A final audience of the From Slavery To Victory: One Man’s Journey (FSTVOMJ) Radio Special is all other Americans professed to be Christians not of African or European descent.1 What God calls out as sin to be repented of by His professed people among black and white Americans, He also calls out among all for He “shows no partiality,” (Deuteronomy 10:17; Romans 2:1-11, NKJV). Thus, FSTVOMJ speaks to all professed American Christians as each has need to humble ourselves, seek God in sincere prayer fully confessing and repenting of sin! Perhaps if many do, as Scripture and FSTVOMJ assert, God may relent and give temporary relief from judgment (Joel 2:12-14).
If any of us professed Christians say “we have no sin” requiring repentance and that certainly should not be a factor in God judging our nation, the apostle John is used of Him to declare “we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,” (1 John 1:8, NKJV).2 Such a one not only shows he has no ongoing fellowship with God who as absolutely holy is totally set apart from sin, but no regard for how serious it is to Him; condemning Adam for only one act of disobedience and decrying several of sin’s deeds with the strongest possible human word of revulsion saying He “hates” them (Genesis 3:17-19; Proverbs 6:16-19, NKJV). Such a one also calls the living God “a liar,” (1 John 1:10, NKJV).
The same eyewitness apostle to the sufferings of the Lord Jesus speaks to believers making it abundantly clear our fellowship with God can and will be severed at least temporarily when we walk purposely in the darkness of sin. If we say to the contrary, again, “we lie.” Otherwise, walking “in the light” (signifying holiness, spiritual, moral and ethical purity) of His Person made possible by the blood of Christ, we enjoy continuous fellowship with God (1 John 1:1-7, NKJV). When we sin and we do, John instructs, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice (1 John 1:9, 2:1-2, NKJV).
John does not leave out repentance in his instruction as though it is not required with the act of confessing sins. He assumes his convicted readers know it has been required from ancient times among those that know God and as when they first came to Christ (Job 42:1-6; Acts 2:36-39)! Now, those who participated in the latest event at the Non-Denominational Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky purported to be a “revival” saw many students, staff and others who came to the campus appear to get real with God about their personal sins and that’s good; an exemplary step in the right direction for all since among the large number of whites, there was also a sprinkling of other hues.3
As it is written, the God of the Bible “is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit;” testifying, ‘“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones,’” (Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 57:15, NKJV). Only God knows who walked away from Asbury fully revived by Him.4 Indeed, unless any did meet God there or going forward do so in complete humility, grief over, confession of and repentance not only from all of their own sins, but those of the fathers and entire Body the Lord also grieves over, no spiritual revival everyone claims to want took or will take place.
The Lord has led me in several posts during this New Year and many over the years to well express His displeasure with the proud refusal of guilty professed Christians to repent from every sin written in His Word.5 From the nation’s founding by professed Christians in the majority until now, there has been unbelief, divisions, racial and ethnic bigotry, oppression, violence, murders, idolatry, sexual immorality, adultery, divorce, shacking, rebellion against God’s set order of mankind, thefts, falsehoods, coveting and greed to name some. He expects the world governed by Satan to rebel against His Word, but not those called out of it to Him (John 17:6, 14-16)! And yes, scores practicing these sins have been religionist impostors and apostates (Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).
Give Him some credit; ‘“the Lord knows those who are His’” and they do not practice ‘“iniquity,’” (2 Timothy 2:19-21, NKJV).6 However, when they do, He is grieved and seeks for their repentance even through judgment--no exceptions! Therefore, judgment in part has come upon the great numbers of professed Christians in America who faddishly follow after the sins of the unsaved and nation as a whole many revere to the point of idolatry because such sinning is completely willful.7 In doing so, the guilty purposely trample upon “the truth” of salvation and “the Son of God,” consider His blood initiating the New Covenant as something “common” and insult “the Spirit of grace.” As it is written, ‘“The Lord will judge His people,’” (Hebrews 10:26-31, NKJV). Let His people then, repent!
1 The radio special Webcast begin date and time will soon be announced in select media and on social media. Interested contributors can make designated gifts for the Webcast at https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Donate and receive one of the limited collectible Commemorative Cassettes.
2 It is one sad thing to lie to one’s self about not having sin, it is a whole other wicked thing to judge God gracious and merciful on His punishment of it in a nation of sinners (2 Chronicles 12:1-12; Psalm 103:8-10; Romans 3:10-20, 23)!
3 I rejoice that professed Christian college age and younger students of various ethnicities were together turning to the Lord with a more sincere and deeper devotion which I pray will endure since it is their generation that faces so much of the evil that is coming! Read the October 23, 2016 post, Revival For Seeking Saints, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 See the article, The Aftershocks Of The Ashbury Revival, Inside Higher Ed for what surprisingly appears to be a good faith secular effort to understand what was happening as the author cites several Christian sources.
5 See for examples, The Sham Cry For Revival posted August 17, 2014 and on September 26, 2021, I Have Sinned, I Repent, both under the category, Call To Repent.
6 In only the short time I have been on earth (less than seventy years) I can say with certainty it used to be widely understood authentic Christians do not practice iniquity. This is the main reason my book, The Strong Man Of God has added to it, Back To Basics because in so short a time the basics of biblical Christianity have been abandoned. Get the book in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
7 It is worth repeating. The professed Christian men in the majority who founded America cautioned that apart from holding to the morality and authority of God’s Word, the experiment with nationhood in which they sowed the first seed of failure by not extending God’s gift of freedom to all, would fail as it is now, doing with its divided corrupt sec- ular and spiritual houses. In this regard, the founders unknowingly spoke prophetically from God as did the first century Jewish religious leader who warned fellow rulers the way to halt the popularity of Christ was to kill Him not realizing His death was in God’s will (John 11:45-53). All that they feared because of Him came upon them anyway (Luke 19:41-44, 21:20-24)!
It could be no plainer as written: “God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints,” (1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV). In accord with the will of Christ the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to all genuinely born again believers and does so adhering to the divine order of mankind to be honored by the saints in every church and generation until the Lord returns. Too, women are not oppressed and no glass ceiling exists in the churches. Jesus as Lord is the infinitely stronger than iron authority over them! Thus, though a woman may be gifted to prophesy, preach or teach, she does so in line with God’s order of mankind (1 Corinthians 14:34-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-15).3
As a pastor, I was always on the lookout for sisters in Christ gifted to teach His Word both within our assembly and beyond to help me spiritually build up the women I served. Nationally, in those days I came to regard the teaching ministry of Beth Moore. I was saddened recently, though, after reading a blog she wrote to her brothers. I was certainly moved for her (and all other gifted female Bible teachers that have had or are having her experience) to learn that she has been treated as inferior and with the same contempt I have as a black man among not a few white conservative professed Christian males. According to her testimony up to now, she has handled this admirably.4
Nevertheless, while mistreating a fellow believer on the basis of gender or race is sin that should be rebuked, I urge us all affected not to appeal for acceptance and respect of our person as much as for God and His Word! In doing this, we must strive to be accurate which in a righteous attempt to uphold the Lord’s valuing of women, my sister was not when she labeled Mary Magdalene as the “first evangelist” based on Jesus’ command to carry His personal message to His “brethren” (John 20:17-18, NKJV). This is a common interpretive mistake among my sisters reacting defensively to justify and validate their existence in ministry and legitimize their ministries.5
Spiritual gifts are given by the Lord for the service of His house and Kingdom causes not our personal ambitions to achieve or be recognized for the sake of ego (Mark 8:34, 10:35-45; John 13:14-17)! Christian women gifted to prophesy, preach or teach that insist on being treated with the same deference in position as the men show they are after ego gratification, forgetting God’s order of mankind that always has the men in His house at the higher rank (Romans 13:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:3).6 Feminism of the world in the churches insists this is not fair, but we in Christ are not of the world! Because this is true, Christian men and women are to interact with the proper attitudes while respecting rank (Romans 12:16; Galatians 3:26-28; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Timothy 5:1-2).
Moreover, local churches or related parachurch entities are not the places we go to find significance in working nor to show up to show out in again, gratifying the ego (Romans 12:3-13; 1 Peter 4:7-11).7 But we should learn before we ever do anything that we have significance having already been accepted relationally “in the Beloved” by grace through faith; who gave Himself for us to redeem us back to God (Romans 5:6-11; Galatians 1:1-5; Ephesians 1:3-14; Titus 2:11-14, NKJV). Therefore, it is not nearly as important as we think it is that any of us in ministry be accepted or respected by peers as it is being faithful to the God who called us and His Word (1 Corinthians 4:2)!
To these ends, I hope Beth Moore keeps reaching and teaching women as gifted by the Holy Spirit, called by Christ and affirmed in Scripture as her sole mission; not allowing herself for the sake of greater success or respect to purposely include men as a target audience in sin. For though she cannot control that men come to her women’s events and rightly does not eject them (if not surveying her doctrine or from evil motives, the men are obviously searching for something they are not getting from male pastors and teachers), knowingly accepting invitations to teach in settings of disobedience as I have seen her in passing doing on Christian television is willful sin (James 4:17). Once more, the Holy Spirit will never lead us away from or into disobedience to God’s Word.
There is clearly enough personal, pastoral and corporate sin over just feminism in His house for the Lord not to be pleased with His people and churches that are guilty at this hour. We all know there are so many other strongholds of deceit in God’s house as well. Therefore, I cry out yet again with the Lord’s appeal to all of the guilty to repent now! For if there are natural consequences for disobeying the Lord Jesus’ words, then, in all consistency with His acts toward disobedient Israel of old, judgment is about to dramatically intensify upon professed Christian individuals, leaders and churches guilty of constructing and maintaining strongholds of deceit in His house (Luke 6:46-49). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
3 See the May 20, 2018 post, The Value Of Women To Jesus Christ, under the category, God’s Creatures. Also, get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics
in the Strong Man Store for instruction on the great woman of God who lives on purpose to please Him and do His will in all submission.
