Skip to content Forever Brothers Part 1 with Kenny Luck Oct 11 · 51 min ...more
Forever Brothers Part 1 with Kenny Luck
October 11, 2024 · 51 min
What one word comes to mind when you think about God? God is many things all at once but a word not frequently used to describe God is RELATIONAL. Can the same be said of God's men today?
Series Forever Brothers with Kenny Luck October 11, 2024 · 51 min · Forever Brothers with Kenny Luck
What one word comes to mind when you think about God? God is many things all at once but a word not frequently used to describe God is RELATIONAL. Can the same be said of God's men today? ...more Show the full description Show less What one word comes to mind when you think about God? God is many things all at once but a word not frequently used to describe God is RELATIONAL. Can the same be said of God's men today?
Series Forever Brothers with Kenny Luck Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
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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 Hidden Battles of Men 0:00 Greetings, men. Kenny Luck, founder of Everyman Ministries. You know, after 30 years of helping men in the mental health, pastoral, and coaching context, the 1 working assumption I've operated on is0:12 this. Men, they're like icebergs. You only see the tip. Under the waterline of the image that they are projecting and the lives that they are living are massive spiritual, emotional, and relational0:24 battles. They recognize, but they're just not talking about. And it creates a dissonance. It creates spiritual plateaus. It creates unresolved tensions0:35 within that start to eat away at their faith, eat away at their hope. It opens them up to spiritual attack and lies to the point where so many, if they were honest, would say, I believe in God and I believe his0:47 promises are true, just not for me right now. Have you ever felt that or thought that? Well, here's the thing. So many men I counsel and coach say the same thing. I'm attending church. I'm reading my bible.0:59 I'm going to men's group. I'm praying, but I'm not sensing or experiencing God the way I see it promised in the bible. You know, that abundant life that Jesus speaks of. I'm I'm not breaking1:10 through, and I know there's more. I just don't know how to get there, and it's confusing me. It's affecting my relationships with God and other people. Now, if you've ever felt the same way, if you've ever had any of1:22 those thoughts, welcome to the club. As men, we go through different seasons of personal, professional, and, yes, spiritual life. And listen, that calls1:34 for new Christ formation, new faith steps, new discoveries, and new thinking. You see, there's no big mystery here. The big wheels of life, of relationships,1:47 Christ formation, and of fulfillment turn on the hidden axles of what the Bible calls your inner man. So when the Bible says, watch over your heart with all diligence for from1:59 it flow the springs of life. It's not calling for new outer spiritual behavior management. It's calling for a new you. You say, how do you know, Kenny? Because God called2:10 me personally into a new season of Christ formation after 25 years as a pastor and counselor. And you know what I needed? I needed a community of brave brothers, of2:22 professional men who were spirit filled, and I needed a solid process and godly coaching to walk me into a new place of strength, a place of powerful sacrifice, a place of complete2:35 tenacity in my purpose, a place of growing authentic generosity, and a place of meaningful insight into myself first and for other2:47 people. That's my promise land. What's yours? If you're like me and you want a new place of growth, if you want the dissonance to go away, if you want an inner breakthrough in Christ, if you want to discover what is it2:59 that is holding you back spiritually versus continuing to say some narrative to yourself and other people. Just lean in right now. There is a next adventure in God andGod's Desire for Deep Community 3:11 in life waiting for you. But the old thinking, the old victories you cling to, the old patterns of living, just the old thought processes are not going3:22 to cut it in this next adventure God has for you. The promised land that he has for you. And that's why I'm inviting you into the every man promised land living experience, where Christ formation3:35 advances in new ways, where the language of the heart is spoken. And where the enemy, he takes it on the chin and strongholds are broken. You want your next adventure in Christ3:47 to begin? Then fight the good fight like I did. Believe. God is at work. Register. Get into an every man promised land group. Our team of trained coaches are eager to meet3:59 you and to start getting you prepared for the greater works of Jesus in and through you for this next season and adventure of life.4:20 Welcome to the men's global livestream. If you have a Bible, I want you to hold 2 spots. 1 in John chapter 17 and then 1 other spot in first Samuel 23 as we start a4:32 brand new series, which I'm totally excited about, not just for every man nation as it is, but for the whole world. And it's called Forever Brothers. And just for some4:44 context, maybe, like me, you're witnessing, the male self help movement that is everywhere in social media. You can't open a social media feed or4:56 Instagram or see reels without seeing probably a male influencer, okay, and he's sharing some routine,5:08 and it's his routine. And it is precise, it is exacting, it might involve supplements of some kind, It might5:19 involve eating certain kind of foods. It might involve a special kind of coffee or home sauna or, cold plunge routine. But did you ever5:31 notice that there's no 1 else in the video but the 1 guy? Maybe there's some people commenting, but it's the 1 guy and he's5:43 doing it and he wants you to do it as 1 guy. And there's pressure to