<![CDATA[Iron Men for Christ - Blog]]>Fri, 21 May 2010 00:56:34 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[The Great Tragedy of Pornography]]>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:20:37 -0800http://www.ironmenforchrist.com/1/post/2010/01/the-great-tragedy-of-pornography.htmlThe Great Tragedy of Pornography 
bill black

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her." Max Lucado   

Pornography is all around us. It is prevalent in our society. Any man who has come of age since the 50's has been affected by pornography. It affects all men, even men of faith. We live in a world where it is nearly inescapable.  It is only a mouse click away, lined on store magazine shelves, broadcast freely on cable and over the air TV, even displayed on advertising billboards. There is no question about it, pornography has instilled itself into the mainstream fabric of our modern society and has affected us all to one degree or another.  

"Pornography users aren't to be rebuked for desiring too much, but for desiring too little." C.S. Lewis, (paraphrased) 

God created an amazing world for us to live in. A world of danger, intrigue, adventure, and discovery. A world that is wild, untamed, beautiful, breathtaking, exciting and challenging. A world of war and peace, a world of pain and comfort, a world of love and hate, a world of romance and allure. God started with nothing, like a great painter God started with a blank canvas. Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. God created our world one step at a time, making day and night, land and sea, the heavens and firmament, the stars and universe, each step along the way making the world more beautiful, more glorious, more exciting, and more challenging than the previous day in creation. Yet it was at the very height, the peak, the culmination of God’s creation that Woman was created. The creation was now complete, finished at this point. God created nothing after creating Woman. 

You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created."You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. Ezekiel 28:13-15 

"You had me from Hello" is country singer Kenny Chesney's hit song that speaks of a man who's heart is instantly captivated at first contact with the beautiful woman before him. We can only imagine how great it was when Adam first set his eyes on Eve. Wow! what a moment in creation, what a moment in history that must have been. In his eyes before him is the culmination of creation. God had really out done Himself. It was the perfect marriage. Adam, Eve and God together in loving harmony, perfect unity, surrounded by the wondrous beauty of the Garden. It was a perfect dwelling place, a perfect home, a perfect marriage. God did an amazing thing in creating Eve. God placed in her all of the Creator's beauty, desirability, splendor, magnificence, exquisiteness, loveliness, attraction, fascination, sensuality, glamour, charm, and so on it goes. I am sure descriptive words in any language could not adequately  portray the greatness of Eve in the creation. God had placed in her three great desires of the heart. First, a desire to be beautiful. Cosmetic sales in the U.S. alone is a multi-billion dollar industry. Just take a look in your home and see all the products she has purchased to make herself beautiful.  It is the desire of her heart to be beautiful and she delights in knowing you see the beauty in her. Also deeply rooted in her heart is the longing to be desired. She wants to know that your heart has desires for her. It is because she is so desirable and attractive to you, there is no mountain is too high to climb, no ocean too deep to cross, no raging river too great to traverse, no burden too great to bear, no adversary too great to fight. Thirdly, she wants to know she is so desired by you and your love is so great for her that you are willing to fight for her no matter what the cost. Just because of her you are willing to put it all on the line, willing to fight until your last breath, willing to give it all.


We see these same three things in the heart of God the creator. God asks of each of us: do you find me beautiful? Do you desire me? Are you willing to fight for me? One of the greatest examples of this is when Jesus after being crucified and raised from the dead goes to Peter whom denied even knowing Christ. Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" See how John describes this great moment in history. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep. John 21:17. Jesus resurrected Peter's heart. He restored back to Peter in the midst of his deepest despair the heart of a warrior. He let Peter know everything with him was all right. He gave Peter the challenge of his life, the pursuit of adventure that is deeply entrenched in the heart of every man. It was then that Peter went to the greatest journey of his life and Peter would fight until his last breath for the redeemer, the Christ. Jesus did exactly what he had told Peter he would do. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Mt 16:18 In man's heart we can see the warrior God, the adventurous God, the God who is willing to put it all on the line for us. In woman's heart we see the beauty of God, the God to be desired, the God to be longed for, the God we need to fight for. 

