The Scourge Of Racism
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Woe to those that for gaining members and building churches lie to prospect unbelievers about becoming Christians indicating they do not have to adopt all of the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics in God’s Law (Habakkuk 2:12-14)! You are deceived and deceiving people!1 You will not go unpunished as one that misrepresents the faith of Jesus Christ who perfectly fulfilled God’s written Law and died on the cross to save us from every thought, attitude, word, deed and omission God in it declares is sin (Matthew 5:17-20; Mark 9:42-48; Galatians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-5). Christians are called out of the world to God to live on purpose to please Him and do His will!2
After Adam’s disobedience to His single command in Eden and punishing him (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:6, 17-19), God in amazing longsuffering progressively made known His Kingdom’s transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics to his descendants through judging them. He judged Cain after warning sin was near in his murderous anger and destroyed the world in the flood in part for its violence; instructing Noah and his sons to treat man’s life as precious. He also destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for gross sexual sin (Genesis 4:1-12, 6:11-13, 9:1-7, 19:4-25). God worked this way until He spoke and wrote His Law with Moses (Deuteronomy 4:1-14, 31:9-13, 24-26; Romans 5:12-14).
Though His written Law was given to Israel, the surrounding Gentile nations with them were to admire the righteousness of and live by it. Alas though, the righteous Law condemned men because they could not keep it. Nevertheless, it stood exposing mankind’s depravity and inability to be saved from the sin it revealed that enslaved them and frustrated their best efforts to live it out (Romans 7:7-23). But God knowing all of this, already had a plan in place to make the Law a “tutor” that would bring men to and save us through faith in His “Son,” Jesus Christ, by whom He has spoken in a final way to the world (Romans 3:10-31, 7:24-8:4, 10:11-13; Galatians 3:19-4:7; Hebrews 1:1-5, NKJV).
Thus, it is true no one has to keep Jewish specific aspects of the Law such as circumcision, the Sabbath, dietary regulations, rituals or the seven Annual Feasts to be saved. Born again Gentiles in Jesus Christ do not have to keep these as part of our faith and its practice either. However, our observant Jewish Christian brethren keep the God ordained covenant requirements such as circumcision, the Sabbath, rituals and seven Annual Feasts in the written Law as part of their ethnic identity and heritage. The Lord, His apostles and elders in the first century church at Jerusalem settled all of this once and for all (Mark 7:14-19; Acts 13:26-39, 15:1-31; Galatians 2:1-3:9, 5:1-15).
Evident in the consensus decree of the Jerusalem Church Council is that the transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics of God’s Law are to be honored in the living of all Christians--Jew and Gentile! Indeed, God by the Holy Spirit puts His laws in the minds and writes them on the hearts of all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ as part of His New Covenant so that we cannot claim ignorance or have any excuse for our disobedience (2 Corinthians 3:1-6; Hebrews 8:7-13). The fact that His transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics also appear in God’s written Law communicated to Israel in commandments, ordinances etc. does not nullify them!3
Just like Israel, Christians are called out of Egypt (the world, if you will) to be royal ‘“priests,’” ‘“a holy nation’” and “His own special people” in the Promised Land of God’s Kingdom reign (Exodus 19:3-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV). As He spoke to Israel, so, He speaks to us saying, ‘“I am the LORD your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances to walk in them: I am the LORD your God,’” (Leviticus 18:1-5, NKJV). Do you hear Him, professed Christian?4
From the forgoing eternally transcendent spiritual principle of faithfulness to God to issues of morality such as sexual purity and ethics to include just measurements, all appear in the written Law He gave Israel (Leviticus 18:6-20:27). As Christ exemplified, love for the Father and Him is our motive for walking in obedience to His transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics embodied in the written Law (John 8:28-29, 14:15, 21-24, 31). In so doing, we serve as preserving “salt” and illuminating “light” for those we live among and “glorify” God (Matthew 5:13-16, NKJV)! If however, we do as those we live among, for example bow to idols, practice sexual immorality and greedily cheat folk while refusing to repent, then, as Israel of old, punishment is the end (Jeremiah 4-5).5,6
1 Read the two-part post that begins September 23, 2018, Let’s Talk Legalism, under the category, Instruction. It is a related and important background supplement to this one.
2 This is the life cause of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Ba- sics. Obtain a Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Edition of the book along with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
3 This lie has been planted by Satan and widely spread over the centuries such that much confusion and discord exists in the Body of Christ because of it. Chris- tians are to highly esteem and fulfill through obedience every transcendent spiritual principle, moral and ethical instruction of God in His whole Word even stumb- ling and fumbling as we go, but receiving His forgiveness after our appropriate confession and repentance (1 John 1:9-2:2).
