THE CRISIS

Many centuries ago, King David of Israel posed this probing question: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3).

This crisis confronts us today, as the once-strong bedrock that our people and institutions rested upon has been undermined and replaced with shifting sand (Matt. 7:24-27). Jesus Christ—the Chief Cornerstone for all sound culture and civilization—has been mocked and rejected (Isa. 28:15-29; Eph. 2:18-22; 1 Pet. 2:6-10). In God’s place, prideful man has sought to build society on his own faulty reasoning. Faith in the One True God has given way to faith in man. The results have been devastating, as families have crumbled, churches have collapsed, and civil governments have wrecked against their own destructive autonomy.

This plight has occurred due to our rebellion against the sovereign God of the universe. The bad news is that the King of Kings judges those who reject His ways, both in history and eternity (Lev. 26:14-39; Deut. 28:15-68; 32:15-43; Rev. 20:11-15). We should thus expect to encounter temporal judgments when we abandon the true faith and stray from God’s righteous decrees (1 Kings 9:6-9; 11:9-40; 14:7-16). Such we see today in our ailing land—our broken faith has led to a broken world.

The good news is that the Lord of Lords generationally blesses those who humbly fear Him, repent of their sins, believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and follow His commands (Deut. 7:9; Ps. 25:12-14; 34:9-16; 103:17-18; Prov. 8:32-35; 22:4; Isa. 66:2; Acts 3:18-19; Mark 1:14-15; John 1:12-14; 3:16; Acts 16:31; 1 John 2:3-4). It is in returning to this foundation—a reverential fear of God, true faith in Christ, and unfeigned allegiance to His Sovereign Lordship—that we can begin to rebuild in hope, amidst the cultural rubble.

THE MISSION

The mission of Unbroken Faith Ministries, an outreach of the Strackbein family, is to encourage God’s people to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3) and to pass the true faith on, unbroken, from generation to generation (Ps. 78:1-7; 90:16-17).

This aim will be pursued through the production and dissemination of timely resources—including articles, books, audio messages, and films—that bring the light of God’s word to bear on some of the defining challenges that confront us today. The core assumption that will guide and inform every discussion is the sufficiency of Scripture for all of life (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Affirming that every person and sphere must bow to Christ’s sovereign rule (Phil. 2:5-11), the goal will be to equip believers to defend the faith against rival worldviews (2 Tim. 2:15; 4:2-5; Titus 1:9; 1 Pet. 3:15-16) and, with hope, rebuild the culture on the only sure foundation—God’s perfect word revealed in the Bible (Ps. 19:7-11; Ps. 119; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

By God’s grace and provision, we aspire to address the following, among other issues:

