The Scourge Of Racism
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It has been very hard serving incarcerated Christian men here in the Northwest and not being able to spiritually father the sons I make among them beyond prison walls. Also, a frustration and regret is not being able to offer or direct releasing Christian inmates to much in the way of Christian run transitional housing and resources. As it concerns spiritually fathering the many men as sons I have served on lockdown, up until the present moment the Lord has commanded me to direct those that release to the churches and pastors they find (supposedly led by Him) to pick up where I left off as I have written is their responsibility1 in an attempt to build cooperation and avoid any conflict.2
Cooperating with willing churches when it is possible is important to this Ministry because the men are able to see a unity of Kingdom purpose and experience a consistency of biblical teaching they need to help them stay on track after prison. So sadly, there are not many churches I can enthusiastically recommend and of course, keeping it real, some released Christian men do not wish to continue growing in them. Nevertheless, for the incarcerated Christian men that would benefit from Bible teaching, Kingdom focused churches when they release, I wrote this edited 2013 Commentary to challenge these churches to step up to do more for them by way of intentional transitional ministry.
Originally Published July 2013
Concern for the eternal souls of men initially took our Ministry into the prisons to preach the uncompromised Gospel of Jesus Christ and bring strong man of God instruction that many might be saved and taught especially from among the black American community.3 Over the years, however, we have painfully discovered that there is a shameful lack of transitional help from the Christian community and churches many of our incarcerated brethren from all hues must cope with upon release. While there are a number of excellent ministries laboring to turn this around, relatively few churches are interested in this admittedly at times messy and risky business.
I write to remind us all that our Lord’s messianic mandate which every real Christian also shares is not only “to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,” but also to minister to Him by ministering to “the least of these” He calls “My brethren,” (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 25:31-40, NKJV). Now, I know that some of the incarcerated brethren of Jesus are guilty of some serious and even repulsive crimes. They were guilty before God and man. In the case of our God, they have received forgiveness upon their heartfelt confession and repentance (Psalm 51:1-17; 1 John 1:9-2:2) and endure His punishment through man by way of prison.
Nevertheless, if God--who is the ultimate Judge--sees fit to release men who have served their punishment back into society (Psalm 146:7c), it becomes necessary particularly for the Body of Christ to do all that we can to help our brothers (and sisters) make a smooth transition. This does not mean that the churches replace the important role family and the larger community has in doing their respective parts. However, we in Christ have a unique role as spiritual family that embraces our brother in love and helps meet his basic spiritual and tangible needs until he is able to get on his feet to support himself. Churches are equipped by God for such a ministry as this (Acts 2:38-47).
Now, all of the reasons most churches do not want to get involved with jail, prison and transitional ministry readymade for them by the Lord, only He knows. Apparently, though, He is not accepting those reasons since many others in the work besides this Ministry continues here in the Northwest and nationally to appeal to churches on behalf of incarcerated Christians. Our Ministry still envisions one day bringing willing Portland, Oregon area churches together to raise up an ongoing transitional work that includes a residence for temporary housing after release, services, continuing basic Christian instruction, mentoring and accountability groups.4
We have the collective means to make transitional help available to our Christian brothers that are incarcerated. The issue is will our pastors led by God concerned for the incarcerated give visionary leadership to their congregations to get behind His will? When the Lord in His Word repeatedly stresses His heart for those in prison, Holy Spirit led believers cannot just ignore this. We cannot ignore or escape the fact either that before meeting Christ we were all imprisoned by sin until He set us free! How can we so easily forget or do we actually believe the lie that we are somehow better than those incarcerated?
I tell you the truth from history, present reality and God’s prophetic Word; American Christians are just a relatively short time from experiencing mass incarcerations for the faith! Arrest and imprisonment for the faith as persecution is prominent in the New Testament and to this hour around the earth! It continues until the Lord returns (Mark 13:9-13, 14:43-46; Acts 5:12-18, 16:16-24; Revelation 2:8-11, 13:1-10).5 Shouldn’t we begin to show a little more empathy for the incarcerated and especially those that are Christians now, since many of our number will one day be among them (Hebrews 13:3)? The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Read the March 3, 2019 post, The Need For Spiritual Fathering, under the category, The Cause.
2 While a man may have many godly men instruct and speak wisdom into his life, after his own father or seasoned Christian man that led him to Christ, a local church
pastor or his equipped and trusted designee ought to be among the very few authoritative spiritual fathers he has in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:14-17).
3 This Ministry has been conducting its evangelistic outreach, Strong Man Of God Rally since 2009 and through its Strong Man Institute, what became the published
2014 Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study since 2008 in Northwest prisons. Also, the Ministry is carrying out its Books To USA Prisons Project to place copies
of The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics in federal and state prison libraries chaplains maintain for inmates in all fifty states.
4 Visit the About Us Page on our Web Site.
5 I write about the reality of Christian suffering for the faith and the need to gear up for it as aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ
in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the
Strong Man Store. Additionally, I h ave written many blogs discussing this prophetic reality; most recently, Standing In The Evil Day, posted on November 25, 2018,
under the category, Encouragement.
In this New Year 2016 I want to salute those Christian individuals, churches and ministries moved by God’s love for sinners to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teach His Word to the incarcerated. Talk about unsung heroes! These servants of God do not routinely get appreciated by Christendom unless they reach the celebrity status of the now departed and former Watergate conspirator, Chuck Colson, because what they do is literally behind barred and locked doors as well as among a people group most (keeping it real) consider unworthy. Nevertheless, they serve because the living God desires to reach the incarcerated with His grace in the Gospel too!
While I am not writing to gain recognition, I know what I have written in the foregoing is true because I am one of those servants of God to the incarcerated as the Director of our ten year old Strong Man Ministries, a unit of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. the Lord led me to found in 1985. The preaching of the Gospel through our Strong Man Of God Rally and teaching of the Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study by way of our Strong Man Institute in Northwest prisons are works of infancy compared to all that have gone before. However, our Ministry has in common with all others truly raised up by Him, God’s care for the incarcerated (Psalm 69:29-33).
The work in our nation is great! There are more than 2.4 million incarcerated men and women in the United States; a number that has quadrupled from 1980. We have the largest incarcerated population and highest rate of incarceration in the world! 90% of those incarcerated are men.1 It is estimated that black Americans make up nearly one million of those incarcerated and our men outnumber white men six times over. Blacks and Hispanics were 58% of all prisoners in 2008 though their combined total population is around 25%. Black juveniles comprise 26% of all arrests and 58% of those sent to state prisons.2 These statistics indicate a vast mission field among incarcerated men!
Even with all of our ongoing activity, we consider ourselves only partially engaged. Up till now, we have been waiting for more Christians, pastors and the churches they serve to joyfully come on aboard to help. Hoping against hope this has not happened for any number of reasons including a lack of Kingdom vision (John 3:1-8; Romans 12:1-2) and consequent lack of a mission and ministry focus typical of those practicing human invented religion (Matthew 6:31-33; Luke 9:57-10:16). Spiritually blind, carnal and deceived, the religionist believes that what he has made-up to do for God is enough to please Him.
However, even in the world parents and employers never reward for tasks carried out in complete disregard for what their instructions were! With God and sinful men obedience and diligent zeal to carry out assigned tasks are praised and rewarded as is plainly taught by the Lord Jesus in His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). This leads to what I am convinced of the Lord is the primary reason many professing Christians in general do not get excited to support or serve in the work of ministering to those that are incarcerated. It is that they have no love for the sinner and have selfishly forgotten that they are redeemed sinners saved by God’s love and grace!
Indeed, God reminds us through the apostle Paul that it was not while we were yet righteous that He displayed His love and permitted Christ to die for us, but sinners and His enemies (Romans 5:6-11). God saves mankind from all stations and circumstances of this life out of His overflowing love for us (John 3:16). With His love and continuing gratitude in our hearts, we as redeemed sinners have been granted the wonderful privilege to take up Christ’s Kingdom cause of preaching and witnessing Him to sinners so they may hear (and sometimes, such as on lockdown, really hear) the Gospel. And as the Lord commands, all new disciples are to be taught His Word (Matthew 28:19-20).
In the course of discipling men as newborn sons it is imperative not only that they be taught the basic knowledge of salvation, gifts and ministry as servants of God, but also His express will for them as man the creature in this present age and eternity. It is downright sickening to repeatedly hear incarcerated men who have read my book or been a part of the group study exclaim while being taught the elementary principles of biblical manhood embodied in the strong man of God: “I never knew that!” Many of these men are middle aged and older professing Christians with their names on the membership rolls of churches from any number of denominations; and no wonder, many churchmen on the outside are without knowledge too of what God intends a man to be and do!
Whether it is lack of love, Kingdom vision, mission and ministry focus or any other sin in not caring for the salvation of sinners, the Lord would call all professing Christians to confess and repent from it. For not lately, but from the declaration of His Messianic mission and its initial fulfillment He has incorporated care for the prisoner (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:16-21, 23:32-43). Being a prisoner in His cause, the apostle Paul missed no opportunities to witness and teach Christ among his fellow inmates (Acts 16:23-28; Philemon)!
Laying aside then every cynical excuse including how the men got to prison, their motives for interest in the faith or their prospects for success upon release, I urge you to get busy with the Lord’s commanded work to reach men with the Gospel among our nation’s large incarcerated population. You can also partner with us (or any of our fellow reputable Christian prison ministries) financially and/or as a volunteer as we go into the prisons. Not only do we need support for our ongoing activity, but this Ministry is set to conduct a Crowdfunding Campaign to fund our national Books To USA Prisons Project that will send two copies of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to select prisons throughout the United States. Locally, we will be enlarging our transitional ministry to newly released Christian men we have served while incarcerated or directed to us by pastors.
1 Michael Snyder, Mass Incarceration: 21 Amazing Facts About America’s Obsession With Prison, July 27, 2014, www.EndoftheAmericandream.com/archives/mass-incarceration.
2 Criminal Justice Fact Sheet, www.Naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet.
Having just spent time giving serious thanks to God for all of His blessings this Thanksgiving, the Lord again directs my attention to the persecution being suffered by my Christian brethren among many nations. Though I do not write a lot about the ongoing persecution of Christians, I stay regularly informed and prayerful for all. The aforementioned “all” includes not just the suffering faces of those in faraway lands such as North Korea and Nigeria, but increasingly, those enduring persecution in this Western hemisphere and our own nation. Truly, growing hostility toward and persecution of Bible believing Christians in America is a reality that can no longer be dismissed as only isolated.
As a supporter of similarly named, but organizationally unrelated Open Doors USA, our Ministry regularly receives their reports on what is happening among our persecuted Christian brethren around the world.1 Not only are our brethren suffering from family and community exclusion within the nations they live, but government harassment, arrests, unfair trials, incarceration, legally sanctioned mob violence and martyrdom. When the Christian men are targeted for incarceration or murder, it leaves their families to suffer. While Communist and Islamic run nations fill the list of persecutors, nations such as Christian Eritrea, Hindu India and Buddhist Bhutan are also prominent.2
It is about to get really real for those of us that profess to be Christians in America too. Intensifying opposition to the biblical faith once on the fringe of American society is going mainstream. Moral tenets of the faith once taken for granted as absolute and bedrock to American society are not only being challenged, but cast down as no longer acceptable. These are not just tenets governing marriage and family for example, but definitions of objective truth, right and wrong, good and evil as well as justice and injustice. In the wake of this swiftly moving river of moral upheaval, Christians that would dare stand firm for the moral tenets of our faith are suffering varying degrees of persecution.
Besides the “in-your-face” government policies and litigations to remove crosses and nativity scenes as public displays of Christianity to implement falsely believed constitutionally mandated church and state separation, some Christians have suffered being demoted or fired from employment because they had Bibles at their work stations or read them on breaks. And because many secular entities have a “corporate culture” now, that does not tolerate religious expression (though, they publicly trumpet “inclusion” and “diversity” as values), being hired a Christian with a social media presence may be very difficult and once hired, witnessing Christ to co-workers is out.3
American secular colleges and universities that have historically celebrated tolerating various viewpoints as a means in the process of vigorous, but polite debate to sharpen the thinking of young minds have in too many instances today, hung out the “not welcome” sign to a biblical worldview. Biblically conservative Christian students are routinely singled out and held up to ridicule for their faith. Christian professors do not escape either.4 The secular media regularly ignores and mocks Christians that hold to a biblical worldview being quick only to report on high profile “Televangelists” and “Megachurch Pastors” whose sins come to light, while social media giants resist them.5
As I have also commented in other posts, a number of American Christians have been purposely targeted and martyred in mass shootings such as the one at Columbine High School in 1999 along with churches as occurred in Charleston, SC in 2015 and Sutherland Springs, TX in 2017.6 In agreement with all other observers here, none of what American Christians have suffered to date compares with the daily egregious and violent persecution our overseas brethren endure--yet! Praying for “the persecuted church” like it is some disconnected entity that exists only in non-exceptional, often impoverished nations of the world is about to change as persecutors intensify their efforts in America.7 And why? It is their “hour and the power of darkness,” (Luke 22:52-53, NKJV).
For this reason, beyond seeking to sensitize us to the ongoing suffering of our brethren wherever they are as a primary reason for this post, exhorting faithful American Christians to spiritually, mentally and emotionally prepare for the kind of hatred fed persecution our overseas brethren experience is an important secondary reason since our Lord has warned it is to occur in “all nations,” (Matthew 10:16-39, 24:9, NKJV).8 Now, is the time to awake from arrogance and apathy to get ready for what our Lord foretells and assures will take place. Among the equipping resources available is my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and related group studies.9 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 The organizational parent of Strong Man Ministries is Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. I was led by the Lord to found August 12, 1985. Read some of the
stories of persecuted Christians among the many countries on the 2020 World Watch List of Open Doors USA.
2 What many of our brethren overseas “normally” suffer from their persecutors has been intensified during the Lord’s Coronavirus judgment. As we are banding together
with other Christians to help and encourage one another here at home, the Lord would have us remember our suffering persecuted brethren in those faraway lands
with tangible support as well (1 John 3:16-18).
3 Sadly, our military as a work place is no exception. Read about the case of Chaplain Curt Cizek.
4 To learn more about the experience of Christians on American campuses read the following ACLJ, Beliefnet and IsChristianityTrue articles.
5 I can attest to the heavy-handed resistance of Facebook to biblically conservative ministries such as this one among the social media giants. “Likes” to our pages by
Christians mysteriously dwindle after I write blogs or make posts on their platform that are not politically correct, tolerant etc. which the Lord has had me call them on.
They want me to believe that just making better posts and spending more money to “boost” them will remedy the situation though, such has not been the case since
they also limit the reach of the same. For the record, I do understand a to be expected number of professed Christians that formerly liked our Facebook pages are sub-
ject to “unlike” them at any time as a show of disagreement with me. I get that, but not what Facebook is doing which lately has even taken away page likes whenever
someone has liked a post! I urge Christians that have liked our pages and those of other ministries to check back periodically especially if you have not received a post
in your newsfeeds for a time and re-like the pages if necessary. Also, enlist other Christians on Facebook to like our pages after you have done so.
6 Read for example, the June 8, 2014 post, And Then There Is The War, under the category, instruction. Revisit the cited respective church shootings at the following
links Charleston, SC and Sutherland Springs, TX.
7 See the November 12, 2017 post, God’s Throwaways?, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
8 Read the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
9 A print copy or digital download of the book published by the Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clari-
ty and updated web addresses in the footnotes is available at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).
You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store. Too, leaders can teach, disciple and equip through The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and The
Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study also in the Strong Man Store.
It is truly unfortunate, but not surprising that with all else our nation must deal with at this hour, unresolved racial issues have recently come to the surface again through the citizen and police murders of black Americans, freshly proving racism is not a past thing. The incidents and resulting explosion of initial violent rioting, looting, protest marches and rallies not just by black Americans, but Americans from every hue were sparked by the recorded video of a Minneapolis, MN police officer’s murder of black American male, George Floyd. I wrote about this incident as the Lord led June 21, 2020 in a post under the category, Black History, entitled Has Racial Justice Arrived in America?
This time, among the early voices speaking empathy and counsel into as well as engaging with the crisis are a number of especially younger conservative white Christians. Along with the manifold increase of white Americans across the political and social spectrum in general, conservative white Christians as America’s “moral majority” speaking anything but condemnation into a riotous racial crisis is recent. While there have been apologies for slavery and Jim Crow segregation and endless talking by white conservative Christians with amicable black clergy about racial reconciliation since the 1960s, as I have written in other posts, there has not been any real, widespread progress.1
Our majority white society as a once professed Christian nation propped up supposedly by morals and ethics drawn from the Bible, has far too long tolerated the abuse of its black and other citizens of color in many forms that actually run counter to it (Zechariah 7:8-12; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 13:8-10). Not biblical Christianity as the order of the day since the nation’s founding, but corrupt, counterfeit manmade forms of it that even allowed for slave owners to commit adultery on their wives with their female slaves; church pastors, deacons and congregants to brutalize and terrorize blacks using burning crosses as a symbol of hate among many other evil acts.2
Such deeds were done while police, judges, educators, businesses, legislators (often as active participants) along with the larger white society through silent indifference were complicit.3 Over the past hundred years the most vocal champions of maintaining the morality of the Bible among professed Christians has been white Americans that self-identify as conservative in their religious, social and political convictions. Many are also intensely patriotic, devoted Americans who ascribe to the phrase “God and Country” as their motto though, on such issues as allowing systemic racism in their churches and other entities, God’s will in Christ has clearly been secondary (John 13:34-35).
However, at this strategic moment during God’s Coronavirus judgment when the festering sore of racial injustice has ruptured once more, younger conservative white Christians are speaking up perhaps finally perceiving, God Himself keeps bringing up the matter because those professing to know Him among their ranks have not dealt with it in accord with His written Word! After all, as I have offered in other posts, a “biblically conservative Christian” is supposed to be about objectively interpreting, applying and preserving the whole Word of God as it is written! In no place does it advocate for or tolerate hating a brother in Christ for any reason (1 John 2:7-11, 3:10-15, 4:20-21).4
Besides being and presenting the world a corrupt if not outright counterfeit form of biblical Christianity, guilty conservative white Christians (to include those calling themselves “Evangelicals”) have been hypocritical by insisting “our nation” uphold their cherry-picked morals and ethics from the Bible while they undergirded its systemic racism to this hour. This reality has been among the chief reasons many former biblically conservative black American Civil Rights activists searching for righteous allies over the years have abandoned the effort among their ostensible like-minded white brothers. Instead, those that are guilty through lack of faith in and impatience with God have to their shame taken up with rebels against Him for help (Psalm 2:1-3; Isaiah 30:1-5; Philippians 3:17-21).
The guilty among de facto apostate black Americans will give an account to God, but so will conservative white professed Christians who have been more loyal to a humanly invented religious, social and political philosophy that permits such sins as racism under the guise of Christianity than to the Lord who calls all to repent! Indeed, why but for sin am I as a black Ministry leader who has remained faithful as a biblical conservative not fully embraced and supported by conservative white professed Christians? Your sinful flesh built conservative philosophy does not welcome those of any race much less inferior black males who speak biblical truth challenging the wicked status quo; one white church elder once intimating this to me by essentially saying I needed to shut up!5
Now, though, the Lord during His Coronavirus judgment is plainly showing racism is one of the issues He is calling the guilty to repentance from among professing Christianity emptied out of its buildings. The authentic younger conservative white Christians coming forth repentant and in the power of the Holy Spirit to actually take a stand with their black brothers are representative of those I spoke of in my June 21st post.6 May the Lord bless you and all others to follow in what is very likely a last chance for conservative white Christians to get on the right side of the Bible and help forestall the eruption of greater ethnic conflict awhile longer in America; conflict ongoing in many parts of the world that fulfills another of the Lord’s foretold occurrences to precede His soon coming (Matthew 24:7a).
1 See the posts, Moral Pressure Rightly Applied, May 4, 2014, Biblical Equality And Equity, July 5, 2015 and Professing Christian Racism Is Sin Too, December 11, 2016
all under the category, Call To Repent.
2 Read the two-part post beginning August 21, 2016, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction followed by Christianity The Religion American
Style (which shows how even many black religionists to this hour mimic the practice of it by their former masters so pervasive is it) posted on September 4, 2016 and
the two-part post beginning September 11, 2016, American Culture’s Religion, all under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Read the August 9, 2015 post, Silent Endorsers Of Evil, under the category, Instruction. Whether Christians or not, like the white pre-Civil War Abolitionists, it has been
heartening to see current white protest marchers for racial justice carrying signs with wording like “Silent no more” and “Not silent and complicit.”
4 See footnote #9 in the two-part post, The Racial Divide, under the category, Call To Repent, that begins July 29, 2018 to see how the Lord led me to make a distinction
between “conservative” and “biblically conservative” to avoid any confusion about the Christians faithfully obeying His whole Word as it is written! Also, read the April
19, 2015 post, On The Lord’s Side, under the category, The Cause, cited in the footnote for a discussion of why all professed Christians ought to be standing with the
Lord Jesus as Bible conservatives!
5 Get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to understand why aspiring strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ from every hue must be willing to
stand and speak as He commands (Matthew 10:24-33)! Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
6 I invite those that are biblically conservative from all hues to stand with and support us at this like-minded Christian black American founded Ministry! The Ministry is cur-
rently engaged in a campaign to raise my 2020 full-time salary and is 63% there. Learn more at https://fundrazr.com/salarycampaign1. I am also seeking to raise the
funds necessary to license the music used in and Webcast our still relevant 1994 radio docu-drama, From Slavery To Victory: One Man’s Journey that presents a biblical
worldview of the black American experience from West Africa on our From Slavery To Victory Education Project Web Site, https://fromslaverytovictory.org.
Woe to those that for gaining members and building churches lie to prospect unbelievers about becoming Christians indicating they do not have to adopt all of the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics in God’s Law (Habakkuk 2:12-14)! You are deceived and deceiving people!1 You will not go unpunished as one that misrepresents the faith of Jesus Christ who perfectly fulfilled God’s written Law and died on the cross to save us from every thought, attitude, word, deed and omission God in it declares is sin (Matthew 5:17-20; Mark 9:42-48; Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-5). Christians are called out of the world to God to live on purpose to please Him and do His will!2
After Adam’s disobedience to His single command in Eden and punishing him (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:6, 17-19), God in amazing longsuffering progressively made known His Kingdom’s transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics to his descendants through judging them. He judged Cain after warning sin was near in his murderous anger and destroyed the world in the flood in part for its violence; instructing Noah and his sons to treat man’s life as precious. He also destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for gross sexual sin (Genesis 4:1-12, 6:11-13, 9:1-7, 19:4-25). God worked this way until He spoke and wrote His Law with Moses (Deuteronomy 4:1-14, 31:9-13, 24-26; Romans 5:12-14).
Though His written Law was given to Israel, the surrounding Gentile nations with them were to admire the righteousness of and live by it. Alas though, the righteous Law condemned men because they could not keep it. Nevertheless, it stood exposing mankind’s depravity and inability to be saved from the sin it revealed that enslaved them and frustrated their best efforts to live it out (Romans 7:7-23). But God knowing all of this, already had a plan in place to make the Law a “tutor” that would bring men to and save us through faith in His “Son,” Jesus Christ, by whom He has spoken in a final way to the world (Romans 3:10-31, 7:24-8:4, 10:11-13; Galatians 3:19-4:7; Hebrews 1:1-5, NKJV).
