Act Like Men

Well if you would take your Bible and turn back to 1 Corinthians 16. I did say earlier we would be in verses 13 to 14 in the message. I will refer to some other places in scripture. You can write those down and go back and study those on your own. I say this from time to time. Take notes. You should be good at taking notes, but if you struggle to take notes and follow me, I would prefer that you put your pen down and follow with your mind and heart and even your eyes because we want to get the message and we can go back and study our notes and our verses later. Often people will ask me for my notes and I'm always glad to share them.

You can take those and use them in your own study. Now I think we all know that we are setting aside next weekend for our Act Like Men weekend. Let me give you a rundown of what will be going on from Friday to Sunday night. Friday night our men and young men will be getting together at 6 p.m. in our fellowship hall for steaks and a message from God's Word. We will enjoy some good physical food, but we will enjoy better spiritual food. Saturday morning we are meeting out at Lake Lincoln which is north of town. Some are going out early to fish and some are going up around 9 or 10 for fellowship and some activities.

We will eat burgers off the grill around 1230 and after that time of lunch and burgers we will have a message from God's Word. I ask you to pray for good weather. There is a chance of rain. So let's just pray for some good weather. And then Sunday morning our men and our young men and our sons are meeting for breakfast at 9 a.m. in our fellowship hall. And after we finish up breakfast one of our leading men, Evan Ullery, will share a testimony about what God is doing in his life as a husband and a father just as a man of God. And then we will all gather as a church for worship Sunday morning and Sunday evening.

We will not have small group next Sunday evening. But in our morning and evening messages those messages and those services will be aimed at not just our men but our families as well. And Matt Fowler who is the senior associate pastor of Grace Life Church of the Shoals, he's the one who is coming to lead us and to pastor us over the weekend. So be in prayer for Matt, be in prayer for his wife, Kristen, and their family. And as a matter of fact I think one of his sons, Isaac, who is in college is going to come down with him. Now what is the purpose of our weekend?

Of course a big part of our weekend will be about good food and much needed Christian fellowship among brothers. But more important than food, as men we will be taught and challenged from God's Word so that we can become and continue to be the Christian men that God wants us to be. And we want to influence our boys and our young men, the sons around us, to be the men of God that God wants them to be as well. And church, notice how this relates to home life discipleship which is something I have emphasized often this spring.

As the men of Grace Life Church of Brookhaven, if we grow more and more into the men that God wants us to be, will we not be better husbands and fathers? If we grow more and more into the men that God wants us to be, will we not bring that home and into our home lives and into all of our relationships in the home? So we can say that our Act Like Men Weekend is all about Christian manhood, yes, and all that Christian manhood relates to and that turns into home life discipleship. Now I think most of you know the theme for the weekend is Act Like Men and the theme actually comes right out of the scripture verses that we read.

We just plagiarize the Bible where we can. First Corinthians 16, 13 says, "Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith." Here's the phrase, "Act like men." That's right there in the scripture. Be strong. And then we can't overlook verse 14, "Let all you do be done in love." So this morning we will have a pre-Act Like Men Weekend message and I have two basic purposes in mind. First, this message is meant to show us how men of God should live or act. And then second, this message is meant to prepare us, all of us now, for the weekend that is coming up.

Now church, and especially us as men, if we think about what it means to act like and live like men of God, we really should be angry, even very, very angry. Let me explain. The world is constantly telling us every waking second who a man is, what a man is, and how a man should act. And 99.9% of what the world is telling us concerning manhood is straight out of the garbage pit of hell.

And combined with the facts that so many churches have failed miserably to teach accurately and biblically what it means to be a man of God and how a man should act, and that so many churches have failed miserably to teach the biblical gospel and what it means to be converted to Christ, well, the results are catastrophic. Well what are those results? Many men are leaving the church for the world. Sadly, many men are leaving the church for the world.

And for many men who do stay in the church, they are bringing what the world tells them, what it means to be a man into the church, which acts like a cancer that eats away at men, manhood, families, Christianity, and even the church. Look at how bad it's become. It used to be that homosexuality was being crammed into our face, and we had to push that out of the door of the church. But now the world is telling us that men can transition into becoming women, and things as diabolical as that are knocking on the door of the church and even seeping into the church. So this morning I want us to see how a man of God should act.

