Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)
We've all heard this verse right? No problem. It's a great verse that we should default ourselves to everyday.
Speaking of everyday,
Matthew 6:11-12: Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And what to do everyday?
1 Timothy 6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy
So seek ye first the Kingdom and it's righteousness , go get DAILY bread, and God gives us what we need to enjoy Him.
Everyone got it? Good.
"But Professor, there's no commentary!!!"
Shush I'm coming to it. I had to throw some Scripture out there, some of which I've used before, to set this one up. Now roll with me for a moment here.
A few months back I had a friend talk to me about a guy she was interested in. She was concerned about the direction of where it was going. A legitimate concern. And I thought about a duck pond where she was living, and this is what I said to her:
"You see a duck pond. You like the duck. The duck entertains you. It pleases you. It's fun. You're having a good time watching the duck. But if you mess around worrying about 'Where is the duck going?' or 'Is the duck hungry?' or 'Is the duck looking for its baby ducklings?' or 'Where will the duck be in a day/week/month/2 months/year?', you KILL your experience by messing around worrying about it. So sit back, enjoy the duck, and get your nature on."
**I am not telling people to date ducks or fornicate with them (or other people)**
Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)
So today's issues are enough to be troubled about eh? Have YOU ever been in a courtship or relationship worried about what tomorrow will bring in it? No answers please, just think about it.
Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
And let's not forget Psalm 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd I shalt not want." and Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; of WHOM shall I be afraid?"
Take "whom" and add "or what" to those verses. So where am I going with this? Well these concepts are not lost in any aspect of your life, but in courting/dating, it's best to not worry about tomorrow at the cost of today.
But Professor, what if the "duck" and I get along VERY well? I want to plan for tomorrow, right?
Deferring to God, yes. In your humanism? No.
Why? Because God's Comprehension is better than ours and He knows tomorrow today. He'll let you know what you need to know. But don't WORRY about it.
Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (ESV)
But if you wanna know something and don't know what to do, first you must seek the Kindgom (Matthew 6:33), set your mind on things above where Christ is at the right hand of God (not earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2), and if you don't know something still...
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (ESV)
God will give you direction toward what He wants you to do with that "duck" just like everything else in your business. Remember, God created both you AND your "duck" and He has the best thing for each of you.
The next section unit will talk about what happens when you DON'T plug into this model...and what you should do when you figure out that you aren't plugged in. Hope this helped! :)
11/04/2011
A Solid Godly Church: What Do YOU Expect church to do for YOU?
What do you expect church to do for you? Is there an expectation level?
Remember when I talked about spiritual leadership? One of the requirements I mentioned was this:
2) Make sure the ministry message drives congregation to get God for themselves and is serious about doing it, and making sure that he doesn’t, either deliberately or accidentally, put himself on the throne reserved for Christ). (Genesis 2:26 (God’s default Model) Matthew 6:6-12, 33-34; Colossians 1:28)
Do you want God for yourself? No answers please…just think about how much you want God.
A while back in church we talked about in Deuterotomy 6:1-7 and how it applies to our Biblical Reasoning to lead our families. I’m going to put a slightly different spin on verse 1 (obey God’s Commandments) and verse 5 (love Him with everything that you have). Well how do we do that? Why do we do that?
First, the how: By sowing to the Spirit. When we get saved we get the mind of Christ and the sealing of the Spirit. We get it and it protects us from eternal damnation, but it also gives us the tools to grow in Him. This will be evidenced with us giving less of our fleshly nature (Galatians 5:19-21) and more of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our good works grow so that we can get what we need to represent and abound in Him.
Now, the why: Remember that John F. Kennedy quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”? Well the same thing applies. What we can do for the Kingdom is grow in Him so that his Image and Likeness be spread and we are the most powerful thing in any given situation we land in. (Genesis 1:28).
And on this day, I pray each of you follow Him so that He can grow you up for what He has planned for you.
Remember when I talked about spiritual leadership? One of the requirements I mentioned was this:
2) Make sure the ministry message drives congregation to get God for themselves and is serious about doing it, and making sure that he doesn’t, either deliberately or accidentally, put himself on the throne reserved for Christ). (Genesis 2:26 (God’s default Model) Matthew 6:6-12, 33-34; Colossians 1:28)
Do you want God for yourself? No answers please…just think about how much you want God.
A while back in church we talked about in Deuterotomy 6:1-7 and how it applies to our Biblical Reasoning to lead our families. I’m going to put a slightly different spin on verse 1 (obey God’s Commandments) and verse 5 (love Him with everything that you have). Well how do we do that? Why do we do that?
First, the how: By sowing to the Spirit. When we get saved we get the mind of Christ and the sealing of the Spirit. We get it and it protects us from eternal damnation, but it also gives us the tools to grow in Him. This will be evidenced with us giving less of our fleshly nature (Galatians 5:19-21) and more of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our good works grow so that we can get what we need to represent and abound in Him.
Now, the why: Remember that John F. Kennedy quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”? Well the same thing applies. What we can do for the Kingdom is grow in Him so that his Image and Likeness be spread and we are the most powerful thing in any given situation we land in. (Genesis 1:28).
And on this day, I pray each of you follow Him so that He can grow you up for what He has planned for you.
9/11/2011
A Solid Godly Church: Why do YOU go to church?
Greetings folks:
First of all, we will not forget. Take a little time out to thank God for the perspective you gained for 09/11/2001, as well as Jesus taking care of any overhanging loose ends when He returns. He will serve justice to all, and His Justice, no one can subvert.
Now that I’ve said that, I want you to think about something regarding our unit. Why do you go to church? I’ll wait….
Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Think about verse 40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Do you love God? Rhetorical question. If you love Him, obey His commandments, and all
“But Professor, it’s not stated in the 10 Commandments that we should go to church every Sunday.”
Ah, yes, but they do state core basics we need to live off of to avoid sin, grow spiritually, and get closer to Him.
While God is greater than even his Church, church is the primary place where you learn these things (see entries on church leadership and hierarchy). Not necessarily your church, but we should desire our church to give this kind of love and grow in it so that we may keep His Commandments. Be sure to check yourselves though (1 Corinthians 11:28), and make sure you have genuine motives on going to church.
Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
If you fail to be genuine in your love and your faith when you go to church, if you don’t have the faith that you will get something from God that will better equip you to serve Him, then you need to roll out of where you are and seek Him directly, or repent for how you feel, because you’re wasting your time going to church, if the love and faith are not there. Have a good one folks!
First of all, we will not forget. Take a little time out to thank God for the perspective you gained for 09/11/2001, as well as Jesus taking care of any overhanging loose ends when He returns. He will serve justice to all, and His Justice, no one can subvert.
Now that I’ve said that, I want you to think about something regarding our unit. Why do you go to church? I’ll wait….
Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Think about verse 40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Do you love God? Rhetorical question. If you love Him, obey His commandments, and all
“But Professor, it’s not stated in the 10 Commandments that we should go to church every Sunday.”
Ah, yes, but they do state core basics we need to live off of to avoid sin, grow spiritually, and get closer to Him.
While God is greater than even his Church, church is the primary place where you learn these things (see entries on church leadership and hierarchy). Not necessarily your church, but we should desire our church to give this kind of love and grow in it so that we may keep His Commandments. Be sure to check yourselves though (1 Corinthians 11:28), and make sure you have genuine motives on going to church.
Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
If you fail to be genuine in your love and your faith when you go to church, if you don’t have the faith that you will get something from God that will better equip you to serve Him, then you need to roll out of where you are and seek Him directly, or repent for how you feel, because you’re wasting your time going to church, if the love and faith are not there. Have a good one folks!
8/13/2011
A Solid Godly Church: Hierarchy Fundamentals
Last time I discussed what a spiritual leader should reflect in a church that’s worth joining. Now, since it take more than a good leader to make a church go (Collective Body, 1 Corinthians 12), I want to take a look at the church “hierarchy” , or the power structure. WARNING: The Scripture will largely be similar. The structure of the church “hierarchy” should:
1) Also not be into a whole bunch of titles (Matthew 6:5).
2) And if they have the title, they look at it as a calling and not an entitlement…and their walk reflects that (1 Timothy 3).
3) Whatever their field within the church, only derive what they do from the Word of God…in other words, it’s all Kingdom-driven (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
4) Will accept you as you are, while at the same time, uplift you so that you reach the fullness of your potential…and check on you to make sure you’re pushing toward that mark (Ephesians 4:25-32).
5) Make you feel at home, like family. I’m not saying that you make every member of your congregation your brother or sister, but I AM saying that you should make every member of your congregation your brother or sister, and they should accept the same with you.
6) All be solely focused along with the leader of the church to be the church that the gates of Hell cannot prevail against…and have a singular direction in their teachings in whatever field they are in (Matthew 16:18)
7) Have “senior level” members that have been walking with God long enough so that you don’t have to go to the pastor in order to get good growth nuggets (Proverbs 27:17). The pastor should not be the only person in the church with an iron sword. There should be a variety of swords in the church, all going back to the Truth of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:20).
7a) There should be a general church nucleus with Supernatural intellect-ability to navigate the invisible arena on all levels and know the nature of temptation and spiritual warfare (1 Corinthians 10:13/2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
8) Happy with you so long as you are pressing toward the mark to answer the call God put you here for, helping you cultivate that no matter where it physically lands you (Matthew 28:18/Philippians 3:10-17).
1) Also not be into a whole bunch of titles (Matthew 6:5).
2) And if they have the title, they look at it as a calling and not an entitlement…and their walk reflects that (1 Timothy 3).
3) Whatever their field within the church, only derive what they do from the Word of God…in other words, it’s all Kingdom-driven (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
4) Will accept you as you are, while at the same time, uplift you so that you reach the fullness of your potential…and check on you to make sure you’re pushing toward that mark (Ephesians 4:25-32).
5) Make you feel at home, like family. I’m not saying that you make every member of your congregation your brother or sister, but I AM saying that you should make every member of your congregation your brother or sister, and they should accept the same with you.
6) All be solely focused along with the leader of the church to be the church that the gates of Hell cannot prevail against…and have a singular direction in their teachings in whatever field they are in (Matthew 16:18)
7) Have “senior level” members that have been walking with God long enough so that you don’t have to go to the pastor in order to get good growth nuggets (Proverbs 27:17). The pastor should not be the only person in the church with an iron sword. There should be a variety of swords in the church, all going back to the Truth of the Spirit, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:20).
7a) There should be a general church nucleus with Supernatural intellect-ability to navigate the invisible arena on all levels and know the nature of temptation and spiritual warfare (1 Corinthians 10:13/2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
8) Happy with you so long as you are pressing toward the mark to answer the call God put you here for, helping you cultivate that no matter where it physically lands you (Matthew 28:18/Philippians 3:10-17).
8/11/2011
A Quick Spiritual Nugget...with some Special Sauce: Why is Phi 4:8 as important as Phi 4:6-7?
You know that Philippians 4 is nigh commercialized in different tidbits...bumper stickers, pictures, paintings, Tim Tebow's face...well Tim Tebow, who put Phi 4:13 on his face during a college game (over the tape under his eyes) and beat the other team, may be inclined to tell you that that whole chapter works together. Phi 4:13, and also Phi 4:6-7 are nigh commercialized, but what about Phi 4:8?
Alright, so the short answer is "It's in the Bible like everything else that's sacred for teaching and reproof (2 Tim 3:16-17).
However, let me tell you why Phi 4:8 works as scaffolding for both previous verses:
Phi 4:6-7 (AMP): Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phi 4:13 (AMP): I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am]self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
Am I the only one who is fired up now? I hope not.
Take a look at these verses. I used to AMP to get some extra emphasis on the verses. Look at the bolded parts. God's Peace builds a fort around our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus, who also empowers us to be self-sufficient in his sufficient.
Well, think about it from the other verses in the epistles
"My grace is made perfect in weakness"-2 Cor 12:9
The fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
"We must take thoughts captive to obey Christ" 2 Cor 10:3-6
Remember that our God is a God that empowers His Work. And that last bolded (summarized) Scripture tells us to take thoughts captive to obey Christ. Well how can we approach the throne if we are unwilling to check thoughts?
Answer: We can't! So we can't go to the throne, we don't get the Peace, and we don't get the Power.
So, that brings me to the point...
Phi 4:8 (AMP): For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
Fix our minds on all these things...the reverence of God, honorable things, just things, things of love and kindness and graciousness, things WORTHY OF PRAISE.
Well, taking thoughts Captive to obey Christ would involve focusing on those things. Who that is saved would NOT revere at the prospect of not going to Hell and getting the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:15-16)? Or revere at being taken care of (Nahum 1:7)? Or the prospect of being strong and courageous through Him who does not abandon us (Joshua 1)? Or the opportunity to take dominion and go out and be the vessels necessary to spread God's Image and Likeness (Genesis 1:28)? The same God that gave us the Standards in Exodus 20:4-18 (and throughout the Word really)? That's a lot to revere in right there but this post is getting long so I'm going to just continue...
We get justification through faith in Christ (and thusly He is just), Christ is God and is Love (John 1:1-8/Heb 1:3/1 John 4:8), who was more excellent than someone who died as a ransom for all sin of all time? Christ is definitely worthy of PRAISE.
So...it connects like this...if we are taking thoughts captive to obey Christ, THEN we aren't worrying. We get that Peace from making requests and thusly God empowers up to do the things He intended us to do (He works through us). And that's my take on how Philippians 4:8 works as a scaffold for Philippians 4:6-7 and v13 (among other things).
Hope you enjoyed!
Alright, so the short answer is "It's in the Bible like everything else that's sacred for teaching and reproof (2 Tim 3:16-17).
However, let me tell you why Phi 4:8 works as scaffolding for both previous verses:
Phi 4:6-7 (AMP): Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phi 4:13 (AMP): I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am]self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
Am I the only one who is fired up now? I hope not.
Take a look at these verses. I used to AMP to get some extra emphasis on the verses. Look at the bolded parts. God's Peace builds a fort around our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus, who also empowers us to be self-sufficient in his sufficient.
Well, think about it from the other verses in the epistles
"My grace is made perfect in weakness"-2 Cor 12:9
The fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
"We must take thoughts captive to obey Christ" 2 Cor 10:3-6
Remember that our God is a God that empowers His Work. And that last bolded (summarized) Scripture tells us to take thoughts captive to obey Christ. Well how can we approach the throne if we are unwilling to check thoughts?
Answer: We can't! So we can't go to the throne, we don't get the Peace, and we don't get the Power.
So, that brings me to the point...
Phi 4:8 (AMP): For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
Fix our minds on all these things...the reverence of God, honorable things, just things, things of love and kindness and graciousness, things WORTHY OF PRAISE.
Well, taking thoughts Captive to obey Christ would involve focusing on those things. Who that is saved would NOT revere at the prospect of not going to Hell and getting the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:15-16)? Or revere at being taken care of (Nahum 1:7)? Or the prospect of being strong and courageous through Him who does not abandon us (Joshua 1)? Or the opportunity to take dominion and go out and be the vessels necessary to spread God's Image and Likeness (Genesis 1:28)? The same God that gave us the Standards in Exodus 20:4-18 (and throughout the Word really)? That's a lot to revere in right there but this post is getting long so I'm going to just continue...
We get justification through faith in Christ (and thusly He is just), Christ is God and is Love (John 1:1-8/Heb 1:3/1 John 4:8), who was more excellent than someone who died as a ransom for all sin of all time? Christ is definitely worthy of PRAISE.
So...it connects like this...if we are taking thoughts captive to obey Christ, THEN we aren't worrying. We get that Peace from making requests and thusly God empowers up to do the things He intended us to do (He works through us). And that's my take on how Philippians 4:8 works as a scaffold for Philippians 4:6-7 and v13 (among other things).
Hope you enjoyed!
8/06/2011
A Solid Godly Church: Leadership Fundamentals
Hey everyone! Haven't forgotten about the blog. Been thinking about what to write after spending so much time on Functional Masculinity. I guess you could call this entry an "application" on functional masculinity: finding a nice solid Godly church.
Before I go on, most of you who know me away from Blogspot know I'm a bit "peculiar" (to say the least). My current church home embraced my personality (as they were only concerned in my desire to grow in and serve the Lord), and let me do my thing otherwise (the growth and servanthood thing is MAD REQUIRED though). I was skiddish about joining a church BECAUSE I'm so "different". Many churches only see Christians in a certain light. And I don't like that model. And neither does God. Something that bugged me a while ago was that someone I knew was tired of their church and didn't feel like they were growing. I told her that if that church isn't helping you get God for yourself you need to BOOK IT! I still agree with what I told her, but I thought about it, "What ELSE does every good church need to build up powerful and productive believers? (shout out to Jesus is Alpha and Omega Ministries (http://www.jaom.org), hopefully merit is seen in my assessment in the eyes of the LORD.
Before I begin though, I put this in terms of the pastor/leader of the church. I felt this would be best because in any given church a pastor has to take the most ownership over the direction of the church (fellowship, fundraising, servanthood, visits to other churches, getting contemporaries on one godly page, etc.). I understand it takes a solid leadership structure to make a church work, and those things need to be tight too (see future blog entry). Now this list probably isn't comprehensive, but I wanted to just start with these items:
If a church is suitable for growing folks up in Christ, a spiritual leader must:
1) Refer to the church as God’s church and the ministry objective is clearly following that notion. (Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6, Matthew 16:18)
2) Make sure the ministry message drives congregation to get God for themselves and is serious about doing it, and making sure that he doesn’t, either deliberately or accidentally, put himself on the throne reserved for Christ). (Genesis 2:2 (God’s default Model) Matthew 6:6-12, 33-34; Colossians 1:28)
3) Only teache from the Word of God. (Revelation 22:18-19)
4) Not be into a bunch of titles and be approachable (within reason) in that his identity is in Christ and understands what that means (stewardship, servanthood). (Matthew 6:5, Matthew 28:18; John 13:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:19;Hebrews 11:24-25)
5) Allow congregation members to be themselves so long as it lines up with the Word of God, allowing for each to use their own gift to edify the Body. (1 Corinthians 12)
6) Have content is taught in a fashion where it uplifts, convicts, and triggers change in the congregation (at least the members who are serious about following the message). (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
7) Be only concerned with that which uplifts those around him, both inside and outside of church. (Ephesians 4:25-32)
8) Have a message lines that up with his own walk and it is evident that he got into this position of leadership in an orderly fashion. (1Timothy 3)
9) Not be obsessed with getting in a whole bunch of topics and teaches the depth of Scripture. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16; 2 Timothy 2:19)
10) Talk with (and sometimes to) his congregation and not at it. (Luke 7:29)
Anything I miss? Anything you disagree with? DISCUSS!!!! And have a great day folks.
Before I go on, most of you who know me away from Blogspot know I'm a bit "peculiar" (to say the least). My current church home embraced my personality (as they were only concerned in my desire to grow in and serve the Lord), and let me do my thing otherwise (the growth and servanthood thing is MAD REQUIRED though). I was skiddish about joining a church BECAUSE I'm so "different". Many churches only see Christians in a certain light. And I don't like that model. And neither does God. Something that bugged me a while ago was that someone I knew was tired of their church and didn't feel like they were growing. I told her that if that church isn't helping you get God for yourself you need to BOOK IT! I still agree with what I told her, but I thought about it, "What ELSE does every good church need to build up powerful and productive believers? (shout out to Jesus is Alpha and Omega Ministries (http://www.jaom.org), hopefully merit is seen in my assessment in the eyes of the LORD.
Before I begin though, I put this in terms of the pastor/leader of the church. I felt this would be best because in any given church a pastor has to take the most ownership over the direction of the church (fellowship, fundraising, servanthood, visits to other churches, getting contemporaries on one godly page, etc.). I understand it takes a solid leadership structure to make a church work, and those things need to be tight too (see future blog entry). Now this list probably isn't comprehensive, but I wanted to just start with these items:
If a church is suitable for growing folks up in Christ, a spiritual leader must:
1) Refer to the church as God’s church and the ministry objective is clearly following that notion. (Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6, Matthew 16:18)
2) Make sure the ministry message drives congregation to get God for themselves and is serious about doing it, and making sure that he doesn’t, either deliberately or accidentally, put himself on the throne reserved for Christ). (Genesis 2:2 (God’s default Model) Matthew 6:6-12, 33-34; Colossians 1:28)
3) Only teache from the Word of God. (Revelation 22:18-19)
4) Not be into a bunch of titles and be approachable (within reason) in that his identity is in Christ and understands what that means (stewardship, servanthood). (Matthew 6:5, Matthew 28:18; John 13:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:19;Hebrews 11:24-25)
5) Allow congregation members to be themselves so long as it lines up with the Word of God, allowing for each to use their own gift to edify the Body. (1 Corinthians 12)
6) Have content is taught in a fashion where it uplifts, convicts, and triggers change in the congregation (at least the members who are serious about following the message). (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
7) Be only concerned with that which uplifts those around him, both inside and outside of church. (Ephesians 4:25-32)
8) Have a message lines that up with his own walk and it is evident that he got into this position of leadership in an orderly fashion. (1Timothy 3)
9) Not be obsessed with getting in a whole bunch of topics and teaches the depth of Scripture. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16; 2 Timothy 2:19)
10) Talk with (and sometimes to) his congregation and not at it. (Luke 7:29)
Anything I miss? Anything you disagree with? DISCUSS!!!! And have a great day folks.
6/30/2011
Functional Masculinity (7 of 7: Summary)
In wrapping up the unit on functional masculinity, I wanted to talk in closing about the topics that we have covered in the process of this…
1) The Ephesians 5 Principle-The “die to the self” principle we as men must have and grow into during the dating process (not right when we get married) and must be prepared for when we decide to date. All comes down to treating women as Christ treated the church (Ephesians 5:25).
2) Sacrifice-Being effective leaders in our household in servanthood. Allowing ourselves to be conscientious about the needs of those in our household, and making impact by passing on God’s Image (Hebrews 1:3) and Likeness (Galatians 5:22-23)
3) The “Woe is Me” Principle-How not to be a functional man. Men who handle their business and do so begrudgingly, as well as men who spend all their time complaining and take no action. Taking charge of our thinking and not only making it obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) but also making sure it only uplifts those around us spiritually (Ephesians 4:25-32).
4) Boundaries-Making sure that we as men know our roles in the lives around us and do not move or even think outside of the roles God has designed us to have for those around us. That God has an Order for everything in our business (Colossians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5 & 6/Colossians 3:20-4:2). We must continue to check ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-32) through systematic fellowship with God and reading the Word of God (which is designed to uplift and convict, and as it is written in 2 Timothy 3:15-17, the gold Standard for our business).
5) Legacy-How will we as men impact the communities around us? About how we must building one another up through fellowship (Proverbs 27:17, Matthew 18:20), and make sure that we follow Christ’s Great Commisssion (Matthew 28:18-20) along with God’s first Commission (Genesis 1:28), to go out and make disciplines in order to propagate the world with God’s Image and Likeness. After all, He is the best thing for us.
But what does all of this mean?
The charge to men: We have to be kind but harsh at times to those around us. You ever heard about “tough love”? Well heck God is the epitome of tough love. He loves us all, and prefers for even the wicked not to perish, but to rather to tighten up and dump their wickedness (Ezekiel 18:21-27), but yet some are “destined” for damnation (not all who say “Lord, Lord” will enter in the Kingdom of Heaven and etc.). We often have to be fathers and father figures to those we have not sired, relatives, friend’s kids, stepkids (I hate this term by the way), and in extreme cases, future wives (yes there is an element of discipleship and security building that goes into romance). We have to do these things and PUT OURSELVES last. We have to model Christ, and through this, we have to have His Authority, His Love and Nurturing, but most of all, His Servanthood.
The goal: Ultimately to get that “well done” (Matthew 25:23). Why? Because we will have reflected the things that I mentioned in this series as well as the totality of functional masculinity, following all these godly precepts in propagating godly models wherever we go in our lives. “This is my Son of whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) That’s where we ought to be shooting, men.
Hope you all had as much fun with this as I did.
1) The Ephesians 5 Principle-The “die to the self” principle we as men must have and grow into during the dating process (not right when we get married) and must be prepared for when we decide to date. All comes down to treating women as Christ treated the church (Ephesians 5:25).
2) Sacrifice-Being effective leaders in our household in servanthood. Allowing ourselves to be conscientious about the needs of those in our household, and making impact by passing on God’s Image (Hebrews 1:3) and Likeness (Galatians 5:22-23)
3) The “Woe is Me” Principle-How not to be a functional man. Men who handle their business and do so begrudgingly, as well as men who spend all their time complaining and take no action. Taking charge of our thinking and not only making it obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) but also making sure it only uplifts those around us spiritually (Ephesians 4:25-32).
4) Boundaries-Making sure that we as men know our roles in the lives around us and do not move or even think outside of the roles God has designed us to have for those around us. That God has an Order for everything in our business (Colossians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5 & 6/Colossians 3:20-4:2). We must continue to check ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-32) through systematic fellowship with God and reading the Word of God (which is designed to uplift and convict, and as it is written in 2 Timothy 3:15-17, the gold Standard for our business).
5) Legacy-How will we as men impact the communities around us? About how we must building one another up through fellowship (Proverbs 27:17, Matthew 18:20), and make sure that we follow Christ’s Great Commisssion (Matthew 28:18-20) along with God’s first Commission (Genesis 1:28), to go out and make disciplines in order to propagate the world with God’s Image and Likeness. After all, He is the best thing for us.
But what does all of this mean?
The charge to men: We have to be kind but harsh at times to those around us. You ever heard about “tough love”? Well heck God is the epitome of tough love. He loves us all, and prefers for even the wicked not to perish, but to rather to tighten up and dump their wickedness (Ezekiel 18:21-27), but yet some are “destined” for damnation (not all who say “Lord, Lord” will enter in the Kingdom of Heaven and etc.). We often have to be fathers and father figures to those we have not sired, relatives, friend’s kids, stepkids (I hate this term by the way), and in extreme cases, future wives (yes there is an element of discipleship and security building that goes into romance). We have to do these things and PUT OURSELVES last. We have to model Christ, and through this, we have to have His Authority, His Love and Nurturing, but most of all, His Servanthood.
The goal: Ultimately to get that “well done” (Matthew 25:23). Why? Because we will have reflected the things that I mentioned in this series as well as the totality of functional masculinity, following all these godly precepts in propagating godly models wherever we go in our lives. “This is my Son of whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) That’s where we ought to be shooting, men.
Hope you all had as much fun with this as I did.
6/19/2011
Functional Masculinity (Part 6 of 7): Legacy
I’d like to first take the time out to wish a Happy Father’s Day to every last dad out there! I find it kind of funny that I had been putting off this particular entry of my blog, and here comes Father’s Day. I say that because this particular entry of my blog is going to deal with a sort of a hash of the previous entries with one serious point emphasized: LEGACY. Every man, on some level, wants to leave his mark on the world. Some men pursue wealth and power (Not the best idea, Matthew 6:24), while others propagate the world with 12 and 20 kids by 5-6 women (Also not the best idea).
One thing that I found interesting was that during a discussion in my men’s group (and other discussions, actually), my pastor told us (paraphrasing his direct quote), “When a baby’s born, the mom is making sure that the baby is healthy, while the dad is looking for image and likeness.” Now this doesn’t mean that the dad doesn’t want the baby to be healthy, or that the dad is concerned that the kid may not be his based on facial features and the like. It’s a part of the male ego to want to leave behind a legacy, and while this in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, there’s an order and standard to legacy that must be followed…give you a hint: you can’t find it lest you put your mind on things above (Colossians 3:1).
It is written that God has a distinct Image and Likeness. His Image, Hebrews 1:3, says that this Image is Jesus Christ the Son (some translations like the NRSV say “exact imprint of God’s very being”), and his Likeness, or Values, are the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience/long-suffering, self-control). However, it is ALSO written that man was created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:26, AMP), “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.” The reason why we couldn’t do what Christ did (and what He had to do) was the goof Adam made in Genesis 3, thus giving man/woman their sin nature. God also made a great commission to us, the very first charge, “Be fruitful and multiply, subdue it, and take dominion”.
But what does that mean in today’s terms? And what does that mean in terms of being a father? Well the Kingdom-driven (godly) man has to reflect these things to maintain his functional masculinity throw intensive self-examination, independent study of the Word, and uninterrupted Fellowship with God, whether this be through the altar time (See Abraham, Genesis 12 and 13), or through having fellowship with others who genuine seek the Kingdom (Matthew 18:20). In Matthew 28:18, Christ made his own commission, to go forth and make disciples” in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (paraphrase)” and He also said that He is with us to the end (verse 20).
Nelson you still haven’t really answered this question!
Hold on I’m getting to it! Sheesh…LOL
Genesis 1:28 coupled to Matthew 28:18 means two basic things.
1) God wants everything in the universe to reflect Him, this is his ideal scenario, His basic Work.
2) He’s charged us (men and women mind you, but I’m talking to the MEN right now [1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:25-26]) to go out and do His Work.
How do we do this work? The short answer is by loving God with everything that we have and in-turn, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40).
-And loving God and abiding in Him comes from obeying his Commandments (both from Matthew 22:35-40 and Exodus 20:4-18) and thus, having Him abide in us as we do in Him (John 14:15, John 15:10).
The not-so-short answer is as such. Men, take whatever you’ve learned and pass it on to the next cat behind you. Make sure you continue gaining knowledge to be able to pass on to the next person down the line. Dads, guide your kids. Husbands love your wives (yes I’m going there again, I LOVE Ephesians 5). Teach boys how to be men, tell girls (within appropriate parameters, don’t go running up to some 13yr old stranger on the street!) what a real man is supposed to look like. Uplift your contemporaries (fellow men), use yourselves as buffers between what someone is going through and the Holy Spirit (within appropriate boundaries, see previous post). And yes men, we have to exercise the “die to the self” principle (within God’s limits) with every dynamic we are a part of (we put ourselves last), just as Christ did for us, He IS our head after all (1 Corinthians 11:3 [again]). Give accounts of what you’ve gone through, mistakes you’ve made, be a barrier the best you can between the person you’re uplifting/counseling and the poor decision they are going to make. Be patriarchs of your families. Make behavior patterns change in youths when they step in your territory. Shouldn’t anyone have dominion over your house but God Himself.
But Nelson, you’re neither married nor have any kids! What about single men?
Yes, yes, yes, the single man. Well, do all the same things. Mentor someone else’s kids whenever the opportunity genuinely arises. Remember that men with kids carry a large responsibility, and whatever help you can lend is probably appreciated. Give unto yourself to all those around you. Keep boundaries and develop appropriate dynamics with the women folk around you. And don’t let deceptive rationale get, or even worse keep you in a holding pattern or poor decision-making (see the part about fellowshipping with God). Not really too too different…I’d personally say that single men, as we come up, need to train to be patriarchs, whether that’s to be a pastor, a dad, great-uncle, or any kind of leader anywhere (and yes ladies you can lead things too…I ain’t no chauvinist now! AGAIN, talking to the MEN!)
And (second) most importantly, REFLECT your words with your walk…and be genuine.
The most important thing we as men have to learn is to learn where we end and God begins. We do ourselves, and the folks around us a huge favor when we do this, regardless of what the initial reaction is.
When we follow all this stuff, we leave a darn impressive legacy, and get that well done (Matthew 25:23) as we continue pressing toward that Mark that God has laid out for us (Philippians 3:10-16).
Happy Father’s Day goes first to the Father in Heaven, and then to real dads, but even real men without kids who practice functional masculinity get a small cut of this pie. LOL Hope you enjoyed.
One thing that I found interesting was that during a discussion in my men’s group (and other discussions, actually), my pastor told us (paraphrasing his direct quote), “When a baby’s born, the mom is making sure that the baby is healthy, while the dad is looking for image and likeness.” Now this doesn’t mean that the dad doesn’t want the baby to be healthy, or that the dad is concerned that the kid may not be his based on facial features and the like. It’s a part of the male ego to want to leave behind a legacy, and while this in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, there’s an order and standard to legacy that must be followed…give you a hint: you can’t find it lest you put your mind on things above (Colossians 3:1).
It is written that God has a distinct Image and Likeness. His Image, Hebrews 1:3, says that this Image is Jesus Christ the Son (some translations like the NRSV say “exact imprint of God’s very being”), and his Likeness, or Values, are the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience/long-suffering, self-control). However, it is ALSO written that man was created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:26, AMP), “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.” The reason why we couldn’t do what Christ did (and what He had to do) was the goof Adam made in Genesis 3, thus giving man/woman their sin nature. God also made a great commission to us, the very first charge, “Be fruitful and multiply, subdue it, and take dominion”.
But what does that mean in today’s terms? And what does that mean in terms of being a father? Well the Kingdom-driven (godly) man has to reflect these things to maintain his functional masculinity throw intensive self-examination, independent study of the Word, and uninterrupted Fellowship with God, whether this be through the altar time (See Abraham, Genesis 12 and 13), or through having fellowship with others who genuine seek the Kingdom (Matthew 18:20). In Matthew 28:18, Christ made his own commission, to go forth and make disciples” in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (paraphrase)” and He also said that He is with us to the end (verse 20).
Nelson you still haven’t really answered this question!
Hold on I’m getting to it! Sheesh…LOL
Genesis 1:28 coupled to Matthew 28:18 means two basic things.
1) God wants everything in the universe to reflect Him, this is his ideal scenario, His basic Work.
2) He’s charged us (men and women mind you, but I’m talking to the MEN right now [1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:25-26]) to go out and do His Work.
How do we do this work? The short answer is by loving God with everything that we have and in-turn, loving our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40).
-And loving God and abiding in Him comes from obeying his Commandments (both from Matthew 22:35-40 and Exodus 20:4-18) and thus, having Him abide in us as we do in Him (John 14:15, John 15:10).
The not-so-short answer is as such. Men, take whatever you’ve learned and pass it on to the next cat behind you. Make sure you continue gaining knowledge to be able to pass on to the next person down the line. Dads, guide your kids. Husbands love your wives (yes I’m going there again, I LOVE Ephesians 5). Teach boys how to be men, tell girls (within appropriate parameters, don’t go running up to some 13yr old stranger on the street!) what a real man is supposed to look like. Uplift your contemporaries (fellow men), use yourselves as buffers between what someone is going through and the Holy Spirit (within appropriate boundaries, see previous post). And yes men, we have to exercise the “die to the self” principle (within God’s limits) with every dynamic we are a part of (we put ourselves last), just as Christ did for us, He IS our head after all (1 Corinthians 11:3 [again]). Give accounts of what you’ve gone through, mistakes you’ve made, be a barrier the best you can between the person you’re uplifting/counseling and the poor decision they are going to make. Be patriarchs of your families. Make behavior patterns change in youths when they step in your territory. Shouldn’t anyone have dominion over your house but God Himself.
But Nelson, you’re neither married nor have any kids! What about single men?
Yes, yes, yes, the single man. Well, do all the same things. Mentor someone else’s kids whenever the opportunity genuinely arises. Remember that men with kids carry a large responsibility, and whatever help you can lend is probably appreciated. Give unto yourself to all those around you. Keep boundaries and develop appropriate dynamics with the women folk around you. And don’t let deceptive rationale get, or even worse keep you in a holding pattern or poor decision-making (see the part about fellowshipping with God). Not really too too different…I’d personally say that single men, as we come up, need to train to be patriarchs, whether that’s to be a pastor, a dad, great-uncle, or any kind of leader anywhere (and yes ladies you can lead things too…I ain’t no chauvinist now! AGAIN, talking to the MEN!)
And (second) most importantly, REFLECT your words with your walk…and be genuine.
The most important thing we as men have to learn is to learn where we end and God begins. We do ourselves, and the folks around us a huge favor when we do this, regardless of what the initial reaction is.
When we follow all this stuff, we leave a darn impressive legacy, and get that well done (Matthew 25:23) as we continue pressing toward that Mark that God has laid out for us (Philippians 3:10-16).
Happy Father’s Day goes first to the Father in Heaven, and then to real dads, but even real men without kids who practice functional masculinity get a small cut of this pie. LOL Hope you enjoyed.
5/19/2011
Functional Masculinity (5 of 7): Boundaries
Last week we talked about the woe is me principle and how that can tear up and tear down relationships. Well this week, we'll discuss another thing that can either solidify or destroy relationships, boundaries.
Did you know that our God is a God of Order? God has an order for our lives in every aspect: personal (Colossians 3:1), family (1 Corinthians 11:3/Ephesians 5:21-6:4), career (Colossians 3:20-4:2), church, and community (Colossians 4:5-6). God has a distinct way of doing things and has an Image (Christ, Hebrews 1:3) and Likeness (Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23) that He wants in all things.
So if there's a playbook, why is there so much chaos in the world? Why are so many men acting a donkey? Why is there so much wounding?
DISORDER
While there are disorderly family units, and disorder everywhere...disorder comes from a lack of boundaries which in turn results in undefined dynamics. And an ambiguous dynamic of any kind is just begging for disorder.
Think about it in these terms: Papa was a rolling stone right? (Not necessarily your papa, just saying).
Ever think about why papa was a rollin' stone? The Word distinctly states in Genesis 1 that a man should leave his father and mother and cling to his wife...NOT his wife AND ANYone else. The two are supposed to become of one flesh...how can a house divided against itself stand (from the Gospel)? Well if a man has any other Image for marriage other than that designated in 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5 (see previous blog), then he's clearly ignoring a boundary, thusly distorting a definition as dictated by God and creating DISORDER.
It's not just infidelity in marriage...it's the "friend with benefits" piece as well. "If a man looketh at another woman with lust, he has committed adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). In Exodus 20, one of the 10 Commandments to to NOT do this (reverberated several places in the New Testament). Now is it possible to not desire a dynamic like "friends with benefits" without engrossing ourselves in the Lord and His Way?
Answer: NOPE
Otherwise it wouldn't be desirable. It's going to clash with godliness (Galatians 5:17).
However, it's not just lust. Greed (No one can serve two masters, he shall love one and hate the other; you cannot serve God and wealth [Matthew 6:24]). A man ignoring this boundary cannot be the Biblical man that God set out for the 1st Adam but didn't get until the 2nd Adam (Christ). How can a man die to himself if he's stuck in financial self-preservation? Or any form of self-preservation?
Answer: He' can't.
What happens when boundaries are ignored? Well...
1) Folk get hurt...
2) The Holy Spirit is grieved...
3) Spiritual accounts are disrupted...
And we must keep Communion and fellowship with God including a comprehensive self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:27-32) only speak in a manner that edifies the Spirit (Ephesians 4:29), keep the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), and Love God with all our hearts/thy neighbor as thy own flesh (Matthew 22:35-40).
Now don't get it flipped; women are just as subject to this as men...but it simply has a different effect when it starts with the man (again, 1 Corinthians 11:3). Now Joe Blow off the street won't have the influence necessary to create dysfunctional femininity from his dysfunctional masculinity...I'm talking about solidified dynamics (dating, "dating" ("friends with benefits"), relationships, marriage, etc.)
I could go on about ignoring boundaries forever. But what's the solution...?
1) Men, we gotta examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). Keep short (but candid) accounts with God about everything we do and let
2) We gotta take all thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). Principalities penetrate the mind and drive us to do ungodly things (And ignoring ANY boundary set by GOD through His Word is ungodly). Remember, it only takes one unchecked thought to tear down everything we've built.
3) Seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
4) Make sure all of our decisions are guided BY SCRIPTURE ALONE, because it's the gold standard for living our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
5) Again the
5) For when 1-4 fail, we must confess our sins so that God may clean us up (1 John 1:9) and make sure we don't condemn ourselves, for there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1). For unforgiveness and self-condemnation choke growth, propagate poor behavior patterns, and ALSO lead to ignoring of God-set boundaries. But let us remember while there is no condemnation in Christ, that our actions do have consequences, and those consequences work even for a greater good that we may come back into fellowship with God through our Lord, Savior, and Intercessor, Jesus Christ.
If we can keep these things in mind, fellas, we can show the ladies and all those around us what functional masculinity looks like. And next time I'm going to talk about what that looks like from a comprehensive standpoint. Until then, God bless.
Did you know that our God is a God of Order? God has an order for our lives in every aspect: personal (Colossians 3:1), family (1 Corinthians 11:3/Ephesians 5:21-6:4), career (Colossians 3:20-4:2), church, and community (Colossians 4:5-6). God has a distinct way of doing things and has an Image (Christ, Hebrews 1:3) and Likeness (Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23) that He wants in all things.
So if there's a playbook, why is there so much chaos in the world? Why are so many men acting a donkey? Why is there so much wounding?
DISORDER
While there are disorderly family units, and disorder everywhere...disorder comes from a lack of boundaries which in turn results in undefined dynamics. And an ambiguous dynamic of any kind is just begging for disorder.
Think about it in these terms: Papa was a rolling stone right? (Not necessarily your papa, just saying).
Ever think about why papa was a rollin' stone? The Word distinctly states in Genesis 1 that a man should leave his father and mother and cling to his wife...NOT his wife AND ANYone else. The two are supposed to become of one flesh...how can a house divided against itself stand (from the Gospel)? Well if a man has any other Image for marriage other than that designated in 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5 (see previous blog), then he's clearly ignoring a boundary, thusly distorting a definition as dictated by God and creating DISORDER.
It's not just infidelity in marriage...it's the "friend with benefits" piece as well. "If a man looketh at another woman with lust, he has committed adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). In Exodus 20, one of the 10 Commandments to to NOT do this (reverberated several places in the New Testament). Now is it possible to not desire a dynamic like "friends with benefits" without engrossing ourselves in the Lord and His Way?
Answer: NOPE
Otherwise it wouldn't be desirable. It's going to clash with godliness (Galatians 5:17).
However, it's not just lust. Greed (No one can serve two masters, he shall love one and hate the other; you cannot serve God and wealth [Matthew 6:24]). A man ignoring this boundary cannot be the Biblical man that God set out for the 1st Adam but didn't get until the 2nd Adam (Christ). How can a man die to himself if he's stuck in financial self-preservation? Or any form of self-preservation?
Answer: He' can't.
What happens when boundaries are ignored? Well...
1) Folk get hurt...
2) The Holy Spirit is grieved...
3) Spiritual accounts are disrupted...
And we must keep Communion and fellowship with God including a comprehensive self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:27-32) only speak in a manner that edifies the Spirit (Ephesians 4:29), keep the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), and Love God with all our hearts/thy neighbor as thy own flesh (Matthew 22:35-40).
Now don't get it flipped; women are just as subject to this as men...but it simply has a different effect when it starts with the man (again, 1 Corinthians 11:3). Now Joe Blow off the street won't have the influence necessary to create dysfunctional femininity from his dysfunctional masculinity...I'm talking about solidified dynamics (dating, "dating" ("friends with benefits"), relationships, marriage, etc.)
I could go on about ignoring boundaries forever. But what's the solution...?
1) Men, we gotta examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). Keep short (but candid) accounts with God about everything we do and let
2) We gotta take all thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). Principalities penetrate the mind and drive us to do ungodly things (And ignoring ANY boundary set by GOD through His Word is ungodly). Remember, it only takes one unchecked thought to tear down everything we've built.
3) Seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
4) Make sure all of our decisions are guided BY SCRIPTURE ALONE, because it's the gold standard for living our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
5) Again the
5) For when 1-4 fail, we must confess our sins so that God may clean us up (1 John 1:9) and make sure we don't condemn ourselves, for there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1). For unforgiveness and self-condemnation choke growth, propagate poor behavior patterns, and ALSO lead to ignoring of God-set boundaries. But let us remember while there is no condemnation in Christ, that our actions do have consequences, and those consequences work even for a greater good that we may come back into fellowship with God through our Lord, Savior, and Intercessor, Jesus Christ.
If we can keep these things in mind, fellas, we can show the ladies and all those around us what functional masculinity looks like. And next time I'm going to talk about what that looks like from a comprehensive standpoint. Until then, God bless.
2/12/2011
Functional Masculinity (4 of 7): The "Woe is Me" Principle
Well…I’m back. Last time around I discussed functional masculinity from the aspect of sacrifice. You know, the way Jesus Christ sacrificed for us, both through the validation of the Gospel (Jesus being God on Earth) and its culmination (Jesus dying for our sins and being Risen on the third day). Well we've talked about what functional masculinity is supposed to do, now let's discuss what it is NOT supposed to do.
For this particular entry I’d like to talk about functional masculinity from the perspective of one of the things that chokes functional masculinity…the “woe is me” principle. What the heck is the “woe is me” principle? Before I continue, while “woe is me” can be experienced by either a man or a woman, I am only talking about it from the perpsective of the man. Fellas, put on your thinking caps. When you’re in service to others, or having a really rough day, or your girlfriend/fiancée is making you do something you don’t want to do, do you get frustrated? Well that’s understandable; getting mad at your situation is natural. However, let me explain the difference between general frustration and “woe is me”.
When a man is frustrated with what he has to do, there are three general reactions (for every man it looks different). First, the frustrated man. He will do what he has to do, but begrudgingly so, with some anger, a snide comment, something. This man is either going to put walls up about his frustration, or he’s going to become the second man, the “woe is me” man. The “woe is me” man has become so frustrated with the sum total of his life circumstances that he complains all the time and has lost the will to better himself…in other words, he wants to quit. Why is the “woe is me” man even relevant? Because “woe is me” doesn’t know any color (although the black brothers are the first this is associated with), and no walk of life. The man who is viral in his complaints about his life despite the fact that he’s “doing what he’s supposed to” is also a “woe is me” man. “Woe is me” could either mean that a man isn’t trying anymore, of that a man wants unnecessary recognition for what he’s doing.
***To the ladies*** If you got a man like this, or you know one…uplift him (within boundaries of course, next blog entry..), but hold that man accountable.
***To the fellas***Women don’t want a whiny man. So stop whining.
Some of you are probably assuming the third man is the functional man. You’d be right to do so. I’m going to get to him in a minute. Some of you are also probably like “Two paragraphs and no Scripture references? Are you blowing smoke my brother?”
To you, hush, I got you. Here we go.
What’s the fundamental issue in a “woe is me” man? He ain’t checking himself at the door. This is but one of many things that can fall out from not making every thought one has conform to obey Christ. One of those principalities that causes us to fall out of godliness is that we are to be in entitled to something we’re not supposed to have…so yeah, men like this are deceived (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). A charge made in Ephesians 4:29-32 by Paul is not to open our mouths unless we have uplifting things to say. I think we can agree that whining doesn’t uplift anybody.
But why “woe is me”? What does “woe is me” look like?
The “woe is me” man thinks he has it so bad and is making so many sacrifices in life. And you know what? A lot of “woe is me” men do a lot of good work in their lives. They later invalidate it by wanting to be seen at the cost of being mad if they aren’t. Jesus himself tells us not to even roll like that. In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus talks about this principle in challenging the Pharisees in the manner by which they worship. And not to serve the pleasures of the world. And YES, wanting to be seen/appreciated/etc at the cost of your walk in genuineness is indeed a pleasure of the WORLD. So, a charge to us as men is, we can’t be in it to be seen regarding the matter…because if a man chooses to identify with stuff like this it is IMPOSSIBLE for him to identify with Christ….and if a man with a family don’t have Christ, well then best case scenario is that the order is disrupted a bit and flowing through the woman. But, dysfunctional masculinity more often than not produces an entire dysfunctional family.
The “woe is me” principle is important for a man and a woman, but within God’s Order, the man is the head of the woman (1 Corinthians 11:3)…but if a man is bogged down in “woe is me”, then Christ isn’t his head. And Christ IS the quintessential functional God-man. But like I said, I’m going to get to that.
In Scripture there are many “woe is me” men. But none are nearly as prominent as Job (see the book of Job in the Old Testament). Let’s take a look at Job. Job was a prominent man with a lot of land, riches, and a nice family. And while God was minding His own business you know, being God and all…here comes Satan boogity boogity (a wise man got me saying that, some of you may know him), rolling up there and noticing how proud God was of Job. So…Satan challenged God to flip his world upside down. And God agreed but told Satan to spare his life. Job wound up losing his lands, his house, his kids, and his health (sound somewhat familiar folks?), just all out of his comfort zone. His friends came and were shocked to see him. And Job had the “woe is me” thing going deep (but it is noteworthy that throughout this book he did not call God out of His name). Toward the end of the book of Job, Job asks God why he had to endure all these things, and God basically told him not to question him. It is even more noteworthy that practically every “woe is me” man has questioned God for putting him where he is. Keyword: perspective.
Perspective? But what about the Biblical man? The short answer is that when the going gets tough, a Biblical man will follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3 again)….that is his perspective. A Biblical man, when he’s faced with a taxing situation, as opposed to questioning God’s intent, will ask God to simply show him what God wants him to do in the situation…and often times that’s just waiting on God and sticking it out. Biblical men, depending on their maturity level, don’t struggle with this concept nearly as badly as the “woe is me” men. Why is following Christ important though? Well for this particular part, following Christ is important because Christ died for our sins. The next time one of you wants to think that’s no big deal, think about the world without that sacrifice. I’m willing to bet we wouldn’t even be here. Hell? No I’ll pass thank you (Jesus). But seriously, Jesus knew who He was and why He came to the Earth. And throughout the Gospel he was focused on His singular purpose of walking a perfect life in our place and taking that whooping on our behalf, adopting us into God’s Kingdom. Can any of us do that? Nope? Well then it’s a big darn deal that He did it.
Think about this though…would it have been the same if Jesus wanted to be revered for being the Son of God? Jesus, while he was on Earth, stayed wherever His head lay, he all knowledge but kept no money, ducked off constantly to have His fellowship with the Father (secret places), and rode in on a donkey (colt in some translations) where he could have had a golden chariot. He went into His situation, and if you look at His exchange with the Pilate (case and point, John 19:10-15), Jesus knows that He has to go up on the cross, and Pilate tells him that he has the power to free him or condemn him (verse 10), but Jesus completely dismisses that notion in verse 11, and is even seeks to give Pilate the perspective who He is…while those who turned him over to Pilate called Caesar their only king (verse 15, Roman Emperors were thought of as gods too), and Jesus already knew that this was a very egregious act (verse 11). Or let's think about Matthew 26:36-46. That critical time that although Jesus (being God), knew He was about to separated from the Father for the first time in eternity. That time that Jesus had to tap into His "God part" and although He made a petition, He willfully submitted to the Father with no complaint, and fulfilled His component of the Gospel. In that we were all made alive through Christ. Had he been focused on His Pain, and not His Purpose, we'd be done for. Such is also the case when we as men focus on our pain at the expense of our purpose. Note, sometimes you have to hash out pain. That's what the very Jesus who wasn't focused on His Pain is for.
