There’s nothing manly — or godly — about being vulgar …

It’s the only Christian conference I ever walked out of.

Years ago I was attending a Christian conference for men and had heard a lot of hype about how good the speaker was. So I looked forward to the speaker finally taking to the podium. Until he opened his talk with a dirty joke.

That’s when I left.

A little clarification. The joke wasn’t quite so raw as what a lot of men hear at work, but almost. The final couple words were left out for you to fill in, but there was only one way to fill it in.

I was disgusted.

I left because that was the perfect example of what we don’t need going on when we gather together as Christian men. All week long we battle the ways of the world at work, and men specifically are bombarded with sexual conversation and humor that not only doesn’t glorify Christ, but let’s call it what it is: sinful.

It’s sad that I have heard some church leaders even make excuses by saying things as stupid as “Well, men are men …” blah, blah, blah.

You’re right, men are men, created in the image of God. They are lost and need a Savior, and without a Redeemer they can sometimes act like dogs when it comes to sexuality.

BUT …

“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace,” Romans 6:12-14.

“Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life,” Romans 6:19-22.

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another,” Galatians 5:19-26.

“Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people,” Ephesians 5:3.

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them,” Ephesians 4:29.

The world not only makes a lot of excuses for sin, it especially makes excuses for men’s sexually-oriented sin. I’ve heard wives say about and to their own husbands, “It’s okay to look as long as you don’t touch.”

No it isn’t!

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell,” Matthew 5:27-30.

It’s time for Christian men to stop using the excuses out there and separate themselves from the worldliness of sexual inuendo. By the power of the Holy Spirit, clean up your minds and mouths and set a holy example of what it is to be a man set free from sin and made whole through Jesus Christ. That will NOT include telling the dirty jokes and laughing along with the guys at the office, the shop, or down the street. It doesn’t mean you cannot have fun, laugh, and enjoy life, but it does mean you do so on God’s terms, not the world’s. Time to stop acting like dogs and starting being righteous men!

Scotty