{"id":8871,"date":"2022-03-21T08:00:15","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T13:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=8871"},"modified":"2022-02-18T11:16:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T17:16:26","slug":"men-of-god-arise-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2022\/03\/21\/men-of-god-arise-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Men of God Arise Together"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Biblical masculinity has come under assault as never before in our lifetime, fostering enormous confusion regarding a man\u2019s role and responsibility in the 21st Century. God is not confused about a man\u2019s identity or assignment on the earth. His anointed word summons men to step into their prophetic destiny as men of God who reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously, and invest eternally.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

God has not called men to be lone rangers. Instead, He calls men of God to arise together as a band of brothers from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5:7-14 to walk in the light as authentic Christ-followers who reflect the light and life of Christ in this dark world. Paul encourages us with two directives followed by a declaration of God\u2019s covenant promise.\u00a0\u00a0 Quoting from Isaiah, Paul says,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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\u201cAwake, you who sleep,<\/strong>
\nArise from the dead,
\nAnd Christ will give you light.\u201d<\/strong>2<\/sup><\/h6>\n
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The directive is twofold. First, Paul says, \u201cAwake, you who sleep.\u201d Ninety percent of men in the United States say they believe in God. Five out of six call themselves Christians, yet only one out of six attend church on a Sunday. Only one out of four married women will have their husband next to them this Sunday.3<\/sup>\u00a0 Hence, the great need of the day is for men to awaken from the stupor of sin and the slumber of slothfulness echoed in the words of Joel 3:9 (NKJV), \u201cWake up the mighty men.\u201d<\/p>\n

Men have been abdicating their God-given role and responsibility since the Garden of Eden, when Adam, the first man, fell into passivity, disregarded responsibility, abandoned his post, and sought an earthly reward. That\u2019s the bad news. The good news is that Christ, the perfect man, rejected passivity, accepted responsibility, led courageously, and expected God\u2019s reward.4<\/sup>\u00a0 Jesus said, \u201cI am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life\u201d (John 8:12, NKJV).<\/p>\n

Second, Paul says, \u201cArise from the dead.\u201d \u00a0It is a call not only to awaken from the stupor of sin but to arise from the slumber of slothfulness into a life energized by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the call Jesus gave to Lazarus in John 11:43 (NKJV), \u201cLazarus, come forth!\u201d\u00a0 Lazarus had no appetite, no aspirations, no activity, no awareness, and no ability. He was dead! But Jesus, the resurrection, and the life summoned him from death and darkness into life and light. Indeed, Jesus will do the same for men today who hear His voice calling them to the life He has fully intended every man live for the glory of God and the good of others.<\/p>\n

Hence, Paul\u2019s twofold directive is followed by a declaration of covenant promise. He says, \u201cAnd Christ will give you light.\u201d\u00a0 The source from which Paul quoted seems to have been an early Christian poem or hymn based on Isaiah 60:1 (NKJV), \u201cArise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.\u201d5<\/sup>\u00a0 Walking and living in the light is not a matter of self-motivation. Instead, it is a response to the light and life of \u201cChrist in you, the hope of glory\u201d (Colossians 1:27, NKJV).<\/p>\n

John 11:44 (NKJV) says, \u201cHe [Lazarus] who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, \u2018Loose him, and let him go.\u2019\u201d Lazarus was alive! Jesus said, \u201cI am the life\u201d (John 14:6c, NKJV). He is \u201cthe true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world\u201d (John 1:9, NKJV). Jesus is the source of life and light. He is the one who raises men from the dead and shines the light of His glory upon them. However, He gave two instructions to those who witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said, \u201cTake away the stone\u201d (John 11:39, NKJV), and \u201cLoose him, and let him go\u201d (John 11:44, NKJV).<\/p>\n

We have a responsibility to remove stumbling blocks and obstacles from the path of others who have yet to step into the light, are struggling with matters of faith (Romans 14:13), or are overcome by some sin (Galatians 6:1). Furthermore, when a man answers the call of Christ to awaken and arise, we have a mutual responsibility to \u201cloose him, and let him go.\u201d We are to \u201cunwrap the saints\u201d like \u201ciron sharpening iron\u201d (Proverbs 27:17), mentoring them in those \u201cthings that many reliable witnesses have confirmed\u201d (2 Timothy 2:2, NLT).<\/p>\n

An ancient African proverb says, \u201cIf you want to get somewhere fast, go alone. If you want to go the distance, take a team.\u201d6<\/sup>\u00a0 Our theme in 2022 is \u201cMen of God Arise Together,\u201d reminding us the journey of becoming like Jesus is not a solo venture. It is a race we are running together. If we go the distance, we need each other more than ever! So, let us arise together as men of God who reflect the light and life of Christ in our witness, in our word, in our walk, in our worship, in our warfare, and in our work for the glory of God!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Oh, men of God arise<\/h6>\n
Awake from slumber's night<\/h6>\n
Shake off sin's drowsiness<\/h6>\n
And rouse yourself to fight<\/h6>\n
Run from vain this distraction<\/h6>\n
Keep your vision clear<\/h6>\n
Cast out all fleshly stowaways<\/h6>\n
Refuse to harbor fear<\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n
Lift up the cup of holiness<\/h6>\n
Drink long and take your fill<\/h6>\n
Oh, men of God arise<\/h6>\n
To carry out to carry out God's will<\/h6>\n
Oh, men of God arise<\/h6>\n
Take up your sword and shield<\/h6>\n
Your foe has no defense<\/h6>\n
Against the power they wield<\/h6>\n
Christ has gained the victory<\/h6>\n
The outcome is assured<\/h6>\n
Satan is defeated<\/h6>\n
By the power of God's word<\/h6>\n
<\/h6>\n
Lift up the cup of holiness<\/h6>\n
Drink long and take your fill<\/h6>\n
Oh, men of God arise<\/h6>\n
To carry out to carry out God's will.7<\/sup><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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1<\/sup>Robert Lewis, Men\u2019s Fraternity:\u00a0 The Quest for Authentic Manhood,<\/em> Lifeway, 2005<\/p>\n

2<\/sup>Ephesians 5:14, Isaiah 60:1, Holy Bible<\/em>, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, 1982<\/p>\n

3<\/sup>Barna Research Online, Women are the Backbone of Christian Congregations in America<\/em>, 6 March 2000, www.barna.org<\/a><\/p>\n

4<\/sup>Robert Lewis, Men\u2019s Fraternity:\u00a0 The Quest for Authentic Manhood,<\/em> Lifeway, 2005<\/p>\n

5<\/sup>A. Skevington Wood, The Expositor\u2019s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon<\/em>, Zondervan, 1978<\/p>\n

6<\/sup>Emeka Chigozie, African Quotes:\u00a0 108 Popular African Sayings that Will Get You Thinking<\/em>, AnswersAfrica<\/p>\n

7<\/sup>Steve Green, Oh Men of God, Arise<\/em>, The Letter, Label Sparrow Records, 1996<\/p>\n

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The Rev. Mr. W. A. Mills, Jr. served for 32 years as a pastor in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, including 12 years in North Carolina and 21 years in Buena Vista, Virginia. W. A. has preached in camp meetings, revivals, men\u2019s conferences, and pastors\u2019 conferences within and outside the IPHC. He is as a member of the Appalachian Conference where he served one term as an executive council member. W. A. serves as vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees of Holmes Bible College in Greenville, SC.<\/p>\n

Having served 12 years on the General Men\u2019s Ministries Board, prior to his appointment as General Director of Men\u2019s Ministries in February 2018, W. A. assumed office on July 1, 2018 following the retirement of Rev. Bill C. Terry. He now makes his home in Oklahoma City. W. A.\u2019s passion is to lead men in becoming authentic men who in the words of Robert Lewis, \u201creject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously, and expect the greater reward, God\u2019s reward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":8879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1,15],"tags":[1458,1404,16,1031,1462,298,1457,1097],"class_list":{"0":"post-8871","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-discipleship-ministries","8":"category-general","9":"category-mens-ministries","10":"tag-1458","11":"tag-article","12":"tag-discipleship","13":"tag-discipleship-ministries","14":"tag-men-of-god-arise-together","15":"tag-mens-ministry","16":"tag-q1","17":"tag-wa-mills","18":"entry"},"title_es":"","content_es":"","author_name":"W.A. Mills","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/02\/MM-2022-Q1-Article-Graphic.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-2j5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}