4 Don’t miss God’s prohibition of walking in the ordinances of the worldly nation, state, county, city or religion that directly conflict with His! Is there a price to pay for this? Yes! Faithful Christians have been paying the price for obeying God’s Word in whatever form it has taken up to and including martyrdom since Christ in the first century A.D. warned about and experienced it followed by His apostles and many disciples up to this very hour all over the world (Matthew 10:16-39; John 15: 18-16:4, 18:1-19:30; Acts 4:1-22, 5:12-42, 6:8-7:60).
5 Idolatry, sexual immorality and unjust measures (producers are shrinking product amounts while charging the same or a greater price) with other wickedness has permeated and overtaken our society at this hour. Professed Christians are supposed to stand out against the backdrop of such a corrupt and consequently crum- bling society, but are found among the wicked in no few numbers as not only the prophet Jeremiah witnessed of Judah, but others too (see for instance, Micah 3, 7:1-4). Because professed Christian men and pastors are well represented among those practicing sexual immorality which also involves pornography and mastur- bation (see the Barna.com article), the Lord led me to devote an Appendix in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to help deal with these from a biblical world- view.
6 Even so, the Lord has His merciful hand of deliverance extended to His wayward sheep as seen in our latest Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, Christians can watch on our YouTube Channel.
It should go without saying that if the living God is calling professed Christians as followers of His Son to repentance, then, non-Christians ought to be on notice too! Indeed, it is written: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘“If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear,”’” (1 Peter 4:17-18, NKJV)? Because God in holy character operates in perfect justice (Deuteronomy 31:30-32:4), nobody gets away with anything; sin must be judged and punished (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:17-19; Psalm 62:9-12; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 12:33-37).
Unless therefore, God had sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to take on man’s judgment and punishment for sin, none would be saved (John 3:16-21, 36). Again, without God having taken the initiative out of His great love, grace, mercy and righteousness to make a way of salvation from sin for mankind through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Christ--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day, this fallen world and mankind as sinners after giving an account for every sin committed would have long ago endured His wrath and been eternally destroyed (Genesis 6:5-8; John 8:21-24; Romans 1:16-17, 3:9-31, 5:6-9, 10:4-13)!
Instead, those of us who have repented of our sins and believed the Gospel of Christ have been forgiven, indwelt and brought to eternal spiritual life by the Spirit of God as well as reconciled to Him after being enemy combatants (Acts 2:36-39; Romans 5:10-11; Colossians 1:19-23). The foregoing is supposed to be the result in every case. But keeping it real, in addition to many who are weak in the faith, there have been numerous rebels, impostors and apostates who have dwelt among the Church the Lord has been building from the first century A.D. and misrepresented it to the on looking world (Acts 2:40-47, 5:1-11; Romans 16:17-20; Galatians 2:1-5; 1 John 2:18-23; Jude 3-19).
For this cause, God is righteously at work in His house through judgment calling His weak in the faith, backslidden and rebel professed people to repentance; testing and disciplining even the faithful to conform us fully to the glorious divine character resident in Christ (Hebrews 12:1-17). He is also exposing and separating out of His house the false, unrepentant disobedient and fallen away since Christ in all sobriety returns for a bride He sacrificed Himself to “sanctify and cleanse,” that does not have “spot or wrinkle or any such thing,” but is “holy and without blemish,” (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Peter 3:14, NKJV). Professed Christians thinking otherwise are deceived (Galatians 5:19-21, 6:7-8)!
Thus, if it is all like that for professed Christians as the apostle Peter serves up in his warning I quoted in the first paragraph of this post, then, the non-Christian is truly in grave peril. For God’s command to ‘“all men everywhere to repent’” is so ‘“because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has ordained;” giving “assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead,’” (Acts 17:30-31, NKJV). The Lord led me to end my last post confirming He has not turned from His day of wrath upon all of those who have disobeyed His Gospel command to repent! It is coming more certainly than tomorrow’s sunrise!1
As I also recently briefly wrote about discussing these days of increasing post-Christianity unbelief in God,2 like ground with its overgrown weeds removed as preparation for planting, but after a delay grows back, so, the world has had a brief moment when the bright promise of Christianity filled it with the knowledge of God enough for many at least to believe in His existence. Now, helped in part by the willful neglect of guilty professed Christians and their churches in sin, compromise and corruption, all of the weeds of wickedness seen historically in secular atheism, false religions and the deeds of the flesh are growing back exceedingly worse than before (Luke 11:14-26).3
Refusing to believe in God does not dismiss Him from existence as He led me to state another way in a 2022 post!4 His steadily intensifying judgments in these latter days besides being remedial are warnings intended primarily to cause all to recognize His reality and repent before it is too late. However, because of proudly refusing to believe in the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible who warned millennia ago through His prophets about the escalating severity of the calamities we now, see coming upon the world, non-Christians (and many biblically ignorant professed Christians) are foolishly attributing them all to manmade climate change in the false hope they can fix things. Not! Surely, climate change is occurring, but it is not exclusively due to human cause (Amos 3:6-7, 5:8-9).
1 Read the April 23, 2023 post, A Word To God’s Faithful, under the category, Encouragement.
2 See the September 25, 2022 post, The Epidemic Of Unbelief In God, under the category, Encouragement.
3 The faithful and devoted heart of the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ is required to stand firm against this never before seen spiritual tide as I write about them in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics! You can pick up a Hard or Soft Cover Edition of the book as well as companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
4 Read the October 2, 2022, Unbelief In God Has Consequences, under the category, Instruction.
The in and out of season “violent whirlwind” or if you will, hurricane, cyclone or tornado embedded in the great storms of these “latter days” in which God is having “His way” was specifically foretold (Jeremiah 23:18-20; Nahum 1:3, NKJV). Even as the whirlwinds have been very destructive of late (destroying church properties too), the loss of life here has been minimal. This is because God is graciously expressing just a foretaste of His coming wrath. His heart is to save! Truly, in the day of His wrath and immediately before the return of Christ, God will raise up a global “whirlwind” that will destroy multitudes in every nation, again, as foretold (Jeremiah 25:32-33, 30:23-24)!
Concerning the “whirlwind of the LORD,” He assures “in the latter days you will understand it perfectly” and “you will consider it,” (Jeremiah 23:19a, 20b, 30:23a, 24b, NKJV). Clearly, the “you” refers as a first audience to faithful Jews and Christians that take His prophetic Word to heart! While not a few professed Christians with the many non-Christians in unbelief deny any involvement of God in or His control of the destructive whirlwinds we are seeing in the volatile storms of climate change, like Pharaoh of ancient Egypt they will all eventually come around to the evidence based truth (Exodus 10:1-7, 14:21-31; Psalms 77:11-20, 78:40-53; Isaiah 63:11-14; Joel 3:9-17; Revelation 16)!
Those alive in the day the Lord pours out the climatic fullness of His great wrath upon fake, apostate and non-Christians who had obstinately refused to obey His command to repent will understand the erratic weather patterns, destructive whirlwinds and disasters of climate change we are experiencing right now, were in fact not only early harbingers for it, but also birth pains of the Second Coming and Kingdom of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:3-8)! With the whirlwinds of climate change ahead are more harbingers of God’s coming wrath and Christ’s return that He will show in the Cosmos and earth’s sky (Isaiah 2:10-11, 13:6-13; Luke 21:11, 25-27; Revelation 6:12-17, 19:11-16).
As I wrote in a previous post, science like Pharaoh’s magicians who in their contest with God were also initially arrogantly confident are being set up for utter humiliation by Him!5 Science and technology are given to His fallen creatures by God--how else could ancient Job have known “the earth hangs on nothing” and is spherical (Job 26; Psalm 94:10, NKJV)? Ultimately they serve His purposes and plans (Exodus 31:1-11). Hundreds of telescopes positioned on earth and above it such as Hubble and the sun orbiting James Webb peer into and photograph deep space. Astronomers will see God’s earliest cosmic signs first and be helpless to do anything about them (Revelation 8:10-13)!
Interestingly, as scientists who fear God as their prime motivation for doing science marvel, the sky of our planet appears purposely designed for us to observe the heavens where “His handiwork” is in full view (Psalm 19:1-6, NKJV).6 On earth, an example of hi-tech knowledge God has recently given mankind is Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to News reports, the inventors of AI are calling for a slowdown in its development because of fear they lack control of it. Too late!7 It is already enabling levels of foretold deception the world has never before seen nor will ever see again after the coming Antichrist finishes exploiting it (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 13:11-18).8
Though the world mostly takes great pains to portray all of the good newly invented technology like AI will do for people, there are always those without the fear of God in their hearts that lay awake at night devising “iniquity,” planning “evil” and rushing the dawn to carry these out “because it is in the power of their hand” to do so.9 Such is the way of those who “hate” correction, exploit, rob, abuse and actually care nothing for the people among whom “the prudent keep silent” in this “evil time” as in every one that has been since the fall of man. Seeing all of this, God also devises, plans and brings “disaster” in judgment and deliverance as responses (Amos 5:10-13; Micah 2:1-5, 7:15-20, NKJV).
Out of the overflowing riches of His love, longsuffering grace and mercy the Lord has had me write to give warning to non-Christians at this hour. Hear it again: if He is bringing judgment within His own house of professed people, what chance of escape or hope of deliverance do you have? As He provides scientific and technical knowledge, God at the same time as Wisdom personified is daily calling out to non-Christians who refuse to give heed; preferring their “own way” which He allows. Nevertheless, the consequences of refusing to obey His command to repent and be saved through faith in Christ only get increasingly more severe going forward. Having rejected God’s wisdom, you will find in the day of calamity the cost of your own way was too great (Proverbs 1:7, 20-33, NKJV)!
