The Scourge Of Racism
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As I have repeatedly done in many posts over the years in the hope any might be saved, I warn sinners reading this you have no deliverance from condemnation, wrath and eternal removal from God’s presence except by the means He has graciously provided through repentance and faith in the Gospel (Good News) of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-21, 36)!1 The fact you may have heard, but rejected the Gospel a number of times from men like me as its joyful heralds sent by Christ does not weary us who are ourselves saved by it, nor does this bode well for you in the judgment. God has allotted only so much time for the Gospel to be preached in the earth and it is about up!
On this Palm Sunday nearly two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ rode slowly into Jerusalem riding a ‘“donkey’s colt.’” By doing so, He fulfilled Bible prophecy and fueled the messianic hopes of the many who had seen or experienced His miraculous works including His chosen disciples who did not at the time “understand these things” “written about Him.” The only unhappy souls on that day were the “Pharisees” of the Jewish religious establishment (John 12:12-19, NKJV). These were the folk that instigated the Lord’s crucifixion later in the week at Passover thinking to be finally rid of Him because they did not realize even this was part of God’s plan to save sinners (Isaiah 53).2
For after His burial, resurrection on the third day following and appearance to them, Christ instructed His disciples ‘“that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the’” Old Testament ‘“concerning’” Him. “He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” He followed this with assuring instruction everything that happened to Him was foretold ‘“and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem,’” (Luke 24:44-47, NKJV). Thus, to be saved from condemnation and wrath a man must first repent of his sins--that is, change his mind about their acceptance and turn away from them!
Next, such a man must believe the Gospel that Christ died on the cross for his sins in his place; that He was buried and rose again on the third day after to enable God to remove or if you will, forgive his sins and their guilt. After this God sends the Holy Spirit into the heart of the repentant, Gospel believing soul to bring about new birth into eternal spiritual life as well as impart assurance of salvation among other blessings (John 3:1-8, 7:37-39; Acts 2:36-41, 10:34-48; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). And because men must “hear” the Gospel to believe it and be saved, as Christ has willed I rejoice to be among those from Him in the first century He has “sent” to preach it (Romans 10:11-17, NKJV)!
As the Lord Jesus Christ humbly rode into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, so, spiritually speaking He desires to ride into the hearts of willing sinners for salvation during this, His Father’s predetermined interval of grace (Acts 1:4-8, 17:30-31). This is because at His return as foretold the Lord will come in blazing glory on “a white horse” to carry out His part in expressing the wrath of God in judgment and begin His reign among survivors ruling with “a rod of iron,” (Revelation 19:11-16, NKJV)! “Now,” as it is written, “is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” for you since not being saved from your sins there is no guarantee of a tomorrow (2 Corinthians 6:1-2, NKJV).
It has taken this long and as long as it will finally be in God’s grace to fulfill His will that the Gospel be preached in all the nations. In this truth the reality of God’s grace is made all the more evident since beyond Israel that is one nation and heard the Gospel “first” (Acts 3:22-26, NKJV), there are only the many Gentile nations. This means God’s eternal plan to save sinners always included us Gentiles (Isaiah 49:1-6; Romans 15:7-13) and is a part of the purposeful reason God has taken this long to have the Gospel preached in every nation using redeemed human agency (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Acts 26:1-18).3 Indeed, what the Lord designates as “the times of the Gentiles” draws near its close as does another reason for God’s delay, Israel’s punishment (Luke 21:20-24, NKJV).4
How glad I am Christ came to save sinners! I repented of my sins and believed the Gospel to be saved on Resurrection Sunday 1977. Not only has my life been slowly changing for the better, but I enjoy one of God’s great mysteries in His work of salvation: the risen, living Christ in me “the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:24-29, NKJV)!5 Fear of wrath and the judgment do not attend to me as a result. But you sir, if you continue refusing to repent and believe the Gospel, as Christ told first century Jews: “you will die in your sins,” (John 8:21-24, NKJV). This means the guilt of your sins not forgiven by God will be with you in Hades as you await your audience with Christ who while you lived on the earth was your prospective Savior, but now, will be your Judge (John 5:24-30; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11).6
(As my Lord has graciously blessed, I will be taking Resurrection Sunday off to celebrate my 47th spiritual birthday. He willing we see it, my next post will be on April 7th. To God be the glory!)
1 Read the March 17, 2024 post, Sinners Cannot Create A Perfect World, under the category, Call To Repent, as a most recent warning to sinners.
2 Isaiah wrote his report on the substitutionary suffering and death of Christ for and to save sinners from their sins some seven hundred years in advance. Those among black Americans as victims that are convinced nobody knows the trouble we as a people have seen from oppression should consider the Lord Jesus does since Isaiah specifically writes, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth…,” (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:47-67, NKJV). Get my latest book, The Scourge Of Racism in print at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. E-books are also available at major E-Book sellers. Learn about the book and read reviews on the Featured Publishing Resource Page at https://www.opendoorcommin.org/featured-publishing-resource.
3 Out of the overflow of God’s grace and longsuffering, an angel seen and heard by all will preach the Gospel a final time to the whole world just before Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:1-9; Revelation 14:6-7).
4 See the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
5 Of the many changes God has been working in my life is conforming me to the image of Christ as the Strong Man of God (Romans 8:29). He led me to write about this in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available at your favorite internet book seller and in the Strong Man Store. The E-Book is also available at major E-Book sellers.
6 If you will further consider Christ as Savior watch this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Reconciled To God, on our YouTube channel.
God’s plan crafted from eternity to save mankind from our sins and mighty acts to carry it out in time reached a major highpoint with the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ, the praiseworthy substance of Christmas!1 His birth had been foretold to His mother, Mary, by the angel, Gabriel, nine months earlier (Luke 1:26-38). As also foretold by God through the prophet, Micah, some seven hundred years before, Mary gave birth to Christ in Bethlehem amid circumstances He had providentially superintended (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1-7). So much so was the event of Christ’s birth worthy of praising God, angels step out of eternity into time to be seen and heard by men leading it!
Indeed, first one angel in the brilliant “glory of the Lord” suddenly appeared in the “night” darkness and stood before “shepherds” guarding “their flock” in “fields” adjacent to Bethlehem. The glory emanating from the angel enveloped and caused the men to “greatly” fear (Luke 2:8-9, NKJV). “Then the angel” spoke to the shepherds first to calm their fear assuring he was bringing them “good tidings (good news) of great joy” in making the greatest birth announcement ever made in the history of and for all mankind: “…there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”2,3 He followed this with giving the shepherds a “sign” of verification (Luke 2:10-12, NKJV).
Before the one angel had even finished his last word good, “suddenly there was with” him “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men,’” (Luke 2:13-14, NKJV)! The praise of God by the heavenly host spoke of what humanity by faith could soon personally experience and God ultimately accomplish in all the earth through bringing His Son into the world at that precise moment--peace; His peace from the finished work of Christ on the cross to save from sin He would grow up to carry out!4 Those of us who have been saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ ought not just celebrate His birth at Christmas, but with angels and the shepherds go tell it year round; glorifying our God who saves (Luke 2:15-20)!
(Thank you for reading the Strong Man Of God Blog in 2023. Our Lord willing, my next post will be on Sunday, January 7, 2024. You and yours have a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year!)
1 Read the December 3, 2023 post, Christmas: God’s Initiative To Save and the one that follows on December 10th, Christmas: God’s Acts To Save, both under the category, Holidays.
2 Please note this joyful good news was intended by God from the outset for “all people;” that is, from every nationality, ethnicity and race beginning with Christ’s own ethnic people, Israel, as also foretold (Isaiah 49:1-6; Luke 2:10, NKJV). This Christmas season learn why as a result the American Church has sinned a great sin before the Lord tolerating and practicing racism in the midst for over 400 years by picking up a print copy of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. And beginning January 5, 2024, the E-Book version of the book will be available for purchase in your favorite digital outlets. Watch the book trailer.
3 If you are guilty of tolerating and practicing racism among all the sins that without repentance separate us from the Lord as a professed Christian, He bids you return to Him as the opportunity is presented in this Ministry’s thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on YouTube.
4 Faithful Christians must beware of today’s false prophets as those of ancient Israel who advocate for and assure God will bring peace to the world before the return of Christ contrary to His Word (Jeremiah 6:10-15, 8:8-12; Matthew 10:34-39, 24:6-7a; Luke 12:49-53, 21:9-10; Revelation 6:1-4). Christ is “peace” in the world when He returns and faithful Christians now (Micah 5:4-5; John 14:27, NKJV)! Contemporary false prophets in the pulpits and media platforms of our day like those of old present a message of human desire, not divine dictate (Jeremiah 23:16-22; Ezekiel 13:1-11).
God’s plan to save man before time and in it to announce this plainly exhibits the divine initiative to bring about such a thing as Christmas.1 After all of the many prophetic announcements and set up for His plan to save through One He would anoint contained in the Bible’s Old Testament, the time came for God’s acts to bring it into fulfillment. Through His sovereign supervision, providence and power, elect people, places and perfectly timed events unfolded in the land of Israel circa 6-4 B.C. according to historians that include a Jewish man called Matthew, an eyewitness apostle of Jesus Christ, and later, Luke, a Gentile disciple, both of whom wrote accounts of His birth.2
As led by God who established the importance of genealogies in Israel, Matthew opened his account presenting the Jewish ethnicity and royal genealogy “of Jesus Christ” from Abraham through David and his descendants up to Joseph, His surrogate father (Genesis 17:18-19; Matthew 1:1-17).3 God also had Luke give the genealogy of Christ through His mother betrothed to Joseph and a descendant of David too, that reached as a godly line He ordained all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). The genealogical credentials of Christ solidly presented, Matthew goes on to present vital details of God’s acts to bring Him safely into the world with Joseph’s obedience and cooperation.
Prominent in the acts of God Matthew reports are Mary’s troubling pregnancy as a virgin and the instructive dream He sent an angel to give Joseph. The angel urged Joseph to continue his betrothal to Mary and affirmed to him, ‘“for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” Moreover, Joseph was told by the angel his wife would deliver ‘“a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS (YESHUA), for He will save His people from their sins.’” Incredibly, Matthew declares not only that Mary’s pregnancy as a virgin exactly fulfilled the Lord’s prophetic Word, but the amazing truth that her Son is God incarnate as understood in another of His names, ‘“Immanuel,’” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25, NKJV). Christmas is about God’s acts to bring His Son into the world to save!
1 See the December 3, 2023 post, Christmas: God’s Initiative To Save, under the category, Holidays.
2 The approximate time of Christ’s birth can be deduced from details Luke gives in his account (Luke 1:1-5, 2:1-3).
3 God is the Originator of all human ethnicities (Acts 17:26). Therefore, to hate, oppress, mistreat by discrimination or any other means on the basis of ethnicity is to disparage the Creator’s good work and blessing of giving ethnic diversity to His creature! For this cause no professed Christian should be numbered among racists or anti-Semites since the Christ they claim to love is Jewish! Read the two-part Jesus: The Jewish Messiah, posted on January 28, 2014, under the category, Holi- days and the February 2, 2020 post, Ethnically Diverse Mankind Is Of God, under the categories, Black History and God’s Creatures. Also, purchase the recently released print version of my book, The Scourge Of Racism, in the Strong Man Store, all major internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores. Watch the book trailer.
