Masculine Mandate Ch 12-13

In the last two chapters of the book Phillips looks at men in the church and men in as servants of the Lord. Both chapters are soldily grounded in the bible and draw out helpful principles for practical application.

Phillips is very strong on encouraging men to lead in the church, and while I would not agree with his contention that the deaconate is masculine, though this is not the place to side track onto such issues. The overall tone and call of the chapter for men to aspire to the 1 Timothy 3 model of living is much needed, as is his contention that men must work hard at understanding and teaching the word of God to their families, as well as in their churches.

Helpful he also points out that men are called to guard, or keep, the church. In the face of creeping secular trends which will destroy the church and individual believers if they permeate God's people, men must stand up and fight to preserve the church, doctrine and practice. Phillips also addresses another concern that is often raised by those overly anxious about giving too much emphasis to male headship and leadership. He contends that a strong masculine church will also be a strong church for the display and fruitfulness of godly femininity. In other words what women want is men on fire for God, and those men will lovingly guard and cultivate a church culture where women are free to use their gifts and display feminine godliness in all its glory liberated from trying to fill gaps where men have abdicated.

The final chapter is in many ways the most pertinent as it focuses on the call to humble service of Christ where he has called us ans gifted us to serve. Phillips is not afraid to poke at and expose the masculine heart for the nest of envy and pride it is, seen often in our desire for fruitful ministry, or success in worldly terms that gains us status. Having exposed that hornets nest he lovingly examines examples such as John the Baptist, calling men to serve Christ in humility with eyes fixed on Christ's glory and hearing that great 'Well done!' from him on the final day. The masculine mandate is fulfilled when men said to their Lord and Saviour here I am, your servant, help me be faithful to your call by your grace.

The final section of the book provides a couple of questions for reflection for each chapter, some are good some are less helpful. What I feel the book is crying out for is a companion study guide which examine in greater detail the passages each chapter examines to mine its principles from. It would make this book so much more useful with men in our churches. As it is the big question is how do I get this book into the hands of men in our churches, and how do we get them together to discuss it, examine what it says about scripture and apply it to our lives?

Masculine Mandate Ch11

In Chapter 11 Phillips turns to the topic of men and friendship, specifically friendship between Christian men. He takes David and Jonathan as the biblical pattern and explores Jonathan's commitment to David and how he strengthens David's hand in God - in other words Jonathan exhorts and encourages David to faithfulness by reminding him of the character and glory of God. This is the sort of friendship we ought to be building and which will bear life long fruit.

It is a short chapter which is a pit because I think that this area of friendship amongst men that is committed to speaking God's word into one another's lives is increasingly a rarity in our churches. I would love to have seen Phillips draw this out a little more in terms of how we help each other fight sin, how we establish accountability with one another, and how we go about building these friendships.

However what he has to say is a breath of fresh air especially in terms of the way he approaches the friendship of David and Jonathan.

Masculine Mandate Chapter 10

In Chapter Phillips turns to look at the other roll of the father alongside that of discipling, discipline. There is much to commend this chapter - its call on men to discipline their children, its reminder that discipline is loving and we must mirror our heavenly fathers dealings with his children in our dealings with ours, its call to prayer dependence on our Father as we parent. Its call on men not to abdicate discipline to our wives when we are there. The solemn warning in looking at David's fractured and fractious children and the summary statement from 1 Kings 1:6 "His Father had never rebuked him by asking, 'Why do you behave as you do?" and its subsequent results is a warning we need in a culture that looks disapprovingly on discipline.

However, I have grave misgivings about Phillips emphasis on physical punishment of children - i.e. smacking. Using Proverbs 23:13-14, 29:15, and 13:14 as his grounds Phillips argues that we must not spare the rod, but use it to lovingly discipline our children. He asserts that it must be done in a controlled and highly intentional manner, within the bounds of a loving relationship.

I have to say that I struggled with this emphasis - is the proverbs material commanding us to use physical punishment on our children or is it directing us to discipline them. Is the rod literal or like many of the images in proverbs a picture to help us see a principle?

Masculine Mandate

I've slowed down in my reading what with the Yorkshire Evangelical Ministry assembly and some other bits and pieces. However, I've read chapter 9 and will finish 10 tomorrow.

