Foundations of Truth
This is the podcast of Firm Foundations ministries. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshakable foundation of God's Word, rooted in Scripture and anchored in the grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each episode is designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding, and encourage you to stand firm in a shifting world.
Foundations of Truth
Stand Like Men: A Call To Courageous Faith
"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done with love." These five imperatives from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 form the backbone of Pastor Timothy Mann's urgent message to Christians—particularly men—living in a culture of compromise and confusion.
Drawing from military imagery of a watchman on the wall, Pastor Mann calls believers to spiritual alertness, challenging them to guard their hearts, homes, and worldviews against enemy infiltration. "A lion doesn't need hours to strike," he warns. "All it takes is one careless moment, one unguarded heart, one spiritually drowsy man." This potent reminder underscores the vigilance required in spiritual warfare.
The heart of the message addresses what Pastor Mann calls "a crisis of Biblical manhood" in both church and society. Most striking is his examination of the command "be brave"—literally translated from Greek as "act like men"—which offers a redemptive vision of masculinity neither toxic nor passive. True manhood, modeled after Christ himself, takes responsibility, faces hard things, and leads with sacrificial love rather than domination or indifference.
Through Biblical examples like Daniel, Peter, John, and ultimately Jesus, we see courageous faith that stands immovable on truth while remaining respectful and self-sacrificing. This isn't merely about personal spiritual development but about the future of our families, churches, and society itself.
Are you spiritually awake or drowsy? Firmly planted on Biblical truth or drifting with cultural currents? Taking responsibility or abdicating leadership? These penetrating questions invite all listeners—but especially men—to embrace God's call to mature, courageous faith. It's time to stand like men, because our future generations depend on it.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth with Pastor Timothy Mann from Providence Church in Ormond Beach, Florida. Join us now as we let God's Word illuminate our lives and guide us into His truth today.
Speaker 2:And here's Pastor Timothy Mann 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, new Testament book 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, verse 13 and 14. These are not just good ideas. This is not just good advice. It's not mere suggestions. They are orders from God through a seasoned soldier of Jesus Christ to the church of God. So lay your eyes on verse 13 and 14. Follow along as I read from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Speaker 2:The Bible says watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done with love. Let's read that again Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong, let all that you do be done with love. And this is God's Word. We've just read Now these five imperatives, these commands. They are addressed to the whole church, to every Christian, for sure, but they reverberate with special relevance for men. In fact, the third command, be brave, is actually one Greek word in the original language, one Greek word meaning act like men. That's the literal meaning of that one Greek word Act like men. And so God, through the Apostle Paul, is calling the church To maturity and courage, but he's doing so here With the language of biblical manhood, not Poisonous machismo, not cultural Revato, not passive indifference we have a lot of that? Certainly not passive indifference. We have a lot of that. Certainly not passive indifference, but strong, courageous, christ-like, mature manhood.
Speaker 2:Listen, I would say to you this morning that churches don't need more programs. Churches don't need more technology. Churches don't need more attractional eventses don't need more technology. Churches don't need more attractional events. They need men of God. They need men of God, men who will stay spiritually alert, men who won't compromise their convictions, men who lead their homes with courage, men who don't rely on their own strength but on God's, and men who do all of this in love. If you studied the book with us on Wednesdays, you know that the church at Corinth was surrounded by compromise, surrounded by temptation and confusion, and, in fact, was influenced by it all.
Speaker 2:Sound familiar? Hey, this is not a time to be spiritually sleepy. This is not a time to be morally timid. It's time to stand like men. And so today we're going to walk through these five commands. Each one is a call to stand firm, to live boldly and to lead with love. These are not five separate tasks. They are five distinguishing marks of a mature, godly life for all Christians, men or women, but especially godly manhood. We're going to talk about what it means to stand like.
Speaker 2:So let's begin with the first word. Are you ready? Watch, verse 13. Watch, be spiritually alert. Watch, the apostle's first word here is a military term. It's the word used for a soldier on the night. Watch.
Speaker 2:When I was in my years in the United States Army, I had this responsibility many times Guard duty, watch, stay awake, stay alert, keep your eyes open. I'm telling you this morning that your life, your family, your church, your future depends on it. Jesus used the same word in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night. He was betrayed when he told Peter, james and John and I quote Jesus, matthew 26, verse 41, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit, indeed, is willing, but the flesh is weak. You know what they did. They fell asleep and just moments later, judas arrived with soldiers.
Speaker 2:That's what happens when we don't watch. Spiritually speaking, we fall asleep and the enemy gains ground. So to watch means to be spiritually awake, to be aware of what's happening in your heart, to be aware of the schemes of the devil, to be aware of the spiritual condition of your home, to be aware of the needs and the dangers around you. Well, what should we watch over? First of all, I would say you need to watch over your own heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 4, verse 23,. It says guard your heart, keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life. No one else can watch your heart for you. You must guard it. Let me ask you what are you letting in through your eyes? What are you feeding your mind? What bitterness is growing unnoticed? What temptation is lurking at the door? Because a man who doesn't watch over his own heart will fall into the same sins he thought he had never commit. You watch your own heart.
Speaker 2:I would also say watch your home. Watch your home, man. God has made you the spiritual watchman of your home, men. God has made you the spiritual watchman of your home. Now, it doesn't mean you control everybody, but it means you protect, you provide and you shepherd. Don't sleep through your family's spiritual battles, Don't. Are your children? Maybe your grandchildren are your children, whether adult children or children still at home? Are your children hearing the gospel from you? I'm talking about from you, not the preacher, not the Sunday school teacher, not your wife. Are they hearing the gospel from you? Are you praying for your wife and leading her in following Jesus see. Watching means knowing what your family is facing and being present not just physically but spiritually. Watch your home. I would also say you need to watch your world. Watch your world. Be aware of the cultural messages creeping into your life. Be aware of the temptations around you. Be aware of false teaching and spiritual deception. Don't be naive. Be discerning.
Speaker 2:First. Peter, chapter 5, verse 8, says be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Listen, a lion doesn't need hours to strike. All it takes is one careless moment. One One careless moment, one unguarded heart. One, one careless moment, one unguarded heart, one spiritually drowsy man. That's all it takes.
Speaker 2:Where do you need to wake up spiritually In your life? Where have you grown careless or distracted? What is God calling you to watch over? More intentionally, I say this morning it's time to get back on the wall. It's time to get back on the wall. Take the night, watch To see with your spiritual eyes. Watch Because you can't stand firm if you're not awake. You can't be brave if you're spiritually asleep. You can't be strong if you're unaware of the battle and you certainly can't love well if you're spiritually asleep. You can't be strong if you're unaware of the battle and you certainly can't love well if you're not paying attention. So, church, we need to rise up. Rise up, men of God, and watch.
Speaker 2:Second imperative Stand fast in the faith. Stand fast in the faith, stand fast in the faith, that's be doctrinally grounded. Be doctrinally grounded, stand fast in the faith. See, the second command builds on the first. After the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle, paul, is calling us to stay awake. Now. He says stand fast in the faith. In other words, don't move, don't waver, don't back down. This is the language of a soldier again, who has taken his position and refuses to give an inch. He's planted his feet, his weapon is up, his grip is tight, his eyes are fixed and he will not retreat. I want you to notice what Paul says. He says stand fast in the faith.
Speaker 2:In the faith, not just stand fast in your opinions, not just stand fast in your preferences or in your faith. Not just stand fast in your opinions, not just stand fast in your preferences or in your personality, no, in the faith. This refers to the unchanging, life-giving truth of the gospel. This is referring to the body of Christian doctrine rooted in the Word of God and centered on Jesus Christ. This is the gospel that saves, this is the truth that sanctifies, this is the message that sustains every church. It sustains the church in every generation. And so to stand fast in the faith is to plant your life. To plant your life on the truth of who God is, what Christ has done and what the Scriptures declare and refuse to compromise.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you've noticed this or not Maybe you have but we live in an age of shifting standards. Have you noticed that we live in an age of shifting standards? Truth is treated like a buffet line. You take what you like and you leave what makes you uncomfortable, what wants you to be uncomfortable? Culture pressures us to bend, to adapt, to soften the edges of Scripture in order to fit in. But I want to tell you this morning God is not looking for a soft-edged church. God is not looking for soft-edged men. He's looking for anchored men. He wants an anchored church. He wants men who will stand firm when others fall away. He wants men who will speak truth even when others stay silent. He wants men who know what they believe and why.
