Manhood God's Way

For those who have read the Bravehearted Gospel, this topic on masculinity may ring a bell in someways. Both men and woman in the church today don't stand up for truth, daring to defend it with there very lives. I've been listening to Eric Ludy's discipleship sessions and they have really inspired me with my walk with God. He has three that are specifically for men on the great masculinity of old. What Christ calls us as men to be is so beautiful compared to what the world says that it amazes me that we have fallen so far. It makes sense though as the flesh despises that which is from God so those who don't have Christ ruling their lives can't obtain it even if they want to.

My first or second term at Kettering, I was in a friends dorm room and noticed he had sheets of paper on the wall. I looked a little closer and saw it had the title "Man Law". Curious, I began reading them. I was quickly appalled by the utter evil they encouraged. The main idea behind these laws? To get as much sex, beer, and self satisfaction one could muster (then there were the stupid ones like, don't rub your shoulder if someone punches you or you get punched again twice. childish. *shakes head in disgust* I know what you are thinking, "Those are just from those beer commercials. No one actually lives by them." To a point I agree but I still think they reflect just how bad it is out there today.


Where are the might men of old? Where are those men who, for David, their king, put their lives on the line to get him a mere drink of water?! Where are men like the apostles who stood up against great persecution from the very religious structure of the day?!

In his three part discipleship session, Eric outlines a definition of honor, saying

"It is the Kingly decorum of heaven. It is spiritual poise, grit, and
moral-command. It is a harness about the inner man – bit and bridle upon the
wildness of the soul. It is the taming of the inner leviathan, a holy
restraint upon the bodily passions, the emotional combustion, and every mental
wandering. Honor is a higher behavior, a holy mindset, a regal bearing in
the midst of a polluted world. It is an absence of all perversion a state
of being untainted by the filth of the age. Honor is a selfless
disposition, a servant’s posture, a sentinel’s gaze, and an intercessor’s
readiness. Honor is the mark of heaven upon a man. It is the
evidence of Spirit-control, it is the adoption of royal pedigree, and it is the
demonstration of mighty masculinity."

Doesn't that take your breath away? He goes on to list what he calls the "Manly Code, The laws of the Bravehearted" which was inspired both by the Bible and the book Scottish Chiefs. The points are the following:

• Dead to Self-Interest


• Confident in battle


• Courageous under fire


• Trained for war


• Restrained to the nature of God


• Upholder of decorum


• Harnessed of Soul


• Cannot violate Conscience


• A Protector of the Weak


• Marked by purity and virtue


• Unafraid of death


• Unwilling to subjugated or debased


• Last to sleep, first to rise


• Untouched by men’s opinion


• Possessing great inner stability


• Rightly Prioritized

A pretty black and white comparison if you ask me. I don't know about you but this "Code of Honor" inspires me so much more then "Man Law". I realize this is a high calling. Is that not what Christ called us to do? The impossible, at least in our own power? He says, "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.", even if it means: giving up dreams, possessions, security, sleep, desires, and quite possibly, our very lives. Until we have completely given ourselves over to the cause and kingdom of Christ, He can't use us to the fullness He calls us to. We can't live this life with out being dead to the flesh and alive in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Just like wimpy Peter became the leading spokesman for the early church, so too can we go from our broken and depraved states to live all out, with zeal and passion, till we are spent for Christ. Only then will the world be once again turned on its side as souls are fought for. We will be rejected, persecuted but not abandoned. Crushed but not destroyed. Stop trying to cater to society and still expect to be radically different for Christ. We are at war. Stop trifling with the enemy and go all out for Christ! Let Him shine through you today like He did in Paul, Peter, Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylwards, David Livingston, Nate Saint and Corie Ten Boom. "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot What do you choose today?

I realize this is barely scratching the surface and that is what I wanted. I wanted to prick some interest in Eric Ludy's discipleship sessions, not write my own (which would be a huge post). Check them out at http://discipleship.setapartlife.com/Eric_Discipleship_Home.html Company of Heroes is the three part series on manhood though I recommend them all. :) Let me know what you think!

God bless you as you continue to abide in Him!

Corey <><