Raising Kingdom Men: Addressing Fatherlessness Together

 

Summary

Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, I was blessed with a father who exemplified what it means to be a kingdom man. Despite the challenging and often back-breaking work at the harbor, my father remained steadfast in his responsibilities, both at work and at home. His unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ as his Ruler and King transformed our family and set a powerful example for me. Unfortunately, many in my community did not have the same privilege. The absence of strong, responsible fathers has led to a troubling increase in societal issues such as school dropouts, crime, and gang activity.

Today, we face a crisis of fatherlessness that is far worse than when I was growing up. Over a million children are dropping out of school each year, and the consequences are dire. We need to resurrect a generation of men who are not just males but kingdom men—men who live under the authority of Jesus Christ and extend their care, love, and protection to those around them. These are men who represent eternity in history and tomorrow today, providing hope and stability to a generation in desperate need.

To address this crisis, we are calling on 2,000 churches to each adopt a public school. By providing mentoring, tutoring, and family support services, we aim to create surrogate families, especially surrogate fathers, for children who lack this vital influence. This initiative seeks to offer the same benefit I had—a kingdom father—to the next generation. Let us rise to the challenge and be the kingdom men that our communities so desperately need.

Key Takeaways

- The role of a kingdom man is crucial in shaping families and communities. A kingdom man lives under the authority of Jesus Christ and leads by example, providing stability and guidance to those around him. This influence can transform families and communities, offering hope and direction in a world that often lacks both. [00:23]

- Fatherlessness is a growing crisis with far-reaching consequences. The absence of strong, responsible fathers contributes to societal issues such as school dropouts, crime, and gang activity. Addressing this crisis requires a concerted effort to raise up kingdom men who can fill this void and provide the guidance and support that many children desperately need. [00:57]

- The church has a vital role to play in addressing the crisis of fatherlessness. By adopting public schools and providing mentoring, tutoring, and family support services, churches can create surrogate families for children who lack strong male role models. This initiative can help salvage a generation in desperate need of hope and stability. [01:26]

- Kingdom men represent eternity in history and tomorrow today. They live with a sense of purpose and responsibility, extending their care, love, and protection to those around them. By embodying these values, kingdom men can offer hope and direction to a generation that is often lost and searching for meaning. [01:59]

- The call to be a kingdom man is a call to action. It requires a commitment to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and to extend that influence to others. By rising to this challenge, we can provide the same benefit of a kingdom father to the next generation, offering hope and stability in a world that desperately needs both. [01:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:23] - The Example of a Kingdom Man
[00:57] - The Crisis of Fatherlessness
[01:26] - The Role of the Church
[01:59] - The Call to Action
[02:30] - Conclusion and Challenge

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Ephesians 6:4 - "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
2. Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
3. James 1:27 - "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

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Observation Questions:
1. What characteristics defined the speaker's father as a "kingdom man"? [00:23]
2. How does the sermon describe the current crisis of fatherlessness and its impact on society? [00:57]
3. What initiative is the church undertaking to address the issue of fatherlessness, and what role do "kingdom men" play in this effort? [01:26]
4. How does the speaker describe the influence of a kingdom man on his family and community? [01:59]

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Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does Ephesians 6:4 relate to the responsibilities of a kingdom man as described in the sermon? How might this verse guide fathers in their role within the family?
2. How does the concept of "training up a child" in Proverbs 22:6 align with the speaker's call for kingdom men to provide guidance and stability to the next generation? [01:59]
3. How does James 1:27's call to care for orphans and widows reflect the church's initiative to adopt public schools and provide surrogate families? [01:26]
4. What does it mean for kingdom men to "represent eternity in history and tomorrow today," and how does this perspective influence their actions and decisions? [01:59]

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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own life. Are there areas where you can step up to be a kingdom man or woman, providing guidance and support to those around you? How can you start this week? [01:59]
2. Consider the impact of fatherlessness in your community. What practical steps can you take to mentor or support a child who lacks a strong male role model? [00:57]
3. How can your church or small group get involved in the initiative to adopt a public school? What specific actions can you take to support this effort? [01:26]
4. Think about the role of a kingdom man in your family. How can you or someone you know embody this role more fully, and what changes might be necessary to do so? [00:23]
5. Identify one way you can extend care, love, and protection to someone in need this week. How can you make this a regular practice in your life? [01:59]
6. How can you encourage and support the men in your life to rise to the challenge of being kingdom men? What conversations or actions might help foster this growth? [01:59]
7. Reflect on the influence of your own father or father figure. How has their example shaped your understanding of leadership and responsibility? How can you pass on these lessons to others? [00:23]

Devotional

Day 1: The Transformative Power of a Kingdom Man
A kingdom man is someone who lives under the authority of Jesus Christ, leading by example and providing stability and guidance to those around him. This influence can transform families and communities, offering hope and direction in a world that often lacks both. The role of a kingdom man is crucial in shaping families and communities. By embodying the values of care, love, and protection, kingdom men can offer hope and direction to a generation that is often lost and searching for meaning. [00:23]

"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed." (Psalm 112:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life exemplifies the qualities of a kingdom man, and how can you learn from their example to influence your own family or community?


Day 2: The Crisis of Fatherlessness
Fatherlessness is a growing crisis with far-reaching consequences. The absence of strong, responsible fathers contributes to societal issues such as school dropouts, crime, and gang activity. Addressing this crisis requires a concerted effort to raise up kingdom men who can fill this void and provide the guidance and support that many children desperately need. The impact of fatherlessness is profound, affecting not only individual families but entire communities. [00:57]

"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." (Psalm 68:5, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a child or young person in your community who may lack a father figure. How can you or your church community step in to provide support and guidance for them?


Day 3: The Church's Role in Addressing Fatherlessness
The church has a vital role to play in addressing the crisis of fatherlessness. By adopting public schools and providing mentoring, tutoring, and family support services, churches can create surrogate families for children who lack strong male role models. This initiative can help salvage a generation in desperate need of hope and stability. Churches are called to be a beacon of hope and a source of stability for those in need. [01:26]

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27, ESV)

Reflection: How can your church become more involved in supporting local schools and families in need? What specific steps can you take to contribute to this effort?


Day 4: Kingdom Men as Eternal Representatives
Kingdom men represent eternity in history and tomorrow today. They live with a sense of purpose and responsibility, extending their care, love, and protection to those around them. By embodying these values, kingdom men can offer hope and direction to a generation that is often lost and searching for meaning. Their influence is not limited to the present but extends into the future, impacting generations to come. [01:59]

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your own life and the legacy you are building. What steps can you take today to ensure that your influence is positive and lasting for future generations?


Day 5: The Call to Action for Kingdom Men
The call to be a kingdom man is a call to action. It requires a commitment to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and to extend that influence to others. By rising to this challenge, we can provide the same benefit of a kingdom father to the next generation, offering hope and stability in a world that desperately needs both. This call to action is not just for individual men but for the entire community to support and uplift one another. [01:59]

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: What specific actions can you take this week to live out your calling as a kingdom man? How can you encourage others in your community to join you in this mission?

Quotes

I'm here at the Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, the city where I grew up in. This is the area where my father worked. It didn't look like this back then. There was a lot of back-breaking work as ships came in, and he had to be one of the ones responsible for unloading and loading them. But because my father was a kingdom man, he bore that responsibility. Even when there was no work and there was no provision, he still held on to his post and he still maintained his leadership. [00:02:50]

That's because he was committed to Jesus Christ as his Ruler and King, and he brought that home, and that transformed our whole family. Many in my community were not as fortunate as I was to have a dad like I had who kept his plan, kept his post, maintained his responsibility, and still had time to make sure he was leading us to church on Sunday morning. That's because he was a kingdom man. [00:34:32]

So many men today are not like my dad, and it's much worse than it was when I was growing up when we began to see this trend of fatherlessness begin to spiral out of control. We have over a million kids dropping out of school. That's over 1,700 children every day who are leaving high school. We're having crime increase and prison population increase. We're having gangs expand, all because dad is nowhere to be found. [00:61:68]

We need to resurrect a generation of men, but not just males, kingdom men. Men who live and operate under the authority of Jesus Christ and see a line underneath them, those who fall under the umbrella of their care, love, and protection. That's what I had, and that's what we ought to be providing a generation that is desperately crying out for it. [00:86:82]

That's why we're seeking to get 2,000 churches, each one to adopt one public school to provide mentoring, tutoring, and family support services to provide, if you will, surrogate families, especially surrogate father's, kingdom men. Men who represent eternity in history, who represent tomorrow today so that we can salvage a generation that is in desperate need of hope. [00:109:049]

I had the benefit of a kingdom father. Let this next generation have the same benefit as well. [00:134:97]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?