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- [00:02]
A
Welcome to Christ in Prophecy. I'm Tim Moore, director and senior evangelist for Lamb and Lion Ministries, and I'm here, as always, with Nathan Jones, our Internet evangelist. Last week, we launched a conversation about the urgent need for godly men. In our day, we explored what it means to be a man from a biblical perspective and why this need is so critical in these last days. Today we're going to move from the what to the how. How do we find and mentor the next generation of godly men? How do we mark their progression towards manhood? And how do we maintain a lifelong commitment to discipleship? Nathan, these discussions have stirred something in both of us, I think.
- [00:38]
B
Well, they have, Tim, and one of the things that kept coming back to me is before I can lead others, I have to make sure I'm grounded myself. Am I in the Word every day? Am I praying? Am I walking with the Lord? If we're going to call other men to follow, we have to be following the Lord ourselves. But then we also need to be intentional about reaching out, not just waiting for someone to come to us.
- [00:59]
A
You know, that's exactly right. Jesus didn't wait for the disciples to find him. He went to them and said, follow me. So today we're going to talk about the importance of intentional mentoring, how to find a mentee, how to mark milestones on his journey toward godly manhood through meaningful ceremonies, and how to sustain ongoing discipleship as a lifelong pursuit. If you're a father, grandfather, uncle, or simply a man in a congregation who sees the need that this message is for you, and if you're a young man in search of a godly role model, stay with us. The Lord has something for you today.
- [01:33]
B
And for the wives, mothers and sisters listening, pray for the men in your life. Pray that they would step up and lead. Prayer is powerful, and God wants to develop the men in your life to become men after his own heart. If you'd like to do a deep dive into manhood, then I highly recommend going to our podcast, A Few Good Men, with brothers Tim and Chris Moore. It's all about biblical manhood. You can watch all four episodes on our Christ Prophecy YouTube channel or on our website. You can click through there as well@christinprophecy.org and if this program's been a blessing to you, please click that donate button. Okay, we'll be back in just a moment.
- [02:11]
C
In addition to this broadcast, Christ in Prophecy offers a fascinating weekly TV program that digs deeper into God's prophetic word. Christ in Prophecy TV airs on several networks and online to give you a biblical perspective on unfolding events. Find out what's happening with AI, Middle Eastern politics, the United States, and so much more when you watch Christ in Prophecy TV, available now at christinprophecy.org
- [02:41]
A
welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio and our discussion about a few good men. Well, Nathan, our desire is to raise up godly men to serve our king, Jesus Christ. But before we can pour into others, we have to recognize that and ask ourselves a question. Am I a worthy exemplar? Am I ready to disciple someone else? So what does the scripture say about the kind of men we need to be?
- [03:03]
B
Well, let's first define an exemplar, because that's almost an old English word here, but it means a model or pattern to be copied or imitated. It's like an archetype. It's the best of the best. It's the Superman and Batman. You know, it's someone that society raises up as someone you want to be. So if I'm going to contend earnestly and pass on the faith, then I must be exhibiting that faith myself. Folks, we have to be grounded in Christ before we become worthy mentors. So it starts with us.
- [03:30]
A
It certainly does. And a godly man's code of conduct, as we discussed last week, is loyalty, servant leadership, always kindness, humility, purity, honesty, self discipline, excellence, integrity, and perseverance. In other words, all these things start with me. Before I can call another to a high level of desiring to follow after the Lord Jesus Christ, I need to make sure that I'm following so that they can use me, perhaps, as a role model. Now, that's not to say I'm putting myself on a pedestal. But a bad example is really not what any of us want to be to our sons or the young men in our lives.
- [04:06]
B
Yeah, we see so many young men whose lives are completely wrecked, and then they wreck their children's lives and so forth and so on down through the generations because of one bad father. It's just amazing. You know, a mother holds a family together. They say she's like glue. But if a father doesn't run his family correctly, you could see generations, at least four generations, of damage from that. So let's look at the four ideals of a godly man. The first one is a real man rejects passivity. We look at Joshua and Caleb last week, who were both bold to move forward while others cowered. And you could read that in numbers 13. They reject passivity. They're not scared. They're Bold and brave.
- [04:44]
A
We also know that a real man accepts responsibility. I've seen some very tragic examples where men shunned responsibility, tried to blame everyone else for their own shortcomings or just their errors, their mistakes, and immediately they lost all credibility. The man who says, that's on me, my bad, so to speak, he gains credibility because he's taking responsibility for himself and as we said last week, for others. Just as David accepted responsibility for his own sin when confronted by your namesake, the prophet Nathan.
- [05:16]
B
Yeah. David was known throughout the Bible for when he fell, he fell spectacularly. But he always turned back to God. He prayed and God forgave him. So the four ideals of a godly man. A real man rejects passivity. Two, a real man accepts responsibility. And three, a real man leads courageously. David again stood on the battlefield against Goliath while every other man in Israel, including their hero and King Saul, gave coward in the trenches, folks, we are courageous because we know that God is on our side when we are on God's side.
- [05:48]
A
And the real man, in addition, looks forward to a greater reward, not just the short term blessings or prosperity that the world seeks after. And too many in the prosperity gospel church are hungering over. But a real man looks forward to a heavenly reward. Sometimes in this life we will not receive our just due. Thankfully, Nathan, eternally we don't receive what we really do and that is condemnation. But there is no condemnation for those who put their trust in Christ. And we will be rewarded in the long run. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi in Philippians 3:12. Not that I have already obtained it, meaning these rewards or have become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. In other words, we take a long view and yet we are intentional about pouring into others. We keep mentioning David. I would dare say one of David's shortcomings is he did not call out his sons. And even when they were demonstrating behavior that was straying away from a godly path, David was not as engaged. He became passive in raising his own son. And that caused great disarray throughout the whole kingdom.
- [06:55]
B
Yeah, the Bible is littered with men who were godly men, but for some reason didn't pass it on to their children. Think of the prophet Samuel. The country wanted to reject Samuel's sons because they were wicked. We see David, like you said, only Solomon seemed to turn out well. And he probably had with all those wives, probably 100 sons. It just seemed again and again that the men were so focused on what they were doing that they weren't focused on their families. And so, folks, we need mentors in our lives, men that step up. You know, are you yourself looking for someone to lead? Jesus, for instance, called his disciples and not a single one volunteered on his own. Jesus went to each and every one of them and said, follow me. And so they were looking for a mentor, someone of great character, even as with Jesus, divine character to follow.
- [07:40]
A
You know, I think this is very instructive because some men listening today might say, well, my children are raised, my sons are men in their own right. And so my point is we're not talking about just a father to a son, although that is an obvious relationship. Men, there are young people in your church who are in desperate need of a father figure, or dare I say a grandfather figure. One of the great exemplars in my own life when was the man I call Grandpa. And we are no blood kin, but he took an interest in me and he helped mentor me spiritually and as a godly man at a very important age. And so all of us can be that to a young man hungering for a mentor. And when you're looking for a mentee, a young person, don't look at the outward appearance. I was a rag headed young man, big long hair, big bushy hair, I should say. And yet Grandpa Smith saw through all that external to my heart. And he poured into me in a way that was truly lasting and meaningful.
- [08:35]
B
You know, it's interesting how society looks at sports figures, musicians, rappers, scientists, all these people hoping to have someone that they can emulate. But a true man of God doesn't exhibit great height, great strength. We learned this when the people of Israel were looking to Saul, a head taller than everybody else. He looked like the manliest of men, but he was a coward inside. So folks, if you're looking for a mentor, look, look for a man who's brave. Don't look on the outside. Do what God does, Look on the inside.
- [09:04]
A
Well, we would encourage all of you to enter a season of prayer and literally ask the Lord to lay on your heart. Three men you can begin to encourage and invest in younger men, men of the same age, but who are younger in the Lord. Just as Jesus poured deepest into Peter, James and John, we've talked a little bit today about preparing our hearts as needed. And coming up, we're going to look at some current events and in a feature we call what's really Going On. So stay with us.