And this comes from the one who created man, God. And if God created man and God is God, then God has the authority to dictate and tell us how we should act and how we should live. Now in the verses before us, Paul gives five short but powerful commands, one right after the other. And these commands could fit into any of Paul's letters, any of Paul's teaching. So there is some general application here. But these instructions were originally meant for the Corinthian church, so these things were certainly applied for their church. And of course this applies to us, so there's lots of personal application here.

So let's get started with these five commands. Paul says number one, be watchful. It's right there in the verse. Number one, be watchful. The English Standard Version says be watchful. The New American says be on alert. You know that I enjoy reading and quoting the amplified. It says be on guard, but a question, which is it? Well really all three are correct. This word here in the original, it means to be alert, to be awake, to watch. It means to be attentive, to even be vigilant. One Bible dictionary says this means to keep awake. That is to watch literally or figuratively.

So Paul was commanding these believers, and especially the men here, remember the men here in the Corinthian church, to be awake, to be alert, he was calling them to be very, very vigilant. And we need to see how this applied to the men in the Corinthian church in the Corinthian situation. If we read both letters to the Corinthians, we will see that those in the Corinthian church were lazy, unguarded, both morally and spiritually. They were in a very low state morally, and they were in a very low state spiritually. Now morally, they had allowed their old wicked lives to linger into their new lives, and they brought that into the church.

They brought drunkenness into the church, even at the Lord's Supper. They allowed immorality to exist among the church and among the fellowship, and a very tight that even the pagans condemned. They were horribly overindulgent people. They even sought to gratify their own desires in the life of the church at the expense of other people, other brothers and sisters. And spiritually, they had allowed factions and divisions to run all throughout the congregation. They had allowed human wisdom and human philosophies to dominate their thinking instead of looking at what God's Word says.

They had terrible views of marriage in the fellowship, which related to divorce and celibacy. They even misunderstood and abused their spiritual gifts, and there was more, more problems in this church. If you break down just the first book, 1 Corinthians alone, you will see that Paul basically dealt with bad behavior in chapters 1 to 14 and bad theology in chapter 15. Now my point right here is this. The Corinthians had become spiritually lazy and slothful. They had become spiritually lazy and slothful.

They were drunk with spiritual laziness and slothfulness, and that laziness and slothfulness allowed all sorts of sin to come into their lives and into the church. So what did Paul do? Paul called the women of the church to be spiritually watchful, alert, and vigilant, so as to correct all of the things he was addressing and to keep them from coming back into the church. Is that what the text says? No. It does not say that. Some of you caught that when I was saying that and reading that. Paul commanded all of the believers in the church, obviously, but he is especially addressing men. Do you see that?

He is especially addressing men to be spiritually watchful, alert, vigilant in all of these matters. Now why is that the case? So as to correct all that he pointed out in the letter and to keep all of those things from coming back into the church. Right here is where we could honestly say, "Pastor Chris, I don't think I wouldn't want to be a part of that church." Well that was the church, and they were responsible for these things. But we need to see how this relates to us. We do not have the problems the Corinthians had, but we are not perfect either.

And some of the sins the Corinthian church struggled with are lurking in corners and closets ready to come out into the open. Some of the sins in the Corinthian church and what they struggle with are lurking in the corners and closets of the minds and the people even in the life of our church. These things are always lurking in the corners of our minds and hearts. That's always the case because the church is always comprised of sinners. So what does that mean to us?

If we look at how this word and call to be alert, watchful, and diligent is used throughout the New Testament, we will see that we are commanded to be watchful and alert about many, many important things. First we are called to be alert and watchful for the schemes of the devil. First Peter 5, 8 to 9 says, "Be sober minded, be watchful," you see. Be sober minded, clear minded, watchful, vigilant. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour someone. Resist him. Stand firm in your faith. Meaning that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

So we are called to be alert and watchful for the schemes of the devil. Second we are called to be alert and watchful for false teachers and false teaching. The New Testament is full of warnings against false teachers and false teaching. One is when Paul was on his way to Rome, he called the elders of the church at Ephesus together for one last time and this was the last time he instructed them face to face. And what did he say to those elders? They're at Ephesus. He says in Acts 20 verses 28 to 31, "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." Let me pause there.