Thus, it is true no one has to keep Jewish specific aspects of the Law such as circumcision, the Sabbath, dietary regulations, rituals or the seven Annual Feasts to be saved. Born again Gentiles in Jesus Christ do not have to keep these as part of our faith and its practice either. However, our observant Jewish Christian brethren keep the God ordained covenant requirements such as circumcision, the Sabbath, rituals and seven Annual Feasts in the written Law as part of their ethnic identity and heritage. The Lord, His apostles and elders in the first century church at Jerusalem settled all of this once and for all (Mark 7:14-19; Acts 13:26-39, 15:1-31; Galatians 2:1-3:9, 5:1-15).
Evident in the consensus decree of the Jerusalem Church Council is that the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics of God’s Law are to be honored in the living of all Christians--Jew and Gentile! Indeed, God by the Holy Spirit puts His laws in the minds and writes them on the hearts of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ as part of His New Covenant so that we cannot claim ignorance or have any excuse for our disobedience (2 Corinthians 3:1-6; Hebrews 8:7-13). The fact that His transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics also appear in God’s written Law communicated to Israel in commandments, ordinances etc. does not nullify them!3
Just like Israel, Christians are called out of Egypt (the world, if you will) to be royal ‘“priests,’” ‘“a holy nation’” and “His own special people” in the Promised Land of God’s Kingdom reign (Exodus 19:3-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV). As He spoke to Israel, so, He speaks to us saying, ‘“I am the LORD your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances to walk in them: I am the LORD your God,’” (Leviticus 18:1-5, NKJV). Do you hear Him, professed Christian?4
From the forgoing eternally transcendent spiritual principle of faithfulness to God to issues of morality such as sexual purity and ethics to include just measurements, all appear in the written Law He gave Israel (Leviticus 18:6-20:27). As Christ exemplified, love for the Father and Him is our motive for walking in obedience to His transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics embodied in the written Law (John 8:28-29, 14:15, 21-24, 31). In so doing, we serve as preserving “salt” and illuminating “light” for those we live among and “glorify” God (Matthew 5:13-16, NKJV)! If however, we do as those we live among, for example bow to idols, practice sexual immorality and greedily cheat folk while refusing to repent, then, as Israel of old, punishment is the end (Jeremiah 4-5).5,6
1 Read the two-part post that begins September 23, 2018, Let’s Talk Legalism, under the category, Instruction. It is a related and important background supplement to this one.
2 This is the life cause of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Ba- sics. Obtain a Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Edition of the book along with the 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.
3 This lie has been planted by Satan and widely spread over the centuries such that much confusion and discord exists in the Body of Christ because of it. Chris- tians are to highly esteem and fulfill through obedience every transcendent spiritual principle, moral and ethical instruction of God in His whole Word even stumb- ling and fumbling as we go, but receiving His forgiveness after our appropriate confession and repentance (1 John 1:9-2:2).
4 Don’t miss God’s prohibition of walking in the ordinances of the worldly nation, state, county, city or religion that directly conflict with His! Is there a price to pay for this? Yes! Faithful Christians have been paying the price for obeying God’s Word in whatever form it has taken up to and including martyrdom since Christ in the first century A.D. warned about and experienced it followed by His apostles and many disciples up to this very hour all over the world (Matthew 10:16-39; John 15: 18-16:4, 18:1-19:30; Acts 4:1-22, 5:12-42, 6:8-7:60).
5 Idolatry, sexual immorality and unjust measures (producers are shrinking product amounts while charging the same or a greater price) with other wickedness has permeated and overtaken our society at this hour. Professed Christians are supposed to stand out against the backdrop of such a corrupt and consequently crum- bling society, but are found among the wicked in no few numbers as not only the prophet Jeremiah witnessed of Judah, but others too (see for instance, Micah 3, 7:1-4). Because professed Christian men and pastors are well represented among those practicing sexual immorality which also involves pornography and mastur- bation (see the Barna.com article), the Lord led me to devote an Appendix in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to help deal with these from a biblical world- view.
6 Even so, the Lord has His merciful hand of deliverance extended to His wayward sheep as seen in our latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, Christians can watch on our YouTube Channel.
It should go without saying that if the living God is calling professed Christians as followers of His Son to repentance, then, non-Christians ought to be on notice too! Indeed, it is written: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘“If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear,”’” (1 Peter 4:17-18, NKJV)? Because God in holy character operates in perfect justice (Deuteronomy 31:30-32:4), nobody gets away with anything; sin must be judged and punished (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:17-19; Psalm 62:9-12; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 12:33-37).
Unless therefore, God had sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to take on man’s judgment and punishment for sin, none would be saved (John 3:16-21, 36). Again, without God having taken the initiative out of His great love, grace, mercy and righteousness to make a way of salvation from sin for mankind through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Christ--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day, this fallen world and mankind as sinners after giving an account for every sin committed would have long ago endured His wrath and been eternally destroyed (Genesis 6:5-8; John 8:21-24; Romans 1:16-17, 3:9-31, 5:6-9, 10:4-13)!
