Be watchful, stand fast in the faith, be courageous, be strong!
Γρηγορεῖτε, στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε
Some three years ago, I believe God gave me a vision, not a dream or a picture, but rather an awareness of a calling He was placing on my life. The phrase that I caught was Godly men, and I had to wait for a revelation of the meaning of this phrase. I prayed for an opening of my mind and asked God for a greater understanding. 1 Corinthians 16:13 is the scripture I was given, and at almost the same time, I felt the word Mandate was attached to it. I had to look up the definition of the word mandate, and basically, it's an official authorisation. I spent time with God, in prayer and studying the scripture, drilling into each part of the verse. The vision was to raise up Godly men for the Kingdom. I had formerly been a Methodist lay preacher for around 25 years, preaching the Gospel all over England and Wales, but this directive seemed to be aimed at small groups, not large congregations. In 2022, after studying, researching and producing some basic material, I started a men's group at a local church. It was a slow but steady plod, but it always felt as if it were too formal. Then about 2 years ago, my wife and I moved churches, and so the group folded, but I kept in touch with three friends, and we met weekly for fellowship. It was very much an informal gathering, and we met originally to study certain characteristics of being a Godly man. Once again, we suffered stuttering starts and stops until around early July last year, when Mandate1613 was born.
I discovered a Bible reading plan based on 1 Corinthians, which I began looking at, and which I used as background study to help equip me to lead the group. Then I discovered a book written by Max Lucado, which an in-depth study of the book of 1 Corinthians. I checked it out and decided that we should use this to guide our studies. Isn’t it amazing how God puts things in place, step by step? NOW it felt as if the vision was moving forward. There are four of us who meet every Friday afternoon for a couple of hours to study, pray, and discuss scripture. We know that God is with us and His Spirit is in the room, whether it be in one of our homes or a cafe. From its first faltering steps, we are growing together. We are not becoming Godly Men, we are already men of God. However, we are learning how to BE Godly Men and all that the term implies. Being a Godly man entails walking the walk that we are talking about. It's about shining forth the light of God in a dark, dark world, it's about telling our stories, it's about changing our attitudes, and it's about developing Godly characteristics.
And that, my friends, is Mandate1613, a vision from God for all men as we approach the middle of the 21st century. I am happy to talk to anybody interested in finding out more about the group, and how you can start your own group. I am not (unless God decides otherwise) looking to set up a worldwide group or even a national group. I simply want to share the story of how our group started. God bless you all, brothers.
Quote from a friend on Threads social media
Rest well tonight knowing that you will be successful at what God has called you to do! God has given you a gift, and that gift will help you to fulfil your purpose! Although you may not understand how it’ll all come together now,trust that what God has placed in you will be established! Know that He’ll order your steps, grant provision for the vision, and align you with the right people and resources to aid in fulfilling your purpose! Keep cultivating your gift and trust God to do the rest!
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