optimize. There's advice to think better about yourself,5:56 and there's there's encouragement to focus on your body. None of which alone are bad things. But having pastored, having coached, having worked with men for6:08 the last 3 decades, now, I can just say that that focus is a dangerous path to go down, and here's why. Because it doesn't6:20 address the titanic need that's out there when it comes to men. You know what that need is? It's the need for deep, meaningful belonging6:33 with other men. Right? The need to be in community, with guys who know them not at a superficial level, not at the supplement level, not at the gym level, but know them6:44 at the heart level, at a deep level. And most critically for this series and for you and me, for guys who are in relationship with God, being able6:56 to talk about and be vulnerable about the shaping forces that drive our lives and the consequences of those shaping forces driving our7:08 lives that harm Christ formation, harm our relationship with God, and harm our relationships with others. So the big idea for this series, Forever Brothers, is painfully7:20 simple, but it's also equally challenging. And it's this, if you believe in the person and work of Jesus, like me, that makes you my forever brother. We're gonna7:32 be together forever, but between now and forever, God's plan is to form Christ in you, listen, and you can't do that alone.7:45 All right? And what we'll learn and what we'll come to understand through scripture in this hearing is nothing is more important to God than your character process, and that your character process7:57 move you toward Christ formation, looking more and more like Jesus every day from the inside out, not from the outside in.8:09 And that is impossible biblically without a community of men around you committed to the same thing that you are. An identity in Christ and8:21 that identity being worked out in community. So in part 1, we're just gonna provide a basis for the arc of the series. We wanna pour a foundation. And in part 1,8:33 there's there's 3 main themes, and they're really easy to remember because they kinda rhyme. The first theme is God's desire. We're gonna look at that. Second, we're gonna look at men on fire. Okay? The8:45 battle that men are in and why they're so isolated. And then we're gonna look at why forever brothers are required. Okay? And where we're gonna start is my favorite place to8:57 start always in a series. We're gonna push all our chips to the middle on the red letters and this theme of what God desires. And we're gonna listen9:09 now in John chapter 17, to Jesus talking to the Father about you and me. Okay? So lean in and listen.9:21 John chapter 17 verses 20 to 23. I'm praying not only for them, but also for those who will believe in Me because of them and their witness about Me. The9:33 goal is for all of them to become 1 heart and mind just as you father are in me and I in you So they might be 1 heart and mind with us9:46 Then the world might believe that you in fact sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them. So they'll be as unified and together as we are,9:58 I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness and give the godless world evidence that you sent me and loved them in10:10 the same way that you loved me. Those are powerful words, and we just wanna make 3 simple observations. So if you have the downloaded notes, we're gonna we're10:22 gonna look at those right now, and I want you to write some things down. If you're here for the first time and you haven't downloaded the notes, make sure that you do that because it's a better way to learn what we're10:32 covering. So John chapter 17, 20 to 23. Let's make 3 simple observations. The first 1 is deep community is essential to the Godhead. Deep community is10:44 essential to the Godhead. God is many things, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are co equal and everywhere at once. They know everything at10:55 once, right? And all powerful. They're all the omnis. Right? And we could put a list together that could go forever on He's loving. He's merciful. But when you read John11:07 chapter 17 in this passage, the 1 thing that you see and might not have thought of is this. God is relational. That's right. He acts relationally11:19 within himself. He creates things that are in relationship with 1 another, including human beings. Right? So that's the first simple observation when11:31 we read this passage, is that deep community is essential to the Godhead. Right? I and you, you and me. Right? Second, deep community is desired by the11:43 Godhead for us. Right? We hear Jesus say, I and you, you and me. Right? Them and us in deep community. Right?11:54 So it's so cool to see God want for us the same closeness, the same community, and the same intimacy as Father, Son, and12:06 Holy Spirit. Super cool. Third, really simple observation, is deep community is the intended experience and expression for God's12:18 people. Alright? So you see Jesus talking about how when we experience that, there's gonna be a witness and an expression.12:31 Like, the world, if we experience intimacy with him and with 1 another, the world's gonna stand up and it's going to notice and see that God sent Jesus12:43 for us. And then, I love the language here, then they'll be mature in this 1 oneness. We'll also grow. So there is this dynamic force, you can call it a Trinity encounter,12:55 right? Deep relationship and intimacy with the Trinity and with each other, right, manifests in personal change, intimacy, and witness13:07 to the world. Okay. God's relational. God wants us to have the same intimacy that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have. When we have the same intimacy13:19 with Him and with each other that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have, the world is 1. This is probably 1 of the most underutilized13:32 evangelistic strategies on the