Prayer: We are your slaves and your servants. All of our experiences are to serve You. We lay our lives down to serve You. How can we do that as men? We live in a crooked and perverse generation. Make us new creatures today with new minds from what we were yesterday.
How to Determine Your Life Mission
I speak to you as hardworking, tax paying business men. We must be about our father’s business of world-wide dominion. The Institutes of Biblical Law by R.J. Rushdoony is mandatory reading in our family. Work can be a means of creating the future as we love our wives and provide for them through work.
All men have a dominion orientation, because we were created in the image of God. We love trucks, guns and have snowball fights in earnest.
A Marxist definition of entrepreneurialism:
“Using revolutionary energy to force cultural disintegration…”
A Christian variation would be: “Using servant leadership and masculine energy to create cultural virtue and maturity through the pursuit of broad Christian influence without regard to resources currently controlled.”
What is Vocation?
It is mandatory for every Christian man, woman, young man and young woman, to be energetically devoted and constructively creative.
Multi-faceted communities can be governed by the word of God.
RC Jr. Sproul wrote in Bound for Glory that: Men go into the jungle and turn it into a garden. The difference is, we do this for Him rather than ourselves.
By covenant, we act in the place of the creator. It required mandatory entrepreneurial energy and success on God’s terms. “The earth must be utilized to develop God’s covenant mandate.” R.J. Rushdoony
Deut 5:29 “Oh that they have such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments.”
Our life mission must be dominion. How do we determine where to specialize? John Milton wrote: “I call therefore a complete and generous education that which fits a man to perform justly, skillfully and magnanimously all the offices both private and public, of peace and war.”
We must read and study even though the theological foundation of entrepreneurialism is gone.
American men have inherited a misguided perspective, “Captive to philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men according to the elementary principles of the world.”
“Mr. Botkin, I am trying to decide whether to go into secular work or seminary?” Will your wife work to put you through seminary, debt, get a church with a good pension, so you do that till you are 65? This is what we’ve inherited till we learn a more faithful way to do it. R.J. R. quote: “The common opinion in every branch of Christendom, is that a Christian calling means entrance into the ranks of the clergy.”
Secular worker, Personal kingdom builder, Quiet wage earner, Compliant Citizen, Religions Sacerdotalism, Professional clergy, Religious hireling
There is no sacred/secular distinction in scripture. This undercuts the kingdom of God and is corrupt. To have an educated clergy and ignorant layity is wrong. It blinds men to biblical orthopraxy. It destroys a Christian work ethic and Biblical entrepreneur. It tempts men to subordinate their lives to a different sovereign or to create new institutions that supplant God’s institutions for institutions that may or may not be biblical: College, Statist Professional.
Those who try to strengthen the family and the church are singled out as rebels who are destroying the special institutions that have been established. The fruit is avarice, boredom. Men, you are to rule well and gently over your homes, as Jesus would.
He is a fool who lays up for himself and is not rich toward God.
Biblical attitude Cor. 8:9 Jesus was rich became poor.
With Christ’s attitude of sacrificial right priorities,
The Quadravocational Mission:
Estate Manager of a multigenerational inheritance library he puts together, house he will build, a multigenerational inheritance that are passed down. Young boys need to be thinking about this all the time.
Here is my vision for what dinner time looks like, what our grandchildren will look like.
Business Resource Developer is a service provider to a free economy. Immigrants do this well, Chinese change businesses every few years as they learn and grow. We can do this too. I told you about a computer programmer big salary, big commute no time with family who left it and worked with his sons.
A young woman asks, ‘how do you plan to provide.’ He will work with this talent providing a niche building business resources. A janitorial businessman, developed and sold. That is what businessmen do.
A nation builder with international influence comes from final commandment that Jesus gave us, “All authority has been given to me.” Just so there is not any confusion, “Go make disciples of all nations teaching them to do everything, whatsoever I have commanded you.”
How can we do this when we are just trying to make ends meet? If we are more than conquers, where is our faith? If Nineveh can repent, America can repent.
Is it wrong to be an employee? Not if this is a time to invest to learn or to help another man develop business. “If you were called while a slave… but if you can be free, become free.
It is a godly thing to learn a trade and help a godly boss. Some men are better suited to be an employee. You need the greatest wisdom to know who to serve. Please serve a good man. Young men understand, “I need to learn as quickly as I can.” Seasons change, but we can accomplish all four objectives all our lives. Little boys need to learn to be under the yolk in their youth, so they will know how to serve honorably.
It is really hard for us to see ourselves as an ecclesiastical shepherd of militant churches. The church has been out of order since the 1840’s: One man in front, the rest sitting in pews, not really needed. One cannot say because the church is helpless and weak does not mean it cannot be made right and good. It is the duty to do all four of these jobs simultaneously from about age 13: 1) Estate Developer, 2) Resource Developer, 3) Nation Builder 4) Ecclesiastical Shepherd.
The qualifications of a church leader are the basic threshold of Christian men. I Timothy, Titus 1 Men must cultivate those character qualities in their lives, training of men and deploying men to start new churches, going from Jerusalem, Samaria [to the uttermost parts of the earth.] That is church militancy, not weapons to hurt people, it is blessing people. Thirteen-year-old men in churches should be discipling younger boys asking, “What books are you reading? What scripture are you memorizing?” These are building up their churches. 13-year-olds can be ecclesiastical shepherds without having an office in the church.
You all need to have the character qualifications of an elder. [Learn to reason from scripture.]
The missionaries in South America had guns. Their friends were being killed. [My] sons began to pull out and reason from scripture to answer rightly. One cannot say our opinion on such weighty matters. Son, learn to apply the word of God to every aspect of life. Learn to be nation builders.
Q: We have to get our homes in order before taking dominion in other areas?
We are all patriarchs, either good ones or negligent ones. A two-day old Christian is twice as old as a one-day old Christian. The more we apply all these things, the more humble it makes us. Help me get out of debt, help my temper, help me clean up my police department.
Our wives fall in love with us when they see us thinking this way, children look up to this.
When we get serious about these, we will be accused of cultism because we are not like the quiet impotent men around us.
This model helps boys become productive men in every regard
It silences false criticism about family or church cultism
It sets men on a dominion mission that they own.
Check with the elders about everything, get their blessing. They will be so happy. During seasons of my life when I am not an officer of the church, I want the officers to know what I am teaching and if they have a problem with that.
Lessons: Sons need an eternal perspective, reminder of their unique standing before God as a man. Do your sons think they don't have their family yet? Yes they do: How are they submitting to their parents, discipling siblings, growing wealth, not being deceived by get rich quick schemes. The goal is not just raising money. True wealth needs a vision for bearing fruit on God’s terms.
Building as an Estate Manager
Foundation of Character: feeding chickens, keeping fence strong
Stewardship
Finding and pursuing a wife, relating kindly with their siblings
Marriage
Children
Long Range Estate Planning
Theology of dominion
The Bible teaches that inheritance is based on character and obedience we cannot subsidize sin. If one of our sons goes off the rails, if he declares war against God we cannot subsidize that. He needs to come to repentance.
Business Resource Developer
Character
A love of service
An appreciation of generosity
Standards of the Contract Law > It is good when you do not need 10,000 attorneys to make an agreement with another men.
Nation Builder
Need to understand law, must apply God’s law
History of freedom and tyranny
Judgment
A love of the Church
Knowledge of Errors of the Day
Escapism pragmatism
Dangers of Marxism, feminism, Armenianism, false masculinity
True wealth
Free market economics
Law
Statesmanship: as family grows [it will be] influential have international influence.
Shepherd of Militant Churches
Personal character
A love for the saints
Good Militant Ecclesiology
The Power of Friendship
Strategic Planning
Understanding of Judgment and Blessing (Deut 28, Lev. 26)
Elder Qualifications
Holiness and Discipline – nothing more majestic than a young man who is growing to be a dignified, biblical man.
The Church is designed to be on the front lines.
Every man can be doing all these things simultaneously. In different seasons one will be emphasized more than another.
For a young father much time is spent working with young children.
Is it wrong to give our talents and abilities to companies? No, yet strive to be free men.
The Anglican Church was never reformed.
On a case-by-case basis, analyze who you are making successful.
Life mission: Increased and daring faith, I needed to be a nation builder, decipling sons, churches, and families. Let us be responsible, mature patriarchs not infantile. Making a 200 year plan helped me see… unbelieving nations faking obedience.
Godly missions for young men
Putting your house in order and being always honorable and respectful. Make disciples. Study theology as a workman that need not be ashamed.
We should study theology as commanded by God, English composition, history: the Providence of God. Greek philosophy when one is mature, able to reason from scripture.
Learn as many jobs as you can when young. Learn to handle resources. Carefully handle accounts.
Marriage: The puritans never saw the problem of age difference, rather of compatibility. Younger women can marry older men. He should inform her of what to expect. It is wrong to defraud a woman. She should not be shocked by the reality of living with you.
Never settle for ungodly wives. It is the role of the father to lead adult children into godly marriage. Inspire to humility. It is ugly pride for one to say, I am old enough to be married; I want to marry now. Impatience is a warning sign. It lacks humility.
Sons can be dynamic leaders with character of elders. Wives should be wise industrious women with very mature character.
I admire young men who approach me about my daughters for their courage.
[He asks the young men.] Do you know what your life mission is?
Young women need to remember that their husbands are commanded to love them. Work to be lovable in humility. Theological helpmeets are needed for dynamic leadership.
Courtship will work if each family are very carful in their definitions and move together.
Recommended reading: Institutes of Biblical Law
Dinner time conversations: Bible applied to issues of the day. For young children: what does the Bible say about forgiving, being kind to one another.
Older children, conversation spreads to interpersonal relationships with neighbor children.
Older, issues of the day, news: earth quake in Haiti, health care bill. In season and out of season expound the word of God. Daddy, how is the church in Haiti doing? Daddy is there time for Marshall Law? You will be astounded as your children bring the Word of God to the table.
Go to your elders and ask: Am I doing what you would like to have done? Contact them; invite them to correspond with me. If your spiritual authorities don’t want you in on this conversation, bow out respectfully. Honor godly jurisdiction. When my daughters speak up when there are men in the room, they are not exercising authority over a man. Let your pastors know, invite them, move forward together. Commend your children to the providence of God in the future.
We have been assigned a dominion covenant, a God-given assignment to men to conquer in His name (Gen 1:23; 9:1-7). God created man for dominion, to act as his vice-gerent over creation, governing and ruling it for his glory (Gen 1:28ff.).
The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains (1 Cor. 10:26), and He calls us to exercise godly dominion of the nations under Him, in His name, as his vicegerents on the earth. A vicegerent, according to the Webster’s 1828 dictionary, is one “Having or exercising delegated power; acting by substitution, or in the place of another.” Rushdoony explains,
“Of Christ we are told that He is ‘the head of all principality and power’ (Col. 2:10), or, in the words of the Berkeley Version, ‘the head of all princedom and authority.’ This means that in Christ we are to claim every domain for Him and as His, and to exercise the authority of His law-word in every sphere. One such sphere is the natural world around us, and the earth beneath our feet. All things must be developed in terms of His dominion mandate. The development of agriculture and of technology, of mining, horticulture, and all related disciplines, is a religious duty. The earth must be utilized to develop God’s covenant mandate.” (R.J. Rushdoony, Systematic Theology)
Rushdoony writes: “Wealth is a legitimate goal only towards establishing and furthering God’s covenant and its dominion mandate. This is very clearly stated in Deuteronomy 8:18: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant, which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ It is a sin to believe, ‘My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth’ (Deut. 8:17). God’s covenant requires the godly use by all of their land, wealth, and abilities.” (R.J. Rushdoony, Systematic Theology)
Dominion is not revolutionary domination; it is quiet faithfulness and obedience. Dominion is not political force or manipulation, it is sacrificial public service. Dominion is not top-down control, it is the assent of many governed. Dominion is not arrogant assertion; it is humble admission of a domain that already exists. Dominion is not mindless submission to statist civilization, but faithful celebration of Christian civilization. Dominion is not seizing of influence but being granted responsibility by God’s supernatural blessing.
