Summoned By Jesus

When the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said “I didn’t make covenants with women”, it was confusing and somewhat irritating. After all, my mother had been an international evangelist. A wonderful woman of God, who walked an unbelievable walk of faith. She had traveled around the world 30 times on faith without having savings or any regular income stream. (But those stories are for another time.) And also my wonderful wife Renee. A saint. Quiet, deep, loving. She was unique and special. She loved the Lord and his Word.

So this message was a challenge for me to try to grasp. I asked the Lord what are you trying to say? The Holy Spirit led me again… I didn’t create woman first. I didn’t make covenants with women. All my Tabernacle and Temple priests were men. I didn’t have a daughter, I had a Son. And His first chosen 12 disciples were all men. The Holy Spirit was showing me that it is about the ‘role’ of men. Our calling as men. And it begins in the garden of Eden.

In the beginning, God created the Earth and all living things. Then he created man. He created a garden and put man in the garden. He said tend the garden. God’s first gift to man was work. His next gift to men was the abundance from the garden and said you may eat of anything in the garden, but the only thing you may not do is eat from the tree in the center of the garden. So, before there was a woman, there was created man…who was designated to follow God and to work, or tend, the garden. After that, God created a helpmate for man. A woman. And the definition of helpmate in Hebrew is “an equal partner.” But she would have a different role than man. Male and female He created them…and they would become one, and He said be fruitful and multiply. It takes two. A male and a female. Each with different roles.

Of course, at this point Satan enters the picture. He tempts Eve. She eats of the fruit and offers it to Adam. What should Adam have done? He should have obeyed God. He should have said lovingly to Eve, no, we can not eat the fruit, God forbids it. Being priestlike. So, by the sin of one man, sin enters the Earth. Not woman, but man. And I would suggest to you that all of the current ills of our society relate to man’s failure to fully embrace God’s instructions and to be obedient. Racism, sexism, feminism, any ISM you want to mention…there’s a saying in Christian circles that “a curse without a cause cannot light.” Men have been ‘asleep at the switch’ and allowed root causes of problems to fester and evolve. If men had been responsive unto God, as we should have been, we would not have all the great problems (curses) we face today.

And the world continues to tell us (we men) what we should do and how to live. We are told to be a macho man. We are told that by our strength and cunning we can conquer anything. We can overcome evil. (In essence we don’t need God.) And that women are, or should be, subservient to us.

So, I ask the question…”what is the difference between worldly machoism and spiritual manliness?” This is a question, thought and concept that needs searching and clarification. If we truly have made Jesus Lord of our lives, then the question is how should we live?

Well, we know the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy. He will tell us 10 truths to make us believe one lie. And there is much about worldly machoism that is appealing to men and women. It is not wrong for men to be strong. It is good to be brave, courageous, steadfast, dependable, resourceful, protective and productive. But it is not good to be prideful, arrogant, haughty, lie, cheat, kill, and steal (etc).

Isaiah told us (9:6) that Christ is coming and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. All male terms. But I challenge you to try to blend ‘Mighty God’ with ‘Prince of Peace’, Everlasting Father, and/or Wonderful Counselor. It doesn’t fit into the world’s definition of a macho man.

God wants men to be something more and greater. He wants us to be Christlike. He wants us to have fruits of the Spirit. He wants us to be priests of our home. He wants us to “tend the garden” (work, oversee and provide), while being obedient to God…offering love and protection to our spouse, our family, and “the garden” He has given us…