Mission Focused Men for Christ

Latest Episodes:

Reenergized for Today’s Spiritual Battles Jul 17, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: Christian author Rick Phillips writes, “To be a man is to stand up and be counted when there is danger or other evil. God does not desire for men to stand by idly and allow harm or permit wickedness to exert itself” (The Masculine Mandate). This episode examines the masculine calling to be fierce protectors and warriors and identifies two reasons men often fail to fight the battles God has designed them to fight.

For Further Prayerful Thought

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to men battling spiritually as they are called to do?
How would you combat the argument that Christians should not express their views about current cultural topics because it gets too political and detracts from focusing on the gospel?
Why do you think, Tim Keller’s answer to what Christians believe about homosexuality has those specific three parts?
Summarize the lessons that you believe Elijah can teach us about prayer?

Feedback to the Host: Pease feel free to contact me at gyagel@forgingbonds.org with push back, questions about resources, other resources or additional ideas about how to help Christ’s men better be equipped for their mission.

This Week’s Past Series Highlight: Winning Spiritual Battles Because We Use Our Spiritual Weapons

Using the Spiritual Weapon Satan Most Fears S2 Episode #9 1/3/21
How Jesus Wants Us to Fight Through Prayer S2 Episode #10 1/10/21
Knowing How NOT to Promote Biblical Truth S2 Episode #11 1/17/21
Understanding the Breastplate of Righteousness S2 Episode #12 1/24/21
Myths That Make Us Fear Sharing Our Faith S2 Episode #13 1/31/21
Becoming More Contagious Christians S2 Episode #14 2/6/21

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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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Don’t Waste Your Life Jul 10, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: God created Adam with a heart that wants to accomplish a mission that matters. This episode takes a careful look at what this mission is and how it relates to our everyday motivation for living. We then consider some concrete questions you can use to better focus on the mission Christ has assigned you to accomplish in your everyday life.

For Further Prayerful Thought

How would you support the idea that men are made to impact the world around them through the Biblical texts of Gen 1:28, 2:15, Matt 6:9-10, 6:33?
In your everyday experience what are some examples of typical masculine behavior that support the idea that men are created to accept the challenge of overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal?
What would you say is the difference between success and significance?
Why do you think many men don’t understand that their calling to the workplace is just as holy as the call to ministry?
Why do you think so many Christian men fail to see that seeking to spread Christ’s kingdom of righteousness over earth is the renewal of Adam’s call to spread the kingdom of righteousness over the earth, as the potential of God’s creation is developed?

This Week’s Past Series Highlight:

Surrounding Our Loved Ones with the Belt of Truth

Kids and the SCIENCE DISPROVES GOD Argument S1 E #48 10/4/20
Answering HOW COULD A GOOD GOD ALLOW SUFFERING? S1 E#49 10/11/20
Answering THERE CAN’T BE JUST ONE TRUE RELIGION S1 E #50 10/18/20
Answering YOU CAN’T TAKE THE BIBLE LITERALLY S1 E #51 10/25/20
Shaping Culture In a World That Jesus Said Hates You S1 E #52 11/1/20

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 a contribution to make others aware of the podcast click here

A Man’s Powerful Need for Approval Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: Today we begin a 6-week series entitled Understanding the Masculine Passions that Drive Us. In this series, we want to look at the good desires God created into the masculine heart, the way these desires have been corrupted, steering us in wrong ways to satisfy them, and how Christ can recover, renew, and restore those fallen desires into the godly man he wants you to be. This episode examines the power of a man’s need for approval.

For Further Prayerful Thought

What are the situations in your life where you are most tempted to want man’s approval instead of God’s?
How can you be more proactive thinking about how God wants you to be a blessing and light to the lost world around you?
What is it about Jesus that most captures your desire to be loyal to him?

This Week’s Past Series Highlight:

Surrounding Our Loved Ones with the Belt of Trut

Kids and the SCIENCE DISPROVES GOD Argument S1 E #48 10/4/20
Answering HOW COULD A GOOD GOD ALLOW SUFFERING? S1 E#49 10/11/20
Answering THERE CAN’T BE JUST ONE TRUE RELIGION S1 E #50 10/18/20
Answering YOU CAN’T TAKE THE BIBLE LITERALLY S1 E #51 10/25/20
Shaping Culture In a World That Jesus Said Hates You S1 E #52 11/1/20

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.

Fatherly Love Knows How to Motivate Kids Jun 26, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: God is a heavenly father who knows his children’s continual need for encouragement. This episode examines his example, why our kids need our fatherly encouragement, and some concrete ways to give that encouragement to them.

