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.
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