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A Father's Heart - Protecting our Children
03:13

A Father's Heart - Protecting our Children

In this video, Pastor Johnson expresses his appreciation for fathers. Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church There is a well-known passage in Luke 15 that records the story of the prodigal son and his prodigal brother.  Not only can we learn a lot from those two boys, but that passage also showcases for us the heart of a godly father. The father in Luke 15 understands his roles as provider, protector, and pastor of his family.   Remember when the entitled prodigal son demands of his father that he give him the “portion of goods that falleth to him?”   That father was such a good provider that he had an inheritance waiting for his son.  Also, after his son’s waywardness, the father had additional resources to bestow upon the son; a ring, a robe, a fatted calf, and much more.   To that father’s credit, he certainly was a very good provider.   Not only that, but that father was a protector.  Everything about that home speaks of protection and security.  While the son was away “wasting his substance with riotous living,” in verse 17 the son starts to long for the safety that his father had previously provided.   It is interesting that this father didn’t stop his son from going into the far country.  He didn’t stop him nor did he go after him.   Sometimes as fathers we will protect our children from making bad decisions and rightly so, but there are other times where we remember that as parents, we are not our child’s Holy Spirit.  At some point, we have to release our children to their own relationship with God’s Spirit.  Part of protecting our children from sinful choices is teaching them how to protect themselves from the enticements of this evil world.   Lastly, this father had a pastor’s heart for his family.  Not every man is called to pastor a local church, but every father and husband is called to be the pastor of his home.  Every father is called to spiritually shepherd his family.   The older brother in Luke 15 ended up being angry, stubborn, selfish, entitled, and even jealous, yet that father took time to patiently guide that older boy.   In verses 31-32, the father is providing perspective to the older brother.  He needed his Dad to shepherd and counsel him; to pastor him.  That older son was frustrated by temporal things and that godly father provided an eternal perspective in the midst of their temporal circumstance.  The father patiently provided wisdom.   This father‘s heart is revealed in the ways he provided, protected, and pastored those boys even through the stress and anxiety that must have accompanied that situation.   Instead of feeling like a failure because of his son’s waywardness, that father was standing on that front porch looking for that son’s return.   Optimistic, compassionate, and selfless are words that describe the godly fathers that lead our homes.   To all the dads out there, thank you for all you do to model Christlikeness in front of your children.  We wish you a very happy Father’s Day. #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV
Toxic Masculinity?
03:41

Toxic Masculinity?

In this video, Pastor Johnson discusses the topic of masculinity from a biblical perspective. He references to helpful passages like 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. (For your benefit, his script is below) Strength for Life is a Ministry of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola Pastor James C. Johnson 2550 W Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32534 850-478-1691 https://www.northstonebaptist.org https://www.strengthforlife.church Toxic masculinity ? Is that actually a thing? Certainly there are bad men out there but there are also bad women. People are sinners. Evil is prevalent. To refer to masculinity in general as toxic is a lazy broad brush and unhelpful. In actuality, men should embrace their masculinity. The attack on masculinity in our day is all part of the devil’s agenda to blur gender distinctions. The fact is, God created only two genders and entrusted to them unique abilities that complement one another. Men should embrace their masculinity and women should embrace their femininity. Any attempt to merge the two is an attack on God‘s creation. So what does it mean to be masculine? Interestingly, God‘s Word explains that men should act like men when it says, “Quit you like men” in 1 Corinthians 16:13. The Bible instructs us men to act like men which implies that we are not to act like women, we’re not to act like animals, and we’re not to act like children, we are to act like men. The text explains that men should be vigilant when it says “watch ye.” Men should watch over their own hearts, and vigilantly protect their families and those that God has entrusted to their care. Men are to be protectors and providers. Also, masculine men should be men of Scriptural conviction as opposed to constant vacillation. The text says, “stand fast in the faith.” - “stand fast” implies conviction and “in the faith” is Scriptural. Additionally the text tells men to be strong not weak. Strong physically, sure, but additionally Godly men should be strong spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Review- So biblical masculinity is seen in men who are vigilantly protecting their hearts, their families, men who have scriptural conviction, and men who are strong in all the areas of life that matter. However, biblical masculinity is also seen in love. Verse 14 says, “Let all your things be done with charity.” And remember MEN that “charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” This is what biblical masculinity is all about. It’s not about trying to be John Wayne or Andrew Tate. It’s about trying to be like Jesus Christ; conformed to HIS image. We definitely don’t need more beta males, and actually we don’t need alpha males. Instead, we need more men that reflect the Alpha and Omega, the Lord Jesus Christ. The rarity of strong biblical male leadership in our homes, churches, and our country is a part of the destruction of each of those institutions. Ladies, if you have a strong, godly, Christlike man in your life, go tell him that you love him. And Men, in spite of what our woke culture is telling us, God is telling us to embrace our masculinity and allow it to be tempered by His Spirit and regulated by His Word. May God help us men to be watchful, intentional, strong, and charitable as we pursue being the men that God commands us to be. #Pensacola #ExpositoryPreaching #SpiritualStrength #KJV
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