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The Missing Ingredient


Growing into a man of God is not as easy as a Superman transformation. Growing up I would watch the Superman Animated Serious as part of my weekly cartoon-watching routine. In every episode, Clark Kent would seamlessly switch from being a fumbling and bumbling reporter to the unstoppable Superman. Faster than a speeding bullet, and we would see a hero who fought for truth and justice.

Many Christian men would love to be Superman for God. Many Christian men want to fight for the truth and justice of Jesus Christ in their lives, in their families, and in the world around them. Many times I have yearned to wrap myself in the red covering of redemption and fly into the fray of life as something opposite of the man I was when I stepped into the phone booth. However, it is not faster than a speeding bullet, and many times I have struggled to get off the ground.

One thing that Superman has to aid him is his fortress of solitude. Within the fortress is a computer, that is in the image of his father, and helps guide him in the right way. This computer is not his father, but it is full of wisdom and is much like his father. That is what makes the difference when Superman is feeling lost, or when he needs to be sure that his choices won't be as destructive as the foe he is fighting. That is the missing ingredient in the life of Christian men.

Matthew 28:19 states, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." Often the church has been more concerned with making converts, but there has not been a strong push to make disciples. Often after a prayer at the altar, we are then sent out to go and make a difference for God in the world. However, there is no computer in our fortress of solitude to help us be more super, so often we struggle with trying to be less man. While the Holy Spirit does mature us over time; we often don't have a person of wisdom around us who is in the image of our Father to also help us. Many men are not disciples but merely converts. We need more seasoned men of God to disciple young Christian men. 

This is the missing ingredient to growth. There are many potential Supermen in God's kingdom, but not many are being trained to be so. 

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