A Moral Vision for Your Family.

Men, do you have a moral vision for your families , a zeal for the house of the Lord, a magnificent commitment to the advancement of the kingdom, an articulate dream for the mission of the church and a tenderhearted tenacity to make it real? You can't lead a godly woman without this. She is a grand being! 

There are hundreds of such men in the church today. And more are needed. When the Lord visits his church and creates a mighty army of deeply spiritual, humble, strong, Christlike men committed to the word of God and the mission of the church, the vast army of women will rejoice over the leadership of these men and enter into a joyful partnership. And that will be a grand thing. 

John Piper | Doctrine Matters

Living Out God's Design (Matt & Lauren Chandler)

Men & Idolatry

God’s Truth: The Only Solid Foundation for Life.

"We have abandoned the role of the formative instruction of our children to those who do not bow in humility before God and his word. Until God is acknowledged for who he says he is, [people] will continue to make moral judgements based upon the quicksand of post-modern, existential thought. The problem lies not with a particular form of education. The problem lies with any form of education that does not see God’s truth as the only solid foundation for life." | Jay Younts

Original Post: Supreme Court: God & Bible are Irrelevant.

For the Fame of His Name

As the spiritual leaders of our homes, what can we do to lead our families well? What can we do to help wake people up from their sleep (Eph. 5:14-16) in order that they too might see the reality of their sin, God's pending wrath for the unrighteous, and their unquestionable need for a Savior.

Far too many people have fallen for the devil's lie that it is because they are so lovable that Christ came to rescue them. This is not only heresy, but it is also dangerous thinking. Jesus didn't come to die because we are worthy...he came to diefor the fame of his great name. His elect (i.e. Christians) are not some sort of prize that Jesus received as a reward for laying down his life. Instead, Christians are the tangible and visible evidence God chose to use to vindicate his holiness (as well as his love and mercy) before the eyes of the world.

I Will Put My Spirit Within You | Ezekiel 36:22-23 (ESV)

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 

Men, may our efforts to make disciples always begin with the reality that it is for God's glory that Christ came to set us free. It is for the fame of God's great and glorious name that we do all things (1 Cor. 10:31). May God find our efforts worthy and may we never squander any opportunities we are given to point people towards Jesus.

How to Draw Others to Christ.

There is, therefore, hardly anything better we can do for those we lead than to love the Lord Jesus Christ supremely and keep our love relationship with Him fresh and growing every day! Out of this blessed and holy love relationship will come a greater manifestation of God’s love in us, shining out to others and drawing them to Christ. | Alexander Strauch

Fathers Are in the Instruction Business

"God has charged fathers with the responsibility to raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Mothers and fathers are not primarily caregivers. They are the holy representatives of the God of Creation to their children. The father’s authority is not authority that has been given to him by the state. The father’s authority is mandated by God and derived from God." | Jay Younts

Read more [ HERE ]

Casualness and Familiarity is a Ready Playing Field For Sin.

"If there is somewhere that I must especially be on guard against sin, the flesh, and our adversary, it is at home. Casualness and familiarity is a ready playing field for sin." | Jason Helopoulos

The Mystery of Marriage

Take the mystery of marriage. In Genesis 2:24, right after the account of how woman was created, Moses (the writer of Genesis) says, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Now when the apostle Paul quotes this verse in Ephesians 5:31, he says, “This is a great mystery, and I say it refers to Christ and the church.” And, with that as his clue, he unfolds the meaning of marriage: it’s a symbol of Christ’s love for the church represented in the husband’s loving headship toward his wife; and it’s a symbol of the church's glad submission to Christ represented in the wife’s relation to her husband. | John Piper - Male and Female He Created Them in the Image of God

Courageous Headship

Courageous Headship

 

What is Harbor Pillars?

"To teach, equip, and encourage men to lead their families and live their lives with integrity, humility and a passion for the glory of Christ." | Harbor Pillars -- Mission Statement

Over the past several years, through prayer, my time in the word, and an overall look at Christianity in America...God has been leading me to start something deeper for the men at Harbor Church. The aim of this group (PILLARS) is to build a foundation of Biblical Manhood for the men (i.e. boyfriends, husbands, fathers, grandfathers and future generations of men) at Harbor Church.

Throughout history, God has entrusted men with the responsibility of spiritually leading their homes and the sad reality is that in many cases, men have been comfortable surrendering that mission to other people and programs in the local church or elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, these people and programs are not bad additions to the spiritual growth and development of Christian families, but I believe God desires for men to reclaim and tightly hold the responsibility for the spiritual well being of their homes.

As I see it, the purpose of Harbor Pillars is to teach, equip and encourage men to live out their lives with integrity, humility and passion for the glory of Christ.

The attacks of the enemy are numerous and the temptation to become comfortable living the American Dream is enticing. However, we are called to be different than the world. We are called to live humbly and to serve others with our time and our talents. We are called to surrender everything in order to follow Christ, and to make disciples. We are called to lead our homes (as our primary mission field) with humility, courage and zeal...submitting to God's will and allowing him to lead us. We are called to raise our children to know and fear the LORD. We are called to hold each other accountable and live with a passion for the glory of Christ in all areas of our lives. No longer can we be satisfied with a Sunday morning worship service. No longer can we accept living the watered down version of Christianity that entices us to serve God on Sunday mornings and serve ourselves the other (6) days of the week.

So there's the mission statement of this group. I believe we have enough diversity in our small group of men at Harbor to make an impact in our church, our community and the world. Please pray about getting involved in this mission. If God prompts your heart, please respond to this blog post and make a commitment to join this cause. I will make you one promise; this will not be your typical run-of-the-mill group. We will not settle for mediocrity. So, if you are looking to grow deeper in your faith and pursue the Spiritual Growth that we talk about at Harbor Church, please pray about joining this group.

More information to follow.

P – Passionate Men
I – Interested in REAL Spiritual Growth
L – Learning with Humility
L – Leading Our Families Intentionally
A – Ambassadors of the Gospel
R – Rediscovering the Responsibility of Biblical Manhood
S – Sanctification through Scripture, Prayer and Accountability

For His Glory,

Jason