I've been reading a book by Alveda King recently. The title of the book is King Rules. If you haven't read this book you need to put it on your list of reads. In the book Alveda writes about how the family template changed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. She speaks of children living in single-parent homes and growing up without the experience of living under the loving influence of both parents (King, 2014, p.30). In America today 1 in 3 children live in a home without a father compared to 1 in 10 in 1960 and that number is climbing every year.
What has happened to all the fathers? I believe that it started in 1963 when one woman single handedly took prayer out of our public schools. This is when the era of free love, sex, drugs, and rock & roll started. Men began to run from their responsibilities and abortion on demand became legal. Children became disposable and the divorce rate skyrocketed. This was the beginning of the fatherless home.
The progressive movement in this country has decided that America no longer needs God. If we no longer need God then I guess we no longer need fathers. When we push our heavenly Father out of our lives then we push out our earthly fathers out too. When a child does not have a father in the home, they do not have a male example to look up to. Children need that male fatherly influence in their lives. Boys need to be taught how to be a Godly man by a Godly man and girls need to be shown how women should be treated by their fathers. Without these examples in their lives, children will get their examples from television and movies. Those examples show men as idiots and fools or mean, violent beasts who disrespect and use women.
There has to be a change in the way we view fathers and manhood. There has to be a change in the way we treat men who stay at home and those who leave their babies behind. There should be more Godly examples to the young men and boys of this nation to look up to instead of a sports figure. Children should see there fathers as a hero and not a football or basket player. We need a revival of manhood in America today.
Men of God, are you ready to stand up for those who can't stand for themselves? Are you ready to be an example to the children of America? Pray for a revival of manhood in America today and Lord let it begin with me.
King, A. (2014). King rules: Ten truths for you, your family, and our nation to prosper. Nashville, TN: Nelson Books.
Copyright 2014 Keith Johnson. All rights reserved.
Men on the Move Ministries
Disciple, Equip, and Encourage
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Do They Know You Are a Disciple?
John 13:34-35 (NIV) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
In the world today there is war and strife in every nation. In the United States there are tensions brewing and protests all around the country. Why is this happening? I believe that this is happening because the world doesn't know that we are His disciples. Why don't they know? Because we are not following the command that Jesus gave us. We aren't showing the love of Christ to our brothers. Our brothers are black, white, brown and yellow. We are all one brotherhood in Christ and we are not showing it. Jesus command was simple. Love one another as I have loved you. That's how they will know that you are my disciples.
In this crazy mixed up world that we live in there is not enough love. There is more hatred than ever before and I believe that satan wants it that way. If there is no love for one another, then people will not see that Christ is love and that Christians are His disciples. We have to show love to all men of every race and every nation. We must make disciples and to do that we must be disciples. The division among the people of America breaks the heart of God. He is yearning for His people to come back to Him and to love each other and to take care of each other and to stop this infighting and struggling against each other. We must put aside our differences and realize that we are not going to agree on everything but we can agree that Christ is love and that we must follow His command.
Men of God, do they know you are a disciple? Love one another and show them that you are.
In the world today there is war and strife in every nation. In the United States there are tensions brewing and protests all around the country. Why is this happening? I believe that this is happening because the world doesn't know that we are His disciples. Why don't they know? Because we are not following the command that Jesus gave us. We aren't showing the love of Christ to our brothers. Our brothers are black, white, brown and yellow. We are all one brotherhood in Christ and we are not showing it. Jesus command was simple. Love one another as I have loved you. That's how they will know that you are my disciples.
In this crazy mixed up world that we live in there is not enough love. There is more hatred than ever before and I believe that satan wants it that way. If there is no love for one another, then people will not see that Christ is love and that Christians are His disciples. We have to show love to all men of every race and every nation. We must make disciples and to do that we must be disciples. The division among the people of America breaks the heart of God. He is yearning for His people to come back to Him and to love each other and to take care of each other and to stop this infighting and struggling against each other. We must put aside our differences and realize that we are not going to agree on everything but we can agree that Christ is love and that we must follow His command.
Men of God, do they know you are a disciple? Love one another and show them that you are.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Why Don't We Make Disciples
Matthew 28:16-20 -Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
After the Resurrection Jesus commanded the eleven to "go and make disciples of all nations". If that is God's command, then why don't we obey Him and do what He asked? Are we afraid that people will mock and ridicule us? Are we afraid that we will be rejected? Are we afraid that we will get fired from our jobs for speaking of Christ at work? I guess the question is are we afraid?
Jesus said many times in the Bible to many people, "Do not be afraid". If Jesus tells us not to be afraid then why are we? The Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all nations. We were commanded to do this by Jesus Himself. You may be afraid but jesus also said to not be afraid for I am with you. If He told us to do this then we should obey.
Making disciples begins with making sure that we are disciples. Making sure that we are where we should be in the Lord and making things right in our lives. We must ask for forgiveness and prepare to be a disciple first. It's not easy to be a disciple and it sure won't be easy to make disciples. You must live out your testimony daily because you never know who is watching. You have to be an example to others in your daily life and in secret. You must be that bright light shining on a hill in this dark world that those who are lost can see. Yo must show them the way and teach them. You see your job's not finished when someone gives their life to Jesus. That's just the beginning. Once that person makes that commitment your work has just begun. This is where the discipleship begins.
Men of God are you ready to make disciples? If not begin to prepare now. You must follow God's command and make disciples of all nations. It begins with you.
After the Resurrection Jesus commanded the eleven to "go and make disciples of all nations". If that is God's command, then why don't we obey Him and do what He asked? Are we afraid that people will mock and ridicule us? Are we afraid that we will be rejected? Are we afraid that we will get fired from our jobs for speaking of Christ at work? I guess the question is are we afraid?
Jesus said many times in the Bible to many people, "Do not be afraid". If Jesus tells us not to be afraid then why are we? The Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all nations. We were commanded to do this by Jesus Himself. You may be afraid but jesus also said to not be afraid for I am with you. If He told us to do this then we should obey.
Making disciples begins with making sure that we are disciples. Making sure that we are where we should be in the Lord and making things right in our lives. We must ask for forgiveness and prepare to be a disciple first. It's not easy to be a disciple and it sure won't be easy to make disciples. You must live out your testimony daily because you never know who is watching. You have to be an example to others in your daily life and in secret. You must be that bright light shining on a hill in this dark world that those who are lost can see. Yo must show them the way and teach them. You see your job's not finished when someone gives their life to Jesus. That's just the beginning. Once that person makes that commitment your work has just begun. This is where the discipleship begins.
Men of God are you ready to make disciples? If not begin to prepare now. You must follow God's command and make disciples of all nations. It begins with you.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
This Is What The Lord Says
Jeremiah 6:22 - 23 This is what the Lord says: Look an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter of Zion.
In the book of Jeremiah, God was telling Israel to turn from their wicked ways or face punishment. I believe that God is saying the same thing to America today. America has forgotten where she came from and how she got here. America has forgotten the blessings that God has bestowed upon her and has become drunk with her own selfishness. We have become so prosperous that we no longer believe that we need God. We are gods and we have made ourselves successful. Religion is for the weak minded, for those who need something to give them hope. God is for those who can't think for themselves.
This country was founded on Biblical principles by God for the purpose of freedom of religion and the right to worship when, where and how we want and not freedom from religion. The fact that a majority of Americans no longer consider themselves Christians is an atrocity. The fact that we have forgotten our heritage and we are trying everything that we can to remove God from our everyday lives will bring this country to its knees. If we don't turn from our wicked ways and bring God back into our everyday lives, this country will be destroyed.
In Jeremiah 6:26 God also tells Israel to put on the sackcloth, my people and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
If we don't listen to the Word of God, we will be destroyed.
I know this is a gloom and doom message from me today, but I feel in my heart that America must return to God and we must bring God back into our daily lives. We must put God back into the classroom, back into the boardroom, back into our homes, and yes, back into our churches. The men of God who preach and teach us from the pulpit every Sunday must begin to speak the truth and tell the sheep what will happen when the wolves infiltrate the flock. I'm not hearing this message from the platforms of our churches today. America will fall and when it does it will be hard and fast.
We may not be able to stop the destruction that is coming, but we can at least ensure that we can endure. If we get back on our knees and begin to cry out to God for His forgiveness. If we fall prostrate on our faces before Him and cry out for revival. if we pray for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, we can make it through. We need a revival and we need it now. Let it begin in me oh Lord. Let it begin in me! Men of God, let it begin in you!
In the book of Jeremiah, God was telling Israel to turn from their wicked ways or face punishment. I believe that God is saying the same thing to America today. America has forgotten where she came from and how she got here. America has forgotten the blessings that God has bestowed upon her and has become drunk with her own selfishness. We have become so prosperous that we no longer believe that we need God. We are gods and we have made ourselves successful. Religion is for the weak minded, for those who need something to give them hope. God is for those who can't think for themselves.
This country was founded on Biblical principles by God for the purpose of freedom of religion and the right to worship when, where and how we want and not freedom from religion. The fact that a majority of Americans no longer consider themselves Christians is an atrocity. The fact that we have forgotten our heritage and we are trying everything that we can to remove God from our everyday lives will bring this country to its knees. If we don't turn from our wicked ways and bring God back into our everyday lives, this country will be destroyed.
In Jeremiah 6:26 God also tells Israel to put on the sackcloth, my people and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
If we don't listen to the Word of God, we will be destroyed.
I know this is a gloom and doom message from me today, but I feel in my heart that America must return to God and we must bring God back into our daily lives. We must put God back into the classroom, back into the boardroom, back into our homes, and yes, back into our churches. The men of God who preach and teach us from the pulpit every Sunday must begin to speak the truth and tell the sheep what will happen when the wolves infiltrate the flock. I'm not hearing this message from the platforms of our churches today. America will fall and when it does it will be hard and fast.
We may not be able to stop the destruction that is coming, but we can at least ensure that we can endure. If we get back on our knees and begin to cry out to God for His forgiveness. If we fall prostrate on our faces before Him and cry out for revival. if we pray for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, we can make it through. We need a revival and we need it now. Let it begin in me oh Lord. Let it begin in me! Men of God, let it begin in you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)