4 Read Beth Moore’s blog. Also, read one of the many posts the Lord has given me to make rebuking racism, Moral Pressure Rightly Applied, under the category, Call
To Repent.
5 An evangelist preaches the Gospel to the lost in which case, Scripture does not tell us who the female is that holds the distinction of being first to do so among women.
The unwitting woman at the well certainly qualifies in action to be considered an evangelist since she went and told lost men to ‘“Come, see a Man...’” (John 4:25-30, NKJV), but she was not gifted and called to do so. Surely, though, she was a witness of Christ as all Christians are supposed to be (Acts 1:8)!
6 Respecting rank applies to men immediately under Christ also. While He calls us “friends,” “one” with Himself and the Father and “brethren,” (John 15:13-15, 17:20-23,
20:17, NKJV), we never get in the Lord’s face insisting that we be regarded the same as He in rank (Revelation 17:14). We never see Christ attempting to equal His
Father in rank either, though, He is equal to Him in every other way (John 14:28-31; Philippians 2:5-7)! Such respect for rank is everywhere seen in the created spiritual
dominions of angels too and the natural order of the earth except in these latter days among fallen humanity as women under the influence of demons, rebel through
feminism to challenge God’s order of mankind. Truly, even with all of her business activity and acumen the Proverbs 31 woman never sought to stand with her husband
in rank at home or “in the gates,” the place of community governance by men as elders (Proverbs 31:23, NKJV)!
7 Seeing activity in the church as performance is another reason many churches of manmade religion especially have capitulated to and allowed feminism and its central
tenet of worldly defined gender equality to enter. Women are seen as equally as capable as the men to perform in any positions of the church and they are. Even so,
God calls His servants to serve Him and His causes in His house to please Him and do His will. This means among other things as the apostle John teaches, in love
obeying the divine order of mankind in all that is done (1 John 5:2-3). Evidently, the apostles did not consider faithful obedience to God’s Word “legalism” as many pro- fessed Christians under demonic influence and in rebellion accuse us of today who delight in it!
On Palm Sunday nearly two millennia ago the Lord Jesus Christ began purposely moving toward His foretold appointment with the cross as God’s provided Passover Lamb for the world (John 1:29, 3:12-21, 12:12-36). In light of this historical reality and its fulfillment just days later, I rejoice to be among the millions of those from that time who have benefitted from His sacrifice through being saved from and no longer “glorying” in my sins (1 Corinthians 5:6-8, NKJV). Indeed, I heard and believed the Gospel of Christ on Resurrection Sunday 1977 that He died on the cross for my sins, was buried and on the third day after rose again as it is written (Isaiah 53; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)!
While every day of my life since being saved I have sinned in some manner coming short of God’s glorious perfection, as He has directed me, I have taken full advantage of His instruction through the apostle John and the writer of Hebrews to confess my sins in all repentance; “boldly” coming “to the throne of grace” through our “great High Priest…Jesus the Son of God,” to receive the “mercy” and “grace” of forgiveness and “cleansing” “to help,” (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:9, NKJV). As a result, I have not had the need of returning to the Lord after straying in rebellion for long periods, though, I have had some emotionally intense times of godly sorrow for sin while repenting!1
Thank God, thank God, He has been gracious and forbearing with even the consistently rebellious among His people; not treating our sins as they deserve in every instance. However, such times are coming to an end as disobedience and straying from the Lord in rebellion against His will, way and Word becomes more and more costly in the dark times the world is moving into. It is time for each one of us that profess to be authentic Christ followers to search ourselves to see what God sees in our hearts as sin that needs our attention to the end of conviction and turning or returning to Him in all humility, confession and soul deep repentance (Psalm 139:23-24; Jeremiah 17:9-10).2
Some need to actually look at themselves to see if they are truly Christians as the apostle Paul urges sinning believers in the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:1-6). All considering themselves to be real Christians that are guilty of any wicked ways and unrighteous thinking as a habitual lifestyle need to “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Yes, “return to the LORD” as we once came to Him before salvation with a whole heart and desire for His revival as I have been writing about.3 As it is written, “He will have mercy…He will abundantly pardon.” And again, He says, “Seek Me and live” to escape His “fire,” (Isaiah 55:6-7; Amos 5:4-7, 14-15, NKJV).
Let this season of commemorating the Lord’s sacrifice to save us from our sins which launches today on Palm Sunday motivate you to return to Him; coming humbly before Him in all “godly sorrow” making full confession of and thoroughly repenting from sin in thinking, attitudes, manner of speaking, deeds of lifestyle and habit as well as omission and every moment failure to measure up to the perfect “upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” (2 Corinthians 7:9-11; Philippians 3:12-16, NKJV). Also, as needed, forsaken the pride of racial, ethnic or national heritage since God is not impressed and instead, acknowledge the sins of our fathers along with His righteousness to judge both them and us to the extent He has thus far (Ezra 9:5-7; Psalm 106:6-7; Jeremiah 3:21-25)!
Finally, as an additional help this season and going forward, this Ministry is pleased to roll out its fourth Strong Man Of God Online Rally on Good Friday, April 7, 2023 at 3PM--the hour our Lord “breathed His last” declaring immediately before, “It is finished;” completing in that triumphant moment what was ordained from eternity and needed to secure our salvation (Mark 15:37; John 19:30; 1 Peter 1:13-21, NKJV)!4 The rally theme is Return To The Lord. It has been created with the leading of our risen, living Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit exclusively for all who profess to be His followers as Christians and if true, are also His Body He bids return after having grieved Him through straying away in disobedience (Revelation 2:4-5, 14-16, 20-23, 3:2-3, 15-22).
(By the grace of God I will be taking Resurrection Sunday off to celebrate my 46th spiritual birthday and enjoying some rest. The Lord willing we see it, my next post will be on April 23rd. I appreciate all of our regular readers and pray the Lord has met you here each week in life changing ways. Whether you think you need it or not, I urge you to watch “Return To The Lord” because it is for all of us who believe and so you in good conscience can invite other Christians to watch it too. He is risen!)
1 Because maintaining consistent fellowship with God is of such a high priority for Christians, I am led by the Lord to teach men what He has taught me about it from His Word in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. You can pick up a Hard or Soft Cover Edition in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mor- tar bookstores.
2 Read the August 31, 2014 post, Soul Deep Repentance, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 See for example, the March 26, 2023 post, God Calls All To Repent--No Exceptions!, under the categories, Black History and Call To Repent.
4 View this latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally when it debuts on the Ministry’s dedicated Strong Man Of God Online Rally YouTube Channel.
Two days after celebrating the one hundred and fifty-fifth year since the end of slavery here in America on Juneteenth and now, for Father’s Day, I write as the Lord leads to speak to the globally seen first degree murder of black American male, George Floyd, by a white male Minneapolis police officer as three other officers watched back on May 25, 2020. All of the men have since been fired and brought up on charges in the case which is righteous. In the meantime, violent rioting, looting and protest marches broke out in cities across America. While the rioting and looting have calmed down, protest marches demanding the end to national systemic racism and police reform persist.1
I have said little publically as is typical when these all too frequent events occur since I am not my own, but the Lord’s watchman/prophet speaking what He puts in my mouth and at the time He wants it spoken (Ezekiel 33:1-9).2 What I have written in social media posts as the Lord led has been directed to black and other angry protesters calling for peaceful protest and thoughtful consideration of the fact the problems of racism and police misconduct are larger and more difficult to overcome systemically than a few changes in laws, policies, procedures and in the extreme, defunding the police which no society built on the rule of law as ordained by God can afford to do (Romans 13:1-7).
To be sure, as with the Law of God, so, the laws of man are made not for those that are righteous, but those that are “lawless,” (1 Timothy 1:8-11, NKJV)! To keep order, the police are hired among other reasons as agents of society to enforce its laws amid those that for whatever reasons break them. Depending on the law, an encounter with police can occur for those that are otherwise law abiding.3 For credibility, the police are expected by God if not the governments that hire them or the people they serve to be law abiding--the same as us preachers who supposedly discipline ourselves so, after preaching to others, we are not “disqualified,” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NKJV).
Without a doubt though, in only the news clips I have viewed the white police officer that kept his knee on the neck of George Floyd cold-heartedly murdered him.4 It was shocking, sickening and infuriating to watch as it surely has been for blacks since our forefathers as slaves began to make their inhumane voyages from West Africa to this land. For as in those days among heartless slavers and on May 25th, the evil eyes of that white police officer displayed utter contempt and disregard for George Floyd as a human being; the same contempt and disregard for human life that is in the thoroughly evil heart of Satan who hates all (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-11, 17-19; John 8:44, 13:21-30).
It is therefore, understandable that most black Americans are outraged. What has been new and amazing to see is the unprecedented numbers of white, other Americans of color and those around the world that have risen up in protest too. Watching a man being murdered as he pleads that he cannot breathe while the police officer responsible and those with him ignore this, should be more than any normal human being can take without some kind of moral offense and need to act! For this reason, I appreciate the largely peaceful uprising that has occurred in the stand many are making against systemic racism and for police reform in our society.
I am also glad my children and grand-children old enough get to see this brief moment when all but a relative few willful white Americans that refuse, finally understand our righteous cry to end the bigoted, contempt driven mistreatment of black Americans and especially our men who have been strategically targeted since slavery.5 Nevertheless, I urge that all move away from the street protests for your health since God’s Coronavirus judgment remains and because you have the attention of the nation and world--changes man can make are taking place! Keep vigilant through every legal means to hold government authorities accountable. Lastly, check yourself too, as I have urged in social media posts--racism is an issue and evil of the human heart (Mark 7:20-23)!
As such, not only our police officers that are guilty, but you also need what only God has the power to do and that is transform hearts. He has made His power available to all through repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day; sending His power through the Holy Spirit into the hearts of those that believe to make loving our neighbor possible--or if you are white, do you only intend to march for, but refuse to love your black neighbors (Matthew 18:1-5; John 3:1-8; Titus 3:1-7)? This is a clarion call for authentic Christian white Americans to redeem the failure of your forefathers to be true ambassadors of reconciliation and represent biblical Christianity as God intended to all (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2).
Still, I must caution particularly my fellow Christian black Americans that will please God and do His will biblically not to walk again into the snare of believing we have arrived at what we have waited for so long: a widespread permanent change of heart among and acceptance by our white neighbors.6 Indeed, we have seen this movie before and already the call to defeat is being sounded by those who lead the Civil Rights Movement today; who make our righteous quest for racial, morally equivalent to gender and sexual justice.7 The dream of racial harmony well articulated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, yet awaits the Second Coming of Jesus Christ because as He foretold, even natural human love that could get us close is diminishing as lawlessness increases (Matthew 24:12).
1 Before I could begin to reflect good before the Lord about this post, another black male, Rayshard Brooks, was shot in the back in Atlanta, GA by another white officer
while fleeing arrest on Friday, June 12th. That officer was fired immediately and has since been charged with murder.
2 See the July 29, 2018 two-part repost addressing the Trayvon Martin tragedy, The Racial Double Standard, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 I have had a few traffic violations over the course of my more than fifty years of driving, for example, and a couple of incidents that brought me into direct encounter
with the police. Most officers were professional and courteous. But as a black male, I have also had the humiliating experience of being disrespected by a few arro-
gant white police officers that were overbearing in wielding their authority.
4 Those that have watched the entire video time out the episode at eight minutes and forty-six seconds.
5 Read especially part two of my 2015 Father’s Day post, Mama’s Boys, under the category, Black History that began on June 21st. While it is an ancient tactic of war-
fare to target men for death when subduing peoples because of their natural will and ability to protect their families if given the opportunity, the prolonged and cruel
acts of guilty white males from slavery to thoroughly oppress, humiliate, dominate and demoralize black males with religious sanction surely ranks high among all of
the evil acts of mankind. I urge all men to read my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to understand how to handle our business in the image of Jesus
Christ as God wills. 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 Does anybody remember the 1978 Allan Bakke Affirmative Action Reverse Discrimination case and the Supreme Court decision? Also, see the November 29, 2015
post, When The Glory Comes, under the category, Glory To God! The counsel the Lord gave me in this post stands and will be fulfilled sooner than anyone reading
this can imagine! However, ‘“the just shall live by faith,’” (Hebrews 10:35-39, NKJV). We do not wait for sinful man, but the living God!
7 A man I have deep admiration and respect for as one of the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, Congressman John Lewis, expressed the politically and socially
liberal heart of today’s leaders and participants in an interview on June 7th while visiting the DC street painted “Black Lives Matter” with its Mayor and reported by
BET.com. Search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to see if God ever sanctions racial injustice (Deuteronomy 1:17, 10:17-19), calls mortal man other than male
or female (Matthew 19:1-4) or sexual perversion righteous in His sight (Romans 1:18-32). You automatically kick the God of the Bible to the curb and assure certain
eventual defeat when you advocate for and make coalitions with those in active rebellion against Him (Psalms 2, 33:12-22; Isaiah 31:1-3; 1 John 5:4-5).
On Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011, I wrote the untitled paragraph immediately below as my second blog post ever as an author followed by the more lengthy, re-titled and edited offering readers have become accustomed to one year later as noted. What a difference one year made in my experience of Mother’s Day because of the ongoing rebellion against God’s order and morality being worked out in the laws and social policies of our nation! For this cause, no one should expect God’s judgment upon the land to diminish ahead even with a temporary repentance (Nehemiah 9:1-37), but severely intensify regardless of who the President is (Jeremiah 30:23-24; Nahum 1:1-10; Romans 1:28-32).
God made man male and female--Gen. 1:27-28. The days set aside on the calendar to honor our parents are good. In so doing, we are reminded of God’s purposeful acts to create and set in place the means by which the human race would perpetuate itself. As I discuss in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, by His intentional physical design man is male or female in this present age. On Mother’s Day, we celebrate females whom God designed to conceive, carry, birth, nurse, and nurture our children. My own mother departed to be with the Lord just after Mother’s Day last year. I remain grateful to her and salute all of the women including my wife, Mary that embrace their calling to be mothers as God designed.
Originally Posted May 13, 2012
Today, I remember my mother, salute again my wife and divinely designed motherhood with a profound sense of appreciation tied to the incredible role God has uniquely given you for bringing human life into existence. Adam so valued the unique role his wife would play in God’s purpose of marriage and procreation (Genesis 2:18-24) that he gave her a name related to it: “Eve” which means “life” or “living,” (Genesis 3:20, NKJV). A man as God designed him cannot conceive nor can a woman do so by herself. Human procreation is the cooperative effort between the seeds of men and women along with God who gives each human conceived a spirit (Psalm 139:13-14; Zechariah 12:1).
Apart from this cooperative effort with mothers in the middle, new human life would not come into being. Out of the joy of such clarity comes now, a deep sadness. As a professed Christian this past week, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, gave a public endorsement to same sex marriage and the resulting unnaturally assembled families as a matter of living out Christian morality. Specifically, he referenced the instruction of the Lord Jesus found in Matthew 7:12 (also Luke 6:31) and made it a moral underpinning for permitting same sex marriage so as to treat all people equal and fair.
With all due respect to his office (I address this matter upon his public profession of being a Christian), Mr. Obama in his reference to the Bible gives a classic example of corrupting God’s Word to support one’s own ideas. Did not the Lord just lead me to write two weeks ago (April 29, 2012) that seeking Him in humble prayer and paying attention to context are among the important steps to take in gaining a right understanding of His Word?1 Also, a common truth every faithful Christian knows is that God or the Son of God never, ever ratifies sin. Since He is immutable, God does not evolve in His thinking either. In love, though, He sent Christ to die for and save us from our sins!
Our President said he observed his staff engaged in and talked with his wife and daughters about same sex families and felt that they should have the same acceptance as any other family. Absent from his consultation list (publically anyway) is a talk with the immutable God who consistently from the Bible’s Old and New Testaments calls same sex relations sin, wicked, abominable, vile and sexually immoral (Genesis 18:16-21, 19:1-25; Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:18-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Revelation 21:7-8). In my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, we teach men their first loyalty in all things is to God.2 A talk with the holy God to understand His Word will never yield His endorsement of what He has already called sin!
In attempting to interpret and apply Matthew 7:12 to morally support treating people equal and fair, one must do so within the larger context of Jesus’ sermon beginning at Matthew 5:1 and the immediate context of the verse which starts at Matthew 7:1. In the larger context our Lord is teaching about Kingdom attitudes and conduct. In the immediate context He warns against the practice of condemning others in their faults because to whatever extent we dish it out, it is coming back to us. He also teaches that before we spend time judging others, we must begin with ourselves (vs.1-5). The Lord next presents instances of exercising proper judgment about things holy and God (vs.6-11).
The Lord’s instruction about doing to others as you would have them do to you in verse 12 comes at this point. In saying “this is the Law and the Prophets” (NKJV), the Lord equates His Kingdom teaching with the moral instruction of these Old Testament books and particularly their summation in loving your neighbor as yourself! In no way are we to interpret our Lord as teaching in our quest to treat people equal and fair as we also want to be treated that we are to accept what they do in sinning against God. Matthew 7:13-23 (which is still part of the larger context of Matthew 7:12) makes it absolutely clear Jesus was not teaching this.
What God calls sin, we call sin and there is nothing in this about being equal or fair except to the extent we apply the same standard (God’s Word and what He calls sin) to ourselves as we do others. Therefore, heaviness of heart has overtaken me as our President is the highest profile professing Christian in the world who along with a growing number of others is corrupting God’s Word to support their own ideas. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I call Mr. Obama and all such persons to repentance knowing Christ will have the last word (Matthew 7:24-29).
1 Read the May 31, 2015 blog, What Does God’s Word Say? under the category, Instruction, then take full advantage of the offer for a free Bible Interpretation Document Download. God will hold every single one of us accountable for how we handle His Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 3); a reality every prospective Bible interpreter should fearfully consider!
2 The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available through all major internet booksellers and the Strong Man Store where the E-Book Edition in two formats is currently
on sale through June 20th.
This is the second of an edited two part 2013 blog I have reposted for Black History Month. Only God could have foreknown the timely need for this fresh exhortation (and truly the whole body of messages I have delivered from Him since 1979 as a former pastor of mine from Fort Worth, TX, Rev. Tom Franklin recently called to tell me) to professing Christian black Americans in our churches given the heightened uneasiness now in black communities across the nation over the deaths of unarmed black males. As well, there are the overabundance of other community needs the Gospel, Word and power of Jesus Christ alone expressed through the churches can meet--if they will.
Originally Posted February 10, 2013
Black churches are the place oppressed souls came for a momentary release from burdens too great to otherwise bear and carried too long from the last service. My heart is in complete empathy with the black pastors since slavery that have looked out on seats filled with beleaguered black humanity in expectant anticipation of church services that would all too briefly yet necessarily transport them to a plane of existence away from their painful troubles in this world.
Primed by the soul stirring performance of musicians and singers, the preacher’s job was to deliver a message that would cause his own and the burdened souls present to take flight! The preachers knew then as they do now that among the sea of sweaty, shouting and dancing ecstatic souls there was a number who were not saved and many more that really did not care to deepen their spiritual maturity through purposeful Christian education. Still, the born again, relative faithful few growing in grace through daily meditation on the Word of God and walking in the Spirit were in the assembly too and apparent even to their oppressors on the outside.
Truly, it was the faith, hope and perseverance of those faithful few slave and free maturing saints among my forefathers that drew out the mercies of God to enable His bringing us “a mighty long way.” For as surely as many a gospel singer today belts out, “I shoulda been dead and gon” celebrating the mercies of God to save sinners, such is also true for our African ancestors who like all other Gentiles were of no great note to the Almighty. Many Gentiles nations have been destroyed from the face of the earth or where for example, are the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians Philistines, Moabites and more recently the Aztecs and Incas?