planet for us 2800000000.0 Christians, but this is what Jesus is saying. It's about relationship with him,13:43 relationship with 1 another, and a mirror of intimacy of the Godhead with us, growing us up from the inside out and as we grow and transform through relational intimacy,13:57 the world sees that transformation and love that we have toward 1 another and it glorifies God and wins people to the gospel. Right? You know, my friend, Ken Bah, we work together,The Unfriendly Forces Against Community 14:09 and he wrote a book called Unlimited Abundance. But he puts into context the relational power of what Jesus just talked about and what we unpacked in those 3 observations. He says14:21 this, just as loving relationships within the Triune community are fundamental to the nature of God, so loving relationships are essential to the nature of14:33 every person created in God's image. The bottom line is this, you cannot grow in Christ and thrive by yourself. You must be connected in an14:45 intimate and loving relationship with God and other people. These connections become the very conduits of love essential for emotional health and14:57 spiritual growth. Okay? I have to repeat 1 line in there, and it's this line because it's so important for us to get for this series.15:09 Ken says, the bottom line is this, you cannot grow in Christ and thrive by yourself. You must be connected in an intimate and loving15:21 relationship with God and in an intimate relationship and loving relationship with other people for spiritual health15:33 and emotional health. Alright, which is what we're all striving for right? So my question and you should be asking the same thing is that if we're built for deep15:45 community with each other that mirrors the community that's experienced in the Godhead, and it's so transformative, and it's so beautiful, and it's so life changing, the question is, why is15:57 that not happening? Right? And that's where we wanna go next because we're clear about God's desire and how important it is. Right?16:09 But now we need to look at men on fire, the unfriendly forces that keep you and me disconnected. And so we're gonna look at 4 laws. Right? 4 forces that are16:21 happening and that are a part of our lives that really go against us being connected to 1 another. And the first law is the law of sin16:33 and self. Write that down. Call it what you want. Call it the dark side. Call it your shadow self. Call it the eighth grader that comes out in your16:45 28, 38, 48, or 58 year old actions, but it's that part of you, right, that sabotages your best interests and your16:57 noblest intentions. The law of sin and self. And what's great about scripture is that you can see wonderfully mature God's men who17:08 struggle with the law of sin itself. The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7, we read about it there. He says, for I do not do the good I wanna do, but the evil I do17:20 not wanna do, this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not wanna do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.17:32 So I find this law, right, this force at work, Although I wanna do good, evil is right there with me. You know, I17:44 see this law of sin and self. I see it in my 2 year old granddaughter, and I see it in the faces of grown men who are disillusioned17:56 and confused at their own behavior. Toddler and grown men, right? What is it? It's the law of sin and self. And the law of18:08 sin and self separates you from God. It separates you from people. This is a force that is at work, and it attacks relationships. Alright?18:20 So when it comes to men being on fire and forces that keep you and I from being deeply connected in, community, law of sin and self. Second 1 is the18:31 law of life and pain. And perhaps you don't want to think about your life and pain being connected together, but Jesus18:43 did. He said, if you're living a life on planet Earth, then you're gonna experience some pain. Right? In John chapter 16 verse 33,18:55 he says, I've told you these things so that in me you may have peace. Here we go. In this world, you will have trouble or maybe tribulation in your Bible. But take heart,19:08 I have overcome the world. Right? Jesus is kind of countering modern, western, industrialized,19:19 developed nations mentality, that we can create an unfettered, predictable run from success to success to19:31 success to, success. And then all of a sudden, life bowling balls us, you know, and then bursts our bubble. We thought that, we had19:43 worked hard enough. We thought we had saved enough. We thought that we had taken the right steps. We thought we had planned in the right way, and yet life bowling19:55 balls us. Tribulation, trial, difficulty, delay, health issues, job losses, unmet expectations, business failures20:06 that you would never have scripted into your life story. And those experiences, especially if you have, the20:18 wrong expectations for life on this unredeemed broken planet, is disillusioning. It's disillusioning already because you you don't wanna think that way. You don't wanna20:30 script that in. But what I love about God and what I love about his word is that it tells us the truth and and that there is this law of life and pain that we're all going20:42 to experience. Right? And and that can be very disillusioning. Right? It isolates us. You know, when you're in a circumstance, you feel all by yourself. You're in a health crisis,20:54 and you feel all by yourself. You feel under financial stress impression. You feel all by yourself. Right? You lose a job. You feel all by yourself. Right? So the law of life and pain, it isolates21:05 us. And some of the lives in pain may not even be connected to what's happening presently. But maybe it's something that happened to us21:18 in our families. Maybe someone sinned against us. Maybe we didn't sin, but someone sinned against us. Maybe21:29 there is trauma, some kind of abuse or some kind of experience that was super hurtful21:42 in your family. Maybe there's a wound there. Maybe there's messaging that you so deeply took in it became a part of your self perception I don't21:54 know what your story is but I do know what life is like here on earth and having worked with thousands of guys the law of life and pain can do things22:06 in us that prevent us from experiencing the deep community and intimacy that God wants for us. Okay. Let's look at law number 3, and that is22:18 the law of loneliness and intimacy now when I when I say the word loneliness there's a lot of you guys out there22:30 And you go, I'm not lonely. Okay? Loneliness has nothing to do with the number of people around you or the number of people that you interact with or the number of people who know22:42 about you or follow you or DM you. K? What I'm talking about is just that that sense that you're by yourself. This22:54 is this is when your head is on the pillow, and you're just alone. You're disconnected from relationship. True, authentic, deep community. The23:06 kind that where people know you. And that's why God says in Genesis 2 18, we're gonna put it on the screen. God said, it's not good for the man23:18 to be alone. Okay, and you know what he's reflecting there, you know, he's talking about Adam and he's talking about, you know, the need for him to be alone and to not to be23:30 alone and to experience the intimacy and oneness with woman and just the deeply relational intimate personal way that23:41 God, I mean, he creates Adam, you know, he the Bible says that he breathes in his nostrils and Adam became a living being.23:53 And, I mean, it's just so relational and so so intimate and then he forms, you know, Eve out of a part of of Adam these are all very24:05 relational very intimate and reflects again the Godhead reflects the intimacy with which God's nature You know it exists and24:17 thrives in which is relational and intimate. You know, and and it simply talks about this in Ecclesiastes where, you know, not only is it not good for men to24:29 be alone. It's not good for a man to be alone, but in Ecclesiastes it says this, 2 are better. 2 are better than 1 because they have a good return for their labor. If that either of them falls, the24:41 1 will lift up his companion. But woe to the 1 who falls and there is not another to lift them up. So where, you know, the law of sin itself separates relationship where the law of life and24:52 pain isolates us, makes us feel alone, right? The law of loneliness and intimacy frustrates because like a heat seeking missile, we are created and25:04 tracked toward and magnetized toward giving and receiving love with other people. But because of the law of sin itself, because of the law of25:16 life and pain, there is low. There is epidemic loneliness and depression because of loneliness, because we're not receiving and experiencing the25:28 intimacy that God has in mind for us. And that's frustrating, especially when you read the Bible and the Bible talks about how there's the 1 another's in relationships, and we're25:40 supposed to love 1 another and serve 1 another and encourage 1 another and carry 1 another's burdens, and no one's doing that for you. That is25:52 frustrating to know that something's available, something is promised, but just not for you right now. And I'm just here to tell you there's good news on that front, and26:03 we're gonna look at that in this series. Alright, the fourth law, after sin itself, life and pain, loneliness and intimacy, is the law of the mind and spiritual26:16 conflicts. Right? Now when the Bible says mind, I just want you to know that interchangeable with that is mind, inner man, heart, the spirit of a man. Okay? So it's26:28 your inner person. Alright? So let's read now Romans 7 22 will unpack a little bit. For in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law26:40 at work in me waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within26:51 me. Okay. I mean you can palpably feel this Man the Apostle Paul in this case coach Paul the Apostle27:03 and he is he is inwardly Conflicted Right? I mean, he feels dysfunctional. You know, he27:15 knows, the Bible. He knows Jesus, but at the same time, he has good intentions. But then there is this force that's going27:27 on, and it's this way of thinking that's like embedded. It's like neuroscientists call it neurodensity, Right? There is this inexorable way of27:38 thinking about himself and the situation and that's pulling him, right, toward the wrong thoughts, which leads to the wrong27:51 actions. Okay? And so it is no wonder when it comes to there's God's desire that in this category of deep community, men are28:03 on fire. I mean, we're we're dealing with the the law, the presence of the law of sin and self, the law of life and pain, the law of loneliness and intimacy, and the law of the mind and the spiritual28:15 conflicts inside. And these unfriendly forces have the capacity, Okay? To keep us separated to keep us isolated to keep us frustrated and in this last sense28:27 the law of the mind and spiritual conflict, spiritual conflicts to keep us stagnated And, man, those are those are confusing and disillusioning words that28:39 reflect emotions that are negative. They're not good. Okay? Because we're not experiencing what's promised and what was that? Right? The abundant life.28:50 Okay? So deep community and intimacy is what God desires, but there are unfriendly forces setting men on fire, separating us, isolating us, frustrating29:02 us stagnating us. Alright. And now what we want to look at is why forever brothers are required. Alright. So toShow more In this video 0:00 The Hidden Battles of Men3:07 God's Desire for Deep Community14:05 The Unfriendly Forces Against Community29:04 The Role of Forever Brothers43:17 A Call to Action: Becoming Forever Brothers
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