Grace Men’s Retreat Preparation

We would like to invite you to join us as we read through Dr. Richard D. Phillip's book Masculine Mandate: God's Calling for Men to help us prepare for the upcoming Men's Retreat on February 28 and March 1, 2025. You can read the book on your own or connect with a few friends to have some discussion before or after the retreat.

This book is packed with Scripture and cuts through the cultural confusion highlighting God’s Masculine Mandate for men and encourages men to join on a journey of repentance and renewal. It begins in the Garden of Eden, drawing foundational teaching for men from the earliest chapters of God’s Word. As Christian men today, we need to examine our hearts and embrace our God-given mandate. Only then will we be able to recognize our high calling and by God’s grace, serve faithfully in whatever context God has placed us.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part provides a theological foundation for what it means to be a man and understanding our mandate. In one sentence, the Masculine Mandate is “to be spiritual men placed in real-world, God-defined relationships, as lords and servants under God, to bear God’s fruit by serving and leading.” A biblical mandate is a command or authoritative instruction from God that conveys a responsibility to perform a task or live in a certain way. God’s Word gives us the blueprint for biblical masculinity.

The second part of the book moves to practically living out our mandate. Dr. Phillips considers what it means to be a biblical man in marriage, parenting, work, friendship and in the church. Throughout the book, Dr. Phillips grounds his biblical vision in the gospel of Jesus. Application of truth is a critical element in the process and mere intellect cannot take us to a deeper level of commitment with God. We hope that reading the book and attending the Men’s Retreat (02/28-03/01) will encourage you to continue further down the Discipleship Pathway and a closer relationship with Jesus. We would encourage you to invite others to join us on this journey! Our suggested reading plan is:

Part One: Understanding our Mandate (Biblical foundation)

Chapter 1 Summary

01/06 - Chapter 1: Man in the Garden

Chapter 2 Summary

01/06 - Chapter 2: The Masculine Mandate

Chapter 3 Summary

01/13 - Chapter 3: Man’s Sacred Calling to Work

chapter 4 summary

01/13 - Chapter 4: Man as the Image of God

Chapter 5 Summary

01/20 - Chapter 5: Man as Shepherd-Lord (Servant Leader)

Part Two: Living our Mandate (Application)