Transformed Life

Last night at HIT Men we read Ephesians 5:15-6:9 (too much to post here but I would encourage you to read it) and talked a lot about these challenging directives we are given about how we are to live.  These verses cover so many aspects of life that there really is something for everyone.  Yet often I find that there is a lot of mis-teaching on passages like this.

Here are a few "mis-teachings" that we need to be careful not to fall into.

1. If we do these things then God will be happy with me. - We must be reminded that our "performance" will never please God.  The only way for us to please God is in a life surrendered to Jesus Christ.
2. The word "submit" used to instruct wives in regard to husbands means that women are to submit to men and that women are not supposed to question a man's decisions. - Really this "submit" word is used in other places in the Bible as well and even in this passage the meaning is "to place the other parties interests before my own, to willingly place myself under their authority".  It is used with teaching on how Christians are to relate to one another as well as how we are to relate to God.  So we are to give way to those in that authority position in our lives, but also we are to act in their interests as well.  If your Christian brother is heading towards a cliff but determined to head in that direction, part of proper submission would be to warn our brother of the impending disaster.  In the same way wives are to engage in active assistance with their husbands to ensure that they are moving in a healthy direction.  Also we must recognize that the passage calls on wives to submit to their "own" husbands and not all men.
3. I will love my wife if she submits to me or I will be less harsh with my children if they start to obey me. - The teaching in this passage is not conditional on the other person's response.  We are called to love our wives with a heart to serve them sacrificially like Jesus has done for us.  No where is our love to be given based on how our wife will respond.  Whether it is the teaching on how we are to relate to our wife, children, boss, employees, brothers and sisters in the Church, etc...  we are called to do our part regardless of where others are at.
4. Now that I understand this better I will try harder to do it. - No don't do that.  It is anti Christian to believe this.  The only solution to treating people the way this passage describes is to have Jesus Christ living in you by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  It is Jesus that can live in and through you to transform your life and behavior to fit the Scriptures.  You cannot decide to try harder and achieve this, and even if you did, you would then be at risk of being pride filled and works oriented out of your own strength.  Set your focus on Jesus and having Him be the Lord of your life and He will transform you and make you into who you are designed to be.  

Anyway guys, we are not to seek improved performance in these areas, but seek Christ to work in and through you.  Why do we Love our wives properly?  Because Jesus is Lord of our life and has transformed us so that we can.  You could change the question to be about parenting, work etc... the answer is the same.

Why are we wanting to help protect Children in Honduras?  Because Jesus is Lord of our life and has transformed us so that we can.

Preacherman

Men should play

As I prepare to head off to our annual HIT Men Paintball retreat weekend, I am reminded that it is important for men to play.  I know so often I pick serious topics for this blog, but really it is serious.  Men are too often confined to a regular routine of work in a job that binds them into a lifestyle that keeps them from enjoying life.  Often men think they enjoy life because they enjoy their job, but this is not really the case very often.  Most men only talk so much about enjoying their job, because it is the place where they spend the most time and get the most recognition.

For a man to live in the freedom and be the man God designed him to be, he must learn to enjoy life outside of work.  He must learn to enjoy his wife, family, friends, Church, community, etc...  A healthy "play" time can go along way in this regard.  We see it often that men like to play, they have "toys" like quads, trucks, guns, dirt bikes and other such things, yet very little of their play time is healthy.  Let's take a minute to identify a couple of ways "play time" can be healthy.

1. Include your wife, family, friends, etc...  It is always better with the people you care about.
2. It should be fun for you to do, but not essential for you to do.  In other words do not let yourself become addicted to your "play time".  You should be able to say no to it or yes to it.
3. It should not cause you huge financial strain.  A hobby or past time that causes your financial trouble is not going to be fun for long.
4. You should be able to live your Faith while you do it.  If your "play time" causes you to become someone that you knwo does not please God, then it needs to change.
5. Balance, Balance, Balance ... did I say Balance?  Yes we need to remember to keep life in proper balance.  It is not a capital crime to take a weekend to go camping or hunting etc... However if we set ourselves a lifestyle where we fill too much of our time with "play" at the expense of other things then we will hurt our relationship with God and the people who are important to us.

 I have seen many times where guys get into a past time and they miss Church or men's group because of it, then they miss a few more.  They end up distancing themselves from the community of faith and one day wonder why their spiritual life seems dry and has lacked growth.  Making excuses like "well I go out with a couple of other Christians each weekend" do not fly.  All that means is you are not going down alone, you are working on wrecking your life with a team.

If you have found yourself choosing your "play time" over your time with God, Church, wife, family, friends etc...  then you are in trouble.  You can tell if you have because God will seem distant, even thought He is not.  Your wife will seem upset about the time, money and energy you expend without her, and she is right.  You will wonder why when you do show up a t Church or men's meeting that you don't seem to know many people and feel disconnected, thats because you are disconnected and you need to be around to get to know people.

Maybe I sound harsh, but the reality is men need their "play time" but they need to remember to keep it healthy.  So let's get out there and play, have fun, build relationships, and get re-energized to be back where we need to be so that balance is kept.

Maker it so

Preacherman

Leadership - A reminder

I am so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to challenge men to be who God has made them to be.  I am honored to be able to share challenges and teach them from the Bible.  Yet it would be easy to continue to teach and gather men without looking at the importance of leadership development.

Some people hear about leadership development and begin to think that maybe I am drifting from teaching the Word of God.  But this is exactly the opposite of what is happening.  You see the Bible teaches us over and over again that people are to enter into a relationship with God and then they are to be taught.  We are to help them to grow and become solid in their faith.  Part of this is to develop them as leaders and to put them into positions of leadership.  It is actually not some optional addition to our faith, it is essential.

Ok so now I have done it, I added an "essential"!  Do I believe that leadership development is required for salvation?  NO.  But I do believe that growth of the believer and the Church must include leadership development.  We are not here to just be a stand alone Christian, nor are we here to gather together and be a group of Christians that are not growing or moving forward.  Growth and motion require leadership.  As men we are called to be such leaders.  We are called to grow, and become the men God has designed us to be.  Anything less is dis-obedience and hinders the growth of the kingdom of God.

Jesus set into motion the founding of the Church, for the purpose of His glory and the growth of His Kingdom.  This happens through the sharing of the Gospel.  Then baptizing the new believers and gathering them together in community for worship, giving, growing and living life together.  But if we desire this type of Church establishment and growth to continue we must develop and appoint leadership (Elders) and replicate the whole process over and over again.

Men, it is time for us to step up.  Leaders in our own lives.  Leaders in our own homes. Leaders in the  local Church community.  Leaders in our relationships.  Leaders at work.  Leaders in our communities.

WE ARE CALLED TO BE LEADERS!

Preacherman

Protect the children

Below is a copy of the write up I did to help us raise funds to build a wall to provide security for an orphanage in Honduras.  As Men we need to take this seriously.  People have been trying to break in and steal the children.  Child slavery and prostitution are huge problems and when we know of a situation where we can help to prevent such evils, then we need to take action.  

Here is the write up ...  

In the book of Nehemiah the people of Jerusalem were vulnerable because they lacked a wall that would protect them from those who sought to do them harm. In the same way the children at the Casa Hogar Orphanage in Honduras need a protective wall.  I was deeply challenged about this issue when I discovered that the wall is not so much to keep the children in as it is to keep out those who would try to steal them.  Child slavery and prostitution are  just some of the evils that we have to protect these children from.  This orphanage gets them off the street and into a  healthy environment where they can grow and feel loved.  They make sure the children have food, clothes, education and shelter.  Yet there are those who would see orphans as easy targets to steal because no one would miss them. 

Without this caring group these 40 children would be on the street fending for themselves or in even worse situations.  Please consider how you could participate with us in helping to make Casa Hogar safe for the current children they care for and well positioned to expand to care for greater numbers of children who are in need.

Sincerely,

Pastor Bruce Taylor

Fellowship Baptist Church

http://fbcfm.net

Here is the link to the pdf of this document in full ...  http://fbcfm.net/uploads/honduras.pdf

So the question is "What are you going to do about it?" ...  really this is one of those times where we need to step up to make a difference.  We can't help everyone everywhere all at once, but we can start making a difference and saving children one life at a time or even 40 lives at a time.

 Preacherman