Chris Grainger: 1:01

Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, this is your spiritual kickoff episode. I'm excited to be here with you. Let's go All right. So there we go. Psalm 78 today. Psalm 78, verse 4. We will not hide them from their descendants. We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done. So just a beautiful, beautiful little verse there, fellas.

Chris Grainger: 1:32

This whole week we're going to be really talking about discipleship, parenting, being a father. It's going to be a great one. I think you're going to really enjoy the dive we're going to take into it this week, and we're going to start right here today by digging into Psalms. So first thing we need to know is where is Psalms? You need to know this in your Bible. So this is your Old Testament, okay, so go, old Testament after Job, before Proverbs. So usually you can open up your Bible about midway, maybe a little bit to the left, just a touch, and you'll come right to Psalms.

Chris Grainger: 2:02

Okay, and the whole idea again, this week we're going to be talking about is discipleship, and we need to remember at least I need to remember that discipleship often starts at home and this scripture right here tells us that we, as a father for me in particular, as a father for me in particular I'm called. It is my duty to pass down my faith and the things that I've learned and God's revealed to me to my children. Okay, it's not just about teaching and traditions or some things like that. It's about really taking the story of God's greatness and faithfulness and just putting that on the heart of the kids and letting them see it. And you know what? We need to remember something, fellas God's deeds are worth sharing. They just are. Because the psalmist right here, he just lays out that we should tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds right, his power, his wonders. And as parents, we need to remember our kids pay attention. My kids love it when I tell them stories. I don't know about you, but we are the primary storytellers of God's goodness, particularly inside our family. So what does this mean? That means for me and when I try to help other guys as well? We must start sharing some personal stories of how God has worked in our lives, because that makes the faith real to our kids, because the scripture can be very abstract, it can be hard, it can be hard to make those connections, but you know what? You give a kid a good example. Hey, here's what happened to Dad and here's how I know it was God. They're going to remember that. They just are. They're so impressionable, fellas, and it's such a big deal for us to do this.

Chris Grainger: 3:50

And we have to take this discipleship mandate as a responsibility. And if we're responsible for it, that means we need to be intentional about it, because this can't just be like a camping trip when your boy turns 13 or something. No, it doesn't work like this. It's not a one-time event, or occasionally you'll talk about it. No, it's just got to be a way of life Every day. Every day, it means your bedtime, your prayer time, your dinner time, conversations, car rides, when you're walking together, when you're sitting up, when you're laying down all that stuff. No-transcript who he is, his character. And it's our job, fellas, it just really is. We need to model the life of faith so that they can see it.

Chris Grainger: 4:43

I tell my kids all the time, like you, better read your Bible, better read your Bible, better read your Bible, and they never see me read my Bible Like bro. At some point my oldest will be like you don't do it, why should I? So that means we have to live it out, because I say this a lot in the past there's more caught than taught, do I think it's important for us to teach our kids? Yes, don't mishear me, but if if we're just hoping that they can go and learn directly just off the words, we say we are totally missing the boat. No, they're watching. So if you start living your life in alignment with what God's word says and you start trying to do this in the most effective way that you can, at that point your kids are starting to say, oh, that's what that means, that's what they mean. They also start seeing that you trust God, particularly through the trials in life. Right, when they see that, they see you know what you're going through a difficult season and they've watched you walk through this season and they've watched you just cling closer and tighter and tighter to God, that right there is going to start turning some heads, fellas. It's going to really start turning some heads Now as we start doing this.

Chris Grainger: 6:04

Really what we're doing, when we think embracing this whole idea of discipleship, is that we're empowering that next generation, because it's not just about preserving traditions. I don't really care about that. I'm talking about equipping our kids to know God and to live as disciples themselves. Now it has to be their decision. My children can't earn their salvation off of my salvation. It doesn't work that way. They have to do it themselves. But we can teach them to rely on God. We can try to help them understand His Word. We can try to show them how we walk and we do. We can try to help them understand His Word. We can try to show them how we walk. We are empowering them and in turn, this becomes the light for their generation.

Chris Grainger: 6:46

This psalm is beautifully written because it makes us think past the challenges that we're facing right now, the lifetime that we have, maybe if you get, let's say, 70, 80, 90, 100 years I don't know that's still a blip. But if we disciple our children, we're building that legacy, and that legacy is not our legacy, it's a faith-filled legacy that extends so far to the future generations. Fellas, it's such a big deal. And the stories of God's goodness that you tell today, just like what God's done for you, do you realize you'll never know the ripple effect on your grandchildren, your great-great-great-grandchildren, and further and further and further. It's crazy, right?

Chris Grainger: 7:37

So, as we kind of wrap this idea up, maybe think about, are you creating a space in your home for your kids to encounter God in a personal way? Because it's never too late to start, and I get it, man, a few years ago, this has been a touchy subject for me. What are you talking about? We go to church twice a week. It's their job. No, no, no, this can't be outsourced. No, it has to be you. It has to be you, because if we're relying on our kids to learn and to grow, particularly about things, about God, just from things that they see in this world, that's a dangerous precedent to put in place.

Chris Grainger: 8:13

Fellas, we can't have that. We have to embrace this responsibility. We just do. It's our responsibility to disciple our children. And if we do it and we do it to the best of our abilities, I'll tell you what God's showing us some great things, some great things.

Chris Grainger: 8:29

So I want you to think about something as we kind of get to our question of the week this week what's a lesson out there about God? We know so many lessons, but what's one lesson about God that you wish someone had taught you earlier in life, maybe earlier in your own discipleship journey. And then I want you to flip the question. Okay, now that you have that framework in mind of what that question is, okay, have you taught that yet to your children or to people that you're mentoring? Because if you haven't, what are you waiting on? You just said that this was something that made you wish someone told you about this early back on. There's somebody out there right now who doesn't know that, doesn't have that foundation. Go tell them. Tell them today. Buy them a cup of coffee. If it's your kids, sit down with. Your kids Probably not want a cup of coffee.

Chris Grainger: 9:20

If you've got little kids, right, but talk to them about it, explain it and also, as disciples, as we're trying to build disciples. As for parents, the first thing we're trying to do, really, ultimately, what we're trying to do is get them to have the faith to be their own. It has to be their faith. They we're trying to do is get them to have the faith to be their own. It has to be their faith. They can't get to heaven through the coattails on us. No, it has to be theirs directly.

Chris Grainger: 9:43

That means we have to be sharing the truth and at some point when we're teaching our kids, we need to be constantly going over the gospel over and over and over, because you never know you may have to go through it 10,000 times, but finally on that 10,000th time it clicks they get it. And one reason we take time every week on the Lion Within us to share the gospel is because, for me, I never know how this podcast and things we're doing here on the show, how God's going to use that. I'll never see that. I'll find out in heaven one day, but sitting right here behind the mic right now, I'll never know. So I want to be super intentional and precise with my words each and every week, as we try to. Really, we disciple leaders. That's what the Lionel Dennis is all about. But before you can disciple leaders, they need to be disciples of Christ. That's what it's all about.

Chris Grainger: 10:40

So if you're listening to the Lion life and you never smear your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I just need you to know you are made in his image. You are. You may think you're all jacked up and flawed and you got so many of these things wrong in your life, like Chris, you don't know how many bad things I've done. Like bro, it is not good, good, it's really bad. I'm like man, I get it, bro, I get it. But you need to remember that those things don't define you. You are made in the image of God.

Chris Grainger: 11:04

Think about when God formed Adam, the very first man. He spoke all these other things into existence, but when it came to Adam, what did he do? He formed him with his hands. There's a personal relationship there. Then he breathed the breath of life into Adam's nostrils and Adam's face to face with his creator, and it was awesome. Just think about how awesome that was for Adam Before the fall. I know it was short-lived, like a page and a half, two pages in your Bibles, but still, for that page and a half or two pages, it was baller Right. And then Adam made his image, made a mistake and he let the not a little, but the major issue of sin enter the world right. And that sin separated Adam and Eve from God. Literally, the separation is the issue and it created this chasm, this gap between a holy and righteous God and us.

Chris Grainger: 12:02

And for most guys listening, we try to close this gap on the stuff that we do, and some of these things are inherently good things Reading our Bible, praying, going to church, leading a men's group or teaching Sunday school, giving donations and helping a volunteer and stuff like that those things are good things. They just can't earn our salvation. Because when we try to do it ourselves and really when we're telling God it's like God, I can do this, I will get to you Eventually. God, I can do this, I'm going to get to you Eventually. I'm going to get there. I just got to be good enough.

Chris Grainger: 12:49

And that is a fearful, fearful way to live, because the whole question of how good is good is very, very subjective. How good do you have to be? And then one day, when somebody pisses you off and you just go off to deep end like, does that set you back? And now you have to come back there. You see, you see how this thing is. Just, it's never fulfilling.

Chris Grainger: 13:07

You know, the problem is we don't really need a coach to come in and do for us what we can do right to make us better. No, we need a Savior to step in and do for us what we can't do for ourselves. That's the fundamental difference. Coaches come along, they help, equip and build us up. Saviors step in and say I want to do this for you. That's what we have in Jesus. We recognize that we can't close this gap because we have a holy and righteous God and an unholy us. We're all sinners and we fall short of the glory of God. Jesus says I got this, I'm coming.

Chris Grainger: 13:42

He left heaven on a rescue mission for you, for me, for the entire world. He was born of the Virgin, fulfilled all the prophecies, did all the teachings, did all the miracles. The greatest of all time, the goat Jesus right, did it all. Then he chose to go to the cross for you, for me, for the entire world. He went to the cross. He willingly went there. He wasn't going there kicking and screaming. No, he willingly went there because he knew he had to pay the penalty for sin. That was what he was sent for.

Chris Grainger: 14:17

Again, he was on a rescue mission. He had to pay the penalty and they crucified him right there on the cross. His blood ran and paid the penalty for our sins and he died. He didn't pass out or faint or go to sleep. No, he had died on the cross. Which pass out or faint or go to sleep? No, he had died on the cross.

Chris Grainger: 14:37

Which makes you wonder well, if Jesus died, why in the world would people worship him? Because he's dead. They laid him in a tomb only for three days. Three days after he was laid in a tomb, he rose. He overcame death. So no, we're not going to some stinking funeral. We don't worship a dead guy. We worship a living Savior who overcame death. This is the Jesus that we serve. This is Jesus and the Matthew, mark, luke and John Gospels. This is the Jesus that we put our faith, our hope and our trust in.

Chris Grainger: 15:04

And then he came out. He did some more teaching. He actually went to a beach and had a little charcoal breakfast with the boys. I mean, he had a really good, just really good final message to them. Then he went to heaven. He told us that he is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to follow except through him. Jesus is it. He is the name above all names. We have to put our faith and our confidence and our trust in him. This is a justification of grace through faith.

Chris Grainger: 15:34

It all comes down to what are you putting your faith in? You're going to put your faith in something. Maybe it's going to be in another's world, or maybe not, but my encouragement to you is put your faith in something greater, because you got here. You got to earth. You're hearing my voice right now. You're here for a reason. The question is, how are you going to get out of here? I'm just here to tell you. I really encourage you. If you've never put your faith and your hope in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is the day.

Chris Grainger: 16:00

Confess it. First of all, just admit. Hey, doggone it, I'm pretty jacked up. Yeah, he's right, I am a sinner. I've got a lot of things going on in my heart here, right? So you admit that.

Chris Grainger: 16:13

Then you need to do a little bit of repentance. You got to turn, you got to believe. You got to put your faith and hope in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Believe that he is the Son of God, that he is the Messiah, nothing else. There's just one. Then you have to confess him as Lord, and I mean Lord over everything. Lord over your finances, your fitness, your career, your family, your marriage, your children, everything. He has to be Lord over it all. You can't go under baptism water and holding up your wallet or something like that. No, it doesn't work like that way. He's got to be Lord over everything. And once you confess him as Lord and Savior of your life, the Holy Spirit is going to come. It's going to give you a new heart, you'll have a new vision, you'll have a new way of life and you'll be a son or daughter of the king. At that point, a royal priesthood, it says in Scripture. That's kind of crazy to think about, isn't that just unbelievable? Just think about how good he is, how good he is, how good he is.

Chris Grainger: 17:14

I'm just here to tell you you've never taken that step. You've never confessed Jesus as your Lord. And you just heard me for the last. What three or four minutes? Go through this presentation Today's today, today's today, to confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Chris Grainger: 17:31

And I just highly encourage you don't put off to tomorrow If the Lord's calling you to do some business today. I'm not trying to scare you. I'm just trying to tell you look, you're listening. You have questions. Maybe you're just at that point, you're ready to move forward. Let's go, let's just put it in gear and go together. So I'm going to pray for you right now. Let's go, let's just put it in gear and go together.