- [09:31]
C
One of the greatest blessings of Bible prophecy is that it gives Christians hope as we face challenging times and uncertainty all around. We have God's promise that this evil age will come to an end. Jesus will return, rapture his church, defeat evil and institute his thousand year kingdom of peace. Our hope is in knowing that our final destination is to dwell in peace with our Creator forever. At Christ in Prophecy, we hope that as you study the Bible with us each week, you'll understand that this glorious day of the Lord is drawing near. Every week on Christ in Prophecy, your hosts Tim Moore and Nathan Jones examine God's word, reveal the prophetic hope for those who believe in Jesus Christ as well as the Bible's warning about God's coming wrath for those who do not know him yet. To learn more, visit our website@corporate christinprophecy.org.
- [10:27]
B
Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy Radio. I'm Nathan Jones. I'm here with Tim Moore and we're at the segment of our program that's what's really Going On. We look at current events from a biblical point of view and what we're talking about is mentoring. So Tim, let's pick up again what's going on in the world in the way of the need for men to step up and mentor other young men.
- [10:47]
A
Well, I think the need is growing, but it's always been there. And that's why the Lord established that there would be families where a young man would learn from an old man, even as he established the Great shema in Deuteronomy 6. Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one. He went on to talk about how fathers in particular should teach their children, specifically their sons, diligently, and talk about the Lord's ordinances when they sit in their house, when they walk, by the way, when they lie down, when they rise up. In other words, ongoingly pour into your sons. And yet today our culture seems enamored with figures like athletes and public figures instead of heeding the advice and counsel of their father or other godly men around them.
- [11:30]
B
Yeah, you go back to the 1960s and the great Society or the New Deal type thinking that Lyndon Johnson was putting on the society where the government kind of stepped in in the role as providers for the family. And you just look at the statistics, the crime statistics just rocked as far as fathers. They didn't have to be fathers anymore. They could just get a woman pregnant and then leave and these children would end up on government welfare without a father. And the crime rates increased dramatically. The drug abuse and they would Bring that into their own marriages or into their future generations too. And so that's when man abdicated our responsibility to take care of the family and let government do it instead. And it's a growing problem still to this day.
- [12:10]
A
You know, even as we're speaking in recent weeks, there have been dramatic episodes of these flash mobs that show up oftentimes in large cities of young people, teenagers. And they're what we would call wayward youths or wayward utes, as the movie used to say. Because they really don't have any direction in life, they don't have any boundaries. And more often than not, and sociologists have demonstrated this, they don't have a father, not one who is engaged and who is setting parameters. And mothers often do their level best. But it takes a father to, to raise a young man. You know, Nathan, I've talked about how in my life I had godly exemplars, others within my church, in my Christian network, but I've also had other exemplars I've always looked to. One of my great exemplars is George Washington Carver, a man who was very humble and yet recognized his role of serving the Lord. And because he was determined to serve the Lord, he was willing to dedicate his life to unpacking all the mysteries and the miraculous properties of the peanut. He said, I'm too humble a person to go over something grandiose. The Lord said, you, you work on the peanut, that's about your right size. And George Washington Carver became a gifted scientist that blessed the entire world with developments he made with the peanut. And his first and foremost priority was serving the Lord God. That's an exemplar worthy of emulating. I certainly have tried to in my life, and I'm sure you have others as well.
- [13:32]
B
And one thing we see too, as society pulls away from the Lord, is that there was a time where the pastor was the mentor as well. People looked to their pastors. I remember growing up, Pastor Don Hoch, Joe Fosh, Jim Brown, they were all mentors in my life. I could look up to them and say, that's what a godly man is. And I credit them for my desire to want to go into full time ministry because they showed this maturity and godliness that I just wanted to have myself and continue to work towards. So pastors step up. You know, you don't have to father everybody. It's hard to be a pastor. But you know, we too, as ministers for Christ, people are watching us and so they're determining their relationship with our Heavenly Father based on our relationship with people as well.
- [14:15]
A
Here's the bottom Someone is watching you, whether you realize it or not. Are you intentional about serving the Lord in such a way that if a person is watching and decides, I'm going to follow you, just as Paul said, follow me because I'm following Christ? If they follow you, will they end up at Christ? Well, I would just encourage you if you want to hear more about some of the dialogue my brother Chris and I had about biblical manhood. You can watch all four episodes of A Few Good Men on our Christ in Prophecy YouTube channel or on ChristInProphecy.org, and obviously, if our conversations here on Christ in Prophecy Radio are a blessing to you, we cannot be an encouragement, sometimes even a challenge to those who are listening all across this nation without support of listeners like you. We estimate it takes about a dollar a day per station. Folks, we're on a thousand stations around the country. That's $1,000 a day we expend to share the good news that Jesus Christ is coming soon and to speak from God's prophetic word. If we blessed you and you would like to pay it forward in that regard, just as we're asking you to pay it forward into the lives of young men, we would welcome you to partner with us. Visit us at christinprophecy.org or call us at 972-736-3567. We'll be right back.
- [15:32]
C
Recently, a listener named Jim contacted Christ in Prophecy to say this whenever I feel discouraged. Your ministry reminds me of the temporary nature of it all and the eternal promises that await us. Thank you for blessing us for so many years. We want to hear from you. Let us know how understanding Bible prophecy has shaped your faith by sharing your story@christinprophecy.org contact
- [16:00]
B
folks, our culture has almost no meaningful pathways for boys to progress into manhood. In the Jewish tradition, there's the bar mitzvah, a ceremony marking a young man's entry into responsibility and community. But in most of our churches and families, there's just no equivalent. Let's talk about creating meaningful ceremonies to mark milestones on the journey towards godly manhood.
- [16:20]
A
You know, Nathan, I think this is so very important and sometimes it's missed. We think, well, we have a birthday party. A birthday party is really not an investment in growing up. Sometimes it's a doubling down of staying childlike when a person is in their teens and twenties, dare I say, and expecting a birthday cake with candles and presents. That's because they want to stay a child. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with birthday cake. I love them and I love the party, but we have to grow beyond just a birthday cake mentality. The Lord created milestones and ceremonies for his people. So when Israel crossed the Jordan, God commanded them to pile up 12 stones as a memorial so that this may be a sign among you and so that parents could say to their children when they asked, here's what those 12 stones represent. God ordained feasts and festivals so his people would remember what he had done. And a ceremony marks a transition. You come into it one way and leave it a different way. Just as when we walk into our marriage ceremony, we come in single, we go through a ceremony, and we leave Mary joined in holy matrimony. Baptism is perhaps, Nathan, the ultimate example, an outward sign of an inward change.
- [17:29]
B
Absolutely. Well, one of my favorite books that I used as, I guess, a template for raising my son. I have two sons, one special needs, so it didn't really work with him. But with the older one, it's called Raising a Modern day Knight. It was a book by Robert Lewis. And ever since my son was a little kid, I almost had that book memorized, Tim, because I was going to set the stage for what I was going to do. And so the Lewis. If you read this book, gentlemen, it's a fantastic book. It separates the child's age as they grow up to different levels, and it compares them to a knight. For instance, if you're 13, that in medieval society would make you a page. Two, age 16, that's when you ascended to be a squire. Three, when you're finally an adult, you become the knight and you leave home. And four, when you get married, well, that's establishing a household of faith. So he puts these four different milestones in people's lives and. And then as a father, you can tailor your own ceremony around each one.
- [18:24]
A
Yeah, it's a really beautiful way to pour into a young person. I know you had a ceremony at about age 13 for your son, marking the transition from boyhood into young manhood. I used to tell my son, you're not a man yet. I look forward to meeting the man you'll be. But you're headed that direction. And so we didn't have an age 13 ceremony. We had gotten hold of the book after that point. But obviously all of these ceremonies can be tailored to a young man's interest. But we emphasized, and I think you did as well, having either a handwritten Letter or a ceremony, we gathered other men, men who had poured into my own son. So again, whether it's marking a transition from boyhood to young manhood at age 13 or at age 16, taking on greater responsibility. For instance, when my son turned 16, we had a steak dinner with men in a private setting, and I presented him with a sword representing that you're becoming a man and it will be your responsibility to defend and protect your family and perhaps even your nation someday. And he took that charge very seriously.
- [19:26]
B
Excellent. Yeah. When my son turned 13, my ceremony was that he had to overcome a great fear. So I took him up to Tulsa, Oklahoma. We went to a zip line place. And I got to tell you, Tim, I was probably far more scared than he was. I don't like heights, but he took that well. He did all the zip lining and he could walk away saying, okay, I wasn't a kicker. Cowering in fear like 1 Corinthians 13:11. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. But when I became a man, I did away with childish things, so that helped him. My daughter wanted to do skydiving, so we found an indoor skydiving thing. And she did that well. But like you, when my son turned 16 and hit that squire, I asked all the men in his life to write letters of wisdom. I bought him a fancy box and I put all those letters. And we did the same for my daughter as well. So that there would, if there ever a time he doubts what to do, he could go back to those letters and read from mentors in his life that would help guide him in the right direction.
- [20:23]
A
Well, the third ceremony that we used when our sons left home, I think we were about the same point when we did this was to recognize that they're becoming almost a knight. And yet I gave my son then the true sword, a Bible engraved with his name. As Psalm 119:11 says, your word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against you. And I emphasize to my son, yeah, a real literal sword can be wielded, but the word of God is sharper than a double edged sword, and you have to wield it to fight the spiritual battles in this life. And yet there was one more ceremony when my son was married. I gave him a family crest my brother and I had designed with the name more all Christian symbology. We defined all of them. And I said, now it is your challenge to carry on this name with honor. Thus far, me and my house have served the Lord. You get to decide whether your house will carry on that legacy. And so we even had a Latin motto, God is our confidence. Whatever ceremonies a person decides they want to pour into their son, we just think it's important to give these milestones to create a memory and to affirm that a young man is proceeding in the right direction to becoming a godly man.
- [21:34]
B
We learned that ongoing discipleship is a lifelong process. It doesn't end with a ceremony. It's actually a a lifelong walk. So be intentional. Start a Bible study. Send texts with Scripture and encouragement. You may not get a response for months, but folks know that God is working. So Tim and I ask, are you ready to take action? Whether you're a father, a grandfather, an uncle, or simply a man who sees a need, the charge is to step up, be intentional, and pour into the next generation. Well, stick with us. As Tim returns to leave us with a word of encouragement,
- [22:09]
C
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- [22:34]
A
christinprophecy.org one of the greatest challenges I see in Scripture is when the Lord spoke to Ezekiel upon his call and said, stand up and I will talk to you as a man. I read from the words of Paul there in 1 Corinthians 16, when he said to his charges at the church in Corinth, act like men. Well, folks, I want to leave you with a charge that echoes down through the generations of scripture. In Psalm 145, David declared, One generation shall praise your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. That is our privilege and our responsibility to pass on the faith once for all, handed down to the saints to yet another generation. And this is not just a nice idea, it's an urgent prophetic mandate. As I said, Jesus asked whether the Son of Man would find faith on the earth when he comes. The answer to that question depends in part on whether we are faithful to plant seeds of faith in the lives of men around us, and whether we are faithful to water, nurture, and encourage those seeds to grow. Only the Lord can make them grow, but we have a role here on this earth. There is an old Jewish proverb that says, if you think the world is going to end tomorrow. Plant a tree today. That is my encouragement to you. Plant a tree. And not just a literal tree. Plant in young fruit bearers. Send a text, make a phone call, start a Bible study. Take a young man to dinner and tell him, you are becoming a man and I believe in you. One generation's faithfulness determines the next generation's trajectory. When the fathers failed to pass on their faith, the sons of Israel stood silent before Elijah at Mount Carmel. When there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. But when one man, Noah, walked faithfully with God, it was enough to preserve a remnant and restart the human race. So do not underestimate the power of one godly man. So here's the charge, and it comes from the word of God. Be strong and courageous. Show yourself a man. Reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously and look forward to the greater reward, the day when you will hear, well done, good and faithful servant. Until that day, be faithful to pass on your faith to the next generation. The Lord is coming soon. May he find faith on the earth because you were faithful. Godspeed.