Paul was acknowledging the fact that these elders had been made elders or overseers over the church. Pay careful attention to yourselves, to all of the flock. That would be the people in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away from disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one of you even with tears he says.

So just like them, the Ephesian elders, we are called to be alert and watchful for false teachers and teaching that certainly can come in among us. Again, those things are always lurking in the corners and the closets of our church. Now one more thing, notice that he said that even some of those elders would rise up. So those things are always in the corners and closets of any church. Third, we are called to be awake and alert and watchful for spiritual apathy in our lives. Apathy was the sin that had crept into the church at Sardis.

They had a name that they were alive but they were indifferent to God's will so they were unaware that they were actually dead. Jesus told them in Revelation 3, 2 to 3, "Wake up, wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard, keep it and repent." MacArthur says, "By definition a person who is apathetic and indifferent is insensitive and therefore cannot be alert." So we are called to be alert and to be watchful, making sure we do not slip into spiritual apathy. And then fourth, we are called to be alert and watchful in prayer.

When Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, he called his disciples to watch and to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. In Mark 1438, Jesus said, of course to his disciples, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation or fall into temptation." And notice what he said, "The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." Jesus called his disciples to be alert and watchful in prayer because Jesus knew that spiritual strength comes from God. He knew that spiritual attentiveness comes from God.

He called them to be alert and watchful because he knew their spirits were willing but their flesh, their bodies were weak. So we are called to be alert and watchful in prayer. And notice we have to beat down that flesh. We have to beat down that flesh. Fifth, we are called to be watchful for our Lord's return. If we look at the portions of Scripture that deal with eschatology, we will see an urging to always be watchful for the Lord's return. When Jesus was speaking about his second coming, he always called his followers to be watchful and alert.

And then, 2, 42 says, "Therefore, stay awake, stay awake, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming." So we are called to be watchful and alert for our Lord's return. And right here, we have to make some evaluation. Right here, we need to do some evaluation. As a church, as a whole, are we spiritually awake, alert, and watchful? Are we vigilant? You can say it like this. Are we on the edge of our seats? But we must address the men of our church. So Grace Life men, are we spiritually awake? Are we spiritually alert and watchful? Are we spiritually vigilant?

And the first step in acting like men is to be awake, to be alert, to be watchful spiritually. How are we doing here? Men, are we lazy at all? Are we letting that flesh win? Or are we spiritually awake, watchful, and vigilant? So we must act like men. We must be watchful. Then Paul says, "Number 2, stand firm in the faith." Number 2, stand firm in the faith. Again, the verse, 1 Corinthians 16, 13. Paul says, "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith." And to get at what Paul was and is saying here, we need to look at two phrases. We need to see what it means to stand firm. We need to see what Paul means by the faith.

Now to stand firm is pretty simple. This speaks of being stationary or keeping one's position. And if we look in the New Testament, we see that this word is used nine other times. Two times this word is used simply saying to stand. One time it is used to speak of standing under firm judgment. Next times this word is used to refer to one's standing firm, constant and persevering. So to stand firm means to keep one's position. It speaks of being immovable. It speaks of being stationary. One commentator said it like this, "In Paul, this invariably has the sense of standing firm in Christ as opposed to folly." That needs to be restated.

The commentator says in Paul, "This invariably has the sense of standing firm in Christ as opposed to folly." The faith here is pretty simple too. But there can be some different opinions here. Some say this can speak of saving faith, but this cannot be saving faith since a believer cannot lose their faith nor can Satan take away their faith. And as pitiful as many of the Corinthian Christians were, they certainly were, they could not lose their faith. Satan could not have taken their faith away. Paul was simply and plainly calling them to stand firm in God and in the doctrines of the gospel which he had clearly given them.

Back in chapter 15 verses 1-2, Paul called them to stand in the gospel which he had preached to them so clearly. So here he was calling them afresh and anew to stand firm in the truth of the gospel and all of the truth of the faith that he had taught them. Again, he was calling them to stand immovable, permanently immovable in the faith and in all of the truths of the faith. So Paul was commanding and calling this fellowship and especially the men now to stand firm in the faith, in the gospel, in all of the truth of the gospel, in the faith and he was calling them to stand immovable, especially the men.

And we need to see this command up against how the Corinthians were living. Within the Corinthian church, human wisdom and worldly philosophies had undermined how they saw God's Word and how they related to God's Word. For some in the church, those things had almost completely destroyed their view of God's Word. And of all the problems Paul addressed, he addressed division first and this problem second, the problem of worldly philosophies. Listen to 1 Corinthians 1, 18-23. Paul says, "The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.' In the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" Verse 21, "For since in the wisdom of the world the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preached to save those who believe.

For Jews to man signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly or foolishness to the Gentiles." So Paul was calling them to totally abandon human wisdom and worldly philosophies and he was showing them that those things are made completely foolish by God in the wisdom of God. Now what is the point here? These Corinthians, especially the men, they were wavering in the faith. Not that they were losing their salvation or Satan was taking it away, but they were holding onto worldly philosophies and the wisdom of men and men.

And this was eroding their trust in the truth of the gospel and all of the truths of the faith. So what does Paul do? He called them to read the latest book. He called them to go to the biggest and the best conference. He called them to binge listen to the best podcast. No, that's not the case. He called them back to the wisdom of God. You see? He called them back to the wisdom of God and the wisdom of God only. In Luke Church, it is not that there is something wrong with particular books or conferences or podcasts unless they are not communicating biblical truth. Now what is my point here?

The wisdom of God was enough for these Corinthian believers and especially the men in the Corinthian church. God's word and God's word alone was enough to bring these men out of the swamp of moral and spiritual chaos that they were in. And for us here at Grace Life Church, especially us men, two things. First we must make sure that worldly wisdom and human philosophies are not dominating our minds and our thinking. I've said this before. Some of you may be listening to Joe Rogan more than you are reading your Bible. Some of you may be listening to Joe Rogan more than you are reading your Bible.

Some of you look at so-called Christian Twitter, now it's called X more than you read your Bible. Look men, God's word is what we need to stand firm in the faith. We do not need human wisdom, worldly wisdom, the philosophies of men and men. And then second, we must make sure we are reading and meditating on and holding on to the truth of God's word. Look folks, hitting it a little here and a little there is not enough. Getting in here and letting me spoon feed you is not enough. Now look at what we teach you here. Solid expositions on Sunday morning and Sunday night. Even when it's a topical message, this is a solid exposition.

Currently we're going verse by verse through the book of Hebrews and on Wednesday nights we're going verse by verse through the book of Acts. Right now we're doing a biblical study on godly manhood and godly womanhood in small groups. We've just finished up the book of James. What am I trying to show you? You are fed well here spiritually. And if you take what we feed you into your personal life men and you pray and you study over those things, you will grow. But you are responsible to go to God's word, to read it, to meditate on it, to fight hard, to learn it.

Otherwise you will be prayed to, fall prayed to worldly philosophies and the opinions of men. So we must act like men. We must stand firm in the faith. And then Paul says number three, act like men not like boys. Act like men not like boys. Now when we look at the English Standard and the New American both translations say act like men. It's clear. It's not often that I mention the new international version but the NIV says be men of courage. The Amplified says act like mature men and be courageous. Now the King James has a very unique reading. It says quit you like men which is a very strange reading to our ears.

Well which translation is right? How do we deal with that? The more modern translations of the King James. Well all of them are right. That is because this is a very strange word. This is very strange language in the original and is found nowhere else in the scripture. In the original this word actually means quit acting childish and act manly. It means quit behaving as a child and act like a man. Albert Barnes says it means to render one manly or brave to show oneself a man. That is not to be a coward or timid or alarmed at enemies but be bold and brave.

Warren Wiersby says this was a call to courageous manliness at an hour when mature leadership was needed. I will add to what Barnes says by saying this means to render one manly or brave in spiritual matters. To show oneself a man in spiritual things. This is a call to leave spiritual cowardliness, spiritual timidity, spiritual childlessness behind and not to be alarmed at the spiritual enemies that are before us. I would add to what Wiersby says here by saying this was and is a call to courageous spiritual manliness at an hour when mature spiritual manliness and leadership is certainly needed.

So Paul was calling them to quit acting like children, babies and act like men of God in these things. And we need to see how this command related clearly related to the Corinthian believers especially these men. Actually this was a command that Paul had given them more than once earlier in the letter. Chapter 3 verse 1 Paul said to them but I brothers could not address you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh as infants in Christ. And then in chapter 4 verse 20 Paul said brothers do not be children in your thinking be infants and evil but in your thinking be mature. So this is the point here.

These Corinthian Christians and especially the men of the church they were very immature spiritually. Men were spiritually babies at worst or children at best. So what does Paul do? He called them out. He called them out hard. Think about it. If you look at a grown man and call him a baby or a child you may offend them. But he told them that they were not spiritual but of the flesh and he called them babies in Christ childish in their thinking. And he called the men of the church to man up and to be mature men of God in their thinking and in their living. And if you think about it this could have been and probably was insulting.

And look men it's not enough for our wives to be spiritually mature and growing in their faith. Oh we want that but it's not enough for our wives to be spiritually mature and growing in their faith. As men of God in the church we must be the most spiritually mature in the building. We must be the most spiritually mature in our home in our families in all of the church. Too many churches relegate the spiritual maturity to the ladies of the church but that is not God's way. Now I don't want to brag too much.

But I think a mark of spiritual maturity among our men is the fact that so many of our men help and volunteer and teach to teach our children. Think about that. On Sunday nights there's a lot of men that are helping teach our children. And what I'm aiming at is this. Many men just relegate those things to the ladies of the church. Obviously our women do teach our children. God bless when I see men volunteer and step up to help teach our children. But look men we must lead out. We must lead out in small groups. Men are you leading out in studying your lesson? Are you leading out in leading your wife in the lessons?

We must lead out in Sunday mornings. Are you getting your family up early men? Are you getting your family ready? Are you coming attentive? Are you getting the rest on Saturday you need so you can be attentive on Sunday? Are you leading out in Wednesday nights as you can? What I'm aiming at is this and all that we do in the life of the church, men you must lead. So we must act like men not like boys in all matters of life in the home and especially in spiritual matters. And then Paul says number four be strengthened. Number four be strengthened. Comes right out of the verse. Be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong.

Now all the translations say the same thing but the verb tense adds some to the meaning here. This be strong is in the passive voice and understanding this really helps us see what Paul was and is saying. This word in the original it speaks of an inner spiritual strength. Robert Barnes says this means to be firm, fixed and steadfast and he references Ephesians 6.10 which says be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. But the tense of the verb gives us the true meaning here. This literally means be strengthened not be strong. And that is because a believer cannot strengthen themselves only God can strengthen the believer.

Now here we need to see how this relates to the Corinthians and the Corinthian men. And if we have paid attention to the message we know it is obvious most of the Corinthian Christians especially the men were the opposite of spiritual strength and being strengthened in the Lord. In chapter three verse one Paul says they were infants in Christ and infants in their faith and not strong in the Lord. In chapter 14 Paul says they were children in their thinking and in their faith and children in their faith and not strong in the Lord. So the Corinthian Christians especially the men were not strong but the opposite.

And at worst they were weak babies. At best they were weak children spiritually. So they were not strong and because of all of the sin that was in their lives and in the church they were not allowing the spirit of God to strengthen them. So what does Paul do? He called them to be strengthened. How? By being alert, watchful and vigilant in all these things, by standing firm in the faith, by manning up and acting like mature spiritual men not like babies and doing all these things would cause them to become strong in the Lord.

In Luke church in the life of our church the men of the church should be the strongest spiritually and growing the most in the strength of the Lord. You see? Christ's life men we should be the strongest spiritually in the house and growing the most in the house and in our families and in the strength of the Lord. Men and husbands are you the strongest spiritually in your home? Are you leaning on your wife's spiritual maturity there? Are you the one growing the strongest in the Lord in your home or is it your wife or is it one of your children? So we must act like men, we must be strong. Then Paul says number five, do all these things in love.

