The last post was a recap of a big pivot point for me. A study on the Body of Christ, with the intention of bringing a scriptural perspective to a specific group of believers, was the the beginning of a deeper search into scripture. I was using the body of Christ analogy, along with known physical diseases that different people in that group struggled with, together, to foster an environment where we dived into what we should look like as a body.
It was basically broken down into two categories.
1. When the body doesn't respond to the head.
2. When the body attacks itself. (from an external agent and from the internal)
There was also a third category: When the body doesn't develop the way it was designed to.
i.e., Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Congenital heart defect, and Downs syndrome.
But, after the depth of the first two categories, I decided to hold off on the third. It came out later in a teaching on progressive sanctification. Basically are you growing spiritually? I referenced back to the body of Christ analogy, but it didn't carry the same weight as when you compare the physical with the spiritual.
In this case I am still trying to decide if I should post this category here, before Biblical leadership, or to add it into Biblical leadership.
hmmmm.......guess you will find out soon!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Body of Christ.......diseased.......spiritually.
Okay, so this is a long post. I want to summarize the two previous posts really quickly:
1. Body of Christ analogy. Jesus is the head, Believers are the body. PERIOD!!
2. God, Jesus, Scripture are the one and only authority that makes up the head. No “member” of the body is the head. That means no man is the head of the body of Christ. (Sorry Pope)
3. Each “Christian” or “believer” are the members that make up the body. Each has an important role if the “body” is to function as the “head” directs it.
Disease or syndrome’s occur when:
1. When the “body” or “members” ignore the head or do not submit to the head (Scripture).
2. When the “body” or “members” put themselves in place of the head and do what they want to do.
3. When the “body” or “members” attack each other when they should not be. (versus there being biblical reasons to uphold the standard of scripture, there is a difference between the two)
The Body of Christ……diseased……spiritually.
So what does that even mean? Diseased spiritually.
Let’s simply compare the six physical diseases with the spiritual equivalent:
ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease;
Physically---The body “loses” the signal that the brain sends through the nerves and spinal cord. The muscles become weak and atrophy, to the point of not working at all. The brain is fully functional, but no part of the body responds. The body is useless.
Spiritually—Believers, or the “body”, have no idea what Scripture calls them to. Believers do not understand or listen to the Holy Spirit. Believers do not carry out the full breadth of their purpose. The spiritual body of believers become weak, atrophy, and sadly become useless and impotent as salt to and in the world around them.
Parkinson’s Disease:
Physically—The mind can no longer control the bodies actions. The head is fully functional, the muscles of the body work to a certain degree, just not working with the directions from the head. The body is active, but under no specific authority. Even to the point of being a danger to themselves and to those around them. Active and doing things, but not necessarily towards any purpose.
Spiritually—The head, Jesus, is giving specific directions, specific purposes, specific commands. But the “body”, believers, are doing their own thing. On the outside it can look like all is following a purpose, but it doesn’t take long to realize that there is a lot of activity that doesn’t work towards any purpose or goal.
Tourette’s Syndrome:
Physically—The body, without any prompting from the head, performs actions, that in the right context make sense, but in this case, doesn’t. The actions are random, uncontrolled, dangerous, and exhausting. They do not have control. Exhausting for the individual, and all those around them.
Spiritually—The “body” or believers think things, do things, say things that the head hasn’t asked them to do. The actions may be correct in the right context, but are inappropriate and out of place in the wrong context. A lot of energy is spent, but not in the biblical calling or purpose, exhausting for the individual, and definitely for those around them.
Multiple Sclerosis
Physically—The body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the myelin sheath which covers and protects the nerves, thus exposing the nerves, which causes communication within that nerve to be damaged and not function. The damage done is not curable because no one knows why the immune system is mistaken, and it attacks each person differently. Symptoms include loss of muscle control, organ failure, cognitive difficulties, extreme fatigue.
Spiritually—The “body” or believers, attack and destroy each other. By not taking the time and effort to judge our actions and words against scripture we can very easily, and for no biblical reason, cause the body as a whole to suffer because of our own misguided, undiscerning actions. Without accountability and wisdom, seeking it or giving it, we cause the body to fail.
Lyme disease
Physical-- Originating from a tick bite, bacteria enter the blood stream, and destroy the myelin sheath that protects the nerves. Depending on where in the body the nerves are affected determines the effects on the individual. Usually effects the nuerological system, immune system, organ damage and failure, causes fatigue, and can mimic arthritic symptoms. Note the difference between MS and Lyme. MS has no known cause, Lyme is caused by and external agent. The effects are basically the same, but the treatment is different. Lyme is treated with anti-biotics to kill the bacteria, and the immune system is worked to be built up to allow the body to fight off the bacteria as well.
Spiritually--The "body" is effected by someone, or something outside of itself. The internal is effected by the external. The "body" is damaged, fatigued, and pained by "bacteria" that come from the outside. The bacteria needs to be dealt with, directly. And the body needs to be built up in its spirtual health.
Cancer
Physically--The body produces "bad" cells that divide, multiply, and spread. These cells then gradually destroy any given organ or part of the body. The "bad" cells would normally be sought out and destroyed by a process called apoptosis. When for some reason apoptosis isn't working as designed, well........everyone knows what cancer does, or someone who has been in the battle with cancer. Treatment is brutal and not always successful. Some form of cancers are hereditary, passed from generation to generation.
Spiritually-- Simply put, the "body" has bad cells that divide, multiply and spread. Left unchecked these cells overwhelm and destroy the body. Why? Just like apoptosis for the physical body, God has designed a defense system for the spiritual body. Biblical Leadership.
(That is the next post!!!)
Diagnosis and treatment
Physical-- Originating from a tick bite, bacteria enter the blood stream, and destroy the myelin sheath that protects the nerves. Depending on where in the body the nerves are affected determines the effects on the individual. Usually effects the nuerological system, immune system, organ damage and failure, causes fatigue, and can mimic arthritic symptoms. Note the difference between MS and Lyme. MS has no known cause, Lyme is caused by and external agent. The effects are basically the same, but the treatment is different. Lyme is treated with anti-biotics to kill the bacteria, and the immune system is worked to be built up to allow the body to fight off the bacteria as well.
Spiritually--The "body" is effected by someone, or something outside of itself. The internal is effected by the external. The "body" is damaged, fatigued, and pained by "bacteria" that come from the outside. The bacteria needs to be dealt with, directly. And the body needs to be built up in its spirtual health.
Cancer
Physically--The body produces "bad" cells that divide, multiply, and spread. These cells then gradually destroy any given organ or part of the body. The "bad" cells would normally be sought out and destroyed by a process called apoptosis. When for some reason apoptosis isn't working as designed, well........everyone knows what cancer does, or someone who has been in the battle with cancer. Treatment is brutal and not always successful. Some form of cancers are hereditary, passed from generation to generation.
Spiritually-- Simply put, the "body" has bad cells that divide, multiply and spread. Left unchecked these cells overwhelm and destroy the body. Why? Just like apoptosis for the physical body, God has designed a defense system for the spiritual body. Biblical Leadership.
(That is the next post!!!)
Diagnosis and treatment
Why is it that we can very easily know when something physically isn’t working right? Because we know what it is supposed to look like, we know how things are supposed to work, we know "normal", so we can easily spot anything that is not "normal". For the individual , usually there is some form of pain or outward physical sign that something is wrong.
Why is it that we fail to acknowledge when the spiritual, the Body of Christ, isn’t working right? I believe there are many reasons, but two specific ones that are the biggest causes.
1. The “body” has very poor understanding of what its role is. If the individual members, that make up the whole body, do not know what their role is, then how can those members play their part? A simple yet complex lack of desire to live the Holy, set apart life, that Scripture calls us to.
2. The “body” and its individual members would rather be their own “head”, and live to their own desires. My desires and happiness take the front seat. Holiness, character, and integrity are for when it is convenient.
So what is the treatment? What has God put in place to help the spiritual body?.......
So what is the treatment? What has God put in place to help the spiritual body?.......
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Body of Christ......diseased.
The Body of Christ is very important to me, so I am going to take some time to set this up right.
This post will be about the physical body, how disease's affect it. For the most part, we know this, we see this, we can readily recognize disease. I am picking 6 disease/syndrome's that effect people. They all, to varying degree's, result in the body no longer responding to the head in some way. They each are different in how they stop the body from functioning properly. We might not necessarily know the actual disease or syndrome, but without out a doubt, we know when something is not "normal".
I added a few short video's for 4 disease/syndrome's. I am visual. These help me to understand what the disease/syndrome's really looks like. I am not lobbying for anything, or trying to get you to donate funds. I am just trying to teach you something about these disease/syndrome's. Watch them if you like. I found myself watching quite a few (not posted)!! Again, I am visual, and these videos are just a helpful tool to give a better idea of what the disease/syndrome looks like.
Disease - "a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment."
Syndrome - "a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like."
Disease or Syndrome, where the body does not submit to the head, or function the way it is designed to.
ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) - an incurable disease of unknown cause in which progressive degeneration of motor neuron's in the brain stem and spinal cord leads to atrophy and eventually complete paralysis of the voluntary muscles.
Parkinson's disease - a progressive nervous disease occurring most often after the age of 50, associated with the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine, and characterized by muscular tremor, slowing of movement, and partial facial paralysis.
Tourette's syndrome - a severe neurological disorder characterized by multiple facial and other body tics, usually beginning in childhood or adolescence. Often accompanied by grunts and compulsive utterances, as of interjections and obscenities.
Disease or Syndrome where the body attacks itself.
Cancer - any type of malignant growth or tumor, caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division: it may spread through the lymphatic system or blood stream to other parts of the body.
** As a side note that I will come back to, the body has a natural defense system called apoptosis that prevents the "abnormal and uncontrolled cell division" from happening. Basically if a bad cell is found, the apoptosis process destroys the bad cell and keeps it from multiplying. Google it, it is fascinating, that and I will be coming back to this......
Multiple Sclerosis - a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system in which gradual destruction of myelin occurs in patches throughout the brain or spinal cord or both, interfering with the nerve pathways and causing muscular weakness, loss of coordination, and speech and visual disturbances.
Lyme disease - an acute inflammatory disease caused by a tic borne spirochete characterized by recurrent episodes of decreasing severity in which joint swelling, fever, and rash occur, sometimes with cardiac or nervous system complications.
** Basically Lyme disease is often diagnosed as MS. The same thing is happening, but with Lyme the cause is known, with MS the cause is not known. Either way, the Myelin sheath is being attacked by the body.......hmmmmm, I am going to come back to that one too!!!!
We view these disease/syndrome's as tragic. And this is such a small sample of all the disease's and syndrome's that are out there. I want to point to the fact that most of us know what "normal" is with our physical bodies. We know how they are supposed to function, and we know when they are not functioning "normally"!!!
As I said at the beginning of this post, the Body of Christ is very important to me. Scripture let's us know what the Body of Christ is supposed to look like. And that will be the next post, the Body of Christ.......diseased.......spiritually.
This post will be about the physical body, how disease's affect it. For the most part, we know this, we see this, we can readily recognize disease. I am picking 6 disease/syndrome's that effect people. They all, to varying degree's, result in the body no longer responding to the head in some way. They each are different in how they stop the body from functioning properly. We might not necessarily know the actual disease or syndrome, but without out a doubt, we know when something is not "normal".
I added a few short video's for 4 disease/syndrome's. I am visual. These help me to understand what the disease/syndrome's really looks like. I am not lobbying for anything, or trying to get you to donate funds. I am just trying to teach you something about these disease/syndrome's. Watch them if you like. I found myself watching quite a few (not posted)!! Again, I am visual, and these videos are just a helpful tool to give a better idea of what the disease/syndrome looks like.
Disease - "a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment."
Syndrome - "a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like."
Disease or Syndrome, where the body does not submit to the head, or function the way it is designed to.
ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) - an incurable disease of unknown cause in which progressive degeneration of motor neuron's in the brain stem and spinal cord leads to atrophy and eventually complete paralysis of the voluntary muscles.
Parkinson's disease - a progressive nervous disease occurring most often after the age of 50, associated with the destruction of brain cells that produce dopamine, and characterized by muscular tremor, slowing of movement, and partial facial paralysis.
Tourette's syndrome - a severe neurological disorder characterized by multiple facial and other body tics, usually beginning in childhood or adolescence. Often accompanied by grunts and compulsive utterances, as of interjections and obscenities.
Disease or Syndrome where the body attacks itself.
Cancer - any type of malignant growth or tumor, caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division: it may spread through the lymphatic system or blood stream to other parts of the body.
** As a side note that I will come back to, the body has a natural defense system called apoptosis that prevents the "abnormal and uncontrolled cell division" from happening. Basically if a bad cell is found, the apoptosis process destroys the bad cell and keeps it from multiplying. Google it, it is fascinating, that and I will be coming back to this......
Multiple Sclerosis - a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system in which gradual destruction of myelin occurs in patches throughout the brain or spinal cord or both, interfering with the nerve pathways and causing muscular weakness, loss of coordination, and speech and visual disturbances.
Lyme disease - an acute inflammatory disease caused by a tic borne spirochete characterized by recurrent episodes of decreasing severity in which joint swelling, fever, and rash occur, sometimes with cardiac or nervous system complications.
** Basically Lyme disease is often diagnosed as MS. The same thing is happening, but with Lyme the cause is known, with MS the cause is not known. Either way, the Myelin sheath is being attacked by the body.......hmmmmm, I am going to come back to that one too!!!!
We view these disease/syndrome's as tragic. And this is such a small sample of all the disease's and syndrome's that are out there. I want to point to the fact that most of us know what "normal" is with our physical bodies. We know how they are supposed to function, and we know when they are not functioning "normally"!!!
As I said at the beginning of this post, the Body of Christ is very important to me. Scripture let's us know what the Body of Christ is supposed to look like. And that will be the next post, the Body of Christ.......diseased.......spiritually.
The Body of Christ
Now that I have posted some on the books that influenced the development of ManUp.....I will move on to what proved to be a big Pivot point. A study on the Body of Christ.
I was starting my second year of co-leading an adult Sunday school class. And I knew at the end of the previous year that I wanted to start the next year off with a mini series, something that would help bring this group of adults together, foster community and resemble what scripture calls for a community of believers to look like. So I had from June until September to prepare for a 3-4 week teaching on the Body of Christ.
I was beginning to truly desire to know what scripture says. I had grown up in church and just accepted "church" for what it was. Thinking all churches were basically the same, never giving much thought to it. Basically, I had no idea what scripture said about church and leadership, so as you can guess, this was going to really challenge me. I was now seeing metamorphoo in many area's of my life. Especially those that can be rethought and changed because of what I was learning in scripture. So, the Body of Christ....well, I realized I had no idea how important and intentional this should be within the leadership of the Church. Basically the Body of Christ is the people of the church.......right???? I mean, really isn't that about it?!!! Needless to say, my view's on the Body of Christ was about to experience some serious metamorphoo!!
The term "Body of Christ" is used by the Apostle Paul. He references it in different ways, depending on the focus of the passage. Two things are clear. Jesus Christ is the head, and believers are the body.
1. Eph. 1:21-22 ......and he (God) put all things under his (Jesus) feet and game him (Jesus) as head overall things to the church, which is his body.........
2. Eph 4:15. .....we are to grow up in every way into him (Jesus) who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together......
3. Eph 5:23 .......for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
4. 1 Cor. 12:12-21. ......now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.....
I would encourage you to look at the full context of these verses, and others that make reference to the body of Christ. But, as I have said, two things are very very clear. Jesus is the Head, believers are the body. If we can not understand that, agree with that, or live like that, well......the "body" is no longer the body it is designed to be. If the "body" does not recognize the "head" as the authority, what happens??
When Paul uses this analogy, the Holy Spirit is prompting an analogy that is absolutely perfect. Something we do not put enough thought into, and something we totally take for granted. AS LONG as it is working the way it is designed to!! I will look at two different aspects about the physical body that we see as obvious and unmistakable.
It is unmistakable when the physical body does not respond as designed to the directions from the head, and when the physical body attacks itself. They are labeled as diseases, syndromes, cancers, ....etc. Next post.....real diseases and syndromes.......both physical and spiritual.
I was starting my second year of co-leading an adult Sunday school class. And I knew at the end of the previous year that I wanted to start the next year off with a mini series, something that would help bring this group of adults together, foster community and resemble what scripture calls for a community of believers to look like. So I had from June until September to prepare for a 3-4 week teaching on the Body of Christ.
I was beginning to truly desire to know what scripture says. I had grown up in church and just accepted "church" for what it was. Thinking all churches were basically the same, never giving much thought to it. Basically, I had no idea what scripture said about church and leadership, so as you can guess, this was going to really challenge me. I was now seeing metamorphoo in many area's of my life. Especially those that can be rethought and changed because of what I was learning in scripture. So, the Body of Christ....well, I realized I had no idea how important and intentional this should be within the leadership of the Church. Basically the Body of Christ is the people of the church.......right???? I mean, really isn't that about it?!!! Needless to say, my view's on the Body of Christ was about to experience some serious metamorphoo!!
