Episode #5 Stand Firm and Act Like Men

0:00 SPEAKER_01: So if you're if you're too scared to tell us how to stand firm and act like a man and be a good representative of Jesus and be a good image bearer of him, if you're scared to tell us how to do that in that sort of environment, how do you expect us to to fulfill what God's calling us to do?

0:23 SPEAKER_01: What's up, guys?

0:24 SPEAKER_01: My name is Jonah Rowland, and I'm here with uh the Coda Christmas and welcome back to another episode of Callin' Running, and um I'm happy to be here, Uncle Cody.

0:34 SPEAKER_01: Oh man, that's funny.

0:36 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, uh, I was thinking about that all day, and that's a trend that I want to start.

0:39 SPEAKER_01: I want to start calling you Uncle Cody, and we're gonna be rooting for um the Uncle Cody trend to just just uh just take off.

0:46 SPEAKER_02: Oh man, yeah, I can imagine the comment section for that.

0:49 SPEAKER_02: They're gonna want to know what that came from.

0:51 SPEAKER_02: And I promise you guys it came from nothing.

0:53 SPEAKER_02: It's just from Jonah's, you know, yeah, imagination.

0:56 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I've got a creative mind, what one would say.

1:00 SPEAKER_02: How we doing, man?

1:01 SPEAKER_02: Dude, great.

1:03 SPEAKER_02: Um, just super excited.

1:05 SPEAKER_02: You know, uh, one for this episode.

1:08 SPEAKER_02: Um, I think we've got a really good topic that we're gonna be talking about.

1:12 SPEAKER_02: Um, one that probably a lot of people have questions about.

1:16 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

1:16 SPEAKER_02: Um, and then secondly, man, just a lot of the things that are coming up, you know, in our church community, man.

1:23 SPEAKER_02: Um you know, just for the listeners, you know, our church does uh through Cross Point City here in Georgia, they do a act like men conference every summer.

1:32 SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, shout out to Josh Howerton if he you know sees this, uh, he's gonna be there.

1:38 SPEAKER_02: I'm super excited for that, man.

1:40 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, that's gonna be great.

1:41 SPEAKER_01: Um we got we got a great lineup, man.

1:43 SPEAKER_01: Even our our pastor's gonna be there, Pastor James Griff, James Griffin.

1:46 SPEAKER_01: I think um uh Matt Chandler um as well.

1:50 SPEAKER_01: And then David Pollock.

1:52 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, that's right.

1:53 SPEAKER_01: So we've got a we've got a great lineup, and um not sure when exactly this episode is gonna be airing.

1:58 SPEAKER_01: Uh uh, it might be past the uh the conference itself, but if it's not, we encourage you guys to uh to look in the tickets and uh be there because it's gonna be a a very, very special night.

2:10 SPEAKER_01: And um I think uh all of our men out there would just get something something out of it.

2:14 SPEAKER_01: I think it'd be awesome.

2:15 SPEAKER_02: And the cool part is too, if this does air afterwards, um, you know, they do have it on YouTube.

2:20 SPEAKER_02: Yes, right.

2:21 SPEAKER_02: Um, and then we do like I said, we do it every summer.

2:24 SPEAKER_02: So it may not have the same lineup, of course, but I mean it's it's all the same, man.

2:29 SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's a good time.

2:31 SPEAKER_02: They have some pretty cool like game events in the beginning and whatnot.

2:35 SPEAKER_02: It's it's a trip, man.

2:37 SPEAKER_02: Truly excited about that.

2:38 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, me too, man.

2:39 SPEAKER_01: Um, well, today we're gonna be talking about standing firm and acting like a man.

2:44 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

2:45 SPEAKER_01: This is gonna be a good one.

2:46 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is gonna be uh an interesting one for sure.

2:51 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, I think it's uh I think it's sad that we have to define what a man is before we go into it.

2:58 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

3:00 SPEAKER_01: Um, but I mean this is kind of the world we live in where um where uh everybody's truth is is is somehow relative.

3:07 SPEAKER_01: And um and even though my my truth might look different from yours, they're both equally true.

3:13 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

3:13 SPEAKER_01: And we're we're just okay, we're we're we're like, okay, no, let's open up the Bible, let's see what the Bible says, and we're not gonna really take in what society is saying because I'll be honest, I mean, society is is getting a lot of things wrong with uh with biblical manhood, uh, how how to be a man, how to be a husband, uh, how to be a how to be a son, how to be a friend.

3:35 SPEAKER_01: And um yeah, so uh you got somewhere you want to you want to uh dive in first for that?

3:43 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I mean just kind of piggyback off of what you were saying, you know.

3:46 SPEAKER_02: I think um, and we may dive into this a little bit later in the in the podcast, but man, it's like everywhere you turn, you know, like movies, just uh Hollywood in general, and then all the way down to the pulpits, just getting it wrong.

4:02 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

4:02 SPEAKER_02: You know, um blessed to um get the word directly from the book where we currently go, but you know, there's not too many churches out there that are doing that, man, that are actually teaching people or men how to be biblical men, you know.

4:19 SPEAKER_02: Um some of them are totally okay with the woman running the house and calling the shots and the man just being the submissive, you know, uh, you know, being, you know, not even a man, you know, it's just kind of uh it's kind of crazy how society's just kind of gone that way, you know.

4:38 SPEAKER_02: Um I think that the pulpit's just not I'd probably say just more afraid of upsetting the general, you know, consensus of the people that are coming in to to hear them preach, you know.

4:57 SPEAKER_02: Um the woman that wants to dominate the house is gonna get upset because she's being told how you know she how the household's supposed to be, and you know, or the man's being told how he should run his house and he doesn't want to submit to that, you know, and and society's just said that's okay, you know, and it's just um it's ignorant and it's wrong.

5:22 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and uh when you look at the job of the church, it's uh the job of the church is to equip us, the congregation, to uh to go out there and and make disciples and and to equip us for our calling.

5:34 SPEAKER_01: And it's it's very, very difficult for us to move into our calling when the pulpit's being unclear.

5:39 SPEAKER_01: So I mean I say this out of love, but if if there's any pastors that might be listening to this, which I doubt there will, but we'll we will see what happens uh when this comes out.

5:48 SPEAKER_01: Um if you if you're one of those people and you're just you're just scared to preach the truth of God's word, you either need to repent or you need to leave.

5:56 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'll be honest because hey, you get to preach the word and do ministry from your tithe dollar creative bubble.

6:02 SPEAKER_01: So if you're if you're too scared to tell us how to stand firm and act like a man and be a good representative uh of Jesus and be a good image bearer of him, if you're scared to tell us how to do that in that sort of environment, how do you expect us to to fulfill what God's calling us to do in especially work environments where in some cases like people are at risk of losing their jobs, yeah, and in a lot of other cases, they're at risk of uh being persecuted by others, uh they're at risk of being uh slandered and and frowned upon because of our very profession, uh faith in Jesus.

6:37 SPEAKER_01: So like I really do think pastors need to be bold about their convictions, and especially now, because we live in such a confused society where I mean, like I said at the beginning, we don't even know what a man is.

6:50 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

6:51 SPEAKER_01: So um I want to kind of move into uh like what what does what what does it really look like for for a man to be uh like a biblical leader and what does biblical manhood look like?

7:04 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, first of all, as the man of the house, you're supposed to lead in all aspects.

7:17 SPEAKER_02: You're supposed to be first in repentance, um, you're supposed to be first in prayer, um, you're supposed to be first in virtually all things as the head of the family.

7:29 SPEAKER_02: Um, if you don't have a family, uh as far as you know, wife and kids, I mean, it can still be said, you know, in your friend group or um uh in your relationship, let's say, you know, you have a girlfriend or, you know, uh whatever, it's the same thing.

7:46 SPEAKER_02: You know, even as a boyfriend, you're you're you're trying to grow that relationship to marriage, right?

7:54 SPEAKER_02: So it's a perfect opportunity for somebody who's in that space to practice and and um really pay attention, dive deep into the scripture and and and learn how to be a man of God before you get to that point of marrying, you know, your soon-to-be wife, because that's a crucial part, right?

8:21 SPEAKER_02: You know, you don't you don't want to get to marriage and then figure out how to be a biblical man, you know.

8:27 SPEAKER_02: And unfortunately, sometimes that's how it happens for some of us, you know.

8:32 SPEAKER_02: Um, that's how it happened for me.

8:33 SPEAKER_02: You know, I had no idea how to be a husband or you know, any of those things prior to.

8:39 SPEAKER_02: Um, and so I had to learn on the fly real quick, you know.

8:43 SPEAKER_02: Um, but I can say that it helps to, you know, you know, like guys that you're like if you're struggling in your relationship or in your marriage, man, pray over your wife.

9:01 SPEAKER_02: Pray with your wife, pray over your kids, pray with your kids and watch how much better your life gets.

9:09 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

9:10 SPEAKER_02: You know, you want to talk about your wife desiring you, like, you know, if you're if you're going through a a season where you know your wife's just kind of turned off to to you or not wanting to um connect with you, well, you need to look a little deep in the mirror there and and see what the issue is.

9:30 SPEAKER_02: You know, are you praying with her?

9:32 SPEAKER_02: Are you praying over her?

9:34 SPEAKER_02: Are you um seeking the proper like wise counsel?

9:39 SPEAKER_02: You know, all the things, you know, because all of that is important, you know, and you know, just from my experience, you know, praying over my wife and praying for my wife, I have watched God move mountains because of that.

9:53 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely, man.

9:55 SPEAKER_01: And I think that's where a lot of men get it wrong.

9:57 SPEAKER_01: And um, I'm gonna be a little bit more quiet when it comes to the topic of marriage because I myself, I am as of the filming of this episode, which is April 21st, still single.

10:07 SPEAKER_01: We'll see, we'll see what happens uh as time goes on.

10:10 SPEAKER_01: But um, I'm not gonna speak into that too heavily just because I'm not married, but I'm also gonna be like that guy that says, Hey, what does scripture say?

10:17 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

10:18 SPEAKER_01: Um, but what I see uh very often and and quite frankly, in a lot of just dating relationships as well, people love to to point the finger, but they're unwilling to point it towards themselves.

10:31 SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, a lot of the times um uh some of these issues that are popping up, like, hey, you're part of the problem too.

10:39 SPEAKER_01: And our human, our, our, our uh manly nature is is to just delegate the problem onto somebody else.

10:46 SPEAKER_01: And and biblically, like, hey, that's that's not what we're supposed to do.

10:50 SPEAKER_01: We need to be the leader pinner, we need to be uh the the the lead forgiver.

10:54 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and we just need to to be a leader, even though um you might not be married to this person yet.

11:00 SPEAKER_01: Like you still need to be practicing those those sort of things for when you do get in and uh uh into a marriage.

11:08 SPEAKER_01: Um sorry, real quick.

11:12 SPEAKER_01: Um kind of one more thing that I've been seeing.

11:14 SPEAKER_01: Um man, a lot of people my age, um they s they're they are spending all this time trying to look for the right person.

11:24 SPEAKER_01: But when you look at scripture, there's you don't see anything about um about looking for the right person, but you see a whole lot about becoming the right person.

11:33 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

11:33 SPEAKER_01: So hey, I'll be honest, like if if you're one of those guys, and I mean I I know a lot of young adults, they're just they desire so badly to uh to be in a relationship or or to or to get married, and and I'm not shaming that.

11:46 SPEAKER_01: Those are good desires, I think.

11:47 SPEAKER_01: Um I mean that's something I desire too, and and I'm fully in submission to God's plan through that.

11:53 SPEAKER_01: Um, but if you can't sleep at night because you don't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, you're probably not ready for one.

12:00 SPEAKER_01: Are you fully, fully content and and just being alone with the Lord right now?

12:06 SPEAKER_01: Right.

12:06 SPEAKER_01: If you're not, I just I'm sorry, I just don't think you're ready.

12:10 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

12:10 SPEAKER_01: Because if you can't be content with just you and him, how do you expect to be content, especially when you're in uh within the confines of marriage, if you couldn't even be content with him when you were alone with him in the first place?

12:22 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I mean that's so true.

12:27 SPEAKER_02: Um and what's what what if you take it even further, you know, in in your situation and in people that aren't married situations, you know, you can be a godly man in your community.

12:43 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, you can in your small group or whatever um ministry position that you know that you've been entrusted with, man.

12:53 SPEAKER_02: Like it's it can just kind of you know relay to that.

13:00 SPEAKER_02: You know, like you should be leading everybody to prayer, leading everybody to repentance, um, providing w wise counsel, seeking wise counsel, uh, being an accountability partner, and vice versa.

13:15 SPEAKER_02: You know, all of those things are huge when it comes to you know acting like a man scripturally.

13:24 SPEAKER_02: Yeah you know, um we're supposed to act like Jesus, we're supposed to follow him, right?

13:36 SPEAKER_02: And in turn, when we do that, people are gonna follow us.

13:41 SPEAKER_02: So it's important that we're keeping those things in mind um in this in this faith walking, in this journey, as we're learning, you know, each day how to be, you know, men of God.

13:57 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.

13:58 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean that's the start of being a man.

14:00 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

14:01 SPEAKER_01: Uh the very first step in becoming a man is bending your knee to the Lordship of Jesus.

14:08 SPEAKER_01: And uh and kind of where we're getting that phrase, in case y'all don't know, is uh the stand firm and act like men.

14:13 SPEAKER_01: That comes from 1 Corinthians uh 16, uh verses 13 and 14.

14:18 SPEAKER_01: And uh be watchful, firm in faith, uh act like men, be strong, let all that you do be done in love.

14:27 SPEAKER_01: Man, that is a difficult ask.

14:30 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because that goes directly against what my flesh desires.

14:36 SPEAKER_01: And if you want to be a biblical man, you need to be the one who says, you know what, maybe I'm not gonna hold that grudge.

14:43 SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'm gonna forgive this person instead.

14:45 SPEAKER_01: You know what?

14:45 SPEAKER_01: Hey, maybe, maybe I'm not going to go to the bar tonight.

14:48 SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'm gonna spend some time in my word, or I'm maybe I'm gonna just spend some time alone in prayer with the Lord, or maybe I'm gonna go spend some time with my small group guys.

14:58 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

14:59 SPEAKER_01: You can be that guy that says, Hey, maybe I'm not gonna watch porn tonight.

15:04 SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'm gonna pursue purity, maybe I'm gonna wait for marriage, maybe I'm not gonna go sleep around.

15:09 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

15:10 SPEAKER_01: Pursue maybe you you need to be the guy who's making these hard decisions.

15:16 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

15:16 SPEAKER_01: But don't think that all of them are made in vain because they're not.

15:20 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

15:21 SPEAKER_01: We're making decisions that are pleasing to the Lord, and we're making these decisions that are within the Lord's uh standards and guidelines for our life.

15:28 SPEAKER_01: And anytime uh we obey things like that, blessing always follows.

15:32 SPEAKER_01: And it's what I'm talking about here is the blessing of peace, yeah, the blessing of joy.

15:37 SPEAKER_01: Because all the things I just listed lead to death and disruption.

15:42 SPEAKER_01: But I that that's where so many of us get it wrong.

15:45 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

15:46 SPEAKER_01: We just we we stay acting like boys and we don't make manly, godly decisions that lead to that lead to life and that bring fruit for our lives and for other people as well.

15:55 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

15:56 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

15:57 SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's very important, you know, that uh as men, you know, we don't make the same mistake that Adam made, you know, by chapter three of Genesis.

16:08 SPEAKER_02: You know, that's good.

16:09 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

16:10 SPEAKER_02: I mean it all started from God asking if they ate from the tree, you know, and Eve is basically blaming it on the serpent, and then when God looks at Adam and says, you know, what are you doing, dude?

16:29 SPEAKER_02: You know, where were ya?

16:30 SPEAKER_02: You know, and Adam's like, well, she's the one that, you know, presented the fruit to me, so I ate it.

16:38 SPEAKER_02: You know, like we can't be those kinds of men, you know.

16:43 SPEAKER_02: Um, especially, you know, just speaking for, you know, married folk, you know, married men, you know, we are responsible for our families.

16:55 SPEAKER_02: We are responsible for our wives, and we are going to be held accountable for that.

17:01 SPEAKER_02: You know, we are called to be the head of the family, just as Jesus was the head of the church, you know, and man, like nothing is more attractive to a woman than a man that leads the family the way that he's supposed to lead, you know?

17:24 SPEAKER_02: Um it's just I know it's easier said than done in some cases, but man, like sometimes just not being worried about winning that argument or having the last word or um being you know, having to puff your chest out and be the loudest one in the room, you know, sometimes it's just as simple of just realizing that sometimes the best thing that you can do, uh, you know, especially in marriage, man, is just ask your wife where you can meet in a middle ground, you know, and end whatever situation that it is in prayer and not go to bed angry, you know, and you know, man just lead with love, you know.

18:27 SPEAKER_02: Um that's what we're called to do is to love our wives.

18:33 SPEAKER_02: You know, love our wives as Jesus loved the church.

18:37 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

18:38 SPEAKER_01: I think that's a very hard ask, especially uh if the tomb wasn't empty.

18:43 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

18:44 SPEAKER_01: But because the tomb is empty, I'm I'm now able to to learn uh how to love.

18:51 SPEAKER_01: And I'm I'm able to somewhat understand the concept of grace, which I'm still having a very hard time figuring out.

18:57 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it just does not make sense to me that Christ would come down and and pay the penalty I I that uh that I deserve.

19:05 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

19:06 SPEAKER_01: I just I can't understand that that that kind of love, but I know it's real.

19:11 SPEAKER_01: You can understand something and it still be true at the same time.

19:15 SPEAKER_01: Um But yeah, uh based on um some some uh some input that I've heard from um from married couples, uh there's a very common any enemy, and it's Satan.

19:30 SPEAKER_01: And uh it's not it's not your spouse.

19:33 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

19:33 SPEAKER_01: So instead of uh instead of fighting back and forth with one another, y'all, y'all team up and hey, it's us for it's us for Satan.

19:42 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

19:43 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

19:44 SPEAKER_02: I mean it takes a little while to get to that point, man, but sometimes you just gotta look at her and be like, hey, look, it it's not me that you're mad at.

20:08 SPEAKER_02: You know, we're not gonna let you know Satan win this.

20:12 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

20:12 SPEAKER_02: You know?

20:13 SPEAKER_02: Um, dude, sometimes just saying, hey, look, it's time to pray.

20:20 SPEAKER_02: You know, it's time to sit down and pray, and that's how we're gonna settle this, you know, this discrepancy or this issue that we have, you know.

20:30 SPEAKER_02: Um doesn't always work that way, you know.

20:36 SPEAKER_02: Um sometimes it doesn't get received maybe the way that you want in the in the moment.

20:40 SPEAKER_02: It really just depends on how rooted you and your wife are, or you and your girlfriend are, um, in the scripture, you know, um how your relationship is with the Lord, you know.

20:53 SPEAKER_02: Um we're all on different faith walks at times, you know.

20:59 SPEAKER_02: Um, but at the end of the day, us as men, again, head of the family, you know, so that's where you have to look in the mirror and kind of reflect on yourself and go, okay, well, if she is not there yet, why is that?

21:15 SPEAKER_02: And how does that reflect on me?

21:17 SPEAKER_02: Maybe I need to spend more time with her, maybe I need to get in the word with her more often, maybe I need to pray over her more often, you know, maybe I'm not doing it enough.

21:27 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

21:28 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's that's good stuff, man.

21:30 SPEAKER_01: Um uh another area that I was thinking about um uh when it comes to the topic that we're talking about today is if you want to be a man, if you if you want to be a man of God, you need to you need to create uh or you need to pursue the purpose that God has put on your life.

21:50 SPEAKER_01: And I mean, like I said earlier, you cannot do that without first bending your knee to the Lordship of Jesus.

21:56 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

21:56 SPEAKER_01: And that's kind of been I mean, I don't think it Really, anybody is blind to what's happening throughout the world today.

22:04 SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of this has resulted from men who have no purpose, men who are not pursuing their calling, men who are uh who are just lazy about truth and they're not willing to stand and be bold about the convictions through scripture, and men who have not bent their knee to the Lordship of Jesus.

22:23 SPEAKER_01: And honestly, um when it comes down to uh which I'm kind of speaking to more more of my crowd here, um uh to my to my single fellas, uh so studies show that uh that females are are uh are more attracted uh to a man who has a purpose and calling over our lives.

22:44 SPEAKER_01: And for men, it's men are mostly according to data attracted to uh uh physical beauty rather than the things that uh that that females uh are are looking for in us.

22:57 SPEAKER_01: Right.

22:57 SPEAKER_01: So hey, I mean if you if you want if you want a God real uh relationship, start pursuing what God has has called you to do.

23:05 SPEAKER_01: Start start going after ministry, start pursuing uh your one more.

23:10 SPEAKER_01: Start saying, hey, let me tell you what Jesus has done for me.

23:15 SPEAKER_01: Be a part of uh of the mission of God and be thankful that God would let dummies like us be a part of it.

23:21 SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm so thankful that that God's got us uh just uh myself and you and in all the places that that He does right now.

23:30 SPEAKER_01: I mean, I look at that and I'm like, man, ma'am, what I receive is not what I deserve.

23:37 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

23:38 SPEAKER_01: When I get to see all these lives that are changed, when I get to see people freed from from suicidal thoughts, from porn addictions, from uh from all this from all this dark stuff.

23:55 SPEAKER_01: I mean, I look at that and I'm like, man, he didn't even have to save me in the first place.

24:00 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

24:02 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

24:03 SPEAKER_02: Um and I mean I think I think we can kind of look at it as a um as what it is, man, just a true blessing um to be able to have this ability in this country, man.

24:28 SPEAKER_02: Um unlike other countries where Christians are being persecuted and murdered at like rates, you know, that we can't even imagine.

24:38 SPEAKER_02: Um where we can freely go to a church, man, and we can just worship the Lord and get plugged into a church, man, and just and lead.

24:50 SPEAKER_02: Um and you know, it for for us, you know, just getting involved in students, man, and pouring into these these young men, this next generation, yeah.

25:00 SPEAKER_02: Um man, it's it's been such a blessing to be able to do that.

25:05 SPEAKER_02: Um and what's insane about it is how in tune they are versus oh yeah, this like the generation in between them, you know, where a lot of the lost um souls and minds, however you want to put it, are um the these young kids, man, dude, I I I have such high hopes for them, you know, becoming men and husbands and and and fathers one day, man.

25:39 SPEAKER_01: Like that Oh yeah, absolutely.

25:41 SPEAKER_01: I mean, even our even uh the sixth grade uh guys that I lead, there's about 12 or 15 of them, um just some of the questions that they're asking.

25:50 SPEAKER_01: And um even like I was bragging on them with you for uh for gosh, uh really, really all week.

25:56 SPEAKER_01: I was just so uh just just mind-blown by uh just how how intentional they are in in growing in their faith and asking these these difficult questions because they genuinely want to grow closer to Jesus.

26:10 SPEAKER_01: And man, when people say, hey, there's no hope for Gen Z, I'm like, bro, your eyes aren't open.

26:17 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

26:18 SPEAKER_01: First of all, uh you don't hear about uh the planes that land safely, you only hear about the ones that crash.

26:24 SPEAKER_01: So you're not gonna hear about all these all these kids who are in church and they're pursuing Jesus and they're being led by godly parents and praise the Lord for godly parents.

26:33 SPEAKER_01: And I really do think that we're seeing a revival when the tide is shifting right now in Gen Z.

26:39 SPEAKER_01: Because honestly, I mean, people are tired of the crap.

26:41 SPEAKER_01: People are tired of the bull crap, and they're they're we're hungry for truth.

26:45 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

26:45 SPEAKER_01: And what is the truth?

26:47 SPEAKER_01: The truth is Jesus.

26:48 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

26:50 SPEAKER_01: People want Jesus right now, and it is such a beautiful thing to be uh to be a part of this.

26:56 SPEAKER_01: And man, I just look at my purpose and I'm like, God has strategically placed me in this day and age to be a witness to my generation and say, hey, let's look at what the Bible says.

27:09 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

27:10 SPEAKER_01: Let's look into Jesus, let's see what Jesus has to say.

27:13 SPEAKER_01: And it's such a blessing to be a part of this.

27:16 SPEAKER_01: Man, I do not deserve it at all.

27:20 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, dude.

27:21 SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's uh, you know, I've got 10th grade boys, and they're like at that weird limbo, like starting to drive, you know, or just getting their license, you know, and they're they're experiencing all these new and different things.

27:40 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

27:41 SPEAKER_02: Um, but man, like after the sermon, you know, sitting down with those guys and just going through the sermon with them, man, like they're just so hungry for it, man.

27:53 SPEAKER_02: Like they, yeah, they're engaged, you know.

27:56 SPEAKER_02: They're uh I don't even really have to do much.

27:59 SPEAKER_02: I don't really have to lead a whole lot.

28:01 SPEAKER_02: They kind of just, you know, I just ask them the question and then just let them respond, man.

28:07 SPEAKER_02: And it's just like all the way around the whole circle, you know, everybody's just got something to to input.

28:14 SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, and in the words of uh Joshua Broom, man, you know, what your input is controls your output.

28:24 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

28:24 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's huge.

28:26 SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, they really responded well to that message too.

28:29 SPEAKER_01: I mean, uh Pastor Jacob, our uh our uh students pastor, um, he uh we we we preached on sex this past Wednesday.

28:39 SPEAKER_01: That was why it was uh it it was it was really good.

28:42 SPEAKER_01: I think he's preaching on pornography next week too.

28:45 SPEAKER_01: And I know somebody's out there listening and they're like, oh my gosh, why are they talking about this with sixth graders and and and blah, blah, blah, blah.

28:52 SPEAKER_01: Um, well, when you look at studies, uh, right now, uh throughout the world, the average age of exposure for pornography, you know what it is eight years old.

29:04 SPEAKER_01: That is insane.

29:05 SPEAKER_01: I was exposed to it when I was in sixth grade.

29:08 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

29:09 SPEAKER_01: So I here here would be my proposal to to the parents out there who might be thinking, I don't want my kids thinking about this or or hearing about this.

29:17 SPEAKER_01: Well, they're gonna hear about it at some point or the other.

29:19 SPEAKER_01: Would you rather them hear it at the at the lunch table with their with these hooligans?

29:23 SPEAKER_01: Would you rather hear it from wise counsel being poured into by leaders at a church?

29:29 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

29:30 SPEAKER_01: Because one side gets it right, one side gets it wrong.

29:33 SPEAKER_01: And man, has society gotten uh sex and what it was designed for, it is so far off the tracks, it's not even recognizable to what God had originally designed sex to be in scripture.

29:45 SPEAKER_01: Right.

29:46 SPEAKER_01: And even with pornography as well, I mean, they need to hear about this.

29:49 SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's kids in elementary school who are addicted to pornography.

29:54 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

29:54 SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about that.

29:55 SPEAKER_01: That that is think about how far gone that we have gone in our in a society to say, hey, this is a good thing.

30:03 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

30:03 SPEAKER_01: This is something that is celebrated in high school.

30:06 SPEAKER_01: I mean, even at public school, um, I was in public school a lot more recently than you.

30:10 SPEAKER_01: Um I don't mean that as a shot, but uh probably we love Uncle Cody over here.

30:18 SPEAKER_01: Um but man, that was something that was celebrated.

30:20 SPEAKER_01: And people would brag about, hey, uh I watched this last night, or um, or I did this this many times um uh uh today or or whatever.

30:30 SPEAKER_01: And and I'm like, no, no, why why are we why is this something that we're celebrating?

30:37 SPEAKER_01: This is this is literally destroying children day by day.

30:42 SPEAKER_01: And it the addiction is just it's growing, it's growing worse.

30:45 SPEAKER_01: And you know what it is?

30:46 SPEAKER_01: It I almost view it like a gateway drug.

30:48 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like like uh pornography addiction uh can eventually lead to uh uh to to to drug addiction or or uh or sex addiction or or whatever.

30:58 SPEAKER_01: I mean, it can just lead down some very, very harmful roads.

31:02 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

31:03 SPEAKER_01: And we want, I mean, that's something we were harping at with the I was harping at with the sixth graders.

31:09 SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, uh your lunch table might be saying this, your classmates might be saying this, but let's look at what the Bible has to say.

31:16 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

31:18 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I think that's something that we need to be taking very seriously.

31:24 SPEAKER_02: Um, just as communities, as a nation.

31:28 SPEAKER_02: Um, man, like it's it's very important because you know, as we're sitting here talking about acting like men, you know, like it's important that we are pouring into this young generation as men and just teaching them that it's wrong.

31:47 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

31:48 SPEAKER_02: And it's it's like you said, it's it's gonna it's gonna be a drug, it's a it's gonna be a gateway to the next the next the next high, you know, as they get older.

31:58 SPEAKER_02: Um and they're never gonna be able to function right in a relationship because they're gonna be seeking out of their relationship what they see on the screen.

32:08 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

32:08 SPEAKER_02: Um they're going to be objectifying women like they see on the screen.

32:14 SPEAKER_02: Uh they're gonna talk to women like they see on the screen.

32:17 SPEAKER_02: And I mean, if if that if that continues, man, like uh you think the world's dark now, you know.

32:25 SPEAKER_02: Um what the divorce rates are gonna go up, the domestic dispute rates are gonna go up, um murders are gonna go up, you know.

32:34 SPEAKER_02: It it's it's all a ploy from the enemy, you know, and as men, we have to stand up against that and speak against that and lead these these young men um to be like Jesus, you know, and to put those things down while they can before it becomes a serious addiction that takes them down a dark path, you know, and every dark path leads to another unless you have Jesus, man.

33:04 SPEAKER_02: It's the only way that you find the light, you know, and it's very important that we lead them in that way.

33:12 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely, man.

33:13 SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it uh pornography just look it it disciples uh uh people to look at other people as objects, not as people created in the image of God.

33:24 SPEAKER_01: And that's where I've got a big problem with it.

33:26 SPEAKER_01: And um, and hey, maybe you're listening to this and and you're saying, hey man, I'm addicted to porn.

33:33 SPEAKER_01: I've got I've got an addiction, man, and I don't know what to do.

33:36 SPEAKER_01: I've been trying everything, man, and um it just I just can't seem to kick it.

33:42 SPEAKER_01: Um what are what are some practical steps that you you say uh you you would take in order to kick in this?

33:50 SPEAKER_02: I mean, first things first, man, like what is in the darkness must come to light.

33:57 SPEAKER_02: You know, that that is the only way that you're going to be able to even begin to move forward and and kill that part of your flesh.

34:09 SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, it's important to have that accountability partner um that you can go to and be like, hey man, I'm struggling with this, you know, X, Y, Z, um, and allow them to hold you in check, you know, check on you, and and just make sure that you're you're not falling short in those areas.

34:31 SPEAKER_02: Um, because we can all say that we go to God with it, right?

34:36 SPEAKER_02: We can all say that we pray for you know for him to help us with that and get us through that, you know.

34:41 SPEAKER_02: But scripture says that that's all well and good, but you have to confess it to your brothers.

34:49 SPEAKER_01: Yes, and um, for context, that verse is James chapter 5, 16, uh verse 16.

34:56 SPEAKER_01: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.

35:02 SPEAKER_01: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

35:06 SPEAKER_01: Notice that word says healed, not forgiven.

35:09 SPEAKER_01: Sorry, I had to throw that in there.

35:10 SPEAKER_01: But yeah, anyways, uh so uh sin and expect especially when talking about sexual sin, it's like a fungus.

35:18 SPEAKER_01: It grows in the dark, it thrives in the dark, actually.

35:21 SPEAKER_01: But when you expose it to light, it dies.

35:23 SPEAKER_01: Yep.

35:23 SPEAKER_01: So when you're able to come to the point which, hey man, it's not a good, it's not a fun place to be in.

35:29 SPEAKER_01: But when you're able to come that to that point to to where you're gathered with uh a group of men or people who can pour into you um wise counsel, biblical counsel, yeah, and and say, hey, honestly, this is something I'm struggling with.

35:43 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

35:44 SPEAKER_01: Dude, the amount of freedom that comes from that is crazy because now you've got a group of guys who are able to pour in scripture to uh relate to your situation.

35:54 SPEAKER_01: You've got a group of guys that are able to pray for you and say, hey man, I I've been there too at some point in my life.

36:01 SPEAKER_01: This is this the practical steps that I took uh to to get rid of this or to kick this habit.

36:07 SPEAKER_01: But hey, if you if you're if you're gonna do something in the in the dark and you're not gonna tell anybody, um, man, you are not gonna conquer that beast, man.

36:16 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

36:16 SPEAKER_01: Because sexual sin is the only sin in scripture that it tells us to flee from it.

36:22 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

36:23 SPEAKER_01: In First Corinthians 6, it it tells us, hey, nope, don't even get in the boxing ring.

36:27 SPEAKER_01: Run away from that guy.

36:28 SPEAKER_01: Because, hey, as men, we're not strong enough.

36:31 SPEAKER_01: I mean, it dude, if you're if you're if you're a uh if you're a dude listening to this under the age of like 70 and you've got blood coursing through your veins, bro, you're not strong enough.

36:40 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

36:41 SPEAKER_01: We're just not.

36:42 SPEAKER_01: Dude, that's we that is our that is our desire.

36:45 SPEAKER_01: And granted, it it is a our it is a good desire in in in a sense um uh to have to have these sort of desires, but here's the thing, it has to be within the boundaries of of what of what uh of what God has originally designed to be.

37:02 SPEAKER_01: Right.

37:02 SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about the analogy of uh that that Jacob used, I love this, on on Wednesday, um when he talked about a uh a fire.

37:12 SPEAKER_01: Within the boundaries of a bonfire, the fire is is it's it's okay, it's good, it's nice, it's nice to stand around, but once it gets outside of its boundaries, it becomes extremely destructive.

37:24 SPEAKER_01: Wildfire, yep, chaos and destruction.

37:28 SPEAKER_01: So I mean, I'm saying this not to say that God is a cosmic dictator who wants to just uh make sure his kids have no fun, but I'm just saying, hey, you do it God's way, it will be more blessed than you think it will be.

37:41 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.

37:42 SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, and and outside of that accountability partner side of things, man, like we need to be tied into community.

37:50 SPEAKER_02: Yes.

37:50 SPEAKER_02: Um, we need to be around other godly men that are walking the same walk, you know.

37:56 SPEAKER_02: Uh we're all going to be on different, you know, different um parts of that walk, right?

38:07 SPEAKER_02: You know?

38:08 SPEAKER_02: Um, but it's important that we're around other like-minded men because Proverbs 2717 says iron sharpens iron.

38:18 SPEAKER_02: That's right.

38:18 SPEAKER_02: And it's important that we pour into each other because that is how we sharpen our sword against the enemy.

38:28 SPEAKER_02: Because where there's three gathered, Jesus is there, you know.

38:34 SPEAKER_02: Um so it when you're in community and you're in group together and you're pouring into each other, you know, left and right, the only way to grow is up.

38:47 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, uh, that reminds me of a conversation I was having with uh with with somebody from a group earlier.

38:53 SPEAKER_01: I was having a phone call with him and kind of just walking him through the situation that he's that he's had going on.

38:59 SPEAKER_01: And I really, really stressed the importance of community because I mean, even it was something that it was something that I didn't think was that big of a deal before I had started coming to to the church that that we're at now, and I started to actually get involved with with and be a part of the lives of other like-minded godly men who were sort of around my age.

39:21 SPEAKER_01: And which granted, I mean, sometimes I I mean when when we look at some of us, some things that some uh with some guys, the only thing we have in common is our love for Jesus.

39:31 SPEAKER_01: And hey, that's totally fine.

39:32 SPEAKER_01: But uh I was explaining to him um the story about uh it's in Luke 5, I think.

39:39 SPEAKER_01: Um whenever uh uh whenever uh the paralytic man was dropped through the through the roof to Jesus.

39:47 SPEAKER_01: And basically what you got here, you've got a dude, he's uh he he he can't really do much, but he's got a group of guys who carry him to Jesus, drop him through the roof, uh they carry him on the mat and they drop him to a roof on Jesus.

40:02 SPEAKER_01: And that these are the kind of men that you need in your life, and and we find this through godly community.

40:08 SPEAKER_01: And man, like honestly, like a lot of the times people are just having a hard time in their walk with the Lord is because hey, you're hanging out with banana peels and you're slipping all over the place, man.

40:20 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

40:20 SPEAKER_01: Like you honestly, if you want to grow in faith, um, you need to have a good a solid couple guys who who went when you fall down and when you get hurt and when you get bruised, these people take you directly to the feet of Jesus.

40:35 SPEAKER_01: Just like the guys in in in um uh in Luke 5.

40:39 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, when he was crippled and he was hurting, they took him right to Jesus.

40:43 SPEAKER_01: If your friends are are when you're down and when you're hurt, if they're taking you to the bar, if they're taking you to to the next joint or the next hookup, man, these people don't care about you, man.

40:54 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

40:54 SPEAKER_01: These people are do not have your best interests, but we know the power of Jesus, and we know the power of community and the blood, and we're saying, hey, we want to get you to Jesus because he's who can help you.

41:07 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.

41:09 SPEAKER_02: You know, it's just like uh Ecclesiastes 4, 9 through 12 says says, Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil.

41:18 SPEAKER_02: For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.

41:21 SPEAKER_02: But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

41:27 SPEAKER_02: Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?

41:32 SPEAKER_02: And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him.

41:38 SPEAKER_02: Threefold cord is not quickly broken.

41:42 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

41:44 SPEAKER_01: Dude, that's super that's a super convicting verse.

41:46 SPEAKER_01: Um it would have, man, man, that would have shot me on my back if I had read that back when I was sort of anti-community.

41:54 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

41:54 SPEAKER_01: Because the man, I used to be that guy.

41:56 SPEAKER_01: I just thought this was uh uh my faith was personal, and I'm just gonna do this alone.

42:02 SPEAKER_01: And um I'll I mean I'll tell people people about Jesus uh whenever I can and and and all that, but man, was I wrong when I got in community.

42:15 SPEAKER_01: Um but one one thing that's super important to remember, um, community is nothing if you do not have a faith of your own.

42:22 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

42:23 SPEAKER_01: You want to be a leader?

42:24 SPEAKER_01: Spend time in the quiet time with the Lord.

42:26 SPEAKER_01: That's what Jesus did in the Gospels.

42:29 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he spent 40 days in the wilderness praying and fasting before he spent the next three and a half years pursuing the work of ministry and everything that led up to the cross.

42:39 SPEAKER_01: He's he spent time alone with the Lord.

42:41 SPEAKER_01: And even through all throughout his ministry, he would go off and spend alone, intimate time with the Lord.

42:48 SPEAKER_01: So you want to be a leader, you want to act like a man, you need to spend time in the Lord, you need to bend your knee to Jesus, you need to spend time in prayer, pursue his will for your life, read his word, and and just be like, hey, I don't got this without you.

43:02 SPEAKER_01: That's a part of being a man as well.

43:04 SPEAKER_01: You need to humble yourself.

43:05 SPEAKER_03: Yeah.

43:06 SPEAKER_01: But that's where the I mean the community comes in.

43:08 SPEAKER_01: It's like a, I mean, it's like uh it's like the it's like protein powder, man.

43:12 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

43:13 SPEAKER_01: When I get in community, like it just it just strengthens me so much.

43:16 SPEAKER_01: And I'm I have people who are who are able to pour into me and say, hey, hey, bro, you might have been wrong in this situation.

43:23 SPEAKER_01: Here's how we can be better, or here's what this means, or uh just things like that.

43:28 SPEAKER_01: It's super, super helpful.

43:29 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, man.

43:30 SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's it's really important to realize that like puffing your chest out and looking like the big strong man and trying to tell everybody you got this does not make you look anything but really weak, in my opinion.

43:43 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

43:44 SPEAKER_02: Um a man of God, especially, is one that can say, Hey, you know what, I don't got this.

43:52 SPEAKER_02: You know, uh shout out to Joey Martin on that one.

43:55 SPEAKER_02: You know, I do not have this, you know, the only way.

44:00 SPEAKER_02: That I can get through this is with time with Jesus, time in prayer, and time in community.

44:09 SPEAKER_02: You know, there is there muscles can't get you through everything, and nor can braun, you know, but the word can, you know, and that that's something that we need to as men um make a point in our life to have those things overall, you know, over anything, you know, having the word, having the relationship with Jesus, and having that community, having that wise counsel, um, and just having the courage, especially to be vulnerable when you're in group.

44:51 SPEAKER_02: I think that's something that that we miss, you know, that we miss as men in group, man.

44:56 SPEAKER_02: Like we want to walk in there with smiles and act like everything's okay, you know, and then leave and be no better off than we were when we walked in the room, you know, and that's that's why, you know, uh we've been so fortunate in the Bible studies that, you know, that we've been a part of, um, where we're just around a bunch of other men that are that are vulnerable with us, you know, and have led us to be the same, you know, and man, talk about God moving mountains, you know, when when when when we're in the room and we're just being honest and vulnerable with our brothers, you know, because like I said, you can be in the dark and be honest with God, but the only way that you can truly bring it to light is in that room with your brothers through prayer, through transparency and honesty.

45:48 SPEAKER_02: And sometimes the strongest man in the room is the one that's gonna say, Hey, I'm struggling with this and I need your help.

45:57 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

45:57 SPEAKER_01: And uh dude, that honestly, like when we're in group and we have somebody say, Hey, I've been struggling with this, like we'll get two or three more hands up.

46:07 SPEAKER_01: Bro, I I I have I have been too.

46:10 SPEAKER_01: And that just sparked it, it gave somebody else the courage to speak up and say, Hey, man, this is where I'm at too.

46:16 SPEAKER_01: And I mean, honestly, you're right, you're hurting yourself if you go into into into group and you're just trying to put on this act like you've got together because bro, come on.

46:27 SPEAKER_01: You know you.

46:28 SPEAKER_01: We don't even know you, but we know you.

46:30 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like we know you don't got it together.

46:32 SPEAKER_01: None of us do.

46:33 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if we had it together, we wouldn't need Jesus.

46:36 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

46:37 SPEAKER_01: When you think about it.

46:38 SPEAKER_01: Um, but dude, I mean, the group has just been, man, it's it's been such a blessing.

46:44 SPEAKER_01: Like, there's there hasn't been a time that I've gone in there and I it hasn't been fruitful for me.

46:51 SPEAKER_01: It's just been awesome, man.

46:53 SPEAKER_01: And I'm I'm thankful you for you guys' leadership.

46:56 SPEAKER_01: It it's been super, super special.

46:58 SPEAKER_01: And even even Jonathan, too, he was working a lot.

47:03 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.

47:04 SPEAKER_02: He he he misses quite a bit, but it's okay.

47:06 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.

47:07 SPEAKER_01: We still love Jonathan.

47:08 SPEAKER_02: He's a local fireman, you know, so shout out to him.

47:11 SPEAKER_02: You know, love him to death.

47:12 SPEAKER_02: He's out there saving lives and putting out fires, man.

47:14 SPEAKER_02: But yeah, Queen Jonathan.

47:17 SPEAKER_02: When you called him that the other night, I laughed.

47:19 SPEAKER_02: So oh gosh, that was great.

47:21 SPEAKER_02: He's gonna kill me whenever he watches this.

47:23 SPEAKER_02: Yes, he is.

47:24 SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, man.

47:26 SPEAKER_02: Um, guys, it's just it's so empowering, man, to just submit and just stop trying to control everything, stop trying to be the big macho man in the room.

47:42 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

47:43 SPEAKER_02: Humble yourself before the Lord, humble yourself before your brothers, and man, just watch your life flourish.

47:51 SPEAKER_02: You know, and you know, I can't I can't sit here and say that life's gonna be perfect because it's not.

47:57 SPEAKER_02: No.

47:58 SPEAKER_02: You know, it it's just not it's not meant to be perfect, you know.

48:03 SPEAKER_02: If it was perfect, again, would we need Jesus?

48:06 SPEAKER_02: No.

48:07 SPEAKER_02: You know, we've got to go through trials and tribulations, it's just kind of how life goes, you know, but it's uh who you're surrounding yourself with, you know, millionaires stay millionaires because they hang out with other millionaires, right?

48:22 SPEAKER_02: So it's important that if you want to prosper in life in a way that you're um happy and um just full of joy, you know, it's important, man.

48:38 SPEAKER_02: Just uh submit to the Lord and just grow in your vulnerability.

48:47 SPEAKER_02: Let it out, let it go.

48:49 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, and you'd be surprised at how you feel.

48:52 SPEAKER_02: You know, those butterflies that you felt before you say the thing go away, and the next thing you know, man, it's like a thousand pounds is off your shoulders, man.

49:00 SPEAKER_02: It's um, you know, and the only thing that you can say, man, is it's it's God.

49:07 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

49:09 SPEAKER_01: There's um uh I'm sure there's a lot of men who have been sort of discipled into this mindset that uh that they can do it by themselves and that that they don't they don't need Jesus.

49:24 SPEAKER_01: And as men, we we keep in our feelings and um and we don't we don't confess anything to anybody and can I just say humbly out of love, I'm sorry, you were just wrong.

49:36 SPEAKER_01: You need Jesus more than you know, and I'm telling you that because that's what I said before I knew him.

49:45 SPEAKER_01: And what I honestly, when we get in group and we discuss scripture and we discuss what's going on in each other's lives, that's not just a bunch of dudes getting together and talking about each other's feelings.

49:57 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we are navigating spiritual warfare.

50:02 SPEAKER_01: And we know that because I mean scripture uses warfare terms, put on the full armor of God, pick up these uh the s this is our the sword of our spirit.

50:14 SPEAKER_01: It's our daily bread.

50:16 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

50:16 SPEAKER_01: So I mean, we we get we we get in these groups with with each other and we encourage everybody, hey, pick up with the word of God, pick up your sword and defend yourself against the schemes of the enemy.

50:27 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

50:28 SPEAKER_01: And not even and not just defend yourself, but hey, go on offense a little bit too.

50:33 SPEAKER_01: Go start pursuing what God's calling you to do and and go on offense against the against the gates of hell and just say, hey, we're we're gonna take a couple more guys from you.

50:43 SPEAKER_01: And when then and they're coming on Team Jesus, yeah, it's gonna be great.

50:46 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I mean, what better way to do it than with your community?

50:50 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, with with with the men in your group.

50:52 SPEAKER_02: I mean, it you are there's power in numbers.

50:58 SPEAKER_02: You know, um, if you're surrounded with a bunch of other godly men, like-minded, man, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish, especially if you're rooted in Jesus, and your group is rooted in Jesus, and you guys are just you know, doing the thing together, you know, by this book, by this word.

51:27 SPEAKER_02: Um, man, like it's the sharpest, strongest sword, man, and the the enemy flees.

51:33 SPEAKER_02: You know, he flees when he hears the name of Jesus, man.

51:36 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

51:38 SPEAKER_01: Um, I want to kind of spend the last couple minutes talking about um maybe addressing something that maybe the viewers might be thinking and and they're they're hearing us say, in order to be a man, you need to bend the knee to Jesus.

51:54 SPEAKER_01: So I want to kind of um just go into something real quick and then you can add some color after.

52:01 SPEAKER_01: Um who is Jesus?

52:06 SPEAKER_01: And um why why do I bend my knee to him?

52:13 SPEAKER_01: Man, this is it all always fires me up when I talk about it just emotionally, man.

52:18 SPEAKER_01: Um the the the Roman guards, the Roman soldiers crafted a helmet of thorns that they drove deep through his head.

52:32 SPEAKER_01: They they they had these they had these nails that they drove deep through his through his wrists and and through his feet.

52:40 SPEAKER_01: They flogged him with uh with a device, it was a device of torture, a device of death.

52:47 SPEAKER_01: It was it was called a cat of nine tails.

52:49 SPEAKER_01: It was very, very short, it was about a foot long, and every time they they every time they hit him with it, it would chunk out flesh from his back, from his sides, from his stomach.

53:01 SPEAKER_01: And arc uh uh it's estimated that there's over 700 wound marks on his body.

53:08 SPEAKER_01: Just uh how demonic is that, by the way.

53:11 SPEAKER_01: Just you can just imagine the blood just squirting up right in the Roman guard's face.

53:17 SPEAKER_01: And especially since Pilate did not order that either.

53:24 SPEAKER_01: And they they hung him on the cross, they mocked him, and they started gambling about him.

53:30 SPEAKER_01: And he says, Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing.

53:37 SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, What?

53:42 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what they don't know what they're doing?

53:46 SPEAKER_01: What are you talking about, Jesus?

53:50 SPEAKER_01: They certainly they had it, they had a pretty good idea of what they were doing when they drove the nails through your wrists and your feet, and they had a great idea of what when uh when they started mocking you and and when they put the crown of thorns on your head, they had a great idea of what they were doing when they were flogging you and ripping chunks of flesh out of your body.

54:08 SPEAKER_01: But here's the thing that's not that's not man, that's love talking.

54:13 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that is the love of God displayed, manifested towards you and me on the cross.

54:19 SPEAKER_01: He says, Father, forgive them.

54:21 SPEAKER_01: And until you get to the point where you realize that, hey, that applies for me too, you're gonna be lost.

54:27 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's who I bend my knee to, and he I submit to him.

54:31 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he is Lord of my life.

54:34 SPEAKER_01: Because he did all that to me when it should have been me wearing that crown on my head, it should have been me with the nails through my wrists and my feet.

54:42 SPEAKER_01: Because of my sin.

54:44 SPEAKER_01: Yeah.

54:46 SPEAKER_01: I bend my knee to a savior whose love I can't understand, to a grace I can't understand.

54:54 SPEAKER_01: Man, doesn't that just get you fired up, man?

54:57 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, dude.

54:58 SPEAKER_02: I mean, really the only thing that I have to add to that, because I mean you pretty much Mike dropped it, so I don't know how I can compete with that any further, bro.

55:07 SPEAKER_02: But I mean, that's just so true.

55:10 SPEAKER_02: Um, but I think I want to tailor this to the ones that uh that might be listening um that go through the the oh well, you know, I'm too far gone, or I don't deserve that, or I don't deserve this, or whatever.

55:27 SPEAKER_02: Like, man, you're so wrong.

55:30 SPEAKER_02: You know, especially if you call yourself a follower of Jesus or you believe in Jesus or um you're just a average churchgoer and playing church, whatever it is that you're doing, I beg to differ.

55:48 SPEAKER_02: You know, if you're if you're saying that you you're not worth it or you're too far gone, then that's spitting in Jesus' face and saying, What you did for me is not enough.

55:59 SPEAKER_02: I need more.

56:02 SPEAKER_02: Um and that's a bitter pill to swallow, I think, for probably some people to hear.

56:08 SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, there there is nothing under the sun that we do that he does not already see and know and see coming, right?

56:23 SPEAKER_02: Um, he knows what you're gonna do before you do it.

56:26 SPEAKER_02: You know, he knew you when you were in the womb.

56:28 SPEAKER_02: You know, he created you.

56:30 SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

56:31 SPEAKER_02: You know, he went on that cross willingly to go through a gruesome, painful death, you know, getting splinters in his gashes on his back, trying to breathe, to a point of drowning in his blood.

56:49 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

56:50 SPEAKER_02: You know, and in the meantime, what's wild about it is, you know, there's a man next to him who just never been baptized, never been anything, man, and just looks at him and says, you know, that he believes and believes in him.

57:06 SPEAKER_02: And Jesus, all he can do is look at him and say, You will be with me in paradise.

57:11 SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

57:11 SPEAKER_02: Today.

57:12 SPEAKER_02: And and that and that, yeah, and that is somebody that's listening right now.

57:16 SPEAKER_02: You know, it's that easy, man.

57:18 SPEAKER_02: All you gotta do is put your faith in him and and believe that what he did for you is enough.

57:23 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and there's not anything that he cannot forgive you for.

57:27 SPEAKER_02: There is not anything that puts you too far away from him.

57:31 SPEAKER_02: Um, because what you don't realize is as soon as you get out of your own way and turn around, he's right there.

57:40 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

57:41 SPEAKER_02: You know, it's just like the story of the prodigal son.

57:43 SPEAKER_02: Oh gosh, man.

57:44 SPEAKER_02: So you know, um that that that man just blew his inheritance, was living with the pigs, man, had nothing to his name after just blowing everything his father gave him.

57:57 SPEAKER_02: And when he returns back home, what does his father do?

58:00 SPEAKER_02: He doesn't smack him, spit on him, or cast him, you know, cast him out, man.

58:05 SPEAKER_02: He clothes him, he gives him shoes, he gives him a ring, he hugs him and he kisses him.

58:11 SPEAKER_02: That is what Jesus wants for you.

58:13 SPEAKER_02: And all you gotta do is turn to him.

58:16 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he's a good dad.

58:17 SPEAKER_02: It's as simple as that.

58:20 SPEAKER_01: He's an excellent dad.

58:21 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and he just wants his kids to come home.

58:24 SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.

58:25 SPEAKER_01: Amen.

58:26 SPEAKER_01: Well, I think that's a good place to put a pen in it.

58:29 SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think so too.

58:30 SPEAKER_02: I think that's a good landing the plane moment.

58:33 SPEAKER_02: Yeah.

58:34 SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.

58:35 SPEAKER_01: Yes, sir.

58:36 SPEAKER_01: God, thank you so much for today's episode.

58:40 SPEAKER_01: Lord, I just feel something stirring up in me, and I have been this whole episode.

58:44 SPEAKER_01: And Lord, I just I'm I'm confident that you will just use this episode just to reach one more.

58:49 SPEAKER_01: And I pray that even now, while we're recording this, you would just stir something up in their hearts and just create uh, Lord, just uh turn their turn turn turn their affection toward you.

59:00 SPEAKER_01: Allow them to see you for who you are, not for who society says you are.

59:05 SPEAKER_01: Allow them to understand uh to the best of their ability your grace and that what happened on the cross counted for them too, and that they can be forgiven, and that there's no mountain too high or valley too low that can separate them from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

59:23 SPEAKER_01: Lord, we just thank you.

59:25 SPEAKER_01: We thank you for this opportunity that you would use dummies like us to be a part of to be a part of the advancement of your kingdom.

59:34 SPEAKER_01: Lord, we just bless you and we honor you.

59:37 SPEAKER_01: We love you so much.

59:38 SPEAKER_01: It's in Jesus' name.

59:39 SPEAKER_01: Amen.

59:40 SPEAKER_01: Amen.

59:41 SPEAKER_01: Thank you guys for watching.

59:42 SPEAKER_01: We'll see you guys next time.