Mission Focused Men for Christ

Episode Summary. If you noticed the title of this week’s episode, you may be wondering, “What in the world is a resurrection worldview and why does it matter?” It turns out not only that a resurrection worldview is an essential biblical concept for Christians; it is the foundation for the three specific truths that Paul repeatedly asks for God to help the Ephesian Christians grasp. This episode examines these three life-changing PERSPECTIVES.  For Further Prayerful Thought:Why do the biblical writers care so much about our mind being transformed to having a biblical perspective?How does Paul want our view of the resurrection’s significance to go way beyond God doing something supernatural to prove that Jesus came from God. How does resurrection restoration to the paradise we all long for enrich the attractiveness of the gospel?How can knowing that you are God’s personal trophy of grace, his inheritance—one he plans to enjoy for eternity—ignite your passion to serve him?How can the truth that we have the spiritual dynamite we need to dislodge evil in our hearts and spheres of influence renew our willingness to fight, spiritually?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. When faced with the sight of millions of men, women, and children from war-torn lands seeking to escape tyranny to have better life, most Christians will voice their approval for open door policies of inclusion, hospitality, diversity and welcome. After all Jesus, did teach that true believers will hear from Jesus, “I was a STRANGER and you WELCOMED me.” Doesn’t this settle the issue—All Christians must be welcoming to immigrants who want to come into our country. Actually, no. This understanding of immigration is so flawed that it misses the most significant biblical text about the government’s role in immigration. This episode seeks to help us all think biblically about the hot topic today of illegal, undocumented, immigrants coming across our southern border. For Further Prayerful Thought:Why do you think so many Americans are unaware of what is happening at the southern boarder? Of the categories of harm that un-enforcement of immigration policies brings—human trafficking, spread of drugs including fentanyl, terrorism, and attacks from hardened criminals, which concern you the most?How would you respond, biblically to the fallacy that for Christians to properly care for immigrants we must we welcoming to all who want to come to our nation, including those crossing the border illegally?What biblical principles do you think apply to our treatment of illegal immigrants who are already in our country?    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 is the third episode in our March series, Worldviews Leading Our Loved Ones Astray. It begins with the reminder that faithful Christians don’t isolate themselves from cultural issues but fervently seek to raise their light of truth in the spheres around them, that God has commanded them to influence. We examine the argument that abortion is a reproductive right of a woman, noting, at the outset, that no woman has an absolute right over her body. She cannot put her hands around her toddlers’ neck and strangle him to death. My right to my own body is limited by law; doing something with my body that harms another is illegal and wrong. So, the question is what right the unborn have or do not have to be protected. Because the Supreme Court has returned the matter of abortion rights to the states, this episode first examines why most Bible-believing Christian believe that life begins at conception and then how to winsomely impact those around us with the need to protect human life in the womb. For Further Prayerful Thought: How would you summarize the scientific evidence from embryology that life begins at conception?What do you think of the statement, “The most important support for life beginning with conception is that the human embryo is a distinct, living, unique, whole member of the human species, fully capable of directing its development into maturity, regardless of its size, stage of development or location?”Which are the most common pro-abortion arguments that you hear? You might want to take a moment and think through how you can winsomely challenge that view just by asking a few questions—especially questions directing your friend to explain why the unborn are not human.Resource Used for this Episode: The Case for Life, Scott KlusendorfFor 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 is the second episode in our March series, Worldviews Leading Our Loved Ones Astray. It makes the argument that the accusation that biblical patriarchy breeds toxic masculinity is a complete fiction by refuting two of the foundational worldviews that underlie this accusation—egalitarianism and critical theory. It then further refutes the claim with old-fashioned evidence.For Further Prayerful Thought: What would you say to another Christian and told you that you needed to understand that the NT does away with riles and says there is no longer any male or female?How would you respond to a Christian who said that he thought the oppressor/oppressed lens of critical theory was a good lens through which to look at life and history?Why can justice never be defined as identical outcomes? What are some of the biblical “outcome causes” that lead to poverty or ruin? How can we rightly define “justice” but still compassionately recognize that a child born in the city to a crack mom with no father starts at a different place than an upper middle-class kid whose parents are together and love him 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.To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)

Episode Summary. This is the first episode in our March series, Worldviews Leading Our Loved Ones Astray. We begin by noting that many of the rising generation are rejecting the Christianity they grew up with because what the Bible says about homosexuality seems so outdated and unfair to them. This episode seeks to recover the teaching that all Christians must treat those in the LGBTQ+ life with compassion and dignity, yet not allow ourselves to over-empathize with this group and abandon the truth of Scripture as many are doing. This episode explains the background behind, 1) those who claim to be Gay Christians, 2) the concept of sexual orientation, and 3) the concept of gay identity.   For Further Prayerful Thought:What stood out to you about the way Jesus exhibited a welcoming attitude towards the woman at the well and refused to stigmatize her. How would you try to make the church a safe place for rising teens who experience same-sex attraction?How would you explain to other Christians that the category sexual orientation is a false characterization of personhood? How does that perspective of the sin of homosexuality get in the way of one repenting over his or her same sex desires and practices?If all Christians are sinners, which means some are guilty of the sin of same-sex desire, why is calling those who struggle with this particular sin “Gay Christians” wrong?Which facts about the homosexual life stood out to you?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 episode acknowledges that those whose loud voices proclaim that the Bible promotes oppressive patriarchy would be horrified to read its title: Her Heart Needs Your Spiritual Leadership. But wise Christians understand both the horrible abuse of women by men and the fact that the cause is not God’s design structure for the home, but men’s sinful nature. The truth is that every woman’s heart is designed to be fulfilled by her husband leading their home and family well. This episode examines what this glorious design of male leadership in the home looks like, recognizing that only Jesus can give us the power to lead this way. For Further Prayerful Thought:In one sentence, how would you design the spiritual leadership a Christian wife’s heart yearns for?How is the strength of your relationship with Christ related to the strength of your ability to love your wife and family well? What steps might you take to walk more closely with Jesus?In what ways might you more fully share the weight of your wife’s concerns on the home front?Is it overstating Paul’s teaching about your wife’s growth in holiness to say that in eternity a husband will celebrate how much he has enabled his wife to radiate eternal godly womanhood through his prayers for her character and for strength to resist her temptations? 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. Instead of hearing refreshing words of praise and appreciation from their husbands, countless wives endure each day with parched souls and sad hearts. Being starved for words of affirmation, they feel worthless, unattractive, and unappreciated. This episode examines a biblical role of husbands that you may have thought little about—our job to protect our wife’s self-esteem. Life and self-doubt will eventually crush her sense of worth if we don’t keep binding up the wounds to her self-esteem, covering her with the salve of our reassuring words of affirmation.For Further Prayerful Thought:In your own words, describe the inner feelings of a wife who is suffering from low self-esteem.In your view what are the weightiest arguments for the husband being the primary means by which these inner feelings of inferiority are alleviated?Of the five steps to praising our wives more, the first four had to do with getting our hearts to feel grateful for her. What insights did you gain that might help you better do that?What steps do you need to take to program your “inner feminine beauty recognition” program to better recognize your wife matching the woman of virtue in Proverbs 31 and turn that recognition into words of praise?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. God wants husbands and wives to drink deeply and frequently of the refreshing waters of their partner’s sexuality. But most of us whose marriages have lasted beyond the honeymoon stage have found that sustaining romantic and sexual passion has been a lot harder than we ever thought it would be, especially because our wives are NOT wired the way WE are. This episode looks for biblical clues to understanding how and why a woman’s view of romance and sex is so different than her husband’s.For Further Prayerful Thought:What would you say to persuade a Christian brother and sister that married couples having a great sexual relationship is important to God?What are some of the ways that feminine sexual desire seems consistent with what God has revealed to us in Genesis 2 about how he has created woman?How would you use the fact that God created Adam to be ground focused and Eve to be relationally focused to explain why difference in sexual desires can create resentment in marriage? What stood out to you about how to romance a woman?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 episode examines five biblical texts that reveal the various facets of a wife’s need for heart intimacy with her husband. 84% of wives 9indicate that their husbands have no clue how to meet this need of their hearts.For Further Prayerful Thought: Why do you think 84% of wives say that their husbands are not meeting their need for heart intimacy with them?What do you most need to remember about listening well to your wife to help her open her heart to you?What is your reaction to this statement: For most wives the pain of their husbands never connecting with them at the level of heart intimacy would be like the pain a husband would feel if his wife never had sex with him? What do you think of this description of a wife’s need for affection: it is regularly communicating in small, non-sexual, ways that you care about them?  What else besides hugs fit this category for your wife?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 episode challenges husbands and fathers to be as devoted to bringing out the potential of those under their care as Richard Williams was, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. We take the example of Jesus' leadership of the church as prophet, priest, and king, to identify practically what we should do to help those under our care reach their full potential in Christ.For Further Prayerful Thought:How might you become and remain as passionate about developing the potential of each of your family members as Richard Williams was about developing Venus’ and Serena’s tennis abilities?What are the biggest obstacles to being devoted to the Word of God and leading your family to be shaped with the Word of God?What is the biggest obstacle to interceding for your loved ones, giving them the power to exhibit Christ-like attitudes and resist temptation? What can you do to remove that obstacle?What struck you about the way that King Jesus gifts us to participate in the church’s mission to make disciples of the nations? What might you do to enhance the fruitfulness of your loved ones for Christ?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)