Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Family Classics Series
Rise Up, O Men of God
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Today, we salute our Fathers. In the process, we want to honor all of our guys. This is a much needed emphasis in our day. Many wrongly conclude that church is for women and children. They conclude that it’s not manly to be religious. That idea is as false as anything can be. But that doesn’t keep many from believing it. I want to set the record straight by highlighting the manly side of the Christian faith.
First, on the lighter side—the top ten reasons it’s great to be a guy: #10. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. #9. You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife. #8. You can leave the motel bed unmade without feeling guilty. #7. You can buy underwear for $10 for a three-pack. #6. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. #5. You don’t feel a need to mooch off other’s desserts. #4. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. #3. One wallet and one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons—enough said!. #2. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives, on December 24th, in 45 minutes. And the #1 reason: You can go to the bathroom without a support group.
We salute our dads because this is Father’s Day. Since Mother’s Day, we have been looking at various aspects of family life. Today offers the logical time to turn to the role of fathers in the Christian scheme of things.
Our text offers a series of imperatives or commands. The words come in the concluding chapter of a letter addressed to a church wrestling with a ton of problems. Now is not the time to dig into all of the issues of 1 Corinthians. Suffice it say, the congregation struggled with doctrinal confusion and moral uncertainty, all compounded by a bunch of people who couldn’t get along with one another. Arguments and quarrels paralyzed the church. Instead of dealing with the problems, they wasted effort and energy fighting with one another. What always happens when such distractions take over was happening in Corinth. Evil triumphed. The lost remained in darkness. And maybe worst of all, the church’s own young continued down the wrong path.
The two verses of our text provide a fitting summary to the entire letter. They are a call to arms, a challenge for the church to stand up and deal with the issues they faced. The language came from a world familiar to men. Many of the words are military terms. Everyone knew what they meant. Most men understood them in their bones. I think that’s still true. That’s why these words provide a fitting spotlight for Father’s Day.
The lines contain five commands. They tell us what we should do, especially men. Today I want to turn the grammar ever so slightly. I want to use these words to describe not so much what should be, but what is. I want us to recognize the important role that men of God are doing in the family and in the church. Men, we honor you for your service and example to our church and especially to our young.
These first four terms come right out of a military manual of conduct. Each spotlights a part of what godly men do in their families and in the church. First, they stand guard. Picture a military sentry posted at the outskirts of the camp. You remember the old western movies. After the good guys make camp for the night, the first thing they do is decide who is going to stand guard. They take turns watching so the others can sleep in safety.
Men of courage stand guard over their families. There’s not a father here who wouldn’t do whatever he could to protect and provide for his family. I think God wired it into a man’s DNA to be a guardian of his family. Men of courage will sacrifice most anything for their young.
Harmon Killebrew, the great baseball player of yesteryear, tells in his autobiography about growing up in a home with four boys. He says that on one occasion his father was out in the front yard playing baseball with the boys and a neighbor walked by and said, "Mr. Killebrew, if you keep on playing baseball out on your front lawn, you won’t have any grass left in your yard." Mr. Killebrew said, "Sir, I’m not raising grass, I’m raising kids."
Our men stand guard for the church family as well. They watch out for dangers. They endeavor to spot problems. They look for solutions. I have been in scores of meetings with the men of this church over the last five years. I have seen our elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and youth workers agonize, worry, and pray over the church. They take their responsibilities seriously. They stand guard. Men, we honor you!
The second phrase, stand firm in the faith is also a military metaphor. A sentry stays alert to anticipate an attack. Once the battle is engaged, good soldiers must hold their positions. They must not give an inch. Their orders are to hold back the enemy and keep their ground.
Standing firm requires knowing what you believe, refusing to be easily shaken or moved by outside pressures or shifting opinions. That’s not always easy. Sometimes we can get labeled old-fashioned or mired in tradition if we try to warn our young about the dangers of following whatever trend that comes down the pike. So be it! We know that not everything is good just because it’s new. We know that some things are worth standing firm for. Everything isn’t, but some things certainly are! Wise men of God know the difference.
Standing firm requires inner strength and conviction. Families need that. They need men of firm conviction who live and teach that for their young. I know we have many fathers and grandfathers who are men of faith and who know the importance of building conviction into the life of their young.
One of the things I have always been impressed about this church is the number of men who are involved in teaching the Bible to all ages. I can’t tell you how important that is. Boys and girls, but especially boys, need to see men committed to Christ and his word. We are blessed to have that here.
The third tough minded command may sound a little strange to our ears. The idea is important. The NIV says, be men of good courage. The King James Version renders the same phrase: quit ye like men. The Revised Standard Version says simply, be courageous. The Living Bible reads, act like men. Aristotle used this phrase to describe the good warrior. A smart soldier knows when to be afraid. To not know fear is to risk recklessness. But he doesn’t let the fear paralyze him. Do you see the progression? The sentry stands guard. When under attack, the good soldier holds his ground. In the midst of an all out assault, the warrior must be brave, even heroic. In the battle, be a man!
The sense in context can actually cut in two different directions. Both have relevance. First, Paul is calling for masculine courage, not that females can’t be just as courageous. In the midst of spiritual attack, stand up! Be counted! Don’t run and hide! Stand and fight! Act like a man, a trained warrior—not a sissy! The term also can mean “act like a man not a child.” That’s especially relevant for 1 Corinthians where grown up Christians were acting so childish. Listen to Paul’s words: “1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” 1 Cor. 3:1 through 1 Cor. 3:3 (NIV). 20Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” 1 Cor. 14:20 (NIV).
The old hymn voices the sentiment of this verse: Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things. Give heart and mind and soul and strength To serve the King of kings.
The fourth imperative is also a military term. “Be strong!” I think the emphasis here is on keeping up the fight as long as needed. Real battles, spiritual and physical, are seldom won in a day. Perseverance often wins where simple skill and energy give up. Again, the progression is clear. Sentries, be on guard. When attacked, hold your ground. In the heat of battle, be courageous and heroic. Above all, stay the course. Don’t give up. Stay strong.
Interestingly this term is the only command in the series in the passive voice. This means our strength is not something we do or generate out of our own ability. It is something we receive from outside. Clearly this is the emphasis of Scripture. The spiritual strength needed to stay the course for the Lord is not our own, but his.
Our wise fathers know that. We know that our young need more than we are capable of. We need outside help. We can only do so much in raising our young. Without God’s help and strength, our task is hopeless.
Be alert. Stay firm. Be men of courage. Remain strong. That’s what men of God do for their families and in the church. But our young need more than that. Strength must be tempered with tenderness. Paul’s fifth imperative speaks to this. “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” Our godly men show courage and firmness. They also show us love. Boys especially need to see that in their fathers and in the male role models around them. When its not there, boys often turn into savages. The prevalence of fatherless homes is one of the great tragedies of our time. That’s what makes the role of godly men in the church so important. We want every child, ours and others, to be able to learn from the example of good men who know how to be both courageous and compassionate.
A few years ago CBS’s 60 Minutes (1-20-99) ran a story that provides a good parable of the importance of men in the home and society. The segment was actually about a problem at the Kruger National Wildlife Park in South Africa. The elephant herd at the game preserve had become over populated. The game wardens decided to transport some of the younger bull elephants to a different game park.
All went well for a dozen or so years. Eventually, however, several of the young male elephants (now teenagers) that had been transported to the new game park began attacking the park’s herd of white rhinos, an endangered species. Nothing the Park managers did changed the out of control behavior of the young elephants. Finally, someone came up with an idea. They brought in some of the mature male elephants still residing in the Kruger Park. They hoped that the bigger, stronger males could bring the adolescents under control. It worked. The big bulls quickly established the natural hierarchy and reduced the violent behavior of the younger bulls.
As one observer pointed out, "The new discipline, it turned out, was not just a matter of size intimidation. The young bulls actually started following the older males around, yielding to their authority and learning from them. The assaults on the white rhinos ended abruptly.” Young males--whether they are wild animals or human beings--need Dads. When that’s not possible, they need other men who serve as role models. From men, our young learn how to be tough and tender.
Conclusion: Men, we salute and honor you. We honor your hard work and strength. We honor your courage and firmness of conviction. We honor your tenderness and compassion. We honor your faith!
Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things. Give heart and mind and soul and strength To serve the King of kings.
Lift high the cross of Christ! Tread where His feet have trod. As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up, O men of God!
Families, you are blessed to have fathers like that. Church, you are blessed with many men who “Stand guard, remain firm in the faith, are men of courage and strength and also do everything in love.”
Men, we honor you!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
