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How You Can Obey Jesus Without Becoming a Legalist
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The Big Idea: Obedience is the trademark of a biblical Christian. Who hasn’t heard a sad story from a man who grew up in a legalistic home or church where he always felt either a) the shame of never being good enough, or b) the pride of thinking he was better than everyone else because…
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What Are The Prayers That God Will Answer?
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The Big Idea: It’s 100% that Jesus will give you what you ask when it’s to do what He wants done. We’ve all asked for something in the name of Jesus that we did not receive–something important and precious, perhaps something for which we were desperate. But Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name,…
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What It Means To Really Know Jesus
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The Big Idea: Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, all of God in a human body. By the time we arrive at today’s text, Jesus had spent 3 ½ years teaching his disciples about himself, his plan, and their mission. Yet after 3 ½ years there was still a lot of confusion.…
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Words of Comfort for Troubled Hearts
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The Big Idea: Telling a person about Jesus will help them a lot more than telling them how to fix themselves. When you’ve been knocked off balance, the last thing you need is for someone to explain why you got it wrong. When your faith is under attack, the last thing you need is for…
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Remembering and Proclaiming Jesus
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The Big Idea: Only Christians would think to find strength by meditating on the death of their leader. You’re having a tough month, or a tough year. You are starting to feel like God has abandoned you. You know in your heart that’s not true, right? But that’s sure not what it feels like, is…
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How To Roll Like Jesus
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The Big Idea: Figure out the equivalent of washing feet and do that. The more you’ve learned about Jesus, the more you’ve grown to love Him, right? And the more you’ve grown to love Him, the more you want to be like Him, right? So what does that look like in practice? How did Jesus…
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Do Something Great With Your Life
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The Big Idea: The first step to every great outcome is to imagine its possibility. All men are wired to want to do something great with their lives. Some of us may not think it was ever possible. Others that it is no longer possible. But every one of us longs for it. Greatness is…
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Joshua: The Principle of Mission Success
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The Big Idea: God will not give you a mission without also equipping you with everything you need succeed. If God has ever called you to a great (or small) mission, then you know the ecstasy of getting started and the astonishment of finding out how hard it is to follow through. You feel like…
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Daniel: The Principle of Uncompromising Character
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The Big Idea: Godly character doesn’t come from “obeying the rules,” but out of the overflow of a faith-filled heart. No man had a more uncompromising character than Daniel. What kind of character do you have? Are you, like Daniel, known for godly character? If so, how will you stay faithful? Or has your character…
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Jesus: The Principle of Building Relationships
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The Big Idea: The most powerful force in the world is a relationship. Men will do for love what they will do for no other reason. Jesus understood that the most powerful force in the world is a relationship. He made building unbreakable bonds with a few men the core of His strategy. It was…
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Jesus: The Principle of Abiding in Christ
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The Big Idea: Meno is the one thing that will most lead to a vibrant relationship with Jesus. What is the one thing that will most lead to a vibrant relationship with Christ? Wow! Is it even possible to answer that question? Actually, it is. And you will feel a lot more confident about how…
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The Principle of the Power of the Holy Spirit
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The Big Idea: To walk in the power of the Holy Spirit is the one thing that will most accelerate the fulfillment of your mission. Do you sense God calling you to a great mission? If so, you’ve no doubt found yourself feeling compelled to act, yet not always sure about what comes next. Sometimes…
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The Principle of Discerning God’s Will
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The Big Idea: Don’t assume you’ve missed God’s will just because it’s hard. Do you have a major issue or decision that keeps you up at night? Maybe you know what to do. But what if you’re not so sure–even confused? Is there a way to be sure? There is. And that’s what we’re going…
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The Principle of Spiritual Growth
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The Big Idea: The spiritual disciplines are what differentiate men who are growing from those who are not. Every one of us wants to grow and become spiritually mature. So why do some men thrive while others become stagnant? And why do we often feel like an invisible force is trying to hold us back?…
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The Principle of Reproducing Yourself
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The Big Idea: Making disciples is God’s designated way to release the power of His gospel on every problem we face. Everyone knows we have a “men problem.” The collateral damage among women and children has been staggering–with no relief in sight. I know you care. Yet if you’re like most of us, you can’t…
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The Principle of Spiritual Maturity
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The Big Idea: You are closing in on spiritual maturity when you can say to another man, “Follow my example.” What does it mean to be “spiritually mature?” And why do many men find spiritual maturity such a struggle? In this lesson we’re going to answer those questions AND give you a practical tool that…
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The Principle of Success That Matters
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The Big Idea: Success that matters is to be a disciple: called to live “in” Christ, equipped to live “like” Christ, sent to live “for” Christ. All men want to be successful. And Jesus himself promised an “abundant” life. Yet a lot of us would say our lives are anything but abundant. So what exactly…
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Ezekiel: How God Makes Men So They Can Complete Their Mission
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The Big Idea: God will never give you a mission without also giving you everything you need to be faithful. We live in a broken generation because, for the most part, people have been doing what seems right in their own eyes. They have exchanged the truth of God for lies, and the glory of…
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How Jesus Looks At Generosity
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The Big Idea: You don’t have to give a large amount to give a lot. It’s pretty obvious that a $10,000 donation will pay for more charitable needs that a $100 donation. So does that make the $10,000 donor more generous, valuable, pleasing, or righteous in God’s eyes? You may be surprised–or not–to learn that…
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How Jesus Describes The End Times
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The Big Idea: Why be surprised that everything is happening just like Jesus said it would? Here’s a surprisingly relevant topic. Are we living in the last days? Can we know for sure? If so, then what should we expect to happen? When will the end come? And how should we live in the meantime?…
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Helping Men Climb Out Of Their Rut
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The Big Idea: If God puts a man in your path who is stuck, discipleship means finding out why and then helping him solve that problem. You can see them sitting next to you at any traffic light in America. The pace has numbed their senses. They don’t get enough rest. They’re always on the…
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What Does It Look Like To Be A Faithful Man Today?
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The Big Idea: God calls us to be faithful, not successful. Who doesn’t want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But what does it look like to be a faithful man in this day and age? Join us and find out why the “if you really love God, you need to prove it”…
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What Does It Look Like To Follow Jesus in Practice?
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The Big Idea: What does it say about us if we don’t help a person in need when it is in our power to act? Imagine how the world would respond if every Christian man fully lived out his faith in Jesus simultaneously for the next 30 days. The results would be nothing short of…
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Why There Is Still Hope For Every Judas
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The Big Idea: Once we have believed in Christ, we can never fall so far that God will not restore us. Judas. The man who betrayed Jesus. He had in his generation what Osama has in ours: the most despised name on earth. No parent today would ever name a son Judas. It just isn’t…
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The Extremes To Which Jesus Will Go To Bring Us To Our Senses
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The Big Idea: Right now Jesus is grieving and interceding over every person who doesn’t get it. Has Jesus lost his cool? In today’s passage he delivers such a scathing critique directed at religious leaders that we picture the veins in His neck sticking out. It’s the climax of a conflict that has been brewing…
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Becoming a Servant Leader
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The Big Idea: The purpose of servant leadership is to help others while expecting nothing in return. The world is full of people willing to tell you what needs to be done, but not willing to lift a finger to help. Those were the kind of people in leadership who Jesus critiqued in today’s passage.…
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How To Love The Way God Wants Us To Love
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The Big Idea: God will never ask you to do something that He will not also give you the power to do. We all know what God wants most is for us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to love Him with no reserves–the totality of our being,…
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Helping People Who Are Mistaken About God
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The Big Idea: What’s your best way to help someone who is mistaken? All around us are co-workers, neighbors, family members, and friends who have mistaken ideas about God. Those ideas may be based on their feelings, something they read or heard, or bad teaching. For example, some Christians are not sure of their salvation.…
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The Dual Citizenship of a Christian
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The Big Idea: Precisely because we are Christians, we must become great citizens. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s.” That’s poetic, but what does it mean as a practical matter? By what principle can we make secular decisions that also honor God? As Christians, we have a…
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The Extravagant Generosity of God
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The Big Idea: Jesus wants you to make sure everyone knows they’re invited. Jesus wants to make sure you know something: Everyone is invited to the party, and he’s counting on you to deliver the invitation. But what if someone is unwilling to respond? They’re still invited. Disinterested? They’re still invited. Hostile toward Christianity? They’re…
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The Kind of Man Who Pleases God
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The Big Idea: Becoming and making disciples is the fruit that pleases God. We all go through stages on our spiritual journeys. At first we’re the ministry. But eventually we come to faith, start to grow, and ultimately want to express our gratitude in some form of service. As we mature we start thinking less…
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How To Answer Questions About Jesus
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The Big Idea: Let’s win souls, not arguments. Christianity is so messy because it’s so much more inclusive that any other religion. In Christianity, we don’t reject sinners until they get their act together. Instead, we actually encourage them to get involved. We love sinners—the more the better! However, this takes a special kind of…
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What Can I Say That Will Make You Believe?
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The Big Idea: No matter what you say or how well say it, some won’t believe. But some will, so we speak. We’ve all had it happen. You’re talking to someone about the Christian faith. But they just don’t get it. They’re giving you nothing but grief. And you’re wondering, “What in the world do…
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The Only Approach That Really Draws Men To Christ
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The Big Idea: It is the story of Jesus—His life, death, and resurrection—that always has and always will draw men to salvation. Someone you really care about is walking in darkness. You’ve talked to them until you’re blue in the face. Given their resistance, what can you do that will really make a difference? The…
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Jesus Explains How Prayer Works
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The Big Idea: Let God “edit” your prayer to something you can really believe. Every one of us has prayed for something very important that hasn’t happened. Maybe you prayed that cancer would be healed, but the person died. Maybe you prayed to not lose your house or business, but you did. Maybe you pleaded…
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What Can We Do To Help Men Act Like Men?
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The Big Idea: The best way to help men act like men is to help the church act like the church. No doubt you’ve been on the receiving end of men behaving badly. In the world, it’s to be expected. But as we all know, many Christian men behave badly too. Why is that, and…
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Jesus Gets Flash Mobbed!
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The Big Idea: I am part of a carefully choreographed mission to bring Jesus to the people over whom He weeps. Chances are you have wept over someone you love who doesn’t believe in Jesus. You’ve wracked your brain about how to get through, but nothing seems to work. Jesus went so far as to…
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Small Beautiful Things You Can Do For Jesus
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The Big Idea: Since no encounter is ever random, no good deed is ever wasted. If you’re like me, the more you get to know Jesus, the more you ache to do things that show how much you appreciate and revere him. But how can average guys like us do things that honor Christ and…
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Nehemiah: The Principle of a Passionate Calling
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The Big Idea: God makes men by turning what breaks our hearts into a passionate calling to help redeem some broken part of the world. What is your burden—the thing that is breaking your heart? It could be your family. Maybe you feel stuck in a job you hate. Maybe you ache for your church…
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Job: The Principle of Suffering for No Apparent Reason
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The Big Idea: God makes men by allowing us to gain through suffering what can be gained no other way. Sometimes we suffer for doing wrong. We all get that. We also suffer for doing right. But in cases like that we can find strength from God’s Word because we know we’re doing the right…
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Solomon: The Principle of Success that Matters
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The Big Idea: God makes men by making it impossible to find lasting happiness in any pursuit apart from Him. As someone who works with men as my vocation, I find surprisingly few men are genuinely content with who they are and what they do—Christian or otherwise. The reason why is so much more prevalent…
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Gideon: The Principle of the Unexpected Leader
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The Big Idea: God makes men by turning our weakness into strength in such a way that only He can get the glory. Has God presented you with a calling, task, or mission so daunting that it raises all kinds of doubts and fears? What you may not have realized is that these nerve- wracking…
