Understanding the Purpose and Power of Men

The Male as Teacher and Cultivator

ready for marriage. Getting a job or college degree doesn‘t make you ready. I‘m talking about God‘s qualifications. As

far as God is concerned, you are ready for marriage when you are able to teach your family His Word. If you are already married but don‘t know the Word, you should make it a priority to study and gain know ledge of the Bible. You should go to a church where you can learn the Scrip

If a man

can’t teach

the Word,

he’s not

ready for

marriage.

tures, so you can follow up on what God has commanded you to do as a man. You can‘t teach what you don‘t know. How can you teach the Word of God to your family if all you watch is television sitcoms or Survivor or ball games? How can you teach your family the Word of God if all you read is Superman and Fantastic Four or Time and News week ? How can you teach the Word of God to your family if you haven‘t spent any time learning it you rself? There are men who know more about sports than the Bi ble. They can name every baseball team, who plays on them, and who is pitching in the series, but they don‘t know the Word of God. They can instruct their boys in how to play soc cer, but they don‘t know how to teach them to be sanct ified. Someone may say, ―The Bible is one thing, but I‘m teac h ing my boy how to be a real man.‖ What are you teaching him? A young man told me how his father said to him one day, ―Come, I want to show you how to be a man.‖ His father took him to his favorite poolside club, sat him on a stool, and told the waitress, ―Give this man a heavy drink. It‘s time for him to become a man now. He‘s sixteen.‖ He told his son, ―Now, if you can hold your liquor, you‘re a real man.‖ And while they were sitting there, he pointed out a nearly naked girl at the pool. He said, ―You see that girl? A real ma n knows how to handle her.‖ This was a son being taught by his father how to be a man. Some men think they‘re teaching their boys how to be men by taking them to ball games to watch men fight over a pigskin. They say, ―That‘s a man. A man knocks people do wn and beats them half to death on a ball field.‖ You

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