Clarity of purpose

I’ve already outlined the framework of what this blog intends to accomplish in two articles.

Discerning the mission and Understanding the world and the mission.

Read these if you have time because they are extremely informative, but this is the only article need to read to understand what this blog is about.

Now, we’re going to lay out some foundational premises for this blog:

• The goal is for Christian men to learn what it means to be godly and masculine, and to walk it out in their lives. We are not to just be sayers but doers (James 1:22).

The godly and masculine — godly masculinity — components cannot be separated because none of our actions come in a moral vacuum. We are either walking with the Spirit or with the flesh (Gal 5:16-26). Thus, we must operate in a fashion that brings honor to God.

In Understanding the world and mission, we discussed that there are two components of godly masculinity we will look at:

1. Unlearning feminine behaviors and mindsets.
2. Learning masculine behaviors and mindsets.

And we understand that any learned masculine behaviors must bear good fruit. If an action does not bear good fruit then we are in error. The good fruit in our lives is shown in the ability to minister to others such that it will draw them and ourselves closer to God through the Holy Spirit working in us.

• Godly masculinity encompasses everything — a man and his mission (from God), his interaction with others (in drawing them closer to God), his service in the church, his hobbies, his free time, and whatever he does as He does it unto the Lord.

The goal here is to build a lifestyle that reflects God and can direct others towards God. For many Christian men, this will include having a wife — a helpmeet — on his mission. This may only be part of the mission, so continue to execute the mission that God has called you to while looking on the side for a wife.

All Christian men must understand that they are not promised a wife in Scriptures. This should not stop us from reading the Scriptures, praying, meditating, and searching for a godly wife, but we must understand that it may not happen. The Lord’s will for our life be done.

• One of the components of godly masculinity that this blog will discuss is interacting with women. 

The goal of being able to interact with women with godly masculine behavior is to be able to focus their attention toward God. It just so happens that a side effect of masculine behavior is that it is attractive to women.

Christian men must understand that it is not the godliness that attracts women. It is the masculinity that attracts women. We know this because God created woman for man (Gen 2, 1 Cor 11) and in doing so made them to be attracted to the nature He imbued in them. Most men understand instinctively that they are attracted to women that are feminine — beauty, youth, long hair, dresses and skirts, etc. Likewise, men should understand that women find the masculine attractive.

This is why women find godly masculine behavior attractive, but they also find evil masculine behavior attraction. It is the masculine behavior they find attractive, not the godly or evil portion of it. A husband killing a person to defend his family would be hailed as righteous, while a man randomly killing another (see: Aaron Hernandez) is just a thug. Both are attractive because women find the power of force attractive.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate godliness from masculinity, and it is impossible to separate evilness from masculinity. Thus, you walk in one or the other. So choose if you want to serve God or the devil.

• Masculine behavior in interaction with others — both men and women — is intimately involved with spurring each other towards growth by telling the truth.
  

I’ve explored this facet of masculine behavior in 4 recent articles: The socialization of men and women, The selfish and unselfish socialization of men, Masculinity is the truth, and Masculinity is the truth Part 2.

The tendency of men’s socialization is to be critical, challenging, ribbing, teasing, and mock insulting of each other.

Most men understand this innately in that when other men do these things to each other it is in a bonding way that spurs on the growth of each other. However, very few men understand that they are to interact in this way with women as well. Nice guys are men who are able to show their masculinity to other men but hide their masculinity from women [in the way that they talk to them].

In the subsequent posts, we explored the subtleties of the interactions of men with men and men with women. Men aren’t afraid to literally abuse each other with the intent of growth (although this can turn into bullying if you aren’t careful), but such harsh truth can be too much for women.

The masculinity is the truth 2 part series explored multiple examples of how teasing and flirting with women are masculine behavior framed in a such a way as to present the indirect truth to women. All men should learn how to tease and flirt with women because that is ultimately how you tell the truth in love to them. If you use this masculine behavior to direct their focus back to God then it is righteous.

Most men do not need to learn about how to talk to other men and how to challenge them to be more godly men. But most men do need to learn how to talk to women and how to challenge them to be more godly women. Masculine behavior is able to expose the truth (see Jesus’ example in his interaction with the Pharisees and other women), but it must be done with subtle differences because of the communication differences between men and women.

• Thus, the rest of this blog will be focused toward three facets.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

1. Understanding the Scriptures as it pertains to godly masculinity mindset and a godly lifestyle. This study will look at elimination of feminine behaviors and mindsets accrued from society, feminism and churchianity, and building godly masculinity in terms of a man on his mission and all that encompasses. This category will also explore the Greek and Hebrew words in Scriptures as they relate to our understanding of God and His will for our lives.
2. Learning godly masculine behavior by putting it into practice in terms of eliminating feminine behaviors and mindsets from society, feminism and churchianity, and building godly masculinity in terms of a man on his mission and all that encompasses.
3. Learning the subtleties of godly masculine behavior as it pertains to women with the intent of spurring them towards Christ. The fact that it is attractive to women is just a nice side effect.

I reconstructed my Categorized lists of posts page to reflect these four facets.

Previously I had been haphazardly exploring many different topics, but I believe this will be able to give men the clarity in purpose.

The ultimate theme of this blog is the overall development of godly masculinity as it pertains to developing a lifestyle that accurately reflects God.

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NASB)

22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old [a]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new [b]self, which [c]in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

I hope whoever joins me on this journey is ready to see what God will do in your life as you take off the old self and put on the new self.

P.S. This has now been updated again in another redirection.