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Since 2000 Every Man Ministries has been activating men worldwide to live out their truest identity in Christ through its discipleship resources, live events, and steaming platform.
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The Dangerous Good Movement 0:00 I'm like any other person when it comes to the need to see pain, addressed in our culture. I see families in pain, marriages in pain, people in pain, abandonment,0:11 loss, injustice. And when I see those things, I can do something about that. And we read in the gospels before he resurrected and ascended into heaven, Jesus would come to a city, do miracles, and it would be0:23 a witness for a city to see the rule and reign of God, recognize it and respond to it and repent and believe. And then I ask myself, what did Jesus give the city of Jerusalem? Well, he0:35 gave the city of Jerusalem a movement of spirit empowered men.0:41 So I remember getting the phone call from Kenny, and he said, hey, I think the Holy Spirit told me to write this book. I'm like, oh, really? What's it called? He's like, I'm gonna call it dangerous good. I was like,0:52 okay. What does it mean? So, you know, it's when a man can actually be dangerous with goodness. So we're trying to ignite the guys1:03 to really find out who they are in Christ and actually do something about it. Dangerous Good Movement and the Dangerous Good Conferences, they're built so that people will come, they'll learn, and they1:15 will activate. And once you come to a Dangerous Good Conference, this is where we're gonna fuel you up and send you out. And the experience is gonna be nothing short of jaw dropping the second you1:27 enter the building.1:29 The reason a city or community would want to have the Dangerous Good Conference come is not because of the conference itself, even though it is the best thing on the planet that you can bring and provide for men. This1:39 conference is so unique in every dimension. But I think the best thing about especially for local churches, is that they're handed back a group of not only inspired guys, but connected1:51 guys and motivated guys who want to execute on God's purposes with their pastor, but also they wanna go on mission into the community. And isn't that what Jesus said the2:03 local church is all about? And so that's really why we call it the dangerous good city transformation Strategy. Conferences are great. They come, they leave. But this conference actually2:14 provides the connective tissue for men to stay connected and then deploy and be for others. Because we all know intuitively, politics isn't the answer, money isn't the answer, activism is not the2:26 answer, activism is all about reactions, not solutions. But if you can create a movement of men for others that enter big and small spaces of need in your city, now that is a2:38 solution. 1 of the things I appreciate about the Everyman conference as a pastor is that there is not just great story,Fighting for the Family 2:50 great feeling, all that is great, but it's all aiming toward creating a space where the Holy Spirit can change a man's life. And for me, that's3:02 the greatest moment of all. When God's spirit moves and we create space for that man to come and have a moment with God. And just to see the altar3:14 flood and and to see grown men on their knees and on their faces before their maker, making decisions that will change them forever. That for3:25 me is the strongest part about what the dangerous good conference is.3:32 You know, if I could tell the guys anything that are apprehensive about going to something like this. If you're on the fence, if you know, you've never been to a men's conference before, this 1 is for you. You're gonna3:43 leave with so much knowledge. You're gonna leave with a purpose. You're gonna be inspired to just help in every area of your life, whether it's your family, kids, your wife, your community. This is the3:55 conference for you.4:04 1 spirit empowered man changes many things.5:31 I know I still make mistakes. You do have new mercies for me every day because your love never fails.5:43 Listen, miss Lyle. You stay the same.8:09 Make all things work. Every situation that you make.10:01 Ignition sequence starts.10:25 What did Jesus give the city of Jerusalem? He gave the city of Jerusalem a movement of spirit empowered men.13:25 Welcome to the men's global livestream. If this is your first time joining us, we're in a series called fight for the fam, and we're learning some key truths in this series. Number 1, that13:37 family is God's idea. It's God's chosen relationship structure for people, and we're also learning that it's the best place for people to form,13:49 even though families are good and bad, people are flawed, moms and dads have shortcomings, family is God's choice and first community to develop people. And14:00 that's why we're talking about fighting for the family, because those things are true. It means that family is under attack. Families have been under attack since the beginning, of the14:12 family with Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3. And there are forces that are against God's chosen idea for people, God's chosen plan, his creation order.14:24 So we are rising up as men of God who believe in God's priority of the family, to fight for the relationships inside our families and marriages, fight for our children,14:36 fight for the health of the family. And today's focus is gonna be on children. Just some quick factoids about men and children. 80 percent of men right now living14:47 today, who do not have children, want children. 47 percent of men living today have children. Alright? They will have a children, they'll have a child, or14:59 they have children. 70000000 men presently in the US are fathers. Now let's talk about the child side. Did you know that today, 17100000015:12 children are orphans globally? That means they don't have a dad in their life. 42000000 people are sexually trafficked, most15:23 of whom are young girls. And 75 percent of that 42000000 are between the ages of 13 and 20. So what do we learn? Men15:35 desire to have families and have children. Half of most men on the planet will have children. Our connection to children, as we're learning in parts 115:47 and 2, and our proximity to them affects them in such powerful ways and changes the trajectory depending on our connection with children. So what we're going to do is we're15:59 going to get God's mind on children. We're going to adopt his mind on children in faith. We're gonna advance how he thinks into our living,16:11 and then we're gonna apply his truth toward relationships with children right now. So it doesn't matter if you're a brother, an uncle, a father,16:23 or a grandfather. If there are little people, or forming young adults, or teenagers in your life, you really need to listen in. And16:35 so what I want to do is I want to start by adopting God's mind on children. And we see God's mind through Jesus's actions in the gospel. In Matthew 19 verses 1316:47 to 15, it presents a little picture of God's mind through God's man, Jesus, on earth with respect to parents and children. Listen to this16:58 little scenario. 1 day some parents brought their children to Jesus, so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.17:11 But Jesus said, let the children come to me. Don't stop them. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these children.17:23 And he placed his hands on their heads, and blessed them before he left. So what you see is you have parents with children,Imitating Christ in Family Life 17:35 parents plural, alright, moms and dads, they're bringing their children to Jesus, and then there's a type of thinking in the broken male culture of Jesus's time.17:47 And it's in his disciples, and the disciples are like, sorry, no kids. Alright? And then Jesus breaks the rules of the broken male17:58 thinking of his time, and he says, let him come. And so I want to unpack just a few observations, that we get by watching Jesus in action. And by watching Jesus in action, we get God's18:10 mind on families, and parents, and children. And number 1, we need to see that we need to seek God's blessing for children. We see parents seeking God's18:22 blessing for children. Hey, dads. Hey, uncles. Hey, older brothers. Hey, grandpas. You know what your number 1 goal in those roles connected to children18:34 should be? Is to bring children to Jesus. That's what we see modeled here in scripture. We bring children to Jesus. We introduce them to Jesus18:46 so that they can encounter Jesus. Why? Because Jesus likes children, and children like Jesus. What a18:57 contrast to the thinking that was going on with the men around Jesus. And Jesus says that children are dependent, they implicitly19:09 trust, and this is what the kingdom of heaven is like. In fact, that's the basis for the second observation, and it's this. We need connection and contact with children.19:22 Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these children. So, what are children like? Well, children are definitely a couple of things. They're19:33 definitely dependent, right, on their parents, and they implicitly trust. And it takes a certain kind of intuitive and strong19:45 humility and faith and simplicity, to depend and to implicitly trust. And Jesus is saying those dynamics are what the kingdom19:57 of heaven is like and what our relationship is like with God. We can't learn that from adults. We can learn it, Jesus says,20:09 from children. Where children know that like, no matter what, that their dad, their family, their it's gonna take care of them. Alright? That's what they believe at least to start off20:21 with, and that is exactly the mindset. That is exactly the dependence. That is exactly the implicit trust and faith and humility that makes a relationship20:33 with God really work well. The third thing we wanna observe by this little vignette in the Gospels is we need to be taught about God by children. Okay? Kind of flows with that last20:45 point. We need to seek God's blessing for children. We need connection and contact with children. We need to be taught by God about children. I don't know about you, but some of the greatest theological20:57 and deep spiritual truths I have ever learned have come to me from my children. You know, just even having as a father,21:09 a child sitting in the cradle of your your chest. You know, that's a picture of how God cradles us and21:21 loves us, and that connection of father to child and that connection of father to child. Right? Some of the things that have come out of kids mouths. Right? Unfiltered, but true.21:33 They teach us about having an honest relationship with truth. Truth about ourselves, truth about situations, truth about others. You know, before their innocence is spoiled, they're just21:45 truthful. So we need to be taught about life and relationship with God