Mission Focused Men for Christ

Summary: This episode begins the series, Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons. As we seek to run well the race marked out for us in 2021, i.e. advance the righteous reign of King Jesus in our own lives, God has ordained one, primary offensive weapon that overthrows the kingdom of darkness:  PRAYER. Jesus said to Peter, “Satan has demanded to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you “(Luke 22:31-32). One veteran missionary writes, There is nothing on earth that Satan so fears as prayer. He cannot triumph over prevailing prayer. Satan is more afraid of your praying than of your pure life or zealous witness. One’s life may be a beautiful witness that cannot be silenced, but prayer is a militant force that has the potential of defeating Satan, destroying his works, and driving him out of places and lives he claims as his own. This episode examines how to unlock the power of prayer in our spiritual battles because we know what Jesus taught about how to pray. 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: 

Summary: As we turn our thoughts to the year ahead, wouldn’t it be great if Jesus came to you and said, “This is what I want you to concentrate on most in 2021. In the year ahead, this is the matter of greatest importance for you.” I think most of us getting this podcast or blog would listen very carefully to what Jesus said, and immediately begin forming our plan to reach this objective that The Master says is of greatest importance. But what if Jesus has already told us that? This episode takes a fresh look at how we actually apply what Jesus taught was to be the priority of his followers as they went about living their everyday lives.Resource to stay focused on your mission:  Here is the link to a FOCUS Notebook that has biblical insights for every aspect of your mission. The notebook and printed contents are $15 at our store. But a FREE virtual PDF download of the contents of this notebook is available as well. 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 

Summary: Running the race marked out for us requires endurance and therefore the fuel to keep running laps. Today’s episode has the potential to generate thousands of kilowatts of spiritual power for pursuing our three callings: Called TO Christ to enjoy a love relationship with him, Called TO BE LIKE Christ to holy Christ-like attitudes, and called to EXERCISE DOMINION FOR CHRIST, as we seek to influence the spheres of our lives towards righteousness. This energy comes from taking a close look at the significance of Jesus’ incarnation. 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: 

Summary: No man walks down the wedding aisle or holds his newborn child for the first time, planning to fail his family. We want to lead our homes well. This episode is the second in a 3-part series, Lessons for Men from the Arrival of the Messiah examines the man God chose to lead the home where his son, Jesus, was to grow up—Joseph of Nazareth—and what lessons we can learn from him about godly manhood. Resource Used for This Podcast: Boundaries With Kids, Henry Cloud and John TownsendLeadership is Male, David PawsonFor 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: 

Summary: At the heart of the Mission Focused Men podcast is the belief that Christian men don’t want to fail in the mission Christ has assigned to them. It turns out that the Christmas season is a great time to sharpen our focus on what OUR everyday mission as Christ-followers IS because we better understand what CHRIST’s mission WAS. Jesus’ mission was NOT merely to come down from heaven, die for our sins, and then whisk us back to heaven when we die. If that had been JESUS’ mission, then OUR mission would be to basically wait around until we die!  So, what was Jesus’ mission, and how does that impact our daily mission? This podcast sharpens our understanding of the mission assigned to us by Christ, by looking at the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. Resource Used for This Podcast: Ministries of Mercy, by Timothy Keller 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: 

Summary:  When Jesus came to earth, the teaching of the Scriptures had been so horribly corrupted by the Pharisees that an Israelite man thought his mission from God was the lifeless keeping of thousands of requirement in God’s rule book that had been expanded by the Pharisees to 30 volumes of do’s and don’ts. In utter contrast to this externally focused, rule- keeping slavery, Jesus said, those who enjoyed the presence of God never were the self-righteous rule-keepers but those who were pure in heart. Jesus’ message was, “righteousness is a matter of the heart and that bar is so high that I have come to give you a NEW, PURE HEART and The Holy Spirit to dwell in that heart to help you do what the law really is all about: loving God and loving your neighbor.” This episode considers how we can experience the power of Christ at work in us TRANSFORMING OUR HEARTS for everyday living that pleases him.  Resource Used for This Podcast: Making Sense of God, by Timothy Keller 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: 

Summary: This episode continues the series, Christ’s Compelling Mission for Us. We know that Christ’s mission for us is TO BE LIKE HIM and that he gave a summary of his heart attitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. In past episodes (season #1 episodes 8-11), we examined the first four beatitudes. Today we come to the fifth, from Matt 5:7, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Our calling is to show Christ’s heart of mercy to the world. How do we do that? That is the question this episode answers. Resource Used for This Podcast: Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road, Timothy Keller 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.

Summary: This episode continues our series, Christ’s Compelling Mission for Us, by examining our Call TO CHRIST and asking “How do I better fill my soul with Christ’s love, so I can succeed at loving well those I am supposed to?” Jesus told us that he is the vine, we are the branches and that fruitfulness in our mission from him comes through abiding in him—i.e. through our love-relationship with him. How can we strengthen our love connection with Christ and, therefore, maximize our fruitfulness for Christ? That is the question we answer in this episode. For Further Prayerful Thought: What do you think of the idea that what God always wants to fuel our commitment to his mission for us is our love for him?Which truths from Scripture most help you remember how much God loves you?Read back over the Marxist’s letter. Which aspect of his devotion to his cause do you wish was more a part of your devotion to Christ? (You can’t answer “all of it!”)  Resource Used for This Podcast:Allegiance: Building a Foundation of Loyalty to God, (30 daily devotionals to infuse fresh energy into every Christian man’s walk with Christ) by Gary Yagel.Objects of His Affection, by Scotty Smith. 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: 

Summary: No Christian man wants to fail Jesus. But how to we keep our inner fire to live for him burning hot when our failure, disheartening circumstances, and seemingly unanswered prayers pour buckets of water on those flames. That is the question we answer in this episode, as we consider an approach to discipleship that ignites the heart. Resource Used for This Podcast: The Call: Finding and Fulfilling God’s Purpose for Your Life, By Os Guiness 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: 

Summary: Many weary Christians are disheartened as they try to battle for truth in our culture. The thought crosses our minds, “Why battle for truth in a world that hates you? After all, Jesus was clear to his disciples, If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.Why bother trying to shape our election based on arguing for biblical principles. Since the world hates us, why would they listen? Why don’t we just withdraw into our own Christian cocoon, and await Christ’s return? Why fight for spiritual truth in a world that is heading to hell and destruction? Capitulating to this argument is tempting. But yielding to it would lead to utter FAILURE to complete the mission assigned to us by Christ. This episode explains why. 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: