Rise up, O men of God! 
Have done with lesser things. 
Give heart and mind and soul and strength 
to serve the King of kings. 

Rise up, O men of God! 
The kingdom tarries long. 
Bring in the day of brotherhood 
and end the night of wrong. 

Rise up, O men of God! 
The church for you doth wait, 
her strength unequal to her task; 
rise up, and make her great! 

Lift high the cross of Christ! 
Tread where his feet have trod. 
As brothers of the Son of Man, 
Rise up, O men of God!

Text: William P. Merrill, 1867-1954 
Music: William H. Walter, 1825-1893 


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

There is a difference between being masculine and being macho.  Masculinity is our healthy expression of the uniqueness of being created a man in God's design.  The behaviors of a macho man are instead unhealthy expression of the stereotypes of masculinity lived out in their most extreme forms.  The macho man perverts true masculinity.  He pretends to be strong by acting aggressively and creating about himself an image of power, both of which mask the deeper reality of the insecurity within.  The truly masculine man knows who he is in God and enjoys a healthy integration of this emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual nature. This wholeness comes from knowing and responding to the truth that he is fully loved and accepted in Christ.  The masculine man in Christ is truly set free to become all that he is meant to be.

The macho man lives out an image of manhood that emphasizes only one small part of what it means to be male.  He pretends that it is possible to live life with a constant erection.  But, our physical genital reality reminds us that we are only sometimes hard.  Most of the time, we are are soft.  The majority of our lives is lived out as penis, not erected phallus, and this is normal and proper for men.  Think of what it would be like in actuality if we had to live the whole of our lives with an erection.  This is a grotesque image.  Yet it is the kind of masculine image many macho men attempt to convey thru their personalities as they relate to those around them.

It is far healthier and more productive to recognize and celebrate the broader dimensions of our masculinity modeled for us most completely by the man Jesus, our loving LORD.   As He demonstrated, a man's strength is not rooted in violent aggression or in an obsession with worldly power, but in the Godlike power of sacrificial love.

A man is not weak, but strong, when he wisely chooses to live the predominant portion of this life with his sword in his sheath.  This is not a man feminized.  This is a masculine man who has given up the false god of proud machismo and has delivered his complex and diverse masculine personality into the hands of God to be shaped by the demands of love.

This post is taken from Temptations Men Face.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Yesterday, we discussed four things that represent a real man, a Christian man.  Today, we conclude our discussion:

5.  The Christian man is free to be tender.  He no longer has to analyze everything objectively and express himself without feeling.  He is now strong enough to be gentle.  He will touch and hold and kiss his children & grandchildren as Jesus held the children of his day and loved them.  He will affirm others with words of truth and love and be generous with hugs and other physical expressions of encouragement.  He will let others affirm and love him.  He can laugh and cry with others like Jesus did.  

6.  The Christian man is free to forgive.  He will forgive others quickly and with a generous spirit as he has been forgiven by God.  A redeemed sinner, and in process himself, he can sympathize and empathize with the struggles of others.

7.  The Christian man is free to stand for righteousness.  He will influence the world by courageous speaking  the truth and acting on the truth he knows.  Once he was too insecure to stand up for what he believed, but now he is secure in Christ's love.  He has the courage to expose the fruitless behaviors of darkness and to model the fruitful lifestyle of light, love and truth.

8.  The Christian man is free to be concerned for the world around him.  No longer driven by a need to build external evidences of his worth, he can give himself and his money away.  He can work less to build his personal empire, and more to alleviate suffering, hunger and the conditions that lead to distress, disease and death.

The Christian man is free to live in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The information from this post is taken from Temptations Men Face.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Last week, we talked about the "Kratos" power of God.  Today, we are discussing the power that is behind Kratos.  "Finally, my brothers, be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might."  Just as Kratos power is available to every believer, so is Ischuos power.  

Ischuos is translated here as "might."  Ischuos conveys the picture of a very, very strong man, such as a bodybuilder or a mighty man with muscular capabilities.  If you look in the verse above, you see that Paul is attributing Ischuos power to God, not to any human.  Paul sees God as One who is able, mighty and muscular.

It is Ischuos that is backing up Kratos.  Kratos, if you remember is the outwardly manifested, eruptive power of God.  Ischuos is the force that works behind the Kratos power.  

All that God is, all the power He possesses, and all the energy of His muscular, mighty ability now energizes the Kratos power that is at work within you.  With this power at your disposal today, you can confront the unseen demonic spirits that come to wage war against your flesh and your soul -- and you can win every time!  Since this power is available to you today, you are ready to lay hands on the sick, pray with power and authority, speak God's Word in every situation, and see mountains move on your behalf!

So the next time that you run into a problem that seems a little overwhelming, remind yourself that "...greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world."  You have no need to be afraid and no need to shrink back in timidity, for there's enough power at work in you to resist ANY force that comes against you and to supernaturally remedy anything that need to be changed!

Taken form Sparkling Gems from the Greek (pg 348-350).

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

This is the listing of David's top men.

Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite. He was chief of the Three. He once put his spear to work against eight hundred—killed them all in a day.

 Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite was the next of the elite Three. He was with David when the Philistines poked fun at them at Pas Dammim. When the Philistines drew up for battle, Israel retreated. But Eleazar stood his ground and killed Philistines right and left until he was exhausted—but he never let go of his sword! A big win for God that day. The army then rejoined Eleazar, but all there was left to do was the cleanup.

Shammah son of Agee the Hararite was the third of the Three. The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi, where there was a field full of lentils. Israel fled before the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field, successfully defended it, and routed the Philistines. Another great victory for God!

One day during harvest, the Three parted from the Thirty and joined David at the Cave of Adullam. A squad of Philistines had set up camp in the Valley of Rephaim. While David was holed up in the Cave, the Philistines had their base camp in Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving and said, "Would I ever like a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!" So the Three penetrated the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David wouldn't drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God, saying, "There is no way, God, that I'll drink this! This isn't mere water, it's their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!" So David refused to drink it.

    This is the sort of thing that the Three did.

Abishai brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah was the head of the Thirty. He once got credit for killing three hundred with his spear, but he was never named in the same breath as the Three. He was the most respected of the Thirty and was their captain, but never got included among the Three.

 Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a vigorous man who accomplished a great deal. He once killed two lion cubs in Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion. Another time he killed a formidable Egyptian. The Egyptian was armed with a spear and Benaiah went against him with nothing but a walking stick; he seized the spear from his grip and killed him with his own spear.

These are the things that Benaiah son of Jehoiada is famous for. But neither did he ever get ranked with the Three. He was held in greatest respect among the Thirty, but he never got included with the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

"The Thirty" consisted of: 
   Asahel brother of Joab; 
   Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem; 
   Shammah the Harodite; 
   Elika the Harodite; 
   Helez the Paltite; 
   Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; 
   Abiezer the Anathothite; 
   Sibbecai the Hushathite; 
   Zalmon the Ahohite; 
   Maharai the Netophathite; 
   Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite; 
   Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites; 
   Benaiah the Pirathonite; 
   Hiddai from the badlands of Gaash; 
   Abi-Albon the Arbathite; 
   Azmaveth the Barhumite; 
   Eliahba the Shaalbonite; 
   Jashen the Gizonite; 
   Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite; 
   Ahiam son of Sharar the Urite; 
   Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite; 
   Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; 
   Hezro the Carmelite; 
   Paarai the Arbite; 
   Igal son of Nathan, commander of the army of Hagrites; 
   Zelek the Ammonite; 
   Naharai the Beerothite, weapon bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; 
   Ira the Ithrite; 
   Gareb the Ithrite; 
   Uriah the Hittite. 
Thirty-seven, all told.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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