Two questions arise from this: One, what is their place in God’s original plan? And how does a mere resolution help in reclaiming it?
The first has been dealt with here on at least two occasions in recent times. But for the benefit of those who might have missed it, I shall quote as briefly as possible from those previous exertions upon which my two ministrations at the Summit were based.
In
my three-part serial on Rediscovering Manhood which itself derives chapter on
of my forthcoming book, Manhood Rediscovered, I made the point that man, the
male, is at the very centre of God’s divine plan. I showed from the Bible,
specifically in Genesis Chapter 2, how that
he is the first being created in God’s image and after His likeness and
how that he is one He chose to partner with in defining the identity of
virtually the rest of creation.
I
went on to make the point that having regards to the sequence of events that
led to the creation of the female, she
may never have been made, had man found an acceptable companion among the
creatures that God brought to him to name.
In other words, had God not perceived that man would need help and
relationship; and had man found a help meet for him, in, for example, the dog,
the course of human history might have been different. That is awesome, isn’t
it?
Admitting
that these points might sound chauvinistic and therefore offensive to the
sensibilities of the western-educated, modern mind, yet I asserted that it is
true; as true as the Bible is the word of God.
Flowing from all these truths, which the reader may wish
to check in verses 4-7, 15, and 18-23 of Genesis chapter 2, is the truth that
man, the male, as distinct from the female has preeminence in the divine order
of things. This explains so many critical things both in Biblical times and
today. It explains why when man had fallen; God’s query was directed at Adam,
not Eve. It explains, why of the 403 persons identified by name in the Bible (according
to Who’s who in the Bible section of the Lion Handbook to the Bible), only
about 50 are women. That also explains why all twelve of the Lord Jesus’
disciples were men. It explains why it makes news when a woman becomes head of
government or of a very strategic institution.
The import of this creation scenario, is neither to
demonstrate that man, the male is superior in any sense to man, the female; it
simply shows who is RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE for the overall headship of the
new enterprise. That being the case, if the new enterprise is doing so well
that each time God looks at it, he can continue to declare that it is good, as
he did after creation, then his man would be seen as succeeding in his
assignment. Many reading this would
agree that the converse is true, and therefore, that man, the male, is
currently neither being responsible nor accountable.
Now, let’s take a close look at the resolution and
why it is not just a mere resolution.
First is its origin. Extracted from the movie, Courageous with the theme, Honour Begins at Home, the resolution is
the product of a process of self-discovery by a man, Adam Mitchell, a police
officer. He was failing in his
responsibility as a father and husband, and didn’t know it until he had lost
his daughter, the younger of his two children. His search for a way out of the
sorrow and regret he felt led him, inexorably, to the Lord and to the kingdom
principles enunciated in the resolution.
The men gathered at Men’s Summit 2012, watched the
movie. Some recognized themselves in one or the other of the actors, identified
with their macho image and the faults and failings lurking underneath. Like Mitchell
in the film, who told his friends that he wasn’t inviting anyone to sign the
resolution, only to help him witness it; the coordinators of Christian Men’s
Network Nigeria made it clear that the
decision to sign on was absolute that of each man to make. That explained why
although the film was screened on Friday, the call to take the resolution was
not made until Sunday. The point of all of these is that those who eventually
signed felt a need within them to do it.
Also important is that the men, including yours
sincerely, who finally signed on had, over four days, been led through a series
of prayerful, spirit-led soul searching, self-evaluating sessions on
Rediscovering Manhood and its many sub-themes. They had become fully persuaded
that they need change in certain areas of their lives as men upon whom God is
depending. They had come to see that for the sake of their family, their
communities and the nation and, most especially to reclaim their destiny in
God, the resolution will be a good starting or restarting point. And most also
know that they need the grace of God, the oversight of their spiritual father,
Rev Dr Tunde Joda and accountability to their peers within the men’s group to
stand by it.
That then is why I can boldly say that a sizeable
percentage of the nearly 300 men who will be receiving the Resolution Certificate
from today, were led of the Spirit of God to do it and will stand by it,
through the challenging days ahead.
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