Volume 13 Issue 12 - December 1998
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) Well, the Thomas nation has attained another year to grow in grace, knowledge, and service to our great King whose birthday we are about to celebrate. At the beginning of 1998, my heart’s cry was to be a more effective and productive minister of the Gospel of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only Heaven knows whether that prayer was answered or not. But one thing I do know is, we must continue to press in and on to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). We must seek God to apprehend that which we have been apprehended for (Philippians 3:12). We, at Elijah Ministries, want to take the time this holiday season to thank our Lord and you, our precious brothers and sisters in Christ, for providing the prayers, love, support, encouraging notes, and finances that allow us the privilege to pour out our lives to advance the cause of Christ. From the depths of our heart, we want to extend to your families a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A MOST BLESSED NEW YEAR! QUIT YE LIKE MEN "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong." (1Cor.16:13) To the modern ear, the phrase, ‘Quit ye like men," may sound somewhat foreign. In fact, this statement, apart from its Biblical revelation, may inadvertently confuse the reader. You may relate this expression as one that aptly portrays the tragic plight of the contemporary American male. A manhood that simply quits, runs from responsibilities, and seeks self-gratification as the ultimate meaning in life. It appears, at first, maybe to inspire men with an appealing call to our basest nature, "Be a man and just quit." But I assure you, Biblically, that is not the case at all. The truth is, this maxim, uttered by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, calls for the complete opposite. It is a direct challenge by Almighty God for men to rise up and act like men. It is manhood that is defined, not by this world system, the Feminist Movement, nor hedonistic males, but is defined by the Creator of the Universe. It is a heavenly mandate for men to be strong and to act courageously. The Lord, according to this Scripture, presupposes strength to be a male virtue. He also declares that women are the weaker vessel. (1 Peter 3:7) It is important, especially in today’s feminized culture, to distinguish what God means by weaker. He is not advocating the idea that women are inferior, less intelligent, not capable, nor second class citizens in His Kingdom. He is, however, stating there is a distinct difference between the make-up of a man as compared to women. Unfortunately, we live in a time where the "Powers that Be" are trying to remove all distinctions between the sexes to create a "gender-blender" society. This lunacy is the fall-out of modern liberalism. It is a failed attempt to equalize outcome by government decree. Thus lowering, or in some cases, even removing the Biblical standards by which we ought to live. The other travesty of liberalism is radical individualism, where selfishness, greed, and pride are magically transformed, again by government decree, from vice to virtue. This is, at its very roots, the attempt by rebellious man to cast off God’s defining roles that He has established for men and women. The consequences of these humanistic doctrines are far-reaching. Men have lost their masculine identity. They have either become filled with rage and abuse or have fallen prey to homosexuality. Women who appear to have won the battle for their rights, have tragically lost the war as they now face life alone as single moms. Of course, the ones who have suffered the most are our children. They have become a prey to evil, because men are missing in action, thereby setting adrift our children on a sea of violence and perversion. Biblically, there is a solution to the battle of the sexes that will repair the breach and restore the building block of our society, the God-ordained family. According to God’s word, in Christ, there is no male nor female. (Gal. 3:28) In other words, when it comes to value, God loves us all the same. In salvation, God removes the barriers between men and women that the Enemy exploits to divide us and makes us one in Him. On the other hand, God also reveals the concept of function. It is in function, that God makes a major distinction between men and women. The Scriptures teach that the man is to be the head over the woman, in marriage specifically, and generally, women are not allowed by God to usurp authority over men. (1 Cor. 11:3 & 1 Tim. 2:12) God’s purpose in this is not to elevate the man over the woman as superior in value. In fact, the opposite is true. God values women as unique, so He ordains men to use their strength to provide, protect, and defend women and children. The problem is, we have thrown the baby out with the bath water, primarily because of the inherent weaknesses contained within us. First, men who are responsible before God to exercise proper leadership, either abandon that role and become irresponsible or take the role as a dictator, thereby using their strength to abuse women and children to satisfy their own selfish whims. The weakness within women is to try and manipulate the man to dominate him. The combination of weak men and dominate females is the predominant curse upon our culture. One that has unleashed an enemy that is savaging our children. The Biblical revelation of men being strong in order to serve God, their wives, and children is what gave birth to the whole notion of Chivalry. It is a model of leadership based upon Patriarchy, which simply means "the family ruler." Without this understanding, there is nothing to reclaim the masculine identity that will effectively turn men from being predators to protectors and providers. The bottom line is, men will eventually embrace one of two models of masculinity that will define their manhood and capability to lead. The first model is what we inherited from the first Adam (earthly man) and the second model is what has been made available to men by the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ (the heavenly man). The first Adam represents manhood separated from God. It is a manhood that is primarily concerned with