The Scourge Of Racism
E-Book Availability 4/12-26
Released January 5, 2024
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I interrupt this month’s blog flow for this important announcement. This past Friday, the Ministry I have led full-time on a modest salary the past seven of thirty-four years quietly launched a fundraising campaign to help fund my salary for 2020. I am grateful to God and our Board of Directors that have authorized and will lead out to help reach the goal you can read about on the platform the Ministry is using.1 The why of such a campaign aimed first at all that the Lord has used me to impact in thirty-four years of preaching, teaching and ministry through Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. is easy and thoroughly biblical (Deuteronomy 25:4; Luke 10:1-7; 1 Corinthians 9:1-11; 1 Timothy 5:17-18). The work in scope and fruitfulness requires my full-time labor!
For this reason, it is God’s will that I should no longer turn my full attention away from the work of ministry to labor at part-time jobs to provide for my family as I did the first twenty-seven years of this Ministry. So, I know all about the apostle Paul’s preference and being bi-vocational; joyfully working for the privilege to serve the Lord in accord with His calling and assigned ministry (1 Corinthians 9:12-18). As I teach men about working, I have done and am ready to do again if the Lord were to say the same (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). I have not come this far to now play the hypocrite and undo the Lord’s teaching through me among many men. Even so, what I do is work!
Too, in line with the Pauline doctrine on giving, you can rest assured that in giving to my support it is not so I can live lavish at anyone’s expense--I fear God (2 Corinthians 8:13)! When you see the campaign goal toward my final salary you will quickly realize I have told you the truth. My God is able to take my salary and enable me to help meet the living expenses of my family. I am so blessed to have a wife that is willing to live sacrificially with a husband that has the education and experience in worldly terms to provide so much more monetarily and materially.2 So, I salute her and glorify God who has met all of my need over the years for an adequate wage as His Kingdom laborer.
Therefore, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you are one that has benefitted from my calling, gifting and ministry from the Lord and I am asking you to be among those that make a tax-deductible gift of any size to the Ministry for my 2020 full-time support. If you prefer, you can do so anonymously on the platform we are using. Another option is to make a one-time or recurring gift designated for “Salary Campaign” on the Give Page of this Web Site that will be handled as you have directed. Finally, using the same designation you can send cash, a check or money order made out to Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc., P.O. BOX 56704, Portland, OR 97238-6704. It is my joy to serve you as the Lord’s servant. Please let Him use you to help me keep doing that full-time!
1 Go to FundRazr Salary Campaign.
2 Not only have I declined to pursue a secular full-time career that would have meant having little if any time left for ministry over the years, but I also refused to accept a
number of Christian religious opportunities because they required compromising the truth of God’s Word and/or tolerating transgression, sin and iniquity (Philippians
3:1-14).
Following up my last post in the Good News and compassion of Jesus Christ who judges and is coming to judge (Psalm 96),1 I see fields of men in our nation still ripe for harvest at this hour!2 The lack of laborers He observed in first century Israel remains valid in our land today as does His remedy to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest,” (Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 10:2, NKJV). The Lord immediately appointed laborers He sent out to the harvest (Matthew 10:1-16; Luke 10:1, 3-16). However, in our day not only are the laborers few, but biblically sound churches where men made Christ’s disciples can be sent for proper equipping as men and laborers of God’s design!
This is a great evil! Like the literal fields of ripened produce that rot where they stand because of not being harvested, so, many men in our nation marginalized by secular society and numerous local churches following after it rather than Christ are perishing daily where they stand. Where I live here in Portland, Oregon is no exception. Our city is globally known for lawless streets not just due to a lack of police officers who are doing their best in the situation, but the widespread darkness that fills many hearts separated from the “light of life” in Christ Jesus (Mark 7:21-22; John 8:12, NKJV). This reality is “spiritually discerned” and why unsaved city leaders don’t get it (1 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV)!
I will never be made to understand why so many professed Christian church leaders within the city limits don’t get it either and are powerless in the face of the darkness having its way except to the extent they are afraid or part of the problem. Jesus is Lord of His Church! Since when do those assembled to Him as Lord fear the darkness or look to “an arm of flesh” for leadership to stand against it (2 Chronicles 32:1-8, NKJV)?3 They do not look to the Lord as they ought because they are alienated from Him through their corrupt compromises with the darkness or how is it that the biblical Gospel of repentance from sin and faith in Him is no longer preached for salvation by not a few?
How is it too, what Christ has commanded His followers to do in the Bible is not done (Matthew 28:18-20) or God’s creation of man as male and female and order of mankind in roles He designed abandoned (1 Corinthians 11:1-3; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7)? I know of not one church in this city that I can safely send men and boys led to Christ that will teach them biblical manhood; their roles and responsibilities in a biblical worldview.4 If you are out there, reach out to me with men for the sake of working together under the leadership of Christ to help deliver men in our city from hearts overcome by darkness through preaching of the biblical Gospel and witnessing of Him!
Using men as laborers to reach men and the world with the Gospel is the example and intended enduring primary methodology of Christ recorded in the Gospels (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-51, 20:19-23). He hand-picked no women to represent Him as apostles nor were any displayed in all of the rest of the New Testament. The Lord’s exclusive use of men in the apostolic mission and leadership of those assembled to Him as His Church had nothing to do with chauvinism or any notion of innate male superiority, but their suitability according to His election of order and roles of His design from creation as sovereign Creator (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7-8, 18-25; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, 14:34-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-13)!5
While the foregoing offends the rebel feminist men and women in and outside of professing Christianity who have abandoned the Lord’s Word and its purposeful examples during these latter days, it and He remain unchanged (Psalm 119:89; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8)! Therefore, without repentance by guilty professed Christian leaders and churches, as the Lord led me to write similarly in another post their labor in cooperation with secular allies will continue to be ineffective at diminishing the lawless violence and murder by those with sin darkened hearts prevalent in the city.6 Meanwhile, let any churchless or otherwise interested Christian man in Portland reading this that is zealous for the Lord and His causes reach out to me for instruction, fellowship and ways to serve Him with us!7
1 Read the August 7, 2022 post, Saving Souls Not Nations, under the category, The Cause.
2 My phrase, “still ripe for harvest” reflects all of my Holy Spirit led intentional labor to restore men beginning with preaching the Gospel and witnessing Christ to them since 1998. See the July 9, 2017 post, Laboring To Restore Men, under the category, The Cause.
3 Consulting with and relying on human wisdom, efforts and power to engage the darkness as only the Church of Jesus Christ has uniquely been equipped and empowered by Him to do is a sure sign of spiritual impotency at best, apostasy at worst; either is characteristic of those practicing Christianity as manmade religion (Luke 10:17-20; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)!
4 The subtitle of my book, “Back To Basics” is a summons to return to and gives biblical instruction on God’s mortal order of mankind as well as male and female roles from creation! The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available 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, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
5 Read the June 2017 posts presenting the value of men.
6 See the August 12, 2018 repost from 2012, Curtailing Gang Violence, under the category, Call To Repent.
7 We are always on the lookout for Christian men on fire for the Lord that are wanting to serve Him outside of the limiting box of manmade religion that exists in too many churches! Express your Portland area interest in connecting with this Ministry to me using our information e-mail address, info@thestrongmanofGod.org.
Is it just me or does anyone else also see the glaring inconsistency of teaching me I am the head of my house by God’s design and purposeful will, but when I come to His house, the God who made me the head changes everything? Like a bizarre, mind bending movie where things are familiar, but out of place and nothing is as it should be, so, the growing number of churches today with women as pastors, worship leaders and authority figures over adult men in what is supposed to be the God of the Bible’s “household,” “family” and “house;” His Father the Lord Jesus taught us in Him to also address as “Father,” (Matthew 6:9; Ephesians 2:19-22, 3:14-15; Hebrews 3:1-6, NKJV)!
There has been a change made in the churches led by pastors that are responsible true enough, but the ever consistent and immutable God has not authorized it as He leads me to make absolutely clear in a very important second Appendix of my book. This change to allow women to speak into the whole church assembly and be deployed into positions of authority over men is exclusively the action of sinful flesh in defiance of Scripture! It has come about from the same demonically deceitful instruction that has also allowed those that pervert God’s sexual design to pastor, lead worship and ministries in what is supposed to be God’s house.
After millennia, to now--at the end of this age--fully set aside men and God’s order of mankind in His house is wickedly brazen; showing no fear of God whatsoever in sinning with such a high hand. You surpass even the people and leaders of ancient Israel who also corrupted themselves in spiritual harlotry, disrespected God’s house, profaned His great name and caused His enemies to blaspheme (Ezekiel 16:23-30; Malachi 1:6-2:16; Romans 2:24; James 4:17). For those who question by what authority I have stood to say such things in crying out against this ongoing rebellion in God’s house, I will ask you an even more important and eternally troubling question.
By what authority have you stood to usurp Jesus Christ, God’s appointed Head of the Church, to dishonor men and change the divine order of mankind in His house as antichrists (Daniel 7:25; Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:15-18)? At the Lord’s command and in the power of the Holy Spirit, I have taken my stand to wage war on and pull down strongholds of deceit in all of the arguments raised up against “the knowledge of God” embodied in the whole counsel of His Word on men and the order of mankind in His house; “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” in His cause to restore men and declaring His judgment on the unrepentant (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, NKJV)!6
For while the world culture may be in rebellion against the will, way and Word of God, such should not be the case among us who have been set apart as His and are His house (1 Peter 2:4-5)! We were saved from out of the world culture not to live to or honor it above God any longer, but as “His own special people” to exalt Him and proclaim His praises with supporting godly deeds (1 Peter 2:9-12, NKJV). So, the world culture may be celebrating with guilty professed Christians in their break with ancient, biblical orthodoxy on men and the divine order of mankind in yet another display of the foretold “falling away,” but the Head of His house is not pleased (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV)!
Let me be very clear from the prophetic Word of God to the professed Christian following after world culture and the unbeliever listening in. The corrupt egalitarian, anything goes world as a tower of Babel you seek to build will not come to fruition without contest from God in severe judgments (Genesis 11:1-9; Revelation 8:1-11:19) or long stand before it is destroyed in wrath by Christ (Isaiah 2:10-22, 13:9-13; Revelation 6:12-17, 16)!7 He now, graciously calls unbelievers to repentance and faith in the Gospel to be saved from His coming wrath; repentance leading to revival among those in sin as professed Christians so they may not be condemned with the world, but rather vigorously preach the Gospel especially to men as the Lord modeled so they might be completely restored.
The faithful pastor should not fret or fear your obedience has been in vain and the wicked in and outside of God’s house are getting away with anything (Malachi 2:17, 3:13-4:3). Those that profess to be Christians and continue to refuse God’s offer of forgiveness through repentance from all disobedience including rebellion against His order of mankind will be caught in the intensifying judgment He has begun in His house and that will be more evident in 2017--beware rebel women in positions of unbiblical authority (Revelation 2:20-23)! It has begun in His house so the world may see God is just and fear; for this assures their destruction without repentance to follow (1 Peter 4:17-18). All who die in their sins also face the judgment seat of Christ in terror (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)!
Now, therefore, woe to the pastors that oppress and marginalize the men you shepherd! You will give an account of every soul harmed by your disobedience. If the Lord commands Israel’s faithful to keep the “Law of Moses” and to look for Him to send Elijah before “the great and dreadful day of the Lord” to restore men and their children, how is it that you have failed to grasp you are to keep His Word and labor to make ready a people prepared for His coming through restoring men and their children also (Malachi 4:4-6, Luke 12:42-48, NKJV)? Does not the judgment of Adam, Aaron, Solomon, Jeroboam, Ahab, Asa and the Pharisees frighten you at all (Genesis 3:17b-19; Exodus 32:25-35; 1 Kings 11:9-13, 13:33-14:11, 21:17-26; 2 Chronicles 16:11-14; Matthew 23:25-24:2)? The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
