bearing witness….

in the book of acts.. pentecost has come.. the comforter has landed and taken up residence in all who received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.. by time we get to chpt 4.. “silver and gold i do not have.. but what i do have i give you..”..

a lame man is healed.. the crowd goes crazy.. but the “priests.. captain of the temple.. and sadducees” are not happy…. they come upon peter and john and take them into custody.. next day the host gather.. “rulers.. elders.. scribes.. high priest….  and as many as were of the family of the high priests gathered together”

all in one place.. all in one accord to question john and peter.. they don’t get it.. can’t see.. hear.. or don’t want to see.. or hear.. they are not happy about the teachings of peter and john… they want them to stop… read the story.. they can see and hear that these were “uneducated men.. untrained and yet they marveled..”

why…? what was it that got to them…? “seeing the man who had been healed they could say nothing against it”…

bble and i were talking tonight about men and women’s ministry.. i am continually amazed at the men who follow their show.. i was on a job site last wk and a man i know came up to me and asked me if bble was my wife…. “listen to their show every weekend”….

today on the girls radio show.. they were giving away free Bible studies to their upcoming Bible study on ephesians.. now this is a “women’s” Bible study.. by women.. for women.. can probably guess where i am going with this.. your right.. second caller.. ? a man… girls did not know what to say.. promoting their new upcoming Bible study by women.. for women  and a man calls to receive the gift.. wow…..

now… let me make something perfectly clear… the girls are right on track.. they teach the Word of God.. straight up.. right down the middle.. no compromise.. no tricky stuff.. pure to the core.. know their hearts.. can clearly measure the fruit in their lives.. any doubt.. just ck them out.. 1200 + women joined them on their 6th-annual conference.. truly a powerful work.. the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit flows in and through their lives.. their teaching and their ministry.. but why would a man.. why would men follow a women’s ministry…?

believe it’s the same reason the “host” had a problem with peter and john.. “power and presence”…  “bearing witness” that can only come from Above.. problem for us as men.. “no power..no presence”.. when it comes to “bearing witness”… we fall short.. we have clearly dropped the ball… the enemy has been eating our lunch since the days of adam and it’s not getting any better..

if you read on in the story… peter and paul are “severely threatened to not speak the name of Jesus”… peter and john’s response… ? “we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”…

now think about it.. i mean as a man.. if pressed.. if “severely threatened”.. what we would our answer be..? if pressed.. what would we “bear witness” of…? “we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and hear”.. what would that be…?  many of us can quote sport data.. stocks and bonds.. current trends in our government.. world politics.. when it comes to the world.. if measured.. we are full.. and yet when it comes to our Lord.. our God.. our Savior.. you know the One who gave His life for us.. we can’t even remember what was taught at the last organizational meeting we attended.. and yes.. some are even in a men’s Bible study.. press in a bit.. you will hear all the goose-bump stories.. but knowledge.. Word.. presence.. power.. true repentance that requires change.. not much to be found.. we can be great at gathering.. but when it comes to real change.. “as a dog returns to his vomit we as men turn to our folly…”

if i am pounding it in.. you don’t hear the Love.. forgive me.. it’s there.. bble tells me that i need more love .. i need to soften my teachings.. my blogs..  can always use more love.. Lord’s been speaking to me.. remember 1 corinthians 13.. am trying.. stepping back and yes.. trying to give occasion for more love.. but have to admit.. not really interested in some soft spoken sweet talk’n teachings and/or candy coated blog.. been a man since the day the Lord breathed life into me.. some of it’s just not in me.. i am mad.. makes me sick to the core.. i look around.. i look in the mirror.. not happy with what i see.. i have been blowing it.. we are blowing it as men.. and it’s not getting any better…

believe as men our “bearing of witness” has been so washed out that we no longer know what it is to be a man.. just last wk had a man tell me that he believes the girls should start up a Bible study just for men.. wow.. is this what we have come to..?

“bearing witness”.. can you imagine paul.. david.. israel.. jacob.. peter going to a women’s Bible study… how is it the girls can “bear witness” and we as men can’t seem to get it together..? again.. if asked.. if pressed..  what would the answer be…? if measured.. exactly what is it we are “bearing witness” of…?

i so love my bble.. tl.. girl-team.. i am so proud of all that God is doing in and through their lives.. will stand with them.. fight for them.. take the hit.. work until i drop.. support them in every which way i can.. but i am a man who longs for men to get about our Fathers business..

men who will stand.. take account.. men “bearing witness” of our Lord.. our God our King.. you know He came as the Son of man… there were 12-disiciples.. the patriarchs were all men.. adam.. was a man.. the first of our kind..

if you read the gospels.. you will find that it was the women who stood with Jesus.. they did not stay indoors “hiding” because they were fearful of the people.. they were the last and first on the scene.. from the cross to the tomb they were the first to believe.. the men..? read the story.. you will figure it out..

truly i do get why men want to sit at the girls feet.. “power and presence”…. that comes from the Lord… from Above and let me say.. nothing wrong with men listening to the girls.. i listen to them.. i love them.. but we as men need to get about it.. and it won’t change until we get off our fhat complacent lazy butts.. and yes.. “more love”.. grace and mercy.. bble is right.. we need it…  but not as women.. as men.. by men.. to men.. only way it’s going to happen.. question for all of us is when..? what’s it going take..? if you take a few minutes and research men’s movements.. you will find that most fall.. doesn’t take long and we fall apart at the seams.. adultery.. fornication.. drugs.. greed.. you name it.. the entire host of hells stands against any man who wants to make a change in his life and/or the lives of men standing around him..

we need to unite.. hit the deck.. pound the Word into our lives and join together as one.. of one accord.. oh i pray for the day.. look forward to the day…. less that 1% of all men in the united states have successfully changed that way we look at men.. act as men.. do business as men… we are becoming a genderless society where there is no place for men to be men any more..

“we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”… take a moment.. ask the question.. ask the Holy Spirit.. it’s your time.. our time as men to give occasion to our Lord so that we truly can.. will.. be “bearing witness” ……

stay in.. stay close.. hand to the plow…

tbrooks