Relegated and Marginalized

Jesus often repeated what he said to his disciples. The word of God needs to be reinforced over and over. 1 Timothy 4:15-16 says, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” To meditate means to focus the mind deeply for a period of time… To think about it over and over.

The Journey of life is one step at a time. A Sabbath day’s journey was the distance that one person could walk on the Sabbath day. The word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We can only see the step in front of us as we walk with him one step at a time. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring….but he does. We cannot make a promise for tomorrow. However we can commit to the next step. Then when we look back on our journey of life, we can reflect on what’s really important. For most men, what’s important is to perform…to work hard day after day to support our family. Upon reflection near the end of life, many men say that they would have worked less and spent more time with their wife, children, and the ones they love.

Women have a hard time finding men who are not confused about who they are… men who can lead them with the Lord’s authority. Oswald Chambers said, “when the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to be the reliable ones. The crisis has come.” A crisis is a time when action must be taken to avoid a catastrophe, a complete breakdown, a calamity…a radical change for the worse. In the last times there will be cataclysmic events that will be difficult to bear. However as the Apostle Paul said, thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me.

When Bill Bennet wrote “The Man Book” he said, “men in our culture have been marginalized. They have been relegated into insignificance.” God gives us opportunities to rise to the challenge to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Men in each generation have a choice to accept God’s challenge or to be marginalized, relegated, and exiled into oblivion. In every generation there are “men who won’t lead and women who won’t follow.” Men who fall into the devil’s snares of this world are taken captive by the enemy at his will. God allows crises and tribulations so that men are confronted with a stark choice: to either trust in the Lord with all their hearts and lean not unto their own understanding or to allow the devil and his minions to marginalize and relegate them into insignificance.

When men rise up and believe the truth of the Word of God, the society will flourish. The encouragement is to “hold your ground.” Our call toI arms is, “This is the hour of battle. This day we fight, we bid you stand in His power, ye men of God.”

As men of God, we’re called to influence the world. The devil’s ploy is that the world would influence us. Either we’re active or passive. Either we actively engage in the spiritual battle or we will be defeated when we become passive targets. Casual Christians are casualties in the spiritual battle. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places.

How do you grind America down? The communist party planned specific actions in 1992 to undermine America. The first step was to destroy the family by promoting cohabitation instead of marriage. Next they would put the children in public institutions to indoctrinate them with a godless world view from preschool. They supported a “feminist movement” to turn women against men and encourage women to voice their grievances to undermine and destroy the institution of marriage. They planned to present homosexuality, sexual perversion, and promiscuity as normal and healthy. Then they would break down cultural norms that encouraged excellence, reward for hard work, thrift, and respect for family, God, and country. They wanted to infiltrate the press, radio, Internet communication, television, the movies, government and higher education. Finally they planned to discredit traditional family values and support easy divorce to destroy the family institution. The fight is for the hearts and minds of individuals. The philosophy of Communism is to denounce God and his Word…to convince the people that there is no right and wrong so that their godless communist and socialist doctrines could prevail.

In a scene in the mini-series, The Band of Brothers, one shell shocked soldier was cowering in a bomb crater in the midst of enemy fire. His commanding officer ran up to his side and said, “what’s the matter?” The terrified soldier sobbed, “I’m afraid of dying.” The commander said, “that’s your problem… you think you’re going to live through this. If you consider yourself dead, then we’ll win this battle.” As Jesus said, “You need to die to yourself to follow me.” In dying to self then we can live unto him.

The spiritual battle rages on. When the Japanese started defeating the islands that were held by the British empire, the Royal Navy was not prepared. In order to defeat the enemy we have to take up the offense. The offensive weapons in the spiritual Arsenal are the Word of God and Prayer.

The enemy’s troops are lovers of self instead of lovers of God. According to 2 Timothy 3:2-5, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”. How do we combat the enemy’s army? The answer is in the next phrase: “from such turn away.” We must turn away from the world and unto our Lord Jesus Christ.

