170910 AM Act Like Men – (Part 1) – Conviction to Love
“Act Like Men: (Part 1) – Conviction to Love
Each year we devote time to study separately as groups of men and women. Coming soon in the next month, we will spend that time together to encourage each other and exhort one another to greater service. As we prepare for that time, consider the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “”13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.”” As men, think about what is written here and the conviction that God calls us to have so that we can be what He designed men to be. Women also, can look at these truths and aspire to help the men in their lives live to their full potential in service to the King.
1.) Acting Like Men Means Growing to Be Mature.
a. Look at the context of the letter (1 Cor. 1:10-14; 3:1-5; 4:21)
b. Men are willing to put aside childish thinking (Eph. 4:11-14; 1 Cor. 13:11)
2.) Acting Like Men Means I’m Willing to Stand in the Gap – (Conviction)
a. God is consistently looking for men who are willing to step up in service (Ezek.22:30;
lsa.6:1-8)
b. Think of how Jesus viewed those who were willing to step into the gap (Mark 10:45; Matt 25:14-30)
3.) Acting Like Men Means I Plan and Grow as a Leader- (Conviction)
a. Grow into a person who can lead others because you are grounded in the Lord (2 Tim 2:15)
b. Learning to lead with influence, dignity,& action (Rom. 12:3-8; Titus 2:1-2, 6-8; 1 Tim.3:1-4)
4.) Acting Like Men Means I am Driven by Love – (Love)
a. My motivation to be the man God designed me to be, is the love I have seen (Rom.5:6-8, 8:31-32)
b. To grow, stand, and lead – I must be loving, lovable, and respectable (Matt. 5:46-48;
1 Cor.13:1-3; Eph.5:25-29, 33; 1 Pet.3:1-2)
To be the man God wants me to be, I must develop the conviction to stand and lead in the loving way He himself has shown me. When I allow the love of Christ to drive what I do, I see even more of what God shows me that “”acting like men”” entails. Love drives me to act in different ways. “