<h2 class = 'uawtitle'>Men vs. Women: The Gospel of Jesus Produces Spirituality (Thus, the Gospel is Easier for Women)</h2><br />
<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>by Roger Himes</div><br /><br />
<div class='uawarticle'>There is a prior article to this: "Men and Women Differences: How They Affect Spirituality and Spiritual Growth." The first article spoke of the tendencies of men, vs. those of women.<br />
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MEN ARE DIFFERENT FROM WOMEN<br />
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Men are more dominated by practical, functional and goal oriented things. Their desire is to reach the destination, and get the job done, rather than stop and smell the roses along the way. Men are results oriented and rational, while women are more people oriented and relational.<br />
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Men are more concerned with the means to the end, with the journey, and with stopping to smell the roses, than achieving a goal or getting to a destination. As I said in the last article, this is not true of every man and woman - but it is generally true.<br />
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The gospel of Jesus, talks about a life of spirituality and experiencing spiritual growth. Women relate to this better than men. The last article spoke of this: men are more Old Testament focused because it is more rule based, rational, and deals with practical undertakings. The New Testament is much more spiritual in thought and application.<br />
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Men understand things like, "DON'T commit adultery, cuss or steal" and "DO go to church, read the Bible, attend small group, and give money." Men thrive on measurable things that they are able to apply. This is the way the Old Testament is.<br />
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But if you talk about unity with God, Christ within us, the hope of glory, and the gospel being God's power in us, too many men back away from things like this. It's just not concrete enough for them to get hold of. This is New Testament gospel thinking.<br />
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WE SHOULD BE ROOTED AND GROUNED IN THE GOSPEL<br />
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This shows why men fall short spiritually at times. If their focus is the more concrete Old Testament based on laws, rules, precepts and principles, the New doesn't make sense to them. Thus the gospel is easier for women than for men. Paul says this OLD system has been replaced by the NEW Covenant gospel.<br />
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He says not to minister the OLD Testament but minister the NEW (II Cor 3:6-7). The NEW replaced the OLD (Heb 9:9-10, 10:9). The Old was abolished (Eph 2:14-15). He says it was nailed to the cross of Christ - which means it was put to death (Col 2:14).<br />
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But men are rational thinkers. As such, they easily revert back to the Old Testament ways. At best, they try to mix the Old with the New - grace with law. Jesus says not to do this. Paul calls us fools if revert back to the Old Testament when we have the better New Testament (Gal 3:1-3, Heb 11:39-40). At the same time, women are relational thinkers who more easily integrate the tenants of the gospel.<br />
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The gospel of the New Testaments makes us 'fathers the gospel' to others (I Cor4:15). It is ministering the love of God, and of Christ (John 13:34-5, 15:9, Eph 3:17-19). All ministry is done in grace and truth (Eph 4:29, John 1:17). It is about ministering the glory and the fullness of God in us (II Cor 3:18, Eph 3:19-20).<br />
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You can't give away what you ain't got! If these things are not in your life, and if you are founded in law under the Old Testament, you can't minister God's manifold grace and his unconditional love. Paul says you must be dead to the law to live in God and to minister his New Covenant gospel (Gal 2:19). If anyone, man or woman, is stuck in the Old Testament religious system to any degree, they can't minister the New Testament gospel. They are trying to mix law and grace - oil with water - the blood of animals with the blood of Jesus.<br />
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Living under rules and principles, men are usually working and trying to acquire. The gospel is all about resting and receiving, which women do better than men.<br />
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WE SHOULD READ AND RESPECT THE OLD TESTAMENT<br />
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Please hear this! The Old Testament is not bad! It is filled with lots of good stuff - history, Proverbs, Psalms, prophecy, etc. But the Old Testament points to the New (what we call the Christ event, or the cross of Jesus). Commentators say 'the Old foreshadows the New.'<br />
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Jesus says to repent of believing all other things and believe the gospel of the Kingdom that he came to bring us (Mark 1:14-15). When Paul says the Old has been abolished he means it is no longer meant to control and govern our lives. We should not live by it. We should of course read it, and compare it against the better New Covenant that we have now. But we should live by the gospel of God's Kingdom. We should repent from trying to live by the Old ways. One reason for this is that everyone failed who tried to live it (Rom 3:10, Acts 15:10).<br />
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THE GOSPEL MAKES ALL THINGS NEW<br />
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"Old things have passed away (died). Behold! All things have been made new" (II Cor 5:17). This literally means ALL things. Even we have been made a 'GodMan' - a new species. Paul calls this being a New Creation in Christ. I call it being a NCIC (pronounced 'Nick'). This is all because ALL the law, prophets and psalms were fulfilled in Jesus (Matt 5:18, Luke 24:27, 44).<br />
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This means we are no longer to live by ROTE - by precepts and principles, methodology and rules. This is how things were in the Old Testament. This contradicts the beliefs of most men, who think rationally. The New Testament is all about relationship - (1) with God, and (2) with each other. This goes right along with the thinking of most women. Remember that God says Eve's desire would be for Adam, but Adam's desire would be to rule Eve.<br />
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In the New Testament, we are all equal in Christ. Yes, we are male or female physically, but there is no male or female spiritually (Gal 3:28). We are all the same, and as one in the eyes of God. Women were not equal in the Old Testament. Women were held in low esteem.<br />
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Women could be killed if they committed adultery, etc. They had no rights. The gospel of Jesus is what gives women their rights. The New Testament makes them equal with men, at least in God's eyes (although they still struggle for equality in a church controlled by men). Isn't it interesting that men dominate in a church system that is more attended by women?<br />
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And, at least in my view, women most often have it much easier living in the gospel of the New Testament than men do. And living a gospel life of belief was the very first command of Jesus.<br />
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About the Author:<br />
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<div class='uawlinks'>Live in the power of God! <a href="http://www.TheGospelCoach.com/">men and women differences</a> Also visit Roger Himes, The Gospel Coach to get daily Gospel Tweets <a href="http://www.Twitter.com/TheGospelCoach/">spirituality and spiritual growth</a> The gospel empowers you to live better by accident than you ever could on purpose!</div><br />
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New Unique Article!<br />
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Title: Men vs. Women: The Gospel of Jesus Produces Spirituality (Thus, the Gospel is Easier for Women)<br />
Author: Roger Himes<br />
Email: RogerHimesCoachArticles@gmail.com<br />
Keywords: Men vs women, men and women differences, differences between men and women, spirituality, spiritual growth, the gospel, the gospel of Jesus<br />
Word Count: 1122<br />
Category: Spirituality<br />
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