Rise Up Oh Men of God
The church in America has been marginalized by the “politically correct” popular culture. However, according to Ephesians 6, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. It’s important that we put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all, to stand.
A popular hymn of the faith says, “Rise up O men of God, the church for you doth wait. As brothers of the Son of Man, rise up O men of God.”
William Merrill who wrote this song was inspired to call Christian men to rise up as followers of their commander in chief, Jesus Christ. There have always been organizations and fellowships of Christian women. However, Merrill understood that in order for the Church to influence society, Men of God would need to rise up.
This was Jesus’ encouragement to Peter, James, and John in the Garden of Gethsemane. Awake you who are asleep. The day is at hand. Walk in the light while it is day. Now is the acceptable day of the Lord.
The zealous Jews of Jesus’ day wanted to make Jesus their earthly King. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” They asked him, “What’s your plan?” Jesus pointed to a despised tax gatherer and a group of lowly fishermen. He said, “Those guys over there, they’re the plan.” God has called the weak and the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and to bring to naught the things that are. For the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. And the weak things of God are greater than the power of men.
To rise up O men of God is to increase fervor, intensity, and commitment. It means to step out of your own comfort zone and step into the comfort of the Holy Spirit. It means to step away from my own power and into the spiritual power of God.
Influencers 4M (Four Men Groups) is a movement of men who want to spend time in the Word of God and in the presence of their Lord Jesus Christ. The concept of 4M is taken from Jesus’ example. Jesus rarely spoke to large crowds. He spent his time with twelve apostles and an inner circle of three other men: Peter, James, and John. 4M groups start with the questions, who are your twelve, and who are your three? Beginning with four men dedicated to walk with their Lord Jesus Christ, Christianity has changed the world.
The biblical instruction for the rise and expansion of the Christian church is in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Growth is an exponential equation to the power of three. There are four generations in this one short verse. This logarithmic function means that four men replicating for four generations of growth raised to the power of three yields 716 “faithful men.” One more generation results in 2172 faithful men.
Bonhoeffer said when Jesus bids a man come, he bids him “come and die.” In order to live for Him we must die to self. What’s the cost of following Him? Philippians 1:21 says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Every earthly relationship will end in pain. Life on this earth is but for a moment, a vapor in the context of eternity. It is appointed for all men once to die and then comes the judgement. Therefore, live not for this fleeting moment in time but with our eternal destiny in mind.
A soldier in training has no time for civilian matters. Soldiers must concentrate on their training because in the heat of battle, their lives will depend on performing as they have been trained. They must give heart and soul and mind and strength to focus on their training drills. Then after the battle has been won, when the grateful civilians honor them for their bravery in the heat of battle, the soldier will say, “I’m no hero. I just did what I was trained to do.”
The world insists that we perform with all of our heart according to that which our worldly authorities require. It’s not about the cost, rather it’s about our value and our contribution to the success of our worldly enterprises.
The greatest disappointment in this life is not failure to climb the ladder of success, but that after a lifetime of work we realize that our ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.
Therefore rise up O men of God, have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.
Rise up oh men of God. His kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood and end the night of wrong.
Once the last person is won for God’s kingdom, the judgement of God will be manifest after Christ’s return for His church. Jesus said, Now is the time to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Now is the time of brotherhood with those who are born again of God’s spirit.
God is no respecter of persons. He is, however a respecter of His word. When we make God’s word our word, then we will do according to His will. The doing of the Word is to accept the promises of God. We accept God’s promises by obedience… by being doers of the Word and not hearers only.
The church of God thrives in persecution. For tribulation worketh patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
Rise up oh men of God. The church for you doth wait.
Her strength unequal to her task, Rise up and make her great.
The church that relies on the power of men is unequal to the task to which we have been called. The power is not in our own power but in the power of the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul came to understand after he had prayed three times for God to remove his thorn in the flesh, Thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me.
Bonhoeffer said that in WWII the German church was sleep-walking toward a terrible precipice and they didn’t even recognize it. A crisis is when decisive action is required to avoid a catastrophic failure. The atrocities of Nazi Germany were the result of the church’s acquiescence to Hitler’s mandate that the German church must “go along to get along.”
Men must find their place in God’s economy. God’s economy is to exchange my life in the flesh for the spiritual life in His Son. The world doesn’t need more programs and organizations. The world needs for men to rise up in the power of God. Men who chase after men who chase after Christ. Men who find their identity in Christ.
When you call a man, “Man of God,” most men will look down and look away in shame. They think to themselves, “I’m not worthy.” However when we confess “Jesus is Lord,” it means that I’m no longer Lord of my own life, he is. The phrase “Man of God,” is the “genitive of possession.” It means God’s man. Our identity in Christ is not “who we are,” but “WHOSE we are.” Therefore, Lift high the cross of Christ. Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up oh men of God….
…that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael
