We explore how John Eldridge's "Beautiful Outlaw" helps us understand Jesus' personality, focusing on his disruptive honesty and what it reveals about his character. Understanding Jesus means embracing his full humanity, including his confrontational nature when addressing religious hypocrisy.

• Jesus had a real personality as both fully God and fully man
• We often appreciate Jesus' honesty when directed at others but squirm when it's aimed at us
• Jesus confronted the Pharisee about cleaning the outside of the cup while being full of greed inside
• The exclusivity of Jesus as the only way to salvation is perhaps his most offensive claim
• We must reckon with our sin debt that we cannot pay ourselves
• Faith in Christ requires both belief and repentance, not just intellectual acknowledgment

If you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review.

Send us a text

Support the show

Using John Eldridge's "Beautiful Outlaw" as our guide this week, we dive into Chapter 4, "Fierce Intention," exploring the passionate personality of Jesus through his temple cleansings.

• Jesus cleansed the temple twice – first early in ministry (John 2) and again during his final week (Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19)
• The temple cleansing wasn't a momentary outburst but a planned, sustained demonstration of righteous anger
• Jesus carefully crafted a whip, caused stampeding animals, overturned tables, and scattered coins
• Even in his fierce intention, Jesus showed compassion by telling dove sellers to remove cages rather than harming innocent birds
• This powerful, assertive Jesus contrasts sharply with the passive, meek portrayal in many worship songs
• We cannot fully worship Jesus seeing only the Lamb and not the Lion
• We shouldn't "declaw the Lion of Judah" by ignoring passages showing his fierce side
• Being Christlike sometimes means "turning over tables" against corruption and injustice

If you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review.

Send us a text

Support the show

We're continuing our exploration of Jesus's personality using John Eldredge's "Beautiful Outlaw," focusing on the fierce intentionality of Christ that's often overlooked in typical portrayals.

• Using Matthew 16:21-23 to introduce Jesus's forceful rebuke to Peter: "Get behind me, Satan"
• Examining the context of Jesus's ministry taking place in enemy territory, not just peaceful pastoral settings
• Understanding Jesus's response at Lazarus's tomb through the original Greek, which describes him as "snorting with anger like a war horse"
• Analysis of Jesus's commanding voice when raising Lazarus—described as loud as a violent storm
• Realizing Jesus deliberately chose to command with power and authority rather than using a calm approach
• Connecting Jesus's willingness to "get loud" with our own need to be forceful when confronting darkness

Join us tomorrow for part two of "Fierce Intention" where we'll be covering some of our favorite stories in the Bible.

Send us a text

Support the show