That’s the Standard by which we as men can dismiss the “woe is me” principle. Christ didn’t complain a lick for what he had to do, but did in love and sincerity…and furthermore, knowing His role in the Father’s Plan. Men if we stick to this, we can’t lose, and woe gets kicked out of our business. God bless and have a great day.
For this particular entry I’d like to talk about functional masculinity from the perspective of one of the things that chokes functional masculinity…the “woe is me” principle. What the heck is the “woe is me” principle? Before I continue, while “woe is me” can be experienced by either a man or a woman, I am only talking about it from the perpsective of the man. Fellas, put on your thinking caps. When you’re in service to others, or having a really rough day, or your girlfriend/fiancée is making you do something you don’t want to do, do you get frustrated? Well that’s understandable; getting mad at your situation is natural. However, let me explain the difference between general frustration and “woe is me”.
When a man is frustrated with what he has to do, there are three general reactions (for every man it looks different). First, the frustrated man. He will do what he has to do, but begrudgingly so, with some anger, a snide comment, something. This man is either going to put walls up about his frustration, or he’s going to become the second man, the “woe is me” man. The “woe is me” man has become so frustrated with the sum total of his life circumstances that he complains all the time and has lost the will to better himself…in other words, he wants to quit. Why is the “woe is me” man even relevant? Because “woe is me” doesn’t know any color (although the black brothers are the first this is associated with), and no walk of life. The man who is viral in his complaints about his life despite the fact that he’s “doing what he’s supposed to” is also a “woe is me” man. “Woe is me” could either mean that a man isn’t trying anymore, of that a man wants unnecessary recognition for what he’s doing.
***To the ladies*** If you got a man like this, or you know one…uplift him (within boundaries of course, next blog entry..), but hold that man accountable.
***To the fellas***Women don’t want a whiny man. So stop whining.
Some of you are probably assuming the third man is the functional man. You’d be right to do so. I’m going to get to him in a minute. Some of you are also probably like “Two paragraphs and no Scripture references? Are you blowing smoke my brother?”
To you, hush, I got you. Here we go.
What’s the fundamental issue in a “woe is me” man? He ain’t checking himself at the door. This is but one of many things that can fall out from not making every thought one has conform to obey Christ. One of those principalities that causes us to fall out of godliness is that we are to be in entitled to something we’re not supposed to have…so yeah, men like this are deceived (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). A charge made in Ephesians 4:29-32 by Paul is not to open our mouths unless we have uplifting things to say. I think we can agree that whining doesn’t uplift anybody.
But why “woe is me”? What does “woe is me” look like?
The “woe is me” man thinks he has it so bad and is making so many sacrifices in life. And you know what? A lot of “woe is me” men do a lot of good work in their lives. They later invalidate it by wanting to be seen at the cost of being mad if they aren’t. Jesus himself tells us not to even roll like that. In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus talks about this principle in challenging the Pharisees in the manner by which they worship. And not to serve the pleasures of the world. And YES, wanting to be seen/appreciated/etc at the cost of your walk in genuineness is indeed a pleasure of the WORLD. So, a charge to us as men is, we can’t be in it to be seen regarding the matter…because if a man chooses to identify with stuff like this it is IMPOSSIBLE for him to identify with Christ….and if a man with a family don’t have Christ, well then best case scenario is that the order is disrupted a bit and flowing through the woman. But, dysfunctional masculinity more often than not produces an entire dysfunctional family.
The “woe is me” principle is important for a man and a woman, but within God’s Order, the man is the head of the woman (1 Corinthians 11:3)…but if a man is bogged down in “woe is me”, then Christ isn’t his head. And Christ IS the quintessential functional God-man. But like I said, I’m going to get to that.
In Scripture there are many “woe is me” men. But none are nearly as prominent as Job (see the book of Job in the Old Testament). Let’s take a look at Job. Job was a prominent man with a lot of land, riches, and a nice family. And while God was minding His own business you know, being God and all…here comes Satan boogity boogity (a wise man got me saying that, some of you may know him), rolling up there and noticing how proud God was of Job. So…Satan challenged God to flip his world upside down. And God agreed but told Satan to spare his life. Job wound up losing his lands, his house, his kids, and his health (sound somewhat familiar folks?), just all out of his comfort zone. His friends came and were shocked to see him. And Job had the “woe is me” thing going deep (but it is noteworthy that throughout this book he did not call God out of His name). Toward the end of the book of Job, Job asks God why he had to endure all these things, and God basically told him not to question him. It is even more noteworthy that practically every “woe is me” man has questioned God for putting him where he is. Keyword: perspective.
Perspective? But what about the Biblical man? The short answer is that when the going gets tough, a Biblical man will follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3 again)….that is his perspective. A Biblical man, when he’s faced with a taxing situation, as opposed to questioning God’s intent, will ask God to simply show him what God wants him to do in the situation…and often times that’s just waiting on God and sticking it out. Biblical men, depending on their maturity level, don’t struggle with this concept nearly as badly as the “woe is me” men. Why is following Christ important though? Well for this particular part, following Christ is important because Christ died for our sins. The next time one of you wants to think that’s no big deal, think about the world without that sacrifice. I’m willing to bet we wouldn’t even be here. Hell? No I’ll pass thank you (Jesus). But seriously, Jesus knew who He was and why He came to the Earth. And throughout the Gospel he was focused on His singular purpose of walking a perfect life in our place and taking that whooping on our behalf, adopting us into God’s Kingdom. Can any of us do that? Nope? Well then it’s a big darn deal that He did it.
Think about this though…would it have been the same if Jesus wanted to be revered for being the Son of God? Jesus, while he was on Earth, stayed wherever His head lay, he all knowledge but kept no money, ducked off constantly to have His fellowship with the Father (secret places), and rode in on a donkey (colt in some translations) where he could have had a golden chariot. He went into His situation, and if you look at His exchange with the Pilate (case and point, John 19:10-15), Jesus knows that He has to go up on the cross, and Pilate tells him that he has the power to free him or condemn him (verse 10), but Jesus completely dismisses that notion in verse 11, and is even seeks to give Pilate the perspective who He is…while those who turned him over to Pilate called Caesar their only king (verse 15, Roman Emperors were thought of as gods too), and Jesus already knew that this was a very egregious act (verse 11). Or let's think about Matthew 26:36-46. That critical time that although Jesus (being God), knew He was about to separated from the Father for the first time in eternity. That time that Jesus had to tap into His "God part" and although He made a petition, He willfully submitted to the Father with no complaint, and fulfilled His component of the Gospel. In that we were all made alive through Christ. Had he been focused on His Pain, and not His Purpose, we'd be done for. Such is also the case when we as men focus on our pain at the expense of our purpose. Note, sometimes you have to hash out pain. That's what the very Jesus who wasn't focused on His Pain is for.
That’s the Standard by which we as men can dismiss the “woe is me” principle. Christ didn’t complain a lick for what he had to do, but did in love and sincerity…and furthermore, knowing His role in the Father’s Plan. Men if we stick to this, we can’t lose, and woe gets kicked out of our business. God bless and have a great day.
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