12 Marks of a Man of God: Spiritual Growth for Men

By G. Brian Christie

The 12 Marks of a Man of God draws a biblically balanced portrait of the aspirations of every Christian man. Marks 1-3 address our personal relationship with God, particularly how to have a regular quiet time and how to walk by the Spirit. A flourishing personal relationship with God is the essential foundation on which the other marks are built.

Marks 4-6 focus squarely on the three primary challenges we men face on a daily basis: sexual temptation, money, and pride. Marks 7-9 address the critical areas of our words, our work, and our lifestyle. Marks 10-11 focus on our two key ministries: our families and our church. Mark 12 completes the portrait with a call to the indispensable character quality of perseverance.

Each chapter can be read in about ten minutes--ideal for busy men. Read one chapter a day for twenty-one days as an individual study or use a chapter or two a week as part of a men's Bible study group.

G. Brian Christie (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary; JD, University of Texas), a transactional (deal) lawyer, business executive, and company director, has preached and taught men's Bible studies in churches in Texas, California, and Virginia over the past forty-five years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888323151

Book preview

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12 Marks of a Man of God

Spiritual Growth for Men

G. Brian Christie

ISBN 979-8-88832-314-4 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88832-315-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by G. Brian Christie

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

A Complete Man of God

Chapter 2

The Twelve Marks

Chapter 3

A Word of Caution

Chapter 4

The Gospel

Chapter 5

Mark 1: A Man of God Spends Time Regularly in God's Word and in Prayer (Part 1)

Chapter 6

Mark 1: A Man of God Spends Time Regularly in God's Word and Prayer (Part 2)

Chapter 7

Mark 1: A Man of God Spends Time Regularly in God's Word and Prayer (Part 3)

Chapter 8

Mark 2: A Man of God Understands and Embraces the Core Teachings of the Bible (Part 1)

Chapter 9

Mark 2: A Man of God Understands and Embraces the Core Teachings of the Bible (Part 2)

Chapter 10

Mark 2: A Man of God Understands and Embraces the Core Teachings of the Bible (Part 3)

Chapter 11

Mark 3: A Man of God Walks by the Spirit

Chapter 12

Mark 4: A Man of God Lives a Consistent Life of Moral and Sexual Purity

Chapter 13

Mark 5: A Man of God Is a Man of Integrity, Especially Financial Integrity

Chapter 14

Mark 6: A Man of God Humbly Serves Others in Love

Chapter 15

Mark 7: A Man of God Speaks Edifying and Encouraging Words

Chapter 16

Mark 8: A Man of God Works Hard to Provide for His Family

Chapter 17

Mark 9: A Man of God Is a Gentle Man

Chapter 18

Mark 10: A Man of God Leads His Wife and Family

Chapter 19

Mark 11: A Man of God Is Active in His Local Church (Part 1)

Chapter 20

Mark 11: A Man of God Is Active in His Local Church (Part 2)

Chapter 21

Mark 12: A Man of God Perseveres and Finishes Strong

Chapter 22

A Man of God Is a Man in the Arena

About the Author

Preface

This book is intended for Christian men who want to grow in their faith. We envision that our readers will be businessmen who desire to follow Christ more earnestly and who want to live out their faith more consistently in their marriages, families, churches, neighborhoods, and especially in their careers.

Our readers will range from those who have been in the faith for many years to those who are new in Christ. Most, but not all, will have college degrees, but all will be trying to live out their faith in their business arena. Some will be lawyers and doctors, some will be real estate developers and home builders, some will be computer programmers and high-tech innovators, some will be in sales and marketing, and some will be electricians and plumbers, but all will have a desire to be a man of God, a man whose life, in all aspects, reflects the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Your author is a businessman who has practiced law and been involved in various businesses over the past forty-five years. He is not a seminary professor or pastor or full-time Christian worker telling you how to live in a world he has not really experienced, so my perspective is that of a fellow traveler who has spent a lifetime immersed in the hurly-burly of the business world. The twelve marks not only identify the key character qualities of a man of God, but each chapter is designed to teach you how to grow spiritually in each area. For instance, you will be taught how to have a quiet time in chapter 7 and how to walk by the Spirit in chapter 11. We directly address the issues that men face: greed, pride, sexual sins, anger, impatience, priorities, lying (exaggeration), perseverance, and so on. We are heavy on grace, forgiveness, and restoration.

However, in addition to his law degree (JD, University of Texas) your author has a seminary degree (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary, majoring in New Testament Greek), so this book will be soundly exegetical and theologically solid and, we trust, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The content of this book was originally sent out in 2018 in weekly emails to the men of Grace Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa, California, and about 250 other men from my men's ministries over the years. I have not done much editing. I wanted to keep the style, circumstances, and energy of those emails written while I was daily deeply committed to my business as a transactional (deal) lawyer, director of two companies (one public), and an investor. I have not updated the time references for fear of losing the power and relevance of each email at the time, so for instance, last year will mean 2017 and not 2021. Since I was born and raised outside the US, you may also see some unique expressions and allusions.

Each chapter can be read in less than ten minutes—designed for busy men. They can be read one a day for twenty-two days for personal study or one to two chapters a week as part of a men's Bible study group, or they can be read all in one go like a regular book.

The purpose of those earlier emails—and this little book—is to encourage and strengthen Christian men, biblically and practically, in their walk with the Lord. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will take the words of this book and use them to produce spiritual growth in you and many other men like you who desire to be men of God.

Chapter 1

A Complete Man of God

Twelve marks

The title of this book is The 12 Marks of a man of God . The main idea of this first chapter is the inspired Bible is the primary means God uses to develop mature and robust men of God, men whose lives will exhibit the twelve marks of a man of God. But by the same token, we cannot overlook the essential roles the Holy Spirit and our brothers in Christ play in strengthening and encouraging us in our pursuit of godliness.

Key verses

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

The Bible is inspired by God

All Scripture at the time this letter was written referred to the Old Testament; the Gospel accounts of Mark, Matthew, and Luke; and the apostle Paul's earlier letters, which were circulating among the churches at this time. From our perspective, it refers to the entire canon of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.

Is inspired by God is more literally translated is God-breathed. The obvious point is that all Scripture comes from God. The standard definition of inspiration of the Bible is the Holy Spirit's superintending over the writers so that while writing according to their own styles and personalities, the result was God's Word written—authoritative, trustworthy, and free from error in the original writings.

The intermediate purpose of the Bible

The inspired Scriptures are profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness. Some have observed that the teaching and training have to do with belief and doctrine and that rebuking and correcting have to do with behavior and practical living. That may be so, but the thrust is that when we read and study the Bible, we should expect it to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us to be righteous.

Teaching: everything we need to know about God and life

Rebuking: pointing out errors in our beliefs and behavior

Correcting: how to change and overcome our erroneous beliefs or behavior

Training in righteousness: generally teaching us how to live a consistent godly life as men of God

The ultimate purpose of the Bible

So that introduces the ultimate purpose of the teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. God's inspired Scriptures are intended to be the means by which the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Man of God in these summary verses seems to be broader than just Timothy. It applies to any man who aspires to be a man of