Strive-Tniv: The Bible for Men (Hardback)

Chapter One

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi! a from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes He said:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

+ things you should know about Joseph, Jesus' Earthly Father

* The Right Stuff. We don't know all that much about the man who raised Jesus, but he is described as a "righteous" man. That word summarizes the way he lived his life and made decisions. When he found out that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant with a baby that wasn't his, he was disappointed. But he was concerned about Mary's disgrace more than his own and thought he would just break it off quietly. He tried to do what was right without making a production out of it.

* Dreamer. Some of Joseph's dreams must have kept him awake at night. An angel showed up in one dream to tell him that Mary's story about her virgin pregnancy was true and he should go ahead and marry her. After their son, Jesus, was born, Joseph received a dream warning them to get out of town fast and live in Egypt for awhile. When the danger passed, God directed Joseph back to Nazareth-yet again, in a dream. Joseph never took dreams lightly.

* Every Day Faith. Joseph's out-of-the-ordinary experiences with God were not separate from his daily faith. From what we know of him, we can assume that he and Mary raised their family with traditional Jewish values and traditions that had been proven by the test of time. According to the law, they had Jesus circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. They also made it a custom to travel to Jerusalem for significant spiritual occasions. Joseph lived for God.

* Knocked on Wood. Joe was a carpenter by trade and most likely trained his stepson, Jesus, in the skills of his craft. When Jesus once described earthly fathers as men who know how to give good gifts to their children, he may have had Joseph in mind.

* Quiet Exit. Joseph never tried to step into the spotlight. His role was supportive and crucial, but quiet. Even his departure came without fanfare. We don't know for sure, but he probably died sometime during Jesus' teenage years.

If you are a father, what values do you hope to build into your children's lives?

Read Joseph's story in Matthew 1:16-2:23 and Luke 1:26-2:52

myths

My faith is personal & private

For the last couple of years my wife has been on this church kick. She goes all the time. She joined a Bible study, listens to Christian radio stations. She even gave me a Bible for men with my name on the front.

I guess I'm happy for her. I mean, she does seem to be changing-not so impatient with the kids. Less nervous all the time. More content in life. But where I draw the line is when she starts nagging me to do all the same things. (In my mocking voice): "They've got some great men's groups down at the church. You ought to try one. You'd really like it." And on and on. About every couple of months she'll start in on me again.

I keep telling her to forget it. "I'm not you. It ain't gonna happen!" As far as I'm concerned, my faith is just that-my faith. And I think that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't make it my practice to talk about religion or politics. I say you just live and let live. Figure it out yourself. You don't need somebody holding your hand, and you sure don't need to go around trying to cram your views down other people's throats. LARRY

Many men feel just as Larry does. Maybe even you. Spiritual matters are private matters, and me and God are doing just fine without your help, thank you very much. But maybe there's more to it. Why can many guys, who consider religion "off-limits," talk for hours about hunting or NASCAR or the stock market or world events? If we have a relationship with God, why clam up when the topic comes up? And why does getting involved with other Christians scare so many of us? Consider the following:

* The Bible places constant and significant emphasis on the corporate nature of the spiritual life. We were designed to do life together as part of a community-not all alone.

* Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. "Rugged individualism" may be a prized American value-especially among men-but it is not a lifestyle promoted in the Bible.

* Pray about how you can get involved in your local church. Then do it.

* In just about every area of life, we rely on teachers and mentors. How else would we learn what to do and how to do things? Nobody instinctively knows how to rebuild an engine. Such a feat takes training. The same is true in our spiritual lives (2 Timothy 2:2).

* Seek out a mentor, someone you respect, who can help you grow in your faith. Make a list of people who would make good mentors. Pray through the list and ask God to show you who is the right man for the job.

* Take a risk and start bringing matters of faith up in conversations with your friends. Make it a point to talk about what is most worth talking about.

* The word gospel means "good news." And what do we do when we have good news? Keep it to ourselves? Not on your life. Spread it. Tell it. To everyone you meet.

* Read the interesting story in 2 Kings 7:3-11.

(Continues...)