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Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. - I Corinthians 16:13

There is no shortage of explanations for what the phrase, "act like men," might mean. Your history will define it. Your political party and family will define it. Pop culture will. But what does it really mean, to act like a man? How do I go about it? What happens if I don’t?

In addition to definitions of manhood, there is a cataclysmic number of examples revealing what happens when godly men are in short supply. The numbers all attest to it; fatherless families, incarceration rates, men’s church participation, failed marriages. Could it be that godly manhood is under attack. The Apostle Paul thought it was. He wrote to his churches and apprentices… stand like a good soldier...wage the good warfare...guard the good deposit...take up the shield of faith...become strong...ACT LIKE MEN. Why? Paul knew individuals, churches, and communities were under constant spiritual attack.

Under Fire

The devil wars against the goodness of the Lord’s creation constantly loosing flaming arrows at Jesus’ image-bearers. Those barrages come in the forms of lies and deceit, demonic schemes and plots within systems of evil. Satan was and still is taking advantage of ignorance and busyness to undermine God’s kingdom agenda. The result of these attacks? Weak Christian faith. Churches divided and splintered like fortress walls bomb-breached and bullet-ridden. Whole families lay wasted and some wander off course. Their faith is what Paul called shipwrecked, hauls blown in and scuttled. Paul’s answer was not just a few good men; it was ranks of godly men who knew how to stand.  We need the same today.

Be watchful and stand firm wrote Paul. He had seen the power of the Roman Imperial Army. Rank upon file of legions armed and dangerous always advancing and never backing down. How did they take ground? Stand ground? Discipline and really good equipment. Each Roman soldier carried that which transformed them from individual men into all-conquering legions of victory; the Roman scutum.

Roman fighting shields were highly engineered, composite, hand-held walls. Each scutum was layer upon layer of birchwood, hardening adhesive, canvas, and tanned leather with metal reinforcements transported in oiled, leather sleeves to protect from the elements. Not light a scutum weighed 22 lbs. Not small this shield was 4 feet high by 2 1/2 feet wide with a concaved shape to provide greater coverage for its carrier and a large metal boss at the front to guard the hand and give the user a punching knuckle to ram into enemy lines. The soldier knew his life was that shield. It enabled him to take his stand. Without his shield he had no chance of surviving whatever the enemy flung his way. Could it be that today’s men, their domains and assignments, suffer impending defeat because they haven’t picked up their own shield of the faith?

A Battle Plan?

Healthy, biblical doctrine finds a perfect image in the Roman's scutum. Like the war shield, doctrine has multiple layers; what is the Bible, who is God and Jesus Christ, what is man, how do we deal with evil, what is the church and more. The Bible reinforces the contours and shape. Proper use and training prepare the man of God to face whatever the enemy shoots his way. The good soldier’s diligence ensures those under his care are protected and the kingdom of God advances.  It isn’t light work but it is life-work.

Doctrine will be very foreign to some. Sadly, many in our company have never picked up such a shield, can anticipate its weight, nor appreciate its value. “Doctrine is something pastors do...I don’t read well/ study well...I just don’t have the time…”.  Sweet music to the enemy's ears. What if we changed that tune? What if instead of the enemy delighting in our lack of knowledge and training they began to fear the morning our feet hit the floor knowing we were men well suited and prepared for the demonic strategies and tactics?

Victory is no accident and taking a stand without a shield is mortal foolishness. How are you growing in the area of doctrine? Need a nudge? Read/ study a concise theology like Wayne Grudem's Christian BeliefsReflect on these verses...

1 Corinthians 16:13-  Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Ephesians 6:10-  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
1 Timothy 1:18-  This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
Ephesians 6:16- In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Titus 1:9- He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
1 Timothy 6:20- O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”
2 Timothy 1:14- By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
1 Timothy 1:10- the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
Ephesians 4:27- and give no opportunity to the devil.



 

 

 

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