The Scourge Of Racism
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Even though men from Adam are fallen in sin and our understanding of things divine in origin non-existent or horribly distorted without God’s help, there is in every man’s heart an accurate residue of understanding about what our Creator wants from us as sons of this age and eternally. The natural love a mortal son has for his father is as close an approximation to what God the Father desires from His sons as is possible to see in action on earth by sinners. Only Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, has come and perfectly modeled for us the fullest possible display of a Son’s love for His Father. Every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ seeks to be a son like Him!1
Father-son love is historical and biblical. From Adam mortal fathers have been desirous to beget sons to mirror their own image, raise up in their likeness and carry these on as a perpetual legacy of their existence on earth (Genesis 5:3-32). Not jealous of this in ancient times as feminists are today, godly women especially fully supported the yearning in the heart of men and their husbands to have a son after their own image and likeness and hoped in their love to bear them at least one among many children (Genesis 21:1-7, 29:31-35; 1 Samuel 1:1-11; Psalm 127:3-5). Such has been the norm amidst most ethnicities and cultures across the earth until this 21st century.
Fathers lavished love and attention upon their sons in the pride of accomplishment and joy of their manifest representation of themselves. They also took serious the challenge of purposely instructing them with knowledge and tangible skills to equip them for manhood. Again, from ancient times and across ethnicities and cultures, men have devised various rituals that enable their sons to demonstrate their readiness to pass from boy to manhood. Meanwhile, with love for and devoted hearts to their fathers, typical sons have been eager to do their father’s will and well please them; living to hear (as I did) their father’s affirming commendation in whatever fashion it might be offered.
Usually also, in humility a son’s love for his father included the highest esteem; consciously and unconsciously looking up to his father as an example to be emulated. In similitude, this natural heart of love a son has for his earthly father is what God the Father sought from His first son, Adam, who in perfect heart “is a type of Him who was to come,” (Romans 5:14, NKJV). But as I wrote in last week’s post, Adam did not do His will and displeased God his Father after He had initiated his existence, led, taught, provided for, gave protection, responsible tasks, a mate and affirmation to him (Genesis 2:7-25, 3:6-11).2 His sin drove a wedge of separation between Adam and God the Father.
Tragically, while our sons now, with sinful natures maintain a natural desire for their father’s up close, personal love, instruction, affirmation and awe-inspiring example, fewer in these latter times are getting it due to the separation, willful neglect and irresponsibility of out of wedlock births (which is where I failed my own son as an unsaved teenage father and later, a growing Christian still ignorant about biblical man and fatherhood)3 and divorce. Too, pride born of sin causes many sons to rebel against and reject their father’s instruction and example whether as part of intact nuclear families or not. Finally, confusion about family composition, roles, assignments and order is not helping.
The heart of a Son in relation to His Father was perfectly demonstrated by Jesus Christ who from the beginning served as Adam’s original role model and is for every one of his sons of this age that have followed. Indeed, for after He had come into the world the Lord Jesus first showed His love and devotion for His Father in Scripture as a Boy when He was found at the Temple dialoging with the leaders there and exclaimed to Mary and Joseph looking for Him: ‘“Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business,’” (Luke 2:41-50, NKJV)? In His love and esteem, He set about to do the will of, please and honor His Father; doing so without sin to the suffering of death (John 6:38, 8:25-29, 48-49, 10:17-18, 14:28-31; Hebrews 4:14-15, 5:7-8)!
God the Father “loves the Son” and taught Him everything He needed to know and do in His ministry (John 3:35, 5:19-23, NKJV). The Father also repeatedly affirmed His Son. Three occasions in the Gospels before, during and near the end of His ministry to Israel serve as examples (Mark 1:9-11, 9:1-7; John 11:38-44). As He leads me to write in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,4 God seeks to relate to authentically born again Christian men as sons the same way He relates to His only begotten since He is our Father too (John 16:23-28, 20:17)! In Christ’s image we are to be humble in heart as sons; loving, esteeming and imitating the Father as He wills--in faith and obedience (John 14:15-24; Ephesians 5:1-7; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 11:6, 12:1-11; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 13-21).
1 Read the three-part post beginning January 29, 2017, Jesus, Son Of Man, under the category, The Cause.
2 See the June 6, 2021 post, Sons Of This Age, under the category, God’s Creatures.
3 See the September 20, 2020 post, What Will It Profit A Man?, under the category, The Cause.
4 The book is published by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and available in print or digital formats at major internet booksellers. You
can also purchase a print copy along with its companion, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study for in-person or virtual use in the
Strong Man Store.
I testified in a another blog it took me twenty-two months after becoming a Christian to come to the place of full surrender to the Lord. After seven days of fasting without food or drink, intensive Bible study, prayer and meditation the Lord commanded and conducted me in, I came forth from that death of the old Robert Kelley, a new man alive with blazing zeal for Him!1 Besides the Spirit’s joyful fire burning like an inferno in the deepest recesses of my inner man, that zeal was driven by thanksgiving to the Lord for saving me, seeing His awesome power displayed in my life and coming to understand the shared victory I have with Him over death!
Too, as I wrote in the blog referenced earlier, while I did not know then that the Lord was also giving me an initial introduction to the gifting, calling and ministry He had for me, I knew that motivationally, I wanted, was eager and ready to serve Him in some way! Imagine my surprise when in the churches, few shared my zeal for the same Jesus they declared saved them too! In fact, to this day I remain dumbfounded (with righteous indignation also, now, knowing the dulling role manmade religion plays in the matter) at how casual and lackluster yet, ready to be exploitive for their own purposes many professed Christians are of those that are newborn in Christ!
How could folk that claim to be reading the same Bible as me miss the roll call of souls that served God zealously out of a heart of faith, love and gratitude reaching all the way back to Abel (Genesis 4:1-8; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:10-12)? Even formerly avowed idol worshippers and pagans demonically possessed encountering the power of the living God emerged from the experience in fullness of lasting gratitude and wanting to faithfully serve Him from the heart (2 Kings 5:1-19; Mark 5:1-20)! Not dull hearted, ho hum religionists fill the pages of Scripture as those that please God and who He uses mightily, but those on fire for Him and His causes!
Learning about such men as Moses the prophet, David the king, Ezra the priest and Paul the apostle of Christ caused me to understand that my zeal to serve God from the heart was the norm of His expectation, not the exception as religionists would have us believe. Over my forty years such folk have repeatedly charged me with being “too serious.” Is being too serious about God even possible considering how serious we as sinners are about our sins? Indeed, I continue to marvel that God has been able to do anything worthwhile with me given the thoroughly flawed character I possessed to include all of the common issues of fallen men such as pride and selfish ambitions.
Not that I have now arrived at perfection. However, perfect Father that God is, He in love has patiently instructed, rebuked and chastened me in my development as a son, disciple and servant.2 Over forty years of His discipline He has redirected my focus, for example, from seeking in pride and selfish ambition to be successful. Truly, all of the former kings of Israel had achievements, but God was not impressed. Always with God, it is honoring Him with faith, love, obedience and faithfulness. So, He focused me on being faithful out of a heart to please Him whether religious church folk applaud or not (Numbers 12:1-8; 1 Samuel 13:14, 16:6-13; Ezra 7:8-10; 1 Timothy 1:12-17)!
For this reason too, though Satan has tried through many so-called successful Christian leaders in my journey, I have not yet sold God out for the sake of some great attainment or desire to build a monument to myself issuing forth from pride and selfish ambition (oh, that younger preachers are reading this). Nor by the Lord’s grace have I obeyed some pastor’s corruption of His Word for personal benefit. I have, though, predictably suffered hate and ostracism among other things for this (1 Kings 22:1-38). The Lord Jesus--who is the ultimate example of faithfulness--has also taught me that obedience to Him and His Word has a far greater reward and is more fulfilling than pleasing and being popular with men (Luke 6:22-23, 26; John 12:42-43; Hebrews 3:1-6).
Ezra’s devoted heart to God was such that when it was told him that many including spiritual leaders among the captives returned from Babylon were again brazenly violating God’s law by marrying pagan women from the surrounding lands, in grief he not only tore his clothes, but plucked out chunks of hair from his head and beard. In astonishment, he spent the rest of the day fasting without food or drink and by the evening sacrifice, was found crying out to God in confession and repentance for his people (Ezra 9). The Lord has made me to know such a heart as His own with regard to the spiritual condition of the many professed American Christians, pastors and churches in rebellion against Him.
I have been perceived as weak and ridiculed for weeping publically over God’s people in sin. But the assembly wept and confessed their sins with Ezra that day; mingling their warm tears with the cold rain they stood outside in which most of the guilty repented during the following days (Ezra 10). I would that all professing to be Christians that are guilty come to or regain a zeal to serve Him from the heart through sincere confession and repentance from the sin that has hardened their hearts to God! Without a faithful heart in these latter days, escape from satanic enticement to unfaithfulness and snares of destruction God is allowing to test every heart, will not come easy (Hebrews 3:7-19). Thank You, Lord, for forty years of Your loving discipline and heart makeover!
1 Read the October 2, 2016 blog, Gifted With A Prophet’s Heart, under the category, Call To Repent.
2 Learn more about how God restores us as sons, disciples and servants in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics on sale as an E-Book in two formats now
through June 20th for 40% off in the Strong Man Store at our redesigned, new look Web Site, www.thestrongmanofGod.org!
One of the saddest evil developments among many of Christianity since the first century is the form of it as a religion invented by men. I have had to contend with this powerless, manmade evil from my infancy in Christ and in accord with my calling, gifting and ministry from the Lord in over forty years of service; writing much about Babylon in this blog.1 Not only is corruption of and willful disobedience to God’s Word with confusion characteristic of it, but false piety ostensibly informed by Christian love and enforced submission to men as leaders acting in the flesh of whom Scripture is quite clear are not pleasing God (Romans 8:8). (Does God in Scripture really require unquestioned loyalty and obedience to disobedient leaders--2 Corinthians 1:23-24, 11:1-21; Galatians 1-2:16?)2
Leave it to children to show the way of God as even the Son of God affirmed they do in their natural behavior. In this edited 2011 post, I reference the Lord’s instruction of His pride and selfish ambition filled disciples using the naturally humble hearts of children as the example of impossible conversion apart from God’s supernatural work their own hearts would need to enter the Kingdom. Such genuine humility of heart is characteristic of a man converted through the new birth of biblical Christianity. Too, like a child’s heart displayed by the children around Dale Ostrander who prayed for him as he drowned, a converted heart is willing to believe God--not as the religious who eloquently pray out loud, but act in their own power to accomplish their will (Matthew 23:14).
This Thanksgiving I am grateful for the children who remind us of what biblical Christianity is and the God of my salvation who makes it possible for me to walk it out in the authentic power of His Spirit; the life of an aspiring strong man of God in the image of Jesus Christ! Have a great Thanksgiving.
Originally Posted August 14, 2011
Speaking to men in Matthew 18:1-4, the Lord Jesus answered the question of His disciples, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” (NKJV)? He referred them to a child and indicated unless these tough guys were to be converted and become like “little children” in humility and faith, they could not “enter” or be considered “the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” That’s a hard one for proud men to swallow. But this past week the news was filled with a miracle story that verifies the humble and trusting heart of a child is great before and honored by God.
Dale Ostrander was on a beach outing with his youth group in Long Beach, WA. He got sucked under by a rip tide and pulled out over a hundred yards from shore. Another youth, Nicole Kissel, tried to help him back, but when she turned, Dale was gone. Rescuers searched for over 20 minutes for what surely would be and was the drowned, lifeless body of Dale. But while the rescuers were on their way and during their search for Dale, on their faces in the sand weeping and calling on the name of the Lord were members of Dale’s youth group. These children not only believed that God could save their fellow youth, but passionately asked Him to do so with the humble, trusting hearts of children. And what was the result?
Even the most cynical of newscasters throughout the TV News media called Dale’s return to life “a miracle.” But not only did Dale come back to life, he is expected to recover.3 God is receiving glory all over the planet because some kids had the audacity, humility and faith to believe God can do anything! In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics,4 I tell men in order to receive its contents they must have the heart of a child as Jesus teaches in Matthew 18:1-4. The Dale Ostrander August 2011 return to life on the prayers of children is overwhelming evidence of the blessings and benefits of why. To God be the glory and thank you children for reminding proud, self-reliant adults and men--religious or otherwise--in particular, of the heart that pleases God!
1 See for example, my August 23, 2015 post, Babylon Is Falling, under the category, Bible Prophecy and August 21-28, 2016 two-part, Christianity The Religion Of Men,
under the category, Instruction.
2 Protestants certainly cannot believe this without hypocrisy since our whole existence is a repudiation of corrupt 16th century Catholicism and its leaders famously galva- nized by heralded reformer, Martin Luther--a Catholic priest!
3 Dale Ostrander lives today and continues a progressive recovery from certain death.
4 The book is available in print or digital download formats at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).
You can also get the Hard or Soft Cover print versions of the book in the Strong Man Store.
In this positional chronology on April 27, 2014, the Lord led me to repost The Spiritual Gift Of Faith, under the category, The Faith as the first of what was a related sequence of four 2012 blogs. I urge the reader to read that April repost as a prelude to this post and what will be the other three 2012 reposts that follow. The primary theme in all of them is the necessary real time involvement of Christ as Lord and the Holy Spirit as Participants in the life and work of the Church on earth (Mark 16:19-20; Acts 13:1-3). This thematic reality is the desperate need of many professing American Christians and churches as well as an urgent purpose in the Lord’s call to repentance and revival.
Did any of the regular readers notice in my blog of August 21, 2016, Christianity The Religion Of Men, Pt. 1 under the category, Instruction, that two older women were the only instrumental mortals to my coming to the immortal Christ on Easter 1977 and providing godly counsel during the first three years of my life in Him? When in churches and around Christians of both genders during those days, I was clearly moving in another stream of experience apart from the religious operation of most due to being on white-hot Holy Spirit fire! Oh, as is typical of babes in Christ (I later learned), I stumbled and fumbled in struggle against my old sin nature and suffered many shameful defeats.
However, no seasoned professing Christian man to include leaders put an arm around me to provide knowing, purposeful and continuing guidance to help me develop in Christ.1 Instead, I was hurt by the evil and exploitive ways I was handled by churchmen that were resigned to an inferior practice of Christianity which as a religion of men, it is. I saw very few godly male role models among my age peers either, but only those like me in need of help beyond showing up to Sunday school and church as the traditional counsel obviously not working for those that offered it. In fairness, some older men did empathize with my situation, but were not prepared to engage anyone about it.
I was uncomfortable with the religious status quo since the Bible was already understood by me to be the authoritative Word of God. Hard for me too, was bearing with duplicity, hypocrisy and apathy in these churches because in that same Bible God kept rebuking and judging this type of behavior. Indeed, like a bee to a fragrant flower, I was especially drawn to the heavy heart of God for the repeated unfaithfulness of Israel in the Old Testament and its display in the passionate exhortations of the apostle Paul in the New as he rebuked sin in the churches. The Lord had first introduced me to His heavy heart twenty-two months into my salvation during a seven day fast without food or drink He commanded.
While I now know the Lord was then beginning to make His gifting and calling known to me, I had no idea as a babe what was happening. I had no Ananias to provide even a basic understanding since also unknown to me at the time, many churches did not (and to this day, do not) embrace the supernatural character of biblical Christianity or instruction on spiritual gifts (Acts 9:6-19). Though in the summer of 1979 the Lord spoke specifically to my heart that I was to serve Him in broadcasting, even after coming to the Emmanuel Baptist Church, San Jose, CA in the fourth year of my salvation where I finally met some godly, dedicated men, I remained in ignorance about spiritual gifts.
I had moved in that summer of 1980 to study broadcasting at San Jose State University. At Emmanuel, Rev. Jay Wells taught the first new member orientation I had ever had. Seeing my eager participation in his Sunday school class and unbridled fire of the Holy Spirit in me, Rev. Tom Kelly (now with the Lord) took me under his wing and allowed me to teach. At his recommendation, I was invited to take over his class with amazing Spirit empowered results! After this came seminary at Southwestern Baptist. The best it and the Southern Baptist machine could do was confirm I had a calling; a calling that led to one recognized thing: a black church pastorate.2
After graduating from seminary in December 1984 with no real prospects to serve in what it seemed the Lord had in mind, I was ordained and licensed to the ministry by Emmanuel in June 1985 and founded Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. later in August. As I have shared on other occasions, when the Ministry did not garner any serious initial support, I sought the Lord about what was wrong in the spring of 1986. He made known to me from Ezekiel 33:1-9 that I was gifted and called to serve Him as a watchman/prophet among the churches (Luke 4:24). Finally, by His instruction I understood that the heavy heart in me for the holiness, righteousness and faithfulness of His Church was the way He wired the prophet’s heart to reflect His own (Ephesians 4:7-16, 5:25-27).
