Is There Not One Godly Man Left?

Is There Not One Godly Man Left?

I heard the familiar, soothing voice of Pastor Alistair Begg come over my car's speakers last night. The sermon was titled "Asking God for Wisdom," and it was part of a series called "Faith That Works."


The key takeaways were:

1. Wisdom comes from God, not from being educated
2. We should ask for wisdom from God reverently
3. We cannot be double-minded by giving equal value to both faith and doubt

As usual, I learned a lot from Pastor Begg during the broadcast. However, I couldn't believe my ears as I listened to the last few minutes.


Another jab at men by yet another pastor

At the end of the sermon, Pastor Begg addressed the women in the audience:


"If you're dating this kind of character [one who is double-minded and not truly seeking God's wisdom], DUMP HIM, IMMEDIATELY!"


However, the following line is the most disconcerting portion of his advice:


"If he won't buckle down when you're dating him, you don't have a chance of doing anything with him after you're married."


In other words, God is insufficient to change this man.


The hidden message

The pastors and elders will decide whether a husband is Godly. And even though you made a mistake marrying this low-life who can hardly provide for you, we at the church support you.


After all, we've bought into the worldview that all women are victims and that if you're stuck with an ungodly man who forced you to marry him, it's okay to take the children and leave.


The devastation is real

I've been on the receiving end of this wretched advice. When my wife left five years ago and took my four-year-old son, I learned from my innocent little boy that she was living with one of the elders in the church, a guy twice her age.


Not only that, he was one of my closest friends. They both decided that I was not "godly" enough and was a bad influence on my son. And it didn't hurt that her new beau was fairly wealthy.


This is what I lost in the deal:

• My wife
• My son
• My business
• My house
• My faith in the institutional church

Yes, everyone in town thought it was a travesty and that I should just "move on." My ex and her new hubby relocated to another church, which this guy's brother pastored.


So, now I get to see my son on the weekends. And since all women are victims in my state, I get to write a check to my ex for 20 percent of my monthly income, even though she now makes over ten times more than me.


And according to every pastor in the US, it's all because there is not one Godly man left in America.


My advice to Alistair Begg, my dear brother in Christ, is this:


Stop preaching and start teaching

Put down your pen, turn off your computer, and move out from the shadow of the pulpit. Tread bravely into your community, the great city of Cleveland.


Do not forget to turn the lights off when you leave the church building. As a revered leader in your hometown, it is unwise to make a mockery of the power grid.


Also, be sure to slather on plenty of sunscreen. I would wager it has been a while since the sunlight has kissed your face. And I would be loathed to witness a basal-cell carcinoma on your forehead.


As you turn back and notice your church building standing there, dark and lonely, please remember this passage of scripture:


Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land. At about three o’clock, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Omitted for clarity] Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. Mat. 27: 45-51 Net2


As Jesus died on the cross, we as sinners came to life. So likewise, as you die to yourself as a professional pastor and your church dies with you, your community will be brought back to life.


Remember those who seek your council

Do you remember that middle-aged guy, Pastor Begg, who barged into your office last week demanding you give him spiritual advice?


I would encourage you to take a bit of friendly retribution on this guy. Go to his house, knock on the door, and barge right in when he answers.


He will undoubtedly be shocked as one of the most pious, soft-spoken, Godly, famous preachers in America finds all those empty beer cans laying on his living room floor. And indeed, his embarrassment will reach a crescendo when you notice the filth he is watching on Netflix.


So what, you say? I implore you to gently take him by the throat.


Teach this 58-year-old man how to teach his 34-year-old son how to teach his eight-year-old grandson how to be a Godly man.


Only then will all those young women in your church have a more favorable selection of men they will one day marry.


Is it too late?

It may be too late for Pastor Begg. He may be too famous. He may simply be too worried about delivering that Sunday sermon to his church in Cleveland. Or he may be concerned about keeping the Truth-For-Life Ministry operating with all of its demands, such as:

• Production costs
• Hiring and firing staff members
• Websites
• Contact forms
• Marketing
• Brosadcasting equipment
• Licensing requirements
• Contracts
• Book deals
• Taxes and regulations

And all those things that Satan delights to detract us from true discipleship.


But I pray that I am wrong. I pray that one day, preachers, pastors, ministers, deacons, priests, and rabbis will come out of hiding—whether it be a church building, best-selling book, website, or radio broadcast—to go out into their communities and engage in the process of disciple-making once again.

Is There Not One Godly Man Left?

I heard the familiar, soothing voice of Pastor Alistair Begg come over my car's speakers last night. The sermon was titled "Asking God for Wisdom," and it was part of a series called "Faith That Works."


The key takeaways were:

1. Wisdom comes from God, not from being educated
2. We should ask for wisdom from God reverently
3. We cannot be double-minded by giving equal value to both faith and doubt

As usual, I learned a lot from Pastor Begg during the broadcast. However, I couldn't believe my ears as I listened to the last few minutes.


Another jab at men by yet another pastor

At the end of the sermon, Pastor Begg addressed the women in the audience:


"If you're dating this kind of character [one who is double-minded and not truly seeking God's wisdom], DUMP HIM, IMMEDIATELY!"


However, the following line is the most disconcerting portion of his advice:


"If he won't buckle down when you're dating him, you don't have a chance of doing anything with him after you're married."


In other words, God is insufficient to change this man.


The hidden message

The pastors and elders will decide whether a husband is Godly. And even though you made a mistake marrying this low-life who can hardly provide for you, we at the church support you.


After all, we've bought into the worldview that all women are victims and that if you're stuck with an ungodly man who forced you to marry him, it's okay to take the children and leave.


The devastation is real

I've been on the receiving end of this wretched advice. When my wife left five years ago and took my four-year-old son, I learned from my innocent little boy that she was living with one of the elders in the church, a guy twice her age.


Not only that, he was one of my closest friends. They both decided that I was not "godly" enough and was a bad influence on my son. And it didn't hurt that her new beau was fairly wealthy.


This is what I lost in the deal:

• My wife
• My son
• My business
• My house
• My faith in the institutional church

Yes, everyone in town thought it was a travesty and that I should just "move on." My ex and her new hubby relocated to another church, which this guy's brother pastored.


So, now I get to see my son on the weekends. And since all women are victims in my state, I get to write a check to my ex for 20 percent of my monthly income, even though she now makes over ten times more than me.


And according to every pastor in the US, it's all because there is not one Godly man left in America.


My advice to Alistair Begg, my dear brother in Christ, is this:


Stop preaching and start teaching

Put down your pen, turn off your computer, and move out from the shadow of the pulpit. Tread bravely into your community, the great city of Cleveland.


Do not forget to turn the lights off when you leave the church building. As a revered leader in your hometown, it is unwise to make a mockery of the power grid.


Also, be sure to slather on plenty of sunscreen. I would wager it has been a while since the sunlight has kissed your face. And I would be loathed to witness a basal-cell carcinoma on your forehead.


As you turn back and notice your church building standing there, dark and lonely, please remember this passage of scripture:


Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land. At about three o’clock, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Omitted for clarity] Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. Mat. 27: 45-51 Net2


As Jesus died on the cross, we as sinners came to life. So likewise, as you die to yourself as a professional pastor and your church dies with you, your community will be brought back to life.


Remember those who seek your council

Do you remember that middle-aged guy, Pastor Begg, who barged into your office last week demanding you give him spiritual advice?


I would encourage you to take a bit of friendly retribution on this guy. Go to his house, knock on the door, and barge right in when he answers.


He will undoubtedly be shocked as one of the most pious, soft-spoken, Godly, famous preachers in America finds all those empty beer cans laying on his living room floor. And indeed, his embarrassment will reach a crescendo when you notice the filth he is watching on Netflix.


So what, you say? I implore you to gently take him by the throat.


Teach this 58-year-old man how to teach his 34-year-old son how to teach his eight-year-old grandson how to be a Godly man.


Only then will all those young women in your church have a more favorable selection of men they will one day marry.


Is it too late?

It may be too late for Pastor Begg. He may be too famous. He may simply be too worried about delivering that Sunday sermon to his church in Cleveland. Or he may be concerned about keeping the Truth-For-Life Ministry operating with all of its demands, such as:

• Production costs
• Hiring and firing staff members
• Websites
• Contact forms
• Marketing
• Brosadcasting equipment
• Licensing requirements
• Contracts
• Book deals
• Taxes and regulations

And all those things that Satan delights to detract us from true discipleship.


