proceeding with more severe biblical measures (2 Timothy 2:23-26; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Let guilty corrupters of God’s Word repent; woe to all that will not (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Galatians 1:8-10; 2 Peter 3:14-17; Revelation 22:18-21)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
5 See Faithwire.com 5/5/2017.
6 Read the May 31, 2015 blog, What Does God’s Word Say? under the category, Instruction, then download the free Bible Interpretation Document offer that is made. Do this especially if your pastor or elders will (or can) not equip you to properly interpret and apply God’s Word. You must take the initiative to learn how to do even this for yourself since God will hold all accountable for the right handling of His Word. And do not feel obligated to stay in any church where the word of leadership as personal conviction corruptly takes precedence and is forcefully demanded to be accepted over the rightly interpreted and applied Word of God (Colossians 2:1-10)!
After the many weeks of posts calling His wayward sheep to repentance and warning of their peril in His continuing judgment without it, the Lord would have me deliver a word of encouragement to all of us His imperfect, but faithful remnant. Just because we may not in the Holy Spirit’s convicting work have a felt need for repentance from some egregious transgression, sin or iniquity, the faithful know our stuff is not perfect before the Lord. This is as the apostle Paul also honestly assesses about himself while asserting and exemplifying the determined heart of the Lord’s faithful in Philippians 3:12-16; even every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in His image!1
Indeed, our Ministry’s latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, is a help to all Christians not just those who have strayed from Him purposely in disobedience and rebellion.2 By way of reminder, according to Webster’s Dictionary faithful is defined as “Supportive: loyal; worthy of trust or belief; consistent with fact.” This suggests faithful persons are devoted, steadfast, trustworthy and reliable. God is perfectly faithful as is His Son, Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 7:9a; Hosea 11:12; Matthew 17:1-5; Revelation 1:4-5, 3:14, 19:11-16)! God commends fallen men like Daniel and Moses who were faithful to Him, but only His Son was perfectly so (Daniel 6:1-23, 9:20-23; Hebrews 3:1-6).3
To be faithful in God’s eyes is first and foremost to love Him with obedience to His Word which like Him, is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9b-11; Psalm 119:86a, 138)! Consistent with the forgoing, the Lord Jesus Christ charges all of His followers to display our “love” for Him by keeping His “commandments,” (John 14:15, 21-24, NKJV). There is no exception for any disciple on this; all professed disciples of Christ are to be faithful to Him in love through obedience even to the death following His example (Matthew 10:16-39, John 15:9-11; Philippians 2:5-8; Revelation 2:10, 12:11). Also, we are expected to be faithful in all of our service to the Lord (Matthew 24:45-51, 25:14-30).
As clear as the definition and biblical instruction are, many unfaithful professed Christian Americans still dishonestly insist they are faithful. Some of these, of course, are self-deluded “talkers” following their own way and calling it Christian as religionist impostors and de facto apostates (Titus 1:10-16, NKJV). The largest number of unfaithful professed Christians and most dangerous to the faithful now, and going forward because of deceit are those who obey the Lord and His Word only in some things while claiming an equal standing and reward with them He exposes, condemns and warns of His rejection in advance (Matthew 7:13-29; Luke 6:43-49; Revelation 22:12-17).4
Unfaithful professed Christians are so in an unfaithful time with wickedness of every kind and “evil men and impostors” growing “worse and worse” as foretold (2 Timothy 3:1-13, NKJV). Even so, the Lord would have His faithful be encouraged since this is not the first time in human history this state of affairs has existed. King David in Psalm 12:1-7 called on the Lord concerning the shrinkage of His faithful and was assured of His action as the unfaithful rebels in their wickedness dramatically increased.5 Truly, he closed his Psalm giving a precise report of our times when he wrote: “The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men,” (Psalm 12:8, NKJV).
The priests and people of the returned from Babylon Jewish exiles were giving up on serving God to join the unfaithful because it seemed to them His actions to check the wicked were non-existent since they were calling “the proud blessed,” watching the evildoers do their thing and “even tempt God” without consequence (Malachi 3:13-15, NKJV). Many professed Christians feel the same way today and are walking away from the faith. However, the faithful, “those who fear the LORD and who mediate on His name,” encourage one another in the knowledge of their God whose ear is attuned to and has a “book of remembrance” written of them (Malachi 3:16, NKJV).
