Mission Focused Men for Christ

Episode Summary. Have you ever wondered, “Why is life so difficult? Why is it such a struggle? Why am I tired all the time? Why do so many things go wrong? Why is it that when I try to accomplish something for God it's never easy?” This episode is for those who are finding that pleasing Jesus with your life is hard, full of resistance, and sometimes generates so much discouragement that you feel like not even trying any more.

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Episode Summary. There are few men portrayed in Scripture who had more lasting success leading than Nehemiah. In fact, the success of some, like Saul and Solomon, led to their demise, as power often does. In fact, a case could be made that the adversity Nehemiah had just come through in the last chapter is less of a threat to many leaders than success. As Scottish essayist and historian, Thomas Carlyle, once declared, “Adversity is hard on a man; but for every one man who can withstand prosperity there are a hundred that will withstand adversity.” In Nehe...

Episode Summary. Confrontation. It’s the least enjoyable part of leadership, but absolutely essential for effectiveness for any husband, father, coach, or team leader in business or the church. Today, we look into Nehemiah 5, where Nehemiah puts on a “clinic in wise confrontation” from which leaders can learn much. 

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Episode Summary. Today, in our study of Nehemiah we encounter a group of people whom the world has gotten down, who feel rotten, who were probably too doggone tired to pray, and were probably plenty mad. It is Nehemiah's ragtag band of Israelites who had taken on the huge task of rebuilding the city wall. They have successfully resisted opposition enough to get the wall to half its necessary height. But discouragement sets in. This episode shows how Nehemiah overcame the discouragement of his people.  

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Episode Summary. One of the greatest Christians who ever lived was honest enough to admit how difficult life can sometimes be. In the most biographical of his writings, the apostle Paul wrote, “We are hard pressed on every side. We are perplexed and persecuted. We experience troubles, hardships, and distresses…. We are knocked down but we are not knocked out.” The fourth chapter of Nehemiah reports how he and the residents of Jerusalem faced this same level of opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall and how they pushed through it. 

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Episode Summary. Few of us think we have the gifts to be a great leader; yet every married man has been assigned to the leadership role in his marriage. As Paul said “the head of a wife is her husband” (1 Cor 11:13). And of course we are assigned to lead our children as fathers. 

One of the biggest challenges for all leaders is motivating our followers to move in the direction we want them to go. Dwight Eisenhower, once said, “Leadership is the ability to get a person to do what you want him to do...

Episode Summary. God wants husbands and wives to drink deeply and frequently of the refreshing waters of their partner’s sexuality. But most of us whose marriages have lasted beyond the honeymoon stage have found that sustaining romantic and sexual passion has been a lot harder than we ever thought it would be, especially because our wives are NOT wired the way WE are. This episode looks for biblical clues to understanding how and why a woman’s view of romance and sex is so different than her husband’s.

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Episode Summary 

How would you like to receive a letter that began, "As I met with God this morning, I was moved to tell God how deeply grateful I am to him for your influence in my life. As I look back over the years, I realized that it has been your life that has most influenced me to follow Christ. You always seemed to be available when I needed you. You understood my problems. You had just the encouraging ear I needed. I could always go to you when I was hurting inside because I...

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There is no ambiguity about what Jesus told us was to consume our lives as our top priority. He says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” The Greek verb “to seek” means, to strive after, to desire. It is the opposite of being lackadaisical, indifferent, or nonchalant. It is pursuit that is self-motivated, intentional and passionate. The word “first” indicates that Jesus is telling us to make this pursuit the all-consuming top priority of our lives. In context, this verse is about being preoccupied. We are to be pre-occupied with spreading

Episode Summary Teddy Roosevelt, our nation's 26th president was a hard charging leader. An ardent admirer once exclaimed to him, “Mr. Roosevelt, you are a great man.” In characteristic honesty he replied, “No. Teddy Roosevelt is simply a plain, ordinary man—highly motivated.” It is safe to say that his answer describes most great leaders, plain and ordinary, yet whose hearts had been captured by a compelling mission. Certainly, Nehemiah, the subject of our new series, would say that about himself. Although he would say he was a plain and ordinary man underneath, he emerges as one of...

Episode Summary: Both Solomon, and later the author of the book of Hebrews appeal to the obvious creation principle that they assume everyone knew in their era, loving fathers don’t allow their children to persist in selfish, wrong behavior; they discipline their children out of love for them. In our own day, a weird time in history when cultural voices are denying what every other culture in history has affirmed—that there are differences between fathers and mothers—it seems necessary examine this creation principle of fatherhood. It is also important because, today...

Summary: As we return to our pre-Christmas study of I Timothy, we come to chapter three, where Paul lays out the qualifications to serve as an elder in the church. In doing so, he gives us a portrait of not only the character required for spiritual leadership, but of leadership that even the secular world acknowledges attracts followers.   

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Episode Summary: One of the habits of Jesus that is often overlooked, but extremely powerful is his habit of regularly withdrawing to a secluded place to intercede for his loved ones. This episode investigates the biblical evidence for believing Satan cannot stand against prayer made in Jesus’ name for the growth of kingdom righteousness in our own hearts and over the earth.  

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Episode Summary. If you are disheartened, battered, discouraged or weary from fighting the good fight because of all the heartache and spiritual bruising my hope is that this episode will give such a clear picture of the colossal triumph of Messiah Jesus—and our part in that victory, that in some small way the pain is lessened, because we GRASP the ENORMITY of our WIN. 

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