5 See the July 5, 2020 post, Decision At The Crossroads, under the category, Call To Repent.
6 This is the biblically consistent conclusion drawn by the scientists brought together by Illustra Media, the producers of the excellent 2004 film, The Privileged Planet featuring narration by acclaimed actor, John Rhys-Davies.
7 Watch the April 16, 2023 episode of the CBS News Show, 60 Minutes.
8 Read Answers In Genesis Founder, Ken Ham’s Blog on the quest of one tech titan to make AI a god.
9 One purpose of God in teaching mankind advancing technical knowledge is to show us how corrupted our hearts are by sin and especially pride in the stubborn refusal to consult Him in its use. If insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly looking for a different result, unregenerate mankind fulfills the definition perfectly in the never ending quest to bring about good from the knowledge God provides without any visitation of evil; not realizing that their fallen, sinful hearts renders such a quest impossible for them (Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 3:9-18).
It is not supposed to happen in America. However, it has happened quite a bit in recent years and again this past week in a small Texas town where a gunman entered a church with a gun killing twenty-six and critically wounding others. While demonically instigated and hate-filled individuals just assume all that they seek to harm in a church are Christians, in secular settings such as Columbine in Colorado and Umpqua Community College here in Oregon, the assailants coldly asked some of those they would kill, “Are you a Christian?”1 Such targeting is the ultimate form of persecution and of course, martyrdom for the Christians that are slain for whose they are.
Professing American Christianity seems not to want to acknowledge that more and more in this still believed by many to be a “Christian nation” violent targeting of our numbers is occurring and intensifying. Once again for whatever all the reasons including the practice of Christianity the religion of men in all of its forms with various prosperity and escape doctrines, denial is easier. However, as the Lord led me to write in this edited 2010 Commentary, the foretold latter day persecution of Christians (Matthew 24:9) is a reality in many nations. It can no longer be out of mind here because of being out of sight. Hateful persecution of Christians is happening in America and the West too!
An obvious truth in all of this is that American and all other Christians are in fact, still on earth en masse while persecution and tribulation keeps rising. So, as we pray for the “Persecuted Church” on this special Sunday set aside for it, let the faithful realize though we yet have it relatively light here in America compared to our persecuted brethren in other lands, we are included among them. Let us also continue to pray for the surviving wounded and grieving families of the Texas church martyrs.
Originally Published November 2010
After recently reading an article on the current persecution of Chakma Christians by Buddhist extremists in Bangladesh, I was reminded that tribulation or suffering for Christ is quite the norm for many of His followers in many openly anti-Christian parts of the world. This month we remember persecuted Christians with prayer. I am also led by the Lord to again warn Western Christians our time to suffer in like manner is near. We do not want to hear this, of course, and have invented all manner of scenarios that will enable our escape as though fellow Christians in other parts of the world are somehow God's throwaways; people He does not care about as much as He does us.
While it is not my intent to engage in a end time prophecy debate, I do want to point out a reality to all parties planning on the escape of Western Christians from the "great tribulation" spoken of by our Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:15-22 and Mark 13:14-20. That reality is the tribulation our persecuted brethren now endure in several hostile nations is of the same nature as the "great tribulation." Powerful anti-Christ's now kidnap and/or arrest, imprison, torture, maim and kill our brethren as well as destroy their property if they will not renounce faith in Christ. The Chakma Christians in Bangladesh are not even allowed to buy or sell crops unless they openly display Buddhist loyalty.2
Bible students should instantly recognize the buying and selling issue as one that will emerge in the days of the Antichrist as foretold in Revelation 13:16-17. The government of the coming Antichrist will also violently persecute Christians as do the many national governments, terrorist and religious groups today. The only difference in what takes place now and the foretold "great tribulation" under the Antichrist is one of scope and duration; then it will be global and last intensely three and one-half years (Daniel 7:19-25; Revelation 13:1-10).
If God allows His people to experience tribulation past, present and in a foretold future, where do we Westerners get off thinking we have a special exemption from Him who shows no partiality (Acts 10:34-35)? I suspect this expectation of escape in part is tied to the sin bred arrogance of accomplishment Western nations have enjoyed over the past 500 years. Another reason surely grows out of a popular false teaching that God does not let His people suffer. But those of my racial heritage especially that are sons of slaves know better or else are we God’s throwaways too having experienced the severest forms of brutality even after professing faith in Christ?
The call to His people at this hour to become strong men and great women of God is very strategic and biblically consistent. Indeed, all trials and tribulations have the ultimate divine end of testing our faith (Deuteronomy 8:1-6; Psalm 11:4-6; Hebrews 12:1-11; James 1:2-3, 5:10-11; 1 Peter 1:3-9). Judging by the lack of biblical knowledge, spiritual maturity and outright rebellion continuously reported in Christian media, professing Western Christians are not as ready to endure violent tribulation for the faith as our brethren in other parts of the world are doing--though in fairness, the Chakma Christians of Bangladesh are struggling and urgently need our prayers.