I know from experience the tragedy of Christianity the religion of men in the churches. With no male spiritual mentors to help me develop as a babe and man in Christ, I floundered in the faith far longer than necessary. And because such churches reject the critical Lordship of Christ and power of the Holy Spirit in Church existence and function, it took nine years to learn about and accept all of my spiritual gifts and calling plainly taught in Scripture. This is unacceptable and sin! Therefore, without repentance and revival, these churches are worthless to the Lord and will be dealt with accordingly (Matthew 5:13). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Many predominantly black American churches have traditional and largely honorary “mother boards” to help younger women, but nothing for even the pretense
of mentoring men in the faith and biblical manhood. Seeing this grave error repeated in many churches to this hour, I call for pastors in repentance to return to
the biblical model and purposely equip seasoned men to be spiritual fathers to younger men in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.
2 I share more details of my experience with racism among professing white Christians and their entities in the booklet, The Scourge Of Racism available in
the FSTVEP Resource Store.
While every day of my life since being saved from my sins on Easter Sunday 1977 is a day I give thanks for, this Thanksgiving I am beside myself with praise and thanks to God for keeping His Word in Philippians 4:19 to me (and available to all) on the ninth of this month! On that day my brother, Richard and sister-in-law, Vicki Kelley, helped our Ministry reach its campaign goal for funds needed to support my continued full-time service this year.1 As with so many in this year of the Lord’s Coronavirus pestilence, I too, faced the prospect of layoff without God’s provision through those that reverence Him and had the means from His provision to them (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)!
For this reason, I also give thanks to God for and thank every soul that has contributed to the campaign to date. I have prayed and pray for His blessing of increase upon you both financially and spiritually (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)! These contributors include my wife and other family members, our current Directors Alvin Johnson and Richard Anderson and supporters old, new, named or anonymous on our fundraising platform. I also want to specially thank Rosie, widow of Director Philip Lovings, who had prayed for the campaign in our March board meeting before he departed to the Lord in April as well as family member, Miron Washington, for helping the Ministry reach the goal.
Now, while I overflow with joy and thanksgiving, I have not forgotten about those who have had it rough this year. I was careful to note parenthetically earlier that the same God and His promise of provision in His Word are available to all! How? Repent and believe the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ: that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. If you do that, you will be forgiven of your sins and born again through the Holy Spirit who will come to live in and make you an adopted son of God (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 8:14-17). Father God takes care of His children. Therefore, with the great apostle I also exclaim above all from the heart: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 9:15; Philippians 4:20, NKJV)!
A blessed Thanksgiving to all who know and love God Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ!
1 You can read about my day of rejoicing and thanksgiving at https://fundrazr.com/salarycampaign1.
As the Lord led me to warn in a December 2016 post, the window of opportunity for the unhindered preaching of the Gospel and witnessing of Christ in our nation is steadily closing as it increasingly becomes irreligious and hostile to biblical Christianity.1 Occurring simultaneously as I also spoke of in that post is the general hardening of hearts to the Gospel by especially our under fifty year-old fellow citizens. Apparently, many of these same folk along with disobedient professed Christians refusing to repent from biblically plain sin falsely believe God’s offer of forgiveness does not have an expiration date. The truth is, all any of us has is right now, to do as God wills!
God wills that no one should die before accepting His free offer of forgiveness through repentance from sin and faith in the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ! This is the message He has had faithful Christians proclaiming throughout the earth as He has waited in “longsuffering” for nearly 2,000 years (2 Peter 3:9, NKJV). That a time limit was attached to how long the Lord would wait in forbearance before ending it is evident in His whole Word, but also in the Gospel proclamation itself (Isaiah 57:16; Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 3:18-21, 17:30-31).2 Sinning, unfruitful professed Christians are also subject to the limits of God’s forbearance (Luke 13:6-9; Romans 1:18-2:11).
God waited many years for men to repent in the days of Noah while he constructed the ark of deliverance from the global flood of His wrath which came after it was finished (Genesis 6:5-7:12; 1 Peter 3:18-22). God also waited until Lot and his family were escorted out of Sodom by angels before destroying it with Gomorrah after many years of forbearance (Genesis 13:7-13, 18:16-33, 19:15-29; 2 Peter 2:6-8). God waited too, in two major judgments of Israel nearly 700 years apart. First, in 609 B.C. after almost 400 years of waiting He sent a remnant of Judah out of the land in three waves before in His wrath, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (2 Chronicles 36:5-21).