The term "Body of Christ" is used by the Apostle Paul. He references it in different ways, depending on the focus of the passage. Two things are clear. Jesus Christ is the head, and believers are the body.
1. Eph. 1:21-22 ......and he (God) put all things under his (Jesus) feet and game him (Jesus) as head overall things to the church, which is his body.........
2. Eph 4:15. .....we are to grow up in every way into him (Jesus) who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together......
3. Eph 5:23 .......for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
4. 1 Cor. 12:12-21. ......now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.....
I would encourage you to look at the full context of these verses, and others that make reference to the body of Christ. But, as I have said, two things are very very clear. Jesus is the Head, believers are the body. If we can not understand that, agree with that, or live like that, well......the "body" is no longer the body it is designed to be. If the "body" does not recognize the "head" as the authority, what happens??
When Paul uses this analogy, the Holy Spirit is prompting an analogy that is absolutely perfect. Something we do not put enough thought into, and something we totally take for granted. AS LONG as it is working the way it is designed to!! I will look at two different aspects about the physical body that we see as obvious and unmistakable.
It is unmistakable when the physical body does not respond as designed to the directions from the head, and when the physical body attacks itself. They are labeled as diseases, syndromes, cancers, ....etc. Next post.....real diseases and syndromes.......both physical and spiritual.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Men's Ministry
The Holy Spirit began working in me and on me in ways I would not have guessed. The more I read, the more I learned, the more convicted I became that I couldn't let this end with me. I had to share what I had been learning, but how?? And......would anyone be as excited about it as me?? That lead to the next book I needed to get. Something that would help me organize all that I was learning, and plan for how to combine multiple books and thoughts in a way that I would be able to communicate effectively. At least, I was hoping it was going to be effective!!
If you go to a "christian" book store, the smallest section is usually the men's section. And honestly, most books are not very good. Thankfully, I ended up finding a great book, "How to build a life-changing Men's Ministry" by Steve Sonderman. I do want to be clear, in no way did I envision a life changing Men's ministry!! I just wanted some help in bringing what I was learning to the men, my friends in my sunday school class.
This book was written to form a ministry team, specifically what type of men need to be sought out to lead a men's ministry. And since I was going to try a start some form of ministry, well.........I knew I needed to work on a lot, and honestly, this book almost made me not carry on. I knew I fell short in many of these area's of my life. So who was I to lead this!!?? In the end.....my friends and I were going to go through this together. I didn't consider myself the "leader", just the guy willing to get the ball rolling and see what happens!
So here are some quotes and thoughts that made me do some really heavy thinking!!
"Without a clear and concise purpose it will be very difficult for your ministry to stay on track.....you need a purpose statement for your ministry."
1. A purpose statement keeps from taking on more than you can handle
2. A purpose statement helps you make decisions.
3. A purpose statement keeps you working at your strengths.
"The guy we are aiming at has four characteristics; Integrity, Intimacy, Identity, and Influence."
"Biblical men are men of Integrity. It means to posses a genuine heart. It evidences itself in ethical soundness, moral excellence, absence of hypocrisy and a willingness to keep promises. No hidden messages. No hidden agenda's."
Integrity shows itself in 3 ways;
Integrity shows itself in convictions, men who know what they believe and act on it.
Integrity shows itself in congruence, your walk matches your talk
Integrity shows itself in character, men who are strong because they have come to grips with their brokeness and been healed.
"The second mark of a biblical man is Intimacy. .....It is a sharing of life with another--its allowing others into our heart......we want to help men develop intimacy in 3 ways...."
"The biblical man experiences Intimacy with God."
"The biblical man experiences Intimacy with his wife.
"The biblical man experiences Intimacy with other men."
Third...."The Biblical man is certain of his Identity. The biblical man is balanced and complete."
"There are four basic principles we can remind our men of......"
1. We have been created by God for God. Psalm 139:14
2. Christ loved us enough to die for us. John 3:16
3. Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20
4. The Masculinity of Jesus is our model.
Fourth...."The Biblical man is a man of Influence."
"part of our goal is to train men to do ministry. And to train men to train other men to do ministry"
"A man of Influence see's the future........even after we die, we live on in two ways. We live on in eternity with Christ. We also live on in the lives we have influenced, the lives we have invested ourselves in."
And to sum up this section......."God wants us to build Biblical men. That's the goal of our men's ministry. If we fail to produce men of Integrity, Intimacy, Identity, and Influence, we have failed......"
So....that was just Chapter One!!!!!! But that was A.L.O.T. !! Those 4 characteristics of a Godly man......that was the core of what challenged me. The rest of the book dealt with expounding on those character qualities, and a lot more specifically about what a men's ministry can and should look like.
If you go to a "christian" book store, the smallest section is usually the men's section. And honestly, most books are not very good. Thankfully, I ended up finding a great book, "How to build a life-changing Men's Ministry" by Steve Sonderman. I do want to be clear, in no way did I envision a life changing Men's ministry!! I just wanted some help in bringing what I was learning to the men, my friends in my sunday school class.
This book was written to form a ministry team, specifically what type of men need to be sought out to lead a men's ministry. And since I was going to try a start some form of ministry, well.........I knew I needed to work on a lot, and honestly, this book almost made me not carry on. I knew I fell short in many of these area's of my life. So who was I to lead this!!?? In the end.....my friends and I were going to go through this together. I didn't consider myself the "leader", just the guy willing to get the ball rolling and see what happens!
So here are some quotes and thoughts that made me do some really heavy thinking!!
"Without a clear and concise purpose it will be very difficult for your ministry to stay on track.....you need a purpose statement for your ministry."
1. A purpose statement keeps from taking on more than you can handle
2. A purpose statement helps you make decisions.
3. A purpose statement keeps you working at your strengths.
"The guy we are aiming at has four characteristics; Integrity, Intimacy, Identity, and Influence."
"Biblical men are men of Integrity. It means to posses a genuine heart. It evidences itself in ethical soundness, moral excellence, absence of hypocrisy and a willingness to keep promises. No hidden messages. No hidden agenda's."
Integrity shows itself in 3 ways;
Integrity shows itself in convictions, men who know what they believe and act on it.
Integrity shows itself in congruence, your walk matches your talk
Integrity shows itself in character, men who are strong because they have come to grips with their brokeness and been healed.
"The second mark of a biblical man is Intimacy. .....It is a sharing of life with another--its allowing others into our heart......we want to help men develop intimacy in 3 ways...."
"The biblical man experiences Intimacy with God."
"The biblical man experiences Intimacy with his wife.
"The biblical man experiences Intimacy with other men."
Third...."The Biblical man is certain of his Identity. The biblical man is balanced and complete."
"There are four basic principles we can remind our men of......"
1. We have been created by God for God. Psalm 139:14
2. Christ loved us enough to die for us. John 3:16
3. Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20
4. The Masculinity of Jesus is our model.
Fourth...."The Biblical man is a man of Influence."
"part of our goal is to train men to do ministry. And to train men to train other men to do ministry"
"A man of Influence see's the future........even after we die, we live on in two ways. We live on in eternity with Christ. We also live on in the lives we have influenced, the lives we have invested ourselves in."
And to sum up this section......."God wants us to build Biblical men. That's the goal of our men's ministry. If we fail to produce men of Integrity, Intimacy, Identity, and Influence, we have failed......"
So....that was just Chapter One!!!!!! But that was A.L.O.T. !! Those 4 characteristics of a Godly man......that was the core of what challenged me. The rest of the book dealt with expounding on those character qualities, and a lot more specifically about what a men's ministry can and should look like.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Real Man....Are you one???
Great question, one to which I had no idea how to answer. What is a Real Man anyway?? How do you answer a question like that? What is the standard? That's the point of the second book I read, "Real Man Are you real?", by Edwin Louis Cole.
The basic theme of this book is that Jesus Christ is the Christian man's role model. And that begins and ends with the quality of the inner being of that man. That's what makes him "real". At the very core of Jesus are the attributes of God, these are what makes Jesus who he really is. And, simply, that is why he is our model.
The following are some quotes from the first few chapters of the book. The foundational thoughts that the rest of the book was built on, similar to what a Christ following man should be built like, from the heart out! If the foundation is faulty the structure built on it will not last.
"In the case of male identity and role, the answer is found in God as He revealed Himself on earth in the manhood of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God showed us by example how to live as real men here on earth......the essence of real manhood is found not in how a man looks or in what a man does but in who a man is."
"Every man is limited in life by three things: 1.) the knowledge of his own mind 2.) the worth of his own character 3.) the principles upon which he builds his own life."
"The truth is, whatever a man is in private --what he believes, practices and has built into his character-- determines the actions and decisions he makes in public.......Private philosophy determines public performance."
"Life is composed of our choices, constructed by our words and actions, and revealed by our character."
"Build your character on the foundation of truth, use faithfulness as its cornerstone, making righteousness its walls, and your good character will be known by all. Good character will stand the test of time."
"Unlike the Pharisee's of Jesus' day, who substituted religion for relationship, real men recognize Truth, submit to Truth, and are discipled by Him Who is called Truth."
"Substituting relative values for absolutes in moral life can be devastating."
"In the Christian community, people substitute:
-Talent for Anointing. relying on the external rather than internal. God commits to character, not talent"
-Remorse for Repentance. Sorrow for getting caught is NOT sorrow for having sinned.
-Passion for Obedience. The evidence of love is obedience to the Word. If the Word of God does not have lordship in your life, then Christ is not Lord of your life."
These quotes alone were very convicting. All true, and all focused on the inner man, and the character of a man. The real character of a man is revealed in his choices. If the Word of God is not really the absolute truth for us in how we conduct our lives in private, it will be a matter of time before that will also be revealed in public.
"Every man has three identities to deal with:
1.) the man he wants others to think he is
2.) the man he thinks he is
3.) and the man he really is."
"the degree to which these three coincide determines the depth of real manhood and the amount of peace in one's life."
Too many men spend way to much time on their image, what they want others to think they are. As I developed ManUp, and the accountability groups, this was one of the biggest hurdles I faced. I had to been transparent and real with the men, if there was to be any hope of them being real and transparent with each other. This was a pivot point for me!! Time to dive into who I really was, what I really believed, and how that manifested itself in my choices. Yikes!! Was God really calling me to do this??!! Actually, He calls all of us to to this!!
Our testimony depends on our character.
The basic theme of this book is that Jesus Christ is the Christian man's role model. And that begins and ends with the quality of the inner being of that man. That's what makes him "real". At the very core of Jesus are the attributes of God, these are what makes Jesus who he really is. And, simply, that is why he is our model.
The following are some quotes from the first few chapters of the book. The foundational thoughts that the rest of the book was built on, similar to what a Christ following man should be built like, from the heart out! If the foundation is faulty the structure built on it will not last.
"In the case of male identity and role, the answer is found in God as He revealed Himself on earth in the manhood of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God showed us by example how to live as real men here on earth......the essence of real manhood is found not in how a man looks or in what a man does but in who a man is."
"Every man is limited in life by three things: 1.) the knowledge of his own mind 2.) the worth of his own character 3.) the principles upon which he builds his own life."
"The truth is, whatever a man is in private --what he believes, practices and has built into his character-- determines the actions and decisions he makes in public.......Private philosophy determines public performance."
"Life is composed of our choices, constructed by our words and actions, and revealed by our character."
"Build your character on the foundation of truth, use faithfulness as its cornerstone, making righteousness its walls, and your good character will be known by all. Good character will stand the test of time."
"Unlike the Pharisee's of Jesus' day, who substituted religion for relationship, real men recognize Truth, submit to Truth, and are discipled by Him Who is called Truth."
"Substituting relative values for absolutes in moral life can be devastating."
"In the Christian community, people substitute:
-Talent for Anointing. relying on the external rather than internal. God commits to character, not talent"
-Remorse for Repentance. Sorrow for getting caught is NOT sorrow for having sinned.
-Passion for Obedience. The evidence of love is obedience to the Word. If the Word of God does not have lordship in your life, then Christ is not Lord of your life."
These quotes alone were very convicting. All true, and all focused on the inner man, and the character of a man. The real character of a man is revealed in his choices. If the Word of God is not really the absolute truth for us in how we conduct our lives in private, it will be a matter of time before that will also be revealed in public.
"Every man has three identities to deal with:
1.) the man he wants others to think he is
2.) the man he thinks he is
3.) and the man he really is."
"the degree to which these three coincide determines the depth of real manhood and the amount of peace in one's life."
Too many men spend way to much time on their image, what they want others to think they are. As I developed ManUp, and the accountability groups, this was one of the biggest hurdles I faced. I had to been transparent and real with the men, if there was to be any hope of them being real and transparent with each other. This was a pivot point for me!! Time to dive into who I really was, what I really believed, and how that manifested itself in my choices. Yikes!! Was God really calling me to do this??!! Actually, He calls all of us to to this!!
Our testimony depends on our character.
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