A Word To the Boys

Let me start off this post by saying that I must tread the following topic with extreme humility. Please do not think that I, in any way, have all of this figured out or that I am a model man of God. Not at all! By God's grace I strive each day to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 

(1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV)

Having said that,


I am fed up with today's American culture in so many ways. I think part of it is probably due to my proclivity to a judgmental and prideful spirit, but I think, for the most part, it is based on accurate observations of flaws in our society. The one thing, though, that infuriates me the most is today's "man." 


What has happened to males in our culture? Where are the men? America today is filled with a bunch of boys who think they are men, but in no way act or think like one. Our country - and, no less, the church - is filled with boys who have yet to grow up. They do not have a job, they are still in school(mostly due to lack of vision and purpose or simply to further postpone responsibility), they have no idea what they will do with their life, are still dependent on their parents, move back home after school, they do not have a place of their own, they do not know how to handle responsibility(causing more and more women to now take the reigns of responsibility where men have not stepped up), they are delaying marriage so they can continue to enjoy sleeping with and treating their girlfriends like dirt without any long-term commitment, they are lazy, they do not know how to treat a woman, and they are video game and porn addicts! Worst of all, they are perfectly content with being this way.

In short, our society is filled with a bunch of deadbeat losers, claiming to be men!

I hate this and I really don't understand it. Why are the males today not taking life and their role as a man seriously? Check this out from Al Mohler:

Consider this: In 1960, the vast majority of young adults had, by the time they reached 30, accomplished the five standard milestones used to measure adult status. These milestones include completing school, leaving home, getting married, having a child, and establishing financial independence. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, less than one-half of all young women reached these milestones by age 30 in 2000. Even more concerning — less than one third of all young men did.

- from "Why Aren’t ‘Emerging Adults’ Emerging as Adults?" by Al Mohler

 Now, I am no sociologist, but I do see a few things that have contributed to this:

1. A greater need for more education in order to make it in the world
2. Fewer entry-level jobs on the market
3. Young people feeling less rush to marry because of the general acceptance of premarital sex, cohabitation and birth control
4. The rise of adolescence in the 20th century

I think that fourth point is the most influential, and it really parallels what is happening today. The rise of adolescence in the 20th century birthed this new, so-called, "distinct and essential" life-stage between childhood and adulthood. Now, society has made a new life-stage between adolescence and adulthood which is referred to as "emerging adulthood," postponing responsibility and adulthood even further in life. In my view, this idea has hurt society much more than it has helped.

I say all of that to say this(to the males):

GROW UP!!

Learn how to be a man. Grow a backbone. Learn how to handle responsibility. Get a job. Become financially independent. Decide what you will do with your life and how you will honor God with that. Learn how to respect women. Find a woman, pursue her(Women really do want to be pursued. Get some guts, stop just "hanging out" with girls, and date one.) love her, marry her, have babies with her, teach your children to love God and your sons how to be men(so that, hopefully, this problem will not carry on to future generations), and glorify God with your marriage. And, most importantly, love God, pursue Him, and glorify him with your life.

Once again, I must reiterate my humility in all of this. I am not at all saying that I am the model man and have all of this working in my life. These words are just as much to me as they are to you.

Here's a link to that article by Al Mohler which I quoted (a very interesting read): http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/08/23/why-arent-emerging-adults-emerging-as-adults/
and another good one by him: http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/10/19/souls-draft/, and http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/02/18/young-adolescents-and-marriage/

*And if you need more convincing, here is a great message by Mark Driscoll, known best for his no-bull way of preaching, who can say it much better than I can. If you don't have time to watch the whole thing(although I would highly recommend you do) start it around the 1hr., 7min. mark for a nice punch in the groin.

Sifted Like Wheat

[31] “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” [33] Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” [34] Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” 

(Luke 22:31-34 ESV)

Why do we suffer? Why do trials and afflictions come into our lives? James 1:2-4 tells us that it is to produce steadfastness in us.

The interesting thing to note, though, is that our troubles - although not directly from God, but Satan - are permitted by God. Look at what Jesus says to Peter in Luke 22. He tells Peter that Satan wanted to make him suffer. We would naturally think that God would not allow that. But no! Jesus responds, "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." Although he had the power to stop Satan from attacking Peter, he allowed Peter to be tested. He did not stop it, but, in stead, prayed for him.

What a great and encouraging thought! We have a Savior who intercedes for us for strength to endure our trials. We have an advocate in our toughest times. Although he will not always stop or withhold the testing, we can be assured that we will come out of the battle stronger and more equipped than when we began.

Humility

In case you didn't know, the Desiring God National Conference entitled Think: The Life of the Mind & the Love of God was held this past weekend in Minneapolis. I recently listened to Francis Chan's message on humility - Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride - from the conference (also below). This was one of the best sermons I've listened to in awhile. Like I have said before, Francis Chan is a great speaker and motivator. His primary text was 1 Corinthians 8:1-3.


Here are some of my thoughts from his message:


LOVE PEOPLE! The most essential, and most often overlooked, aspect of humility is loving others. So often, even in a sincere pursuit of humility, we forget to love others and put them first. We may have great theology and a passion for truth but if we do not love others, it is all useless. Just as important as our passion for theology should be our passion for our fellow believers and the lost. I like how Francis put it: "Why did God gift you the way that he did? It’s for us, not for you. We should constantly be thinking, How can I build up other people?". Look at the way Jesus interacted with people. There is no way that any person with whom Jesus spent any amount of time could walk away thinking that Jesus did not care about him. Jesus gave his whole ministry to loving others. To quote Francis again, "Some of you have been studying Christ for years. But does your life look anything like his? Can you say like Paul, 'Imitate me as I imitate Christ?' Do you look like Jesus? Do you love like Jesus?". 


