Act Like Men

Following Jesus

The first and most important role God assigned to men (and women) is disciple. Just as the 12 disciples were followers of Christ, so should all believers in Christ. And before one can carry out the Great Commission, “go and make disciples of all nations”, one must become a disciple himself.

Serve to Be Great

Men desire greatness. Men like to be first. That is our natural way. But Christ calls us to be more. He offers the supernatural. He calls us to serve, just as he served. Through this we gain favor with God and men.

Rejoice in the Wife of Your Youth

With divorce rates in excess of fifty percent, I think it’s safe to say that our culture has lost the vision of marriage commitment – “till death do us part.” Dating has become a social outlet for selfish concerns rather than a pursuit of that perfect mate. “Breaking up” has replaced “conflict resolution” in relationships, resulting in divorce becoming the natural response in marriage. Our future men must have a Christ-centered vision for their future marriage. This means today’s men (including the divorced) must be willing to take this issue head on and discuss it with our young men.

What a Man!

Guys are stronger than girls. There’s just no disputing it. A woman will never win a world dead-lift championship. But the strength of men is not limited to our physical stature. Men should be willing to take a stand, to persevere, to fight when necessary – to be courageous. These are traits that our young men should embrace.

Get Your License

Most husbands become fathers. Don’t ask me how it happens. Some say it’s in the water. But whatever the cause, God ordained it. It’s a blessing to raise children and it’s never too young to catch the vision.

Gray Hair

We learned from our first lesson from Luke 2:52 that wisdom can be attained in several ways. The ideal method for attaining wisdom is to pursue it – learn from others mistakes and from wise council. But we also acknowledged that much of wisdom is attained through experience - by trial and error. And thus, the honor of old men is their gray hair. So, while it behooves a young man to learn from the experience of others, those with the wisdom of experience must also be willing to pass on their insight and understanding – the wisdom that comes with gray hair.

So What's the Difference?

Have you ever noticed that guys like action and girls like talk? How about the determined focus of a guy compared to the intuitive nature of a female? While much of society would like to ignore the many differences between men and women, science is supporting the idea that God created men and women for different roles. Understanding these differences will help your young men see the divine nature of these God-given roles.

Training and Instruction of the Lord

A man can offer leadership to his family in the areas of protection, provision and service. However, he should also offer an eternal perspective to his family. Therefore, as he leads his family, he must share his faith. He must nurture his wife’s spiritual walk. And he must make known to his children the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help them grow in their own faith. God has ordained the man to fulfill these responsibilities.

Love, Service, Leadership

The most powerful bonding element for the family is love. While philos, or brotherly love, cultivates relationship and is important; agape, or sacrificial love, is the Godly love we receive from Christ and is the love we are to give our wives and children. The more men love through sacrificial service the better we lead our families to be like Christ. We are to serve. We are to lead. And we must pass on a vision of this servant leadership to our young men.

By the Sweat of Your Brow

While a successful career and abundant income begets prestige and status in our culture, it is the responsibilities of caring and nurturing children at home that should warrant more honor and admiration. In fact, the work of provision, rather than a source for self-satisfaction and affluence, can actually be traced to the curse on the ground following the original sin. And that work can only become a true blessing through the provider’s obedience in service to his family. That responsibility was given by God to the man.

He Was With Her

We’ve already addressed the masculine traits of strength, courage and warriorship. God gave these attributes to men. He has reinforced our ability to protect our homes, our families and even our nation from physical harm.
But we must also protect our families from spiritual attack. Satan is on the move and men are a primary target. When men are subdued, our families become easy prey. We must not be passive as the protector of the family..

Die To Self

Of the five roles we’ve established for men, disciple is at the top of the list. All other roles are derivatives of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We must follow Christ and make Him our example. His ultimate expression of character was to sacrifice for us and we must follow that example.

To Be First, Be Last

We’ve learned that we must serve to be great. Jesus also says we must be last to be first. He says we must be servant to all. Ultimately, our service is to Jesus. And we gain favor with God as He honors us for our service.

As Christ Loved the Church

Marriage is not easy. The couples that stay married for fifty years or more typically have as many problems as those who divorce after two or twenty years. The difference is usually in their conflict resolutions skills and in their commitment to life-long marriage. The next generation of men must have a vision of commitment and an understanding of relationship. They must have a new hope in the marriage institution that was lost by our culture of irreconcilable differences.

Blessed Are His Children After Him

Fatherhood represents the ultimate paradox in the relationship with children. It’s a tough job being authority and friend at the same time. So a young man should be prepared for being a father before he becomes one. He should understand the responsibilities and have a concept and a vision for God’s plan for him as a father. It’s not too early to introduce the fatherhood role to young teenagers.

Young Men, Faithful Men, Older Men

From the youngest of men (teenagers) to the elders of the land, someone looks up to each one of them. There are always those younger and less experienced that would covet their words of wisdom. The ten-year-old looks up to the young teenager. The thirteen-year-old looks up to the nineteen-year-old. The nineteen-year-old looks up to the thirty-year-old. And so on, and so on. And the continuation of teaching from the older to the younger is paramount.

Home is the Church in Miniature

In the book Point Man, Steve Farrar states, “The home is the church in miniature, and every Christian father has been appointed pastor of his own home.” The young man should look forward to being the spiritual leader of his own home some day. The man who manages his own family well becomes eligible to be a leader and elder of the church. The young man should view himself as a potential leader in his church. These are noble roles given to God-fearing men who pursue Christ-likeness. And they extend to the wider community and nation.

Be Men of Courage

Your young men are on a quest for manhood. They need a motto, a tag line - they need a battle cry. And buried right in the middle of our favorite Knighthood Verse, we have it. Act like men - be men of courage! Andrizomai! Sean valientes! Chazaq! So we’re going right back to the masculine attributes of strength and courage. Be strong and courageous!

The Initiator

The husband is the initiator - the wife is the responder. This may offend some of today’s women, but try these ideas yourself and offer them to your young men. And expect many blessings in the marriage relationship.

The Courage to Encourage

We’ve already discussed the paradox of fatherhood - disciplining vs. comforting, encouraging vs. exhorting. Let’s take a closer look at these Godly and Fatherly attributes.