Instead, those of us who have repented of our sins and believed the Gospel of Christ have been forgiven, indwelt and brought to eternal spiritual life by the Spirit of God as well as reconciled to Him after being enemy combatants (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 5:10-11; Colossians 1:19-23). The foregoing is supposed to be the result in every case. But keeping it real, in addition to many who are weak in the faith, there have been numerous rebels, impostors and apostates who have dwelt among the Church the Lord has been building from the first century A.D. and misrepresented it to the on looking world (Acts 2:40-47, 5:1-11; Romans 16:17-20; Galatians 2:1-5; 1 John 2:18-23; Jude 3-19).
For this cause, God is righteously at work in His house through judgment calling His weak in the faith, backslidden and rebel professed people to repentance; testing and disciplining even the faithful to conform us fully to the glorious divine character resident in Christ (Hebrews 12:1-17). He is also exposing and separating out of His house the false, unrepentant disobedient and fallen away since Christ in all sobriety returns for a bride He sacrificed Himself to “sanctify and cleanse,” that does not have “spot or wrinkle or any such thing,” but is “holy and without blemish,” (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Peter 3:14, NKJV). Professed Christians thinking otherwise are deceived (Galatians 5:19-21, 6:7-8)!
Thus, if it is all like that for professed Christians as the apostle Peter serves up in his warning I quoted in the first paragraph of this post, then, the non-Christian is truly in grave peril. For God’s command to ‘“all men everywhere to repent’” is so ‘“because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has ordained;” giving “assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead,’” (Acts 17:30-31, NKJV). The Lord led me to end my last post confirming He has not turned from His day of wrath upon all of those who have disobeyed His Gospel command to repent! It is coming more certainly than tomorrow’s sunrise!1
As I also recently briefly wrote about discussing these days of increasing post-Christianity unbelief in God,2 like ground with its overgrown weeds removed as preparation for planting, but after a delay grows back, so, the world has had a brief moment when the bright promise of Christianity filled it with the knowledge of God enough for many at least to believe in His existence. Now, helped in part by the willful neglect of guilty professed Christians and their churches in sin, compromise and corruption, all of the weeds of wickedness seen historically in secular atheism, false religions and the deeds of the flesh are growing back exceedingly worse than before (Luke 11:14-26).3
Refusing to believe in God does not dismiss Him from existence as He led me to state another way in a 2022 post!4 His steadily intensifying judgments in these latter days besides being remedial are warnings intended primarily to cause all to recognize His reality and repent before it is too late. However, because of proudly refusing to believe in the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible who warned millennia ago through His prophets about the escalating severity of the calamities we now, see coming upon the world, non-Christians (and many biblically ignorant professed Christians) are foolishly attributing them all to manmade climate change in the false hope they can fix things. Not! Surely, climate change is occurring, but it is not exclusively due to human cause (Amos 3:6-7, 5:8-9).
1 Read the April 23, 2023 post, A Word To God’s Faithful, under the category, Encouragement.
2 See the September 25, 2022 post, The Epidemic Of Unbelief In God, under the category, Encouragement.
3 The faithful and devoted heart of the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ is required to stand firm against this never before seen spiritual tide as I write about them in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics! You can pick up a Hard or Soft Cover Edition of the 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.
4 Read the October 2, 2022, Unbelief In God Has Consequences, under the category, Instruction.
Liberal professed Christians (many calling themselves progressives) at war with God and the absolute authority of Scripture He has inspired for men to know Him, His will, way, eternal truth and salvation are going to lose and if the current state of our crumbling society is any indicator, already losing (Psalms 2:1-6, 119:1-16, 89; John 14:4-6, 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:14-17)! All who have abandoned the literal, plain, objective reading, interpretation and application of God’s Word as it is written are not only seeing some of the resulting darkness, lawlessness, chaos and calamities now, but are in for even greater disturbing days ahead that will cause men to perish where they stand (Luke 21:25-26).
For over the past two hundred years liberal professed Christians have been more influenced by a sinful man centered worldview than one that since Moses has been God centered rooted in Holy Scripture. Beginning with liberal minded whites some of whom were former abolitionists, human reason that called itself “Higher Criticism,” the advances of science and an excessive concern for the secular political-social welfare of mankind to the near exclusion of God’s priority of salvation from sin caused them to challenge the Bible where the absolutes of divine will are articulated.1 They were more inclined to accept racial diversity and see racism with other human sins as social justice issues.
Because of the warmer acceptance of white liberal professed Christians and their view of the nation’s bigotry, discriminatory acts and oppressions flowing out of systemic racism as a social justice issue demanding a fight, it is easy to see why many blacks largely ignored by white conservative evangelicals were attracted to them and their emerging form of Christianity. Indeed, it was liberal white professed Christians in largest numbers that stood with blacks during the heady days of the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955-1968. Tragically, their support for black civil rights came at a price as it also later extended to rebel movements against the Bible’s God.
Make no mistake about it, the fight for an end to the unrighteousness and injustice of racism in our nation could and should have been carried out within the framework of biblical conservatism.2 It was not because it failed to express God’s concern for the oppressed, but white conservative evangelicals abdicated their biblical responsibility in it as I write in my first posts of this year.3 This left the historically morally conservative blacks who did so after King’s death feeling as if they had no option but to abandon biblically conservative Christianity and align with liberal allies; degrading themselves in asserting their just racial cause had equal merit with those in rebellion against God.4
Today, having been deceived, liberal black professed Christians are updating a God, Bible and Christian religion out of step with the ostensibly superior modern times of sinful human invention;5 deluded as all others in the liberal Christian camp that somehow what is being done will endure. Not! You err as did the first century Sadducees religious party that came against the Lord Jesus on the biblically conservative issue of the resurrection they rejected. He told these men to their faces: ‘“You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God…,’” (Matthew 22:23-33, NKJV). So, you are not regarding the hundreds of Bible prophecies pertaining to the first coming of Christ.
Every one of those prophecies was fulfilled to the letter. In deadly unbelief, you are also disregarding the many Bible prophecies foretelling the literal return and Kingdom of Christ (Hebrews 10:37-39)! Truly, at His return Christ will crush every form of rebellion against Him (Psalms 2:7-12, 110; Isaiah 63:1-6; Revelation 6:12-17, 19:11-20:3). Repent therefore, for even before the awesome Day of Christ’s return, God has foretold He will not leave the world without warnings and a witness of His great power in judgments to commence sooner than any might expect (Revelation 8:1-9:21)!6 Look at the world of darkness, lawlessness and chaos you have helped create in your rebellion against God and His Word with the attending calamities. Does it really seem to you God is pleased?
Do you not realize when you break from Scripture as it is literally, plainly, objectively read, interpreted and applied listening to demons, you are rejecting divine instruction and truth as well as putting yourself in the way of the apostate (Psalms 117:2, 119:151-152, 160; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; Titus 1:10-16)? The eternal truth of God’s Word cannot be abandoned without consequence! Those who do not repent now will join with the apostate ranks of your liberal allies deluded by lies and “the lie” to help persecute God’s faithful to the death (Mark 13:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-17, NKJV). But as foretold too, the faithful will be preserved and vindicated by having loved the truth through faith embedded in the Gospel and the whole of God’s Word (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; Revelation 20:4-6).
1 Use your favorite search engine for articles on the origin of Liberal Christianity. In addition to books I was compelled to read during past college religious studies courses discussing the topic such as Dillenberger, John and Welch, Claude, Protestant Christianity, Copyright 1954, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, an article I read as a re- cent historical overview was featured on the National Humanities Center Web Site. Bateman, Bradley W. “The Social Gospel and the Progressive Era.” Divining America, TeacherServe©. National Humanities Center, February 19, 2024.
2 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 15-18. The printed book is available in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. The E-Book is available at major E-Book sellers. Watch the book trailer.
3 Read the January 7, 2024 post, God A Party To Racism? Also, see the January 14, 2024 post, Racism’s Oppressions A Divine Priority and the one on January 21, 2024, Not Heeding God’s Word On Racism Consequential, all under the category, Call To Repent.
4 See the June 28, 2020 post, Last Chance For Conservative White Christians?, under the category, Call To Repent. Nowhere in the Bible does a literal, plain, objective reading, interpretation and application of it present for examples, God’s acceptance of rebellion by feminists against His design and order of the family embodying patri- archy or any practice of sexual immorality that includes same sex relations (Genesis 2:7-25; Romans 1:18-32). There was another option available to those blacks that would engage in the fight for Civil Rights after the death of Dr. King: remain faithful to God as the only absolutely needed Ally and biblically conservative Christianity. ‘“For the battle’” was never ‘“yours, but God’s,’” (2 Chronicles 20:1-30; Psalms 103:6, 146:1-7, NKJV)! Having abandoned Him for wicked arms of flesh as allies, you for- feited the opportunity to experience His righteous and just victory over the many evils of America’s systemic racism this side of Christ’s return (Isaiah 30:1-5, 31:1-3; Jere- miah 5:20-25, 17:5-6; Luke 19:41-44)!
5 Read the two-part post that begins February 21, 2021, Willful Ignorance Destroys, under the category, Black History.
6 If your heart has not yet fully hardened into apostasy, assuming you were a real Christian in the first place the Lord bids you return from rebellion against Him before it is everlasting too late (Hebrews 3:7-19)! Watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, the Lord has led us to prepare for you on YouTube.
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