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Making men MEN again. The David Alliance will help you slay your giants.
Episodes
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Friday Feb 17, 2023
1-11-04
Scream the truth and live it even louder!
I don’t take showers! Yeah we know!
A friend mine growing up was one of the strongest men in the world. When I first met him he told us all sorts of stories about lifting weights. One day we were in a sports store and they had an Olympic barbell set on the floor as a display. My friend Donny looked at mike and said “I’ll give you 10 bucks if you curl this” he bends down and curls it 6 times.. and quietly walks away and says you owe me sixty bucks!
Your actions speak so loud that it doesn’t matter what you call yourself your actions will name you!
Kids growing up that had certain actions that gave them nick names
*egg – his head looked like an egg
*booger
*Linda redders bind us together
*if you go to school and people call you a druggy, jock, brain – they are because of their actions
Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life” The power behind this statement is simple if you know the secret!
What is the secret about the truth? The power only comes when you live it… it has no power by just saying you believe in it!
"If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words
will be of no help." John F. Kennedy
Thomas Edison is known for inventing the light bulb… he did not discover it (duh- meaning he found it under a rock somewhere) he tried one thousand things (now if that is me I don’t even know if I could come up with a thousand things… cheetahs?) to use as an element that would heat up and give off light… maybe you have heard that! But did you know in the process of discovering light from a light bulb he destroyed his laboratory over one hundred times! And never gave up until he discovered light! THOSE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
Why do you suppose out of all the writings in the bible, of all the apostles nowhere do you read of their goals, ideas, intentions or desires. Yet they dedicated a whole book on the “acts” of the Apostles. There actions truly spoke louder than words.
The life of Christ was not a story about what he said.. as much as it is a story about what he did!
Our generation today has been more vocal about their faith than any other generation, but have had less “action” than any other generation.
“Incredible as it may seem, ‘accepting Christ’ and making a profession of faith makes
little to no difference in a person’s attitudes and behaviors. The majority of our churched people are adopting ‘a Christianity’ but it is not true Christianity.”
In the last 12 months
Cheated 76% - 74%
Lied to teacher 85% - 83%
Lied to parent 93% - 93%
Physically hurt someone when angered 67% - 63%
Who was satisfied with their character and ethics 90% - 91%
I call them the two percent’ers! The Christian kids are only 2% different in their response then that of the non Christian kids.
Practical ways to scream the truth!
1. An accountability trio - one adult and one more person your age.
1 Thes. 5: 11So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Pradeepan preaching at the theatre.
Encourage one another… do you encourager? Do you have someone who will encourage you?
Rusty … crippled walking to school with his hand held crutches on his first day to school and it was a snowy day.
2. Realize your potential. Phil.4:12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.
One of People magazines biggest sellers this past year was an issue on the richest kids in America.
Olson twins - 76 million
Athina Onassis - 800 million
Eric and Ivanka trump - 1.9 Billion
Amanda and Lydia Hearst - 5.2 Billion
Were enamored at their potential to have fun, do whatever they want, go anywhere etc…
We focus on what we think we need - the truth is all we need is God and his strength.
What do you really need? Food water shelter and God!
You will never live a life that screams Jesus unless you know your potential.
What we can do as Christians is utterly amazing… what we typically do is utterly dismal!
A man was once asked late in his life if he could live it over who would he want to be. He said slowly… I would want to be the man I could have been!
Your Christian walk is not like Pizza Hut… it does not deliver. You must go out and get it!
3. Feed the fire: fires are out of control… they only try to contain it. If you simply try to contain it - you will burn out. You must feed it!
Someone once said if you are on fire for God 3 things will happen
1. Someone will watch you burn
2. Someone will try to put you out
3. Some will help you burn
The more you try to spread the fire the more you will be on fire. There is one way to really be on fire… spread it! You cannot witness to others and not stay lit for Jesus!
Your friends will not be one over by your words…but by your actions
Let me read a portion of a teen devotional I just read this week!
