This is no time to head for the tall grass. If you have been out of church in the last few months, it’s time to turn your horse around and get back involved.
Here are four keys to being successful in how you plug into a church:
1. Show up and get involved. How can you feel connected, loved, and ministered to if you’re never there? Attend consistently, not just every once in a while. And don’t sit on the back row on Sunday morning and then jet for your car during the closing song. Get involved in a small group Bible study. Find a place to serve. Don’t stand at a distance. Dive in with both feet and join the fun.
2. Fix your eyes on Jesus, not on people. Jesus won’t fail you, but people will. So give them permission to be human, and forgive them when they disappoint you. Extend the same mercy that you would hope to receive from others. Be hard to offend and quick to forgive.
3. Be a blessing, not dead weight. Let love be your motivation for what you do, not merely to be known and loved. Instead of expecting everybody else to do everything, you do some of the pedaling too. Don’t just take. Give. Serve. Encourage. Use the gifts and talents God has given you to be an edifying member of the body. It is what each person contributes that keeps them most connected, “as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16).
4. Finally, share life with other believers. Invite them into your world. God wants us being part of each other’s lives. Challenging one another. Loving one another. Serving one another. Helping one another. Weeping together. Rejoicing together. Doing life together.
The church needs you, and you need them. God designed it so that as Christians, we multiply one another’s joy and divide one another’s sorrows. The more we intentionally are knit together with other church members, the more we can celebrate when a member gets married, gives birth, has a prayer answered, gets a job offer, breaks an addiction, or is reconciled to an estranged family member. Their joy is our joy because we are one body.
It’s a family sharing in the very joy of God (John 15:11; 17:13), not a country club. It’s God Himself, delighting in the unity and good of His people (Psalm 133:1). So invest your life in a Bible-believing, Christ-exalting local church, and increase the joy of others while giving yourself more opportunities to rejoice!
God will match and exceed your faithfulness to the church with His faithful love.
“I Will Obey His Word”
In 1756, President John Adams wrote something very profound in his personal diary: “Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! . . . What a Utopia; what a Paradise would this region be!”
The third element of this vital resolution is about obeying God’s Word—the book that tells you the secrets to finding purpose in life, knowing God, building meaningful relationships, wisely handling money, enjoying a great marriage, raising strong kids, and making sense of this fallen world. Yet our culture tends to follow the advice and counsel of carnal men instead, who depend on the shifting tide of political correctness, the current trends, and their own best thinking.
What about you? Do you believe the Bible is just the word of men or truly the Word of God? The answer to this one question will make a monumental difference in the direction of the rest of your life and in the generations that will follow you.
Yes, the Bible is the most loved and most hated book of all time. It was the first book ever published and is translated into more languages than any other in history. And still today, it continues to be the best seller of all best sellers. It is the most read and studied yet most critiqued book of all. But thousands of years of analysis show it still standing strong.
Satan hates it.
Atheists deny it.
Skeptics mock it.
False religions belittle it.
Rebels distort and misuse it.
Why?
Because the Bible is the Word of God. It humbles us, exposes us, and calls us to account. It will befriend you and then blow your mind. It will develop you but also discern the deepest motives of your heart. It is not a dormant, outdated text. It is a living, piercing, “double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Timeless truth with spiritual power. Not a stagnant pool of rules but a river of revelation.
It explains what’s true, what’s wrong, what’s right, and what you should do about it.
And not every man wants its bright light shining into his heart.
Almost all religions begin the same way. One man rises up alone and claims in his book to possess divine revelation. But the Bible is not merely one book; rather, it is an entire library of sixty-six books, written by forty-plus authors over a period of 1,600 years, living on three continents, and speaking three different languages. What are the chances they would agree? Yet these books contain historical records, spiritual parables, timeless counsel, songs of worship, and prophetic visions that all unite to tell the complete story of God’s redemptive purposes for time and eternity, from beginning to end. Consider them to be bold witnesses in a courtroom, each backing one another up, each verifying the testimony of the other.
More than 330 prophecies in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the New Testament. The Levitical laws written down by Moses were fulfilled by Christ thousands of years later. Each of the four gospels supports the eyewitness accounts of His life recorded in the others. You can still visit all the places where it took place. The book of Acts connects these gospels to the rest of the New Testament, explaining how the church was birthed and grew from a few disciples to countless transformed followers of Christ. The books of Romans and Hebrews, in particular, contain the theological explanation of God’s salvation as seen throughout the rest of the Bible. Every book in the Bible has a unified sense of divine breath and joins perfectly with the others into a tightly woven tapestry that reveals Jesus alone as the way, truth, and life.
The Scriptures are complete. They connect our origins, our history, our morality, our relationships, the nature of God, the way to know Him, and what happens beyond the grave. All of it. All in one place. No book has changed so many lives and so powerfully rocked the world. No book has educated so much ignorance, initiated so much good, propagated so much love, and reprimanded so much evil.
President John Quincy Adams said, “So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society.”
More importantly, the apostle Paul said he constantly thanked God that “when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
People can say what they want about it, but its historical accuracy, prophetic reliability, corporate unity, and transformational ability all reveal the Bible as the Word of God.
And it is meant to be lived and obeyed.
So don’t be intimidated by the mystery of Scripture. Like a mirror, it will reveal the truth about your current spiritual status. But if it reveals you’re in a ditch, it will also throw you a lifeline to pull you out. If it reveals you’re heading in the wrong direction, it will also become a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Often when men fall into sin or get confused in life, they’ll avoid reading the Bible altogether. But that’s like thinking you will drive more carefully at night by turning off your headlights. Nobody would do that.
The ultimate test of faith, however, is not just committing to read it but resolving to do it. You may see a road sign that says, “Warning! Bridge Out Ahead,” but if you keep going and don’t heed it, you could drive off a cliff. If you read a map with directions to get somewhere but you don’t follow it, you shouldn’t get mad at God when you become spiritually lost. The Bible is a love letter from God. But if you don’t read it and believe it, you may wonder why you’ll walk through life feeling
unloved.
We must teach our children to read, obey, and apply the Word of God to their lives. This generation is largely biblically illiterate. They think because they can quote John 3:16 and have gone to church for years that they think biblically. But if they are not in the Word constantly, obeying it increasingly, and seeking God daily, they are only deceiving themselves. The discipleship mandate is that we be doers of the Word. We let God’s Word determine how we think, speak, and live in every area of our lives. We let it mold us into the image of Christ.
So as a man of resolution, resolve to start spending time with God in prayer and study His Word. Commit to keep reading through the Bible for yourself. Ask God to speak to you each day and then dive in. Then choose to shepherd your family according to its truth.
Faithful men are faithful to the words of the Word!
“I Will Do His Will”
Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). If we are going to be like Jesus and fulfill our purpose, we must resolve to do God’s will, not our own.
The phrase “the will of God” can sound very mysterious, like a code to be broken or a puzzle to be figured out, but it is actually another way to describe “what God wants.” His will is described as both a way of living our lives that brings Him the most pleasure as well as His master plan for our lives that will bring Him the most glory.
When Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified according to the will of God, His sacrifice both brought God pleasure (Isaiah 53:10) and was perfectly according to God’s predetermined plan (Acts 2:23).
As we go through life, we will naturally start doing God’s will if we are constantly seeking to live in a way that pleases Him, always asking the primary question, “What does God want me to do in this situation?”
Most of His will is already spelled out in Scripture. The more we study His Word and walk with Him, the more we’ll discover what pleases Him and the more easily we’ll recognize what He wants us specifically to do in any situation for His glory.
And those things that are more directional in nature—which job to pursue, which college to choose, which girl to marry, which house to buy, which church to attend—God will use His Word, His wisdom, His people, and His Spirit to reveal those to us over time as we seek Him.
We already know from Scripture that it is God’s will for people who come to Christ to be saved (John 6:40) then become more pure and more like Jesus everyday (1 Thessalonians 4:3). It is His will that we serve others wholeheartedly as unto the Lord (Ephesians 6:6), walk wisely and make the most of our time (Ephesians 5:15–21), and keep praying, rejoicing, and giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). As we do these things over time, God will clarify what His plans are for us.
Whatever God’s specific will for your life is, you can know that it will . . .
line up with what God has already revealed in His Word (Psalm 119:105),
get clearer over time the more you obey what He’s already told you to do (Romans 6:17–18),
be confirmed over time with peace, renewed passions, and with open doors (Colossians 3:15–4:3), and
somehow edify the church and help spread the gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18–20).
Some people are afraid to know or discover God’s will. They fear they will hate it or it will make them unhappy. But the truth is, it will bring you the greatest fulfillment and purpose in life. It is much better than anything you could come up with on your own. His will is exactly what you would choose if you knew all the facts, had perfect understanding of all things, and were completely loving in your heart. “So then, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
The apostle Paul explained how we can set ourselves up to discover God’s will:
I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)
The late Ron Dunn explained (using this passage) that we find the will of God when we present ourselves to God as living sacrifices (even before discovering His will for our lives) and are transformed by the renewing of our minds (by turning away from the world and staying in God’s Word). Then we will know the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
In other words . . .
PRESENTATION of our lives
+
TRANSFORMATION of our minds
=
REVELATION of His will
And then, when He reveals it, we courageously do it! For His pleasure and for His glory.
What an honor! What a joy to have the Word of God, the people of God, and the will of God impacting our lives and helping us live for the glory of God!
So rise up, man of resolution! Live your life to draw attention and gratitude to the Lord Himself and Him alone. Pour your heart into His people and receive them as your family of faith and mutual support. Stay in the Word and let it renew your mind and transform your life. And before you know it, you’ll be doing His will. Not because you have to, but because you’ll joyfully want to. This is living!
COURAGEOUS CHALLENGE
Make a commitment to attend church and a small Bible study group every week for the next month.
MEMORY VERSE
Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV)
CHAPTER 15
RESOLVE TO LEAVE A LEGACY
I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
What would happen if men all over the world were not only to commit to the Resolution but to live it out long-term? What would happen if millions of children could see God transform their fathers into tender, loving dads and powerful, spiritual warriors who walk in integrity and leave an eternal legacy? What would it do in the hearts of our sons and daughters? What would it do for future generations?
We have written this book because we want to join God in turning the hearts of fathers back to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.
As you know, we are unapologetically calling men to follow Joshua’s example of spiritual resolve and leadership and say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” We want to rekindle a vision of what your marriage and family could be like if Christ was completely ruling in your heart and your home. We want you to spend the rest of your life preparing to stand before God and hear Him say, “Well done!”
We have also challenged you to be a chain breaker, a prayer warrior, a justice fighter, and a spiritual mentor—so that your children and grandchildren, as well as the other men around you, will follow your example. Yes, they must decide for themselves. But when your children feel the love of God flowing through your heart into theirs, when they hear the Word of God boldly pouring from your lips, and when they see the power of God at work through your changed life and answered prayer, they will be drawn to know, love, and follow the God of their father.
This is your legacy.
Every father is first to be a faithful follower of Christ, second a faithful husband, third a faithful father, and then a strong spiritual leader in this world. But we must get these in order, starting with ourselves and moving out from there. If we do not love Him first and our wives as Scripture commands, our failure in these areas will greatly limit our success with our children and beyond. But if we are faithful at home, then we can be strong influencers in our cities and nations for Christ. We can positively impact
the world ourselves, and then through our children and grandchildren after we are gone.
God has set us up for success. We have a Savior who has reconciled us back to God. We have a heavenly Father who has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). We have new identities in Christ and are accepted and beloved. His divine power has given us “everything” we need for “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:2–3). We have His Word, His church, His Holy Spirit, and His promises to help us say no to what is evil and not to fear any man or present crisis. He has promised us, “‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5–6).
But as we approach this final resolution, we must understand something vitally important. If we are not careful, we are still likely headed for failure. We are foolish to think that we will be true to all of these resolutions if we are still relying on our own strength or our own steadfastness.
Here’s why . . .
After three years of closely following Jesus, the apostle Peter looked at Christ during the Last Supper and swore to Him with resolution that he would never fall away or prove unfaithful to Him. He declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matthew 26:35). Within a few short hours, however, he had completely failed. Not once. Not twice. Three times he denied he was a follower of Christ. Complete collapse.
The Resolution for Men Page 20