The Scourge Of Racism
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(As the Lord has led, I am going to take some time off from my joyful labor in the Word this upcoming Sunday for Labor Day. May your Labor Day be pleasant and restful! My next new post--Lord willing--will appear on Tuesday, September 2nd). In the midst of the steadily increasing rebellion of the world and many professing Christians in their churches where loyalty to Christ is wickedly equivocated with and measured by the mandated deeds of manmade Christianity the religion, I rejoice to write to the Church. These are the faithful saints, aspiring strong men and great women of God that in obedience to Scripture conduct themselves righteously before and make up the "church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth," (1 Timothy 3:15, NKJV). Hallelujah! As there has always been since men came to be on the earth, so, there is now a remnant standing faithful and remaining true to God. To this remnant scattered across the globe in churches large and small, seen and unseen; some for now serving in lives of abundance, others persecuted, on the run, in hiding, hungry, thirsty and enduring unjust incarceration, I write as God has given unction to encourage us. He, who foretold the character and major trends of these latter days through Israel's prophets, Christ and His apostles and prophets for our benefit among His reasons, has not forgotten us who cling to Him in earnest, persevering faith. Think on it deeply: we are "the church of the living God" that has been brought together through faith in Christ to be of God's household and family (Ephesians 2:11-22, 3:14-21). On the earth now and forever we stand as the singular pillar and foundational ground of the truth--Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who declared without apology: "I am the way, the truth (emphasis mine), and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," (John 14:6, NKJV). We have been tasked to proclaim the Gospel and witness about Him until He returns (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). He warned us that His coming would be preceded by great upheaval among men (to include hatred and persecution of us) and in the creation. These are intensifying birth pains leading to the unprecedented paradigm shift of the arriving Kingdom of God in Christ (Luke 21:7-28)! We must not grow weary at this moment since the travails foretold for the Church in these latter days has really only just begun. God has permitted that the violent hatred and persecution experienced by our brothers and sisters in only certain parts of the world today, shall become the experience of all before the Lord's return (Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17). Why? Because we are identified and one with Christ. Since the world hates the Lord, they hate us too (John 15:18-25, 17:20-23). The Father has also ordained that as Christ suffered for us, so, we are privileged to suffer for His cause in the Gospel (Acts 14:21-22; Philippians 1:27-30; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12). Such biblical talk is folly to those now participating in the escalating, foretold "falling away" from the faith seen in the rebellion against God's Word and order among many professing Christians in their churches (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV). For this reason, we call for soul deep repentance among these rebels and petition our God for the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit so urgently needed to revive even those hearts growing weary and discouraged within the ranks of the faithful. The Spirit's reviving fire will renew the persevering resolve of the faithful to endure and also re-energize our efforts to fulfill our part in the Gospel's global proclamation (Matthew 24:13-14). A Christian music group called Rend Collective captured in a catchy, upbeat 2012 song entitled, Build Your Kingdom Here, what should be the yearning heart of every professing Christian that understands our need for revival at this hour. The words of the first verse are: Come set Your rule and reign in our hearts again. Increase in us we pray; unveil why we're made. Come set our hearts ablaze with hope like wild fire in our very souls. Holy Spirit invade us now. The first chorus is: We are Your church; we need your power in us. The second and third choruses respectively are: We are Your church; we pray revive and We are Your church; we are the hope on earth. We are "the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth!" Revived in the Spirit's fire, the Church armed with the Holy Scripture is the world's last mortal human source of hope to hear of the grace and mercy of God proclaimed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:14-16; Philippians 2:13-16; Revelation 14:6-7). Though impostor, religionist, rebel and apostate Christians betray us to the death; though the whole world hate and seek to destroy our numbers from the earth, a blessed faithful remnant will yet stand strong to the very end testifying to the awesome greatness of our God (Matthew 5:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 14:8-13, 16:12-16)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
Following up my last post in the Good News and compassion of Jesus Christ who judges and is coming to judge (Psalm 96),1 I see fields of men in our nation still ripe for harvest at this hour!2 The lack of laborers He observed in first century Israel remains valid in our land today as does His remedy to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest,” (Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 10:2, NKJV). The Lord immediately appointed laborers He sent out to the harvest (Matthew 10:1-16; Luke 10:1, 3-16). However, in our day not only are the laborers few, but biblically sound churches where men made Christ’s disciples can be sent for proper equipping as men and laborers of God’s design!
This is a great evil! Like the literal fields of ripened produce that rot where they stand because of not being harvested, so, many men in our nation marginalized by secular society and numerous local churches following after it rather than Christ are perishing daily where they stand. Where I live here in Portland, Oregon is no exception. Our city is globally known for lawless streets not just due to a lack of police officers who are doing their best in the situation, but the widespread darkness that fills many hearts separated from the “light of life” in Christ Jesus (Mark 7:21-22; John 8:12, NKJV). This reality is “spiritually discerned” and why unsaved city leaders don’t get it (1 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV)!
I will never be made to understand why so many professed Christian church leaders within the city limits don’t get it either and are powerless in the face of the darkness having its way except to the extent they are afraid or part of the problem. Jesus is Lord of His Church! Since when do those assembled to Him as Lord fear the darkness or look to “an arm of flesh” for leadership to stand against it (2 Chronicles 32:1-8, NKJV)?3 They do not look to the Lord as they ought because they are alienated from Him through their corrupt compromises with the darkness or how is it that the biblical Gospel of repentance from sin and faith in Him is no longer preached for salvation by not a few?
How is it too, what Christ has commanded His followers to do in the Bible is not done (Matthew 28:18-20) or God’s creation of man as male and female and order of mankind in roles He designed abandoned (1 Corinthians 11:1-3; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7)? I know of not one church in this city that I can safely send men and boys led to Christ that will teach them biblical manhood; their roles and responsibilities in a biblical worldview.4 If you are out there, reach out to me with men for the sake of working together under the leadership of Christ to help deliver men in our city from hearts overcome by darkness through preaching of the biblical Gospel and witnessing of Him!
Using men as laborers to reach men and the world with the Gospel is the example and intended enduring primary methodology of Christ recorded in the Gospels (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-51, 20:19-23). He hand-picked no women to represent Him as apostles nor were any displayed in all of the rest of the New Testament. The Lord’s exclusive use of men in the apostolic mission and leadership of those assembled to Him as His Church had nothing to do with chauvinism or any notion of innate male superiority, but their suitability according to His election of order and roles of His design from creation as sovereign Creator (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7-8, 18-25; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, 14:34-37; 1 Timothy 2:11-13)!5
While the foregoing offends the rebel feminist men and women in and outside of professing Christianity who have abandoned the Lord’s Word and its purposeful examples during these latter days, it and He remain unchanged (Psalm 119:89; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8)! Therefore, without repentance by guilty professed Christian leaders and churches, as the Lord led me to write similarly in another post their labor in cooperation with secular allies will continue to be ineffective at diminishing the lawless violence and murder by those with sin darkened hearts prevalent in the city.6 Meanwhile, let any churchless or otherwise interested Christian man in Portland reading this that is zealous for the Lord and His causes reach out to me for instruction, fellowship and ways to serve Him with us!7
1 Read the August 7, 2022 post, Saving Souls Not Nations, under the category, The Cause.
2 My phrase, “still ripe for harvest” reflects all of my Holy Spirit led intentional labor to restore men beginning with preaching the Gospel and witnessing Christ to them since 1998. See the July 9, 2017 post, Laboring To Restore Men, under the category, The Cause.
3 Consulting with and relying on human wisdom, efforts and power to engage the darkness as only the Church of Jesus Christ has uniquely been equipped and empowered by Him to do is a sure sign of spiritual impotency at best, apostasy at worst; either is characteristic of those practicing Christianity as manmade religion (Luke 10:17-20; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)!
4 The subtitle of my book, “Back To Basics” is a summons to return to and gives biblical instruction on God’s mortal order of mankind as well as male and female roles from creation! The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
5 Read the June 2017 posts presenting the value of men.
6 See the August 12, 2018 repost from 2012, Curtailing Gang Violence, under the category, Call To Repent.
7 We are always on the lookout for Christian men on fire for the Lord that are wanting to serve Him outside of the limiting box of manmade religion that exists in too many churches! Express your Portland area interest in connecting with this Ministry to me using our information e-mail address, info@thestrongmanofGod.org.
Today is Pentecost calculated by Western Christianity as fifty days after the Sunday of our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead and return to Heaven to be glorified. As the Father promised, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit on this occasion to come upon and indwell His disciples He had commanded them to wait to receive in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49-53; John 7:37-39, 14:15-17, 20:19-23; Acts 1:4-14). Accordingly, when the Holy Spirit dramatically arrived on Pentecost among around 120 of Christ’s disciples assembled to Him, He came upon and filled them giving birth to the Church the Lord builds, not sinful, mortal flesh as an historic and ongoing falsehood (Acts 1:15, 2:1-4)!
This day then, is the birthday of the Church of Jesus Christ He plainly declared, ‘“I will build,’” (Matthew 16:16-18, NKJV). His intention to be actively engaged in His building project is asserted after His resurrection in the many commands and instructions given to the apostles; ending one instance stating, ‘“…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age,’” Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV). He also made it very clear who the converts to faith in Him belonged to as He commanded Peter to ‘“Feed My lambs,’” ‘“Tend’” and ‘“Feed My sheep,’” (John 21:15-17, NKJV). On Pentecost and going forward, Christ began building His Church (ex. Acts 2:5-47, 4:1-4, 5:14, 6:7, 9:31-43)!
The Christian and Jewish calculations of Pentecost which means fiftieth in Greek differ due to dating methods. Interestingly, it is also known as The Feast Of Weeks or Harvest and was instituted by God as one of seven required feasts for the Jews to observe (Leviticus 23). Shavuot in Hebrew was also one of three feasts that all of the males were to assemble “before the Lord,” (Exodus 23:14-17, 34:18, 22-24, NKJV). The feast celebrated the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. Prophetically in the commanded wave offering of the feast, the priests offered two loaves of bread “baked with leaven” always associated with sin and picturing Jew and Gentile as the Church (Leviticus 23:17, NKJV).1
Despite being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the reality of Christ’s mortal Church He builds on earth is that sin still resides in us even though He made perfect atonement for it. My continual praise to God the Father with thanksgiving is that He keeps on forgiving our sins as we confess and repent from them according to His plan from eternity and righteousness to do so through the finished work of Christ until we depart to Him or He returns to perfect us (1 John 1:5-2:2, 3:1-3)! Too, all throughout history some as gullible brethren, impostors, dead religionists, rebels and apostates used of Satan have dwelt in the midst of the mortal Church (2 Corinthians 11:1-21; Galatians 2:1-5; Titus 1:10-16).
Knowing the reality of sin in His mortal Church, the Lord and His apostles gave warning and instructions about how to deal with it and wicked infiltrators of its authentic local assemblies (Matthew 18:15-20; Romans 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 5; Titus 3:9-11; 2 John 7-11).2 Now, this all presumed such men were not pastors, elders and other leaders in the main! For we are to submit to and obey “overseers” the Holy Spirit assigns to lead us who do the same toward Christ the Head of His Church “as those who must give account;” following their instruction and example (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1-4, NKJV).
However, when these men are “savage wolves” as foretold and readily identifiable by their failure to submit to and obey “the whole counsel of God” embodied in His written Word if one knows it through regular, fruitful study, we are not expected by the Lord to follow them to their certain destruction without repentance (Acts 20:25-27, 29-31; Philippians 3:17-19; 1 Timothy 5:17-22; 2 Peter 2; Jude 3-19; Revelation 18:1-4, NKJV).3 Yet, because many do not study God’s Word or really care about what it says as gullible brethren, impostors, dead religionists, rebels and apostates in their assemblies of manmade Christianity the religion, the savage wolves devour them by every carnal means as they build their doomed made to order churches (Habakkuk 2:12-14; Revelation 18:5-8)!4
Some have deluded themselves into believing the means however unbiblical with marketing gimmicks and entertainment is justified by the end of multiple church campuses and large numbers filling Sunday services.5 Others are well intended in their desire to make the local church appealing to the surrounding community and culture to attract prospective members. They do so though, by purposely choosing not to preach or obey God’s whole Word; allowing women for example, to take authority over the men (1 Timothy 2:11-15).6 But on this birthday of His Church, the Lord reminds all He is her Builder, not sinful, mortal men with their selfishly ambitious visions, plans and failures.7 Faithful believers are only granted the privilege of working alongside of Him as He does the building!