The victory in the spiritual battle starts in our own family. We’re called to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. A man of God asks for forgiveness when he falls short. We cannot reconcile with our wives until we are both reconciled to Christ. He alone is the one who reconciles for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Then when we meet our wives at the foot of the cross, a threefold cord is not quickly broken. For truly our fellowship is with our Lord Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father and one with another in the household of faith.

To secure the victory in the spiritual battle, stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ has made us free…that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Choose Life

Seth Gruber has been called to deliver a message on behalf of unborn children. In ancient times pagans sacrificed their babies on the altar of their pagan god Molech. They thought that these “postpartum abortions” would appease their heathen god and avoid his wrath though the sacrifice of innocent lives. In every generation 2 Corinthians 4:4 rings true: “In whom the god of this world (the devil) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Today in America we’ve aborted over 60 million unborn babies upon the altar of so-called “women’s choice and women’s rights.” The adversary calls good evil and evil good. God always honors life, not death. The pro abortion movement frames the issue as “pro choice.” However the choice is between life and death. All human life is sacred for Jesus Christ said, “The thief (the devil) came not but for to steal, Kill, and destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” In the pro choice debate the choice is simple: choose life.

Eugene Cho said at a recent conference, “I think abortion should remain legal.” He made this statement at an evangelical convention and yet there was no outcry in favor of saving the lives of the unborn. The moral justification of abortion is equivalent to the moral justification of slavery before the Civil War…that one person had the so-called “right” to own another person as property. How can Christians respond in the spiritual battle to save the innocent lives of the unborn?

Pro-life advocates have no unified message and no unified movement. However, the pro-abortion movement has a government funded unified message from Planned Parenthood. The head of Planned Parenthood said, “Our organization is dedicated to the core mission of providing access to abortion for all women.” The governor of NY said that he would make sure his state introduced legislation to enshrine Roe v Wade as state law, and that every woman would have the legal right to abortion on demand. In contrast one legislator introduced a bill to define late term abortion as the killing of an innocent human being. There were only three legislators who voted in favor of this bill.

Pro lifers claim that abortion is wrong because it violates ethical ideals….that all life is sacred and worthy of honor and value. On the other hand, Pro abortionists think that there is no ethical ideal, but that ethics are relative to the value of the individual. They think that it may be wrong for you but it’s right for me. However, some things are objectively wrong. It’s always wrong to take an innocent life. Some truths are absolute. As Christians we must remember Jesus’ words: Sanctify them with thy word, thy word is truth.

The United States needs to repent for its sin as a nation for having embraced abortion as a right. What men and cultures define as human rights are often godly wrongs.

As a parent, if your young son asked you the question, “can I kill this?” your logical response to his question would be, “what are you asking about killing?” If it’s a cockroach, the answer would be “yes.” However if he’s talking about his little sister, obviously the answer would be “No.” The question is, “what is it that you’re asking for permission to kill?”

The science of embryology teaches that the unborn child is a distinct, living, and whole human being from the moment of conception. Distinct means that the unborn’s life is separate from the mother’s life. The argument that women chant “My body, my life,” is erroneous according to embryology. The unborn child has separate and distinct DNA from the mother from the moment of fertilization. Whole means that from conception, every unborn child has everything they need to realize their full growth and biological development. The science of embryology shows that an embryo is an individual human being distinct from his or her mother. Who we were prior to birth is the same potential person we were after birth.

Ethics is different from science. To understand “right and wrong” we need to understand why an unborn human life is as valuable before birth as after birth. The ethical and moral reasons for valuing the unborn are summarized by the acronym “SLED”. What are the differences between the born and the unborn? S stands for size. Even though the unborn are objectively smaller than the born, neither is morally less valuable. L stands for the level of development. Obviously the unborn is less developed but not less valuable. E stands for environment. The unborn lives in a different environment, its mother’s womb. However, physical location has no bearing on an individual’s worth as a human being. D stands for degree of dependency. Even though the unborn are dependent on their mothers, they are no less valuable than newborn babies who are also dependent on their parents for the necessities of life including nurture, food, shelter and clothing.

Each of the above arguments are ethical reasons for the equal value of the individual both before and after birth. The case for life is simple. It only becomes difficult when we are indoctrinated and confused by the world’s philosophies. If the culture doesn’t teach us to protect babies from being killed in the womb, then we need to educate the culture that pro life is the ethical and moral stance. Today there are more people working full time to kill babies than to save them. This is because killing the unborn is profitable and there are vested interests in funding the abortion industry.

However, we can be ambassadors to advocate for the innocent unborn. Seth Gruber’s ministry is Life Training Institute. This ministry is dedicated to delivering the message that the only ethical, moral, and scientifically objective choice in the pro-choice debate is this: choose life. To support their ministry or to subscribe to their news letter their website is www.prolifetraining.com.

Our exhortation is to beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. In the fight against evil, we must engage the spiritual battle. The battle has been taken to us by the adversary. As spiritual warriors, the battle is for the hearts and minds of men and women. At the end of the battle, the choice is simple: Choose truth over compromise and life over death.

And as we fight the good fight, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Spiritual Battle

We need our brothers in the body of Christ. It’s easy to become casual about important things we’ve read in the Word of God. When we meet with our Christian brothers we’re often reproved by the Holy Spirit when we don’t apply the Word that we read. The armor of God in Ephesians 6 is one such passage about our spiritual battle. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high.

We don’t need to volunteer to find ourself in the midst of a spiritual battle. The adversary has taken the battle to us. The devil’s ploy is to take men of God off the spiritual battlefield. He works in the cover of darkness. When we fail to see with Christ’s eyes behind our eyes… without spiritual perception and awareness, the devil distracts us to focus on the wrong thing. He diverts our attention with illusions and shiny objects…the things of the world that take our minds off the things of the spirit. His deception will cause us to sin and fall into his snare when lose our focus on our Lord Jesus Christ.

There’s a video clip from a PBS production called “the ghost battle.” In WWII there were decoys set up to deceive Hitler’s army. While the Germans saw tanks and heard war sounds, these were actually props to deceive the enemy and to distract Hitler’s forces from the actual allied army.

Likewise, the world is surrounded by a spiritual battle. Prayer and the word of God are two of our offensive weapons in spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6 contains our defensive and offensive arsenal in the spiritual warfare.

There is a record in the Old Testament of a behind the scenes look at the spiritual battle. This record is in 2 Kings 6:8-17: “Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12. And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16. And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

The Syrian king thought that there was a spy within his camp who was telling the king’s war plans to Israel their enemy. One of the king’s men advised him that the prophet named Elisha was telling Israel the king’s battle plan even down to the details he discussed in his bed chamber. The king sent his great army to intercept the prophet. The prophet’s servant panicked. Elisha said to his servant, “the forces that are with us are more than the forces that are with them.” Then Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes so that he could see God’s vast heavenly host ready to fight the battle on Israel’s behalf.

In Ephesians 6, Paul by revelation gave the church specifics about the invisible spiritual battle and the weapons of our spiritual warfare. According to Ephesians 6:10-14, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

What does it mean to have your loins girt about with truth? This is a reference to the “belt of truth.” In preparation for battle, a Roman soldier would take the four corners of his tunic and tuck them into his belt so that he could run to the battle lines. This was called “girding up your loins.” The belt held the sheath for the soldier’s dagger. This belt also kept the breastplate tight and held the shield in position so that the soldiers on the front lines could “lock shields” in a defensive position. The belt was like a tool belt that held the soldier’s weapons of warfare.

The main tactic of the battle plan is “Know your enemy.” Our first defense in the spiritual battle is the Word of God. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual to the pulling down of spiritual strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4). Worldly weapons are considered “common sense.” However, the very next verse says spiritual weapons are uncommon: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…”

The battle is not against people or worldly circumstances and situations. The battle is spiritual. To those who walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh, everything is spiritual. The battle is to uphold the truth of the Word of God for the glory of God. The Word of God is truth and our Lord Jesus Christ is the meaning of the Word for he said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh to the Father except by me.”

The battle lines have been drawn in our culture, our nation, our churches and our worldly institutions. The weapons of the world are deception, deceit, strife, contention, doubt, fear, temptation, and compromise. For each of the devil’s schemes there is a spiritual tool from the belt of truth of the Word of God. Ephesians 6:15-18 list the other types of spiritual armor that we’re commanded to put on so that we can stand against the schemes of the devil: “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

The light of truth will reveal the devil’s schemes and the armor of God will protect our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the midst of the spiritual battle, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Discipleship in Brotherhood

Last Friday, Terry Miller’s message was about Brotherhood versus fellowship. Brotherhood is another level of connection beyond friendship. Both brotherhood and fellowship are biblical concepts. According to Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestination to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” We are brothers of the Son of God bound by the innocent blood of our big brother Jesus Christ.

Part of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is learning to see the spiritual battlefield from the eyes of the spirit… with Christ’s eyes behind our eyes. In 2 Kings 6:8-17, “Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

10. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12. And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16. And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

In the spiritual battle, our challenge is to see things from our vantage point seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus with Christ’s eyes behind our eyes. Without the holy spirit that we received at the new birth, we are blind to the spiritual battle that rages behind the scenes.

There’s a difference between Christian brotherhood and Christian fellowship. Christian brotherhood is similar to what soldiers experience with their band of brothers during combat. When Sebastian Junger returned home from his deployment in Afghanistan, someone asked one of his brothers in arms what he missed most about combat in Afghanistan. His answer was “almost everything.” Sebastian searched his heart to find out why he also missed “almost everything” about combat. He knew he missed the adrenaline rush but at a deeper level, he concluded that what he really missed was “brotherhood.” Brotherhood is a mutual agreement that I’ll put my life on the line for my band of brothers and that they will do the same for me.

One combat veteran said that the worst day of his deployment was when a bullet hit his helmet and knocked him unconscious. Before passing out, he heard his men say, “He’s dead.” He thought to himself “I’m not dead.” He said that when he came to, he didn’t even notice the searing pain. He was consumed by guilt that he wasn’t able to protect his brothers during the brief time he was unconscious.

A line in the movie “stand by Me” says, “you’ll never have friends like you did when you were twelve.” When men grow up, they meet each other to do things. They go to ball games, go hunting, fishing or barn-raising. These activity based gatherings are why men meet together. This even includes church and small group meetings. These interactions are based on activities and not friendships. Men rarely get to know each other and what’s going on in their brothers’ lives. Each activity based interaction will not allow for an emotional connection with the other person. However, brotherhood produces an emotional attachment and an interpersonal relationship.

Disclosure of who we are and who we are not creates the connection with another person. Casual Interactions do not allow us to know each other’s hearts. The lack of an emotional connection causes many men to settle for isolation and insulation. Isolation means that I’ll separate myself from the crowd. Insulation means that I’ll meet with the crowd but isolate myself from personal intimacy. Men are good at building walls to separate their hearts from others. They erect these walls because they’ve been hurt by letting others in. This fear-based wall building exercise keeps men insulated and isolated from intimacy and from connection with a band of brothers.

Terry made some changes at his Men’s ministry at Cornerstone Church in Long Beach. He found that when he instituted his first men’s breakfast, the attendance increased from about 150 to 345 men. Then he arranged a men’s conference on marriage where 250 men attended. Next, he invited a navy seal as a guest speaker on a Monday night where 400 men showed up. Terry discovered that it’s not hard to get guys to attend a meeting. What’s hard is getting men to connect.

Terry often wondered why Influencers meetings produce men who are arm in arm while singing praise and worshiping together. He understood that there was something missing at Cornerstone. He concluded that his mission should be to build a culture of men ministering to men for discipleship. He knew that he needed to teach them that each Christian is, as the bible says, “an able minister of the New Testament.” Discipleship is the way to build brotherhood. There’s a tool that Terry put together by inspiration to help men step up into discipleship. He called this tool “Iron Sharpeneth Iron” from Proverbs 12:1. This is his four question guide for meaningful conversation to bring men into intentional interaction. The first question is, “how’s your soul.” The second question is, “How is your walk with God?” The third is, “How are your relationships with close friends and family?” The fourth question is, “How can I pray for you right now?”

These four questions lead to genuine interaction. It gives men specific actions….a step by step method to build discipleship. The four words after a person responds to each question is, “tell me about that.”

To disciple a brother in Christ simply ask him, “will you meet me for coffee?” At coffee just ask the four questions from “Iron Sharpeneth Iron.” In one meeting with a brother from his church Terry asked, “how’s your soul?” His response was, “I’m so sad.” Then Terry said, “tell me about that.” He shared for twenty minutes why his soul was sad. Then Terry asked, “How’s your walk with God?” His response was, “It doesn’t exist.” When he got to the fourth question, Terry asked, “How can I pray for you right now?” His request was, “Pray for me that God will find me.” He knew that he was lost and had confidence that God would find him. Terry prayed as he had requested. About five minutes later, he texted Terry, “I’ve found our conversation very intriguing.” Four weeks ago this man called Terry and said, “when I went to Cornerstone Church with my wife I walked by the prayer room and I did it.” Terry asked, “what did you do?” The man said, “I think I committed my life to God.” Terry said, “tell me about that.” Terry is looking for a brotherhood relationship with this man. Men connect with men if they listen to meaningful conversation about their lives. They connect with other men who have earned the right to pray for them because they cared enough to listen. This is the starting point of discipleship.

Jesus went through all the towns teaching, preaching and healing. When he saw the crowds he was moved with compassion for them because they were harassed and were helpless like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

Like veterans returning from combat, we Christians are in a spiritual battle. According to 2 Kings, Elisha prayed, “Open the servant’s eyes so that he can see the spiritual battle.” There’s a pitched spiritual battle raging behind the scenes and the Lord’s army is fighting for us. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Men need an action plan…a battle plan in the midst of the spiritual battle. These four questions are a step by step tactical action plan in the fight for the hearts and minds of men of God.

As we fight the good fight with our band of brothers In the midst of the spiritual battle, May we ever live for the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Marriage Vows

There is a problem in the United States when it comes to marriages. In Orange County the divorce rate is 74%. In civilizations that have come and gone, the precursor to the demise of the society was the demise of the family. Marriage between one man and one woman is sacred before God and men. The most sacred part of the marriage ceremony is the marriage vow. According to Ecclesiastes, “Do not take a vow unless you are committed to keep it.” Jesus Christ himself was committed to keep his vow to his Heavenly Father: I always do my Father’s will… not my will but thine be done.

The marriage vow is to commit one to another as husband and wife in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, in good times and bad, ’til death do us part. All men are prone to quit…to give up and give in to the lusts of the flesh and the temptations of the world and of our sinful nature. In the best marriages, we don’t keep our vows, rather our vows keep us. Our vow is a matter of integrity…it’s who we are and what we do.

In cultures that thrive, there is great respect for the family and willingness to sacrifice individual rights for the good of the marriage relationship and the family unit. The first step in the disintegration of the society is when individuals begin to assert their individual rights instead of subjugating their own rights for the sake of the family. The first symptom of the downward spiral is that families tend to isolate themselves into clans to protect their individual family members. This alienation tends to make enemies of other clans. When family rights wane and the society values individual rights over the family unit, the family structure will atomize and the society will fly apart. The culture loses its reverence for the sanctity of marriage and the cohesiveness of family. The value of the marriage vows are lost and the birth rate declines. When individual rights supersede the sacrifice and value of the unity of the family, this undermines the support that holds up communities, states and nations. The result is that the society crumbles. The nation without in tact family units is bound to disintegrate,atomize and fly apart.

Hosea, God’s prophet was commanded by God to take a prostitute for a wife. When she returned to prostitution, he bought her and took her back even though the community thought that she should be judged for her sin and condemned. The story of Hosea and his wife Gomer was an illustration of Christ’s love for his church…for all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to our own way.

Hosea 2:19-20 says “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.” Despite Israel’s turning away from God and committing spiritual adultery with other gods, the lord said, “I will marry you forever.” Jesus is committed to his bride Israel even though they continued to commit adultery. Hosea’s wife Gomer was a picture of Israel’s unfaithfulness. This is also an illustration of God’s love for his people even when they are unfaithful. Peter asked Jesus, “How many times shall I forgive my brother who has wronged me? Shall I forgive him seven times?” Jesus answered, “not seven times but seventy times seven.” In other words there is no limit to God’s forgiveness.

When Jesus confronted the crowd gathered around to stone the woman who was caught in adultery he said, “he who is without sin may cast the first stone.” The crowd gradually slinked away. When there was no one left, he said to the woman, “go and sin no more.”

Part of a Christian’s marriage vow is, “til death do us part.” When Pete was grieving for the loss of his wife, God reassured him, “Even though you grieve for your wife, Remember the forty nine years of joy that you were able to share together.”

Even though God is a God of grace and mercy, he is also a God of his Word. When the culture embraces the lie that our own selfish rights are greater than our promise to commit ourselves to our marriage vows, God will allow the culture to disintegrate. A culture whose conscious is seared with a hot iron calls good evil and evil good. Our job as committed Christians is to “stand in the gap” and sound the alarm by upholding the truth of God’s word. Jesus said, blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven.

What are the characteristics of a committed love, bound by the bonds of holy matrimony? One kind of love is a pursuing love. Love seeks the object of love, regardless of the response of the other party. This is the way God pursued us for in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. The love of God does not depend on love in return. God loves us because it’s his nature, not because we love him in return. We cannot love on our own… we can love only through the nature of the spirit that we inherited when we were born again of His spirit. This is the true spirit of the love of God. Sacrificial love is a joy when we love with the spiritual love of God. When we love with His love, there is nothing that we would rather do than to serve God by serving the ones we love.

Faithfulness is another aspect of love. Israel continued their practice of spiritual adultery by breaking the first of the Ten Commandments: thou shalt have no other Gods between your face and my face. Jesus said, “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these (other necessary) things shall be added unto you.”

Forgiveness is also a divine characteristic of love. To err is human but to forgive is divine. God forgives us not because we deserve it but because forgiveness is part of God’s nature. Jesus said that to know and understand that we have been forgiven we must forgive others. Unforgiveness will break our relationship with God. Therefore, if you bring an offering to God and have not forgiven your brother, first reconcile with your brother and then come back to God’s altar with a clean heart. Then according to 1 John 1:9, “for if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Hosea shows that God has called us to be committed to our marriage vows. Like God forgave Israel for her habit of going a-whoring after other Gods, we need to forgive each other for our unfaithfulness in body, soul, and spirt. May our prayer be, “Lord teach me to love the same way that you loved me.” As the apostle Paul said, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

As we love our wives as Christ loved the church, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Fellowship Versus Brotherhood

Men say that they want brotherhood. However, the question is, “what price are you willing to pay?” Mickey Mantle said when he was sitting in a bar watching a baseball game after he had retired from the Yankees, “I should be out there playing. But what I really miss is the locker room, the brotherhood of the guys on the team.”

When Pete started his men’s ministry, he asked, “what are men like today? What are their core values and what do they value when it comes to the church? He knew the statistics that said that if men are faithful followers of Christ, 90 percent of their families receive Christ. However, only 17 percent of families come to faith if only the wife is a Christian.

When you call a man in the church “man of God,” he’ll usually look away. When you ask him why he’s ashamed, he’ll say, “because I feel unworthy.” The world’s man code says that we’re what we make of ourselves and that grace doesn’t matter. It teaches that the goal is to be a self made man. We’re taught to resist receiving anything as a gift of grace. However, according to Ephesians 2:8, by grace are ye saved by faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.

The devil’s tactic is to take men of God off of the spiritual battlefield. Great cultures and nations always fail from within. It’s not other nations that conquer a great civilization, but by corruption from within.

Ephesians 6 is about the armor of God. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Every sphere of influence whether family, government, education, entertainment, and even churches are weakened from within when they forsake the spiritual armor of God and are overtaken by the powers of darkness. When factions fight for power in the voting booth, the president’s world view will be forced on the culture. However, even if we elect a Christian president, the culture has already been infiltrated by spiritual wickedness in the halls of power.

God will allow persecution inside and outside the church to purge the culture to find out who the real Christians are. According to the flesh, it’s difficult to discern who’s really a Christian. The regular Christian man feels fearful, insecure, inadequate and lonely. He’s casual relationally with Jesus and with others. Casual Christians are casualties in the spiritual battle. The average guy is under challenged and has no mission to which he can commit his life. The church asks us to give faithfully, to attend regularly and to serve diligently. However, the church often fails to emphasize the main question, “how’s your walk with God?”

The normal Christian guy is stressed and struggles with guilt and shame. He struggles with being a cultural Christian rather than a Biblical Christian. He may have father-wounds because his dad never said, “son I live you.” His dad never helped him spiritually or morally. He’s overcome by the “lust of the flesh.” He’s angry but can’t quite put his finger on the cause of his anger. He has problems with his marriage and doesn’t pray for or with his wife. He can’t communicate with her like she wants and needs for him to communicate from the depth of his heart. He never has a date night with his wife and will not attend marriage retreats or conferences with her. He knows that he doesn’t give enough, serve enough, pray enough, read his bible enough, or love enough. He spends most of his time in sin management rather living in God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. He’s terrified of losing control and feels uncomfortable on spiritual turf. He fears rejection and avoids situations where he may be asked to pray out loud or participate in meaningful biblical discussions.

Even deacons and elders in many churches realize they don’t really have a deep, committed, and abiding relationship with their Lord and with the Word of God.

The normal Christian guy is more comfortable isolating himself when he’s struggling and in pain. It’s difficult for him to ask for help from other men. He finds his identity in his job, his bank accounts, his possessions and in his worldly successes. He avoids spending time and sharing his heart with a group of intimate friends. He doesn’t know how to work out his own salvation in the marketplace and in the culture. Men who feel this way in church are the weak ones whom the devil picks off.

When a pastor asked Pete what he wanted to do in men’s ministry, Pete said, I’ve been studying about the role of men in the Christian family. When the plaster reported to the board about this topic for the men’s ministry, they said, “we don’t want to be taught about that. We don’t think we really need to be reminded about our shortcomings.” Pete thanked the pastor for telling him that the church wasn’t ready to be reproved….they weren’t willing to admit that they had a problem.

What’s the difference between brotherhood and fellowship? There are several scriptures about brotherhood. These include: Proverbs 18:24; John 15:13; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Peter 1:22; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:12; and Proverbs 27:17. The essence of the word “fellowship” is our allotment, our share… that which we hold in common or in partnership. It’s also translated as “communion” or co-Union. The dictionary definition of “brotherhood” is “the state of being brothers.” Intimate Brotherhood goes far beyond casual fellowship within the church.

Men who go through combat together know what it means to have a “band of brothers.” Brothers in arms are bound by a blood covenant. It means that I’ll give my blood to save my brother….that I have his back and he’s got mine. Men in battle are willing to die for their brothers… to shed their own blood in order that their brother might live. They have come to the conclusion that if there is nothing worth dying for, then there is nothing worth living for.

Jesus Christ shed his innocent blood on our behalf. There is no redemption without the shedding of blood. He gave his life so that we could live in the newness of spiritual life. He’s our blood brother, the firstborn among many brethren. For he who was without sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. What should be our response? As brothers of the son of God and brothers in Christ we can live according to Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

As brothers of the Son of God, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Christian Americans or American Christians?

Research has shown that women who gain a few pounds live longer than their husbands who point it out. It’s easy to give in to cultural points of contention. According to 2 Timothy 3, men in the last days will be lovers of self, haughty, high minded, boastful, covetous, despisers of those who are good, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof. In 2 Timothy 2:22-26 Paul said by revelation, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 24. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26. And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Christianity is a rescue effort for desperate men. What’s the average Christian man like who attends church? Is he about his Father’s business? Is he ashamed to be called “man of God?”

Three hundred thousand men of God living for God in their homes will change this nation more than one man in the White House. The question is: are we Christians who happen to be Americans or are we Americans who happen to be Christians? The purpose of our calling as men of God is that we keep our priorities in line. We don’t have a political problem today, we have a spiritual problem. Regardless of the problem, the answer is Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the Word of God made manifest.

What’s our big challenge? What’s keeping men of God from their call to brotherhood? The popular culture is opposed to Christian brotherhood. The world’s man-code is centered on self and says that the objective is to become a self made man. However, Jesus said, unless a man forsakes his family and himself and takes up his cross daily to follow me, he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus said, I’m not here to give you a plan. You are the plan. The works that I have done you shall do also, and greater works shall you do because I go unto my Father. The greater work is that we can lead others to salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. When Jesus was here on earth, salvation was not yet available because he had not yet paid the price for our redemption and God’s Holy Spirit was not yet available. In the book of Acts, the multitudes marveled that the men who spoke at the day of Pentecost spoke with power and authority even though they were lowly Galileans. Then they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

The typical Christian man has misplaced priorities and rarely looks inside to see how he can correct this imbalance. He’s struggling with guilt, shame, fear, and loneliness. He identifies himself with his work but cannot find the purpose for his life. He may have a father-wound. He never heard his dad say, “I love you son.” He cannot relate with a loving Heavenly Father because his own dad never modeled what it means to be a godly father.

He struggles with the lust of the flesh and he has problems with his relationship with his wife. He says that he doesn’t need marriage counseling. He complains that his wife doesn’t accept him for who he is. He resents that she spends most of her time trying to change him. He refuses to attend marriage retreats or couples’ classes. He thinks that she is the problem. He never prays with her or for her. He’s been to mens’ retreats and church conferences but cannot understand the meaning of grace. He knows that he doesn’t pray enough, give enough, serve enough, or love enough. He thinks that others have their acts together but knows that he does not. He even questions his own salvation. He spends most of his time in sin management instead of living in Gods grace, mercy, and love.

Pete recalls that a man came up to him after church and said we need to talk. He said, “I got up this morning and found a note from my wife that said, “If you want to save this marriage then go see Pete.” Pete thought to himself, “I know that Jesus can raise the dead, but I’m not so sure about resurrecting this marriage.” He asked the man, “Are you willing to do whatever you need to do to save this marriage?” The man’s answer was, “probably not.”

The typical Christian man is fearful of sharing his faith because he’s not sure how… and he’s not even convinced of his own salvation. He’s afraid of praying in public and sharing in a bible study discussion. Even deacons and elders in the some churches feel inadequate, ignorant, lonely, fearful and isolated.

The typical Christian guy will refuse to come to a Christian men’s group. He doesn’t have time to cultivate true friendships so he keeps his relationships casual. He finds his identity in his job. His motto is “I am what I do.” He’s bought into the culture’s definition of manhood. He prides himself on his bank account, his accomplishments, his possessions and his worldly successes. He doesn’t know how to work out his own salvation in his family and in the marketplace.

The question to ask ourselves as Christian men is, “If every man were like me, would we win the spiritual battle?” We live in a culture that thinks that prayer doesn’t belong in schools and public places; that we should keep our “religion” to ourselves. Some churches won’t allow us to quote scripture in marriage classes where it says, “wive’s submit yourselves to your own husbands in the Lord.”

As in the days of Noah, there’s a flood coming. When Noah warned the people of the impending flood, the people laughed, mocked, and went about their business as usual. Noah was faithful for one hundred years to warn them that the flood would take away their families, their homes, their businesses, and their own lives. Then when the flood finally came, they didn’t know what hit them.

The question is, “how are we as Christian men different from the culture around us?” When we Christians fellowship together and isolate ourselves from the world, how can we change the world? Do we have a form of godliness while we deny the power thereof? As the Apostle Paul said, our challenge is to “work your our own salvation with fear and trembling…with respect and reverence. For it is God who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

We meet with likeminded men so that we can “choke in the dust” of men of God who are in pursuit of their Lord Jesus Christ. As we walk in the light as he is in the light we shall have fellowship with Christ our brother, with our Heavenly Father, and with one with another in the household of faith. We link with likeminded men so that we can give it away. He called us to deliver the message of salvation, but more importantly he called us to be the message, for we are God’s love letters, his living epistles known and read of all men. Then we can “stand fast immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord inasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

And as we follow in the footsteps of our Lord, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael