Biblical Manhood - A Sermon Outline

ACK St. Mark’s Church, Kidfarmco.                                                                Sunday 27th April 2014.

Text: Genesis 1: 26 – 2 1- end,  Ephesians 5.22 -32

Introduction.  What is manhood today?

Simon – 36, is married with 3 children. He Loves football to bits – supports Arsenal. Comes along to church and encourages his family as well. An executive at his workplace. Does not mind serving but finds active church participation more of a woman’s ‘thing’. His wife, Patricia, leads the family devotions from time to time though she secretely desires for him to take the lead role in family worship. Simon is however adamant as he is not so secure in his knowledge of scriptures or songs or making the children attentive. He however supports her morally. Patricia is worried that he takes on too much resposibility for his relatives in the village. He is concerned that he does not own his own home in a good neighbourhood and is hence not living the Kenyan dream – 1 wife, 2 children, 3 Bedroom House, 4 wheeldrive, 5-Star holidays, 6 figure salary. 

Bernard is 44 married to Roslyn and they have 4 children all beyond primary school. He is struggling with his teenage children who seem to be drifting from church and one has openly abandoned the faith. He is a career civil servant and has risen through the ranks through discipline and hard work. Rosylyn, a career teacher has recently been promoted to head a local girls school. They both come along to church. Bernard however, has recently began to notice younger girls in his office, whose skirts appear to be getting shorter and shorter. He is not too happy with his achievements so far.His high school and college contemporaries have all had succesful businesses and even sent their children overseas for further studies. He loves Bible study and communion but longs for a different church experience. His commitment to Investment groups, Chamas, worries his wife.

John is 26 and recently finished his degree in IT. He is now working hard to develop apps for the android market and wants to fund his masters through selling mobile applications. He dreams to grow an IT empire and has a poster James Mwangi [Equity Bank] in his room. Although he is dating Angeline from the Church youth group, he is addicted to porn and cant get his eyes off the x rated sites. He confessed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in high school during a challenge weekend but now he is not too sure about it. He comes along to church, not least to meet Angeline, but also to obey his devoted parents. His mind however easily wanders off the sermon and into the girls around him. He longs for true obedience to Jesus and even confesses every time there is communion. At one point in college, he sought delieverance in a charistmatic revival meeting but his addiction still persists. 

Peter is a fatherly figure in church that everybody loves. He is in his late 60’s and inspires many in the church family, not only for his seemingly well managed family but also for his profesional and business career that he recently retired from. He is a leader of the men’s Bible study in his area and commands respect from everybody in the community. Sadly, he recently lost his wife, Hannah to breast cancer and this greatly shook his faith in God. After all those years of service, how could God be so unjust to take away Hannah from him? He cant stop asking himself what wrong he did to deserve the loss of his beloved wife. He is now wondering whether to re-marry or remain single for his remaining years. He worries about his eldest son, who is an alcoholic but many people do not know. He fears more about his own image than the welfare of his son. He is also worried about a corrupt land deal that saw him earn millions in commission that might come to the public soon. He justifies his actions in the sense  that he gave a good portion of the money to the church.

Which of the 4 gentlemen do you most identify with? None of them? 

Peter, John, Bernard and Simon is all of us.

Exegesis:

1. The Creation Call

a. Imago Dei – Representation, Relationship and Responsibility Genesis 1: 26 ff

b. Created Equal but Different V 27. [A Helper – 2:18, 23]

c. ‘Blessed’ to multiply, increase, have dominion V 28.

d. Provided for V. 29 – 31, but also called to Work – Responsibility Chap 2 Verse 15.

e. Perfect Relationship – Naked but not ashamed. The beauty of the marriage covenant.

2. A Broken Relationship – The fall [Gen 3]

Result – Death in Relationship with God, each other and creation.

A Begining of blame game. Naked but now ashamed.

Curse – Pain, Suffering & Death in the world.

-        Strife in gender relationships > Your desire will be for your husband, he will rule over you. [Manipulation Vs Domination]. Who wins in the battle of sexes? Which man can resist the attraction of a woman? Which of us does not melt at the sight of curves, hemlines and wily smiles? Which woman can resist the attraction of power, wealth and influence?

-        Marriage became an exercise of power and control. This extended to culture and behaviour.

-        Perverted relationships – Polygamy, Homosexuality, Beastiality, fornication, Adulterly etc.

