I just returned from a 9 Marks conference in Wake Forest yesterday and besides the great preacher/teaching something happened which to me was just so profound, so eye opening, so boggling to the mind that I cannot help but share it with you all.

Several times during the conference Mark Dever would open by taking a abstract survey among the attending crowd. One "survey" in particular was this, "How did you first hear the Gospel?" Simple question with a simple answer.

Now before I recount what happened let me set the stage for you. There were probably about 1,000 people there. They were men and women, old and young, students and pastors (plus other ministry staff), etc. All were devoted to hear and spread the Gospel as Jesus instructs every believer to do in Matt. 28:19-20. So, this was a group of mostly committed believers who for the most part lead the charge into the world for the cause of Christ. They are the front-line battle troops to use a warrior concept.

Back to the question, "How did you first hear the Gospel?" Dever had everyone in the room stand up and as someone who say out loud how they heard, if you heard the Gospel the same way, you were to sit down. Simple enough, but listen to what happened. You had the standard ways we all think everyone has heard. Sunday School (a handful sat down), Co-Worker (a handful sat down), Friend (a handful sat down, which kinda surprised me), VBS (2 sat down), Magician ( sat down) [so magicians are just as good as VBS, interesting] Pastor (a few handfuls sat down), Mom, (a handful sat down). OK, so all these ways (people) as means of hearing the Gospel hand a small handful of results, some slightly more, some slightly less, but none REALLY were very large. Remember this is a group of committed believers in Christ. Many other ideas were presented, some were downright funny and some were strange to say the least. BUT, there was one way that this group said overwhelmingly that they had heard the Gospel. In fact, over half of the people at this conference sat down when it was said that they had heard the Gospel from this source. What was the #1 way that people heard the Gospel, hold onto your hats folks, DADS! You read that correctly, well over half, 500+ of these committed Christians said that they had first heard the Gospel about Jesus Christ, how to be saved, from their DADS!

HELLO! that means that we as dads have an awesome and important responsibility to share the Gospel with our children. I have heard it said that when a dad is the first one "saved" in a household, that 80% + of those households will all come to Christ. This informal survey just proved that point overwhelmingly. If you are a dad, granddad, or soon to be dad. If you want children as a man, then YOU are the main way in which God seeks to use to pass down His Word, His love, and His joy to your children. Dads, wake up and realize that you may just be the reason why your children come to Christ, or run from Christ!

Courageous Living

Courage starts with a call upon a man of God to stand, speak, and go when others refuse to do so. Men, it is high time we stand up, saying like Joshua,

“as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15)

It is high time that men start acting like godly men. God is calling all of us to lead. Lead by the example of our own lives. Lead in our homes, in the church, and everywhere we go.

When men make a stand, it requires godly courage. A courage that is rooted in, displayed by, and intended  toward God alone. This courage is not found in your strength, in your knowledge, nor in your presence. No, it is found on your knees, prostrate before a holy and mighty God. We are only able to become true, mighty men of God, when we are willingly to lose everything for the sake of God’s call upon our lives. Yes, God is calling every man to be full of courage. He is calling you to make a stand, and leave behind a legacy that all those around will know your were truly courageous.

What Does God Really Say About Divorce?

Recently I have had several conversations regarding common held beliefs regarding what people think God says about the issue of divorce. As I seek to always teach people to make sure to verify whatever is taught, I feel lead to present what the Bible ACTUALLY TEACHES on the issue of divorce.I know this is a long post, but I hope you make it to the end. It is worth it...

1)Does the bible really teach that God lets believers divorce in the case of adultery? Not really, contrary to popular belief in many Christian circles, God's Word does NOT teach this. Let me explain. Let us look at the passage where this confusion resides... (Matt. 19:3-10)

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.”  

So we see first of all that God created us to be joined together and "never" separated, "What God has joined together let no man separate." So where does this "permission" actually come from? Look back at the text with me. It clearly states that "because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way." Did you catch it? The passage clearly teaches that divorce was somethings that Moses permitted, not God. 

2) Let me show you another passage regarding God's clear viewpoint on divorce... Malachi 2:16

“For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

 That is pretty clear isn't it. If God HATES something, He doesn't later change His mind and allow it.

3) So what if a believer does get divorced and then wants to get married to someone else down the road, what does God have to say about this? Again God speaks in clear language...

 “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." 

Matt. 19:9

"And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her" Mark 10:11

Ouch, is that "fair" you asked? Perhaps, but let us remember one clear thing, God is much wiser than you and I combined. He knows what He is doing. This may just be a chance that we just need to remember that not everything makes sense to us at this moment, but if God says it, we need to just accept it. Remember God is perfect, we are not. That said, I for one will always seek to adjust what I think to what God says in the Bible. 

