One Who Courageously Accepts Responsibility

One Who Courageously Accepts Responsibility by Janelyn Breslin I went to the Baptist church today and heard a very good sermon. There is an effort and movement within many Evangelical churches to “restore” men in this culture back to people of virtue, honor, character, and responsibility. He started off by saying that he is not going to bash men which men have been experiencing in many places. Instead, he referenced scripture to understand “who” or “what” men need to shoot for. He said there is a difference between “men” and “boys”. He advised single women not to marry a boy - he will destroy your life. He asked women when they see a man acting as a man to encourage him. The male domination of women has been a personal moral failure of many men, yet they are called by God for spiritual “headship”. Without a man being a spiritual head, there is chaos. So what does “manhood” and “spiritual head” mean? The definition of manhood he gave was: “One who courageously accepts responsibility.” A “man” accepts responsibility; a boy will blame someone else. One of the most painful things that happened in the Fall was afterwards when Adam stated - “The woman thou gavest to be with me” - here Adam is blaming God even before he blames Eve. According to scripture, men have three basic responsibilities: 1) There is a Will to obey. He cited the example of Jesus who obeyed the Will of God - “Not as I will, but as thou will. Thy will be done.” A “man” accepts God’s Will over his own personal desires. One cannot know the Will of God unless one knows the Word of God. I think Hyung Jin also “obeyed” when he accepted and acted on the Responsibility of being crowned as Father’s successor. I admire his total investment in his effort to fulfill True Father’s anointment. 2) There is a Work to do. One work - for both men and women - is “image bearing”. We were created to bear the image of God in our attitudes, actions, and relationships with others. “Man is the image bearer; Boys are glory thieves.” Men need to find their purpose and invest their lives in what will outlive them. Boys spend their lives. Men work; boys are lazy. 3) There is a woman to love and care for. Men serve and protect the woman in their lives. Boys use women for their own pleasure and comfort. A man gets up and keeps fighting; a boy quits. I really liked his clarity. This church goes into prisons and work - especially with young men in prison - to help them become “Men of Valor”. I find this whole effort inspirational in contrast to the “Man bashing” that is currently a cultural trend. Too many boys without fathers or fathers without faith or character. It is a vicious cycle unless it is stopped by one generation. This church is being pro-active in countering the evil effects of broken families, Marxism/feminism, etc. It’s natural to sometimes feel isolated, but it’s important to remember that there are many people of good will who are working to establish the same world of self-reliant men and women honoring God’s words and ideals that we are seeking. How to connect and support each other’s efforts to fulfill God’s will is something to think about.