Semper Fi - X

Z: Zacharias and Zacchareus

Real-X-Men don't always have real life role models to show them how to live as Godly men. God knows that, so He gives us all the role models we need in the Bible. I wanted to show case two extremes of men that illustrate how a man can be imperfect yet be used in a way to fulfill Gods purpose in his life.

First we have the story of Zacharias in Luke. Zacharias is the father of John the Baptist. Zach was a religious leader performing some of the priestly duties inside the Temple when an angel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would soon have a baby who would lead the way for the coming Messiah. Needless to say this came as quite a shock to the elderly Zacharias and he couldn't believe it. In return God took away his speech as a punishment for his lack of faith. After John the Baptist was born,his speech came back. Was he bitter or angry for God taking away his speech? Scripture tells us that Zach was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke a prophecy about John the Baptist and the coming Messiah. While he doubted..God muted his voice..but once John was born...God allowed Zach to speak in a mighty way and people listened in a way that they probably would not have had he had retained his speech the entire time.

Next I remind you about a rich, little tax collector that was despised by the religoius community whose name was Zacchaeus. This Zacch had a desperate desire to see this new Messiah...climbing a tree to overcome being too short to see over the crowd. This effort caught the eye of Jesus and Zacch was rewarded by being invited to host Jesus to a dinner with all his friends. He admitted to Jesus that he cheated people..."but when he was caught he gave back four times the amount he stole". Did Jesus condemn him? No...He recognized his hunger to know God better and rewarded with a opportunity to Host God Himself that very day.

So what do we learn from thses stories? You might have your own revelations but I see two very different men both responding to God and being blessed by God. One is the equivelant of a Billy Graham or higher in his day and one the same as a million other guys that have made money less then honestly and have come and gone through the ages. As different as these fellows were they both served a purpose in the Kingdom and you can too!

My point is that there is not a cookie cutter image that you need to meet to consider yourself a Real-X-Man. A Christian man living in Gods Will and filling his purposein life. The Bible is full of stories of imperfect men that served God and fullfilled their Godly purposes in their lives. Maybe you dont think the local Church in your area will accept you and you wont fit in...take heart..seek God and He will respond to your prayers. From Kings and priests to tax collectors and thieves....dont think you are every to good too screw up or ever too bad to be noticed and used by God. Whereever you are... in a palace, in a village in the mountains of Tajikistan or in prison...I would bet that the Bible has a story about a man that you can identify with....his story may be your story. Read the Bible and meditate on the men and their stories and how they were men of God..and my prayer is that that gives you hope. And Hope does not disappoint us ! 

Y: You

Real-X-Men believe that God loves them, but it is all about you! I read that in a devotional by author Pat Morley, founder of Man in the Mirror. God loves me...but it all about you. In the book Treasures of a Transformed Life by John Ed Mathison, we are reminded that society tells us we should maintain that whats-in-it-for-mentality; but Christ reminds us to ask what could be in it for other people.

Our focus should be on the Lord and how we can be an extension of Him to relieve suffering, bring about more compassion into the world and spread the Gospel of Good News that is Jesus Christ and His blood on the cross. It is rarely about me..it is about service to others that bring about true happiness, a sense of self worth and justification. Serving myself just feeds an endless appetite that can never be quenched.

X: Christ

X is often used to represent and shorten the Greek word Xristos. Xristos is a transliteration of the New Testament Greek word for Christ "criston"" . The Greek letter Chi "c" was retained to insure a connection to the roots and original texts, as well as visually represent the centrality of the cross in all. X is not a substitute for Christ but is the real thing in its original text.