Chapter 9 turns to the business of Fatherhood and particularly the need for Father's to be disciplining their children, keeping them from the influences of sin and seeking to win their hearts and lead them to Christ. A really helpful distinction is drawn between seeking good behaviour and seeking our children's hearts. (Prov 4:23) Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." How often do I, do we, aim for our child's hearts?

How do we aim for the hearts of our children? It is by giving them our hearts in dedication, love, patience, grace and mercy. Phillips then gives four ways to reach a child's heart; 1. Read - leading the family in devotions. 2. Pray - we need to pray for them , let them hear us pray and ask them to pray for us. 3. Work - work with them on schoolwork and chores. 4. Play - take an interest and involve myself in what they love, as well as sharing with them what we love to do.

All this plays out in time committed to our children. It is a good chapter and the focus on winning your child's heart is particularly helpful. One thing I would have loved to have had drawn out a little more is the difference in the way we do that as children grow and change. How is it different with a toddler than a 5-10 year old, and what about with a teenager?

Masculine Mandate Chapter 8

Chapter 8 continues to look at men and marriage and how the mandate to work and keep is fleshed out here. Phillips begins by establishing the biblical weight for man's authority and responsibility to lead in the home, though not done extensively to convince those who questions such a premise it is a useful reminder.

Helpfully he moves on to explore 2 passages in the New Testament which focus on marriage; Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3. I found his emphasis on Paul's' command to believing husbands to "love your wives" helpful. A failure to do this is the root of problems - if we love our wives we will sacrificially lead them, to edify and encourage them, to build up her faith and hope in Christ. The believing husbands responsibility is to minister the gospels promises to his wife for her encouragement.

He then explores 1 Peter 3 drawing out 3 commands: live with your wife - not just in the same house, but in community with her. Pay attention to your wife - live with your wife according to knowledge - know what her dreams, fears, frustrations are, know what her day holds. And lastly show her honour - cherish her and show her that you cherish her (I gruff 'she knows' isn't good enough).

But I thought the best part of the chapter came near the end as he explores the 'keep' side of our mandate as it relates to marriage. We are to protect our wives as Christ gave himself for the church. That is not rocker science but I found his application of that a real help - we are to keep our wives safe even from ourselves and our own sin. He gives this quote "I came to realise the man I needed to kill in order to protect my wife is myself as a sinner." We must protect our wives from our own sinful heart that reveals itself in verbal abuse, anger, blaming her rather than taking responsibility, scorn and so on.

It is a chapter that I will be recommending to any future couples in marriage prep.

Masculine Mandate chs 5-7

I'm some way ahead in my reading than in my reviewing, so I'm going to catch up by reviewing chapters 5,6 and 7 in one go.

Chapter 5 explores man's calling to be shepherd leader - to direct his attention and passion into caring foe those placed under his care. He rightly diagnoses a suspicion and hostility towards leadership in our culture and which overflows into our churches. However, he contends that the bibles shepherd leader model exemplified in the person of Jesus Christ answers the two causes of that skepticism, namely - too high a value on independence and observed bad or abusive leadership.

Phillips then shows how the primary tool of the Shepherd leader is knowledge of the word of God, because that is from what he derives his authority. Such a call is again one that we sorely need today. Seeing such self sacrificial, God centred, leadership will enable those who long to be led by are skeptical to willingly submit to shepherd leadership for their good and God's glory.

Chapter 5 ends part of one of the book in which Phillips seeks to lay down the theological foundations on which his teaching and practical instruction is based.

Chapter 6 marks the beginning of the second part of the book which looks at practical implications of the theology. It looks at Marriage and God's astonishing design for it. I want to say at the start that I found this chapter both interesting and provocative. I am not sure about his emphasis on the need for man to be married is balanced. His teaching from Gen 2 that it was not good for man to be alone is great, however, he goes on to say that 'unless you have the gift Paul referred to (1 Cor 7:7), it is imperative for your well-being that you be married, to move beyond the "not good" status of single adulthood.' I think there is more to be said on the singleness issue than is conveyed here, and for many men who long to find a wife and feel singularly un-gifted as Paul was I worry about the damage this could do.

However, that caveat aside this is a fantastic chapter, exploring the wonder of God's creation of a helper for Adam with all that entails in terms of fulfilling our mandate, whilst also containing insightful challenges to men. He rightly discerns the spirit of the age when he calls young Christian men to stop depriving themselves of God's provision for their physical, emotional and sexual needs so that they can remain immature and self-absorbed. He also explores the agape love which Ephesians 5 calls husbands to.