Second, in 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem too, and the people were scattered after a generation of divine waiting as the Lord Jesus Christ foretold before His death, burial, resurrection and ascension (Luke 21:20-24). Faithful Christians who took Christ’s warning to heart no doubt escaped from Jerusalem before its destruction as is traditionally held. All of the foregoing instances of God’s longsuffering forbearance have in common among them that there were hardened hearts to repentance among those who perished in His eventual judgment that fell! We are seeing evidence of hardening hearts toward God and His call to repentance from sin in our nation at this hour.
So many men I share the Gospel with are hostile toward the message as avowed secular atheists, humanists and those who formerly grew up in and attended churches. With hardened hearts they do not want to hear it. The under fifty year-old group (Millennials and Generation Z) that have grown up with and been indoctrinated through public education and the media in the rebellion against God’s moral instruction, want nothing to do with Him if it means reversing what they have been taught and come to believe is the more equitable politically correct and tolerant standards of the world.3 Statistics bear out the decline of interest in God, biblical Christianity and church attendance.4
The danger of the unsaved willfully hardening their hearts against the sovereign God and the Gospel in unbelief is Him in perfect righteousness ending His merciful forbearance toward and permanently giving them over to the foolish choice of their darkened hearts so, if they would choose to believe thereafter, they cannot. This is as He did with Pharaoh when he would not let Israel go; has done with the guilty of Israel and among the Gentiles since the first century who have steadfastly refused in hardness of heart to believe the Gospel (Exodus 4:21, 7:8-13, 9:8-16; Matthew 13:10-17; John 12:37-41; Romans 9:14-29, 10:14-16, 11:8). Sinning professed Christians face peril too.
Contrary to popular theological opinion, God’s Word as it is written is clear that professed Christians with “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” can “be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” The writer of Hebrews raises this issue as he exhorts Christians in the image of Christ to be faithful and warns of the divine imposed fatal consequence of their unbelief fed disobedience (Hebrews 3:5-19, NKJV). Whoever worships and takes the mark of the Antichrist whose time draws near will be instantly hardened for eternal destruction (Revelation 14:9-13)! Thus, let unhardened hearts hear and receive the Gospel and witness of Christ’s faithful now; let the faithful with resolute urgency proclaim the Gospel and witness Christ (2 Corinthians 6:1-2; Jude 20-25)!5
(I will be taking Sunday, September 4th off as my Labor Day rest with thanksgiving to God. He willing, my next post will appear on September 11th. Enjoy your Labor Day.)
1 Read the December 4, 2016 post, Now Is The Day Of Salvation, under the category, Call To Repent.
2 See the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
3 Despite this formidable obstacle, the Lord has led this Ministry to reach 13-29 year-olds with the Gospel through our most recent Strong Man Of God Online Rally themed, Reconciled To God. Invite someone you care about from this age range to view the thirty minute rally at https://youtu.be/pP3X4gtpaq8 where besides worship and music geared to their appreciation, they will receive a witness of the faith by one of their peers and proclamation of the biblical Gospel!
4 Read the 2019 Pew Research Center article, In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace. Also, see how lack of a biblical worldview is widespread in profes- sing American Christianity and among its leaders in a recent study by the Cultural Research Center directed by Dr. George Barna at Arizona Christian University.
5 As I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, the faithful include all aspiring to be strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ! The book 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 inter- net bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
As the Lord leads me to instruct in the two-part post beginning August 18, 2019, Lined Up Behind Jesus, under the category, Instruction, to avoid being deceived in these latter days professed Christians that would be faithful must anchor God’s Word as it is written in our hearts! The only way to anchor God’s Word in our hearts is to purposely internalize it through regular study and practice. Study and practice will not be regular if we do not zealously love the Word as the truth with an intentional desire to apply and obey it even with many failures (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:14-17; James 3:2a).
How does a man get to the point of willingness to regularly study and practice the Word of truth? A hunger and thirst for God and His Word is actualized in every truly born again new follower of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. It manifests for some more quickly than others depending on the depth of surrender at spiritual birth (Acts 2:36-42; 1 Peter 1:22-2:3).1 Purposely making time to study God’s written Word is typically not the issue for hungry and thirsty newborns in Christ. It is how to get enough milk! Those that press to fruitfulness in understanding and practice despite Satan’s effort to take the Word, tribulations and worldly cares have developed a love for it (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23).