The strong man of God in the image of Christ is empowered with His strength and equipped to persevere in faith under the most severe of trials (Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 12:11). For this reason Strong Man Ministries through the Strong Man Institute is pleased to be part of God's strategic work to instruct Christians from His Word on the life of the strong man of God. As well, I do the same on the printed page as the Lord leads in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and its companion resource, The Strong Man Of God Men's Group Study pastors, men's ministry and other Christian leaders can use to equip those they serve.3
At this hour we must pray for and support our persecuted brethren in non-Western nations while we recognize the increase of and prepare more deliberately for our own tribulation (which is even now at the door) because none of God's sons are throwaways! For the record, the "great tribulation" is not God's wrath that He has promised to deliver Christians from (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). It is Satan's permitted final expression of wrath that comes before God justly pours out His upon unrepentant, reprobate sinners sold out to evil (compare Revelation 12:7-17 and 16:1-21).
1 Oregon Gunman Singled Out Christians During Rampage, October 1, 2015, New York Post.
2 Buddhist Extremists Continue to Persecute Christians, SBC Life, October/November 2010, p. 22. The article can be read online at SBC Life.
3 Learn more about the Strong Man Institute on our Web Site. My book and companion men's group study resource are available through all major internet booksellers
and in the Strong Man Store.
It is truly unfortunate, but not surprising that with all else our nation must deal with at this hour, unresolved racial issues have recently come to the surface again through the citizen and police murders of black Americans, freshly proving racism is not a past thing. The incidents and resulting explosion of initial violent rioting, looting, protest marches and rallies not just by black Americans, but Americans from every hue were sparked by the recorded video of a Minneapolis, MN police officer’s murder of black American male, George Floyd. I wrote about this incident as the Lord led June 21, 2020 in a post under the category, Black History, entitled Has Racial Justice Arrived in America?
This time, among the early voices speaking empathy and counsel into as well as engaging with the crisis are a number of especially younger conservative white Christians. Along with the manifold increase of white Americans across the political and social spectrum in general, conservative white Christians as America’s “moral majority” speaking anything but condemnation into a riotous racial crisis is recent. While there have been apologies for slavery and Jim Crow segregation and endless talking by white conservative Christians with amicable black clergy about racial reconciliation since the 1960s, as I have written in other posts, there has not been any real, widespread progress.1
Our majority white society as a once professed Christian nation propped up supposedly by morals and ethics drawn from the Bible, has far too long tolerated the abuse of its black and other citizens of color in many forms that actually run counter to it (Zechariah 7:8-12; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 13:8-10). Not biblical Christianity as the order of the day since the nation’s founding, but corrupt, counterfeit manmade forms of it that even allowed for slave owners to commit adultery on their wives with their female slaves; church pastors, deacons and congregants to brutalize and terrorize blacks using burning crosses as a symbol of hate among many other evil acts.2
Such deeds were done while police, judges, educators, businesses, legislators (often as active participants) along with the larger white society through silent indifference were complicit.3 Over the past hundred years the most vocal champions of maintaining the morality of the Bible among professed Christians has been white Americans that self-identify as conservative in their religious, social and political convictions. Many are also intensely patriotic, devoted Americans who ascribe to the phrase “God and Country” as their motto though, on such issues as allowing systemic racism in their churches and other entities, God’s will in Christ has clearly been secondary (John 13:34-35).
However, at this strategic moment during God’s Coronavirus judgment when the festering sore of racial injustice has ruptured once more, younger conservative white Christians are speaking up perhaps finally perceiving, God Himself keeps bringing up the matter because those professing to know Him among their ranks have not dealt with it in accord with His written Word! After all, as I have offered in other posts, a “biblically conservative Christian” is supposed to be about objectively interpreting, applying and preserving the whole Word of God as it is written! In no place does it advocate for or tolerate hating a brother in Christ for any reason (1 John 2:7-11, 3:10-15, 4:20-21).4
Besides being and presenting the world a corrupt if not outright counterfeit form of biblical Christianity, guilty conservative white Christians (to include those calling themselves “Evangelicals”) have been hypocritical by insisting “our nation” uphold their cherry-picked morals and ethics from the Bible while they undergirded its systemic racism to this hour. This reality has been among the chief reasons many former biblically conservative black American Civil Rights activists searching for righteous allies over the years have abandoned the effort among their ostensible like-minded white brothers. Instead, those that are guilty through lack of faith in and impatience with God have to their shame taken up with rebels against Him for help (Psalm 2:1-3; Isaiah 30:1-5; Philippians 3:17-21).