They knew as should every faithful Christian that God was testing all through judgment to reveal the content of their hearts and separate out the righteous for Himself (Malachi 3:17; 1 Peter 4:12-19).6 They also knew and appreciated as should every professed Christian that God’s apparent present inaction toward the wicked is His longsuffering grace and forbearance at work to save among the willing for His day of salvation, reversal and reward as He has done with us (Malachi 3:18; 2 Peter 3:1-9).7 Finally, knowing God’s perfect character the faithful remnant among the returned exiles of Israel as should faithful Christians knew God does not idly threaten, but will fulfill the day of His fiery wrath in vengeance and destroy the wicked (Psalm 58:9-11; Malachi 4:1-3; 2 Peter 3:10-18).
1 As the Lord leads, I teach aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics about His requirement of humility He constructs in us which means we are always keeping it real about our current imperfection. You can pick up a Hard or Soft Cover Edition of my book as well as companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
2 View the 30 minute video on our Strong Man Of God Online Rally YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/uxU9KD4_kuY.
3 As great as Daniel and Moses were in their faithfulness to God, neither man was without sin before Him (Romans 3:23). The glory of God is perfection which not even faith- fulness by a sinner can attain as a saving work. Only Christ came into and left the world perfect! Daniel, Moses, all other Old Testament saints and now, us under the New Covenant are saved by grace through faith alone (Romans 3:21-31). His faithfulness is displayed and constructed in us by the Lord after being saved (Romans 8:29; Gala- tians 5:22-23)!
4 This latter group includes a great many pastors, elders and other leaders among the churches as well as in Christian media. A grave example of their rebellion upheld by deceit is support for and putting women into leadership over men as pastors, teachers, worship and ministry leaders in open defiance of the Lord’s written commandments and instructions (1 Corinthians 11:2-16, 14:34-40; 1 Timothy 2:8-3:16). Read my two-part post beginning September 14, 2014, Partial Obedience, under the category, Call To Repent. Without repentance now, they will not escape God’s severe punishment!
5 See especially the opening paragraph of the June 5, 2016 post, The Day Of Vengeance, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
6 Read the two-part post beginning June 7, 2020, Days Of Separation, under the category, Bible Prophecy. Faithfulness is and will continue to be painful as some of the faith- ful God in sovereignty will allow the wicked to martyr as in the recent mass shooting at the Nashville Christian school and some He removes from the earth through death in various other ways before the even greater foretold evil times arrive (Psalm 116:15; Isaiah 57:1-2; Matthew 24:9-22).
7 God knows how hard it can be in an unfaithful time to discern between the righteous who are faithful to Him and the wicked professors of faith who are not from whatever cause. This difficulty will end forever in the day of His salvation!
As I concluded in an October 2020 post, it is only fitting that females embracing worldly feminism taught by demons in these “latter times” as foretold should be part of the multi-faceted rebellion against God and His Anointed, the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 2:1-3; Acts 4:23-28; 1 Timothy 4:1, NKJV).1 Indeed, the rebellion against God in all of its forms is a manifest sign of the world now, being fully in its latter times just before His return as He has led me to assert in many posts from Bible prophecy.2 Worldly feminists in their rebellion against God and His Anointed are focused on undoing His purposeful and perfect design of the order, roles and responsibilities of mankind.
In rebelling against God’s assignment of male authority through the husband-father in His design of family order particularly, feminists seek to overthrow it and re-structure the family after their own design. In their design rooted in their rebel vision of equality, there are impossibly two family heads, no head and an equal sharing of authority or the acceptance of females just as capable to lead--a reality in many homes by deliberate male default to avoid drama or acquiescence in spiritual ignorance and/or weakness. Not only has this rebel vision of family authority impacted marriages, but it has left the children confused especially about their very important relationship with their fathers.
While in His design as the Lord has led me to write in other places, fathers teach the whole family His Word generally and their sons specifically about biblical manhood,3 they also have important teaching as well as leading, providing and protecting responsibilities to their not of age and single daughters at home. Full disclosure here for me in that much of what I am about to write I have learned after my daughters in a blended family became adults. I wish I had exercised the knowledge I did have more wisely in their youth with that which I have gained since. And of course, back then, I completely underestimated the extent to which feminism would consistently undercut my efforts.4
Worldly feminism has purposely set daughters against their fathers as in no other time in the history of mankind! In the short span of the mid-1960s until now, many females urged through feminism to resist male authority have also been rebelling against their father’s God assigned family headship over them up to the time of marriage (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:3-6). Godly fathers exercised authority over and taught daughters to value themselves and their bodies by staying virgins until given to husbands with their permission (Genesis 24:10-51; 1 Corinthians 7:34-38). They also provided for and protected them from lust driven, sex seeking males like me as an unsaved teenager.
