Dear friends,

Thank you for your prayers! We are looking forward to how God is going to move in 2018 as we continue to boldly proclaim His Word so that lives can be changed. We are in the process of working on a new website for Bible Alive Ministries so that we can have greater influence on the world for Christ. We want to move to using digital technology because more and more people are using these new formats in every day life and we want to help people understand God’s Word if you would like to check it out at biblealiveministries.org. Also, we are going to emphasize Biblical manhood and the importance of having a God-centered, Bible-informed family life in our homes. It’s no secret that our families are in deep trouble, and it is not limited only to the homes of unbelievers. It has become the norm for Christian children to grow up in broken homes, in which there is a single parent doing the work of two parents. Quite frankly, even many of the homes in which there is a Christian man are often not led Biblically by him. Our passion is to help men fulfill their God-given role as head of the home as they lead their family in all matters and provide those essential aspects that all Christian homes need. We need your help! We need your prayers and your financial partnership. If you believe in what we are doing and would like to partner with us, please write us or call so that we can guide you in that area. You can become a monthly partner or give one time if you feel led by God to do so. Thank you for your prayers and support as we move forward for the Lord’s Kingdom. Below is a Bible study on the importance of biblical manhood.

Biblical Manhood

There are many aspects in the Scriptures that refer to the God-ordained responsibilities given by God to every man. When one looks at the first man, Adam, we see the first reason that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden. Now, often we naturally think of paradise as we place of lounging around with no responsibilities or obligations to fulfill. Some even believe that the idea of work did not begin until after the fall of man. This clearly isn’t true for several reasons that I will outline below:

1. We see that God worked.Genesis 2:1-2: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”Here we see the word “work” used twice to describe what God had completed after He created everything in six days. Of course we know that God didn’t rest because He was tired, as He never grows weary, but He gave mankind this pattern to follow, which is to be productive, to work for 6 days, and to rest on the seventh. This is before the law of God was given, so this is still a healthy pattern to follow. But after God worked and created all this, He would place Adam in the Garden of Eden with a purpose.
2. We see Adam’s work.In Genesis 2:15, God’s purpose for placing Adam in the Garden is illustrated. Moses wrote: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Adam was planted in the Garden to dress it and keep it. To dress it means “to work, or to do labor.” (Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon). To “keep” means to “watch, or to guard. (Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon). Remember that this was before the sinful fall of man. Therefore, this is the responsibility that God entrusted with Adam. Although this was labor, it was enjoyable, fulfilling, and gave Adam purpose. It is the same for us today. With Adam the first human being, we understand that God made mankind to be productive with work. It is important to note that this was given to Adam first, meaning it was the man’s responsibility to work. This is connected to the authority that God gave Adam in taking care of the Garden.

God has given every man the responsibility to work. This gives him purpose as he creates, produces, and provides for himself the necessities of life as well as providing for his wife and children the things they need. The modern ethic is a far cry from what God intended for man. Fewer and fewer men want to work. Many simply want to collect a check. Often, men are unashamed when they aren’t working and are depending either on their wives, their parents, or the government to take care of them. Wives and their children often go without the necessities of life because the man refuses to work. To provide for one’s own family is a monumental task and it might even demand working two or three jobs. If that is the case, then so be it. The man that is not working and providing for his own will (or should anyway) hang his head with low self esteem as he is not fulfilling what God expects of Him. There is dignity in work as a man finds purpose, and he is able to accomplish things and be proud of what he was able to do. There is great dignity in not having to depend on parents or others to take care of his financial situations. A man that works hard and his best in providing for his own will have his head held high, and he can testify of the goodness of God and the blessings He provides as he works hard, all the while trusting the Lord to meet our needs.

It is important to note that the Lord created people with the purpose of being productive and working. When one is working hard, then there is that feeling of dignity and purpose, and the one that refuses to work will experience feelings of guilt and shame.

Solomon, known as the wisest man alive (1 Kings 4:30-31), wrote (under the inspiration of Scripture), of the importance of a strong work ethic and the general blessings that come from hard work:

In Proverbs 6:6-11, Solomon said to “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

Solomon holds up the ant as an example to follow for the lazy person. He states that the ant does not have any supervision, but works hard all year long. Isn’t it true that when you see an ant, or many ants, they are busy and focused on their task? They do not stop. He then tells the sluggard that if you continue to sleep and slumber too much, then poverty will come upon the lazy person quickly. The word “travelleth” in verse 11 is halak refers to one that is a robber or an attacker, and the armed man is the one that is a thief and tries to take that which is not his. The idea is that the lazy person will experience poverty pouncing on them as robbers pounce on their targets. Many people are surprised when they find themselves in need after months or years of not working. God makes clear that we are responsible to be diligent and work hard to make sure our needs are met, and it is the responsibility of the man to lead and take care of his family and their financial needs.