The guilty among de facto apostate black Americans will give an account to God, but so will conservative white professed Christians who have been more loyal to a humanly invented religious, social and political philosophy that permits such sins as racism under the guise of Christianity than to the Lord who calls all to repent! Indeed, why but for sin am I as a black Ministry leader who has remained faithful as a biblical conservative not fully embraced and supported by conservative white professed Christians? Your sinful flesh built conservative philosophy does not welcome those of any race much less inferior black males who speak biblical truth challenging the wicked status quo; one white church elder once intimating this to me by essentially saying I needed to shut up!5
Now, though, the Lord during His Coronavirus judgment is plainly showing racism is one of the issues He is calling the guilty to repentance from among professing Christianity emptied out of its buildings. The authentic younger conservative white Christians coming forth repentant and in the power of the Holy Spirit to actually take a stand with their black brothers are representative of those I spoke of in my June 21st post.6 May the Lord bless you and all others to follow in what is very likely a last chance for conservative white Christians to get on the right side of the Bible and help forestall the eruption of greater ethnic conflict awhile longer in America; conflict ongoing in many parts of the world that fulfills another of the Lord’s foretold occurrences to precede His soon coming (Matthew 24:7a).
1 See the posts, Moral Pressure Rightly Applied, May 4, 2014, Biblical Equality And Equity, July 5, 2015 and Professing Christian Racism Is Sin Too, December 11, 2016
all under the category, Call To Repent.
2 Read the two-part post beginning August 21, 2016, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction followed by Christianity The Religion American
Style (which shows how even many black religionists to this hour mimic the practice of it by their former masters so pervasive is it) posted on September 4, 2016 and
the two-part post beginning September 11, 2016, American Culture’s Religion, all under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Read the August 9, 2015 post, Silent Endorsers Of Evil, under the category, Instruction. Whether Christians or not, like the white pre-Civil War Abolitionists, it has been
heartening to see current white protest marchers for racial justice carrying signs with wording like “Silent no more” and “Not silent and complicit.”
4 See footnote #9 in the two-part post, The Racial Divide, under the category, Call To Repent, that begins July 29, 2018 to see how the Lord led me to make a distinction
between “conservative” and “biblically conservative” to avoid any confusion about the Christians faithfully obeying His whole Word as it is written! Also, read the April
19, 2015 post, On The Lord’s Side, under the category, The Cause, cited in the footnote for a discussion of why all professed Christians ought to be standing with the
Lord Jesus as Bible conservatives!
5 Get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to understand why aspiring strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ from every hue must be willing to
stand and speak as He commands (Matthew 10:24-33)! Get a print copy or digital download of the book at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
6 I invite those that are biblically conservative from all hues to stand with and support us at this like-minded Christian black American founded Ministry! The Ministry is cur-
rently engaged in a campaign to raise my 2020 full-time salary and is 63% there. Learn more at https://fundrazr.com/salarycampaign1. I am also seeking to raise the
funds necessary to license the music used in and Webcast our still relevant 1994 radio docu-drama, From Slavery To Victory: One Man’s Journey that presents a biblical
worldview of the black American experience from West Africa on our From Slavery To Victory Education Project Web Site, https://fromslaverytovictory.org.
Having just spent time giving serious thanks to God for all of His blessings this Thanksgiving, the Lord again directs my attention to the persecution being suffered by my Christian brethren among many nations. Though I do not write a lot about the ongoing persecution of Christians, I stay regularly informed and prayerful for all. The aforementioned “all” includes not just the suffering faces of those in faraway lands such as North Korea and Nigeria, but increasingly, those enduring persecution in this Western hemisphere and our own nation. Truly, growing hostility toward and persecution of Bible believing Christians in America is a reality that can no longer be dismissed as only isolated.
As a supporter of similarly named, but organizationally unrelated Open Doors USA, our Ministry regularly receives their reports on what is happening among our persecuted Christian brethren around the world.1 Not only are our brethren suffering from family and community exclusion within the nations they live, but government harassment, arrests, unfair trials, incarceration, legally sanctioned mob violence and martyrdom. When the Christian men are targeted for incarceration or murder, it leaves their families to suffer. While Communist and Islamic run nations fill the list of persecutors, nations such as Christian Eritrea, Hindu India and Buddhist Bhutan are also prominent.2
It is about to get really real for those of us that profess to be Christians in America too. Intensifying opposition to the biblical faith once on the fringe of American society is going mainstream. Moral tenets of the faith once taken for granted as absolute and bedrock to American society are not only being challenged, but cast down as no longer acceptable. These are not just tenets governing marriage and family for example, but definitions of objective truth, right and wrong, good and evil as well as justice and injustice. In the wake of this swiftly moving river of moral upheaval, Christians that would dare stand firm for the moral tenets of our faith are suffering varying degrees of persecution.
Besides the “in-your-face” government policies and litigations to remove crosses and nativity scenes as public displays of Christianity to implement falsely believed constitutionally mandated church and state separation, some Christians have suffered being demoted or fired from employment because they had Bibles at their work stations or read them on breaks. And because many secular entities have a “corporate culture” now, that does not tolerate religious expression (though, they publicly trumpet “inclusion” and “diversity” as values), being hired a Christian with a social media presence may be very difficult and once hired, witnessing Christ to co-workers is out.3
American secular colleges and universities that have historically celebrated tolerating various viewpoints as a means in the process of vigorous, but polite debate to sharpen the thinking of young minds have in too many instances today, hung out the “not welcome” sign to a biblical worldview. Biblically conservative Christian students are routinely singled out and held up to ridicule for their faith. Christian professors do not escape either.4 The secular media regularly ignores and mocks Christians that hold to a biblical worldview being quick only to report on high profile “Televangelists” and “Megachurch Pastors” whose sins come to light, while social media giants resist them.5
As I have also commented in other posts, a number of American Christians have been purposely targeted and martyred in mass shootings such as the one at Columbine High School in 1999 along with churches as occurred in Charleston, SC in 2015 and Sutherland Springs, TX in 2017.6 In agreement with all other observers here, none of what American Christians have suffered to date compares with the daily egregious and violent persecution our overseas brethren endure--yet! Praying for “the persecuted church” like it is some disconnected entity that exists only in non-exceptional, often impoverished nations of the world is about to change as persecutors intensify their efforts in America.7 And why? It is their “hour and the power of darkness,” (Luke 22:52-53, NKJV).
For this reason, beyond seeking to sensitize us to the ongoing suffering of our brethren wherever they are as a primary reason for this post, exhorting faithful American Christians to spiritually, mentally and emotionally prepare for the kind of hatred fed persecution our overseas brethren experience is an important secondary reason since our Lord has warned it is to occur in “all nations,” (Matthew 10:16-39, 24:9, NKJV).8 Now, is the time to awake from arrogance and apathy to get ready for what our Lord foretells and assures will take place. Among the equipping resources available is my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and related group studies.9 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 The organizational parent of Strong Man Ministries is Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. I was led by the Lord to found August 12, 1985. Read some of the
stories of persecuted Christians among the many countries on the 2020 World Watch List of Open Doors USA.
2 What many of our brethren overseas “normally” suffer from their persecutors has been intensified during the Lord’s Coronavirus judgment. As we are banding together
with other Christians to help and encourage one another here at home, the Lord would have us remember our suffering persecuted brethren in those faraway lands
with tangible support as well (1 John 3:16-18).
3 Sadly, our military as a work place is no exception. Read about the case of Chaplain Curt Cizek.
4 To learn more about the experience of Christians on American campuses read the following ACLJ, Beliefnet and IsChristianityTrue articles.
5 I can attest to the heavy-handed resistance of Facebook to biblically conservative ministries such as this one among the social media giants. “Likes” to our pages by
Christians mysteriously dwindle after I write blogs or make posts on their platform that are not politically correct, tolerant etc. which the Lord has had me call them on.
They want me to believe that just making better posts and spending more money to “boost” them will remedy the situation though, such has not been the case since
they also limit the reach of the same. For the record, I do understand a to be expected number of professed Christians that formerly liked our Facebook pages are sub-
ject to “unlike” them at any time as a show of disagreement with me. I get that, but not what Facebook is doing which lately has even taken away page likes whenever
someone has liked a post! I urge Christians that have liked our pages and those of other ministries to check back periodically especially if you have not received a post
in your newsfeeds for a time and re-like the pages if necessary. Also, enlist other Christians on Facebook to like our pages after you have done so.
6 Read for example, the June 8, 2014 post, And Then There Is The War, under the category, instruction. Revisit the cited respective church shootings at the following
links Charleston, SC and Sutherland Springs, TX.
7 See the November 12, 2017 post, God’s Throwaways?, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
8 Read the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
9 A print copy or digital download of the book published by the Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clari-
ty and updated web addresses in the footnotes is available at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).
You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store. Too, leaders can teach, disciple and equip through The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and The
Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study also in the Strong Man Store.
No doubt some professed Christians are upset with me and others of God’s faithful prophetic voices at this hour for exposing and calling out their corruptions in word and deed along with holding all of the great number of guilty responsible for His judgments upon our land. They want a false hope and future rooted in this present world proclaimed to them. My telling the truth from God’s Word keeps messing that up.1 Be assured O professed Christian corrupting yourself in all of your wicked ways, the children of Israel before you were also infuriated with God’s faithful prophets whose words from Him were thoroughly vindicated in their punishment (Jeremiah 26; Matthew 23:29-39)!
Did anyone take heed to what the Lord had me to write in the final two paragraphs of last week’s post?2 God would certainly know if His people have been disobedient to His Word and care or do you actually believe God does not see you and what you do moment by moment of every day? If you do not really believe that God sees you, then, you must not be serving the God of the Bible who is omnipresent and your imagined god very small. Indeed, God sees you to the core of your being as well as your actions before you carry them out (Psalm 139:1-12; Jeremiah 23:23-24)! Israel often failed to consider this truth as God had to continually send prophets to cry out against their sins.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, for example, God queried the people of Judah about their sinful ways carried out before they assembled at the Temple, then upon arriving, false belief that being there protected and enabled them to keep practicing those sinful ways. He declares, ‘“Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’” (Jeremiah 7:8-11, NKJV). But you say, “It’s not like that with me.” Isn’t it though? You also willfully disobey the Lord’s transcendent spiritual principles, moral precepts and ethics in His Law written in your mind and on your heart throughout the week then, show up to church falsely believing your presence (and for some, work too) is His approval and release from fear of judgment.