self-preservation, self-gratification, and pleasure-seeking. It is a failed manhood that naturally gravitates towards irresponsibility. It seeks to please self at the expense of others and is manhood devoid of transcendent meaning. In other words, this kind of manhood doesn’t perceive an objective truth beyond the dictates of his own carnal whims, passions and desires. To those whose manhood is governed by these factors, there is nothing really worth living for beyond selfish considerations, because there is nothing of principle that is worth dying for. Thankfully, the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, rejected that cowardly notion and laid down His life for a wicked world that He still loves. He settled that issue two thousand years ago by enduring the agonizing torture upon a cruel cross for the sins of mankind. According to Jesus’ example, there is something worth living for and worth dying for, beyond our own personal considerations. By contrast, to the first Adam, the second Adam (Christ) represents life in union with God. His manhood was influenced by spiritual direction, destiny, and based on faith, not carnal selfish whims. His manhood was elevated masculinity that was defined by a life-giving spirit instead of a life-taking legacy we inherited from the first Adam. FOUR MANHOOD PRINCIPLES I’m convinced, if America is to be restored and find the remedy that will heal our land, then men must return to the God-ordained role and inclination to direct, protect, and provide for the family. The following four principles are absolutely essential to reclaiming the masculine identity and to restore men to authentic Biblical manhood. 1) Real men reject passivity: Boys and men possess a natural inclination to be aggressive, to initiate, explore, and achieve. But the sad truth is, men, especially today, seem to become passive where it matters the most. In our homes, amongst our families, and in our communities men are generally passive towards righteousness and aggressive towards evil. This is part of the curse men have inherited from Adam. What God imparted to Adam, authentic Biblical manhood, Adam squandered by being passive while Eve was committing moral and spiritual suicide. As naturally aggressive as Adam was, when the moment of authentic manhood arrived, when called upon to act responsibly, to take charge spiritually, and to protect his woman, Adam just stood there. Unfortunately, men have been just standing there ever since while this same enemy kills, steals, and destroys our marriages, wives and children. Passivity must end and men who are naturally angry, must get angry for the right reasons. It must be holy anger and a righteous indignation against evil in all forms and not an anger that erupts because someone interrupts our selfish pursuits and irresponsibilities. 2) Real men accept responsibility: Adam was entrusted with four main responsibilities: A battle to fight, ("subdue and take dominion") a work to do, ("cultivate the garden") a will to obey, ("don’t eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil") and a woman to love (Eve). These are the primary responsibilities entrusted to men. Where the first Adam failed, the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, triumphed. In Christ, men can embrace and fulfill these four primary responsibilities as we follow His example. Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work." (John 4:34) 3) A real man leads courageously: Authentic man was designed by God to lead, not follow. Adam forfeited his ability to lead when he refused to step forward with God’s word and lead his wife. This inaction is precisely the curse plaguing men today. We have a bunch of neutered, feminized men who passively submit to evil, tyranny, and injustice, instead of aggressively leading their homes and communities with God’s truth. The results have been devastating and has wrought chaos in our nation. In Matthew 4:1-10, when Jesus was tempted to passively submit to Satan and his schemes, Jesus cried out, "BEGONE SATAN!" This is the essence of the commanding cry needed in manly leadership today. Manly leadership demands men to have courage to master their passions and bridle themselves with the principles of God’s truth. Only then can men effectively lead courageously. 4) A real man expects the greater reward: Though authentic manhood is challenging, sacrificial, and burdensome at times, it is also quite fulfilling and deeply rewarding. The example of Jesus in Heb. 12:1,2 reveals that He endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him. In other words, Jesus was empowered to endure the agony of the cross by the sheer joy of knowing His sacrifice was going to be rewarded by rescuing mankind from sin, death, hell, and the grave. One wonders what might be reclaimed, restored, and rescued in this generation, if men today had this same godly perspective? We see this same powerful insight in the life of Moses. In Hebrews 11:24-26, "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." How about you, O man of God? Are we going to give in to the dictates of the Spirit of the Age, our carnal desires and a natural inclination towards irresponsibility for temporal self-gratification, or will we repent and return to authentic Biblical manhood and receive the eternal reward? I believe our God, our nation, our wives and our children await an answer. TESTIMONIES "And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11) I requested some of the candidates who were recently dubbed as a Knight for Christ or anointed (if the candidate was a female) to write a little testimony about their experience. I pray you will be greatly encouraged and see the value of the Kingdom Leadership Institute. I personally believe it has the potential to be a vehicle for God to use to send a sweeping national revival movement amongst the young people in America and beyond. If you are still wondering if you should support or participate in the KLI, it will be taking place in Florida from Dec. 27th, 1998-Jan. 2nd, 1999. Taste and see that the Lord is good! October 15th, 1998, was the day my life left my hands and was placed into my Heavenly Father’s. My whole life, I’ve been striving to get closer to the Lord. I love Him so much, with all my heart. The anointing/knighting