The Real Man!

After several years of being a participant of and actually leading a "Men's Fraternity" in my local church, there are some foundational elements that I have come to understand about being an "authentic man of God"! I would like to take the opportunity and share those with you in this blog. Listen to this interesting statement made by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:11..."when I was a child, I talked like a child, I reasoned like a child, I thought like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." We live in a world that is largely populated by grown, males who have yet to become men. A real understanding of authentic manhood has been methodically stripped away, leaving us with a generation of gender-confused young men who have no role model to follow in life. They have largely been left without a true "north star" or a mentor that can or will provide them with a moral compass in their lives. The marketplace has sucked the heart and soul out of many men and television consistently paints a picture of men as nothing more than juveniles. We have been left without a significantly defined image of masculinity and end up with nothing more than "machoism".

There are only two biblical models of manhood. The first model is Adam, who according to 1 Corinthians 14:45 was a life-taking soul, who was led by his emotions and abdicated his role of leadership in the garden. The second model is Jesus Christ who is the only perfect man who ever walked the earth! Jesus, as opposed to Adam, was a life-giving spirit who was led by the Spirit and is the ultimate role model for what authentic manhood really is.

Men, may I say to you (in this blog) that it's time to stop talking like a child, reasoning like a child and thinking like a child and to become a real man who follows the ultimate man? So, that leads us to the question...what is a real man? According to the teaching of Dr. Robert Lewis, the national leader of Men's Fraternity, there are four specific things that mark an authentic man of God. They are as follows:

A Real Man:

1.) Rejects Passivity

2.) Accepts Responsibility

3.) Leads Courageously

4.) Expects the greater reward, God's reward

C.S. Lewis pointed out that there are two strands of manhood: fierceness and gentleness. When the two find balance, authentic manhood can be realized. In other words, if you have strength without godly tenderness, you end up as a brute. On the other hand, if you are full of tenderness and compassion, but lack masculine firmness, you end up as a man who will fail to lead or inspire others.

Since Jesus is the only perfect man, it will do us well to look at the life that He lived and the balance of manhood that He exemplified. In Him, we find the perfect balance of a man who understood His role as prophet, priest and king and became the perfect picture of biblical headship! Men, you are the "priest" of your family. In other words, you are the primary intercessor for your family, you have been given the responsibility to lead your family before the Lord and into His presence. You are the one who is to remind your family of God's mercy, His grace and His forgiveness. You are called of God to oversee the spiritual condition of your family. I know that sounds like a lot, but God never calls you to do anything, where He has not anointed or equipped you to do it. You have it inside of you!

Not only are you the priest of your family, but you are also the "prophet"! You are the one who speaks for God. You are the bearer of the Word of God...now, that doesn't mean that you have to be a biblical scholar or a theologian, but you are the initiator of releasing the Word over your family...you are a spokesman for righteousness and a declarer of hope! A prophet is the one who hears from God...you have to spend time with Him and in His word in order to hear from Him. A prophet establishes standards of convictions and develops a language of faith. In other words, not everything goes! Just because the world embraces it and it's the popular thing to do, doesn't mean that it's right or righteous for your family. A prophet also faithfully proclaims the truth and is willing to lovingly confront sin and call those you love back to repentance.

Finally, you are the "king" of your family! Now, before you get all excited, let me tell you what that DOESN'T mean. It doesn't mean that you rule and reign with an iron hand and everything is "your way or the highway". It doesn't mean that you come in and find your place on your "throne" (the Lazy Boy) and get a grip on your "scepter" (the remote control) and start dictating your will to anybody who listens! In fact, if that's your approach, nobody's gonna listen to you very long, anyway! The king's primary responsibility is to lead, protect and provide for the the safety of his family. He is to justly apply the law and the government of God and to not only be a warrior, but a representative of the "realm". He is to secure the infrastructure necessary for civilization and to plan the strategy's, negotiate alliances and apply the Word of God to daily conflicts.

As you can see, your job description as an authentic man of God can be overwhelming! Do not fear, you are not in this thing alone. God has gone before you, has provided the way for you and has promised you that He will never leave you nor forsake you in that which He has called you to do! It is His desire to steady you, to give you a vision and a passion for the job and the blessing that is before you.

May I encourage you, that if you feel like you have been falling down on the job, to rise up...get before the Lord, repent of where you have been and make your godly determination to be the man that you have been ordained to be. This is your season of leadership, of authentic manhood...get with other men of God and let them speak into your life. Allow the Lord to use other men to help shape you and fashion you into an authentic man of God!