Act Like a Man: 9 Ways to Punch Life in the MouthSample

Artist: Create Culture

Build. Create. Fix. Innovate. That’s our job as men. Theologians call this the “cultural mandate.” God says, “Okay, son, enjoy the garden. See what a finished product looks like. Now go harness every opportunity on planet Earth.” From the cultural mandate, God intends for us to explore the planet. He intends for us to take all the resources and utilize them to build cities, companies, civilizations, schools, families, churches, and ministries. God wants this world to be filled with creativity by men who are created by Him to create.

The result is what we call “culture.” Culture doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s created by people, starting with the men. If it’s created by good men, it allows life and flourishing. If it’s created by bad men, it brings death and destruction.

Culture also consists of two things: what you teach and what you tolerate. As a man, this is where you need to exercise your God-given dominion and authority. There will always be people in your life who try to bring Hell up for you, your family, your company, and your church. Your job as a man who has dominion is to protect the environment and culture where you have authority given to you by God. The resulting conflict is spiritual warfare, much like the holy angels who fought and defeated the demons in Heaven, casting them out in defense of the culture of Heaven (Revelation 12:7-10).

God creates, Satan counterfeits. God builds, Satan breaks. Everything cultural is profoundly and deeply spiritual. That’s why you see certain cultural leaders in the Bible literally used of Satan – Pharaoh in the Old Testament, Herod in the New Testament, and Judas Iscariot in the betrayal of Jesus. Things in culture are good or evil, bringing light or darkness. Nearly all of culture is either filled with the Spirit of Christ or the antichrist.

Take this beyond your personal culture and personal dominion. Look at your work, home, or ministry and look a little more broadly at the world in which we live and the direction it is headed. Culture is created upstream, and it’s consumed downstream. Culture is made by cultural elites in everything from politics and government to technology, entertainment, business, education, fashion, and health. Just as some people have more financial capital than others, so, too, do some people have more cultural capital than others. In the days of the Old and New Testaments, people lived in walled cities with gates. The gatekeepers determined who would come in and out of the city. They were literally determining the culture in which everyone else lived.

Spirit-filled men working together to build for God is what the world always needs. It’s the only way for anything to be Heaven down. Everything else is Hell up. This is why we go to church or a men’s group and gather with other godly, like-minded men. You aren’t just there to encourage each other but also for the Spirit to fill you and give you a vision of what God has for you to build. For some, God has a company for you to build; for others, it’s a marriage, a legacy, a family, a ministry. For all men, you’re going to need to find your brothers for your battles. You want to be filled with the Spirit of God and, with your gifts and abilities, build some things together.

What is God asking you to build, create, fix, or innovate? (e.g., a family, company, ministry, etc.)