Mission Focused Men for Christ

Episode Summary. One of the great truths of life is that one’s mental perspective determines one’s attitude. Eve believed the lie that God’s command not to eat the fruit was selfish and that God was keeping something to be desired—the knowledge of good and evil—from her. That perspective led to the attitude of rebellion which led to the action of sin. This episode seeks to better understand how wrong thinking leads to wrong attitudes, which is why we need to protect the rising generation from the destructive ideas invading their lives.For Further Prayerful Thought:What examples most stood out to you about the way our mental perspective determines our attitude?Of the eight ideologies identified and evaluated through a biblical lens, which ones do you see most clearly in the culture? Which ones do you think are most deceiving teenagers?What are the evil parallels between Marxism and cultural Marxism? Why do you think that otherwise mature Christians who are calling the church back to a concern for social justice are falling into some of its evil tenets? Link to Leadership DiagramLink to ResourcesA Practical Guide to Culture, Stonestreet and KunkleThe Secular Creed, Rebecca McLaughlinFive Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, Rosaria ButterfieldMamma Bear Apologetics, Hillary FerrerFor the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

This episode answers the question, “What do dads need to do to develop their child’s potential, i.e. to be faithful stewards of this treasure entrusted to us, not just because we love them, but because God has important contributions for them to make to his world.”  Link to Leadership DiagramPast Podcast Episodes on spiritual gifts: S2 E #38-41, 7/18/21-8/8/21 Link to The Five Love LanguagesFor the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Summary: Marriage failure almost always begins with the loss of intimacy, i.e. closeness in the marriage. This episode examines what Scripture says married couples need to understand and do to experience both the emotional and sexual intimacy, which God designed marriage for. Couples Study to Overcoming the Intimacy Misconnect in MarriageShe spells intimacy TALK. He spells intimacy SEX. This booklet is designed to be used by husband and wife during 3 dates to rediscover greater emotional and sexual intimacy in their marriage.For Further Prayerful Thought:What stood out to you about the purposes for which God’s designed marriage?What is the significance to you of remembering that marriage is both the joining of two lives (mind, will, and emotions) exhibited by leaving home, and the joining of two bodies in sex?When it comes to emotional intimacy, do you have more trouble opening up to your wife about what is going on inside or in helping her open up about what is going on inside her?If you are married, is there another woman in your spheres of life with whom you need to be more vigilant—not to allow yourselves to get too emotionally close?VALENTINE’S DAY QUESTIONS FOR COUPLESFor FunWhat’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?If you could be any cartoon character for a day, who would you be and why?What’s the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?If you could have any animal as a pet, no matter how wild, what would you choose?Warm UpWhat do you remember most about your first date?Share two things you most appreciate about your mate.Emotional IntimacyHusband to WifeWhat regular tasks in taking care of the family do you dislike the most or find most difficult?How can I help you shoulder your load at home?How can I better help you share your heart with me?What family problems do you feel need to be addressed?What are the worries and concerns that are weighing heavily on your heart?How can I best help you feel cherished by me?How can I support your use of your gifts that go beyond the home?Wife to HusbandHow best can I help you when your emotional tank is on empty?What gets you down most at work? When there is something weighing heavily on you at work how can I best help you share it?How can I support your spiritual leadership in our home.Do I tell you often enough what I admire and respect about you?Sexual IntimacyHow do you feel about discussing sexual intimacy on this date?Why do you think God invented sex?What are two things you appreciate about each other as lovers?What sexual activities do you find most exciting?Is there anything else about our love-making that you want to tell me?For the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link

Episode Summary. There is one investment you can make in your child’s future that God guarantees is more precious than gold, that will bring him a lifetime of enjoyment, a lifetime of protection from harm and a lifetime in which he is richly rewarded. It is explained in Psalm 19. This episode’s focus is on how to make such an investment. For Further Prayerful ThoughtIn the study of the six facets of the jewel of God’s Word—his law, testimony, precepts, commandments, fear, and judgements, which ones stood out most to you?Since God’s plan to bless the nations was to call Abraham and his family to faith and then the fathers command their children and households to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, why have Christian men been slow to focus on this responsibility?Why is it important, in teaching our kids, for us to follow the Deuteronomy 6 pattern to starting with our motive for loving the Law of God being to please him because he first loved us.Why do you think God tells parents in Deuteronomy 6 to talk about applying the Word of God throughout the day? Link to Leadership DiagramLink to New City CatechismFor the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Episode Summary. Spiritual leadership at home is bringing our followers along with us in our whole-hearted pursuit of Christ. Persuading them to join us in this pursuit is almost completely dependent upon winning their hearts, which requires building our love relationship with them. We are inspired by the example of Jonathan Edwards, whose commitment to building his relationship with each of his kids was manifested by his decision to take a different child with him each time he traveled to speak. This episode identifies four ways that dads are inclined to tear down their relationship with their kids and then provides five necessary investments to build it up.Link to Leadership Diagram.For Further Prayerful Thought,In what ways did Jonathan Edwards demonstrate what it takes to be a successful spiritual leader at home?What relationship busters are you most concerned about committing?Which of the following relationship builders do you think is most important for you to focus upon in your spiritual leadership at home: understanding, affirmation, companionship, compassion, attentiveness to practical needs?Link to PDF about the Successful Spiritual Leadership at Home seriesFor the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Episode Summary. The word husband is from the world of agriculture; it means to cultivate. This episode points to seven ingredients identified in Scripture that Christian husbands are to pour into the soil of their wives’ hearts to cause them to flourish. For Further Prayerful Thought.What are the strongest arguments for a Christ-following husband to continually invest the nutrients into his wife’s hear that she needs to flourish?Take a moment to review the first three needs mentioned in the podcast/blog. Which of these needs do you feel best about meeting in your wife? Which do you most want to remember to focus upon in the coming days?Take a moment to review the last four heart needs mentioned. Which of these needs seems most important to you? Which one do you most want to remember to try to better meet in the coming days?How can you do a better job of being intentional about meeting these needs in your wife’s heart? Link to PDF about the Successful Spiritual Leadership at Home series For the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Episode Summary. Almost all men would love more consistency in their lives. We know that is the key to success in every area of life, not the least important of which is success leading our homes well. But how can we more consistently stay focused on our mission from Jesus? This episode supplies two answers: First we must have clear picture of the goal towards which we are heading and leading our families—spiritual maturity as Christ’s disciple. Most of us have only a vague idea of what mature discipleship looks like, and it is hard to take a first step towards a fuzzy goal or lead others to reach it. So, we look to Scripture and arrive at three concrete callings that reflect Jesus’ call to discipleship for all of us. The second way to stay focused on our mission is to follow a clear pattern for managing his life that Jesus clearly followed. This pattern not only helps us stay focused but it renews our spiritual energy. Link to Leadership DiagramFor Further Prayerful ThoughtWhy does it make sense that spiritual leadership at home which seeks to lead our families to be fully devoted mature followers of Jesus, requires us to stay focused on this mission ourselves.What are the differences you can think of between having a clear picture of mature discipleship versus a fuzzy picture of mature discipleship?What does Jesus’ routine withdrawal into his private world with the Father to discuss his mission imply for his followers? Why don’t more Christians follow this pattern?Link to PDF about the Successful Spiritual Leadership at Home seriesFor the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Episode Summary. This episode begins by noting that Genesis 3:17 tells us that God’s curse upon Adam for his rebellion in the Garden of Eden was not just for transgressing the command not to eat the fruit but for his reversal of God’s created order of roles. Man’s call to lead the home matters to God. This episode examines what leadership is and is not, providing a diagram for understanding the three functions of leadership. We then add flesh to this skeletal structure by shaping a 5-fold job description for men as they function as spiritual leaders of their homes.   For Further Prayerful ThoughtWhy do you thin God told Adam he was being punished for his role reversal as well as eating the forbidden fruit?What stood out to you in this episode about what leadership is not?How would use explain the three functions of leadership? (arrows in the diagram)What stood out to you about the job description of men being the spiritual leaders at home?Link to Leadership Diagram.Link to PDF about the Successful Spiritual Leadership at Home seriesFor the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left) 

Episode Summary. Mary, one of the godliest women who ever lived, agreed to bear God’s child and what does she receive? A sword to her soul. Few song writers I know have put Simeon’s promise that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul to music. It isn’t sung about by children’s choirs in Christmas pageants. But Luke's account of the true Christmas story ends on the ominous note of suffering caused by the opposition of the kingdom of darkness to Jesus’ kingship claim, just as Matthew’s Christmas story ends with the weeping of Bethlehem for the children slain by Herod’s fear of Jesus’ rule—reflecting this same opposition of the kingdom of darkness to Jesus’ kingship. This episode reminds us of the kingdom of darkness’s fierce opposition to the rule of the Prince of Peace and what to do about it.For Further Prayerful ThoughtWhat are the implications of these two facts: men love darkness because their deeds are evil, and we are called to be light to the world?Which two cultural lies do you hear most often? How best could you raise a question about whether that assumption is really true?How can you do a better job of defeating sin in your own life by using the spiritual armor and weapons Jesus has given us? NEXT WEEK NEW SERIES: Successful Spiritual Leaders at Home. Please let the men of your church know about this new series. You can print a PDF to give to others, download the PDF onto your computer and email it as an attachment, or just send an email with this link to the PDF, which explains what the series will cover. Here is the link.For the printed version of this message, click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues, click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Episode Summary. This agent of familiarity is hard at work this Christmas season, spreading layers of the poisonous dust of the ordinary over the manger in Bethlehem to deaden our senses to the staggering reality of what actually took place there. This episode seeks to blow off that dust to reveal with fresh clarity five ways the incarnation can evoke radical devotion to Jesus. May a fresh look at the incarnation fill us with fresh energy and passion to follow our Master well.For Further Prayerful ThoughtHow do we balance the truth that sin is so heinous and God so just that only he could pay for our sin—the truth that we must take sin seriously—with the truth of God’s grace towards us and call to treat others with grace?How can you better apply the truth that Jesus is your Great High Prist and Advocate, who fully understands every form of pain and injustice you experience?How does Jesus’ choice to be born into a manger instead of a palace impact your heart?In what way is the decision to become poor so that another becomes rich a definition of agape love? How can we better remember what it cost our Lord to redeem us?How can we better draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit to change our default, subtle focus from ourselves to others and how I can serve them?For the printed version of this message click here.For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)