We are in our third week of week of the Stepping Up series with our church men’s group. Today we journeyed through defining what is authentic manhood?

Defining authentic manhood is tough, because we don’t see it much in our modern progressive culture. In today’s world view the very idea of manhood has been emasculated and masculinity is under attack. The dominant narrative throws out labels such as clueless, knucklehead, bumbling idiot, fill in the blank ________.

Voddie Baucham, pastor at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring Texas shares that if you could package up todays definition of “manhood” it would the three B’s: billfold, ball-field and bedroom. Being a man in today’s standards is about how much you make, what do you do (focus on athletes) and how are with the ladies. Wow, does today s culture have it wrong!

Heartstone Journey starts the conversation around authentic manhood with Jesus Christ as the model. Why? Because He is the model!

Unfortunately, most of us men don’t follow this model. We follow the Adam model and here’s why.

Adam, the first real man — did absolutely nothing. He did not step up and denied his very nature and chose the path of passivity. Here is the rub guys, everyone of us carries in his heart the same failure. We repeat the sin of Adam, every day. We won’t take risk, we won’t stand up and fight, and guys we won’t even rescue Eve. We are a chip off the old block! When it came to leadership and courage, Adam became a spectator.

In our journey into authentic manhood we can’t do it alone and we need a source of strength to help establish our steps. A navigator, a compass — a solid role model. That role model starts with Jesus Christ!

Jesus did not live in passivity or back down from responsibility, He rejected passivity and invaded the issues the head on.

Lets break man’s responsibility into three pieces: the will to obey, a woman to love (kids might come with that) a work to do. In contrast to the story of Adam and Eve lets see how Jesus action these out: He is consistently doing the will of His Father, He laid His life down down for His bride (the Church) and He finished the work He came to do at the Cross!

Adam reduced humanity and Jesus redeemed it!

Ok, this is awesome, but how does this define authentic manhood?

Here is what we can learn from Jesus and Robert Lewis, the founder of Men’s Fraternity, simplifies it for us with these four characteristics:

1) Rejects passivity
2) Expects God’s greater reward
3) Accepts responsibility
4) Leads courageously

Men I am not suggesting that you run out and get crucified, but move away from the Adam model and step up to the Jesus model of manhood. Do you need to get it right all the time? No. Is God expecting perfection? No. What we need to do is step up and become men, because the world is craving for real authentic men and our our families desperately need leadership in the home. Men they are they are looking for you to step up and man up!

Are you ready to step up and reject passivity?

Are you ready to stop living for yourself and step into the reward God has for you?

Are you ready to step up and accept responsibility for being a man, a father, a husband?

Are you ready to step up and live courageously from your heart?