A vision from David J. Jones
Men for the Times
A men's group is forming. Details are coming soon as we learn to become His men for this chaotic time.
I would like to share with you a vision I have had for many years. I have been waiting for the day when others would come alongside and facilitate. That day has come. Now is the time.
I am reminded of the prophet, Jeremiah, one of the men that God called to prophesy to Old Testament Israel – a nation that had gone astray and abandoned its covenant with the Lord. God's mercy was coming to an end and judgement was imminent. Scattering and exile were near. This is what the Lord said to Jeremiah:
'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'
— Jeremiah 1:5, NIV
This is the sovereignty of God at work. It was an issue of identity and timing. The Lord had a man for the times. We must understand it in its context and not jump to inappropriate conclusions. The Sovereign Lord is a God of purpose. Nothing takes Him by surprise, and yet He is quite capable of handling our choices and failings. There's no hyper-sovereignty here.
This is a new time. We, the Church, are under a New Covenant with different terms and expectations. We belong to Christ. He died for us. But we have not been faithful. We have allowed the world to infiltrate. We have compromised the truth and so we are scattered. We have agreed to disagree instead of agreeing to agree, which is the Biblical standard. We have settled into being men OF this time. But into this dire condition, the Lord has spoken. And He is calling us to stand and become His men FOR this time.
The times we live in are chaotic. We are seeing the decline of Western Christian-based culture. Never in history has there been so much upheaval. The Church is, largely, weak and ineffective. More than ever, we must be Christ-centered and learn to be encouraged in spite of what we see. I love this passage from the Revelation:
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?' … Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.'
— Revelation 5:2,5, NIV
Jesus is the Lord of history and He will build the Church. That doesn't mean we should be passive. Rather, it means we submit to His ways, otherwise we might find we are not His Church after all. The task ahead seems impossible but we must not lose heart. Christ has given us everything we need in order to accomplish it. Paul expertly laid out for us God's strategy for success. It's time to put away all the cleverly devised plans that are essentially worldly, and instead rely totally on God's way. It's the way of grace—the best and only way.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.' (What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
— Ephesians 4:7-13, NIV
The Christ-centered man will know Christ.
The Christ-centered man will know himself.
The Christ-centered man will be a man who knows the truth.
The Christ-centered man will be a man of courage.
The Christ-centered man will walk in the freedom that Christ has won.
Come and join us in our quest. You never know – it might change your life!
David J. Jones
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.