But I pray that I am wrong. I pray that one day, preachers, pastors, ministers, deacons, priests, and rabbis will come out of hiding—whether it be a church building, best-selling book, website, or radio broadcast—to go out into their communities and engage in the process of disciple-making once again.

Yes, been there, done that. I did not see my two kids for 15 years

God made a way for me to find them, even though the law would not help. I too paid child support, and for kids I could not see.

I got to see my kids again. My daughter was married with two kids (now four) and my son working in an awful job and living at home. We prayed for him to find something better. He got an admin job with Apple. He's been promoted and is now looking for a better job. It took a while for relationships to mend, but God still works miracles. My ex relocated a year or so after we had contact. We got on fine, but there was no spark either of interest or hostility.

I see a lot of what I call "Christianism". It has the outward appearance of Christianity but little reality. The real church is those who are born again. According to surveys (and my own experience), something like 4% of church goers are born again.

Back to my point, a preacher isn’t necessarily a pastor. The pastor is the shepherd who protects the flock, against their own stupidity if required. We need both. While the mouth of God is preparing the sermons to inform and inspire it allows the pastors a chance to tend the sheep. A body has a head (Christ), connected to a trunk (Church) from which limbs (churches) extend, to hands (ministries), to fingers (members) to accomplish the will of God. The Body is afflicted with multiple sclerosis (disconnect from Head and hands), and cancer (disease of apostasy) turning healthy churches into corruption. The cure is working harder to stand in the gaps. The Lord is not vacant. He will strengthen those who do His will and accomplish it through the few. Leave the lights on, and the doors open, the harvest is coming.

Shocking how much they prey on those in need.

The Church is a Body

The problem, believe it or not is the women, like he stated. If a dude is attracted to a woman he will be inspired to be a better version of himself to acquire a life with her. If she allows him to be morally void, and lazy then he will be.

Once married it is not the same. Then the two become one, inseparable. If there was no abuse or infidelity involved then a split is not the answer.

Considering adultery was a capital offence, the Lord has an obvious strong opinion in the matter. Even after a woman leaves, adultery is still a crime in God’s eyes. If you were inclined to beat the snot out of the church (lower “c”) friend, possibly up to death, you would be within your God given right.

Back to my point, a preacher isn’t necessarily a pastor. The pastor is the shepherd who protects the flock, against their own stupidity if required. We need both. While the mouth of God is preparing the sermons to inform and inspire it allows the pastors a chance to tend the sheep. A body has a head (Christ), connected to a trunk (Church) from which limbs (churches) extend, to hands (ministries), to fingers (members) to accomplish the will of God. The Body is afflicted with multiple sclerosis (disconnect from Head and hands), and cancer (disease of apostasy) turning healthy churches into corruption. The cure is working harder to stand in the gaps. The Lord is not vacant. He will strengthen those who do His will and accomplish it through the few. Leave the lights on, and the doors open, the harvest is coming.

"Babylon" represents mixture and confusion. That is pretty much how we could describe the modern "church". Francis Chan saw this years ago when he pulled out of the mega church scene. I see no hope for the mega churches. They dare not offend anyone because they need the money to keep coming. I went to a Baptist church for a while. I had a heated discussion with a woman who believed all religions were OK, "as long as you are sincere". The Pastor welcomed her like an old friend week in week out. Yet she was poison, denying the Lord Jesus who died for her. What hope is there for a church that cannot even deal with an antichrist person in their midst?

What hope is there for a church that cannot even deal with an antichrist person in their midst?

I've been on the receiving end of this wretched advice.

Thanks for your response. However, I'm unclear on who you mean by "they" and how they are preying on those in need.

I know you're probably a busy person, but is there any chance I can get you to expand on this a little? Thanks.

Pastor preys on vulnerable women who are struggling at home

Makes me wonder what the life of Begg's wife is like.

Pastor preys on vulnerable women who are struggling at home

Pastor preys on vulnerable women who are struggling at home