ceremony started so many things in my life. I really feel that the Lord has always had full reign in my heart. What I did that night was to proclaim, to publicly witness to principalities and powers that He has now full reign in my life. This was much more than just a ceremony, it went deeper than that. God anointed our efforts and deepened something in our hearts and will undoubtedly hold us accountable to our vows. He sealed it with His Holy Spirit. I vowed to the Lord, "I’m your’s, use me, Father. My eyes are fixed on the cross, there’s no turning back." With God we can do all things. And that is just what I plan to do, to follow Him with all my heart, wherever He leads, even to the very gates of Hell. -Rachel Anne McGlade (15 yrs. old) The knighting ceremony was an incredible experience that I will never forget. It was a milestone in my life that marked a time for me to grow up. I can relate to I Cor. 13:11 that says this: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things." I realize that God has called me to make a difference in this generation and society. As a young man called to battle, I accept my position and role to be the protector of the faith and all that is right and good. That night I took a solemn vow before God and witnesses. It impacted my life in such a way that I will never be the same again. -Keith Thomas McGlade (19 yrs. old) What the knighting service meant to me? It meant that I acknowledged God as Lord in front of many people. It was a time where a boy became a man to serve and protect the poor, the needy, the women, and to disciple the nations. When I took that oath, it meant that I was going to have to endure to the end, with no giving up. That was the oath I took in front of witnesses. I also learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but what is right in spite of your fear. The knighting ceremony was awesome. The spirit of the Lord was upon the ceremony that night. Now that I am a knight, I realize I have a job to do, and that job is to make the Enemy a footstool under Jesus’ feet. No longer can men be passive, no longer can we be cowards. We must be valiant men for the Lord, protecting the cross and His people. -Joshua Michael Turk (19yrs. old) THE RULES OF THIS HOUSE "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." (Proverbs 29:15) In an age of radical individualism, self-esteem, and lawlessness, the whole notion of rules just chaffs against mankind’s quest for autonomy (self-determination). In Psalm 2, we vividly see the conflict of interest between mankind’s pursuit of autonomy and God’s Crown Rites to rule man by His righteous standards. Man in his rebellion forms a futile conspiracy against God by declaring, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder,and cast their cords from us. He that sittest in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." (A little side note, when God laughs in heaven-it is not funny on earth.) The great tragedy in this dilemma is man’s skewed perspective of the cords and bands that God seeks to place upon us. Man, in his unregenerated state, views God’s laws, rules, and restraints as oppressive, restrictive, and debilitating to his pursuit of Utopia apart from God’s rule. Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth. God, by virtue of being our Creator, knows best on how mankind is to function in the world He has made for His pleasure and for our benefit. The word of God plainly states in 1John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." You see, man who falls under the sway of the Evil One by virtue of sin, still believes the lie that impugns God’s Laws and His motive for giving them to mankind. This accounts for man’s repugnant reaction to God’s rules and his misinterpreting of God’s motives in establishing righteous boundaries to live by. God did not speak from Heaven to quench liberty, enjoyment, and human expression. He sent his commandments to protect man’s liberty, enjoyment, and expression. This distinction is the crux of the battle that is raging for the souls of men and for the destiny of nations. On the one hand, God commands us to disciple the nations, nations that unfortunately do not receive this mandate anon with joy. Herein lies the conflict and confrontation that is so distasteful to the Body of Christ. On the other hand, if we refuse to place the yoke of God upon the souls of men, we jeopardize the rest Jesus desires for their souls (Matthew 11:28-30). This refusal may also reveal cowardice that strengthens the oppression of sin, inadvertently condones Satan’s reign of terror, and inevitably squanders the freedoms that were passed to us by the blood, sweat, and tears of our Christian forebearers. Brethren, the world system that is in rebellion against God’s righteous rule must receive this revelation. Most sinners see the importance of STOP signs, government regulations, and other guidelines that prohibit chaos and promote safety amongst men, but they are woefully ignorant of God’s spiritual and moral "STOP signs" and therefore plummet headlong into confusion, chaos, despair, and ultimately into eternal damnation. Obviously, what is true concerning the nations is also true concerning the building block of nations, our homes. The following is a list of rules we are training our children with. It comes from Greg Harris’s Christian Life Workshop. Our goal is to instill in our children a love for God, a love for one’s neighbor, an honoring of His word, a respect for parental authority, and a call to responsibility. Feel free to copy and use to disciple your children in the ways of God. May it bring an added peace to your home. IN OUR HOUSE...
BIBLE READING SCHEDULE "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16,17) Enclosed in this month’s newsletter is a copy of Operation Rescue National’s Bible Reading Schedule. Please receive it as a Christmas gift from Elijah Ministries. It is sent to not only challenge you to commit to read through the Bible in 1999, but also to say thanks for your generous support. On a personal note, this marks the second year as a family that we have read through the Scriptures together. The fruit it has produced in our marriage and children is significant. We love you and...
IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas |
