Men in the World vs Men of God (Fathers?) Kelly Durant 9-15-13 Re 6-15-25
1. I Tim 5: 17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
2. Have you heard about the woman waiting for the perfect man? She waited and waited and then so much time went by that she just never seemed to find him! (See image of skeleton) Ha!
It is a very complex problem when we want to analyze men being perfect. How can men be perfect in his relationship involving the treatment of the woman, his children, and in relation to the treatment of his fellow man?
The real issue of men being perfect is in them having the character God wants. This is found in spiritual maturity, wisdom, and a connection to God that provokes a passion to treat everyone with respect, loving and guiding them into God’s truth by words and deeds. Men must mature, and maturity means learning to be humble and doing God’s will in everything. Altruistic love is the foundation.
3. Men maturing into men of valor as God intended contrasts the opposite image to what the pride of the world projects. There is a glory in men being strong; we all like to see strong soldiers. But consider this, the strongest man who ever lived was Samson, and he killed a lion with his bare hands, but look how the ultimate strongman ended up without faithfulness to God! He became a blinded slave over an evil woman who seduced him!
The ultimate question is, what does God want from me and you, or a man in general? All cultures have different ideas of how the perfect man should be. Usually when you say the word “man”, an image of how a man should dress, talk, and act is usually shaped by the expectancies of that culture and by the standard of the women of that society.
Woman live concerned about what the men do in relationship to them, so they are usually focused on the home and family. Men care for the women, but men usually live very concerned about what other men might do to them and they think more about the society at large preparing their selves for survival, protecting their children, and making a living within their hostile environment.
4. Ever since the murder of Able by Cain men have worried how to protect their selves. They govern the society with police and armies and write laws and carry arms to help protect their selves from their own fellow man, and in particular defend their selves from those of other tribes, gangs, belief systems, or countries. For millennia men have had the tendency to scheme how to conquer and dominate their part of the world and this comes by cruel brute organized force.
I will confess as a man when I go out in the community, I subconsciously put myself on high alert and I focus in on any danger or threat that could be around me either while walking or in the vehicle. It is a natural tendency, right?
The sad reality is men, due to the sin of pride in the world, have failed in their mission to stop all hostility and greed and just love and obey God and enjoy Him! To believe in Jesus and obey Him is the first step! Men were created to love, have a family and be a good dad, not to fight, kill, and the inflict pain. Pain and trauma create the broken hostile, sad world of men today. Why are there so many addicts in the world? Men (and women) are often trying to drown out their pain! Sin, either committed by the individual, or imposed upon a man or woman, causes deep pain but seeking Jesus does heal it and take it away!
5. God created men and women to give and receive love through their families and friends and fellow brothers in the faith. Every person in life gets an interest in knowing God usually because someone who loved God was loving, caring, and helpful to them. Doesn’t it seem that way? Love changed them and they gained hope, faith, and a new happy life. But only the Christian faith expresses correctly the most important concept of God that exists…that God, our Father, is love!
What is the final purpose for man’s existence, anyway? Why am I here on earth we often ask ourselves? Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Jesus said to love God with all your heart mind and soul as well! Men analyze: If God made me in the womb, then He is the Father I must obey. But those who hate, steal, and do violence of course hate God even though they know inherently He exists. The demons fear God and tremble! Hell ultimately is a prison for the rebellious souls who will not stop their destruction.
Imagine how perfect, holy, and righteous a man could be if he would just practice the wisdom of God as in the Bible! The men who truly understand God’s word always want to live to teach and preach it! It becomes their burning passion!
6. Reviewing the verses of today, a man highly honored by a double portion in God’s view is one who teaches His Word. And any man can teach his own children! I Tim 5: 17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. Here is the example; the ideal man is esteemed by God and others when he learns the Holy Scriptures so well, that he practices them becoming responsible in his home; also, in church he becomes qualified to teach as well.
What God wants from a man, which is his love, service, and obedience transfers into living a life of teaching & preaching, and what about loving your neighbor as yourself? Who is your neighbor closest to you? Usually, your wife and family, right? How a man treats his wife and family reveals everything about his character!
7. Expounding more on a women’s definition of a perfect man she might describe him as one that is faithful with no other loves, (no adultery!) one that is faithful to provide and protect for her and the kids, who does not lie, kill, abuse, and loves her always, caring to listening to her intimate concerns and communications.
Do not these desires remind you of something? They sound a lot like the list of things included in the 10 commandments, right?
The Mosaic laws set up a good control and in most parts of the world, most of these basic commands are applied in some form because it is true justice and righteousness to punishment those that offend God and harm others. The Law may guide and teach so to deter man’s natural born abusive nature, but only love can transform him into a self-controlled exemplary model for others.
8. Christians in the church, or the body of believers, are compared to being the bride of Christ. In the real world men must submit to other men in their jobs, schools, & etc., Women submit to men as well, but the ultimate submission of everyone must always be to Jesus & God’s will. Submission brings on freedom and protection and in our case with Jesus, eternal life as well!
Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Men were created to live in relationships. God desires a deep connection with each one of us. God also desires that we have a connection with one another and that being one with love. This brings health, happiness and progress.
9. Sadly, a majority of men in the world today are deceived and not being real “men” submitted to God and loving as we have covered so far. The defamation of the character of men in the West (USA) has been happening for decades. It is a Satanic ploy to disintegrate respect one for one another and crumble our society. The media and the dark higher powers promote the feminization of men, the mocking of men’s roles as fathers and authority figures, and music & sports influences the debauchery of men by having them copy the narcissistic arrogant violent stars. The lack of good men role models is devastating communities indiscriminately! Good leaders always come under attack just as Jesus exposed.
Men, nor women, are upholding God’s standard and enforcing laws and responsibilities in society demanding the standards that maintain families, happiness, and peace, so the end product is broken dreams, frustration and violence and perverse sins. What ever happened to good, involved fathers?
10. Another male problem are the undesirable customs of ancient man still influencing modern man today. In 80% of the world with the Arabs, Israelis, Native Americans, Hindus, Asians (past and current), the men are expected to principally be spiritual teachers in the home and community, and they are expected to fight and defend, hunt, or do commerce. The women are expected to work hard but usually in the home. This sort of resembles many cultures, even some macho Latino cultures as well, don’t you think?
Some people are happy with this ancient way of life but not many. It seems like a good life for man, but often the women hate it. Willing service and servitude are distinct things. The oppression of men, women, and children today is at an all time high! Look at Africa and the world, look at most governments. Mafias, gangs, slave labor, the sex trade, and abuse of all kinds are on the rise and being ignored, how sad!
In the West (USA), today, it is expected that the men help with the duties of the home in order to share the daily workload. This is love manifested in deeds of service and this is a noble thing to be respected. This shift of men helping at home occurred in part because the women started work in professional jobs and they did not have the time to serve in the home as their grandmothers use to. In today’s modern world, men must also learn professions but also how to be handymen at home because to call a painter, tech man, or plumber over to your house can cost you in a day what you earn in a week or a month!
11. Let’s go back further and look at the position of men for millennia. Men in most cultures in history have not really ever had the chance to be in the role of being a good father, provider, and lover. Why is that?
The reality is that most men throughout recorded history have been at war defending and building their cities, or fighting to acquire more land and all of their energy is consumed with just basic survival. The training to fight, and the fabrication of war weapons, or the actual engagement in conflict is what most men have been forced into ever since the beginning of time. In the end men have suffered greatly under other men who never learned to submit to God and love!
Consider how it was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem for Nehemiah. 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. All of what we enjoy today was defended and built by the blood, sweat, and tears of the ones before us and we should always honor them!
12. All of the former so called “great” world domineering societies, the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had within their own practices the suppression of other men being slaves, women, and children. Socrates stated “I thank god that I was born Greek & not Barbarian, free man & not slave, man & not woman, but above all, I was born in the age of Socrates”. This arrogant attitude was due to their worship of false cruel Gods.
Only 500 years ago with the Renaissance, which was the product of the Church Reformation under Martin Luther who translated the Bible, was a new light shed and only then did respect and esteem open up for men, women, and families. The Bible clarifies how we are to love God and our neighbor and keep his commandments, but evil men cannot be successful to oppress, deceive, and dominate other men who learn these values of God. God’s word liberates our souls with wisdom and with Jesus and we are appalled by injustices and we are moved to do something about them.
13. So where do we stand today with men and fathers in our corrupt societies of the world today? Most men today have never been taught to, “Fear God and keep his commandments… the duty of all mankind”. Men today have lost their role as loving true fathers, defenders, and providers. Men today still have an innate desire to conquer and govern, but the problem is when they obtain a high position without a fear of God, they rapidly fall into corruption keeping the cycle of oppression and destruction alive. Laziness and idle time is becoming the enemy of many souls of men as well due to the manipulation of our societies.
Today, men, I challenge you, will you be thankful with the freedom to love and serve God? Also, will you love and serve your families and help in the community? The world history of mankind is dark, cruel, and bloody, and it can only change when we, as illuminated Christians who know the “duty of man”, take a stand in wisdom against our own pride and then take a stand in the home supporting our children, and in the community fighting against the injustices of man to man and against women and children.
Instead of Socrates statement, we as men of God could state, “I thank God that I was born to be in Christ & not continue as a Barbarian, a free man & not a slave to sin anymore; born a man, but a woman I will love as equal to my own self; but above all, I am glad that I was born in the age of Christianity”! The world is suffering because too few men teach God’s wisdom! Souls are being lost because people have not accepted Jesus love because no one shared it! Be ready at all times as honorable men to teach and preach the word of God to your families and friends! Be a good father, as you father in heaven is to you!
