What does authentic manhood look like?
I believe you and I can answer that. Manhood is living as a man formed by the character of Christ—a man whose heart bears the identity of Jesus. It is loving God, loving people, sacrificing for family and friends, keeping your word, governing your appetites, and remaining faithful when faithfulness costs you something.
Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.
As I sit in a Southeast Asian airport, I think about the millions of men across the globe who have never seen that kind of manhood. They have never experienced a father’s blessing, witnessed a healthy marriage, or had a strong man show them how to live. The magnitude of the need can feel overwhelming.
Vietnam is still living with the consequences of brutal wars that left countless families without fathers. After the wars in Germany and Russia, millions of men were dead, displaced, traumatized, or disengaged. Generations grew up without someone to demonstrate faithful manhood. Decades later, many men in those nations are still searching for identity, direction, and spiritual roots.
In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge attempted to destroy not only lives but family histories. Last names and family connections became dangerous in those years.
Today, many still struggle with the loss of generational identity—with little understanding of a “father’s house” or the strength of a father’s legacy.
Across much of the Middle East, many men remain distant from their families, uncertain how to honor women, love their children, or express a father’s affection.
These nations can be difficult to enter and challenging to reach, but the need is enormous. This is why our CMN brotherhood continues to respond with prayer, encouragement, resources, courageous leadership, and generous giving.
Paul gave Timothy a clear picture of mature manhood. A man must exercise self-mastery. He must be “temperate, self-controlled, respectable” and “not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle” (1 Timothy 3:2–3). A man who cannot govern himself cannot be trusted to lead anyone else.
A man must also lead faithfully at home. Paul said that he must be faithful to his wife and “manage his own family well”(1 Timothy 3:4). Manhood is not first proven on a platform, in an office, or before a crowd. It is proven around the kitchen table.
The people who know you best should respect you most.
A mature man must demonstrate financial integrity. He cannot be “a lover of money” or pursue dishonest gain (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7). Money is a tool, not a master. A man of God possesses his possessions; his possessions do not possess him.
A mature man must also earn public respect. Paul said, “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:7). Character is not merely what a man claims about himself. Character is the consistent witness of his life—in private, at home, at work, and in the community.
Men at home and around the world will never understand this kind of manhood until someone shows them who God is, what a father can be, and what their heavenly Father desires to be to them.
Brother, that is our challenge. It's huge—but we know that the power of the Gospel solves every issue.
Unless bold men stand up and speak the truth, other men may never hear it. Sitting on a couch judging others on social media will not rescue them. Shaking our heads at another disturbing news report changes nothing. Criticism and inaction produce no transformation.
Paul asked, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” He then declared, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15).
Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus told us to go because men will not know unless someone goes. They will not see unless someone shows them. They will not understand the Father until they encounter men who carry the Father’s heart.
You do not have to stand behind a pulpit. The most powerful sermon you may ever preach is the message of your life—how you work, how you speak, how you forgive, how you treat women, how you love your family, and how faithfully you follow Jesus.
What do you do? Put a book into the hands of the man beside you at work. Go into the prison. Mentor the boys riding bicycles on your street. Show up at the local pickup game and be present. Invite a younger man to coffee. Listen to his story. Speak courage into his heart. Show him what faithfulness looks like.
We are men! We are doers of the word—not just hearers.
We are CMN. We rescue men.
That is what we do—this is who we are.
Stand up. Step out. Speak the truth. Live the message. Be the man God has called you to be.
I’m praying for you. I thank the Lord for you.
Your friend, brother, and ally.
Grace and Peace,
Paul Louis Cole