  • The lordship of Jesus Christ over all of life. Scripture proclaims that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:16), holding the position of Head over man and over the institutions of family, church, and state (Matt. 28:18; 1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 1:19-23; Col. 1:12-18; Prov. 8:15-16; Ps. 22:28; Dan. 4:17, 25, 30-35). Because of His exaltation to the right hand of God, as the reward of His obedience to the will of His Father, every knee is to bow to Him and every tongue is to confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:5-11). Unbroken Faith Ministries currently provides resources that affirm this foundational truth and plans to produce other materials that explore how Christ’s all-encompassing Lordship applies to key arenas of life and culture.
  • The fear of the Lord as the foundation for all of life. The Book of Proverbs teaches us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10), as well as this critical truth: “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life” (Prov. 22:4). Yet the pride of man to exalt himself above God has, since the Garden (Gen. 3:4-7), led obstinate souls to despise this principle, leading to the downfall of families, churches, and kingdoms. Unbroken Faith Ministries currently offers audio messages on both “The Fear of the Lord” and “Pride and Humility” and hopes to further discuss these essential themes in other forms in the future.
  • The defining battle over marriage. A marriage crisis is before us, and in light of this raging battle, Unbroken Faith Ministries has set a goal to publish a full-length book that examines marriage biblically and historically, affirming it as a sacred family institution rather than a church sacrament or civilly-sanctioned arrangement. The book will address the Supreme Court’s recent Obergefell decision and provide a practical blueprint for cultural engagement in all three spheres: family, church, and state.
  • The necessity of fathers leading their families to be wise and virtuous dominion-stewards for Christ’s kingdom. Today, fatherhood in America is on the rocks, and disengaged dads have been one of the leading factors in our cultural demise. Unbroken Faith Ministries currently offers audio messages that examine the right and wrong choices Lot and Jacob made as fathers, offering key lessons from their checkered legacies. Even as we consider the bad, Unbroken Faith Ministries aspires to examine the good that comes when dads embrace a long-term, God-centered vision for discipling their families.
  • The hope and long-term perspective gained by understanding the faith of our fathers and embracing a providential view of history. Unbroken Faith Ministries is pleased to release the film, Anchored: A Grandfather’s Legacy, which examines how God’s faithfulness over five generations in the Holden family has given real hope for today. This is the first of many resources we desire to make available on this important theme.
  • What it means to be noble stewards and ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Most of our young men and women today have set their sights far too low and become distracted by trivial pursuits. They are more busy playing dark video games like Grand Theft Auto and swooning over Twilight’s Edward and Bella than they are engaging in noble, kingdom-minded efforts. Unbroken Faith Ministries currently offers the audio message, “What It Means to Be Noble” which outlines how those who are noble adhere to a higher code of conduct that compels them to lead in critical situations and act with dignity and self-sacrifice in view of the rich blessings God has granted them. Through this and other resources, we hope to spur on believers young and old—those bought with a price and called to higher service—to reclaim the lost attribute of nobility and act as faithful ambassadors for Jesus Christ.
  • The power of one-on-one discipleship to change the world. Personal discipleship has been one of the most significant shapers of history. A mere cursory review of the past reveals striking examples of this fact: Moses to Joshua. Elijah to Elisha. Aristotle to Alexander the Great. Jesus to the Twelve Apostles. And the list goes on. Throughout the centuries, men and women who’ve made a concerted effort to mentor successors have succeeded in changing the world. Importantly, Scripture commands us to embrace this model, even as Paul directed his young protégé, Timothy, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Pursuant to this theme, Unbroken Faith Ministries offers the audio message, “The Two Men Who Made Texas: A Powerful Legacy of Discipleship,” and has outlined a number of resources to produce that explore this principle in greater depth.
  • The need for firmly-resolute yet patiently-contented perseverance. The common denominator of all the great men and women of faith found in history is that they believed and staked their lives on key promises they never saw fulfilled while on earth (Heb. 11:13, 39-40). From the patriarch Abraham to the lawgiver Moses, from King David to the Prophet Isaiah—these and countless other saints, though imperfect, “obtained a good report” (Heb. 11:2) due to their abiding faith. They patiently persevered through many personal challenges, trusting that God would accomplish His redemptive purpose in due time—a message we desperately need to embrace today in order to be constant in our walk with God and effective in passing the truth faith He’s imparted to us onto others. Unbroken Faith Ministries currently offers several audio messages and articles on contented, faith-filled service for Christ amidst hardship and delays, and plans to make this an ongoing theme in future resources.

The battle before us is serious, and the mission of Unbroken Faith Ministries begins with the humble acknowledgment that there’s much to learn in recovering the roots of a godly order, and that great dedication and perseverance will be required to replant and rebuild (Ezra 9:6-9; Isa. 58:12; Zech. 4:9-10; Gal. 6:9; Heb. 12:1-3). A sound course for long-term reformation takes prayerful care to outline, and many generations, with the Holy Spirit’s aid, to achieve. And due to the limitations inherent to this endeavor, our family recognizes that the best-laid efforts of Unbroken Faith Ministries will play only a small part in the work that must be done.

Yet this mission also presupposes that we serve the Victor and affirms that we have a duty to joyfully strive now to be faithful stewards of Christ in pursuing His redemptive purpose in history (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 12:48; 2 Tim. 4:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 5:6-10). As we face the slings and arrows of the enemy, we must cry out to God to “increase our faith” (Luke 17:5) even as we pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

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