For Further Prayerful Thought

How would you support an argument to a friend that children need fathers who are master motivators?
What stood out about how the two words Paul uses encourage—PARAMUTHIA and exhort—PARAKALEO differ? Why are both important parts of motivating our children.
Which elements of Paul’s brief description of his motivational approach charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory stood out most to you—as encouragement for your own walk with God.

This Week’s Past Episode Highlight:

Responding to the Argument that the Bible Teaches Patriarchy S1 E #33 6/21/20

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.

Fatherly Love Teaches a Child the Way She Should Go Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: This June 19th episode, being both Juneteenth and Father’s Day gives us an opportunity first to consider the pain in the hearts of so many African Americans who live in our cities because of the increasing violence there and perhaps ponder what we can do to help decrease the fatherlessness that is at the root of the problems in our cities. It is also an opportunity to continue our June series, Loving Our Kids with the Fatherly Love of God, but examining the way God models teaching his children the way they should go.
For Further Prayerful Thought

What thoughts come to your mind as you think about the four biblical ways that God has ordained to restrain human evil mentioned, and the current crime wave in our cities?
When you think about the biblical responsibility that Christian fathers have to teach our children the way they should go following the example of Joshua, David, and Solomon, what thoughts come into your mind? Our podcast wants to give a correct (big enough) vision of masculinity; but does this responsibility seem overwhelming?
As you considered various starting places the podcast mentioned for where a father or grandfather might think through the content (curriculum) he needs to pass on, what thoughts came to mind?

Resources in Today's Podcast

Link to Character Development Training Plan PDF on My Website
Link to Children's Shorter Catechism.

This Week’s Past Episode Highlight:

Responding to the Argument that the Bible Teaches Patriarchy S1 E #33 6/21/20

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.

Fatherly Love Protects a Child from HIMSELF Jun 12, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: Both Solomon, and later the author of the book of Hebrews appeal to the obvious creation principle that they assume everyone knew in their era, loving fathers don’t allow their children to persist in selfish, wrong behavior; they discipline their children out of love for them. In our own day, a weird time in history when cultural voices are denying what every other culture in history has affirmed—that there are differences between fathers and mothers—it seems necessary examine this creation principle of fatherhood. It is also important because, today, so much child-rearing advice is rooted in a fear of stifling a child or harming his self-esteem instead of recognizing that by nature a child wants to be the center of the universe--dad giving him what he wants when he wants it, and the rest of the world catering to his wants and demands. This episode examines how fathers must protect their child from the child’s worst enemy, the main person who can ruin his life—HIMSELF, because he comes into this world with self-centered, sinful nature

For Further Prayerful Thought

How would you answer a husband who said, “My wife is so much better with the kids, I leave the discipline of the children to her?”
How would you explain to someone that loving a child requires disciplining them but that letting them go their own ways is a form of hatred for them?
Which of the 6 reasons parents don’t discipline their kids as well as they should stands out to you?
Which of the 6 principles from Hebrews 12 for administering discipline that is like God’s discipline of us stood out most to you? Why do you think that is important?

This Week’s Past Episode Highlight: Becoming Great Dads Who Discipline Their Kids Well

Fatherhood Is Irreplaceable in God’s Design of Humans S1 E #32 6/14/20
Responding to the Argument that the Bible Teaches Patriarchy S1 E #33 6/21/20
The Right Use of Authority to Punish Evil S1 E #34 6/28/20
Kids Don’t Have It In them to Grow THEMSELVES Up S1 E #35 7/5/20
Raising Kids Up in the Way They Should Go S1 E #36 7/12/20

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.

Loving Our Kids with the Fatherly Love of God Jun 05, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: The Apostle John gives us the secret to consistent, powerful, life-changing love for others. The man who knew Jesus the best wrote, “we love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). How do we fill our tanks so consistently with God’s love for us, that we have an abundance of it to lavish on those we care most about? That is the question we seek to answer in this episode.

For Further Prayerful Thought

How would you try to persuade a Christian friend that we need to take be taking regular big gulps of God’s love ourselves in order to be able to love our wife or kids consistently over the long haul?
How can knowing that you are delighted in by God free you from being preoccupied with what others think?
Which of the 5 ways to more fully abide in God’s love is the one you need most to focus on in the weeks ahead?

This Week’s Resource Highlight: Our Daughters and the Transgender Craze: Responding with Grace and Truth—48 page mini-book now in our bookstore.

In 2018, my denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America published a book I wrote to equip parents and church leaders to celebrate God’s gender design while loving those in the LGBTQ life well. It was entitled, Anchoring Your Child to God’s Truth in a Gender-Confused Culture: Helping Our Children Embrace Their Calling to Godly Manhood or Womanhood, and a special edition was published by D. James Kennedy Ministries. Unfortunately, in the last 5 years since compiling the research for this book, there has been an unprecedented explosion in teen girls coming out as transgender, including many from our churches. These teen girls are experiencing a new category of transgender dysphoria never diagnosed in girls before 2007 called rapid-onset gender dysphoria.

Our ministry put together this 48-page mini book to equip parents, grandparents, youth leaders, and elders to understand the world in which our daughters live, providing 1) a clear picture of what is happening, 2) biblical perspective on this phenomenon, 3) a strategy to reduce the likelihood that our own daughters or granddaughters will embrace a transgender identity, 4) practical suggestions for loving those in the LGBTQ life well, and 5) a game plan for being light to the secular world in the fields of pediatric medicine, public education, government policy, and women’s athletics. This 48-page mini book is only sold in our online store as a KEEP 1/GIVE 1 WAY TWO PACK, GRANDPARENTS FIVE PACK, or SMALL GROUP STUDY EIGHT PACK. This booklet overlaps about 95% with the material from last month’s May series Gloriously Feminine.
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.

Winsomely Refuting Radical Gender Ideology May 29, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: The word, “discipleship,” causes most Christians to default to Matthew 28:19—Jesus’ great commission--Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. But the calling to disciple the nations doesn’t begin in the NT; it begins in the very first chapter of the Bible—in Genesis 1:28 where God said to Adam and Eve, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. From the beginning of creation, Adam and Eve were commissioned to disciple the developing nations, to subdue the earth, to shape the emerging culture according to God’s moral law written in their hearts as God’s vice-ruler (often called the cultural mandate). Nowhere do western nations need to be discipled in this cultural moment more than in regard to their deconstruction of God’s design of gender. This episode looks at how to winsomely refute radical gender ideology.

For Further Prayerful Thought

Why do you think Christians in Western nations are not speaking up to counter the influence of destructive radical gender ideology?
Why is it critical to distinguish between how Christians respond to a transgender adult, a teen girl, and social activists about the transgender worldview?
Why do you think it is valuable to think through separate strategies to influence those in the medical profession, public education policy setters, government policy setters, and those who set policies in women’s athletics? Which of these fields has God put on your heart to seek to influence?

This Week’s Past Episode Highlight:

Two Requirements of Dads for Daughters to Flourish S1 E #28 5/17/20. This episode examines the answers I heard from Christian women I interviewed asking what their dad did right.

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.

The Anguish of Girls with Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria May 22, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: It’s been said, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” This statement seems to be an apt description of the evil devastation which radical gender ideology brings into teen girl’s lives every day. The question, in my mind is whether good Christian men will do something or nothing. This episode describes the anguish of one teen girl who was taken captive by radical gender identity thinking. We look today at her story, which reflects the stories of thousands like her, and then propose a 4 part strategy to respond.

For Further Prayerful Thought

What did you find most gripping about Keira Bell’s story?
What did you find most disturbing about the role of Tavistock Gender Clinic?
Does Lisa Littman’s finding that rapid-onset gender dysphoria in teen girls is caused by intense immersion in the social media, and peer contagion make sense or not make sense to you?
Which of the four steps to prevent our daughters from embracing gender ideology do you think are most important?

This Week’s Past Episode Highlight:

Two Requirements of Dads for Daughters to Flourish S1 E #28 5/17/20. This episode examines the answers I heard from Christian women I interviewed asking what their dad did right.

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.

Daughters Who Reject Their Feminine Body May 15, 2022

Show notes

Episode Summary: Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have victims. The victims we consider in this episode are not just girls who end up in the trans life, but our wives, daughters, and granddaughters who don’t experience the confidence, wholeness, emotional health and spiritual flourishing that come from embracing Gods design of womanhood because Satan’s assault upon God’s gender design in our culture has made them doubt that design.

For Further Prayerful Thought

Describe what the classic cases of gender dysphoria looked like over the past one hundred years.
How should Jesus be an example to us of disapproving one’s lifestyle, but still treating them with acceptance?
Why do you think Jesus did NOT say, to the prostitute at Simon’s house, “I disagree with your lifestyle,” before receiving her expressions of friendship?

This Week’s Past Series Highlight: Examining God’s Design of the Heart Passions That Drive Men