In 1998 I sat at my computer preparing the message I would deliver on that next Sunday morning. It was business as usual, just seeking God for a word to the church who had asked me to minister there. When I had finished preparing I realized that the Lord had given me a rather fantastic message. It wasn’t until later that I realized that it was far more than that.

My text that morning was found in the Book of Chronicles where king Ahaz had died and his son Hezekiah had taken the throne. Ahaz was a very evil king, the worst Israel had ever had. He had forbidden worship to the one true God and he closed the doors to the temple. He encouraged idol worship and replaced every sacred place with man made images. Israel was in a dark hole and needed a leader who could lead them out.

Hezekiah came along and he said things had to change. He commanded the people to do 2 very important things. Renew their covenant with God and repent of their sins and the sins of their forefathers. So this is exactly what they did. And when they were obedient, God did something remarkable. He restored them, He resuscitated them and He brought revival to them.

How many of us need to hear this when we too have failed God? When we let worship of our own idols get in the way of true worship to God? We too must renew our covenant with the Lord and repent of our sins. And then we too will be restored and revived. What a nice little sermon, I thought. But as time went on this became something so much bigger, so much deeper. This was the beginning of In His Presence Ministries and Men For Purity. God had begun something in me and I didn’t even know what it was.

 

A few months from that Sunday I started meeting with 3 other men on Wednesday nights for Bible study. Nothing out of the ordinary but that was about to take a real turn from status quo. That group of 4 men was the beginning of Men For Purity. That same group is still meeting, now for more than 9 years. And God has given us something we just could not keep to ourselves. We decided to have a small retreat and invite a few of our friends to come and see what was different. About 45 men came to that first retreat and now we have been asked to other cities, other states and other countries to present MFP to men all over the world. Since our first retreat we have seen so many men have their own MFP group and be changed by the power of God.

 

The message of MFP is found in Proverbs 4. There it says that God wants us to be pure in what we think, say, see and do. Most of us, when we hear the word purity, think only of our sexuality and all the issues that deal with that part of our lives. But when God speaks of purity He means much more than sexual purity. He means pure in all areas of our lives.

Psalm 24 says, “who can climb the mountain of God, who can stand in His holy presence? Only those with clean hands and a pure heart; who do not lie or bow down to idols.” Here the Psalmist says God desires a pure heart and mentions nothing of sexual purity. The purity the Lord speaks of here is directly related to what we say (lies) and our devotion (bowing down to idols). God wants us to be pure in all areas of our lives. Men For Purity is helping men becoming pure and staying pure. It is about men developing long lasting relationships with other men, coming alongside one another and holding one another accountable. It is about being better men, better husbands and better fathers.

 

MFP groups are made up of 4-6 men. They meet together weekly or bi-monthly. The purpose is to build a level of trust and openness and begin to be accountable to others. Most men I talk with tell me they want this so desperately but they just don’t know how or where to make this happen. This is what MFP is all about. Helping put men together, equipping them and giving them a place where they can come and be truthful, honest and open. A safe place where there is confidentiality, where they will not be policed but be held accountable in those areas where they are weak. Men For Purity wants a place like this for every man, so they no longer have to be a “Lone Rangers” but partners with other men, to live the life God has called us to live.

 

How do we accomplish this? Well, actually God does it. Every retreat and conference is saturated with great prayer long before we ever come together. But we do have a method. Our main method is done with Men’s Retreats or Conferences. Here we equip the men to live the pure life God commands of us. But this is not just a weekend of teaching. We actually place men in groups right there and they have their own MFP group when the conference is over. Each group is assigned an oversight pastor who meets with the group and makes sure they are staying on course. We also have follow up meetings after the conference to check up and make sure there group is coming along. This method has worked well and we just keep building on that foundation to make it better.

 

We believe that God did not give us an option as Christians to either walk alone or go with others. The Bible makes it plain that God intended us to live the Christian life together, with others called alongside us to help. Our mission is really simple. Men For Purity targets the man, the head of the home. If we help him become the man, husband and father God intended him to be, then we have not only strengthened him but we have helped to make a strong marriage. Stronger marriages make stronger families. Strong families make strong churches. And strong churches touch the world for Christ. Our mission is to see the church, the body of Christ, be what God wants it to be. If the men will do their part, we know God will do His. That is, God will restore and resuscitate and revive. Men For Purity wants to see a Hezekiah revival in the church and we want the men to lead the way.

 

"We hope that you will make plans to attend the next Men For Purity Conference. As pastors and church leaders, we hope you decide to make your next men's retreat a MFP retreat. We know your men and your church will never be the same if you do. It is not anything that we do, but it is what God does when we do it God’s way. It is awesome to see and hear from men who have been in groups for 2 years, 4 years, and 10 years as they give their testimony of how God is changing them and making them the men they never thought they could be. God truly does miracles in men’s lives at MFP retreats and conferences because they learn how and they put to practice, simple and timeless truths that the Lord has given us. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation…” It is God’s Word, and God’s truths that change us when we do it God’s way.