A Real-X-Man is a man who believes in Christ, trusts in Christ, dies to the world and lives in Christ. We strive to become Christ-like in our earthly sanctification. We are not merely servants for Christ but slaves to Him. Left to our natural inclinations...we are all slaves to something...our families, our careers, money, drugs, sex whatever. But being a slave to Christ means having freedom from sin and the death that it brings. Being the merciful, compassionate, loving Master that we know Christ is ... we live in confidence that our Master has our best interests at heart not matter what our circumstances. Can you say that about careers that abandon you if you are no longer productive, money that is here today and gone tomorrow, friends that wont tolerate a mistake if it offends them or if your influence in the community wanes and they no longer need you,  your body that fails you as you get older. 

But Christ has always been with us even when we didn't know it or chose not to believe it. He is either in your heart or by your side waiting to be invited in. A Real-X-Man gives up this world and take up His cross.  When Christs calls you to be compassionate...you forgive and understand, when He calls you into Spiritual warfare..you fight and when He calls you to serve you answer: Here I am Lord...send me.

W: Warrior

A Real-X-Man is a warrior.

A warrior is a person that is habitually engaged in warfare. Warriors are often considered a class of their own in some societies. A warrior culture emerges and a warrior code is born where fighting to the death is nothing to fear. In order to not be considered dangerous to the rest of society a code of conduct is instituted where honor, loyalty and courage are standard character traits. Take the US Marine Corps...the most feared fighting force in the world, if you are the enemy, true warriors who know no fear...yet if you are on the right side of their sword...you have nothing to fear...their code of conduct, honor, pride and discipline makes them an invaluable champions for freedom to all the free world.

Real-X-Men are engaged in constant spiritual warfare. With the armor of God as our shield and the Word of God as our sword, we engage the enemy with no fear of death. We have already died to this world and live only in Christ. We are loyal only to our Lord and abide by the honor code of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We fight the enemy that constantly attacks us personally , our families, our Christian brothers and clergy. We take pride in being attacked... we must be feared by Satan or he wouldn't waste his army and weapons on us. So we fight with perseverance on the streets, in our workplace, in our homes and in our churches. Wherever the enemy can be found we take him on and take him down.

But before you get the wrong idea, realize that a true Christian warrior is a peace maker. He doesn't fight because he loves to fight. He battles because he loves His Lord and loves his neighbor. His greatest joy is to worship God...but when the Will of God is threatened by satan...a warrior for Christ  ( A Real-X-Man ) is on the front line...sometimes behind enemy lines...taking the fight to the enemy protecting his family and his neighbor as himself. But the ultimate hope of a Christian warrior is just like that of a fighting U S Marine...the vision of life where the wars have been fought and won and we stand in between a defeated enemy and the people in peace and harmony with Christ.

V: Victorous

A Real X Man knows that he is in a battle..that the enemy is always on the prowl ready to devour the weak and unsuspecting. But he also knows that while the battle is not easy and sometimes you can get wounded and it hurts...the war has already been won.

Victory is ours through the blood on the cross. The ultimate price has been paid by a warrior King for all who believe.

As long as we are on this earth the battle continues to rage around us and our King commands us to fight with Him until our dying breath. We join our King with confidence that victory is ours and our reward awaits us. But we don't battle for the hope of our reward. We fight because of our love for our King and our neighbor. The Lord needs warriors to rescue the lost and we go into the fight with enthusiasm wearing His armor for protection and with His Word as our sword.

A Real X Man looks forward to each day as we confront our enemy and pierce his heart with the Word and Truth and liberate our nieghbors into the Freedom of Christ.

U: Understanding

A Real-X-Man is understanding. He is secure enough in his faith and confidant enough in his Lord...that he is able to step out of his comfort zone and into the world of the unbelievers and understand where they come from. He has been there himself until someone help him understand the secret of Christs gift. He is able to step into their comfort zone and disciple others into Christianity. You see, a Real-X-Man understands that he too is a sinner and in fact probably worse then most and that the only reason he has eternal life is through the unmerited gift of grace and righteousness of the sacrifice of Christ. Who better to understand a sinner then another sinner. The only difference between a born again Christian and that of a non-believer is a simple act of faith and the acceptance of unmerited favor on the part of the believer. Nothing more. And a Real-X-Man understands that. He hasn't done anything on his own that deserves anything other then death. But when you understand the secret, the gift, the mercy and the grace of our Savior then you start to see men as Christ sees them and you start to understand the Word the way Paul understood...and you realize that it is all about compassion for the lost and understanding them into a life with Christ. Understand?