The value of a female virgin was such that male family members would kill a man that soiled their sister who as today, were often traumatized (Genesis 34; 2 Samuel 13:1-33). God’s laws to Israel also reflected the female virgin’s value (Exodus 22:16-17). In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, writing about the absence of women as lifelong celibates in the Bible the Lord leads me to present the sad case of Jephthah’s daughter who as a virgin, mourned not that she would die because of her father’s wrongheaded vow, but having kept herself pure, the fact she would not ever know marriage and family (Judges 11:29-40).5 Fathers and daughters valued their purity.6
However, the Women’s Liberation (from God’s order and morality) Movement born of worldly feminism and followed closely by the Sexual Revolution enabled through birth control and abortions changed everything! I am a living witness to and participant in these historical events which seemed like a boon to us males everywhere at the time, but as in so much of what feels good for the moment, the consequential aftermath has not been pleasant at all.7 Fathers that understood something of God’s ancient will for them were thrown aback. Suddenly, professed Christian females who had understood their value as virgins and intended to remain so until marriage were greatly challenged.
Still, in the midst of a world where our daughters are urged to scorn and rebel against us from every quarter, aspiring strong man of God fathers must stand firm in the fact God’s will, way and Word concerning His order, our roles and responsibilities are right! Start as young as you can teaching all your children to understand the realm of your home is different from the world outside because you have chosen to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Let them know you would like to have them choose to follow Him also, but until then, your home is built on the values and life outlook you have from a biblical worldview that is non-negotiable (Joshua 24:14-15). Be consistent while also being relationally available and providing alternative activities when needed that are “fun.”
Make sure you affirm the value of your daughters as persons of worth and dignity. This does not mean pandering after them as even some Christian father-daughter gurus seem to suggest, but imitate God the perfect Father (Genesis 16; Numbers 12).8 Knowing His will for females to marry and bear children, encourage them to pursue an education and a line of work by which they can sustain themselves on their own until then. Otherwise, if they choose to stay home under your authority to further their education and/or work while waiting for God to bring His man to them, give them adult space, but with the understanding you and all house rules must be honored; a circumspect lifestyle maintained. In all this you work with God to build daughters into excellent wives (Proverbs 31:28-29).
1 See the October 11, 2020 post, The Great Woman Of God’s Character, under the category, The Cause.
2 Read the April 8, 2018 post, The Second Adam Rules And Judges, under the category, Bible Prophecy, along with the three-part post beginning April 18, 2021, Daughters Of This Age, under the category, God’s Creatures as examples.
3 See the June 13, 2021 post, The Heart Of A Son, under the category, Instruction and on July 11, 2021, A Father And Mother On Purpose, under the category, God’s Crea- tures.
4 No matter what my daughters that lived with me watched in the media or where they went--school, church, friend’s homes etc., what their father taught them at home from a biblical worldview such as I knew was challenged by the rebel views of feminism among others of this world! I know I am not alone in my experience and this is the reason, no doubt, the Lord in part has me writing this post to encourage and help a struggling Christian father; his daughter if she will give heed. For as aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ we are not to just throw up our hands in exasperation caving into the way the world works in rebellion. But this too, is part of fighting “the good fight of faith,” (1 Timothy 6:11-16, NKJV)!
5 The book is available at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The prospect of lifelong celibacy and sexual purity are are also discussed in The Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study available through the same outlets.
6 I will say it again here. Sons are also to be taught to value their virginity until marriage. Sinful men have historically allowed a wicked double standard I acknowledge and condemn in Christ.
7 Casual and no fault sex has led to unprecedented promiscuity, millions of out of wed-lock births and abortions (used as birth control after the fact when either unprotected intercourse or other forms of pregnancy prevention measures failed), unmarried couples living together in large numbers, inconsequential adultery, increased date and stranger rapes, an out of control porn industry with related addiction, sex trafficking, sexual abuse and perversion, widespread and incurable sexually transmitted diseases as well as a long trail of broken and ruined lives.
8 God never compromises righteousness while also being gracious and merciful. Having then, given the warning about pandering after daughters leading inevitably to a father compromising God’s standards of righteousness for the sake of being loving and accepting, I defer to the counsel of more qualified men such as Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Kevin Leman and Dr. Willie Richardson among other faithful Christians as experts to help. Under no circumstances do I encourage following the advice of anyone about raising daughters that is accommodating to the rebel values of feminism as though it will perpetually stand as the defining global norm. Truly, even “Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” near at hand, the Lord is sending the prophet Elijah to restore fathers and children in Israel as well as the willing beyond (Mala- chi 4, NKJV)!
The Lord has previously led me to write about the foretold apostasy in progress within professing Christianity.1 As well, He also had me write to instruct the faithful about the distinguishing mark of a true Christian and His call to stand firm for the faith as it is written in the pages of the Bible.2 In light of these unfolding, foretold times of pervasive falsehood, the Lord would have me briefly add to those important former instructions His warning about the critical need to avoid being led into error by those professing to be Christians that are outright false as impostors or true, but deceitful in disobedience who have no compunction about corrupting Scripture to further their own ends.
How easily many professed Christians, self-styled apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, secular political, social, cultural, educational and even non-Judeo-Christian religious figures quote the Bible to support their own ideas today. In so doing, by association with His Word, God is being portrayed as endorsing all manner of evil from fornication, abortion, shacking, divorce and same sex marriage to women taking authority over men in His house and religious ecumenicalism. I often wonder, are we all reading the same Bible? And of course, that question is complicated by the fact many are boldly creating corrupt Bible translations that support their theological bents.
Persons outside of a Judeo-Christian framework are following millennia of falsehood and deceit through biblical corruption by those within it that have justified and even blessed evil calling it good (Isaiah 5:20)! Their part in this matter is understandable given their complete alienation from God. But many come ostensibly into the faith as professed Christians and deceivers as they have since the first century to this hour and getting worse as foretold (2 Timothy 3:13). They willfully generate falsehood and false doctrines by corrupting not hard to understand Bible passages, but those that are plain as false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:12-26; Galatians 1:6-7, 2:1-5)!
It is entirely as foretold in these latter days by the Lord and His apostles (Matthew 24:1-5, 11; 2 Peter 2:1-3)! The leadership of typical professed Christian churches believes they can spot and have circled their wagons against the obvious onslaught of false messiahs, prophets and teachers with their falsehood. In fact, some are so closed up as I can attest, not even those that are biblically solid may address their flocks unless they walk in exact denominational and/or personal lock step with these leaders on every single point of doctrine they hold true. Which leads to an important question: who protects us from them when they become corrupters of God’s Word and deceivers as a result?
Sadly, too many superstar pastors with their adoring, supporting cast of church elders and/or deacons are elevating their personal convictions to the level of Scripture as the final authority that cannot be challenged lest one be considered divisive. Never mind apostolic instructions about the divisive person had to do with those that were in clear sin being disobedient to authoritative apostolic revelation and teaching as well as Scripture, not the personal convictions of pastors and elders themselves guilty of the same (Romans 16:17-20; Titus 3:9-11). These are men (and today, women) who as foretold seek to draw away disciples from Christ to make them their own (Acts 20:28-30).
Some of these pastors that cannot be challenged on their personal convictions are outright rebels, impostors or willful and de facto apostates as has been reported in secular and Christian media.3 Many are religionist keepers of the manmade church status quo; unwilling themselves and not allowing anyone else to challenge creeds, covenants, traditions and practices they know are not biblical to supposedly preserve unity and peace, but in actuality, their “jobs.” Others--especially of the larger churches--are puffed up in pride and arrogance believing that they stand above correction because of their education, position or success as though success alone confirms God’s approval (reality check: false messiahs, prophets, teachers, religions and cults have great success too!).
Starting with erroneous ideas and suppositions outside of Scripture, the personal convictions of pastors and elders as final authority that conflict with and disobey it span the behavioral and doctrinal spectrum in their churches. Or, for example, how can one sit in a mixed gender congregation with a Bible open to learn its authoritative instruction under a woman pastor, speaker or teacher and ignore what it plainly teaches forbidding her to do this (1 Corinthians 14:34-40; 1 Timothy 2:11-15)? Is it not because for whatever all of the reasons in deceit to include Christianity as a unique, American cultural form of religion, the pastor’s unchallengeable personal conviction on the matter has taken preeminent authority over what the Word of God says?4
1 Read my March 20, 2016 blog, Willful And De Facto Apostates under the category, The Faith followed by those referenced in its introduction.
2 Read the March 1-29, 2015 blogs under the category Instruction that further discuss what a real Christian and the true faith is.
3 Google “Apostate Christian Ministers” to find reputable articles like this one I found by Dr. Albert Mohler in 2010.
4 See the September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style, under the category, Call To Repent.
Seeing the images from Bible prophecy of faithful born again Christians, the saints of God Almighty in Heaven at the end of last week’s post was deeply encouraging to me and I hope you also if you are a fellow believer.1 They are victorious over the treachery and violence of the most evil man to ever walk the earth and all other haters! How God loves us and cares for our encouragement to present these images to us in advance over nineteen hundred years ago. Indeed, the images convey the tender love God has for all who believe in and follow Christ very powerfully displayed to His eleven disciples as He prepared to make His departure back to Heaven in the Gospel of John.
Under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, this episode I am permitted to title, “The Lord’s Long Goodbye,” begins at John 13:1, the apostle writing: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end,” (NKJV). From that launch point, the final Passover meal and evening together with what began as His twelve apostles proceeded with Him washing their feet and identifying Judas Iscariot as His betrayer he left to fulfill. Alone fully grasping the moment’s significance, the Lord began to declare His and the Father’s glory in it (John 13:2-32)!
Then, the Lord makes a shocking announcement saying, “‘“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, “‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’” so now I say to you,”’” (John 13:33, NKJV.) From here there is His “new commandment” (John 13:34-35, NKJV), instruction, dialogue with the disciples and prayer to the Father that ends His long goodbye at John 17:26. All of what is said during this time hangs on and is tied to the announcement of His impending departure which is my focus in this post. As such, speaking from the heart “Simon Peter said to Him,” ‘“Lord, where are You going,’” (John 13:36a, NKJV)?
Peter’s question had all of the astonishment, emotion, disappointment, fear of loss, change and the future we all have when confronted with the sudden news someone we care deeply about is leaving for whatever reason. The Lord already knows every one of the other ten men feel the same way as Peter and answers him: ‘“Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward,’” (John 13:36b, NKJV).2 Not satisfied, Peter in all sincerity is insistent. He wants to know “why” he cannot “follow” Him “now” and asserts his willingness to die for the Lord which He rebukes; revealing Peter will in fact “deny” Him “three times” before sunrise (John 13:37-38, NKJV).
With great empathy the Lord Jesus begins to comfort the hearts of His eleven that have become deeply saddened by the announcement of His departure. First, He encourages their faith in Him to be on par with their faith in God the Father (John 14:1). Second, He assures, “In my Father’s house are many mansions” or rooms and He goes “to prepare a place for” them (John 14:2, NKJV). Preparing a place has to do with paving the way and readying the rooms where they will live with Him in the “heavenly Jerusalem” though, final fulfillment awaits the New Jerusalem constructed in Heaven and brought down on “a new earth” by God (Hebrews 12:18-24, 13:14; Revelation 21, NKJV).
Final future fulfillment in the New Jerusalem is made all the more sure by what the Lord says in John 14:3a. If He is going to go to the trouble to prepare a place for His disciples, He will “come again and receive” them to Himself (NKJV). What they did not grasp at the time was that the Lord’s departure and return had two parts. His departure from them initially would be by way of death near to being carried out by crucifixion, but He would return on the third day after through resurrection in God’s plan for their eternal redemption (John 14:15-18, 16:16-22)!3 After this initial brief, but all important departure and following instructions He gives making plain why they could not go with Him, the Lord would ascend to Heaven and the Father before their eyes then, come again (Acts 1:4-11).
Third and last, telling about the Lord’s love for His disciples in His long goodbye are the words, “that where I am, there you may be also,” (John 14:3b, NKJV). This is clearly very important to Him for He petitions His Father for the disciples’ union as and with Their Own plus reunion with Him (John 17:20-24). As He taught, His disciples knew where He was going and the way and were enabled to follow Him to the Father (John 14:4-6).4 Once more, this was so they could be with Him there and wherever He was to be thereafter; never to be separated again! This is why in His coming again to earth He brings with Him the spirits of His disciples to resurrect and gather them with the living to Himself as His first priority act (Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19:9-16).5
1 Read the October 23, 2022 post, Revenge Of Those Without God’s Mark, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 With this statement, the Lord assures He was only leading out first. His eleven would follow after Him to where He was going at a later time as millions have done until now, through death!
3 The Lord’s resurrection after securing the eternal redemption of His followers made possible the reality of Him, the Father and Holy Spirit taking up residence in them so that even though physically He would return to Heaven, He could still be with them as He explained (John 14:19-24). Later, the apostle Paul celebrates being used of God to re- veal “the riches of the glory of this mystery…which is Christ in” us who believe, “the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:24-27, NKJV).
4 This truth taught by the Lord is why no aspiring strong man or great woman of God in His image is found among the religious seeking to connect to the Father through any manmade religious means! As the Lord leads I write about essential relationship with Him in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. Get it along with the com- panion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study for the equipping of the saints in the home and churches in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
5 The Second Coming of Christ for the saints then, is not about rescue from tribulation as much as it is the union of Christ with His bride and their final reunion as eternally living, glorified immortals (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 50-57)!
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