The Scourge Of Racism
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Professing Christians that scoff at the fact fallen angels watch, stalk and hunt men to destroy their lives now and souls in Hell with them after God’s judgment (Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 20:10-15), also obviously reject that these same invisible, spirit creatures war against the followers of Christ (Ephesians 6:12). How tragic and unfortunate for these scoffers that they show themselves to be captives and enemy agents of the same creatures arguing against God’s Word plainly written by their unbelief to include those that attempt to cloak themselves behind academia and the high sounding words of theological study (2 Timothy 2:23-26).
The suffering and death the Coronavirus pandemic will have caused the world by its end is tragic. It is though, the beginning of God's next level judgments that vindicate His warnings through us crying out to the world about sin and churches their rebellion against His Word, toleration of falsehood and worldly compromises.1 Indeed, the rapidity by which the pestilence spread throughout the earth, came upon our nation and overtook my January through March 2020 posts calling yet again for repentance among guilty churches and warning of coming judgment will be among my most powerful memories of the event. As I warned in the opening of a March post, the Lord “ain’t playing.”2
God’s Coronavirus judgment among other things is to also be considered another significant paradigm shift in His program for Christians and churches of similar end as that which occurred with the Jerusalem church after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1-4). Negatively, the stoning of Stephen led to a severe persecution breaking out against the Jerusalem church causing “all” but the apostles to be “scattered” in every direction out of the city (Acts 8:1, NKJV). In the positive, the Jerusalem saints getting run out of town led to their beginning to fulfill the next phase in the Lord’s preannounced will and plan for how He was to be witnessed geographically (Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8, 8:4).
Negatively, the Coronavirus pandemic has closed the doors of many churches; some that will never open again. All Christians have suffered and suffer to various degrees through the challenges created by the pestilence; some have the illness and a relative few have died. Others are enduring the illness of loved ones sickened by the virus and the grief of loss. Many have failed the test of faith through fear in the event; some are rebounding through repentance. Some in despair walk away from churches. Others, called again to repent, continue to rebel in unbelief to their destruction shared in common with apostates who walk away from Christ never to return (Hebrews 3:7-19, 10:35-39).3
In the positive, the Lord through the Coronavirus pandemic has only mercifully chastened us to whatever extent any surviving Christian and church has suffered (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:3-11; Revelation 3:19). Guilty where sin has been involved up to the swift onset of the pestilence, the repentant and humbled are freshly giving themselves in fidelity back to God--His will, way and Word! And while a number of pastors and churches have been creatively maintaining some form of corporate connection to members in the crisis, it should be clearly understood God’s one will, way and Word as it is written involves equipping men to lead His worship at home and in His house!4
Truly, Christian men new and seasoned restored in God’s revival stemming from all of this are to be in the vanguard of a renewed and final push by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel and make disciples of the nations using mortal flesh (Matthew 24:14, 28:19-20; Mark 13:10, 16:15; Acts 26:8-20)!5 Our restored sisters are to be just as God designed: helpers and supporters of their husbands and men as they go forth (Luke 8:1-3; Romans 16:1-2); leaders in the cause to reach fellow women and children (Acts 9:36-42). If that sounds beneath you as a woman and insulting, you still need to repent from the stronghold of pride filled worldly feminism that retains its grip on your heart!
On this point as with every other matter the Bible plainly commands and teaches we should all be on one accord. For God does not have a multitude of wills, but there is only one declared consistently and without ambiguity on every issue in His Word as it is written! Passionately honoring this truth going forward as those revived by the one Holy Spirit, we fulfill Christ’s will delivered by His apostle, Paul, that walking “worthy of the calling” upon us in all “lowliness and gentleness with longsuffering” and forbearing “love” for one another, we strive hard “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” (Ephesians 4:1-3, NKJV). Over the past 500 years many professed Christians and their churches have striven for just the opposite and we see the result in ungodly divisions!6
However, if it must be as foretold that we go out as “sheep for the slaughter” for Christ’s sake, then, let us go out in unity faithfully pleasing Him and doing His will as we ought--the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in His image (Matthew 24:9-12; Romans 8:36, NKJV)!7 For “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all,” (Ephesians 4:4-6, NKJV). At the moment, we “hide” ourselves physically until the Lord’s indignation passes; laboring using media and waiting to emerge to zealously get after it (Isaiah 26:20-21, NKJV)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 God’s vindication in my lifetime of the word of warning and judgment He assigned in 1986 (Ezekiel 33:1-9) is deeply rewarding to me and I am sure all of His other
faithful servants. Many of the Bible’s prophets did not have this experience speaking as they did of events far removed into the future (1 Peter 1:10-12). To be sure,
the Lord’s vindication has nothing at all to do with those of us faithfully laboring, but a timely birth and nearness of His glorious Second Coming (Psalm 102:16; 1 Co-
rinthians 1:16-31; 2 Corinthians 10:17-18)! Glory to God!
2 See the March 15, 2020 post, Torn Between Two Masters, Pt. 1, under the category, Call To Repent.
3 Read the April 19, 2020 post, Does Anybody Repent Anymore? under the category, Call To Repent.
4 Pastor, it never did nor will it serve any good biblical end going forward to reserve the church house with its buildings and programs (which God has now, powerfully
shown He can do without and does not absolutely need especially when things are not going to be done His way) as the exclusive place of instruction, worship, fel-
lowship and ministry. In the wisdom of God from the beginning every man was assigned by Him to be the spiritual leader of his house (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-3, 21,
4:1-7, 8:20; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 1 Timothy 3:2-5, 12). While you can easily teach the men of the church you lead to do as I have instructed in the free document, Men
Leading Family Worship At Home, save yourself some time since it has already been prepared. Download it from the Strong Man Store and use it!
5 Read the more thorough six-part treatment of this reality that begins July 30, 2017, Restoring Men In the Two Minute Drill, under the category, The Cause.
6 The apostle Paul, who wrote of divisions in the church at Corinth numbering just a handful, would be astonished to find them in the tens of thousands throughout pro-
fessing global Christianity today! Too, he would marvel that few consider this state of affairs abnormal and wicked in the sight of God who now, judges; calling guilty
leaders to repentance (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-4). While Paul’s focus in the passages just cited was on divisions created by personality loyalties, all should be clear
the great apostle would not condemn them caused by the faithful standing firm in disallowing the biblically defined sin of those that insist for example, on practicing all
forms of sexual immorality--a reason God Himself will exclude all such persons from the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 6:9-20; Galatians 5:19-21).
7 I write about the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. Get a print copy or digital download of the book
at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also get a print copy in the Strong Man Store.
There is an end God has had planned before there was ever a beginning and shepherds bringing to fulfillment. That I should be alive to be as close as we are now, in the world to the day of the Lord and end of this present age abundantly foretold in Bible prophecy is exceedingly awe inspiring to me! Any of us who are faithful Christians have only one legitimate cause for sorrow about this and that is the reality not everyone we love or know will come to God’s end saved in spite of our best efforts (Jude 20-23). Truly, God’s holy wrath approaches as the destructive dawn of His eternal day and punishment of all unsaved sinners for their wicked deeds (Zephaniah 1:1-3, 14-18)!
From creation God in sovereignty has been shepherding events toward His predetermined end bound up in His Kingdom and Son, Jesus Christ, as noted in last week’s post and proclaimed by His apostles after His first century appearance (Daniel 2:44; Acts 2:22-36, 3:17-26; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Ephesians 1:3-23; 1 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 1:1-8).1 As in every generation following those days described as “the last,” ours are still an outworking of God’s plan toward His end in Christ (Acts 2:1-21; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1 John 2:18, NKJV).2 These are the last days for a number of reasons one of which is God has allocated none after to offer His gracious salvation to mankind (Titus 2:11-15).3
Bible prophecy speaks of the “latter days” or “times” which as the phrase conveys are the last part of the last days when God begins to fulfill the most severe foretold events in His prophetic plan especially His warning judgments before bringing His wrath and end to this present mortal age as we have known it (Jeremiah 30:23-24; Daniel 10:14; 1 Timothy 4:1, NKJV). Now, many professed Christians that love this present age do not want for their selfish motives to see it end. But end it must since all that has taken place after Adam’s fall during it is a wicked deviation from God’s perfect will for His creatures to be eternally together with Him as Creator (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:7-3:11, 22-24).