Slavery as it turns out, is a preferable alternative to eternal death since this is the deserved end of all sinners (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). Thus, in the humility of Daniel and Levites in the days of Nehemiah who found themselves ministering during and after the judgment of God poured out on His only chosen people, Israel, respectively, my faithful Christian forefathers understood the spiritual realities (whatever men in the flesh might speculate) surrounding the enslavement and suffering of our people as the permitted, less than deserved remedial judgment of the sovereign God upon sinners (Daniel 9:1-19; Nehemiah 9:1-37).2
These aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ waited on God’s deliverance from their suffering in His timing because He would do so out of the same mercy and grace He had already shown to spare their physical lives and souls from eternal damnation! Additionally, the record of the Lord’s dealings with Israel in the Bible including their deliverance from Egyptian bondage stood as irrefutable evidence that God could and would someday do the same for them.
Faithful Christian slaves instilled this faith and hope in their children rehearsed thousands of times in their unique spirituals and work songs and left as a legacy to descendants as well as faithful Christians the world over as a latter day witness of what biblical perseverance is all about. I confess that I am unworthy of the example of patient endurance empowered through God’s strength left by my faithful Christian slave and free forefathers that continued in the blatant evil of Jim Crow segregation, racial bigotry, discrimination, injustice and terrorism right up through the mid-20th century.
Greater than their roles as a haven and outlet for emotional release, black churches have also been the incubators of leadership not only among their ranks, but extending out into the larger community. In fact, there was a time especially immediately following slavery through the Civil Rights Movement where church and community leadership was nearly identical. Reconstruction preachers such as Hiram R. Revels who served as a United States Senator from Mississippi and later, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. a Congressman out of New York are representative of a wide network of black clergy involved in all levels of the political arena. Most of them, however, served effectively in their local towns as social liaisons between the community and the white power structure.
It was on the historical shoulders of social activist black preachers that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood leading participating pastors and their churches to what will be known until Christ shortly returns as the pinnacle of their spiritual potency as national Civil Rights advocates during the period from 1955-1968. While King Lieutenants such as Rev. Jesse Jackson continued on nationally, Rev. Aaron Johnson of North Carolina is among preachers that made an impact in individual States.
Though it is true much religious, political and social good has come historically from black churches in all of their denominational configurations, tragically, after the “mountain top” experience of the Civil Rights Movement, there has not been a similar widespread, unified and concerted effort to refocus on their biblical mission commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. If there had been such a refocus, most of our communities in cities across America would not resemble war zones with violence, murder, other forms of lawlessness and familial irresponsibility ruling the streets.
Indeed, while not perfect, born again, faithful, spiritually maturing folks do not practice willfully sinning against God! Yet, for example, most incarcerated black Americans (overflowing the nation’s prisons) will tell you he or she is a Christian and grew up in the church. So, what happened? Nearly all grew up with Christianity the religion of men in churches still locked in the “safe house” mentality and shackled by human traditions that do not major on determining authenticity or insist on purposeful Christian education leading to spiritual maturity as should have been the case with a post-Civil Rights Movement refocus. This state of affairs cannot be blamed on “the white man” since again in pride, black churches belong to blacks!3
Black communities now need the churches to fully be the Church of Jesus Christ! This means as Civil Rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte strongly implied in his recent appeal to black churches on a NAACP Image Awards telecast, they must step up and go beyond being a place of religious refuge, political and social activism. Authentic, spiritually maturing black American Christians in their assemblies are needed as the “church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:14-15, NKJV) led by Jesus Christ as Lord, to stand firm on God’s Word and moral order; infused with power from on high, to liberate prospective strong men and great women of God from the chains of Satan!
Christianity the religion is utterly worthless to set these men and women truly free or get them to God as the Lord Jesus plainly taught (John 8:31-36, 14:6)! As in impassive white, so, in emotionally fervent black churches practicing Christianity the religion of men, the Lord calls the willing to repentance, revival and the strength He supplies His people to please Him and do His will (Colossians 1:9-12). Get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to learn more about God’s strength.4
2 Visit https://fromslaverytovictory.org/, a Web Site sponsored by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. to journey through a very concise, biblically accurate and satisfying elaboration of this point in a presentation entitled, Does God Care About African Americans?
3 I stand ready to offer Christian education consulting or assistance to any interested pastor. Contact me by any of the ways listed on our Web Site Contact Page.
4 The combined work of E. Franklin Frazier, The Negro Church in America and C. Eric Lincoln, The Black Church Since Frazier published in 1974 by Schocken Books, Inc. served as a reference source for this blog.
The world has come upon what it believes is a stroke of genius: re-define sin in such a way that it is no longer evil or wrong. So, now, a woman not submitting to the headship of her husband is right because they are equal, same sex marriage is good because love is all that really matters and legalized vices such as gambling and dope smoking are positive because they fill state coffers with revenue beneficial to all. Many professing Christians and their leaders in the churches are aiding and abetting the world’s re-defining of sin and not to be outdone, coming up with some of their own sterling examples of the wicked practice. God is not pleased and will soon have the last Word!
From a local Protestant pastor near you to the current Pope in Rome, what in God’s Word has for millennia been certain sin is not any longer. In many Western Protestant churches not only does today’s Christian woman not have to view herself as created to be her husband’s helper (Genesis 2:18-24), but she is now liberated to such an extent, it is right for her to lead him after God told Eve not so (Genesis 3:6, 16b). This break with the divine order is then taken to its next logical step and women contrary to God’s Word, are urged to take full authority over their husbands and other men as pastors, teachers, worship and ministry leaders (1 Corinthians 14:33-40; 1 Timothy 2:11-15).
It is globally known Rome’s Pope Francis recently questioned his right to judge the relationship between same sex persons. While none of us has the right to condemn the sexually immoral, God has already done so and left us the basis of His judgment in His written Word (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; John 3:17-20; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The Pope and many other contemporary professing Christian pastors and leaders claim they are seeking to show the compassionate face of Christianity and move away from the world’s perception of Christians as being judgmental. Funny, our Lord accomplished this without ever once making light of or re-defining sin (John 4:5-18, 8:1-12)!
Of course, if you cannot get around the towering declaration of what sin is in the Bible, just set that aside too. Call the Bible antiquated and out of step with an enlightened age. While they were not as hostile about it as many in and outside of the churches today, Israel’s 1st century religious leaders in transgression replaced God’s Word with their own teaching to suit their purposes. Matthew 15:1-9 records how the Lord Jesus upbraided them for canceling out the clear command of God for children to honor their parents--including financially supporting them in old age--by inventing a doctrine by which that support was ostensibly given to God. However, it was the religious leaders that really profited.
In the same way, while there may some that are truly confused or misguided about how to show compassion to the sinner without condoning his sin, many Christian leaders are not really as interested in compassion when they re-define sin as they are members and the accompanying income they need for dying churches! Jesus called Israel’s religious leaders “hypocrites!” Without a doubt, He renders the same judgment on the Christian leaders that are guilty of setting aside His Word to re-define sin to suit their own purposes too. He goes on to quote Isaiah: ‘‘“These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men,”’’ (Matthew 15:7-9, NKJV).
Christianity the religion of men is built on human commandment and religiosity undergirded by the corruption of God’s Word which originated among the Gentiles in the second century, reached its peak at Rome and now after a noble but failed reformation attempt, is disseminated among her harlot daughters disbursed across the earth! However, God, the eternally living, immutable God has not changed nor will He ever change the definition of sin (Isaiah 40:8; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 5:17-20, 24:35; Hebrews 13:8)! Forever, sin is what God says it is! Indeed, so comprehensive is His concept of sin, the men He used to write the Old Testament alternately used three different words to communicate it.
In general, sin is to miss the mark of God’s standard of perfection. To transgress is to defiantly violate the commandments and laws of God as a rebel. Iniquity is to willfully pervert the straight ways of God such as the sexually immoral do. As king David celebrated though, God is willing to fully forgive sinners, transgressors and those who practice iniquity if they will but own their stuff to Him in confession with all repentance; looking now by faith to the Gospel of Jesus Christ who died on the cross to take on Himself the punishment we all deserved and raised for the eternal glory of those “who believe to the saving of the soul,” (Psalm 32:1-5; John 1:29, 3:16, 12:32-33; 1 Timothy 1:12-17, 2:5-6; Hebrews 5:8-9, 10:35-39, NKJV)! Therefore, for all that are re-defining sin to “call evil good” in these latter days (Isaiah 5:20, NKJV), you are in grave peril.
Know that if sin remains defined by God as it always has been from the first sinner and as plainly stated in His Word, then the consequences He has already announced remain the same too (Ezekiel 28:11-19; John 12:27-31; Revelation 20:7-15). And since it is foretold in these latter days that God will allow the wickedness of the wicked to harden in place--which has already begun or what is this unrelenting push in Western nations to legalize sin?--to the point they even resist repentance in the face of His very clear works of judgment and wrath (Revelation 8:1-9:21, 16:1-11), He calls you to repent and be saved now (John 12:44-50; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2)!
Likewise, all who profess to be Christians, but are re-defining sin among other wicked deeds: unless you repent with the heavy heart of Ezra the priest in the day he found out fellow spiritual and other male leaders of the returned exiles had transgressed God’s Law, you will be destroyed by Him in the judgment and coming destroying judgment foretold for Christianity the religion of men (Ezra 9:1-10:1; Psalm 1; Revelation 14:8, 17:1-19:4). Let every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ remain faithful to His Word and what it says about sin as it is written! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”
(Thank you for being a reader of The Strong Man Of God Blog. I wanted to give you a head’s up that my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and companion Men’s Group Study resource, go on sale for the holidays at noon Monday, November 10 through January 5 in the Strong Man Store on our Web Site, www.thestrongmanofGod.org. Your purchases help us continue the work of restoring men, their families and communities!)
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