6 I have addressed most of the more popular arguments of the rebellion in all of my May 2015 blogs.
7 The tragedy of inequality among mankind does not originate with God’s creation of men and women for when all was created, He declared His work ‘“very good,’” (Genesis 1:31, NKJV)! After this, the next greatest statement of human equality came from the lips of the first man when he raved about the woman made from him in perfect correspondence to him in every way (Genesis 2:23). Human inequality originates with sin and all of the evil ways it corrupts the human heart (Mark 7: 17-23)! This being true, how can the noble cause to eliminate sin invented human gender and racial inequality, for example, be lumped together with that of over- turning the decree of God that only sex inside of male and female marriage is righteous? Therefore, until my final breath as a Christian black American male. I will be offended by the sexually immoral person’s evil and false claim that rejecting his sin is equivalent to rejecting me as a man of color by the purposeful design of God! Read my May 8-15, 2016 blogs.
Guilty disobedient white professed Christians willfully ignoring, setting aside and corrupting God’s Word over four hundred years to enable them in their churches and those making no such profession in the larger American society to uphold the bigotries, discriminatory acts and oppressions of racism has not gone without divine imposed and unintended consequences. Surely, for racism and other sins the severe judgment now, upon His Church has been imposed by Christ!1 Too, there are many unforeseen unintended consequences along the way sin always has that are contributing to the devastating spiritual, moral and ethical chaos, ruin and collapse of churches along with our nation.
The centuries long flagrant disregard for and disobedience to the clear teaching of Scripture against racism, its discriminatory acts and oppressions with other sins by the majority white professed Christian American Church has spawned the unforeseen outcome of a latter day generation that is at ease doing the same on such issues as marriage, divorce, feminism, abortion, same sex relations, gender identity and roles to name some.2 Another is the social chaos this state of affairs is causing that cannot be overstated; most of which will not be reversed until Christ returns to install and enforce the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics of God’s Kingdom on earth (Psalm 2)!
Yet another unforeseen unintended consequence of brazen contempt for and disobedience to God’s Word on racism’s discriminatory acts and oppressions with other sins is the ongoing splintering of the American Church into ever increasing fragments as each man, woman or party must have their own typically unbiblical theological spin, belief system and way (Acts 20:29-30).3 Of course, the American Church has never been without division over theology since those that came from Europe to form the colonies were from various Catholic, Protestant and other professed Christian sects.4 But the splintering today is in over drive with thousands of denominations, churches, groups and sects.
The selfish mindset behind the splintering is not only a product of championed American individualism labeled freedom, but still an unabashed refusal to heed the instruction and warnings of Christ and His apostles on an issue; this time that of division. The Lord’s express will is brotherhood and unity (Matthew 23:8; John 17:20-23). Paul, the Lord’s apostle to us Gentiles asked rhetorically when the seeds of division were being planted in the first century, “Is Christ divided,” (1 Corinthians 1:13, NKJV)? The Lord warned ‘“And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand,’” (Mark 3:25, NKJV). No exception with our nation, the American Church fragmenting is collapsing too.
To be sure, there is a biblical place for God’s faithful to disassociate themselves from harlot professed Christians that in their practice of sin create a manmade religious “form” of the faith as the apostle Paul gives prophetic warning (2 Timothy 3:1-9, NKJV). Also, the Lord foretells a falling away from Him by ‘“offended’” splinter factions near His return in which they ‘“will betray…and hate one another;’” helping to give rise to ‘“many false prophets’” who ‘“deceive many,’” (Matthew 24:10-11, NKJV). This is now, well under way and helps in part explain why the guilty many in the American Church refuse to repent when confronted with God’s Word objectively read, interpreted and applied.5
Indeed, as the Lord leads me to write in The Scourge Of Racism, the world filled with those calling themselves progressives--religious and otherwise--is doing the right thing morally by not only owning the wrong done to blacks and other minorities through racism’s bigotry, discriminatory acts and oppressions, but attempting to do something about it whatever all of their skewed motives and efforts.6 Confessing sin is supposed to be automatic to all professed Christians since none have been saved apart from it. However, with hearts hardened into the numerous forms of manmade Christianity the religion and as de facto apostates that put worldly conservative values ahead of God’s Word many evangelicals in the American Church will not confess racism as sin and repent.
Refusing to repent from sinning against the Lord as religionists in contempt of Him and with hardened hearts was the issue with Hophni and Phinehas I wrote about in last week’s post (1 Samuel 2:22-25).7 Please note in the passage cited that God was not indifferent toward the two sinning priests. His judgment had already been determined and in His timing announced by an unnamed “man of God,” then, confirmed through the child prophet, Samuel (1 Samuel 2:27-34, 3:1-18, NKJV).8 As to a hardened heart, even the Philistines’ religious leaders warned their kings not to go there as they considered having “the ark of the Lord” after seven months of misery. They recognized a hardened heart is what destroyed Pharaoh and will anyone (1 Samuel 6:1-6; Romans 2:4-5, NKJV).9
1 Read the October 8, 2023 post, Racism A Reason For Church Judgment, under the category, Instruction along with the one on October 15, 2023, In Judgment, Grace, Mercy And Revival, under the category, Glory To God!
2 Blacks and other minorities long before were naturally taking their religious cues from whites in the lead who introduced Christianity in its various forms to them over the centuries also with negative outcomes. See the September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 As with Israel during the period of the Judges when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” so, the American Church at this hour with one major difference. Israel’s condition was blamed on them not having a king, but we have One; even the same One they rejected then and guilty professed Christians reject now: God in Christ (Judges 21:25, NKJV)!
4 In spite of their theological differences, there was cooperation on founding the nation, building it and establishing its general cultural mores loosely based on select Judeo- Christian teaching from the Bible. This general culture as the Lord has been leading me to repeatedly point out shamefully included ensuring the dominantstanding of whites through the bigoted, discriminatory and oppressive deeds of racism. For the record, restrictions on sexual immorality was in no way bigoted, discriminatory or op- pressive since they are plain instruction directly from God’s Word (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).
5 See the February 2, 2014 post, The Falling Away, under the category, Bible Prophecy. Impostors and apostates do not submit to God or His Word--never have and never will (Romans 8:5-9; 2 Timothy 3:10-13; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 12-22)!
6 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 15-17. The printed book is available in the Strong Man Store, all major internet book- sellers and brick and mortar bookstores. The just released E-Book is available at major E-Book sellers. Watch the book trailer.
7 Read the January 14, 2024 post, Racism’s Oppressions A Divine Priority, under the category, Call To Repent.
8 For those that would dismiss the Lord’s call to repent through me confirmed by His written Word because of no name recognition and through racist eyes, being a no ac- count black man, beware since every word of the Lord the unnamed “man of God” declared in the passage came to pass--glory to God!
9 Don’t let a hard heart keep you from hearing the Lord’s call to return through our Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube (Hebrews 3:7-19)!
God’s plan to save man before time and in it to announce this plainly exhibits the divine initiative to bring about such a thing as Christmas.1 After all of the many prophetic announcements and set up for His plan to save through One He would anoint contained in the Bible’s Old Testament, the time came for God’s acts to bring it into fulfillment. Through His sovereign supervision, providence and power, elect people, places and perfectly timed events unfolded in the land of Israel circa 6-4 B.C. according to historians that include a Jewish man called Matthew, an eyewitness apostle of Jesus Christ, and later, Luke, a Gentile disciple, both of whom wrote accounts of His birth.2
As led by God who established the importance of genealogies in Israel, Matthew opened his account presenting the Jewish ethnicity and royal genealogy “of Jesus Christ” from Abraham through David and his descendants up to Joseph, His surrogate father (Genesis 17:18-19; Matthew 1:1-17).3 God also had Luke give the genealogy of Christ through His mother betrothed to Joseph and a descendant of David too, that reached as a godly line He ordained all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). The genealogical credentials of Christ solidly presented, Matthew goes on to present vital details of God’s acts to bring Him safely into the world with Joseph’s obedience and cooperation.
Prominent in the acts of God Matthew reports are Mary’s troubling pregnancy as a virgin and the instructive dream He sent an angel to give Joseph. The angel urged Joseph to continue his betrothal to Mary and affirmed to him, ‘“for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” Moreover, Joseph was told by the angel his wife would deliver ‘“a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS (YESHUA), for He will save His people from their sins.’” Incredibly, Matthew declares not only that Mary’s pregnancy as a virgin exactly fulfilled the Lord’s prophetic Word, but the amazing truth that her Son is God incarnate as understood in another of His names, ‘“Immanuel,’” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25, NKJV). Christmas is about God’s acts to bring His Son into the world to save!