1 See The Feasts of the Lord, Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville 1997, 22, 89-100. The Lord used the two authors to fully open my eyes about this prophetic assertion of Jew and Gentile assembled before Him as wheat in a future harvest of souls pictured in the Old Testament’s Feast Of Weeks. They fur- ther well present His work as the Messiah to make it so in the New Testament citing the “mystery” of His Church revealed and explained by the Jewish apostle Paul (Ephesians 2:11-3, NKJV).
2 Read the two-part post beginning January 5, 2020, Revelation’s Seven Churches In Time, under the category, Bible Prophecy. The Lord leads me to make it clear in this post that membership in a local church is not necessarily equal to membership in His Church!
3 No professed Christian that knowingly followed and endorsed church leaders in their disobedience to God’s written Word will be able to claim innocence before the Lord in the Judgment. You had a choice (1 Timothy 5:24-25; James 4:17)! A Christian that will recognize and faithfully stand against evil in these latter days must know the whole Word of God attained through the spiritual discipline of Bible study and understanding He provides! To help you, the Lord has led me to produce the Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course now, featured on our Strong Man Virtual Institute’s YouTube Channel. The video course and optional Study Guide is available for free download in the Strong Man Store. It replaces and expands upon the one sheet free document download this Ministry formerly offered.
4 See the September 27, 2015 post, Empire Building On God’s Program, under the category, Call To Repent. Many of those that build their made to order churches today are of my baby boomer generation that stayed put under the tutelage of corrupt and compromising leaders building theirs back in the day I said nothing about in a recent post--read the March 27, 2022 post, No Baby Boomer Free Lunch, under the categories Biblical Worldview and Call To Repent. They stuck with the manmade religious systems of rules, rituals, priorities and activities in Christianity the religion and paid their dues. But if the religious systems of manmade Christianity the religion are cor- rupt, what really has been achieved in the sight of Christ who judges in accord with righteousness (Isaiah 11:3-5; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46-49, 12:35-48)?
5 Read the September 16, 2018 post, Justifying The Means By The End, under the category, Instruction.
6 If God in His Word commands the leadership of men as pictured in His perpetual requirement on Pentecost of three times a year they were to assemble to Him in Israel, then, by what authority are guilty pastors and elders rejecting it? The Lord leads me to deal with this willful act of disobedience nullifying His commandment (1 Corinthians 14:34-37) in many blog posts (type “feminism” into the blog search window). I also address the issue in my book, The Strong Man Of God Back To Basics. It is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
7 Operating in the flesh as it is, no one should really be surprised at the extent to which pastors of churches large and small are falling like dominoes in moral failures and ethical scandals particularly those that enabled them as objects of their idolatrous worship; the cult of personality worship saturating the surrounding culture extant in the churches too!
With the Lord, I find sadly humorous those professing Christian leaders that exalt and admire the Old Testament prophets for their at times very harsh rebuke of Israel in sin who then turn around and condemn the contemporary prophets in this New Testament era sent to them for so easily finding critical things to say about the churches in sin declaring, “God is about love.” Hypocrites! Most assuredly “God is love” (1 John 4:8, NKJV), but He is also holy, righteous and just and therefore, judges sin wherever it is found including among those who profess to know Him as His people (Hebrews 10:30-31).
It is because God loved Israel that He sent the prophets to warn them of His judgment for their sins if they might repent, but they did not (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). It is because God loves sinners that He sent Christ into the world to die for our sins so that those who believe might be removed from eternal condemnation on the condition of their continuing faith and mutual love motivated obedience (John 3:16-21, 5:24, 14:19-24; 1 John 3:4-9). Otherwise, there is no other remedy for practicing sinners whether they never place faith in Christ or “draw back” from it in disobedience (John 8:21-24; Hebrews 10:26-29, 35-39, NKJV). Even so, our gracious God is ready to forgive the repentant!
Not the proud man who stubbornly resists admitting he has been wrong, but it is the man who humbles himself in brokenness and repentance from his sins that enjoys God’s grace in forgiveness (Psalm 32:1-5, 51:16-17; Proverbs 3:34; Isaiah 57:15; James 4:4-10; 1 Peter 5:5-6). If you, Christian leader that is guilty, will not repent seeking to save face among other reasons in the flesh, be reminded that knowing the right thing to do, but refusing to do it is sin (James 4:17). Also, as you have no doubt proclaimed to others, pride and haughtiness precede destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Know too for a certainty that God has warned and called you to repentance through this His servant and yours in the 2013 blog series on worship and this edited epilogue He led me to post. As a result, I fulfill the ministry He in love for you called me to (Ezekiel 33:1-11; Romans 12:3-8; 2 Timothy 4:1-5)!
Originally Posted September 29, 2013
In wrapping up the series of blogs the Lord led me to write entitled, Worshipping God Without God beginning September 8, 2013 there were a number of things that were left unsaid that I now present in a series of short statements.
To the triune God, Maker of the heavens and the earth, my God, my hope, my joy and my life; to You be my heartfelt worship, praise and adoration for all of who You are and all of your goodness to me both now and forever--Amen! Father, there is no one greater! Lord Jesus, my Savior and Champion: how awesome You are and pleased I am to praise You forever as one eternally grateful for your work to save a wretch like me! Holy Spirit, my constant Companion and Helper: thank You for bringing the love of the triune God to me and making possible my expression of it back to You! O God, you deserve so much better than what You are being offered as worship from us on earth.
To my Jewish brothers in Christ for whom I rejoice and am well pleased to be among and share as a Gentile in God’s salvation through grace by faith effected as of a first priority for you (Romans 1:16): you are of God’s continuing elect of your people since the earliest Jewish disciples that have enjoyed the initial realization of His promises in Christ (Romans 11:1-15) who is the Son of God and David soon to return to sit on His throne at Jerusalem (Psalm 110:1-2; Matthew 22:41-46).
As He spoke to the woman at the well “salvation is of the Jews,” so is everything pertaining to it historically (John 4:22; Romans 9:1-5, NKJV) and in the prophetic future yet to be fulfilled through Christ that true worshippers among the Gentiles celebrate with you (Isaiah 49:22-23; Zechariah 8:20-23). To the extent this is not true among any Gentiles professing to be Christians, forgive their willful ignorance and very importantly, do not compromise what you know is right from God’s Word following after their corruptions especially in worship! Instead, you who have suffered double persecution, lead the way before us in what pleases God through your obedience as did your first century Jewish predecessors, the Lord’s apostles most prominent among them (Revelation 3:7-9).
To my white brothers especially of Conservative Evangelicalism who are guilty not as you judge, but God: loving me and all of your black brothers has not been given to you as an option by God. It is commanded! Therefore, all failure to love your brothers in the Body of Christ is willful disobedience. As a result, your covert racism toward black Americans (trotting all over the third world helping and taking pictures with Africans and other people of color does not remove your guilt) causes you not only to continue to offer up polluted worship to God that is rejected, but many professors of Christ among you have died and will die entering eternity without Him because of clinging to it (Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 3:10-15).
Also, the love Christ commands is not to be just words spoken insincerely in theory, but backed up by deeds (1 John 3:16-24). Repent now so God may send Holy Ghost revival that will supply His love to the many cold, dead hearts unable to love your brothers of color as equals and on an equal basis as you love yourselves. Nevertheless, many that read this will perish refusing to obey the call to repentance because it is coming from a black man. Surely, God is wise in all of His ways (Proverbs 27:12)!
To my black brothers in all of the major denominations caught up in Christianity the religion of men passed down to you by your former masters who are guilty: you pride yourselves on being free from the control of white men. So then, who is now holding you captive to carry on all of your traditional practices that cancel out obedience to the Word of God as it is written and pollute your world renowned, enthusiastically offered worship to God; worship which only pleases you and those entertained by all of your performance not God? While it is true from God’s Word that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17, NKJV), the Spirit will never sanction sin or lead God’s people to sin in offering worship polluted through disobedience (1 John 1:5-7).
If you are truly free in Christ, then realize you are free to serve Him faithfully and obediently as a lifestyle of worship as He requires and not just a Sunday only affair where performers help you get your happy on! Also, our Christian slave forefathers learned singing to God lifts burdened hearts not as some cathartic release induced by the singing itself, but through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in faith filled hearts fulfilling the words of Christ found in Matthew 11:25-30. Repent, therefore, from your “old time religion,” wicked ways practiced even on Sunday and any bitterness of heart toward your white brothers in Christ which has already sent many to Hell, so you may offer up an authentic worship to God (Mark 11:25-26; Hebrews 12:12-17).
Finally, to my sisters in Christ who are guilty especially those of my own race and culture that beyond question have all of the right stuff in spiritual fervor and leadership skills to lead anybody’s worship of God: repent and voluntarily relinquish your leading of the worship of the whole church! Remember the divine response to Miriam when she challenged the leadership calling of her brother, Moses, and Sapphira when she blindly followed in the sin of her husband (Numbers 12; Acts 5:1, 7-10).
Your fervor for God, desire and ability to lead His worship is not somehow wasted because He has not elected you to lead the whole church in usurpation of men whom He has chosen. Thinking like this comes from the sinful flesh; a desire to be seen and heard by mortal flesh rather than the eternal God who has put His holy fire in you and called you to honor Him first with submission in this present age (Luke 1:38)! It is not about you in performance, but it is about what God has required for His own worship (1 Corinthians 14:34-37).
As an aspiring great woman of God in the image of Christ, pleasing Him in love and obedience should be your highest concern (John 14:15). Stop letting Satan deceive you into believing out of a rebellious, worldly feminist disgruntlement that you are being short changed by glory hogging men that want the spotlight all to themselves. Woe to any man in the flesh that is doing this as a worship leader or preacher! Instead, like Miriam before her sin, joyfully lead your daughters as well as fellow sisters in the churches, prisons and scattered as lost sheep in the community who need your fervor for Christ and leadership among them (Exodus 15:20-21). Your faith, submission, self-control and service will be richly rewarded by the Lord here and now as well as eternally if you will obey!
Of the greatest privileges redeemed sinners have been granted through faith in Christ is to draw near to worship the Holy God! Yet, in the spiritual confusion to include open idolatry and cultural conditioning that has characterized much of outwardly professing Christianity since the second century and now reaches its zenith during these latter days, ostensible worship of God has been very corrupt. Most visible today is the defiant break made with the divine order plainly taught in the Scriptures in order to allow women to lead the worship of God when the entire church is assembled out of the world’s notion of equality among other carnal and evil motives.
The leading of worship by women has occurred in spite of the fact that God in His prophetic Word has made it clear that the divine order continues under Christ at His coming and millennial reign; men will be the exclusive worship leaders in Jerusalem’s temple (Isaiah 9:6-7; Ezekiel 40:46, 43:1-12, 44:10-31). The immutable God has not changed the order of His house during this present, mortal age, nor will He ever! Surely then, what has been done to allow all manner of unacceptable worship in the churches is sin in the sight of and rejected by God. Ever consistent in His actions toward men, God in His longsuffering love warns and calls the guilty to repentance through this three part blog series and follow up epilogue the Holy Spirit led me to post in 2013.
Originally Posted September 8, 2013
A young preacher asked me in the past year, “whose side are you on?” referring to my taking exception to the conduct of church leaders as a group that stood over and against the people who should expect that they would do right as a matter of godly leadership. I have run into this carnal game of picking sides (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:1-4) and the resulting negative attitudes displayed when I have chosen the wrong side in someone’s eyes my entire journey as a Christian. It is shown by silent contempt, hostile acts of ostracism and verbal put downs expressed most often on the sly from the pulpit and a few times, to my face.
For the record, I have always sought to stand on the side of God’s Word in everything for this is righteous and pleasing to Him. That anyone claiming to know the Lord should be offended by that is reliable evidence of their disconnect from Him and very often also the flesh sustained practice of religion. Preachers as a clique versus the people for example, should never be nor should there be divisions in the Body of Christ over worship styles if we really understood what God in His Word teaches worship is all about.
On this day in thousands of churches around the globe (and the relative few in purposeful legalism that met yesterday) professing Christians assembled ostensibly to worship the triune God. In many languages, types of cultural expression and styles of music songs were sung to God for divine enjoyment and acceptance. However, the question of the hour is did the triune God enjoy and accept that worship or was there offense and rejection?
Many professing Christians and their leaders believe that God does enjoy and accept all worship sincerely offered like parents who receive the performance of songs, art, dance etc. from their little children which they would dare not disparage in fear of wounding their precious self-esteem. This is, in fact, what seems to be behind why a number of pastors in this last century have willfully disobeyed God’s Word on the roles of women in the worship assembly because all of the associated activity is considered performance. In their thinking, it is unfair not to allow the daughters of God to have a equal opportunity with His sons to perform in the activities of worship so He can delight in it all as a human parent.
God in His Word makes it clear that He does not see, think or do as sinful, fallen men (Isaiah 55:8-9). God is set apart from and other than man His creature (Exodus 3:13-14, 19:10-25; Isaiah 40:12-26, 43:10-13, 44:6, 46:5). While it is absolutely true that we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), due to sin, that image has been marred and we corrupted to the very core of our being. We do not naturally think God’s thoughts, possess His attitudes or walk in His ways. Therefore, God, the living God rejects the premise that worship of Him out of sinful, fallen human flesh as it pleases us also pleases Him lest our self-esteem be hurt. It is not about us but Him!
Indeed, God is a God of order. When He says that He wants to be worshipped in a certain way that is what He means. You do not come up with your own worship and expect that just because it was sincere or from your fallen heart that He ought to just enjoy and accept it. A case in point is the “profane fire” the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu of the first priests of Israel offered to the Lord which He had not commanded. Holy, destroying fire immediately went from the Lord to completely consume them on the spot (Leviticus 10:1-2, NKJV)!
When Moses comforted his brother, Aaron, in the instant death of his sons, he spoke a word of transcendent, eternal truth to him and all that would purpose to worship God. ‘“This is what the Lord spoke saying: By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified,”’ (Leviticus 10:3, NKJV). So much for anyone offering up any old kind of worship they please to please Him in Israel and in this epoch of the Church!
Though we are not required to worship God in the specific rituals of Israel, Christians are nevertheless, to worship in the way God the Father has ordained in Christ; always treating Him as holy and respecting His Person. Our Lord Jesus taught that the worshippers the Father seeks are those that draw near to do so “in spirit and truth” because “God is Spirit,” (John 4:21-24, NKJV). This by no means is a liberal minded Jesus giving permission to bring whatever you want as worship and it will be accepted because what was offered was spirited (emotion charged) or sincere.
Spirit has to do with direct fellowship with God--our spirit in oneness with Him who is Spirit (John 17:20-23). Truth has to do with honesty about our inner condition (Isaiah 6:1-7). We are able to enter into God’s presence, into the Holy of Holies at all only through the shed blood and veil of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22). This was something Israel’s high priest was able to do only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of an animal to provide a covering atonement for the people’s sins committed the previous year.
But in God’s New Covenant, 1 we remain in His presence offering up the continual worship of faithful and obedient lives (Romans 12:1-2) made possible by Christ’s once and for all atonement through His blood which daily and as often as we have need, we may draw upon in confession and repentance for sin removal by forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:5-2:2). Therefore, are we really authentically connected to God and drawing near truthfully to offer acceptable worship when at the same time we are acting in willful disobedience to any part of His Word especially things in the worship He has forbidden such as women as leaders?
1 See the January 2014 blog posts, God’s New Covenant and Party Of The Second Part, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 for instruction on New Covenant.
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