All of this hype recently about "incarnational evangelism" gets me a bit concerned at times, because often it can go overboard. Yes, I do agree that we should be living like we believe and showing people the Gospel through our lives, but we must be careful not to use that as an excuse. No one is going to come to Christ simply because you don't have sex, don't smoke weed, you pray before you eat, and go to church. And it won't even be because you raked leaves for an old lady and didn't get paid for it or opened a door for someone who didn't say thank you. Obviously, our lives should be different from the world and should lead those who know us to see that difference, but that is not enough. Transformation cannot come with out a knowledge of the truth. "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:14 ESV). You must accompany your love with the truth of the Gospel. The "good news" is not good news to a person unless he hears it. I see far too often Christian missions and people who are so concerned about meeting people's physical and temporal needs that they forget that their most important need is spiritual. Love without the Gospel is not truly love at all. We must be "incarnational" in living the Gospel, but, just as important, we must speak the truth.


Humility comes, when we realize that we are hopeless. We are nothing on our own. We know nothing. The most amazing part, though, is the fact that not only do we know God, but that He know us! “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God...” (Gal. 4:9). Now that is something we should brag about. Chan summarizes humility in this way: "Do you want to brag about something? Brag about the fact that God knows you. Don’t boast about how much you know. Boast about the fact that the God of the universe calls you by name."

The Wisdom of Men

My Sunday School (ABF - the Bridge - for anyone reading who also goes to Heritage Baptist) has recently started a study in 1 Corinthians, so I thought I'd do some posts of my thoughts on what we are studying as we journey through this great epistle. 1 Corinthians was one of the first books I studied once I started seriously reading Scripture back early in high school, and it was a great and very enjoyable study for me. It's been awhile since I delved into this wonderful letter, so I'm pretty excited to be reacquainted with it and see what new insight and truth I will glean.

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is a great book which covers a wide array of topics. The book is largely a reprimand against the church for the many problems which it was experiencing and causing. But, be assured, Paul does take ample room to commend the church for the things it is doing right (though they are few) and encourage them with some doctrinal teaching.

In the second half of chapter one Paul brings up an interesting idea of the "foolishness of the cross" vs. the "wisdom of the world." What does he mean here?
I think we can solve this by asking another question:
      "What do all religions aside from Christianity have in common?"
If you take a look, every religion outside of Christianity essentially believes in a works-based salvation. Even many who do not consider themselves "religious" have a hope that somehow they can earn heaven by doing enough good, outweigh their bad with good, or live a somewhat moral life. This, I think, really sums up the "wisdom of man." Sinful man wants to believe that he is independent; that he can live life on his own without the help of God and ultimately get to heaven.

Now here is where the "foolishness of the cross" comes into play. For the unsaved, the idea that a person can be granted heaven simply by faith in Christ is nonsense. It completely puts to naught his idea that he can be good enough to make it on his own. The "wisdom of the world" says that we can get it right on our own, while the "foolishness of the cross" shows us that we are completely helpless and hopeless on our own and can do nothing to save ourselves. We have nothing for which to be proud in our Salvation, since God did the work of Salvation for us. All we did was believe. And in this God is glorified.

God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  

1 Corinthians 1:28-29 ESV

Praise God that we do not need to rely on our own wisdom and performance, but can trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross to pay for our redemption!

Just do Something

I just recently read the book Just do Something by Kevin DeYoung. If you have read my blog any in the past, you might have read my six-part series on The Will of God (check them out here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). DeYoung's book is a great little read and very similar to Gary Friesen's book Decision Making and the Will of God, but shorter, more concise, and to the point. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone struggling with the question of God's will (Aren't/haven't we all?). It is a very easy and short read but very informative and enlightening. The book will likely make you examine and reconsider your ideas and preconceptions on the topic. For any who did not read my previous series and do not care or have the time to read them now, I will follow soon with a post on my notes and outline of the book.

A List of Important Sermons and Articles That Are Worth Reading

A List of Important Sermons and Articles That Are Worth Reading

Great article by Justin Taylor. I'll definitely be keeping this bookmarked as a resource for the future. A lot of great recommendations here.

The reality of God

So often today I think we take the reality and glory of God far too lightly. We are nonchalant with God, seeing Him merely in light of His love and goodness and forgetting His majesty and power. We claim to have "experienced" God in a church service or special gathering when emotions are high and people are happy or when we go through seasons of blessing in our lives. To us, experiencing God is this happy-go-lucky thing. This is not at all, though, how those who experienced God in Scripture felt. When Isaiah received his commission from God and was brought into the Presence of the Lord he was struck with the realization of his utter depravity and hopelessness as a sinful man (Isa. 6). When John saw Jesus in his vision while on Patmos he "fell at His feet as though dead" (Rev. 1:9-17). When Saul, the leading persecutor of the early church, met the risen Christ face to face on his journey to Damascus he was blinded for three days and never the same (Acts 9:3-9). And when Moses asked to see God he learned that the Glory of the Lord was so potent that he could only catch a glimpse of His back lest he die (Exod. 33:18-23). After this encounter his face was literally radiating light
(Exod. 34:29-35).

God is not some old man with a long beard sitting in the clouds all day. He is not a magic genie in a bottle or simply an "Intelligent Designer." And He is not your "homeboy." Our God is a fierce God more powerful than anything we can imagine. He created the entire universe with the Word of His mouth. He makes the earth tremble at his call. He is transcendent above all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is the ruler and the sustainer. He is eternal, and He is omnipotent. He is sovereign over all. He is LORD over all. He is God.