Genesis 3:12  The man said, "The woman you put here with me— she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 

One can only imagine the tragic and complete sense of loss Adam felt when Eve, the most beautiful part of the creation, the one who would fulfill him as a man, the culmination of creation itself, would be deceived by the evil one and partake of the fruit forbidden by God. Adam knew that something now was terribly wrong. The woman who had captured his heart, the one he had loved in perfect unison with God was now lost before him. How heart wrenching, tragic and painful the realization that his life would now have to go on without her in it. I believe for Adam it was too much heartbreak for him to bear. The very thought of living a life without her in it was beyond anything that he could fathom. She had completed him as a man and captured his heart. Forced by his desire for Eve he made the tragic decision that he could not live without her and he would take of the forbidden fruit himself. Like Romeo and Juliet it is a story of great tragedy but also a story of great love. Adam was forced to make a choice, a choice that I am sure he never contemplated having to make. He chose Eve, a decision that would break mankind. But it would be decision that would set into motion an act of love so great, so pure, so complete that anything man had known before it would pale in comparison. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" John 3:16 

Cowboy take me away fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue Set me free oh I pray closer to Heaven above and closer to you..(Dixie Chicks)

The two great tragedies of pornography are the destruction which occurs in the heart of man and the devaluation and demoralization of what God had always intended the woman to be. It robs you of the passionate romantic man that God wants you to be, what the Creator always intended for you to be. Like a thief in the night it assaults and steals right from your heart your very nature as a warrior, a man who is willing to fight. You are defeated in pornography because there is no longer a beauty worth fighting for. Pornography replaces the real with the artificial. It requires nothing of you, no risk, no investment, no fight, and sadly and illusively offers nothing in return but a defeated heart. It makes you a weakened man. As men of God we need to see pornography for exactly what it is an attack and assault on our masculinity and manhood. 

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4  

As Iron men for Christ and true warriors of the Kingdom it is paramount that we become living examples to our children and youth of the greatness of God in our lives. So they would long to seek Him in all their ways.

“in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Provers 3:6 

 Love's a virtue for heroes!--as white as the snow on high hills, And immortal as every great soul is that struggles, endures, and fulfils. (Elizabeth Barrett Brown)

 

 

 


]]><![CDATA[The Warrior God]]>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:28 -0800http://www.ironmenforchrist.com/1/post/2009/11/the-warrior-god.html"The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is His name." Exodus 15:3 

Leroy "Tubby" Poulson is a true American Hero. He was attached to Marine Observation Squadron Six near Quang Ngai, in the Republic of Vietnam. I am sure August 19, 1967 started out as any other ordinary day, but it would certainly not end as an ordinary day. He was assigned as a door gunner on a UH-1 Helicopter flight crew to do a routine medivac escort mission. While on their routine mission they received an urgent call about four U.S. Army soldiers which were overrun by Vietcong forces and being taken captive as prisoners. They decided to abort their mission and divert to the area to see if they could give aid to the downed soldiers. Other Helicopter flights were also sent to the scene but were circling over the water out of the line of enemy fire determining that it was too dangerous, "too hot", as Tubby would say to us, to go in and attempt a rescue operation. Upon arriving on the scene they saw one of the American soldiers raise his hand to signal them. He received a rifle butt smashed into his head by one of his captors for doing so. The heroism and courage this flight crew would then take is absolutely incredible. Capt. Stephen Pless, the helicopter pilot turned to his crew and asked if they wanted to go in and attempt a rescue. Capt. Pless received three thumbs up in reply from his crew. He then turned and went right into the face of heavy enemy fire and under incredible odds were able to rescue the three wounded and get them on their aircraft. One of the soldiers had been killed by his captors on the beach and had to be left there. Tubby had to choke back tears when telling us men at our monthly breakfast at Christ Covenant Church about the difficult decision to leave the dead soldier behind. They wanted to get him out also. 

For their actions on this day this Marine Helicopter flight crew would become the most decorated flight crew in the Vietnam war. The pilot recieving the Medal of Honor, and the other three crew members, including Tubby, receiving the Navy Cross for heroism above and beyond the call of duty. Their heroism and courage is inspiring. Tubby, a devout Christian, has been asked many times over the years to tell this story heroism but will only do so if he can tell how it was only by the hand of God that guided them through this rescue mission and got them out. He has no doubts about this at all.  

It is a question that resides in the heart of every man and boy, do I have what it takes, do I have courage? It is as natural to us as anything we do. Growing up we would play with our cardboard shields and wooden swords, or toy guns, always being the hero, always showing incredible courage right in the line of fire as we take on the forces of evil and triumphantly defeat them. God tells us that we were created in His image and we need to understand that when God created man He did so right in the midst of war. The war between good and evil was already underway. Lucifer and a third of the angels in Heaven had already declared war on God. The fight was on and is still going on today. 

God is furious, incensed, at what happened to man in the Garden. The man and woman He created had fallen into enemy hands. He knew it would happen but it still does not change His heart. It still does not change how angry He is about what happened. He had created us in His image and now would put into action a rescue mission that would call for the greatest act of heroism and courage the world would ever know or be a witness too. He would commission His own Son to become a flesh and blood man. And in our name and on our behalf He would render unto God an obedience equal to the broadest claims of God's holy law. He would do it to save us, to redeem us back to what He had always intended man to be. But by doing so He had to put it all on the line! He would hold nothing back! He risked it all, even His own existence to save us! It would take all the ocean's of God's grace and all the courage God could muster to rescue us before Him. In John 18, Jesus shows us His courage when cowardly men come to arrest Him. He had been teaching in the Temple courts all day and they could have arrested Him during the day but were afraid to do so because of the crowds. So they came in the middle of the night with torches and lanterns like the cowards they were. See the courage of Jesus here! 

John 18-4-8 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 

Jesus, knowing all what was going to happen to Him went right into the teeth of the lion, right up to the men that were after Him and said "I am He". Wow! What courage! Knowing torture, a Cross, and humiliated death awaited Him! He knew that in a few hours His life would be placed before the Judgment bar of God and only a perfect life would save Him and us from eternal damnation. What courage! 

Often times I believe many of us have the wrong impression of God. Many see Him as sitting on His throne looking down at us and only seeing the sin in our lives. Many men I talk to about God tells me that they are just too sinful for God. Nothing could be farther from the truth from those who would place their faith in Him. As the Psalmist would say in Psalm 103 that He has removed our sins as far is the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.) East and West have no ends, it is infinite. Notice He did not say as far as the north is from the south. North and south have defined points. If you travel North eventually you will cross the North Pole and then will be headed south. It is the same with traveling south eventually you will be traveling north again, should you decide to continue on. However, if you travel east, you can keep going east forever. There is no end to it. Or if you travel west, you can keep traveling west forever. There is no end to it. He has took care of our sin in a mighty way. He has removed it as far from us as it can be removed. When He looks at us He does not see our sin but His first born. He has His blood all over us. 1 John 2:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

He does not view us as sinners, but as His sons, wholly and completely acceptable unto Him by the courageous acts of Jesus. So let us, as men of God, courageously live our lives to glorify Him who has rescued us from the depths of hell. 

You can read the complete story of Tubby Poulson's heroic actions from the links page at our website at ironmenforchrist.com. And you can also read about the heroic actions of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I urge you to read them both and be the courageous men that you have always dreamed of being, and that God has created you to be. He knows your name. He knows who you are!

 

bill black

www.ironmenforchrist.com

 

]]><![CDATA[Standing Tall and Straight ]]>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:53:01 -0800http://www.ironmenforchrist.com/1/post/2009/11/standing-tall-and-straight.html1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 

What great words of encouragement directed to men from Paul, it makes one wonder why Christian churches across the spectrum are experiencing such a shortage of men? Why will only 2 of 6 men, who proclaim to be Christian, will attend services this week? How is it that Jesus’ church, which was started by His actions, and 12 men of faith, (disciples), has become an anathema for the modern man today? Why is it that most Christian men seem to be timid about their faith, while men of other religions are willing to die for theirs? Why are we, at Christ Covenant Church, just like the majority of Christian churches experiencing a 60/40 gender gap with women being the more active and frequent participants in church activities? Well if we look at how the modern church is set up the answers become obvious.  

Sadly the modern church has become exclusively an educational and academic pursuit consisting mostly of bible studies and worship services that center around 30 minute lectures from preachers. The majority of extra church activities are run by women such as vacation bible school, potluck dinners, rummage sales, desert auctions, etc. Modern day pastors build their ministry around the women of the church simply because they are the ones whom are more involved in church activities. It is very unfortunate but you would have to admit that the modern day church has become a failure to most men.  

Do not get me wrong. All these things the church is currently doing are great and should be done, however they fail to galvanize, strengthen, and embolden men. We need to also be seeking ways to attract men and strengthen them in their faith. 

Most men whom attend church regularly do so because they grew up in the church and feel obligated to do so. Our first depictions of Jesus as young boys sitting in Sunday school classes were of a meek, mild, gentle, often frail man in a white dress. What a contrast from the action hero’s we saw on TV and at the Movies. Heroes like the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Sky King, John Wayne, battling evil forces and always being victorious. These heroes of yesterday have been replaced today by Power Rangers, Transformers, sports figures, etc. It is easy to see why young boys would gravitate to the action heroes they see on TV or in the comic books as their roll models, rather than to Jesus. 

Yet Jesus is, and remains, the ultimate action hero! There are no greater acts of any man than the ones Jesus engaged in. He is the toughest most courageous man that ever walked the face of this earth. He turned over the tables of the religious; He hung out with sinners and tax collectors encouraging them by His actions and words to seek greater things for their lives. He walked were no man dared walk, He faced head-on satan, death, and hell, and He won! It is the greatest victory over evil the world has ever known and we have access to this victory by faith. 


When Jesus picked His 12 apostles He did not go to the universities or the synagogues seeking the most educated and religious people to be His disciples and closest friends. He went down to the docks. He picked the roughest, toughest, most uneducated and unlikely bunch you could ever imagine. They would put it all on the line for their faith and most were killed because of it. They were all, except for Judas Iscariot, men of courage, vision, honor, and faith.  

Here at Christ Covenant Church the Spirit is leading us to change these trends in modern Christianity. On October 18, 2009 18 men came together and launched our men’s ministry! A ministry that will work to embolden, strengthen, and galvanize men in our Christian faith.  

Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” So it is as we come together as men and seek greater ways that God be glorified in all we do. 

We came away from our October 18 launching with four action items to work on.
 

  • To name our ministry
  • To work on ideas for our 5 minutes “are you tough enough for Christ” moments each Sunday and our once a quarter “Go for the Guys Sunday”
  • To plan an upcoming “boot camp for Christ” weekend event for men
  • To plan a service in January or February to Honor and Thank our Active duty Servicemen and women and Veterans.
Matthew 28:19  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,

 

We will build a ministry based on discipleship which calls men into action!

 

bill black

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ]]><![CDATA[Why Most Men's Ministries Fail]]>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0800http://www.ironmenforchrist.com/1/post/2009/10/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.htmlWhy Most Men’s Ministries Fail

 By bill black

 I remember several years ago I attended a men’s “Walk to Emmaus” weekend retreat. The men’s, and women’s, “Walk to Emmaus” is an ecumenical retreat designed to encourage Christians to take an active roll in their churches. Although I would say it was a positive experience for me, I must admit I would have never agreed to go to such a thing when I was in my 20’s or 30’s. It was not easy for me to agree to go in my 40’s. In fact at 42, I made an excuse and did not go the first time I was scheduled to go.

 The first night we gathered in a circle, told about ourselves, our families and what church we attended. It was quite an uncomfortable experience for me that first night. I was looking for the door, but I stayed because I did not have a ride home. I guess that is why they have your sponsor drop you off at the event.

 Sadly many men’s ministries follow the same sort of guidelines. They get together, sit in a circle, are asked to share about their struggles and prayer requests, maybe sing some songs, read a scripture or two, then it usually ends by holding hands and praying. 

 This maybe fine for a women’s ministry as women are more inclined to share feelings and emotions with one another. But this is not conducive to a man’s way of thinking at all. That is why most men’s ministries fail and do not grow. They are just mimicking the things a women’s ministry might do. Men’s ministries that follow this type of approach quickly become stagnant with only a few men in attendance, or sadly die out to oblivion all together. 

 Men are warriors, conquerors, and producers by nature. Men are more engaged to the idea of challenges and producing, than to gathering in a circle and sharing feelings. I am not saying these things are bad. They are just not manly. Men are more engaged and more inclined to masculine pursuits.

 How about the idea of a Men’s Ministry that would sponsor a Tailgating for Christ contest right in our church parking lot? They would break up in small teams of 4-6 men and put on their best outdoor cooking skills. Immediately you have a contest taking place, a challenge, which men love. There is always a natural camaraderie that takes place when a man is on a team with others. I can assure you that men are much more inclined to share with one another in this type of atmosphere than sitting on their duffs in a circle.

 We could have the women judge the cooking results, followed by fellowship which would include a short 10-15 minute sermon on the importance of men having a “Game Plan for Life.” It is amazing how many men would never think of going into a battle without a battle plan, or engage in a team sporting event without a game plan. But yet sadly, they live their lives with no direction or plan at all. God gives us all the direction and game plan we need. We have victory in Jesus. But men need the right way to be approached about the plan that God has for them.

 We need strong men, men of honor, men of courage, fearless men who will not hesitate to engage in the challenges of life. We need men who will hold each other accountable to our God, our families, and our church. We need men who value their walk in faith and will stand tall and straight in the sight of others. Men who proudly stand for Christ.

 Christ Covenant is looking for a few good men! We launch our ministry on October 10 at our prayer breakfast. We need your ideas! Lookout southeast Texas here we come.

 …..tuff enough for Christ? Yes we are!]]>