Loving God’s Word is the motivational key for both anchoring it in our hearts and deliberately practicing it through obedience. One major reason sold out, faithful Christians come to love God’s Word is because it “is truth” as the Lord Jesus asserts in His prayer to the Father (John 17:17, NKJV). God’s Word is truth that we not only can rationally appreciate because it is perfectly sound, righteous and just, but also experience since it is spiritually alive having originated with God (John 6:63; Hebrews 4:12). We want more of, desire to go deeper in as well as practice the Word causing us to spiritually mature because the Word of truth we love is alive in us and so good!2
Indeed, just as in our Holy Spirit fired love we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Mark 12:28-30; Romans 5:5), so, we love the Word of truth written that in the awesome mysteries of God is embodied by God the Word from eternity (John 1:1); Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who spoke God’s final Word to the world when He came to us from Heaven in first century Israel (John 1:14-18; Hebrews 1:1-4)! As a result of loving God and everything about God, we love the Word of truth that flows naturally from God--the Person and Source of the Word, Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and honor forever (John 14:6)!
For after He completed His work to save us from our sins by dying on the cross and being buried, He was raised from the dead on the third day following. Among the first disciples to encounter and recognize Him in Luke’s account specifically declared to each other how their hearts burned with what could have only been the same spiritual fire we enjoy as “He opened the Scriptures” to them (Luke 24:28-35, NKJV). He spent forty days on earth teaching and preparing His apostles for His return to Heaven. Then, upon giving final instructions to them, He ascended into Heaven where He, the eternal Word, has been seated again at His Father’s right hand (Acts 1:1-11, 2:32-35)!
In the love we have for Christ, the living Word of truth and all that is written from Him and of Him in the Bible, faithful Christians are ready to stand firm whatever the cost against demonically inspired deceit and falsehood and testify to the most prominent of officials as have all of the saints through all time. Many professed Christians have a misinformed tendency to arrogantly believe we are the only ones that know something about Holy Spirit fired love for God and His Word. Not so, and the writer of Psalm 119 is a classic example of an Old Testament saint--to include Spirit empowered king David (1 Samuel 16:13)--that enjoyed this experience with the living God! This saint wondrously writes in Psalm 119:41-48 with the heart of one that intimately knows and loves God and His Word!
He waited like we do now for the fullness of God’s mercies in salvation to come according to His written Word (vs. 41). He like many of us are was persecuted for his faith and needed to trust God’s Word for a right answer to his persecutors (vs. 42). He sought God’s help as we must also to keep the “word of truth” in his mouth because it was his hope; his eternal preoccupation and source of blessing (vs. 43-44, NKJV). He like us was free in and ready to witness to kings boldly standing on the Word (vs. 45-46; John 8:31-32). Lastly, he delighted himself in and loved God’s commandments; lifting his hands in praise for them and meditating on God’s edicts (vs. 47-48).3 Is that you?4 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Read my February 17, 2019 post, Surrendering All To Jesus, under the category, Glory To God! I am one of those whose hunger and thirst for God and His Word
took some time to kick into high gear--22 months after I prayed to receive Christ--because of still trying to cling to my sinful ways of living. But after my total surren-
der to the Lord, I have sought Him and the Word of truth has been my food daily for which my soul yearns throughout the day (Psalms 63:1-8, 119:17-20)!
2 Sadly, the opposite is true for professed Christians that are not inclined to go deeper in the Word and become “dull of hearing;” remaining spiritually immature babes
that still nurse on “milk” and not the “solid food” of the Word. God expects every follower of Christ to grow and mature in the faith made possible only through the
regular intentional study and practice of the Word (Hebrews 5, NKJV). Otherwise, those that purposely remain spiritually immature are easy marks for the deceiver
(Proverbs 14:15; Romans 16:17-20), risk becoming “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” and open themselves up to the possibility of falling away with no re-
course (Hebrews 3:12-13, 6:1-6, 10:26-31, NKJV). Read my December 4, 2016 post, Now Is The Day Of Salvation, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Even though the Lord Jesus Christ purposely sends us out to preach the Gospel and witness Him helped by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:16-20), we are to still make
purposeful preparation for the task through study to possess knowledge of the Word we love the Holy Spirit can readily bring to our mouths to speak as He wills.
4 It is certainly the heart of every faithful Christian as aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ I write about in my book, The Strong
Man Of God: Back To Basics. 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 get a print copy of the book in the Strong Man Store.
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