Foreknowing man’s fall into sin and His just consequence of separation by death from Him, love moved God to make a way before our creation to save the willing. That foretold way was the incarnation of the Word and His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die in our place to make atonement for our sins so God would be righteously free to forgive them and enable us to be reconciled to Him (Isaiah 53; John 1:1-18, 3:16-21, 36; Romans 5:6-11). The completely unselfish death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ heralded in the Gospel restored God’s original plan of eternal life and immortality for all mankind that would believe (1 Corinthians 15:45-57; 2 Timothy 1:8-12).4
The Lord Jesus waits for the end and awesome day of the Lord in Heaven with all of the saints departed to Him as we do here on earth. Among the many moving parts of His predetermined end only the Almighty God could perfectly weave together and bring about, are the foretold specific plans for His chosen Man and nation, Israel. The formal reappearance of the nation on the world stage in 1948 after nearly 1,900 years of dispersion throughout the world was the clear launch of God’s latter days since Israel is the central reason prophesied events of the end unfold as they do (Isaiah 49:1-3, 66:5-13; Zechariah 1:12-2:13; Romans 11:25-29)! To know where we are in God’s plan watch Israel!
Indeed, not only are we to watch Israel prophetically for what God is doing now and up until the very time of the end, but what He has done with them in the past “as examples” for us Christians the apostle Paul warns “upon whom the ends of the ages have come,” (1 Corinthians 10:1-11, NKJV). Thus, besides not sinning against God to avoid punishment, we are not “to put far off the day of doom” as part of God’s predetermined end pretending it may yet be thousands of years into the future as many of them did (Ezekiel 12:21-28; Amos 6:3-7, NKJV).5 Too, unlike them who did not believe their prophets we are to believe the prophecies God has given in His whole Word about these latter days we now, live through and the end (Jeremiah 19:14-20:6, 40:2-3; Luke 21:5-24, 24:13-27, 44)!6
Regarding the end, it comes with the outpouring of God’s promised wrath upon sinners who right up until that very moment refuse to accept His offer of forgiveness through repentance and faith in the Gospel. All of the plagues of climate change controlled by God including scorching heat come upon them (Revelation 14:6-7, 16:1-11). After this they even conspire to impossibly war against Him (Psalm 2:1-3; Joel 3:1-14; Revelation 16:12-16)! Having given His fallen creatures every chance to repent to no avail, God pours out His full wrath upon them and the earth (Psalm 2:4-12; Isaiah 13:6-13, 24:1-13, 17-23; Joel 3:15-17; Revelation 6:12-17, 16:17-21, 19:11-16). Only a mortal remnant from among the Jews and Gentile nations survive the end (Isaiah 10:20-23, 24:14-16; Ezekiel 7).
1 Read the July 23, 2023 post, The Nations Do Not Impress God, under the category, Call To Repent, and see the eighth footnote.
2 If Christ’s coming as the Judge was “at the door” in the first century, when do you really think it is now, nearly two thousand years removed (James 5:7-9, NKJV)?
3 Read the February 6, 2022 post, The Divine Delay, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 Through Christ, resurrection from the dead to immorality will also become the experience of all the wicked when He does this as a prelude to their final judgment and “condemnation” to Hell (John 5:24-30; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15, NKJV)! But as the apostle Paul makes clear, God has established an “order” of the resurrections (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, NKJV).
5 Many professed Christians today, not only nonchalantly kick the day of doom can down the far off in the future road, they do not want to hear about it; some even being “scoffers” with unbelievers so anchored are they into this present world and age (2 Peter 3:1-9, NKJV)! This is a grave error especially in light of the Lord’s specific command to His followers to “watch,” (Matthew 24:36-44, NKJV). All such professed Christians should watch the Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, on our YouTube Channel to hear His appeal.
6 The world has its definition of “woke,” but aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ are joyfully “awake” to the nearness of “our salvation” because of believing and doing God’s Word (Romans 13:8-14, NKJV)! To learn more, get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions 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.
The Bible’s Book of Judges chronicles historical events and the inconsistent spiritual condition of Israel in the Promised Land after the death of Joshua and before the nation was ruled by a human king. While Joshua and the generation of leaders that entered the land with him lived, the people did well but in disobedience did not subdue all of the inhabitants or their false religions (Judges 1:1-2:10). After those leaders died, the erratic faithfulness of the people to God who was their King in the midst began. When the people turned from the Lord to other gods and all manner of wickedness, He judged them with great adversity and oppression by the surrounding nations.
The last day of God’s predetermined end is also the first day of His new beginning! For the Lord Jesus Christ triumphantly declares in the face of His glorious return: ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” While presenting Himself to John He says again, ‘“I am the Alpha and the Omega’” and adds, ‘“the First and the Last,’” (Revelation 1:7-8, 11a, NKJV). Using the first and last letters Alpha and Omega from the Greek alphabet, the Lord unmistakably asserts Himself as the focal point of His Father’s eternal plan, history, the ages and paradigm shifts within, between as well as absolute authority over them!
As part of the Father’s plan from eternity, I was previously led by Him to discuss four major last day events at the end of this present world and age.1 The first event is the assemblage of Gentile nations to Israel to war against God and Christ that they lose to Him; bringing an end to the kingdoms of men. The second is the glorious Second Coming of Christ in which He immediately gathers His Church to Himself in the sky by resurrection and translation to immortal glory. This ends the Church’s mortal existence! Third, the Father pours out the fullness of His wrath upon sinful mankind ending this wicked age. Fourth, Christ captures and imprisons Satan ending his world rule.
The glorified Church of Christ that experienced an end (of death, suffering and mortality) on this last and also new beginning of God’s planned eternal day are the first to enjoy it as a next event.2 This, as we take the reins of global authority and reign with Christ in the aftermath of His victorious war of the ages (Daniel 7:23-27; Haggai 2:20-23; Zechariah 12:1-9, 14:1-5, 12-15; Revelation 5:8-10, 14:14-20)!3 Afterward, on this unique “day” where the glory of Christ is literally “the light of the world,” the topography of Jerusalem and its environs will continue to be transformed by His presence and purposeful power in restoration and new creation as foretold (Zechariah 14:6-11; John 9:1-7, NKJV).4
The physical makeover of Jerusalem and surrounding topography are all part of God’s planned new beginning for the land and people of Israel under Christ as King (Isaiah 35:1-7, 65:17-25; Ezekiel 36:1-15; Joel 3:17-21; Amos 9:11-15)! As is the prerogative of any king, Christ the King of Israel will choose and build up Jerusalem as His capital city and claim “Judah as His inheritance,” (Psalm 48:1-3; Zechariah 1:14-17, 2:1-13, 8:1-3, NKJV). Simultaneous to His restoration of the land, Christ will institute God’s new beginning for Israel’s elect mortal remnant in the land and scattered throughout the earth. He will ‘“whistle for…gather…’” and ‘“redeem them,’” (Zechariah 8:4-8, 10:6-12, NKJV).
He will do this because Christ is Israel, the consummate Israelite who came and comes to rescue His people from all of their enemies beginning with sin, death and Satan (Isaiah 49:1-3; 61:1-3; Hosea 11:1, 13:4-14; Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-15; Mark 10:32-45, 15; Colossians 2:13-15). Rejected by their religious leaders and larger body of Jews of that day, the Lord’s labor seemed inconsequential. However, His Father’s plan called for the Gospel of salvation through repentance and faith in Him to be preached in all the world as it has now, for nearly two thousand years; saving millions of souls among Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 49:4-7; Luke 24:36-49; Acts 1:6-8, NKJV)!
Even so, at the end Israel as His ethnic people and nation are still in God’s plan of salvation, though they are only a tiny remnant when the time comes because of the punishment of their sins. That this is the biblical case is foretold by nearly all of the writing prophets beginning with Moses, Christ Himself and His faithful apostle to us Gentiles, Paul (Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah 35:8-10, 42:16-17, 49:8-13; Jeremiah 30:1-3, 10-11, 18-22; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 13:34-35; Romans 11:25-27). As His people gather to Him from all over the world beginning on that last day of the end, the Father’s gracious outpour of the Holy Spirit upon them will bring all to repentance and grief as they behold the glory of Christ their King (Zechariah 12:10-13:1; Acts 2:1-37, 3:17-21, NKJV).
In accord with the terms of His New Covenant God promised Israel, He will forgive and “cleanse” away their sins in which initially rejecting Christ is chief.5 Too, He will put the Holy Spirit within them (Jeremiah 31:31-34, 32:36-41, 33:8; Ezekiel 36:16-28; Micah 7:14-20, NKJV). As well, God will remove their tears and prosper the remnant of Israel as never before under Christ their King (Isaiah 4:2-6, 11:11-16, 30:18-26; Jeremiah 23:5-8; Ezekiel 36:29-38; Malachi 4:1-3).6 Christ will also be their High Priest and rebuild the Temple, the place of His glorious residence (Isaiah 11:10, 60:1-7, 13-14; Ezekiel 40:1-4, 43:1-10; Haggai 2:7-9; Zechariah 3:6-10, 6:9-15, 14:16-21). This first part to God’s new beginning in His eternal day continues 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6).
1 Read the August 6, 2023 post, The Last Day Of The End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
2 What a surpassingly great joy the dawn of the day of the Lord will be for every saint after having obediently stood to the end enduring everything this present world and age ruled by Satan hurled at us in troubles, hardships, adversities, afflictions and persecutions through His strength (Ephesians 6:10-18)! There will be some serious shouting in the clouds!
3 See the two-part February 13, 2022 post, War Of The Ages End, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
4 The ground shifting changes occurring in Jerusalem and its surrounding countryside due to the presence and purposeful acts of power by Christ mirror what has already taken place over the entire earth in the face of the Father’s global quake that completely transforms its topography at once (Isaiah 13:13, 24:1-3, 17-20, 40:3-5; Revelation 16:17-20)!
5 At this important, God appointed time, He has led this Ministry to produce the thirty minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, viewable on YouTube. He wants to do for you in need, O professed Christian, what He does for the remnant of Israel in the day very near: forgive and cleanse you of your sins (Zechariah 1:3-4). Lacking a presence among the elect remnant of Israel or “holiness,” “no one will see the Lord” without eternal grief (Hebrews 12:14, NKJV). I urge you to take the time to watch the video.
6 Please note in Ezekiel 36:37-38 God allows Himself to be petitioned by the elect remnant of Israel for an increase in men He answers in the affirmative. Why is this so im- portant God specifically states it in His restoration plan? Hint: men from creation have been foundational to God’s positive plans for mankind! Consequently, you can be- lieve Christ will restore God's order of mankind currently being trampled on by the world and many professed Christians in their churches! This prophecy is sweet vindica- tion to me and Strong Man Ministries now, with His assigned mission to restore men, their families and communities that also gave rise to my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. Get it in the Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Editions in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
Reflecting on the past year of writing the Strong Man Of God Blog, I am thankful to God to have served you in serving His purpose to stir up willing Christians to His cause to restore men and more accurately discern where we are at prophetically. The six blog July 30-September 3 series, “Restoring Men In The Two Minute Drill” capped off the focused effort that began with my first post of 2017. Out of His persistent love, grace and mercy, of course, God is not done speaking through me on these matters since my calling in major part as a watchman/prophet, the cause and work of the Ministry I lead are inextricably bound up together by Him (2 Chronicles 36:15-16; Luke 1:17; Acts 11:27-30).
I greatly rejoice that men wiser than I have been used of God in these latter days to also stir up the Body of His Son. One such man was Chuck Colson who was not as biblically audacious as me to consider his contribution to be from a calling to the prophetic office--though, certainly besides being an excellent evangelist, apologist for and teacher of the faith, he spoke to my heart as one; burdened as he was for us to understand the times. This edited 2012 blog repost is my tribute to Chuck Colson in gratitude for how his writings such as the book I name in it impacted me and follows appropriately after my November 12 post under the category, Bible Prophecy, “God’s Throwaways?”
Originally Posted October 21, 2012
With all due honor to the memory of Chuck Colson who with Nancy Pearcey wrote the 1999 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. book, How Now Shall We Live?, this blog is similarly titled. I was gifted a copy of and read the nearly five hundred page work I believe contains one of the stellar, biblically solid evangelical voices of our time that will echo in the ears of the saints as darkening days continue to press in upon us. Brother Colson departed home to the Lord back in April of this year and left us many great incisive and urgent works of exhortation and instruction on living out the Christian faith with a biblical worldview in an increasingly overtly hostile world and American society.
I reference Colson and Pearcey’s, How Now Shall We Live? in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics in discussing how fathers as teachers must be intentional to demonstrate what they teach in a post-modern culture where absolute truth is no longer accepted. Colson was right in this work and so many others to warn us about the dangers of navigating this world in rebellion without a biblical worldview. He was also right to appeal for us to get our act together. Instead of hunkering down in fear waiting for "the rapture" or to suffer as the end approaches, engage our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors that are still a mission field as the culture.
Truly, we are commissioned by our Lord to preach the Gospel and be faithful to Him to the end (Matthew 28:19-20). The Lord had to know and did; warning His apostles and us that times such as we now live in and worse would come (Mark 13:9-13; Luke 23:26-31; John 15:18-16:4). How then should we live? God is calling for Christian men and women to become strong men and great women of God in the image of Jesus Christ not because it sounds cute, but because this is the only kind of Christian the Bible has only ever presented to begin with and that will accomplish His purposes; standing by faith and faithful to the end (Matthew 16:24-27; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-16; Hebrews 11-12:2; Revelation 12:7-11)!
This call from God is obviously being made because just as the many churches have watered down the Gospel and salvation, so they have also invented their own kind of Christian foreign to the Bible. I am deeply humbled as I understand the true weightiness of the strong man of God message and cause in terms of potential impact on Christians in distilling into action the Word of God along with the work of Chuck Colson and others of our time. For the moment has come to move beyond the philosophical and analytical into the battlefield of day to day experience. Aspiring strong men and great women of God are persons completely sold out with godly hearts aflame to please Him in all obedience to His whole will, way and Word!
Only they are equipped to engage first the churches in confronting the sin and worldly compromises among those professing to be Christians--plucking some from Hell’s fire (James 5:19-20; Jude 20-23). Second, only they will care enough to engage the hostile culture bearing the cost, yet winning many souls to Christ and leaving an enduring witness to the glory of God in these latter days. A major part of their engagement in both camps is the restoration of men, families and communities to the extent our gracious God permits. Get my book inspired of the Holy Spirit, drawn from the Bible and built on the foundational work of Christians such as Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey to learn more about what is involved in becoming a strong man or great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ.1
1 The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available at all major internet booksellers and in the Strong Man Store.
What a joy for me as a Christian: it’s Christmas Eve! Above any other presents on Christmas, I will rejoice afresh over God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, given to me and all mankind over 2,000 years ago I received personally on April 10, 1977 (Isaiah 9:6-7)! God’s gift of His Son must be received on purpose by faith to be unwrapped into salvation. As the Lord leads me to write in this edited 2013 repost, choosing God’s gift of His Son is to do so in the midst and to the exclusion of all other ostensible gods, religions and ways to God. Reflect and rejoice if you have received God’s gift of His Son; be challenged to receive Him if not. Lord willing, my next post will be on January 7, 2018. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Originally Posted December 1, 2013
The times we live in spiritually are not unlike those in the first century A.D. Then as now there were thousands of religions that featured the worship of unseen spirits as well as images and statues representing men, women, animals, celestial bodies, things of earth’s natural order and man’s creative invention. Then as now the religions spanned the spectrum from moral restraint to complete license including all manner of sexual immorality. Then as now, men made choices as to which if any of all the religions they would embrace. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was introduced then and remains as the exclusive message from the living God summoning men to relationship with Himself.
As the apostle Paul waited in the great city of Athens, Greece many students of the New Testament believe sometime between 49 and 52 A.D., “his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols,” (Acts 17:16, NKJV). Rather than immediately attacking the idolatry which God in His longsuffering forbearance has temporarily permitted, he began to share the Gospel with Jews and Gentile converts to Judaism (who had in common with him a belief in the God of the Bible as it existed then as the Old Testament) and in the public marketplace. Some philosophers invited him to share more in a place called “Mars’ Hill” (Acts 17:17-21, NKJV).
On this platform where all new religious ideas and philosophies were given a hearing, Paul commended how ‘“religious’” the Athenians were in that they even had an altar dedicated ‘“TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.’” The Athenians and others were hedging their religious bets and covering their bases in presenting this altar among the thousands of idols, religions and philosophies of that day. Many today are attempting the same kind of approach by affiliating themselves with multiple faiths citing similarity of teaching and tolerance. After this, the great apostle of the Lord declared, ‘“Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you,’” (Acts 17:22-23, NKJV).
Paul goes on to depict God the way He speaks of Himself in Scripture as the Creator and Lord of the heavens, earth and everything in it including man from whom He needs nothing (Genesis 1:1, 1:26, 2:7; Isaiah 42:5, 45:18; Acts 17:24-25). From the one man, Adam, created in the image and likeness of God, God made every race and tribe of men who live before Him as image bearing offspring--though that image has been marred; felled by sin (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-11, 17-19, 22-24; Acts 17:26-28). Because men are the created offspring of the living God, Paul asserts they certainly should not "think" to devise art images or craft inanimate objects from earth’s substances to represent His nature (Acts 17:29, NKJV).
The Jewish apostle to non-Jews declares the idols, religions and philosophies of man’s devising; ‘“these times of ignorance God overlooked’” have come to an end spiritually speaking and in days soon to come, all dimensions of existence. For God ‘“now commands all men everywhere to repent’” and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ--that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and on the third day after rose again--so that He might righteously forgive our sins and cause us to escape the Day of His wrath to be brought by Christ which His resurrection from the dead guarantees (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11)! This is that same Jesus; God in the flesh born at Bethlehem in Israel who Christians celebrate at Christmas (Luke 2:1-20; John 1:1-18)!
The Lord Jesus Himself declares, ‘“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,’” (John 14:6, NKJV). Consistent with the Ten Commandments, He taught redeemed men are to ‘“love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,’” (Deuteronomy 5:6-10, 10:12-13; Mark 12:29-30, NKJV). Surely, this is the heart of every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ!1 For a man to love and honor anyone including his parents, wife, children, siblings, his life or anything more than Jesus Christ is idolatry and disqualifies him from being His disciple (Luke 9:18-26, 14:25-26; John 14:15).
Similarly, the Lord also taught that a servant cannot be fully devoted to two masters. Both would rightly require love and loyalty. But because the servant is not able to give total love and loyalty to both masters, he ends up hating and despising one of them (Luke 16:13). There is also the matter of mental health consequences since James later writes, “a double-minded man” is “unstable in all his ways,” (James 1:8, NKJV). All of the first century Spirit-filled apostles of the Lord fully devoted themselves in love to and faithfully preached the Gospel about Him. They were also willing to suffer and die standing on the truth that the name of Jesus was the only name by which men can be saved from the coming wrath of God (Acts 4:1-22, 5:12-42).
Therefore, while God has given free willed men the privilege to choose if they will obey the Gospel and be saved or not, He does not allow a man to hedge his religious bets to serve Him and other gods too in that demon inspired Athenian spirit. He calls everyone to make a choice: Christ or the gods, religions and philosophies of men? In the likeness of Joshua, every aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ elects to serve Him alone understanding the ‘“gate”’ to eternal life is not wide, but narrow and sparsely populated (Joshua 24:14-15; Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV)! Such men also rejoice in having made the right decision seeing by faith the aftermath of God’s Day of wrath foretold in His Word (Psalm 96-98; Zechariah 14:9). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, “Who is on the Lord's side?”
1 Learn more about the heart of the aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, available at all major internet booksellers and in the Strong Man Store.
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