| | | | | |
Contact Tom Roberts Join Our Mailing List If you want to receive notices when we update our site, then click here! Sermons Powerpoint presentations of sermons preached by Tom Roberts The Communicator Online archive of Forest Hill's mail-out teaching bulletin Links Other profitable Bible study sites.  Here we stress quality rather than quantity.	Issues and Answers (11) The Role of Men in Home and Church In a "male dominated" society, it is assumed that any study of the role of men would naturally favor (put in the best light) the place of males. While this might be true in society at large, it must not be true among the Lord's people. Just as we have studied the role of women, we should objectively study the role of men to see them as God sees them. Men or women must not be anything more or less than God would have them to be. The Bible provides us with the role model for every person: men, women and children. We need to stretch ourselves into the mold that God has cast, to be all that we can be in our respective places made so by natural birth. Every blessing carries with it corresponding responsibilities (and vice versa). Many seem to want males to occupy a place of superiority toward women without assuming men's responsibilities. We have seen this as men father children only to abandon them to society. Many men feel it to be a right to "play the field" with sexual partners without facing the consequences of their actions. Some do not accept their place of leadership in the church, unwittingly forcing women to accept the role of leadership without seeking it. Some husbands and fathers ignore the responsibility of being the spiritual leader of the family, thus creating a vacuum into which worldly values encroach. It is crystal clear that homes, the church and society will not heal itself without women fulfilling the place of wives, mothers and Christians. Likewise, it is clear that husbands, fathers and Christians must accept their place of service in these areas if we ever clean up the problems of our nation, homes and churches. Too many homes are fatherless; too many marriages have absentee husbands; too many churches have indifferent men who will not serve as teachers, deacons, elders or preachers. The cure for that is to have a clear vision of what God expects of men and the courage to step forward to accept that challenge. It may not be a dramatic, earth-shattering experience that makes a difference. It may be nothing more than helping children with their Bible study assignments, preparing to teach a class, or leading in prayer and home Bible study. It is not a job that will be finished in the time it takes to watch a 30-minutes TV program, but one that will consume the energies of a life-time. It is a commitment from the heart that puts priorities in place and then fulfills them on a daily basis (1 Cor. 16:13). In a word, we need men with the attitude of Joshua, who willingly accepted the role of leadership in a nation but, more importantly to our study, in the home. "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh. 24:15). The Place of Men in Creation and Garden of Eden A. As "man" (human species), the universe made for his use B. Gen. 1:26-27 C. Our place in society is fixed by God in creation. 1. This role is not debatable or optional. 2. We will be judged in the role assigned to us. D. Part of this understanding is that we have a spiritual nature that reflects our Creator. We need to acknowledge this likeness and subject ourselves to its fulfillment. E. Man's destiny is fixed by the need to utilize earth and its blessings in meeting the test of spirituality over materialism. F. Regardless of "what might have been" in Eden, we now have our goal of reaching heaven. G. What we are as men will be tested to see if we succeed. Men in the Home A. Husbands 1. 1 Cor. 11:1f - the role of headship (not overlord) 2. Leadership without being a dictator 3. Leadership in faith and spirituality 4. Role toward wife: "love as self" (Eph. 5:22ff) 5. Problems husbands have: a. Reflecting worldly standards b. Seeking fulfillment outside the home c. Wandering eyes, feet toward other women d. Not sharing in home duties, responsibilities e. Becoming bitter toward wife (feeling tied down) f. Lack of financial responsibility B. Fathers 1. Importance of "role model" in society 2. Lack of presence robs children of needed influence 3. Lack of leadership passed on to next generation 4. Eph. 6:4 - Spiritual influence required 5. Role of father in discipline - 1 Sam. 3:13 (Eli) 6. How does one weigh value of love of a father toward his children in helping them face problems of life? C. In Church (Teachers; Deacons; Elders) 1. Teachers: 2 Tim. 2:2; 2. Elders - 1 Tim. 3: Titus 1; Heb. 13:7, 17; Acts 20:28 3. Deacons - 1 Tim. 3:18f; Acts 6 4. Must be willing to pay price of time, study, effort 5. Unselfishness toward need of others as it reflects the spirit of Christ to all men. Conclusion: There is a direct relationship between strong homes, strong churches, a strong society and Godly men. There is no substitute. God made no provision if this fails and, when we fail, we must pay the consequences. The decline of America can be directly tied to a diminution of men (pun intended). While we may not contribute much to the salvation of our nation as a whole or the church in its universal sense, we can begin where we live and make a difference. Let each of us resolve to take our place in God's structure of life by showing the courage of Joshua. "As for me and my house...."