As Christmas draws near this year, I am awestruck yet again by how God brought to sudden fulfillment in time what had been planned from eternity (2 Timothy 1:8-10); His work of salvation foretold by His prophets of old (Luke 1:67-75)! For Christmas from the Bible is nothing less than the simple, but profound narrative of a loving God’s next in time action step among many before with a few still coming to save His fallen creature, man, from sin, Satan and death. Among those prior steps was the never before done in history calling out of a people through whom to bring forth His chosen Deliverer (Genesis 3:14-15, 22:9-18; Exodus 3:1-10; Deuteronomy 4:32-39, 18:15-19).
Though surrounded and obscured by various Gentile secular and manmade religious cultural traditions as I was led to write in a previous post,1 if there is to be an authentic, biblical celebration of Christmas it must begin with God and the divine plan to save among fallen mankind! The divine plan designating the Son of God as mankind’s Savior was formulated before there was ever a creation because God foreknew man’s fall (Acts 2:22-24; 1 Peter 1:20-21). Many--including some Christians I have taught--struggle with this truth. They wonder, “If God knew man was going to fall, why bother to create him?” The simple answer is bound up in God’s nature and wisdom as well as man’s purpose.
“God is love,” the apostle John emphatically declares (1 John 4:8, NKJV). The visionary desire of God to create man is rooted in the very depths of divine love. Thus, the existence of man is not the result of a divine whim, afterthought or experiment. In love, God would create eternal sons to love that would love Him back in the image and likeness of the eternal Son (John 14:31; 1 John 4:19)!2 In wisdom, God knew (and now, even we know) in order for His creature to love, he must not only be equipped with the ability, but the free will to choose to do so. For this reason too, created to loyally serve God and His eternal sons, angels also have free will (Psalm 103:20-21; Hebrews 1:13-14).
The sovereign God, who knows all things, saw in advance the first man would freely choose to disobey His command and bring forth upon himself the just judgment His holy nature demanded. Since this was no experiment where God discarding the first man, would continue trying like some mad scientist until He finally created one that obeyed, in perfect love and wisdom God constructed a righteous plan to save His fallen creature. No plan was made to save disloyal angels that chose to rebel against God; they would be condemned to Hell forever without recourse (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). But from eternity God in love would show man His grace!
Here is where Christmas gets really deeply moving for me and I trust you also if in fact, you are among those saved by God’s grace through repentance and faith in the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ! While some stumble over the fact God would bother at all with constructing a plan to save fallen man, I am completely blown away by the fact His plan involved choosing to become one of us, His creature, leading to the indescribable pain, suffering and death He endured in successfully carrying it out (Isaiah 7:10-14, 53:1-9; Luke 1:26-40, 2:1-38; John 1:1-18, 3:16, 19:17-37; Hebrews 2:5-18). I am overwhelmed attempting to search out the kind of love that would do this for me!
Away from the secular commercial clamor, most significant for me as a Christian is the joyful worship of the God of my salvation; my Savior as planned, foretold and fulfilled--the powerful in simplicity real objective of Christmas! Indeed, so powerful is Christmas as the joyful worship of God in celebration of His action step to save fallen men by sending us His Son, the world has sought to diminish it with its own satanically inspired fabricated, sentimental storylines and cultural traditions which many churches of Christianity the religion of men endorse and support. To their shame and condemnation over the centuries, a great number of these have themselves offered up many complicated and heretical doctrines that corrupt the simple biblical narrative of God’s work to save.
Contending also with what he later describes as “false apostles” and “deceitful workers” as those that were phony messengers “of light” like Satan (2 Corinthians 11:12-15, NKJV), the apostle Paul strongly appeals for the Corinthians and all Christians to be faithful to our Lord Jesus; retaining “the simplicity that is in Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:1-4, NKJV). For as Paul was concerned in the first, so, it continues to happen right into this twenty-first century that professed Christians are abandoning the simplicity of God’s work to save us from our sins through the first coming of Christ Jesus. Instead, to their destruction they are going after false christs, other gospels and doctrines following deceitful spirits as foretold (Mark 13:5-6; Galatians 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).
In faith and God’s command to stand fast, however, let every aspiring strong man of God in Christ’s image proclaim and witness the truth prepared from eternity and fulfilled to his family, church and the world at Christmas (Isaiah 53:10-12; John 20:1-18; Titus 1:1-3).3 Let us also accurately teach that if all of God’s foretold action steps in His work to save us from our sins were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming, then, it must be soberly understood that every one of the remaining prophesied action steps of salvation’s consummation at His Second Coming are to be shortly fulfilled (Acts 1:4-11, 3:18-26; Hebrews 9:23-28; Revelation 1:1-8, 21:7-8)!4 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
I will take next Sunday off as part of my Christmas celebration and Lord willing, return with a final 2018 post on December 30th. Merry Christmas!
1 See the December 2014 two-part post, Culturally Conditioning the Faith, under the category, The Faith. The Church is not a creation of culture, but Christ’s called out
assembly from it (Matthew 16:13-18). Therefore, the Church is not beholding to the culture its members have assembled out of, but to Christ as His “light” exposing the
darkness and His “pillar and ground of the truth” in it (Ephesians 5:8-14; 1 Timothy 3:15, NKJV)! Because this is true, I stand by every word and Scripture cited in the
post referenced in this footnote.
2 Read the June 19, 2016 post, Eternal Sons Of God, under the category, Instruction.
3 Learn more about the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available at all major internet booksellers,
by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
4 Read Now Is The Day Of Salvation, posted December 4, 2016, under the category, Call To Repent. Also, while it is righteous not to attempt to declare a specific date or
hour of Christ’s return as He warned (Mark 13:32-37), a disservice is being done to the Body of Christ by those at this hour that say “it could be another thousand
years.” Not! The Lord also commanded us to watch for the prophetic signs He gave indicating His coming was near (Luke 21:25-36). Such signs have been breaking
out profusely since the time Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948 which itself is the greatest of them so far and confirms as foretold that the punitive dispersion
of the Jews to the nations was only to be temporary (Hosea 3; Luke 21:20-24; Romans 11:1-15, 25-36)!
Seeing actor, Will Smith, walk up on comedian, Chris Rock, and slap him in the Oscar clips seen globally was greatly disturbing though, nothing I had not ever seen before. Indeed, the imagery brought back my shame for letting my own anger best me in similar uncontrolled moments during the course of my life. Will was wrong as I was and anyone else guilty of such violence which is sin in the sight of God Almighty! For those past acts of violence and all of the other ways I still come short of the glory of God missing the mark of His perfect righteousness, I am glad Messiah Jesus came into the world to save sinners through His once for sin sacrifice as I wrote about in my last post.1
On April 10, 1977 which that year was Resurrection Sunday, I sincerely prayed with one time fellow Seaside, CA resident and lifelong family friend, momma Altamese Lee (who departed to the Lord in 2021) in her Jacksonville, FL home to receive Messiah Jesus as my Savior and Lord after attending church service. Though I came away from that prayer with all of my sin issues and shackles intact along with some doubts about what I had just done and the reality of hearing a voice in my heart I had never heard before say to me, “As your faith grows, so shall you,” I had hope maybe my life could be better than it had been when I lived without concern for being a sinner to that point.2
Now, on this Palm Sunday forty-five years later, the words of the voice I came to know as that of Messiah Jesus are continuing to be fulfilled to overflow in my life! And while I will not officially mark the day of my salvation and new birth until this upcoming Resurrection Sunday, I have already been celebrating; rejoicing with the God of my salvation in over the top gladness for the once for sin sacrifice His Son, Messiah Jesus, accomplished as the express mission and work of His first coming for me and all mankind as sinners (Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15, 19:1-10, 28-40)!3 What an awesome thing to ponder that God loves us so much He sent Messiah to save us from our sins (Romans 5.6-8).
For this cause, as the head of a Ministry by God’s appointment charged with a first priority to restore men through the Gospel as a starting point,4 I encourage Will Smith and every man including Chris Rock He makes painfully aware of our wretched condition as sinners to press hard into Messiah Jesus not only for forgiveness, but the progressive spiritual growth He leads us into over a lifetime. I am a witness that Messiah’s victory on the cross wherein He broke the power of sin can be made real by Him one sin issue and shackle at a time in our lives (Romans 6:1-14, 7:14-8:13). Not that we arrive at anything like perfection. But we “press” hard into Messiah until the day when this life ends or He returns as is our hope in Him and His perfection becomes ours (Philippians 1:3-6, 3:1-16, NKJV)!
(I will be taking Resurrection Sunday off continuing to celebrate my 45th spiritual birthday as our regular readers already know. Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on what the Lord gives me each week. He willing we see it, my next post will be on April 24th. May your celebration of what Messiah Jesus accomplished for us be fresh and refreshing with all joy in Him!)
1 See the April 3, 2022 post, Messiah Comes Twice: Once For Sin, under the category, The Faith.
2 Read the April 9, 2017 post, Forty Years A Christian, and on February 17, 2019 the post, Surrendering All To Jesus, both under the category, Glory To God!
3 This holiday season I urge you with someone you know that is unsaved to view one or both of our 30 minute videos on this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally YouTube Channel where you can be certain the biblical Gospel is presented. Stirring images of the Easter season especially punctuate the video, Hallelujah, Free!
4 Learn about Strong Man Ministries on the Ministry Web Site.
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.
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love,” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NKJV). The foregoing verses are among the final exhortations to the church at Corinth by the apostle Paul in a deeply sobering letter filled with instruction and correction. I pray these verses will find their mark in the heart of every professing Christian American that reads this blog and is searching for how to handle the morality shift of our nation that is retracting the welcome mat Christianity once had in a God pleasing way. To be sure, Paul’s exhortation does not sit well with our reflexive American cultural mind set to go on the offensive for our rights.
However, he is exhorting us to watch for something far superior to America in her best days; we are to watch for the glorious Second Coming and Kingdom of our Lord as He also taught (Matthew 24:42-44)! We are not to back up on Him in the face of opposition, but literally stand still in the faith--biblical Christianity as it is written! We are to be courageous and strong in the Lord while the opposition presses in on us laboring as aspiring strong men and great women of God in Christ’s image (Ephesians 6:10-20)! Finally, we are to do all of what we do in love--the love supernaturally supplied to us by the Holy Spirit--for fellow believers and those who hate us (Romans 5:5).
Presently, many professing Christians are not giving heed to the apostle Paul’s exhortation and have instead, chosen the American way of fighting--which in the right situation legally is not wrong. But what the Lord led me to write in 2013 about a business situation close to home here in Portland with many similar instances around the nation, I remain steadfast in conviction is not the right one to fight since discrimination violates God’s commandment to us and man’s law. Christians are not to show partiality or if you will, discriminate against someone’s person in making judgments (Deuteronomy 1:16-18; 1 Timothy 5:19-21). The subjects of the 2013 blog have since been penalized by the governing authorities for discrimination and others face similar consequences.
In this edited repost of that blog, I use the hurtful experiences I and most of those of my race with other racial minorities have had in being discriminated against in America as a backdrop to try in love to help my mostly white, conservative evangelical Christian brethren get this right going forward. Based on the Anglo-centric mail that I have received from some organizations, though, I see not only that this original word from the Lord through me as an ignorant black man was ignored, but it appears something sadly predictable as another part of the American way is occurring: discriminated against racial minority Christians are intended to be left to themselves.1 Seriously, racism to the end? Where’s the love? Even so, my God will thwart this evil too and prove His Word right (Acts 27:9-21).
Originally Posted March 3, 2013
I greatly empathize with the position Aaron and Melissa Klein who own the bakery, Sweet Cakes By Melissa here in the Portland area have taken not to bake a wedding cake for a same sex couple. They have taken this position out of the biblical conviction that such marriages are wrong which of course, I also share. However, I do not believe they or any other Christian owner of a business open to the public has the right to refuse service to those whose lifestyle they morally disagree.
It would be one thing if this were a church or para-church organization and an immoral person came in demanding that these entities violate the tenets of their faith to allow the individual to become a member, be hired or receive services formally declared to be for Christians only. However, this situation is about Christians that own a business offering services to the general public without any stated restrictions (until now). By their own admission the bakery owners have gay customers and have served them previously.
As a black American, the whole situation is a painful reminder of the evil system of discrimination in this nation that legally permitted businesses to refuse service to blacks based simply on the color of our skin. If service was offered, blacks were humiliated in having to go to the back or side doors to receive it. Many of the white business owners then were good church members and believed they stood on Christian values in their discriminatory conduct as taught and reinforced by their leadership.
In shame, even many nominal white Christians today in honesty would have to admit this kind of targeted discrimination was morally wrong and unbiblical. Yet, many have stood to support the cause of this couple’s right to unlawfully discriminate (with thanks to God and the perseverance of those in the Civil Rights Movement, discrimination in public commerce and accommodations is illegal now) against two gay customers just because they want to marry each other which all Christians with a biblical worldview agree is wrong.
In line with the thinking of the late Chuck Colson and others concerned that we Christians hold to our biblical worldview in every corner of our nation’s secular culture, we are to engage unbelievers and rebels against the divine order in a winsome way. If Christians are going to open businesses serving everyone in the general public, they can be winsome about it for example, by using tactful signage that affirms in a positive way their standing as Christians with a biblical worldview. Their lifestyle, demeanor and conversation should also reflect the joy of relationship with Christ.
Any customers that come in know that this business owner is devoted to Christ and the Word of God and most will respect that. The few who do not respect this and want the Christian business owner to provide their product or service to them should be served in the love and humility of Christ who taught us to love our enemies and healed the cut off ear of one of the men sent to arrest Him (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 22:49-51). The message on a receipt for a product or service rendered can share the Gospel or for instance, read: “Served with love from the God who loves and forgives sinners!”
As I wrote back on December 16, 2012 in the Powerlessness Of Being The Minority, Pt.1, Christians are fast becoming a despised minority in America. Christian businesses which are important and strategic outposts for the Gospel do not need to incite our future persecutors by unnecessarily breaking the law through discriminating against them at this stage of things. In short, while I commend their willingness to take a stand, this is not a Rosa Parks moment for the owners of Sweet Cakes By Melissa, other Christian business owners or Christians at large. If a Christian that owns a business open to the public cannot in good conscience serve same sex couples, close it down. Similarly, if thinking of opening a business with the same conviction, do not open it!
Truly, already Christians are being discriminated against and our values rejected by our once welcoming society (Matthew 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23). We are not to return evil for evil (Luke 6:31; Romans 12:17-21). The foretold severe persecution just for being willing to confess Christ draws near. As aspiring strong men and great women of God we will have plenty of opportunities to take a stand for Christ and I hope many will in all faithfulness and obedience (Revelation 13, 14:9-13).
1 Examine the art work, photos and primary victims displayed in a sampling of white, conservative evangelical Christian publications addressing the impact cultural change is
having on largely white evangelicals. While most assuredly I appreciate what their proclaimed intentions are, in the 21st century, to call “an oversight” the failure to in- clude the continuing fight against discrimination by all racial minorities, but especially their brothers in Christ as a related and worthy cause is beyond incredible. Of course, being the president of a small non-profit, I do also see the fundraising dollars and cents of this “oversight.” Nevertheless, I hope our Christian readers from all
backgrounds will consider donating to our Ministry because of the fair, balanced and truthful way in the Lord I deal with everybody’s stuff including my own!
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