dis-'man-t&l

There's a phenomena I've been noticing lately; mainly over the last few years. I

notice men, Christian men, basically mistreating women - making fun of them,

embarrassing them, putting them in awkward situations, talking down to them.

This is not okay.

Don't misunderstand me though, this is done, for the most part, in a joking manner. But I think it's just as wrong. Especially as Christian men. We are the leaders.

'Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,

Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, "I was only joking!"'

That's some pretty heavy scripture.

Whether you signed up for it or not, you are setting the example as a Christian male. Not just in a romantic relationship, but in every friendship you have with a woman. Whether you just met her in class, whether she lives next door, whether she works with you, whether she is saved or not.

Our relationships with women are to represent the marriage of Christ and the church. When is the last time Jesus asked where His weekly cookies are? When is the last time He asked you to clean up the mess He made? If I recall, Christ has been busy preparing a place FOR you. And at the wedding feast, He will be SERVING you. Why? Because He is the Groom; we are His bride. He is love.

But more than this, it's important for us, as men, to show women what true

selfless love is. Again, not just in romantic relationships, but in every friendship with a woman. If we can't show them the love Christ has for them, then they will find a counterfeit love elsewhere. This should break your heart, because it's a perfect picture of how we, as humans, search for counterfeit love when we feel distant from the Lord.

So, men. Stop talking down to women. Stop taking advantage of their service and

start SERVING. Stop treating them like they're of lesser value, and start treating them like the bride they are. When you begin to truly love a woman with Godly love, I think you'll find her utter submission and service to you.

John 15:18-19

When I'm around people I don't know - interacting with them, there is a desire in my heart to share with them the gospel of Christ - unmerited grace that no man or woman is beyond receiving. But my mind starts getting in the way - What if they're completely turned off by Jesus? What if they want nothing to do with the bible? What if they think of me differently because I want everything to do with the above? My mind gets in the way of my heart and my foolish thinking leads me to believe that I have something to do with sharing my faith.

If someone rejects the gospel, they're rejecting the gospel. And if they reject you because of your faith, they're really rejecting God. See, when people who aren't living for Jesus get uncomfortable around Christians, we shouldn't try to fix that. Because that discomfort is from the Holy Spirit, making them aware of the condition of their heart, their soul - dead. It's not you. It's Christ through you that causes people to turn away, to be offended. And you can't change that. I'll say it again. You can't change how a person responds internally to the gospel. That job is taken by the Holy Spirit. Now, don't be ignorant, when the gospel is presented to someone, it should ultimately be full of grace and love - 1Corinthians13 (particularly verses 1-3).

That said, I look around and see so many churches today attempting to fill a gap that only the Spirit fills; trying to fit in with the lost. As Christians, we can't not offend people whose hearts are hardened to the gospel. If we're not offending them or making them uncomfortable, THEN WE'RE NOT GETTING IT. We cannot live life comfortably with the lost. We cannot be indistinguishable from the lost. We cannot live our lives for both this world and Heaven. We cannot be loved by this world and be children of God. They're two completely incompatible worlds.

Every disciple, with the exception of John who was exiled, was martyred. Most likely their families along with them. They were run out of cities and stoned. Why are we trying to change the gospel? Yes, times have changed and become more acceptable to the freedom of and from religion. So in today's time, we likely won't be physically martyred - but in some cases we may be socially martyred. Are you okay with that? You should be.

We are not here to coexist, but to shine a Light into the darkness, to give hope to the hopeless, and grace to every person who doesn't deserve it. After all, you and I never deserved it.