Yet, says the Lord again as He did to Judah, ‘“I have seen your adulteries and your lustful neighings, the lewdness of your harlotry, your abominations on the hills in the fields,’” (Jeremiah 13:27, NKJV). But it is not just the wicked corruptions of the people, it is also their guilty leaders the Lord sees and speaks of through His faithful prophets (Jeremiah 23:11-14). He supernaturally takes the prophet Ezekiel on a show and tell of the Temple itself; graphically showing him what He had been seeing the leaders and people in rebellion do in His holy house (Ezekiel 8:1-6). Repeatedly throughout the tour, God directs Ezekiel to “see” what was going on (Ezekiel 8:7-17, NKJV).
Revealing to them by His faithful prophets He had been seeing their sinful conduct, God also reminded all of Judah as Israelites of their covenant obligation to obey Him and called them to repent for failing to do so. But they stubbornly refused desiring instead to follow ‘“the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts and went backward and not forward.’” ‘“They did worse than their fathers’” as they listened not to God’s prophets, but their deceitful leaders and false prophets. Thus, they left Him with no option after long forbearing with their refusal to repent or ‘“receive correction.’” He would and did severely punish them (Jeremiah 7:16-8:13; Ezekiel 8:18-9; Zephaniah 1:4-13, 3:1-7, NKJV)!
The same end approaches for our nation because professed Christians also defiantly will not repent or receive correction from God’s Word and ongoing judgments (Jeremiah 18:1-17)! For God sees the idolatrous exaltation of self, family, the nation, money, material things and success by large numbers of His professed people in America. As well, He has seen the willful corruptions and casting aside of His Word by the guilty to justify their idolatry and rejection of other transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics of His written Law. He most certainly sees how many of His professed people have shamelessly taken a stand with the world against His set order of mankind decrying His allowing men to lord it over women as some falsely assert--oh, how deceived (1 Timothy 4:1-2)!3
The foregoing is another confirmation the God who sees is consistent. Our way is not hidden from Him and He is about to punish the guilty accordingly!4 It is also validation of my calling and ministry for good in the American Church as before that day near, I cry out in the midst giving warning (Ezekiel 33:1-9) and calling for repentance (Jeremiah 8:14-17; Zephaniah 2:1-3).5 This is in lockstep with all of God’s prophets of the Bible’s Old Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles in the New as well as my faithful contemporaries. Many honest Christians know I do the Lord’s work, but because of fearing men that claim in persecution I am “controversial,” have not openly stood with me in support (Jeremiah 18:18; Matthew 5:10-12; John 7:12-13).6 God already vindicates me!7
1 Contrary to the instruction of biblical Christianity the guilty love this present world that “is passing away” in spite of their wishes; having not embraced the hope we have in Christ at His return (1 Peter 1:13-21; 1 John 2:15-17, NKJV).
2 Read the July 2, 2023 post, Christians Are To Fulfill God’s Written Law, under the category, Instruction.
3 This latter departure from sound doctrine is very egregious since the guilty leave themselves with no ground for which to stand against the world’s rebellion against God and His Word without hypocrisy; being guilty of the same themselves.
4 The aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ live on purpose to please God and do His will as I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and rejoice to live transparently before Him attempting to hide nothing! Get the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Edition of the book along with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
5 The only deliverance from God’s remedial or more severe judgments is through repentance, not obstinacy. Watch the latest 30 Minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, for professed Christians on our dedicated YouTube Channel whether you think you need to or not.
6 Since when is the Word of God controversial except among those who do not know and love Him in faithfulness or wish to be obedient? Labeling God’s faithful as contro- versial for declaring His Word in truth and as it is written is only a clever way for disobedient, compromised and corrupt professed Christian leaders of manmade Christianity the religion to tarnish those they consider opposition. I stand in excellent company as the Scripture references show!
7 As an example, see the two-part post that begins April 30, 2023, God’s Warning To Non-Christians, under the category, Call To Repent. In it the Lord causes me to speak of His “violent whirlwind” in these “latter days,” (Jeremiah 23:18-20, NKJV). The uptick in the frequency and severity of His violent whirlwind along with other incredible weather events that have been occurring and that will not diminish going forward until Christ returns vindicates the truth of His Word spoken through me. I am not anything, but the Word of the Lord by the Holy Spirit and paying heed to His call to repent by His people are very important (Acts 11:27-30)!
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