4) Listen to another passage regarding this issue of adultery if we are worried that marring a divorced person causes us to sin in the issue of adultery. Jesus states ...

"but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matt. 5:28

So now ask yourself this question, "have you ever look on somebody else with lust?" Come on, be honest. I highly doubt if anyone has never done this at least once. You know what, God then says YOU have committed adultery! OUCH! So since almost, if not everyone of us, have committed "adultery" what are we to do. Whether you have "looked" on someone else with lust or married someone who was divorced the first thing is to realize that you have sinned. But, remember that God still loves you! All we need to do is repent of that sin. Repent means we agree with God, seek His forgiveness, and stop doing the sin. All us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This is because we all live in the sinful flesh. Think a believer does not fight this issue, read what Paul says in Romans 7:15-25. If the man, Paul, who many consider to be the best "Christian" ever, dealt with the struggles of daily sin, why do you think we will not. God knows we have problems. Let's all talk with Him everyday and allow God to bring healing to each one of us.

5) Let me give you one last point on this issue of divorce as taught in scripture. There is one passage that God does say a believer can divorce. 

But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? 1 Cor. 7:10-16

The "only" area that the Bible does teach that a believer can divorce is very specific. Once a person gets "saved" AFTER they are married, AND the other "unbelieving spouse" wants to divorce, "the brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases." Notice that the "other" spouse is NOT saved. That is critical to the understanding of this teaching. One is saved, the other is not. So why does God "allow" this divorce and not others. Well, since I am not God, I do not fully know all of His ways, I cannot answer that question. I can only read and then obey what it says. At times I can comprehend, other times I do not comprehend. Obedience to the command is never an option. 

Let us all seek to stay in the Word of God daily and learn from it and not be caught up in what we "heard" someone teach. Always make it a point to verify whatever someone teaches. That is why I gave you the scripture references so that you will look them up yourself. Don't trust me, I am just a man who is prone to make mistakes.

Courageous Living

Today I finally got the time to dig into Michael Catt's new book "Courageous Living." This is the senior pastor of Sherwood Baptist which puts together the big blockbuster movies like Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Their newest release "Courageous" is slated to release Sept. 30th.

Enough of the advertisements, let's get back to the topic. Catt takes no time in pulling any punches as he throws down the gauntlet. Catt hammers the problem home when he says, "We've been lulled into settling for average so long that average seems acceptable. But I believe a desire burns within the heart of each person to make a difference, to leave a mark. Unfortunately we've been average for so long that when people are above average, we tend to think they are eccentric."

He later goes on to say...

"What could God do with you? Too many people spend their lives in the valley of good intentions. They start, but they never finish. Courage demands a decision. It demands we separate from the pack. It demands we lay aside secondary things, our obsession with gadgets, gimmicks, video games, fiction, and styles. Courageous people travel light."

Living with "good intentions" is how I would characterize my life for many years. I would get excited about something, dive in, but before long it would drop by the wayside, another forgotten dream I would say. Maybe  the stage for every one of us has been set. Maybe it is high time we not only dive in deep, but keep on swimming down, down, down to the very depths where its dark, dangers abound, and our air wants to give out. Yes, that is where God wants each believer to head for. Not to the safety of ourselves, but to the ends of ourselves. Where we can turn to none other but God Himself for help.

As for me, I'm diving in, anybody want to join me?

Great Men are Great Readers

From our July Church Newsletter.

6 Rules Every Man Must Break

Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart

Sun Stand Still

Midlife Manual for Men

When Good Men Get Angry

Why Men Hate Going to Church

The Kingdom of the Cults

You might be asking, what in the world is with that list? Well, that is just a sampling of the books I am currently reading. Guys, what are you reading beside the Bible (I hope you do read the Bible every day at least)? Now I know some of you are not “readers.” You might think that you haven’t read anything since leaving High School. But, can I give you some advice that I learned many years ago. Great men are Great readers. I have discovered through the years that God uses godly books to help shape me into the man that God desires me to become. They help to expose weaknesses, strengthen strongholds, deepen my walk with God and  broaden my thinking. A true man of God seeks to regularly digest good books.

So I ask again, what are your reading? Perhaps you might try some of the ones from the previous list (although Kingdom of the Cults is not for the faint at heart). Seek to discover Great godly men who are also Great godly authors. Discover what God wants to do in and through you. Stand Strong you MAN of GOD!

Fathers as Warriors of God

From our May Church Newsletter.

Well, here we are. The one month in which there a day that we as men can call our own, Father’s Day.  Now, Father’s day is no where near as important as Mother’s Day, but to us, it is a day in which we can reflect back upon what we have done and will do with our children. A time in which we should ponder carefully our roles as fathers and husbands. It really doesn’t matter if your children are still living at home, or have a family of their own, we fathers still carry significant influence with them. 

Fatherhood is a time in which we as men are given the honor and privilege to pass the torch to the next generation. It is a time of great importance, not just for our children, but also for our nation as a whole. For the last few generations, fatherhood has taken a great beating. We as men have relinquished our roles, redirected our desires, and redeveloped what it truly means to be a man in culture today. 

Every man has a warrior spirit within him. It is high time we release that God-given warrior within. But, to release that warrior, we must first discover our full potential and what it truly means to be a God-warrior. In other words, we have to dig deep within ourselves and allow God to form us into the warrior He designed us to be. That design is none other than to be made into the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the perfect male warrior model and it is HIM that we must look to for our guidance and training.

Let us all, from this day forward, be known as warriors of God.

Men of God as Disciples

“To be a disciple of Jesus is the highest honor to which a man can aspire. When Jesus called Peter, James, John, and the others, He called them to become, what? Disciples. When Jesus left earth, the marching orders He left behind are to do, what? "Go and make disciples.

The word "disciple" comes from the Greek word mathetes, which means "pupil" or "learner." When used in conjunction with Jesus, it came to mean "an adherent to the person and teachings of Jesus." A disciple is called to live "in" Christ, equipped to live "like" Christ, and sent to live "for" Christ. Discipleship includes both the moment of salvation and the lifelong process of sanctification.” Patrick Morley

A question you need to ask yourself is this, am I ready to be a “disciple?” Men, that is exactly what should define you as a Christian Man. Why do we call ourselves “Crusaders?” Is not a Crusader a man who will rise to the challenge when called upon to do so? A crusader is one who incorporates the very essence of “in, like, and for” Christ at every moment of his life. Men, let us rise to the call and boldly pronounce that we are indeed MEN OF GOD! Let us boldly make a stand and firmly resist the lure of this world. Let us boldly go forth into the unknown to take back what the enemy has stolen. In essence, it is time for the world to see what we truly are, Warriors of Christ!

What is a Crusader?

A Crusader is one who campaigns vigorously for political, social, or religious change or one who engages in a holy war on behalf of a religious cause. Men, that is exactly what God is calling you and I into, a religious war in which we must contend vigorously .  We must come to the realization that we are in a war for our very lives, our families, our country, and for the very thing in which we believe, God. As such,  I feel that we are being called upon to take a stand much like Joshua did when he said in Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The war is at our doorsteps. The call to take up arms has been sounded. What is your decision? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

So what is God calling us to specifically do? I feel that first we need to hit our knees and seek God’s face through prayer and the daily study of the very words of God. It is a call to know what God says. Second, we need to fearlessly and strongly  follow our commander-in-chief in doing what He calls us to do. What is that you ask, To Protect and To Serve. Are you ready to protect and serve our Lord and Master?  Then let us link ourselves together as Men of God!

I just got back from a powerful trip to the Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s conference and it was awesome to spend time with my brothers in Christ learning how to deal with all the struggles of  being a man in today’s culture. Being a man is tough. Dealing with the daily juggling of jobs, kids, wife, and church can really make you want to throw your hands up in the air and just say I give up. To throw in the towel, raise the white flag, and just stop fighting. But that is exactly what the world wants you to do, to just quit. But God has other plans for you. Plans that involve you being able to overcome yourself, the world, and all that Satan wants to throw at you. Now here is the key, YOU CANNOT DO THIS ALONE! You are not designed to fight this fight by yourself. That is why each one of us, men, need each other. We need each other to become transformed into the man that God wants us to be. Let me share three concepts with you to help you in this process ...

· We need “genuine” fellowship with other Godly men.

· We need “heartfelt” encouragement from other Godly men.

· We need a “renewed” sense of commitment to God.

Let us stand strong together as true men of God!

What is a Man?

What is a man? Ask that question anywhere and you will get all kinds of answers. A man is to be strong but sensitive, great husbands, fathers, and sons. He is to bring in the money, fix all that breaks, and be the leader in the home, work, and at church. A man should know every sports stat, drive the fastest car, be the best shot, and still be able to spend “significant, quality” time with your wife and children.

But is this “really” what a man should be all about? I would dare to say NO! Now, don’t get me wrong. We should strive to meet many of the above, but they should never be our main focus. What you do is never who you are. That flies in the face for many of you, but let me tell you who you really are. You are “A Blood-Bought Child of God,” if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. If there is any example that we as men should follow, it is that of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate MAN. Praise God!