As boys, my father-in-law and his three brothers mowed neighborhood yards each summer. Using a reel mower and a few hand tools, they quickly learned that the faster they worked the more money they could make. However, their father, “Pop,” was an Air Force colonel with exacting standards, who regularly inspected their work to insure it was done properly. On one occasion the boys received orders to correct a haphazard job from earlier in the day. While they labored under the hot afternoon sun, the homeowner told their father, “You know it would help their business if you would buy those boys a gas-powered mower!” Pop replied, “Lady, I’m not in the lawn-mowing business. I’m in the business of raising men.” That father’s clear sense of purpose shaped his four sons into adulthood.
The Church generally has lost its sense of divine purpose concerning the discipleship of men. Without calling men to lay hold of God’s eternal purposes, we have, through inattention, trained them to live haphazard, ineffective lives. Consequently, we are frustrated over the lack of spiritually mature, courageous, strong men, who model the love of God and are passionately resolute in pursuing God’s Kingdom and righteousness. Conversely, many men are frustrated, sensing they were created, cleansed, and called for more than they have experienced in their Christian journey. We can no longer be satisfied to simply “let boys be boys,” but must heed the five commands penned by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
The discipleship of Christian men begins with the end in mind. “Be on the alert!” in the New Testament often refers to a palpable expectation of Christ’s imminent return. Such a clear and present hope focuses the believer’s mindset on following Jesus daily, ready to testify without shame of what Christ has done through his life. Additionally, in concluding his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wanted believers to “be on the alert” for false teachers who would lead people astray from the truth. The Christian man on high alert is keenly aware that Jesus Christ could return at any moment. This awareness fuels the urgency with which he lives out and shares the Gospel with those whom Christ has placed in his life. It accelerates his willingness to put away the old man and be changed by the washing of the word and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. It also humbles his mind to search the Scriptures so that he might discern truth from error, realizing that “the adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Thus, discipling men is essential because every believer is commanded to “Be on the alert!” and live daily in the bright light of an eternity with Jesus Christ. Moreover, Christian men need to understand where they are going, to clearly recognize their mission and its importance.
Paul continued the commands with, “Stand firm in the faith!” to communicate the necessity to be steadfast, without wavering, in the faith. As those redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross, our position is settled. We do not, cannot, stand firm in our own ability. We are utterly powerless to persevere against the attacks of the enemy, the animosity of the world or even our own apathy. We stand upon, in and by the eternal Word of God revealed in the life and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ Great Commission issued in Matthew 28:18-20 interweaves both axiom and application. Without question, the Gospel is more than a historical narrative to be memorized. However, understanding who Jesus Christ is, what He accomplished, what He offers, and why it matters are essential to making disciples who make disciples. If a believer remains uncertain about the foundations of the Christian faith for long, devotion wanes, discouragement grows, doubts fester and denial looms. In equipping men to “stand firm in the faith,” we must teach them the Word of God. Purposeful Bible intake through daily reading, memorizing Scriptures and meditating on key passages are indispensable to a believer’s healthy, productive growth in Christ. Yet, Jesus also described the making of disciples as including “teaching them to observe all that I commanded.” The idea expressed by “to observe” is to conform one’s actions or practice – it’s practical theology, the Gospel lived out faithfully.
The third command is to “Act like men!” Here, Paul called them to act courageously as those mature in the faith they had received. The believer, man or woman, who spends intentional time before God in His Word is not easily discouraged by anything or anyone else. Proverbs 29:25 attests, “The fear of man brings a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord will be protected.” Today, secular writers promote the idea of “Fake it until you make it.” However, “Act like men” isn’t a promotion of deceptive behavior, but an acknowledgement of Whose we are, and to Whom we are accountable. To act courageously is to respond from a heart and mind convinced of the necessity of walking out the truth daily. The mature disciple of Jesus Christ will “act like men” through consistent choices which distinguish him from the surrounding world. How he stewards his time, energy and resources separates him from others. How he respects and serves others, especially those who cannot benefit him in return, illustrates the difference Christ makes. A willingness to sacrifice personally in doing what’s right reveals a life transformed by the truth and grace of Christ.
Paul’s fourth imperative is “be strong” or “increase in strength.” It denies any Christian man the option to rest on his laurels, avoiding both the overt teaching of the Scriptures and the ongoing prompting of the Spirit. When a man repents of his sin, believes savingly in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation and surrenders to Him as the Lord of his life, the Holy Spirit indwells him forevermore. The presence of the Holy Spirit will continue to convince that man of sin, righteousness and judgment, cleansing the believer’s life from the inside out. That cleansing process, termed sanctification, is an undeniable hallmark of authentic, biblical Christianity. Through this process in which the Word of God and life itself repeatedly interact, the believer’s faith grows stronger. Seeing reality more and more through the lens of Scripture, the Christian man “increases his strength.” Growing in biblical wisdom, personally experiencing the faithfulness of God, developing in Christlikeness are testimonies to the “increase in strength.” Secular ideas of manhood isolate men, making them believe they should navigate life’s challenges and responsibilities alone, without struggle, and never admitting failure. In stark contrast, the Gospel demands we admit our sinful nature, our failure to meet God’s holy standard, and our inability to change apart from His mercy. Acts 2:42 records of the early Church, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Such basic practices are the keys to leading men to reject their long-held misconceptions of masculinity and then to replace them with the Creator’s design. A shared devotion to learning and obeying the Word of God, in a context of fervent, intercessory prayer and authentic fellowship facilitates spiritual growth. The oft-quoted verse in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” isn’t achieved through sharing an occasional, Tuesday morning coffee. Such change comes through weekly, intentional investment in one another’s lives.
The apostle concludes his handful of commands with, “Let all that you do be done in love.” As New Testament Greek has several words translated as “love “ in English, it’s important that the word used here is agape. It is the selfless, benevolent, unconditional, pristinely pure love born out of the heart of God Himself. As fallen men, we do not innately possess such love. It must first be received personally by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This love accepts us as we are but refuses to leave us there. It mends brokenness with undeserved, prodigal goodness. It replaces self-indulgence with sacrificial generosity. It scours away perversion to then saturate with purity. It covers up wrong without ever condoning it. It builds up with steel-hard comradery when others blow down with spineless criticism. Discipleship of men is important because to “let all that you do be done in love” is contrary to everything we know otherwise. It is a divine gift, first grafted in the heart at a man’s confession of faith in Jesus Christ then grown as the believer follows the Savior alongside other believers. Graciously, we have a flawless pattern of how this godly love is to be expressed:
“Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” – Philippians 2:1-8 (NASB 1995)
Only through biblical discipleship can we develop men as watchful, mature, courageous, strong and loving followers of Jesus Christ. As men develop this Christlikeness, they model servant-leadership in their marriages, homes, workplaces, churches and communities. They seek opportunities to share the life changing truth of the Gospel, build up others in the principles of the faith and fulfill their calling in Christ.