Romans 15:1-6 (NRSV)

We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

_________________________

Paul wrote, "We urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NRSV)

T: Trustworthy Team player

A Real-X-Man is a trusted team player. He comes into this world alone and he leaves it alone...but while he is here...Christ calls us into Christian fellowship. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior....then study the Word of God in isolation and keep it to yourself. It says to be a light onto the World and be a beacon of hope...you cant do that as a hermit.

A team player appreciates the role that everyone else on the team has...he realizes that each warrior is critical if we are to win this Spiritual Battle we are engaged in. He also knows that we all have different gifts and talents that we bring to the table. That none of us are more important then the other. Lets see eleven Troy Aikmans throw any touchdowns against an all out blitz in an NFL football game or nine Nolan Ryans score any runs against another baseball team.  In their own roles they are great players but only with the help of team mates, a coach and all their supporting staff.

Christ came on this earth and delivered the Good News...but even God couldn't accomplish this without the supporting cast of His Disciples. A Real-X-Man learns to appreciate differences of opinions, leadership styles, ages and cultures. Just look at the collection of Disciples that Jesus put together. They weren't all alike with the same schooling and upbringing...they ranged from fisherman to tax collectors...from mild to wild. Why? Because Christ is a pretty smart guy and put together a winning team of trusted team mates He could go into battle with.

Scripture is very bold in pronouncing this idea of teamwork through fellowship with other Christians and in going out into the world and being a lamp on top of a mountain witnessing to all who have eyes...talking to all who have ears.

“… so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” (Romans 12:5 NLT)

If you don’t live and work within the Body of Christ, other believers will miss out on a blessing from God. Your role is that significant.

Several times in his biblical letters, the Apostle Paul emphasized the interdependence of believers by comparing the Church to a human body. He wrote that each believer represents various parts of the body: Some serve as a hand; some serve as an eye; some serve in other capacities needed to complete the Body – with Christ as the head.

This picture of the Body ruins any argument that the Christian life can be lived in isolation, or that your mission on earth can be carried out independently of other believers. God created you to live and grow within a community of Christian companions.

He created you to need the Body, and the Body to need you. As we learn to love one another within the Body, God uses that to prepare us for our mission in life.

God shaped you to specifically serve other members of his Body; we call that ministry. It means you can know with rock-solid-certainty that there are members of the Body – perhaps in your small group or Sunday school – who need your support and encouragement as they take a step of faith toward their own mission.

Without you, they might not go.

At the same time, you can know with rock-solid-certainty that there are other believers you know who were sent by God to support and encourage you as you step in faith toward your mission.

Without them, you might not go, thinking you have to go it alone.

· See yourself as part of a Christian Team – God can transform any group of believers, who have willing and obedient hearts, into a power team of godly influencers that will rock the world. You’re part of a Body that’s meant to live on mission together, to fulfill God’s purposes together, and to share the love of Christ with the rest of the world – together.

· Think of your mission in life as a Team sport – A team of trustworthy believers working together is able to do more than an individual, particularly if the mission is ongoing.

S: Self-Control

A Real-X-Man exhibits self-control in his life. This is contrary to the person who lets desires of the world control their actions....a Real-X-Man lets the Holy Spirit guide him thru the twists and turns and curves that the desires of the flesh throws at you....keeping his moral compass set at true north even when all around him people are going the way of the crowds.

Paul states that he doesn't have room or time to list all the works of the flesh when at the end of Gal 5:21 he states...and things like these. There are so many temptations and traps out there for us, he cant list them all. Of all the fruits of the Spirit that Paul lists in Galatians...self-control is the only one that battles all of the works of the flesh. And isn't being in battle is one desire every Real-X-Man has? But of what he does list....love wont fight drunkenness..joy is useless against fornication...peace doesn't care about idolatry, patience wont win the battle against carousing, kindness has no defense against impurity, generosity and dissensions can live together...and so on...only self-control empowered with the Holy Spirit along with wearing the Armor of God will win these fights every time.

Self control as a fruit of the Spirit can be defined as dying to the desires and passions of the flesh. If you claim to be a Christian and you live by the Holy Spirit then be a Real-X-Man and let the Spirit be your guide. I was a recreational user of alcohol from age 13 to age 47...I had attempted to stop drinking a few times on my own...but the desire to drink kept pulling me back and winning that battle. When the Holy Spirit came into my life...it took the desire of drinking away from me where stopping drinking was a very easy and natural thing to do. The Spirit actually killed that desire in me where my human attempts to stop pitted the desires of drink against my own will power...the desires stayed in my body and eventually won out. I was defenseless on my own.

The Spirit will do the same for you in whatever battle of the flesh you are fighting. Self-control begins with your heart asking the Spirit to help you in controlling the desires of the flesh...focusing on Jesus and the righteous life we are called to live. Self-Control continues in daily prayer as you ask for strength, guidance and confidence to go into battle with the World. If you find a kink in your armor and desires of the flesh start creeping in on you...go to the Lord in prayer, meditate on His Holy Word and call a fellow Real-X-Man to help you out in your battles....that's what we are here for. We aren't meant to be an Army of one...but of many.

R: Responsible

A Real-X-Man is responsible...this contrasts with being unreliable. A responsible man knows and does what is expected of him. He keeps his word and his commitments even if it means sacrificing personal self interests. A responsible man does not need a supervisor...he recognizes what his tasks are his duty to complete and then he carries them out as if his boss was looking over his shoulder.

Responsibility includes those voluntary commitments that a man makes...like showing up on time for a meeting or paying a loan back when he says he will....but also those responsibilities that come with your role in life. Be it the role of a father, a husband, an employee or as a citizen in your community or country. God gave you these roles ...He expects you to honor them by being responsible to the duties that go along with them.

OK...so you believe in Christ as your Savior. But is He also the Lord of your life? What are your responsibilities as a Christian man to Jesus as your Lord in addition to being your Savior? We are called to live a righteous life in spite of our sinful nature...which is a virtual impossibility...so we are humble...we ask for forgiveness...we repent of our sins and move forward in sanctification...asking to be led by the Holy Spirit... we pray to and worship a merciful God who grants us grace even though we don't deserve it. In return we are filled with thanksgiving, joy and love for our Lord and we disciple others to do the same...spreading the Gospel of Good News to a lost and hurting world.Thats the big picture...the rest are just details!

Q: Quality vs. Quanity

Real-X-Men believe in quality versus quantity.

A guy needs one good wife, one good job and a few close friends. You don't need false idols and people that want to use you for whatever it is that you have and they want. You only make a few commitments that you know you can keep and you don't spread yourself out so thin you cant possibly keep your word.

I ran across a sign at a place of business I really liked. It said...at our business you can have service good, fast and cheap. Pick any two out of three. If you want it good and fast..it wont be cheap. If you want it cheap and fast...it wont be good. If you want it cheap and good..it wont be fast.  That is what I am talking about...if you want quantity...you wont get quality. And if you demand quality....chances are quantity is impossible.

You only need a close personal relationship with one God, one Lord and Savior who came to earth and bought and paid for your sins. No need to worship anyone or anything else. A Real-X-Man knows his word is as good as gold and HIS WORD is more valuable then that. No need to waste your breath just to hear yourself talk. Quality of life, quality of worship, quality of prayer is more important then living a lot of empty years, going thru the motions every Sunday morning and hollow words in prayer that is insincere.