-        The Rise of Feminist Movement – 18th & 19th Century.

-        Men & Boys – An endangered species?

3. A Redeemed Relationship: Christ on the Cross.

Jesus came to redeem and restore all that sin has damaged and marred, including marriage.  Where we could not live out God’s plan for marriage, Jesus perfectly fulfilled God’s standards.  Jesus loved the Church enough to die for her. He perfectly submitted to the plan of God the Father. Jesus is the complete and perfect fulfilment of God’s design.

-        Jesus’ counter-cultural view of women.

-        Early church’s inclusion of women in ‘ministry’.

-        Equality of status; difference of roles.

Marriage is designed  to be a visual representation of Christ’s relationship with his bride, the church (Ephesians 5).  God created men to lead and women to help.  From the moment our first parents chose to follow their own desires rather than obey God, sin entered the world and we’ve been seeking after our own way ever since. Sin destroyed God’s plan for marriage. Instead of seeking the good of one another, we demand our own way, seek after our own desires, and expect our spouse to give to us without us having to give anything in return.

Application: Christ the Redeemer of Godly, Biblical manhood and womanhood.

-        What shapes our manhood ideals – Mens Health, Business Daily, The Enterpreneur or The Bible?

-        Who are our heroes – Barrack Obama, [Chivalry] Wrestling Champions, Uhuru Kenyatta,  David Moyes, Arsene Wenger, Naushad Meralli, Chris Kirubi?

Christ Calls us to lead by loving - Sacrificial love. Ephesians 5

-        Love and Submission are to be understood as mutually exclusive/not dependent on @other.

-        Women thrive when men take on leadership.

-        An ongoing conversation.

1. Family leadership is a call to Love – love your wife, love your children.

2. Leadership is about Vision and Direction, not necessarily speed.

3. Leadership is not a call to exercise power but responsibility.

4. Roles are not superior or inferior – they are different. Perspectives. 

5. Christ restores broken human relationships. 

The ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ is summarised in his 3 offices:

Offices of Christ	Application to the godly husband
Priest: Speaks to God on behalf of the people, offers sacrifices [His own perfect, once and for all sacrifice], is people’s mouth-piece before God.	Godly men will want to mirror a priestly role in the family. Leading the family in worship and intercession.
Prophet: God’s mouth-piece bears the word of God and delivers it to the people. He is indeed the word of God [John 1:1]	Husbands can mirror the prophetic function of leading their families in devotions, teaching the children in godliness [Eph. 6].
King/Prince – Christ was a ruler in the biblical sense of a leader, an arbiter [judge], a protector and provider for his people.	Men are called to head their families through sacrificial love as Christ loved the church. To provide, protect and lead as servants.

Closing Remarks: A call for faithful search and obedience to scripture.

The promise of a new heaven, a new paradise of God. Rev 22 when human relationships will be fully restored.

-        Harrison Mungai Macharia.

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From the Archives - May 2010

Monday Updates – 11th May 2010

Dear folk,

I am sure its about a fortnight since you heard from me. I have been caught up in a wave of ‘activity’ that sometime make me rethink ‘ministry’. I have been sprucing up our publicity efforts ahead of the planned partners do on 5th June. We had to get the newsletter out in good time and also work on the website a little. I have also been following up an intended trip to the UK next month to raise support for the work as well as reconnect with mission partners/churches. I have also been following up a number of potential placements in readiness for September. I have been making contact with potential apprentices from Kenya and the region as the recruitment goes on. I have been working on a number of proposals to raise funds both locally and overseas for certain segments of the work – like cushion fund, staff provident fund etc. I have been developing the conceptual framework of iSA in readiness for demutualization (transisition) in September. I have been developing a framework for the  strategic plan for the next 5 years. I have been putting together a board of directors for the work and working to make it functional. I have been pursuing different forms of registration for iSA and with Duncan having travelled I have been doing quite a bit of admin in the office. I could go on and on. (sounds like I am moaning or something? Sorry it if sounds like so, I do not mean to complain, just to bring you a little into my world)

Certainly my dear apprentices suffer the most as I go on and on thinking at the strategic level. I get caught up in all manner of activity which one might question whether it is productive. Sadly, pastoral contact is lost and apprentices may be justified to feel negelected. This could not come at a worse time when already attention is slowly shifting towards the next team and on your part, gears are significantly shifting towards your next step. I think one way of dealing with all this is to take good old advice given to Moses by his wise uncle – choose some people and share the burden with them. Clearly that is what apprenticeships are all about – developing leaders and I think it is time we expanded the staff team so that future apprentices do not suffer or the strategic edge of the ministry gets blunt.

