1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 (NKJV): And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Before I share about this past weekend’s Men’s Conference, I want to talk about the importance of men meeting and encouraging each other. It seems as more time goes on, more and more men are shirking responsibilities to their family and other areas. The reason, men are not being held accountable to each other. They are not meeting regularly to encourage, build, pray, and share with each other.
Some would say, “That is touchy feely stuff. I don’t want to be involved in that.” Although there may be times this occurs, mostly this is to help us to be the men that God would want us to be. It doesn’t have to be a “touchy, feely” event. It could be something like, going fishing, hunting or even working on a project together. It could be just visiting over coffee and discussing things that are going on in their lives. Most importantly, it is also meeting regularly and praying together and studying The Bible together. When men meet regularly, there is change that happens in their lives.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV): And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Now let’s take a look at The Separated For Battle Men’s Conference. This was what we hope to be the first of many organized by our fellowships. We prayed over this Conference as we prepared for the day it was to happen. And when I say we prayed, I mean there was much prayer for this Conference. We wanted to see The Holy Spirit move in the group of men that showed up.
On the day of the conference, we knew that there were at least 128 men registered. What we didn’t know, is how many more would show up. It is not that we were looking for numbers, we wanted to see what God wanted to do. We ended up with an almost full house. In fact, more chairs needed to be brought out for the men who were showing up.
We also had this conference broadcasted on this day by The HUB of NM as well as on Facebook Live. There seemed to be a great response from those tuning into the broadcasts. The only things that were broadcasted that day were the particular Subjects:
Separated For The Gospel
Separated For Purity
Separated to Self Control
Separated to God’s Will
Separated to Leadership
As the conference went on, what we discovered is how The Holy Spirit worked through each topic and intertwined the messages. None of the speakers collaborated on the subjects.
As a result, the following things happened:
- We noted that more Men’s encouragement gatherings needed to happen
- Men either bonded with others, strengthened bonds they already had, or reconciled from past wrongs/misunderstandings with each other
- Men grew in their relationships with The Lord
- There was at least one public confession to surrendering to the Lord
- Many testified about how they were encouraged by the things shared
- Men sought to sign up for the Shepard’s School so they could be prepared more for the ministry they are called to.
- Multiple fellowships, from different backgrounds, linked together to answer the call to encourage men to seek their callings, or even seek to grow their Relationship with The Lord.
In doing things like this, we always pray that those who attended will embark on growing more in their walks with Christ.
If you want a USB drive with a copy of the messages of this conference and more, for a donation of $15, please feel free to email me at cross66info@gmail.com or call +1 (505) 600-1027.
If you would like more info on CCF College or The Shepard’s School follow this link:
Pray for the men in your lives. Pray that men will change their course of direction and start to answer the call they are given. Pray that they will become the leaders in their homes and communities.
Talks From The Heart With Pastor Mark Grothe is a ministry of Cross Christian Fellowship, Rt. 66. For more info on this ministry or to give to support, you can go to cross66.org. or you can email cross66info@gmail.com or call +1 (505) 600-1027
Any scripture referenced here is taken from New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted
