Mission Focused Men for Christ

Latest Episodes:

How Can the Helmet of Salvation Protect Us? Aug 25, 2024

Show notes

Summary: This episode continues the series, Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons. As we seek to run well the race marked out for us, this calling means advancing the righteous reign of King Jesus in our own hearts, attitudes, and behavior, not to mention and shaping each sphere of life with Christ’s agenda. But it is very easy to think, “Who am I to spread righteousness anywhere? Whoever thinks that’s my job in life, doesn’t understand the corruption of MY heart and weakness of MY flesh.” But it is Christ who told his followers to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Jesus calls us to this primary life focus, knowing the weakness of our sinful nature because his plan has never been for us to seek righteousness in our own strength but in his. He tell us. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. This episode tries to define in practical terms how to put on the helmet of salvation and how that protects us in the fight to do the right thing.
For Further Prayerful Thought:

Why does taking up the helmet of salvation mean something different from just thinking biblically about stuff.
How does putting on the helmet of salvation protect us from thinking we are too dirty for God to love?
Why does being saved by grace alone cause a true Christian to be drawn to those who need mercy?

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How to Protect Ourselves from Satan’s Fiery Darts Aug 18, 2024

Show notes

Episode Summary: Christ has called you and me to follow him in his cause of defeating evil and establishing his righteous kingdom over every square inch of human hearts and lives. There is no other man who can replace you in your life, in the arenas you have been called to. If you leave your place in line, it will remain empty. You must be the hero in your own story. There is no extra or stunt man to fill in for you. Winning your spiritual battles matters. You will celebrate for eternity the ones you win tomorrow and the next day and the day after that because each victory has honored Christ. This episode examines how we protect ourselves from Satan’s fiery arrows by lifting up our shield of faith.

For Further Prayerful Thought:

For you, what is the hardest part of remembering that winning your spiritual battles matters?
What circumstances tend to be the occasion for you to doubt God’s goodness and whether following Christ is worth it?
Of the six aspect of our Faith Shield mentioned, which “Trust God because…” statement do you most want to remember?

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Being Contagious Christians Aug 11, 2024

Show notes

Episode Summary

This episode continues our study of the armor of God and finishes looking at Eph 6:15, where we’re told to put on, as our shoes, the readiness of the gospel of peace. Most Christian men want to be contagious Christians. We know that sharing our faith is something our Lord wants us to do and when we do seize opportunities to talk with others about Christ the experience pumps joy and energy into our walk with Him. We also realize that if we are to lead our homes well, our wives and kids need to see us modeling Jesus’ love for the lost and a commitment to seeking ways to share him with others. So, we want to be ready, when the opportunity presents itself, to steer a conversation towards the good news that our listener can have a personal relationship with Christ. This episode looks at three ways TO BE READY when that opportunity arises.

For Further Prayerful Thought

Does realizing that Jesus tailored the good news to others based on the way they were experiencing the brokenness of life in this fallen world discourage you because it makes sharing Christ harder, since there is no “one size fits all” or encourage you because it helps you realize how wise we are to be about relationships and the uniqueness of every human?
Which 2 or 3 of those in your circle of lost associates and friends has God put on your hearts. What might be missing in their lives compared to what you have in Christ?
Is God prompting you to be more intentional about praying for and reaching the lost? What might additional intentionality look like for you.

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How Misunderstanding Evangelism Makes Us Fear It Aug 04, 2024

Show notes

Episode Summary. Often Christians think of evangelism like this: It is having the courage to overcome every piece of emotional intelligence we’ve learned about relationships, and intruding into the life of a co-worker, neighbor, or stranger to tell someone, who doesn’t want to hear it, the gospel message that they are a sinner in need of a savior, and then being willing to suffer rejection if we are accused of being preachy. If that is what sharing our faith looks like, who would want to do it? But this view is NOT BIBLICAL. It has major flaws. This episode identifies these flaws and ends up showing a biblical view of sharing our faith that is winsome and begins where people are instead of where we want them to be.

For Further Prayerful Thought:

Why is it misleading to understand the Greek word for evangelism(EUANGELIZO) to mean preaching the gospel to others?
How does understanding the four-chapter gospel help us realize that Christ’s kingdom power is for more than just an eternal life insurance policy?
Can you think of biblical examples not mentioned in this episode of Jesus tailoring the good news of the kingdom to the point of brokenness being felt by his listener?

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Put On the Breastplate of Righteousness Jul 28, 2024

Show notes

Summary: Do you ever feel like our side is losing in the spiritual battle—that the powers of darkness and evil are winning? Perhaps more specific to our own lives, do you ever wonder why the Christian life is so hard, why sin so easily ensnares us, why our whole-hearted resolve on Sunday to love Jesus better by obeying him more has given way to blatant sin by Sunday night? Today we continue our series, Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons. Paul tells us that to fight evil we must put on the breastplate of righteousness. But most of us don’t even know what the breastplate of righteousness is, much less how to put it on. At the end of this episode, we want everyone to have a clear picture of what this piece of armor is and begin winning more spiritual battles because we put it on.

For Further Prayerful Thought:

What is the motivation for hungering and thirsting for righteousness for one who is confident of God’s unconditional love? How does that contrast with the moralist’s view of the moral law?
What is the difference between seeking righteousness and being legalistic?
How would you summarize Paul’s command to put on the breastplate of righteousness? What stood out to you about HOW to do this?
How is the fourth beatitude (Matt 5:6) a prerequisite for putting on the breastplate of righteousness?