Do all these things in love. Now let's read our verses one more time. First Corinthians 16-13, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Again we can't overlook verse 14, let all you do be done in love. Warren Wiersby says, but even manliness needs to be balanced with love, least leadership become dictatorship. Oh let me state that again. Wiersby says, but even manliness needs to be balanced with love. Why? It will become not just leadership but dictatorship. John MacArthur says, love compliments and balances everything else. It is the beautiful softening principle.

It keeps our firmness from becoming hardness and our strength from becoming domineering. It keeps our maturity gentle and considerate. It keeps our right doctrine from becoming obstinate dogmatism and our right living from becoming smug self-righteousness. This command is simple and easy to see. Paul was calling them to the rule of love. The rule of love. Love or charity as the King James says it. Love or charity must be the ruling principle of all that we do. You see? I'm going to need to see this command up against how the Corinthians were living.

Of all of the things the Corinthians were missing and there was a lot, quite a lot, love was at the top of their list. That's why Paul gave them the great love chapter. We know that great love chapter is chapter 13. In verse 13, Paul called them to do all the things he had commanded them in love and out of love. He called them to live out the entire Christian life in love and out of love. On top of all of that, Paul said that if they had all that he taught them, on top of that Paul said if they had all that he had taught them and they lived it all well but they did not have love, they had nothing and they were nothing. So what does Paul do?

He called them to the ruling principle of love. And look church, the ruling principle of love is self-evident. Is self-evident? And when this ruling principle is absent, that is self-evident too. I've used these illustrations before. My wife has an uncle still living. I met him once on her dad's side. He is a legitimate six foot eight. And when I met him, he was 300 pounds of mostly big muscle. And when he walked into the door of her mom's house, nobody had to tell me he was a big man. It was self-evident. I mean he had to duck to get through the door.

Sadly years ago I went to a church with a man who was very prominent in the community, made lots of money, therefore he was very prominent in the church and he was given position in the church. But sadly this man reeked of pride. Nobody liked him because he just smelled of pride. What am I trying to show you? My wife's uncle, his height, his size was self-evident. This man's pride was self-evident. Well love is self-evident. If someone is ruled by the principle of love, you do not have to ask it is self-evident. But let me turn it around. If someone is void of love, that is self-evident too.

So we must act like men, we must do all of these things in love. Now as I move away from the verses, church especially men, I want to call us to do two things and this can be summed up in two words. Anger, jealousy. You might say pastor, anger, jealousy? Yes. Anger and jealousy. Let me explain. First the word anger. I touched on this earlier in the introduction. We should be very angry when we see the world telling us who a man is, what a man is, and how a man should live and act. And especially when we are affected by those things and when we see those things coming into the church.

If we do not already possess a righteous anger here, we may need to ask God the Holy Spirit to cultivate this righteous anger in us. Similarly I think the first step of throwing ourselves into acting like men and learning how to become the man of God that he wants us to be is a righteous anger. Second jealousy. We need a fierce jealousy for how God says we should live and act. When we see these things before us, we need a righteous jealousy that drives us to live and to act like men, men that we see in these verses, you see? Anytime. Anytime we can be jealous of, and there are times we can be jealous of what others have.

We've seen that before. We can even reach out for what others have through our jealousy. But we can also do the very same thing here with Paul's teaching. We can be jealous for what we see here in a good way. Well maybe we need to pray and ask God to cultivate a godly jealousy in us for how we should live as men of God as seen in these verses. Now listen to our verses in the Amplified and then I want to close by a challenge. I like the Amplified. It just takes all that I've been trying to explain and puts it all together. The Amplified says, "Be on guard.

Stand firm in your faith in God, respecting his precepts and keeping your doctrine sound. Act like mature men and be courageous, be strong. Let everything you do be done in love, motivated and inspired by God's love for us." And I would say, "In us." Now in closing, I want to pivot from you men and I want to speak to you ladies. I call on you to pray this week. Pray for your husband, pray for our men, pray for us. Ladies, if your husband's not signed up, I ask you to get them signed up. Twist their arm. Pray for our men, pray for your husband. Get your husband there.

We're going to have great Christian fellowship, great food, but we're going to be taught the Word of God now. But ladies, please pray that God would work in a great way so that we can become and continue to become the Christian men that God wants us to be. So the title of the message, "Act Like Men." It's right out of the verse. Act like men.