Chapter 7 then explores marriage cursed and redeemed, marriage is so good in God's design in Genesis 2 that it is the first thing Satan attacks in Genesis 3. And the consequences if the fall and God's judgement are explored for both men, women and marriage. Men now, like Adam, find it easier to blame their wives, and because of our mandate and the curses effect on work we now struggle with a devotion to work which draws us away from our wives. (How many marriage counselling sessions, or death beds has that been confessed in/on). For woman as well the implications of the curse are that they are gripped by an unwholesome desire to possess and control a man - fascinatingly he work this out in terms of it being visible in the emphasis on how you look so that you can attract /keep a man seen in women's magazines. Overall sin makes marriage and intimacy and serving together hard.

But don't despair because the chapter ends with a reminder our failings here are to drive us to our knees in search of God's grace and forgiveness and that in Christ we are free through God's redeeming grace to love our wives and fulfil God's plan for marriage.

I have found the two chapters on marriage to be compelling reading. They have made me think about myself, my driven nature as regards work, and how my redemption should change that and affect my marriage.

Masculine Mandate Chapter 4

Chapter 4 moves on to explore Man in the image of God, and our calling as Christian men to bear that image before a watching world. In Christ we are once again made children of God to fulfil role God gave to Adam as a rational and spiritual being who is God's regent for his glory.

There is one quotation which perhaps best sums up this chapter: "The single greatest issue of our lives is: revealing the glory of God to a sin darkened world so that he will be praised and lost sinners will be saved by coming to know the Lord."

He goes on to practically flesh this ought exhorting men to devote ourselves to strengthening our faith so that we can then strengthen others, serve in church, spiritually bless and encourage people and so on. We strengthen ourselves by making use of those things God has given us to that end: his word, prayer and the sacraments. So that we become more conformed to his image.

My one reservation is that I would like there to have been a greater emphasis on relationships - having stressed that man is to cultivate relationships in chapter 2 it is curiously missing from this chapter. Development of the strengthening of and by others would have been helpful, God gives us each other and the church to encourage one another, to work the gospel into one another's lives. Nevertheless it is still a chapter with much to challenge us.

Masculine Mandate Chapter 3

Chapter three explored man's sacred call to work, it looks at the frustrations of fulfilling our mandate in the world as it is post fall with all the complications and limitations sin brings. However, helpful Phillips maintains that work is good, pointing out that in the parables of the mina's and talents the reward is more opportunity to serve the master.

The most helpful part of the chapter is that exploring how we distinctively evaluate our work as Christians. He gives us a number of questions we ought to be asking; does it glorify God, does it benefit our fellow man, will it provide for our material needs, does it enable me to enjoy a godly balanced life?

He also challenges the assumed drive for prosperity which we absorb as part of a western culture. He encourages Christian men to ask if our lifestyle is realistic if our job doesn't enable us to meet our needs and give.

Throughout the chapter he asks the question can we glorify God in and through our work whatever it may be as we work with integrity. Because ultimately we work for an audience of one - God.

It is another good and helpful chapter, though I was left thinking what about the person who is currently unemployed because of ill health or the state of the economy. A section applying this truth to those situations would have been very helpful. It is, however, a chapter we sorely need to hear in our work, promotion, wealth creation consumed culture.

Masculine Mandate Chapter 2

Phillips premise for this chapetr is that man in made to work and protect; we are to devote ourselves to working and building on the one hand and keeping/protecting on the other as we fulfil our mandate. Helpfully his emphasis is on our life dedicated to accomplishing things, but it is on wanting to yield more than just money or possessions or comfort for ourselves or our families.

Phillips further develops this by looking at the call for us to be cultivators as not just being cultivators of the soil but also of relationships, men are called to cultivate and tend to the hearts of those given into our charge. This fits with his emphasis on men's protective mandate as a call to mirror God and take care of, or keep, those under our care. God has given men the primary calling of emotional and spiritual nurture, and yet many of us fail to do it well - is one of his cutting observations.

The most challenging part of the chapter is that looking at what it means to be a truly great man. His contention is that truly great men are servants who give themselves to a worthy cause and leaders who stand for what is right. That deeply challenges our own shallow views of greatness adopted and moulded by the media.

The thing that particularly stands out so far in the book is the emphasis on man's relational responsibilities - cave time hasn't yet had a mention, it also deeply challenges the premise of Wild at Heart. Yet it is exactly this emphasis that many of us have abdicated in our homes, churches and society, we are so busy doing that we have little time to cultivate, or tenderly care for those whose well being we are charged with.