1 See the December 3, 2023 post, Christmas: God’s Initiative To Save, under the category, Holidays.
2 The approximate time of Christ’s birth can be deduced from details Luke gives in his account (Luke 1:1-5, 2:1-3).
3 God is the Originator of all human ethnicities (Acts 17:26). Therefore, to hate, oppress, mistreat by discrimination or any other means on the basis of ethnicity is to disparage the Creator’s good work and blessing of giving ethnic diversity to His creature! For this cause no professed Christian should be numbered among racists or anti-Semites since the Christ they claim to love is Jewish! Read the two-part Jesus: The Jewish Messiah, posted on January 28, 2014, under the category, Holi- days and the February 2, 2020 post, Ethnically Diverse Mankind Is Of God, under the categories, Black History and God’s Creatures. Also, purchase the recently released print version of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
Regardless of what fallen, sinful men say, according to God our Creator the greatest need of all mankind is to be saved from sin!1 Indeed, for sin as God forewarned the first man brought physical death and all of its ruin with condemnation not only upon him, but all of creation and his progeny (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-13, 17-19; Romans 5:12). Too, man died spiritually as in sin he was also separated from God with no apparent hope of deliverance or reconciliation to his Creator (Genesis 3:22-24; Isaiah 59:1-2). However, the same God who condemned also had a plan of redemption He announced on the same day of man’s fall and has taken the initiative to carry out.
From eternity God knew man would fall into sin and need deliverance or if you will salvation. There being no other viable option to effect man’s salvation, the sovereign God agreed that “the Word” should come into the world of fallen mankind to do so as the foretold “Seed” of the woman and “only begotten Son” “of the Father,” (Genesis 3:14-15; John 1:1-10, 14-18, NKJV). He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” (John 1:29-34; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8b, NKJV)! And why? “For God so loved the world (mankind) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16, NKJV).
Christmas is about God’s love for fallen mankind who apart from intervention, were the objects of the divine verdict concerning us and consequences of wrath along with eternal death (Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-20, 5:6-9; Revelation 20:11-15). But because of Christmas--the coming into the world of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, those of us that have believed on Him and His atoning death for sin have moved from under condemnation, wrath and eternal death and been reconciled to God (John 1:11-13, 3:17-21, 36, 5:24-30; Romans 3:21-31, 5:10-11). I am so glad for God’s love and initiative that has graciously and mercifully brought salvation to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ!
1 Yes, sin includes all forms of racism and anti-Semitism that violates God’s commanded will for and destroys constructive human relations (Mark 12:28-31)! Get the recently released print version of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
Arising from the midst of the Lord’s permitted severe adversities as judgment upon along with grace, mercy and revival in His American Church are men; men who aspire to be “strong” as described of old by Daniel the prophet and in Christ’s image (Daniel 11:32-35; Romans 8:29, NKJV).1 Such men are supposed to be well represented in the Church. However, in these latter days they have been made rare by a multitude of Church sins including the toleration and practice of racism. Restored in their sold out devotion and obedience to Christ, aspiring strong men of God in His image are the only ones that can stand to lead the Church out of racism and into modeling racial harmony!
All men are weak in sin before God (Psalm 6:1-2a, 51:5; Luke 5:4-8; Romans 3:9-18, 23)! Our thinking, attitudes, words and deeds fully display the sin nature that resides within us (Mark 7:21-22). Indeed, racism is but one of many sins men practice that flow from our sin nature and the arrogance with pride spawned by it in the heart.2 With all other sins men commit, racism too, is not only a display of the sin nature, but spiritual weakness. Consequently, as the Lord leads me to write in The Scourge Of Racism, those who practice racism whether they profess to be Christians or not and whatever their hues are also showing spiritual weakness only He can deliver a man from.3
Jesus Christ, God “the Word” and “Son,” came into the world from Heaven by the express will of “the Father,” (John 1:1-2, 14-18, NKJV). He taught with “authority” and did mighty works in the power of God (Mark 1:21-28, 4:35-41; John 20:30-31, NKJV). He was also tested in every manner as we are to the death, but no sin was found in Him for He was perfect in all of His ways (Matthew 4:1-11, 26:36-46, 27:35-54; Hebrews 2:18, 4:15). Without dispute, Jesus Christ is the Strong Man of God He wants all willing men to look to as the role model for what being a man is about, follow and imitate to the end of bearing His image forever (Luke 9:18-36; 1 Corinthians 11:1, 15:47-49)!4
While the Father does allow for the reality of sin weak Christ followers, this is not His perfect will (1 Corinthians 11:23-32). Every man that repents of his sins and believes on Christ for salvation is called by the Father to become a strong man in His Son’s image and purposely set on a path to spiritual maturity to that end by Him (Matthew 10:24-25; Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 12:1-11). In seeking to please Him and do His will, Christian men as aspiring strong men of God in Christ’s image submit to and obey His commandments as taught (Matthew 28:18-20). Chief among the Lord’s commandments is for His disciples to “love one another” as He exemplified (John 13:34, NKJV).5
Not only would the world know the reality of Christ by His disciples’ display of love for each other, but they by their obedience to His command would be showing Him love the way He requires (John 13:35, 14:15). As a result, they most assuredly would not be tolerant of or practicing the loveless sin of racism! For besides disobeying the Lord’s command to love each other practicing racism, they know this sin wickedly does harm to its object whether a fellow believer or not (Romans 13:8-10). Too, they understand themselves to be sons of God who behaving in righteousness and love, are distinct from the devil’s children and their hurtful conduct toward others (1 John 3:10-15).
The men I am describing--aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ--are not more evident in the Church at this hour because many have been left ignorant of their calling attending churches where it or anything like biblical manhood is not taught. Also, men are marginalized in the Church due to another sin, capitulation to feminists for the sake of their definition of equality. Nevertheless, Christ Lord of His Church is restoring willing men through Ministries like ours!6 They are being purposely taught the way of Christ as the Strong Man of God so in being personally restored, they might also restore their families and communities to include local churches as needed.7
As I write in The Scourge Of Racism, whatever their hue aspiring strong men of God in Christ’s image do not tolerate, practice or in silence endorse the sin of racism, but call it out while modeling the Lord’s commanded love.8 As it should be, these aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ are local church leaders as well as those rising up from the pews to display the solution to racism in His Church and to a skeptical, hostile watching world to His glory as we are called to do! Truly, standing against racism and all biblically defined sin in the midst of intensifying adversities and persecution from Christian impostors and the world will be challenging; they will have the experiences of the men in Daniel’s prophecy already cited as they serve in Christ’s strength (Philippians 4:13).
1 Read the October 15, 2023 post, In Judgment, Grace, Mercy And Revival, under the category, Glory To God!
2 See the September 17, 2023 post, Racism A Two-Fold Scourge, under the category, Biblical Worldview, for a definition of racism.
3 The Scourge Of Racism, Copyright 2023, ODCM Publishing Division, Portland, OR, p. 64. The book can be purchased in this Ministry’s Web Site Stores including the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
4 Learn more about Jesus Christ as the Strong Man of God in my previously published book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics! The Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions are available in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
5 The Lord knows His commandment is impossible without the indwelling power and help of the Holy Spirit and spoke in anticipation of His coming to equip us to obey (John 3:1-8, 14:16-17, 26; Romans 5:5; 1 Peter 1:22-25).
6 Since 2005 Strong Man Ministries has been carrying out the Lord’s mission to restore men, their families and communities despite actual opposition not only from the world, but local churches! Learn more about our work on our Web Site and courageously consider supporting it.
7 Restoration through returning to the Lord is an important first step for professed Christian men who know they are far from anything like His image in their walk. Our on- going Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, seeks to facilitate that restoration. Your soul, sir, is worth the thirty minutes it takes to watch the rally on our YouTube channel.
8 The Scourge Of Racism, op. cit., p. 64.
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