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How NOT To Promoted Biblical Truth Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

Episode Summary: Is our mission today, as Christians living in America, to recover America as a Christian nation? As we process what happened last weekend and go back to the last election and the storming of the Capitol, Christians are divided. Eschewing passivity, many believers feel impelled to speak up on the social media to fight a movement rooted in ungodliness, which they see shaping our culture. They are appalled that younger Christian leaders either don’t seem to see this happening or seem to lack the courage to speak up about it. Other believers are horrified at the views they hear expressed by Christians on social media, which exhibit a kind of “Christian Nationalism” and exhibit Christians to be combative towards those with whom they disagree, violating Christ’s clear command, love your neighbor, not to mention, love your enemy. This episode continues our series Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons by examining how to encircle ourselves with the belt of God’s truth, which must be the starting point for sharing that truth in the culture. Then we consider how to be persuasive as salt and light in the culture, and in particular the dangers of being right, but sharing truth in a HARMFUL, rather than a COMPELLING way.

For Further Prayerful Thought:

Which aspect of fastening the belt of truth around ourselves stood out to you?
Why is it important in today’s word to surround our loved ones with truth?
How does Jesus’ teaching not to give holy things to dogs or throw our pearls before swine resonate with your experience? Are there times when you have thought that a person is not spiritually in a place to hear this truth?
How do Paul and Barnabas follow this teaching from Jesus in Acts 13:44-49. What Thoughts do you have about trying to determine is a potential hearer of biblical truth is in a place to value it or not?

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Prayer That Defeats Evil Jul 14, 2024

Show notes

Summary: This episode continues the series, Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons. Every guy who reads this blog would stand at the door of his house with a shotgun to protect his family physically. But most Christian men feel inept and inadequate at fighting to protect them, spiritually. As we saw last week, Jesus told his disciples the ultimate weapon for defeating Satan is prayer. But if we are going to use this weapon effectively in spiritual battle, we need to understand it. This episode continues our study of what Jesus taught are the six basic parts of effective prayer, in Matt 6:9-13.
For Further Prayerful Thought:

What would you say to a believer who said he thought that reciting the Lord’s prayer at the end of his daily bible reading is what Jesus taught?
What struck you about Jesus teaching us to tell our heavenly father what our practical needs are? Have you ever thought about keeping a prayer journal?
Why does it make sense that one of the six prayer concerns we should have is looking at past events to see if there is unconfessed guilt or resentment towards another?
How can you be more watchful of temptation coming into your life?

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Using the Spiritual Weapon Satan Fears Most Jul 07, 2024

Show notes

Summary: This episode begins the series, Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons. As we seek to run well the race marked out for us in 2021, i.e. advance the righteous reign of King Jesus in our own lives, God has ordained one, primary offensive weapon that overthrows the kingdom of darkness: PRAYER. Jesus said to Peter, “Satan has demanded to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you “(Luke 22:31-32). One veteran missionary writes, There is nothing on earth that Satan so fears as prayer. He cannot triumph over prevailing prayer.
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Teaching Kids the Glory of God’s Work/Rest Rhythm Jun 30, 2024

Show notes

Episode Summary. One of the words used to describe the worldview of the culture in which we all swim is secularism, which describes a lifestyle of preoccupation with the visible, material world to the neglect of the world of the spiritual. The result of swimming in this polluted water has been, in my view, a largescale disregard of the fourth commandment by Christians and consequent loss of its benefits. The lost benefits are understanding the eternal value of work and understanding the need to regularly shut out the secular world to be renewed and reconnected to the Spiritual Being who created us. This episode seeks to recover what is often lost by the neglect pf the fourth commandment.
For Further Prayerful Thought:

What most stood out to you in this episode about the fourth commandment?
How would you respond to someone who said, “Keeping the Sabbath is being legalistic, and the church is not Israel?”
What components of a biblical view of work seem most important to you.
It’s been said that the more important your work is, the more important it is to regularly step away from it and renew. How might this principle apply to serving Christ?

Link to Master Plan Objectives for Instilling Biblical Moral Values

Link to New City Catechism Curriculum.

For the printed version of this message click here.

For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.

For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.

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Teaching Kids Why Respecting God's Name Matters Jun 23, 2024

Show notes

Episode Summary. Fatherhood champion Anthony Bradley’s research proves what Scripture teaches us about the role God has assigned to fathers in creation: fathers are the most important men in any community, anywhere, everywhere, ever. Their presence, involvement, and guidance are pivotal for the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of their children. This is the fourth episode in our June series, Fathers Giving the Moral Foundation to Their Children That the Culture Won’t. It recognizes that the third commandment, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain involves much more than a prohibition against cussing. It goes to the very heart of our love for Christ and how God says that love should be shown in the way we treat his name.
For Further Prayerful Thought:

It seems like having a plan for building a strong moral foundation into our children with the help of the Holy Spirit is OBVIOUS. Why do you think so many Christian fathers don’t have one? How can you help that change?
What thoughts stood out to you about teaching children to not misuse God’s name?
What thoughts stood out to you about beginning our prayer by asking that God’s name would be hallowed? Why might Jesus say to start this way?
How can the thought that Christ has given us his name, fire a hotter passion to please him?

Link to Master Plan Objectives for Instilling Biblical Moral Values

Link to New City Catechism Curriculum.

For the printed version of this message click here.

For a summary of topics addressed by podcast series, click here.

For FREE downloadable studies on men’s issues click here.

To make an online contribution to enable others to hear about the podcast: (Click link and scroll down to bottom left)