Time to Man-Up!

Dear Friends, Partners, Family and Colleagues...

The month of August is already drawing near to its end. So far this has been a truly blessed month.
I am still living in a commune with 7 other guys (with one being my good friend Bernard Hollander, who seems to find it entertaining to wake me up as early as he possibly can). I am still happily in love with my wonderful girlfriend (as seen in an earlier blog). I am still following Jesus joyfully, which inevitably leads to fishing for men (Mark 1:17). I am still preaching every now and then at our Lynnwood congregation evening service. I am still leading our Youth Ministry and enjoy investing into the lives of our youth. I am still blessed with amazing friends and family like you who  pray for me and support me. I am still the guy with the dry sense of humor. I am still a Chelsea football supporter.

But most importantly...

I am still...

I am still... Quiet... Regularly before God... Stepping out of the regular routine life... The super-productive lifestyle encouraged by society all around us... A lifestyle which is great, until you get so sucked into it that you never make time to be still and come to a place of deep intimacy with God and allow Him to refresh you...

I want to encourage all of us, to discipline ourselves to make sure we have at least half an hour a day of quiet time, where we just soak ourselves in prayer and the Word of God.

Finally, I want to share that we (Every Nation Lynnwood) had our Man-Up Men Camp during this month and we really experienced amazing breakthrough in young and old men alike.

We were about 85 men on the camp. We enjoyed amazing Praise and Worship time, as well as exciting fellowship and also amazing teaching on what it means to live as a man who follows Jesus.

Here are some of the photo's taken on the camp:

Amen!

For those who really really enjoy reading:

Here is a letter I wrote which was sent out to our whole Church Congregation where I speak a bit on different family roles:

Is it time to Man-Up?

Dear Leaders,

First and foremost, please note that this message is not only for men although the “Man-Up” title might seem to suggest so.

With the Man-Up Men camp coming ever closer, I thought it well to share some vital principles to everyone with regards to family. 

Whether you are young or whether you are old, whether married or single, whether man or woman, this will be of great value for you. Since if we start to be the change in a world where families are often extremely hurt and broken, we will see God’s Kingdom come on earth in our families, as it is in heaven!

The Apostle Paul seemed to have this habit of often starting his letters with a short introduction, then a deep theological teaching, followed by some practical exhortations and then concludes with a final greeting. This was also more or less the pattern he followed with his letter to the Ephesians.

Now I am going to share to you the practical exhortations Paul gives in the letter to the Ephesians regarding Wives and Husbands and Children and Parents, but I want to encourage you to go read the letter as a whole so that you fully understand the context in which Paul shares these principles.

Family Principles:

1. Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord (Eph. 5:22).

2. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph. 5:25).

3. Husbands, love your wives as you love yourself and wives respect your husbands (Eph. 5:33).

4. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (Eph. 6:1).

5. Children, honour your father and your mother (Eph. 6:2).

6. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in training and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

Now you might be thinking to yourself that seeing the above mentioned principles taking place is an impossible task. Or perhaps as a child of parents, you might be thinking, “I can’t honour my parents, because they don’t even teach me the things of the Lord.” Or maybe you are thinking, “I cannot love my wife, because she does not want to submit to me.”

The problem with that type of attitude is, we are just adding to the evil cycle of broken families. If we as believers aren’t going to step up to be the change in broken families, then who are?

If a husband start loving and sacrificing for his wife, as Jesus loves and sacrifices for the church, don’t you think it will make it easier for the wife to start to submit to her husband? Absolutely! Which I believe will inevitably make it easier for children to honour these parents!

Can you see how just one person in a family with a changed attitude can cause restoration for the whole family? Even if you are just a child, God can use you to do this!

Someone needs to step up and be the change! Be poor in spirit enough to say that even when it hurts, Jesus I humbly submit to your purposes and are hungry to be the incarnation of Christ within my family.

The enemy is actively trying to destroy our families. There is absolutely NO reason why we need to allow this! Let’s trust to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. And I believe it starts within our families.

I am looking forward to see all the men at the Man-Up Men camp.

Blessings,

Philip Pretorius Jnr.