Chris Grainger: 17:53

So I'm going to pray for you right now and I pray that, if you haven't accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, that you make that ever so crucial decision right now. So, father, thank you for today, thank you for this chance just to share the good news of the gospel with others. Never know how this is going to land or who's going to listen. Father, I just pray for that one listener who's finally to that point of realization that they recognize that they need a Savior and that you are it. I pray you hear them. I pray you comfort them. I'm just so thankful for them for listening this far and for making this ever-important step to move forward with their faith. We just love you, lord. We pray everything according to your will in Christ's name, amen, all right, so look, if you just accepted Christ as your Savior.

Chris Grainger: 18:29

I want to hear from you, chris at thelionwithinus. So shoot me an email because I'm going to hook you up with some free Bible study resources, some scriptures you need to consider adding to your repertoire. I also want to find out where you're at in the country and see if we can help you get plugged into a good, bible-believing, gospel-preaching church. It's so important to get you plugged in there. We've got guys all over the US so we may be able to help you in that area of life. Okay, so love to hear from you. And then I highly encourage you also to come back on Friday. We'll have not Friday. On Wednesday we'll have a really good conversation about discipling our kids, why it's so important, how this can't be outsourced, some tips that will help us actually lean in and do this more effectively as Christian in today. So, again, if you're a dad out there, this week's going to be all about for you. So hopefully you guys get a chance to check that out. Come back on Wednesday.

Chris Grainger: 19:16

Again, thelionwithinus is how you connect with us and all our different resources. That's thelionwithinus. We have our free tools. We have our weekly roar, our assessment, our Bible studies on YouVersion. I highly encourage you guys to go check those out. We do usually one or two Bible studies every month inside the Bible study app, the Bible app, rather. So if you have the Bible app on your phone, like the Bible app, like the one from YouVersion, friend me, let's be a friend on YouVersion and when I go through those, I start those plans and we put a schedule out on the line with them. Go through those, I start those plans and we put a schedule out on the lionwithinus. If you want to be part of it and just engage in the conversations, I would love, love, love to hear from you and have you come along, all right. So again, the lionwithinus if you click on free tools, you'll find those Bible studies there. Then, next to free tools, you'll see offerings. Check on that, Check out the ways we try to serve others with our community, with our summit leadership development, with our daily spiritual kickoff, with our live events.

Chris Grainger: 20:17

All those are different tools, different avenues that you have to plug in with us to help you grow, be a leader that God intends you to be, all right. So lots and lots and lots of ways to get connected, get started with this. Fellows, again, all that can be found at the lion, within that's, don't forget, to the Fellas again, all that can be found at the lion within that's, don't forget, to the, the lion within, dot us, notcom, dot us All right. So, guys, thank you guys, so much for for listening and and for just for spending some time with us today. Again, I think this this week is super important because fatherhood, um, just that is under attack so much in this country and we've really turned away. And for you guys that want to lean in and do what God's calling you to do, I know without a shadow of a doubt that this week is going to help you. It's going to at least give you a little bit of encouragement and let you know that, doggone it, you're not alone. Okay, if you do feel like you're alone, please, please, go join our community. I'm just going to be straight up join the community, because that's where we can come in, we can help you the most. All right, so thank you, guys for listening. We'll see you here next time. On the lion within us. Appreciate all the support, ratings, reviews, all that stuff helps, please. If you haven't done a rating or review yet, this is maybe just a good reminder for you to do that. And thank you so much for listening. So have a great day, get after it and just keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 21:40

I don't know about you, but I used to find Mondays really rough.

Chris Grainger: 21:46

I would find myself trying to reset for work, trying to get my bearing on the family calendar, trying to find time for my own spiritual growth and development, and often I found myself overwhelmed or just flatly ignoring aspects of my life that I know are meaningful to me.

Chris Grainger: 22:04

What I learned was that if I had immediate access to important and impactful spiritual topics and reflections to start my week well after the allure of a Sunday sermon has passed, I would set my whole week up to be more meaningful and for the opportunity to make a true impact. If you think that getting such a boost would help your week to get started on the right foot, we would love for you to sign up for the Weekly Roar roar, which is our newsletter that is produced by the lion within us. Each week, we'll deliver a powerful reflection and practical steps to help you apply scripture with clarity and purpose, all being rooted in light and truth. So in just a few minutes, we hope to arm you with insights for living out biblical leadership with confidence and strength, and maybe even have a little extra bounce in your step. If that sounds useful, head over to thelionwithinus slash ROAR to sign up today. That's thelionwithinus slash ROAR to get your weekly ROAR today.