Speaker 2:Some biblical examples Think Daniel. Daniel who stood fast in Babylon. He refused to eat the king's food or bow to a false god, even under the threat of death. He was respectful but immovable. He was respectful but immovable.
Speaker 2:Think, peter and John, when they stood fast before the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of the nation of Israel. They stood fast after they had been told stop preaching this one named Jesus. And they declared in Acts, chapter 4, verse 20, we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Who should we obey, god or you? Jesus stood fast in the wilderness, answering every temptation from Satan. With. It is written. It is written these weren't men who loved conflict, but they were men who loved truth more than comfort. And because they stood fast in the faith, god used them. And so well.
Speaker 2:Stand fast in what? Well? First of all, the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's first, the gospel of Jesus Christ. First, corinthians 5, 15, verses 1 and 2,. I declare to you the gospel by which also you are saved. If you hold fast that word, church men, don't move on from the gospel. Let your heart and your life be anchored in the finished work of Christ, his death for your sin, his resurrection for your hope and His return for your future. Stand fast, stand firm.
Speaker 2:What else do we need to stand fast in? I would say to you, the authority of God's Word. We need to stand fast in the authority of God's Word. Listen, this book is not outdated and, on top of that, it's not optional. You can't have a Christian life without it. It's not optional. It's not optional, it's the authority, it is the truth of God, living and active, and I am happy to say this morning that it will outlast every cultural trend, it will outlast every political movement and it will outlast every ungodly society. The Word of God will and it will outlast every ungodly society. The Word of God will the Bible, the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, verses 14-17,. He told him to continue in what you have learned. Continue in what you have learned, because Scripture makes us wise for salvation and equips us for every good work. Stand fast on the Word, not just in public but in private, not just with your lips but with your life. What else do we need to stand fast on? We need to stand fast on the doctrines that guard the church. The doctrines that guard the church Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. The deity of Jesus Christ. The authority and the sufficiency of Scripture, the sanctity of life, the goodness of creation as God designed it, the reality of judgment, the hope of eternal life. These are not fringe issues, they are foundational and we must stand fast, not just for ourselves but for the next generation.
Speaker 2:Where are you tempted to drift? Where are you tempted to drift? Maybe in your convictions. You know softening truth to avoid offense. Maybe in your own disciplines, neglecting the Word and prayer. Maybe in your own identity, letting the world define you what a man should be or a woman should be or a family should be. Letting the world define you instead of the gospel? Ask yourself what truth am I standing on right now? If your life were on trial, would there be enough evidence to convict you of standing fast in the faith Church?
Speaker 2:Let's be Christians, men. Let's be men who are unmoved, not because we're stubborn, but because we're surrendered. Let's be men who are unshakable, not because we're proud, but because we're rooted in Christ. Let's be men who stand fast in the faith, because the faith is worth standing for. Watch, stand fast in the faith. Next comes be brave. Be brave, literally. Act like men. Be brave. This is embrace, mature, courageous manhood. Embrace it.
Speaker 2:The New King James translates it be brave or, as the English Standard Version translation renders it, act like men, which is what the Greek word literally says Act like men. I think this command may be the most striking of the five. It is a direct call to mature, courageous manhood, not defined by culture, but by Christ, by God's Word. The Greek word here is from a root word meaning man. It literally means act like a man, conduct yourself with courage. That's why, here it's translated be brave, conduct yourself with courage. That's why here it's translated be brave, conduct yourself with courage. This Greek word is actually used in classical literature as a call to soldiers before battle. It doesn't mean be macho or don't ever cry. It means take responsibility. Take responsibility, show courage, rise to the moment, be brave.
Speaker 2:This isn't the Apostle Paul promoting some kind of cultural stereotypes. He's calling the church, men and women. He's calling the church, especially its men, to step up, to not shrink back. The church doesn't need more aggressive men and the church suddenly doesn't need more passive men. We've had too many of those. It needs brave, godly men, men who reflect the courage and the strength and the sacrifice of Jesus. I mean, let's be honest, can we just kind of get real Across the spectrum in the evangelical church of America and across the spectrum in America.
Speaker 2:We are in a crisis of biblical manhood. It's a crisis of biblical manhood. Many men don't know what godly manhood even looks like, and others are stuck in extended adolescence I mean grown in age, but not in character. You know what I'm talking about. And too many men have simply abdicated responsibility In the home, in the church and in their walk with God, and part of that's because women won't let them be the man they're called to be. It's a constant fight, it's a constant struggle, and so men just abdicate their responsibility and say it's too much trouble and they go with. Well, mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, and I can either be right or I can be happy. Abdicated your responsibility in the home, in the church and in the world, and this isn't about being loud or domineering.
Speaker 2:Courageous manhood means you lead when it's uncomfortable. It means you speak truth when it's costly, when it costs you something, you speak truth and you serve others, even when it's costly. When it costs you something, you speak truth and you serve others even when it's inconvenient. So what does courageous manhood look like? I referenced it already, but it looks like taking responsibility. Real men don't pass the blame, they take ownership. Adam failed not just because he ate the fruit, but he failed when he stood silently by while Eve was deceived.
Speaker 2:A courageous man a courageous man doesn't say that's not my problem. He asks what has God entrusted me with? What am I a steward of? So are you taking responsibility for the spiritual condition of your life? Are you taking responsibility for the spiritual condition of your life? Are you taking responsibility for the spiritual condition of your marriage? Are you taking responsibility For the spiritual condition of your children? Are you taking responsibility For the spiritual condition of your church?
Speaker 2:What else does be brave? Look like Well. It looks like doing the hard things. Doing the hard things. See, courage is revealed when we obey God, even when it's costly. I mean, think of Joshua. Joshua who was told to lead Israel into battle and he was reminded repeatedly by God. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Think of David, who faced the giant Goliath while others cowered. Think of Stephen, who stood for truth, knowing it would cost him his life. True courage isn't reckless, it's faithful. It's faithful.
Speaker 2:This question is for all of us, but the men especially. What hard thing have you been avoiding that God is calling you to face with courage. What hard thing have you been avoiding that God is calling you to face with courage in your life. To be brave also looks like leading with sacrificial love. It looks like leading with sacrificial love. It looks like leading with sacrificial love. This is not brute force or selfish ambition. The model is Christ, who laid down His life for His bride, the church. Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 25, says Husbands, love your wives just as that's in the same way, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.
Speaker 2:Courageous manhood is cross-shaped. It's cross-shaped. It's cross-shaped. It leads by laying down preferences, by laying down your ego, by laying down your comfort and choosing what is good, what is holy and what is eternally right. Who in your life needs your leadership through courageous, sacrificial love right now?
Speaker 2:Listen, manhood is not toxic. It's transforming when it's redeemed by christ. Culture. What culture does? Culture wants to either just erase manhood or caricature it. Right, but scripture redeems it. Jesus redeems it.
Speaker 2:Jesus is the ultimate man, full of grace and truth. He showed courage in the wilderness. He showed courage in the temple. He showed courage in the garden and he showed courage on the cross. He didn't use his power to persecute. He didn't use his power to take advantage, but to serve and to save and to sacrifice. He himself said, and I quote our Lord Jesus Christ, mark, chapter 10, verse 45.
Speaker 2:Jesus said the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That's our model, men. The church doesn't need you to be impressive. Your family doesn't need you to be perfect. Sir, god isn't asking you to have all the questions. I have all the answers to all the questions. He's not calling you to have all the answers, but he is calling you to act like a man, to show up, to grow up, to speak up, to sacrifice, to stand, to serve and to love with courage. Be brave, act like men. I would say. Today it's time to live like Christ and it's time to lead like Christ. The Bible says.
Speaker 2:The apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 13, 11,. He said this. He said when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. It's time some of us put away some childish things. When I became a man, I put away childish things. Listen, guys, let's not be spiritual boys in a world that desperately needs men of faith, men of courage and men of conviction. Let's be brave, because Christ is worth it, your family is worth it, your church is worth it, your grandchildren's future is worth it. Be strong.
Speaker 1:Be strong. You've been listening to Foundations of Truth the Bible teaching ministry of Pastor Timothy Mann at Providence Church, ormond Beach, florida. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever. That's Isaiah 48. Thanks for tuning into the Foundations of Truth podcast with Pastor Timothy Mann from Providence Church in Ormond Beach, florida. Join us next time and until then, keep building your life on God's eternal truth, the Bible.