by children. And then last observation, we need to see and welcome and confer blessing on children.21:57 That's the model. So, if you're in contact with any children, and you're a follower of Jesus, if you're God's man, what did Jesus do? He saw children. He welcomed22:09 children. He conferred blessing, on children. That is what Jesus modeled. So, especially for you young dads, if you're looking for a template, just look at22:21 Jesus. And look at, this this picture. And look at these observations, and build your life around that. You can't lose. Look at what the Bible says in Psalm 122:33 27 verses 3 and 4. It says this, children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are22:44 like arrows in a warriors hand. You catch the words gift, reward, and arrow. Right? So what do we think of when we think of gifts? Well, when we receive them, we're happy.22:57 Alright? Someone has thoughtfully given something to us that we don't know what it is. We gotta we gotta unwrap this thing, and we gotta engage this thing, and23:09 we have to experience whatever is wrapped inside that gift. That's like a child. Children are gifts from the Lord. Now, what comes out of23:21 their bodies isn't always a gift, but children are a gift from the Lord on all those other dimensions. But, you know, the patience they build into us, the opportunity to23:32 teach, and mold, and shape, and love, and what they give back to us, they are a gift. They're also a reward. Right? They're a reward of covenant marriage, of23:45 oneness. The reward of oneness physically, spiritually is a child. They're also an arrow. Right? Now imagine, you got an arrow, you got a quiver.23:58 Alright? We put it in the bow. We train our eyes. We draw the go the bow back, and then, boom. We release the arrow24:10 toward targets for impact. Think about that. Dats. Your children are gifts from the Lord. They're rewards of covenant marriage. And we have the opportunity24:22 to train them, aim them, and then let them fly to be salt and light, salt by contact, light by contrast, in a dark and dying world to glorify24:34 God. So, what are we gonna do now? Let's talk about how we fight for the children in our lives. And I wanna I wanna have a core24:46 passage, which is John 13 34 and 35, and then we're gonna unpack that, and he's gonna teach us how we fight for children. So let me read the passage, John 13 verses 34 and 35. Jesus says,24:58 so now I'm giving you a new commandment, love each other just as I have loved you. You should love each other. Your love for 1 another will prove to the world that25:10 you are my disciples. So there is Jesus, the son of God. We are children of God, and Jesus is25:22 training us. And what we want to do is we want to look at what Jesus models with the disciples and with us, and then what we want to do is we want to reproduce that model25:33 with our children. Alright? And the first thing we see Jesus doing, and what we need to do, is I give them a pattern of living to imitate. I give them a pattern of living to imitate. Now Jesus25:45 uses 3 words a lot when he's with the children of God, with disciples. And they're these 3 words, and if you printed out your notes, they're right there. It's just as25:57 I. Jesus will say, just as I do a certain action, fill in the blank. And then he calls them to imitate that pattern26:09 of living. Alright? I call it show how mentoring. Right? I do, you watch, you do. Right? That's what Jesus did. Whenever he says just as I, it's show26:21 how mentoring. Dads, you need to show how mentor your children. Grandpas, you need to show how mentor your grandchildren. Uncles, you need to show how mentor your nieces and26:33 nephews, older brothers. You need to show how mentor your younger siblings. Alright? So I do, you watch, you do.26:45 And Jesus lived in such a way that he could invite men to focus on his pattern. And there's the rub, isn't it? You have to live in such a way, men,26:56 and strive to be loving God in every way you can, loving people in every way you can, and then you issue out of the the strength and integrity of your life,27:08 the invitation that Jesus did, which is just watch how I do it, and do what I do. Right? Jesus says this in John fifth 13 15. He says, I have given you an example to follow.27:20 Do as I have done to you. So there's another dimension of show how mentoring. It's how you treat them. So Jesus treats us a certain way, and then he calls us to reproduce how he27:32 treats us, and we treat others that way. And then when we treat others that way, we call them to treat others the way that we have just treated them. There's a ripple27:44 effect from Jesus to you, from you to the children in your life. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in first Corinthians 11.27:56 He says this, and you should imitate me just as I imitate Christ. Alright? So that's the invitation, men, to28:08 relationship and then imitation of Jesus, in every dimension of our lives, as a man. He lived as a man. He walked as a28:20 man. He related as a man. There's our model, it's Christ. Imitate Christ, and then invite the children in your life to do as you28:32 do. So here is your family fact. Alright? We follow the example we focus on. Alright? Now, again, the problem is if your pattern of28:43 living is unhealthy, you're not gonna invite people to imitate you. It's just human nature. Why? Because we know that there's something not right28:55 about inviting people into unhealth, right? And you have to be able to call your children into your pattern, dad. You know what happens typically,29:07 when dad's pattern is not healthy? They bail. They realize that they're not serving their family, or serving their children, and they shouldn't bail, because there is a pattern that29:19 flawed men can follow, and fail forward, so that they can get to a place in their shortcomings, and also in their successes, where they can29:31 call also flawed children into a pattern. So it doesn't matter where you're at today. Alright? Your with your connection to children. Get your pattern of relating29:43 and living for God and for others right, so that you can give it away to the children in your life. Alright? Now, the second way we fight for our children, is we give them a foundation29:56 of love. In Jesus's final huddle with the disciples, John 14, 15, 16, alright? He he talks with with certain language that just goes30:07 back, he just keeps revisiting the basis for the relationship, which is a foundation of love. In John 15 9, he says this, to the disciples, he says, I've loved you30:20 the way my father has loved me. So again, foundational. He's going to his foundation, and then he is taking that foundation and giving it to the disciples. And then he says this,30:32 make yourselves at home in my love. Now, when you think about that language, Jesus is going to a metaphor30:44 that communicates rest, comfort, acceptance, intimacy, being fully30:55 known, and being fully loved. He's going to the concept of home. If you wanna know what your home is supposed to feel31:07 like, men, it's supposed to feel like an environment of being fully accepted, fully loved, where people,31:19 children are fully known, flaws and all, mistakes and all. Right? And where they feel safe, and they feel peace, and they feel31:32 assured, and they feel worth. Listen to what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 on this whole idea of fighting for the31:44 family and giving children a foundation of love. Ephesians 5 verses 1 and 2 says, watch what God does. Okay. There's your foundation. And then you do it. Alright. There's show how.31:56 Like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you, keep company with him, and learn a life32:07 of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious. He didn't meter it out, but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us, but to32:19 give everything of himself to us. Love like that. That is foundational. Alright? You see the language in there? Watch what32:31 God does. Do what God does. Mostly what God does is love us, keep company with God, learn a life of love, observe,32:43 get into, watch, study how Christ loves you, and see that it was liberal, not stingy and fear based. It32:55 was extravagant. Alright? And he didn't love in order to get something, back, but he just gave everything of himself and love like that. What a33:07 call. Alright? Now here is why giving children a foundation of love is important. Your next family fact is this. We give love as we've received love. Alright? Now,33:19 here's a truth that is underneath what we just identified. We give love as we receive love, but if we don't receive love in33:31 a foundational way in the home or in the context of families, listen to me, You will live out of what you lack. Children33:43 will live out of what they lack. If they're in deficit, in their first community of acceptance, and extended family, and family, and moms, and dads, and uncles, and brothers, and sisters, if they're33:55 in deficit, gotta understand that the human soul is hardwired to give and receive love, they will fly like an air to air heat seeking missile and34:07 seek out wherever they sense or whether the appearance of acceptance and love is. And those places outside the family unit aren't always healthy places34:19 to receive the love that their soul is seeking. Now if if I personally am unloving to children,34:31 alright, if I don't have the capacity to be loving, that means that I've not received internally and experientially and emotionally34:43 God's pervasive love. Right. And that's that's the first step. If you're watching me today, and you're having trouble, loving the children in your life, you gotta34:55 have an experience with love, and an encounter with love, and be filled up with love, and possess love, to give away healthy proper love. Right? Now some of us miss that in our35:06 families, but man, I'm telling you, there is an infinite supply of that kind of pervasive, transforming, healthy love in God through the person35:18 of Jesus Christ. So I'm just gonna tell you, if you're struggling to love, alright, and you don't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, say yes to him right35:30 now. Just say yes to Jesus, and get that foundation of love in there, and let God love you, and then reproduce that love in the lives of the children.35:42 Now, here's the other side of the coin, which is more challenging for those of you who are watching this and are believers. Right? If you have encountered God's love through Jesus, if you've35:54 experienced God's extravagant, sacrificial love through Jesus, and you're not giving that same love away, you need to get36:06 your mind right about what God wants you to do. We're supposed to give away the love that we receive. In fact, every way that God treats us, he36:17 loves us, he encourages us, he supports us, he serves us, he sacrifices for us. We're supposed to do with other people. Alright? So for every believer in Jesus that has encountered, God's love,36:30 you need to give that love away to your children in the same measure, as best as you can. Alright? So what are we learning about what God wants us to do with our families? We've got to give36:42 them a pattern of living to imitate. We have to give them a foundation of love. Why? Because we follow the example we focus on, and we36:54 give love as we've received love. Third, we give children their truest identity. Right? Now, Jesus is doing that in this passage. He says, your love for 137:05 another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. What's Jesus doing? Alright? He said, you're mine. He tells them,37:17 their number 1 identity, and that's, as a disciple, you belong to God, you're a child of God, you're a disciple of Christ. And he's telling them that because37:29 there is an outworking of that identity that they now have. It's sort of like, you know, when dads tell their kids, you know, you're a luck, or you're a Jones, or37:41 you're a Johnson, or you're a Smith. You know, there is an outworking that is expected of that inner identity. Well, that's what Jesus is doing with children,37:54 of God, his disciples. He's saying, you're a follower of God. You're mine, and that identity, alright, that directs your energy. Look at what the Bible says here38:06 in John 14 12, just another powerful identity statement as Jesus is preparing to leave the disciples. He says, I tell you the truth. Anyone who38:17 believes in me, right, you're identified with Christ, will do the same works I have done and even greater works because I'm going to be with the father. You can ask for anything in my name38:29 and I will do it so that the son can bring glory to the father. Yes. Ask me for anything in my name and I will do it. That's a family statement. Anyone who believes38:41 in me will do. Right? In fact, I want you to just kind of say that to yourself wherever you are. Anyone who believes will do. Anyone who believes will do. Right?38:53 That's identity. I'm a believer. Right? And then that's energy. Will do. In fact, that's our family fact right39:04 now. Write this down. Perceived identity commands energy. Right? Whatever my self perception of my identity is,39:16 there's a way to be, a way to believe, and a way to behave, consistent with that identity. Alright? And children, they're developing their39:28 self regard, they're developing their self perception. And just like Jesus speaks identity into children of God,39:39 into disciples of Christ, into us. And he tells us who we are. Right? He says, you're a disciple. You're my follower. You're a child of God. And then,39:51 that self perception pervades how we perceive ourselves and how we regard ourselves. That perceived identity commands energy. Now, let me40:03 just tell you why it's a fight. That self perception of who children are, there is a war on for all the children in your life. Whether you're a dad, or an uncle, or a grandpa,40:15 or an older sibling, or an uncle. Just know that there is a recruiting war for how children perceive themselves, their identity, because if you40:27 win identity, you win energy, and then you'll win an expression that will either bring life to that child, or pain and suffering to that child. And40:39 there's a lot of fake, false identities that have a lot of purpose and meaning. And what's true about all of those fake identities, there's some level of acceptance that40:50 adopting that identity is worth doing because of the acceptance. So as we've been talking about in this series, identity commands energy. The world and41:02 culture is fighting for how your children will think about themselves. The devil himself is lying, using lies that appear just like culture,41:15 and just like what's popular. Alright. To get children to think about themselves in a certain way and listen to this. God uses dads,41:28 grandpas, uncles, older siblings, older mentor friends, to help shape the perception, the self perception of children. To give41:40 them a healthy self perception and identity. So important. That's the battle that we're in, men. The fourth thing. Alright? That we need41:52 to give children to fight for our families, is we need to give them power through permanence. Power through permanence. Now again, we're gonna go back to Jesus's messaging to his42:04 men. Right? And it's twofold. He says, just as I, okay, there's the pattern of imitation, just as I loved you. Right? God's42:15 eternal love, it's it's not, it's not temporary. It's permanent. The world's42:28 attention and affirmation and affection is temporary. Right? So God's love is eternal and permanent. Worldly love, or meaning42:40 and significance and attention, right? That's temporary and will not satisfy. And that's the war that we're in. Alright? We want to give children that sense of42:51 permanent pervasive love. Again, God's given us permanent pervasive love. We can't lose it. Now, we are to give children that sense of permanent43:03 pervasive love. Listen. That they don't have to perform for. Now, if you're like me, there's a lot. There's so many men out there like me who you wereShow more In this video 0:00 The Dangerous Good Movement2:38 Fighting for the Family17:29 Imitating Christ in Family Life43:05 The Power of Time and Love58:27 Call to Action and ResourcesComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
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