As I’ve known Jesus for a while now, I’ve often seen Him as God who brings peace, grace, and compassion to humanity. Though that is true, there are also a lot of things that Jesus fights for. And as we are called to be like him, there are things that we should also be fighting for as men of God.
1.) The Lost Through Social Justice
We need to passionately seek to fight for the lost. Now when I say that men should see social justice as something worth fighting for, there are a lot of assumptions that might go into that statement.
What I don’t mean is that men ought to fight to uphold society’s view of social justice.
What I do mean is that we love a God who has passionately defined social justice and desperately wants us to join him as he pursues that.
Our God is constantly throughout the Bible talking about how we ought to care for orphans, widows, fatherless, oppressed, the sick, and the poor (Isaiah 1:17, Luke 7:22, James 1:27).
How do we do this? Jesus literally said that he came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Obviously we aren’t Jesus and we can’t save them, but we are called to imitate Jesus, and we ought to seek these people out and share the good news Jesus has to offer them.
2.) The Church Through Intentional Encouragement
Have you ever heard someone talk about church? I feel like often when we talk about church, we are quick to critique what our church can do better or add to what it has, rather than take a posture of thankfulness and encouragement for the church!
And critiques aren’t bad things to talk about! But if you had a friend who only ever told you what you could be doing better, you may not be friends for very long. How often do we speak joyfully about what our church has or does now?
I’m so thankful that at my church, I can be open with a small group of people about real struggles I’m going through. I’m so thankful that I’ve been given the message of the Gospel through my home church. I’m so thankful that I have been able to serve my community through my home church.
Maybe we could use some more thankfulness when we talk about the church! After all, the Church is Jesus’s bride. Let’s intentionally build it up (Ephesians 4:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:11)!
3.) Our God Through Holistic Sacrifice
This is by far the hardest thing to fight for, but without a doubt the most important one to fight for. As Christians, we are called to imitate Jesus and bear his image (Genesis 1:27, Ephesians 5:1, Colossians 1:15).
As Jesus holistically sacrificed his life for us, we are asked to image him and holistically sacrifice for others. So what does this look like?
Maybe we ought to be sacrificing some of our time and energy that we might “waste” and spend it growing closer to God in prayer and Bible reading.
Maybe we ought to be sacrificing some of our favorite desserts in order to be healthier and doing more for God’s kingdom work.
Maybe we ought to be sacrificing staying up late watching TV or scrolling through social media in order to get enough sleep and be more productive in glorifying God!
Paul writes to the Corinthians saying, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” When we take this seriously, it looks like holistically sacrificing ourselves for the advancement of the Gospel!
It is vital for Christian men to step up and fight for the lost, the church, and the God whom we worship. We can clearly see that all these things are important to God and he has entrusted us to fight for these things. So let’s work together, start taking action, and fight the good fight for the glory of God!
Mitch graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, where he studied Evangelism and Discipleship with an emphasis in Intercultural Ministries. He blogs at his own website about how the Gospel impacts the way we ought our lives. He was a Golden State Warriors fan before it was cool and is considered a semi-professional Kan Jam player in his hometown.
