As Christian men, we're constantly battling our propensity to sin. For many men, their method of coping with this pull is to ignore it.
Sin is an unrighteous solution to some form of fleshly desire. Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit as God's children, therefore there's definitive knowledge of righteous living that's available from the inside out.
Despite that knowledge, there's always a choice to be made as to whether sin is to be participated in. Whether it's deep inside one's mind or fully engaged with another individual.
Take for example, the fleshly desire to feel secure and safe. That desire can be placated in innumerable ways via sin, and of course, our pagan culture is here to assist!
Out of sin grows shame. At first, this is healthy shame, but once a man engages in chronic sin, the shame itself can become the problem due to the fact that it cultivates the "rationale" to isolate oneself.
Have you ever seen an animal who's been physically abused? Say, a dog? These pets tend to behave very differently than their healthier cohorts. I don't know if an animal can feel shame, but abused animals certainly know what it feels like to experience fear based on their circumstance. And when those feelings consume the natural identity within that animal, certain behaviors emerge that prove the animal's true identity has been compromised.
I clearly remember the first day I walked into a Samson Society meeting back in 2014 at First Baptist Church, Jackson. The shame relative to my sin was immense! It was as if my entire identity in Christ had been hijacked.
Now, too, I brought to the Samson table a boatload of worthlessness. Worthlessness that I'd wrestled with since I was a boy. Again, this worked against my true identity as a believer.
Jesus lived within a community of men as he ministered here on Earth. We see that chronicled within the gospels, and I believe that setting fostered his ability to be in perfect communion with his true identity as the Messiah despite the fact that he was also 100% fully human. Of course, Jesus didn't sin. Instead, he looked to his Heavenly Father to fulfill every desire he had. But, Jesus was tempted to sin, therefore he understood how pursuant to a resolve sin can look to be when men desire.
Stating firsthand one's goal to fulfill every desire in Christ / Father God certainly sounds admirable, but how do we model that today?
For Rob, Samson Society is a clearinghouse that provides me with platonic support in the midst of this pursuit. All manner of men are involved, and each speaks from his place in life as a bachelor, husband, father, brother, son, and so forth. From there, inevitably, dialogue involving temptation and sin occurs, and it's kept in strictest confidence. Every man who's willing to participate is warmly accepted. None are shirked or shunned so long as they bring their authentic selves.
This is what Jesus' disciples modeled for us.
Were they perfect in their community? Of course not. But, they were far better off walking alongside each other than on their own.
What's been made of my shame? Today, it's in proper proportion to my identity in Christ. In other words, it's healthy shame. Which means, I can actually learn from it versus being defined by it. Plus, I better understand now my desires, thanks to my involvement in Samson Society, and this in itself has given me insight into the intentional need to seek fulfillment of those desires in ways that please my Heavenly Father / align with his will.
For everyone who knows me, I relish the opportunity to talk about my sin / past failings. It's never been a waste of my time to bring failures into the light nor the continued draw towards unrighteousness in all its many shapes and forms.
I want to be the best man I can be as I serve those around me. Samson Society promotes that by resisting that god awful worthlessness within a setting that harkens back to the community of Jesus. Thanks be to God for Samson Society!
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