So what is ministry? I have been reflecting on this for a while and it is one thing I usually hope apprentices will nail down by the end of their year. We are all in ministry and perhaps that is why I am usually inclined to be more specific and use the term gospel ministry. Certainly this carries the idea of service and good news of the kingdom. Oftentimes we are accused, mainly by those in the corporate world, of being lax, without tight controls of our time, with no deadlines to beat, no one breathing heavily on our shoulder to check our performance etc. They think that we have it too easy and that ministry does not involve accountability. I wonder if we have sometimes reinforced this perception of laid-back, hakuna matata attitude that does not get concerned about excellence, time, results etc. On the contrary, I think we operate on a higher standard since the one we seek to please sees both inside and outside. Way beyond what a supervisor seeks, our ultimate Supervisor looks into our motives, attitudes and is interested in both the big picture and the minute details of our service of Him.

May I encourage you to relook at your definition of ministry. It captures just about anything we do to the glory of God – active and passive since by word, deed and lifestyle we are to be the sweet smelling aroma that draws people to God -  Working on that report is ministry. Manning that reception. Delivering that letter. Writing that receipt. Arranging those chairs. Keeping those kids in control. Directing that parking. Typing those mails. Teaching those kids math. Ordering that queue. Washing those shirts. Doing that Bible Study. Witnessing to that soul. Making contact with that partner. Writing that article. Finishing that research.

Dear ones, I now need to close. I will not even have time to incubate this (they say if you write something, please leave it for 24 hours and then re read it, you will see a lot of changes that you need to make) I hope to hear from you on your progress.Let me close with a couple of points.

1.      Plans for the partners day are on. I hope you are doing your bit in publicity (should we put some pressure and require that each one of us hakikishas a certain number of their partners come?)

2.      We hope to release a bumper copy of the newsletter before that day. Please send your articles, reflections, poems, stories and stuff to Nyambura on  – newsletter@iserveafrica.org It will largely be a print copy for free distribution during the partners day.

3.      As intimated above, we are working on a strategic plan for the next 5 years. This is usually a long consultative process and we hope to have a document ready in time for the convocation when we hope to launch it. Please participate by giving us raw ideas on how you would like to see iSA in 5 years time. What would you like  to have differently? What must we not lose over time? Later on, I will send you a structured questionnaire for more engagement, for now just send me those raw (unrefined) thoughts.

4.      I have been hoping to do one good round of placement visits before the UK trip. Good people, I am overwhelmed- my plate is just too full and I doubt I will make it before August let alone mid June. Please bear with me.

5.      I hope you got yor stipends last week. There was a 2 day delay as we waited for last minute trickles from your mission partners (which significantly affected your stipend). Its not particularly easy to keep Kenyans within deadlines and I wonder if we are going contextual or just relaxing standards? We felt gracious (sufficiently...) this time round and allowed the 2 days. Sorry if that incovinienced you, especially since we did not comminicate to that effect.

6.      Thank you to those who made it to First Priority on 2nd May. It was really good of you to gather and pray. Never mind your (evil?) plot did not work. [note: they had planned a birthday shower for me.]

7.      Please pray for more staff. We need at least another 2 full time staff from September. Ask the Lord to give us the right people. Please pray for my upcoming trip. There have been a few setbacks already and we need the Lord’s favour to make this trip. I will divulge more details soon. Pray for Duncan who is currently in the UK. Pray for each other, especially the next step.

You remain in my thoughts and  prayers.

Regards,

Harrison.  

Solitude & Silence

Solitude & Silence

Sermon at Deliverance Church Kahawa Sukari, Sunday 23rd March 2014.

Introduction: Self, Family & Ministry [iServe Africa]

-        Personal greetings. Self & Family intro.

-        Acknowledge long standing relationship with DC KS.

-        A highlight of the ministry of iSA.

-        Invitation to further partnership in the coming years. APR/Apprenticeships etc.

-        Introduction of  select iSA resources [Events, Books & Notebooks]

The irony of speaking about silence!

Opening Reflections:

It is a noisy world that we live in,noise everywhere, noise glorified. People make a career out of noise-making and indeed the heroes among us are perhaps the loudest. I might also add, with your leave, that we pentecostals are a particularly a noisy lot. My task here is therefore clearly huge – to try and get a bunch of pentecostals to be silent for a while (!)

Our times are filled with incessant noise invading every place. Noise in the public square and in private places. Papers, on social media, Whatsapp, Images everywhere – so much competition for our attention. Even the restroom, perhaps the only place one could go and have sometime alone is not spared. If there are no witty notices, crude humour or even dirty jokes, then there might be a book or a magazine to flip through to while away those few minutes.  

We are also a busy people. In my estimation, the avarage kenyan has at least 5 major stressors – A job, immediate family, extended family, masomo [that masters degee!] a side hustle [This could be anything – A Matatu, taxi, Hoteli, Lorry pahali, shamba ya Ngano Narok, Viazi Kinagop, Quails, Ngombe Nyumbani] Mjengo [ Own or rentals – hii ni lazma for 40 and above, though it never ends], Chama/Vyama, Kanisa, friends etc. That is why kenyans totally love their mobiles and will walk out of any meeting to answer that crucial call. It could be anything fro the vet in the village to your boss in the city calling for your attention. Whatever you do to a kenyan dont take their mobile phones. Hata kanisani ukiwaabia wazime hawawezi – wanaiwekaga silent, ili wawe wakiangalia from time to time. 

We are an overloaded lot – exposed to so much data that I wonder how spirituality would thrive if we do not withdraw and seek solitude and silence. I actually fear for our mental health as a generation; we are  eternally alert forever held at ransom by the Tyranny of the Urgent. 

Brothers and sisters, I come to you not as an expert on the subject, not a great practioner of the discipline myself but as a fellow struggler, one who speaks and works more than they should, one whose spirituaility is hardly ever what it should be, one who needs to hear this as much as anyone else in the congregation. 

The Scriptural Call to Silence & Solitude

Solitude is one of the most important disciplines for the spiritual life, for all who need help unhooking from daily stress to experience God restoring their souls.

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

 “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” (Habakkuk 2:20)

“In repentance and rest is your Salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

 “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.” (Psalm 62:5)

A Definition of Terms

Solitude and silence is an opportunity to focus on intimacy with Jesus, to unhook from daily responsibilities and people in order to attend to the Lord alone. In solitude we don’t try to make anything happen. We just come naked to the Lord to be with him.

“Solitude is the creation of an open, empty space in our lives by purposely abstaining from interaction with other human beings, so that, freed from competing loyalties, we can be found by God” (Life with God Bible, p. 531).

Solitude is not the same as Loneliness – Loneliness is inner emptiness while solitude is inner fulfilment [Richard Forster]

S&S in the OT

“Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the ‘tent of meeting’… The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” (Exodus 33:7, 11)

“[Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him… a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:9, 12).

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” (David; Psalm 23:1-3)

“Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him.” (Lamentations 3:28)

“I was silent and still… my anguish increased. My heart grew hot within me… I meditated… Show me, O Lord… how fleeting is my life… Each man’s life is but a breath.” (Ps. 39:2-5)

Job and his 3 friends.

S&S perfected in Christ

“At once the Spirit sent [Jesus] out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” (Mark 1:12-13)

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them.” (Luke 6:12-13)

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…”‘” (Luke 11:1-2)

“When Jesus heard what had happened [that John the Baptist was beheaded], he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” (Matthew 14:13)

Jesus Invites us to join him in S&S

“Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to [his disciples], ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” (Mark 6:31-32)

Jesus said to his disciples and a crowd of people: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

“Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:1-2)

S&S in the early church

“When [the disciples and other followers of Christ] arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying [waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had told them to do]… They all joined together constantly in prayer… When the day of Pentecost came [ten days later], they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 1:13-14, 2:1-2)

Peter went away from his travelling companions to go into solitude and silence and seek God. He had a vision and heart the voice of the Lord three times. His experience led to the Gospel being spread among the Gentiles. “About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened…” Acts 10:9-11).

Apparently Paul spent three years mostly in solitude and silence in the Arabian desert with the resurrected Christ before he began his ministry. (The other Apostles were with Jesus physically for three years, but for Paul, like us, he was with Jesus in Spirit for his discipleship and training.) Paul wrote, “God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace… to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia.” (Galatians 1:15-17)

Paul experienced times of profound revelation from God. Probably this came in solitude, at least in some instances. “The mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly” (Ephesians 3:2).  “I know a man who was caught up in the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2).

Paul meditated on God in nature. Probably he often did this in solitude. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

According to tradition, John was in solitude and silence for years, exiled on Patmos Island. It is here that he received the Revelation. ”I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…” (Revelation 1:9-10)

The Life of Anthony by Athanasius.

Born in 251 in a wealthy family. At 20 he sold all his possessions and moved to the desert but served the poor nearby. At 35 he withdrew for 20 years into total solitude and no one knew if he were alive or dead. Then at 55 he returned and ministered to the monks and the people who came to him for prayer and counsel in the desert until he died at 105. Athanasius wrote the biography of Antony. This was Athanasius’ ideal, the combination of solitude and compassion on the poor based on rock-solid orthodoxy.

S&S in contemporary times

It seems to me S&S is a discipline we possibly lost at reformation. Whereas we should and must avoid the dangers of ascetism [seeking divine merit through personal sacrifice] we need to rediscover spiritual disciplines as means that God has ordained for the good of his people and the growth and enrichment of His church. There are many retreat centres where one can withdraw to from time to time and even more importantly is to create private moments and spaces to be silent and in solitude. 

Implementing Silence and Solitude into Our Lifestyles

As earlier suggested this habit may very well be the most difficult of spiritual disciplines to develop and practice with any regularity. Most of our lifestyles have become too fast-paced with too many responsibilities in too little allotted time. There is little margin in our lives. For silence and solitude to happen there will need to be planning to carve out such opportunities. 

Solitude and silence can occur in the midst of our daily lives, but making such a time will require resourcefulness and creativity. Early morning or late evening schedules may need to be altered. Middle of the day meals may be a chance to spend some time alone in silence. Discovering a place in our lives where we are less apt to be interrupted is a part of the challenge of the development of the discipline. Even time spent driving a car by oneself can be an opportunity if the intent to spend time alone in silence is there. At intervals in our schedules there is the need for withdrawal from our normal routines to a place away where we can have a more extended time to practice this discipline. Such retreats can last for half a day, a day, a weekend or a week. The longer the time the more planning is required.

Initial thinking may be there are too many reasons why I can’t do this. This discipline, while taught little, is a major pathway to spiritual maturity. Unless we are willing to make lifestyle changes to get alone in silence with the Father our spiritual development will be greatly hampered. This time for study and listening to the Father speak to us is foundational for growth. Being in church activities everyday will not replace what this time alone with God can do.

Where can I go to be alone with God? When during the day can I make opportunity to do this? When During a Year can I retreat for Silence & Solitude?

Conclusion

We live in a culture that is permeated with noise. We suffer from noise pollution as much as we suffer from air pollution. We are never anywhere without human contact. In addition to the constant flow of conversation the volume of most sound has increased substantially. The problem has not caused a spiritual dilemma; it has amplified it. The constant sound we are bombarded with makes focusing on God and hearing his whispers in our souls much more of a daunting task. The psalmist expressed this need for all of us when he wrote: “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10)

There is something about silence that enables us to hear with our soul. We need to again deeply sense that God is present and wants to impress us with thought and with awareness of his creation. It is in such silence that there is opportunity for the act of prayer to be completed. More often than not our praying is a time of telling God what we want to tell him, but not allowing time for him to reply. We are off to other responsibilities or engagements. Silence invites God’s response. 

In some ways silence is the most difficult of disciplines to develop. Such silence is void of music and all human sound. It creates the environment for one to better pay attention to God and to himself. Special attention and planning may very well be needed to arrange such an environment. Solitary places allow the mind and heart to refocus. If Jesus found it necessary to be alone,  then how can we not also do the same? It is interesting to note that at the very beginning of his earthly ministry Jesus went into the desert for forty days of solitude where he would be silent. No doubt it was during that time he received confirmation and direction from his Father concerning his coming ministry.

It is in solitude and silence that one may more fully discover how best to use his words. The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote there is a “time to be silent and a time to speak…” (Ecclesiastes 3:7) Perhaps it is in the silence that one learns when and what to speak. Because of the amount of communication that we are bombarded with there is need for the words of the Christian to be marked by timeliness and wisdom, not frequency.

Soli Deo Gloria!