The Masculine Mandate

In Chapter 1 Phillips focuses on man in the garden, he points out that in the New Testament teaching about relationships, gender, masculinity and femininity are all based on Genesis 1-2, it is there he goes to ground his teaching on the Masculine Mandate. In the chapter he seeks to answer a number of questions who, where, and what man is, and how is man to fulfil his mandate. His conclusion and summary is that man is made by God for his glory and mandated to work and keep.

What particular strikes me in this chapter is that he takes on the notions of John Eldridge's Wild at Heart, a book which I know many men have read but which short circuits the Genesis 1-2 mandate. Man is not outside the garden in the wilderness at Eldridge contends but God put man into the garden, so he was created for covenantal relationships and duties and to fulfil his mandate in that context.

Phillips includes testimonies of men converted and seeking to live out their mandate and challenges much modern Christian thinking on what it means to be a Christian man. I'm looking forward to ch2 where he examines in more detail man's calling to work and keep.

The Masculine Mandate

I started reading this book by Richard Phillips this morning, it is a book I have been looking forward to reading as one of the big questions for men coming to faith is what does Chriatian manhood look like. The secular world's impression of the church is that it is old and feminised thus such a book is timely.

Having read the foreword (by Jerry Bridges) and the preface I think British culture is in this area tragically ahead of the US. Phillips fear is that men in churches do not know what the biblical mandate for men is, largely because secular teaching, the media and a lack of masculine role models in the church and the home has left men untaught and unsure. If this is the case increasingly in the States it has tragically been the case in Britain for over a decade and it is a trend that is gathering momentum. Men need to be taught what the bibles mandate is for men, what it means to be godly and be a man.

But it got me thinking in what context would you teach this? It is a significant issue for the church so would Sunday mornings be a good idea? What about in home groups? Or a series of men's breakfasts where we looked at this issue?

I'm hoping as I read the book to be practically challenged to change but also enabled to work out the best context in which to teach this material to others. I'm convinced this has been a problem for some time and may be one of the most pressing facing the gospel in the UK, both in terms of how we reach men, how we live as men and how we raise boys in our churches.

The Masculine Mandate

This book was reviewed in this months briefing and I can't wait to get it, I was hoping to order it in bulk for church but haven't been able to yet, however Amazon have it available now and it is in my astore link.

Richard Phillips the author says that, “Rather than following the American stereotype of cold, macho masculinity, Christian men should seek to grow in their ability genuinely to bless others.” He points to this mandate in Genesis 2, which "shows that God created man for a purpose. God ordained that Adam would bear His image both in his person and in his work, and God put Adam in the world to work it and keep it—to be a cultivator and a protector.”

Men today, like Adam, are called to “work” and “keep.” “God put Adam in the garden ‘to work it and keep it’ and the only difference between Adam’s calling and ours lies in the details of how we seek to fulfill it.”

Phillips concentrates on five: employment, marriage, children, friends, and the church. I'm ordering my copy today and I'll be reviewing it in the coming weeks, it has however, been tagged by some as the best book on Christian manhood.

Questions for Father's Day

I've used these here before but with Father's Day on Sunday they are good things to be thinking about. In our churches we need to ask men great questions, not just give them easy answers, we need to address the questions that men are asking in our preaching, here are some suggested questions:

1. What does becoming a Christian mean for my masculinity?
2. What is Biblical manliness?
3. What does biblical holiness look like for men today?
4. What is success?
5. How do I deal with guilt feelings?
6. What is male sexuality? Is purity possible for the modern man?
7. How can we nurture family life?
8. What is Christian leadership? How is it developed?
9. What are the basic disciplines of the Christian man?
10. What ministry skills need to be developed? How? Will the church do it?
11. What is biblical business conduct?
12. What is integrity? How is it developed?
13. What does it mean to be married for God?

Men follow men. Its fascinating working through Luke 9 and 10 as Jesus teaches his disciples how many of these issues come up and are addressed again and again.

Biblical Masculinity

Some time ago I reviewed 'Why men hate going to Church', today over at John Pipers Desiring God Blog link: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/882_valuing_biblical_manhood/ they have just posted a great outline of his talk on Biblical masculinity. It is well worth reading and thinking about for men, women and churches.