Teen Witch: Most witches practice what we call daily devotions, where we take at least 5 to 10 minutes twice a day to reaffirm our faith and talk to spirit. Sometimes we do our daily devotions at our altar (you don’t need to cast a magic circle for this) or we may walk outside and do our devotions, as long as you do them.
Your devotions can begin with a prayer you have written yourself or you can just relax and talk to God your own way. Some witches sing, hum or chant.
Good (students) witches practice discipline.
Good (students) witches don’t use drugs or alcohol.
These are the steps to becoming a great witch!
Are you taking steps to be a great Christian?
Get out your pictures!
In about 2 months these pictures are going to start showing up at youth group… ahh yes graduation pictures! Anyone have a purse or wallet that has pictures in it from friends. How many people have pictures that have writing on them!
What do they write about?
Has anyone’s life screamed the truth so loud that your friends wrote about it?
As you read those… has anyone written on the back how much they see Jesus in your life.
Thursday Feb 16, 2023
Thursday Feb 16, 2023
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Vulnerability
Mary at Jesus feet
The woman who came and poured perfume over Christs feet
The man who looked into Jesus eyes and said “I believe, help my unbelief”
The woman who snuck up and touched his robe
The Nicodemus the pharisee who came and sought out Jesus late at night?
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
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This is a swift kick between the Pharisees theological crotch! And it stung… and they could not do a thing about it. Lets read!
LUKE
20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”
3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”
7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”
8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
First off…2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”
What do they mean? Are they simply speaking of signs wonders and miracles? yes… but that is only a small, very small portion of what they are getting at. Jesus just rode in on a colt with people chanting Behold the Messiah, the king of the Jews… They wanted to know who gave them authority to chase out the money changers at the temple…
So what is really going on here. Well the P’bags… oh, I mean pharisees are jealous.. they ARE the religious authority of the day… you don’t do anything religious with out their approval. They are the law. So this Jesus dude is taking their lime light. And on top of that Jesus just kicked in the doors to their money laundering scheme in the temple costing them thousands of dollars…
So when they come and ask Jesus this question it is totally based on their own self interest and greed. They want to trap Jesus and put the money changers back in the temple…
Let me dumb it down for you: The pharisees were more in love with themselves than the truth.
Then just a few verses later the P’bags wanted to arrest Jesus because he made them the butt of one of his stories… but they wouldn’t touch him because they were afraid of the people.
So here they are in love with themselves and in love with what other people thought of them.
Hey, maybe thats you?
You are in love with yourself, you can’t admit the truth, you want the admiration of others even when it is for the wrong cause.
Where am I going with this… well Jesus just exemplified an aspect of what we will face and how we will face it. In the very next chapter we read
Luke 21: 10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
What do we learn? When you are worried more about Gods opinion than how you look or by mans opinion of you - God will make you stand out like a Rock star for him.
Don’t let the haters get you down - Don’t panic, Don’t fret… Jesus will fill your mouth with words that will slay the greatest and most evil critics!
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
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Dunning-Kruger Effect
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a type of cognitive bias in which people believe they are smarter and more capable than they are. Essentially, low-ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognize their own incompetence. The combination of poor self-awareness and low cognitive ability leads them to overestimate their capabilities.
that fools are blind to their own foolishness. As Charles Darwin wrote in his book The Descent of Man, "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”
You are so dumb you don’t know how dumb you are.
People who scored in the lowest percentiles on grammar, humor, and logic tests also tended to dramatically overestimate how well they had performed (their actual test scores placed them in the 12th percentile, but they estimated that their performance placed them in the 62nd percentile).
Ps. 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Search GK - penetrate me intimately in the deepest parts of my being where I don’t even know me.
v. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Offensive GK - two words combined for this word.
One is idol and the other is pain.
God search and rescue comes from our request to him. he is a gentleman and we typically need to push into him and ask him, give him permission to go deep into our lives and and reveal the things we don’t see in ourselves.
And most importantly ask God to lead us out of this behavior.
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
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Mark 8
14 His followers had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat; they had forgotten to bring more. 15 Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five (Grace) loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied. (12= faith)
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.” (completeness)
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
Reese getting on the plane, the guy with the snake tattoo!
INTRO
Yeast = speaks positively and negatively in the scriptures… but the nature of yeast is that it spreads!
Pharisees = The religious, religion over relationship,
Hated sin,
Hated sinners,
Hated art music etc…
HATED THE WORLD
they thought everything was worldly keeping them separate from everyone.
Herod = The world, and politics, mindsets over relationship.
Herod was known for money, power and prestige. Liberal who was out to do whatever was best for him at the expense of everyone else.
Scene 1
18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
JESUS IS SAYING… HAVE YOU NOT SEEN ENOUGH EARTHLY MIRACLES - THERE IS A PROBLEM IF YOU SEE THE POWER AND DON’T BELIVE !
- voting democrat will not change anyones life
- voting republican will not change anyones life
- pushing your religious view points will not change anyones life.
- Pushing your world order mindset won’t change anyones life.
1 Cor. 4:20 The gospel is not mere words, but of power.
V.21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?
Words = your opinion your ideas, your interpretation of what scripture says….
BUT POWER… WHAT KIND OF POWER? LOVE!
Wuest says it like this: What are you desiring? With a stick shall I come to you or in a love that has as its impelling motive the benefit of the one loved, the exercise of which love demands self sacrifice, and in the spirit of meekness?
VOLTAIRE
Even if a miracle should be wrought in the open market place before a thousand sober witnesses I would rather mistrust my senses than to admit a miracle.
*this is what the Pharisees did… they covered up Jesus resurrection.
POWER WASN’T ENOUGH.
Power won’t always reveal who God is to the blind!
Scene 2
22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” (JESUS KNEW HE COULDN’T SEE!)
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
22-26 Jesus heals a blind man… he prayed for him twice.
We often preach this as to say “sometimes you have to pray 2 times for someone to be healed”. I disagree (yes you do sometimes have to pray more than once- but that is not what this is getting at)
Why would Jesus have to pray twice?????
He is stressing the point - sometimes we do not see things clearly and we must ask him to clarify!
IN THE GREEK = HE CONTINUALLY ASKS - DO YOU SEE CLEARLY?
Scene 3
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
JESUS ASKS = WHO DO PEOPLE SEE ME AS?
THEN V. 27-30 Jesus asks the disciples “who am I”?
Peter answers you are the messiah!
Jesus exclaims… YES!
Matthew 16: 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
THERE ARE A LOT OF RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WHO STILL DO NOT SEE GOD FOR WHO HE IS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF CHRISTIANS WHO STILL DO NOT SEE GOD FOR WHO HE IS.
AND ALL OF US TO SOME DEGREE DO NOT SEE GOD FULLY FOR WHO HE IS… JESUS CONTINUE TO HEAL MY SPIRITUAL VISION!
Friday Feb 10, 2023
Friday Feb 10, 2023
PART 3
Getting rid of hinderances….
A quick google search of hinderance in a mans life you run into things like…. a life on auto pilot, scared to show vulnerability, constant rejection, unreachable dreams, facing the same challenges over and over…
Interesting but here are the the main hinderance #3 that keeps you from being a foundational and fit man of God. in order…
Going to Church
Spending time with Godly men
Third H - Spending time with Christ
I think we know this… but I think we have dumbed it down and need to reestablish what spending time with God is really about.
The point is not just to say you read and pray… it is, but you must realize it is to start to live in the realm of faith. That is, to start to live in the invisible… Living beyond your senses
Living beyond what others think is reasonable, possible beyond what others see.
Live the gospels but in todays world.
When you read your bible ask yourself three questions.
What is going on?
How do I simplify this into an applicable step?
Where in my life and how soon will I live out this application.
When you pray ask these three questions.
What is the nuance that I feel in the spirit?
What is an area I need more obedience in?
What do you want me to do today?
Thursday Feb 09, 2023
Thursday Feb 09, 2023
Second H - Being with Godly men
I have a lot of people vying for my attention… I am outspoken, I am a pastor, I have a pretty strong social media following, I am a totally committed follower of Christ… and lots and lots of people want to hang with me, connect with me… so why am I saying this… because typically those people are reaching up - hold on before you think this is arrogant… I too have people that I am reaching up to that are even more outspoken, a better pastor preacher evangelist and businessman, an even bigger social media following than mine and an even stronger Christian than me with more fruit and more power.
We are all hopefully reaching up… and if not you are definitely being pulled down if for other reason than you are idling - and if life that means you are going backwards.
So how do you hang with Godly men… how do you find them and why would they want to hang with you?
Well first off- if they don’t want to hang with you there are a few reasons. a - they are very busy and they do not have time… and in a way they are protecting you from wasting your time. If they cannot commit total focus to helping you grow, then be happy about that. b - it also may mean they are currently maxed out on discipling people. I am at a point where right now I am maxed out at about 15 people…. I do not have time to meet one on one with any one else.
BUT… why would someone say yes and want to hang out with you? Well a true mentor sees how much it helps them and they realize how much someone else helped them… and they themselves are still getting mentored.
I am still getting mentored and I still make time to hang out with other Godly men… I need it. You need it. Don’t think you don’t.
I am going to say something that you have to hear and take -the right way… Godly men will take you farther in your Faith journey than reading and praying. Now that is fundamental- reading and praying is necesarry it is vital… but it is limited in its application without other men pushing you, exemplifying it in front of you and keeping you accountable to do it.
When you are thinking of catching a movie, going out to dinner, calling someone with a question, when you take your lunch break… are you seeking out men that you reach up to?
WHAT DOES ECCLESIASTES SAY
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart (Ecclesiastes 4.9-12).
Here is the nuts and bolts of what I am saying.
You find out you are sick, it looks bad… do you have a FRIEND (not just an acquaintance) but a friend who you can call who has a proven track record of healing.
You find out your marriage is in trouble, do you have a friend who has a proven Godly marriage you can talk to?
You need solid financial advice on an investment, on retirement do you have a Godly friend who God has blessed his finances?
You have a hard question that is making you doubt your faith… do you have a solid theological faith filled man of God to turn to?
Reach up to Godly men…and in turn others will reach up to you. it is a must in todays world.
Like they say “who you hang with is who you will hang with” Are your friends worth dying for?
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
Wednesday Feb 08, 2023
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New idea
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Gert rid of hinderances WHY? So you can run faster and so it is easier to persevere.
Many of us are trying to run the race with rocks in our pocket. When I owned a gym and someone would train with me for a while, lose weight, and start to lose motivation.. I would ask them to pick up a kettlebell weighing anywhere from 30 pounds to 80 and ask them to carry it around the gym… from exercise to exercise, they must carry it at all times… when they would finally put up a hissy fit I would ask them… if you quit working out, YOU WILL Gauranteed gain back the weight you took off which is how much you are carrying around today… so do you want to go back to carrying this weight around every day 24/7?
My question is why would you want to try to live for Jesus carrying around dead weight… you sin is death.
And Jesus scorned the shame
SCORNED: a negative (hostile) outlook; to despise, thinking down on (thinking little of); esteem lightly, seeing as insignificant or detestable; to treat with contempt or disregard (BAGD); devalue; to depreciate (scorn); pay no regard to (because something seems of no account); " 'despise, scorn,' and show it by active insult" (Souter).
[2706 /kataphronéō (literally, "think down") refers to holding someone in contempt, deeming them unworthy and hence despised
SHAME: Those things you ought to be ashamed of and are not… So God even more points out your demonic mindset… You should be ashamed but you think its normal so i will shame you.
Jesus did this also in Luke 13:17… he shamed the acts and mindsets of the Pharisees.
that came from delivering the gospel… truly delivering it. - Jesus is saying you think I am not the Messiah… just wait 3 days. You think my death is final… wait until it redeems that which has been stolen. You think sin and darkness and the powers of evil are fake or overrated… wait until I cross over the line and wake up the demonic in a harsh way… in 3 days when I say “im baaaaack” you will eat your words.
And consider it… hey wake up, this is what he did and this is what you need to do!
So lets take a week to look at shaming the hinderances that so easily drag you down from being who you are meant to be… it might get ugly, but you will be better for it. And there are 3 basic foundational hinderances I am going to hit… and I mean HIT! Because they build on each other. We will go after the first one tomorrow and it is GOING TO CHURCH…. HANGING WITH STRONG GODLY MEN… READING AND PRAYING FOR AMMO TO LIVE
PART 2
HEBREWS 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
First H - Going to church
A recent survey by Ellison Research found that 31% of men never attend church even on holidays - WHY?
1. THEIR FATHERS DIDN’T ATTEND CHURCH
“Many men give their sons the impression that the church is not a place for real men by stereotyping Christian men as passive, effeminate, and henpecked – qualities no man desires,” says Frederick Davis, assistant pastor of the Almeda Church of Christ in Houston, TX. “As a result of their macho posturing, these men are inadvertently teaching their sons that church is only for women and wimps, and propagating new generations of unchurched men.”
A man’s lackadaisical attitude towards church attendance can influence his children’s perceptions of religion. This behavior is especially destructive if the man has a son. It is difficult for a mother to convince her son that attending church is important if her husband invalidates her arguments by sleeping late on Sundays.
“I would always wonder why my mom made me go to church when my father didn’t,” says Andre Ligon, a 40 year-old lawyer. “I didn’t think church was important because he never went.”
2. THEY HAVE TO WORK
As companies downsize and lay-offs lurk around every corner, men feel compelled to work as much as they can to provide some measure of security for their families. Neglecting their own spiritual growth is a small sacrifice for men who desire to keep their families out of dire straits.
George O’Neil, Sr., 63, retired, concurs. “When I got married and had children, I had to stop going to church as much as I used to because I had to get a steady job. I worked whenever I could get something which often meant on Sundays,” O’Neil said. “Something had to give -unfortunately, it was church.”
3. TOO MANY COLLECTIONS
With rising unemployment, higher taxes, and other financial woes, the last thing any man wants to see when he goes to church is a pastor with his hand out asking for more than his fair share of his income.
“I couldn’t take it anymore,” says Paul Johnson, a 52 year-old mailroom supervisor. “Before I could put my wallet away from the first offering, a battalion of collection plates would bombard me again. At one point, I thought I’d have to start paying admission.
4. SERVICES ARE TOO LONG AND INFLEXIBLE
Kenneth Davis, a 53-year old teacher, is a football fanatic. He loves to watch games from the kickoff until the finally seconds tick away; however, going to church usually spoils his plans. “By the time they’re done with announcements, hymns, and excruciatingly long sermons, it’s almost halftime,” Davis says. “I know that going to church is important, but I like some time on Sundays to relax and do what I like to do.”
Reverend John L. Hart, acknowledges that services are sometimes too long, but he attributes it to waning church attendance.
“It’s true that we sometimes have too many things going on during service, but the pulpit is challenged to get in as much as possible because Sunday is the only day we see most the men we do have,” he said.
5. THEY HAVE LOST FAITH IN GOD OR DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD
Men who grew up with a firm religious foundation have an easier time coping with adversity, but a test of faith sometimes can be enough to send even the most faithful servant fleeing from the fold.
Dwayne Monroe, for example, was a model Christian. As a teenager, Monroe never missed a chance to worship the Lord. He attended Sunday school, Bible study, and was the pioneer of his church’s youth ministry. But his faith was tested when his father grew ill with prostate cancer. Monroe, whose mother died in a car accident, prayed daily for the Lord to heal his father, but to no avail. The elder Monroe died when his son was seventeen leaving the frightened child parentless.
Feeling the Lord had forsaken him, Monroe cut all ties with his church and has not been back since. “I was always so faithful,” says the 26-year-old sales clerk. “But God took both of my parents from me and left me all alone. How could a God I’d been so faithful to leave me all alone?”
But he is only one of a swelling rank of men who refuse to accept the concept of an Almighty God. “I have never seen any physical evidence of God’s existence,” said James Turner, a 37 year-old engineer. “We’re taught to be logical in all aspects of our lives, but when it comes to religion, we are supposed to throw our logic out of the window and rely solely on faith. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do that. Besides, if there were really a God, do you think the world would be so screwed up?”
Reverend Clarence James, lecturer and author of a series chronicling African-American history, culture, and involvement in the Christian church, understands their dilemma.
“Given the state of America, I can empathize with the men who refuse to believe that God would allow this country to become such a rancid place. But things can only get worse if our men stop believing and lose faith,” James said. “All I can do is ask non-believers to come to church one Sunday. Hopefully, we will say something or they will see something that will convince them that God is alive and working in their lives.”
6. THE CHURCH IS HYPOCRITICAL
Immoral behavior such as sexual misconduct and embezzlement by ministers and church leaders were cited as reasons why men avoid the church.
“I was appalled by all the backbiting and pettiness at my former church,” says Eric Townshend, a 22 year-old student. “Those people were supposed to be Christians, but they sure didn’t act like Christians. I feel that I exhibit the tenets of Christianity outside of church much better than many of those people who attend church religiously.”
While Hart acknowledges the hypocrisy in the church, he believes that it should not deter men from attending.
“There are many untrue images in the church, but people must realize that their commitment should be to Christ rather than the people who comprise the church. People often believe that Christians are supposed to be perfect when in fact, we aren’t,” Hart said.
7. INSENSITIVE PULPIT
Several of the men interviewed for this piece agreed that the church is unsympathetic to their plights. Since many men attend church to mend their battered egos, they get upset when the minister adds insult to injury by attacking them in his sermon.
“I admit that men are victims of an insensitive pulpit,” Hart said. “Historically, we (ministers) have spewed unintended condemnations toward men. Now they are rebelling against the church by not showing up.”
Whereas, it is difficult to rebel against employers or other authority figures in their lives without negative consequences, insurgence against the church is easier because the consequences are not so immediate.
“By not attending church, men feel powerful and in control because they are finally able to challenge authority and get away with it,” James says. “All any man wants to hear is that he is doing a good job. The church needs to be more sensitive to that fact.”
Second H - Being with Godly men
Third H - Spending time with Christ
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
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12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Gert rid of hinderances WHY? So you can run faster and so it is easier to persevere.
Many of us are trying to run the race with rocks in our pocket. When I owned a gym and someone would train with me for a while, lose weight, and start to lose motivation.. I would ask them to pick up a kettlebell weighing anywhere from 30 pounds to 80 and ask them to carry it around the gym… from exercise to exercise, they must carry it at all times… when they would finally put up a hissy fit I would ask them… if you quit working out, YOU WILL Gauranteed gain back the weight you took off which is how much you are carrying around today… so do you want to go back to carrying this weight around every day 24/7?
My question is why would you want to try to live for Jesus carrying around dead weight… you sin is death.
And Jesus scorned the shame
SCORNED: a negative (hostile) outlook; to despise, thinking down on (thinking little of); esteem lightly, seeing as insignificant or detestable; to treat with contempt or disregard (BAGD); devalue; to depreciate (scorn); pay no regard to (because something seems of no account); " 'despise, scorn,' and show it by active insult" (Souter).
[2706 /kataphronéō (literally, "think down") refers to holding someone in contempt, deeming them unworthy and hence despised
SHAME: Those things you ought to be ashamed of and are not… So God even more points out your demonic mindset… You should be ashamed but you think its normal so i will shame you.
Jesus did this also in Luke 13:17… he shamed the acts and mindsets of the Pharisees.
that came from delivering the gospel… truly delivering it. - Jesus is saying you think I am not the Messiah… just wait 3 days. You think my death is final… wait until it redeems that which has been stolen. You think sin and darkness and the powers of evil are fake or overrated… wait until I cross over the line and wake up the demonic in a harsh way… in 3 days when I say “im baaaaack” you will eat your words.
And consider it… hey wake up, this is what he did and this is what you need to do!
So lets take a week to look at shaming the hinderances that so easily drag you down from being who you are meant to be… it might get ugly, but you will be better for it. And there are 3 basic foundational hinderances I am going to hit… and I mean HIT! Because they build on each other. We will go after the first one tomorrow and it is GOING TO CHURCH….
Monday Feb 06, 2023