Mighty Men of God
Men of God need a challenge. In the recent history of the American church, most men have been under challenged. The church asked three things of men: Atttend regularly, serve diligently and give generously. The church did not challenge us to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but to serve the church. However, as Jesus said when he was tempted by the devil, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve.”
Our culture emphasizes the empowerment of women. Even though this is a constructive effort, many men consider that empowering women means relegating men to a position of weakness. If any society is to survive and prosper men need to act like men when the need arises. When the crisis comes and courage is required God expects his men to have such confidence in him that they will be the reliable ones. According to to 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, aquit you like men, be strong. Let all things be done with charity, the love of God.”
The crisis is here. The devil’s scheme is to divide and conquer. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness form above. The church is looking for better methods. However, men are God’s method. God is looking for better men….men In whom the spirit of the Lord is….men of the Word and men of prayer. The Word of God and prayer are the two offensive weapons in the spiritual battle. Through the trial of the spiritual battle, we will learn to trust in God and in the power of His might.
Worthy men are men whom God has made worthy through Christ’s sacrifice for sin on their behalf. They will feel unworthy if they are works based instead of grace based. The Christian who sins can either fall into the devil’s snare or he can fall into the net of God’s grace. The question is, who’s influencing your mind? Is it the culture and the powers of this world or is it the truth of the Word of God.
In 2 Samuel 23 is the story of David’s mighty men. When you follow your king, whatever your king is like, you’ll be like. Ye are subject to whom you obey. King David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:9-10 were like their king: “And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: 10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.”
Eleazar was one of David’s mighty men who stood up with David and defied the Philistines. The men of Israel had withdrawn. They did not stand for the things that their King stood for. In contrast, Eleazar did the things that God’s mighty men are challenged to do. He stood in the face of danger. He bore up under suffering. He served sacrificially for the good of others. He relied on the power of God.
In India’s recent election the new regime is training their soldiers how to kill Christians. Even in our own country, We’re one election away from losing our freedom to speak and preach freely in the name of Jesus. Jesus said, compared to your love for me, you have to hate all your earthly relationships and the things of this world.
Jesus had told the Pharisees that they were of their father the devil. The devil is the father of lies and they had believed their father’s lies. They thought that they were righteous in their own works.
God has called us to minister to others and to witness his great and mighty works. He will show up and show off when men to him are loyal. For it is God who worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. We need to make his good pleasure our good pleasure in order to see God perform his work in us and through us. Therefore I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, forgetting those things that are behind and pressing toward those things that are before.
God doesn’t call us because we’re gifted, he calls us because we’re available. Availability is “availing ourselves of His ability.” Eleazar smote the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord wrought a great victory that day.
We have to take care of what God has called us to do. Eliazar exercised faith and courage in the midst of the crisis. God never honors fear but he always honors faith. What if the enemy says well kill your family unless you denounce your faith. Our response should be, Go ahead, you’ll be sending them to see their Lord. What men meant for evil, God meant for good. As missionary Jim Elliot said before he was martyred ministering to the Auca Indians of Ecuador, “He is no fool who loses that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
We never retire from the personal mission to which God has called us. The greatest danger in life is not that we won’t succeed, but that we’ll succeed in something that really doesn’t matter. In this life there is only one thing that really matters…only Jesus!
LIke Eleazar who always did his master’s will, may we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael