FEBRUARY 2026 UPDATE

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MEN APPLYING GRADUATE LEVEL CHRIST-LIKENESS

Becoming Qualified

 

In the Amplified version of Mark 10, starting with verse 17, a man asks Jesus, “As He (Jesus) was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?’” (All the following upright parenthesis are mine.)

 

Jesus’ response (surprising to me and I suppose to many others as well) was: 18 “Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone.” What?!! Stay with me, I’ll explain that in a little bit.

 

So, Jesus replies, 19 “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” Please notice that each of those “activities” are attitudes wherein the sin nature needs to be defeated.

 

20 “And he (the man) replied to Him, ‘Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my youth.’”

21 “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” (In order to become a member of the Kingdom of God.) Notice again, more attitudes wherein the sin nature needs to be defeated.

 22 “But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].” (His sin nature won.)

23 “Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!” (Following the Christ needs to be a Christian’s primary goals in life.)

 

Now let me explain why Jesus would say He’s not good.

 

Philippians 2:5 through 8 tells us in the (Young's Literal Translation), 5 “For, let this mind be in you that [is] also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, thought [it] not robbery to be equal to God (here on earth), 7 but (Jesus) did empty himself, (He acquired) the form of a servant having (fully) taken, in the likeness of men having been made, 8 and in fashion having been found (totally) as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto death -- death even of a cross,”

 

His goal, along with saving us from Hell, is expressed in 1 John 2:1 through 6. 1. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He is the propitiation (to gain or regain back God’s goodwill) for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments. 4 He that saith, ‘I know Him,’ and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. 6 He that saith that he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Jesus is talking about walking the same path He did — of surrender to God.

 

What is the purpose of an advocate? Advocates are to ensure that individuals receive the support and representation necessary to stay safe.

 

So, along with being God’s Lamb to be Sacrificed to save mankind from Hell and total separation from God for eternity, to be our advocate Jesus had to become fully human so He could experience life as we men do. As Hebrews 2:17 (AMP) tells us, “Therefore, it was essential that He had to be made like His brothers (mankind) in every respect, so that He might [by experience] become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things related to God, to make atonement (propitiation) for the people’s sins [thereby wiping away the sin, satisfying divine justice, and providing a way of reconciliation between God and mankind].”

 

Then too, Hebrews 4:15 (AMP), informs us. “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our (emotions and spiritual) weaknesses and (the) temptations (of a man’s flesh), but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. Sin is knowing what God’s ways are and not doing them.

 

He had to experience everything all men — collectively — will experience in order to be our understanding advocate as He and God watch over us.

 

Did he have to learn how to understand the mind and spirit of a woman like we husbands do? YES!

 

That’s the message Luke 2:41 (AMP) is conveying to us with its example of His needing to learn about the emotional effects a man (even a 12-year-old man) can have on a woman, His mom: 41 “Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning [to Nazareth], after spending the required number of days [at the Feast], the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and traveled a day’s journey (back home); and [then] they began searching [anxiously] for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, (how do you suppose a mom is going to be emotionally affected by not knowing where her 12-year-old son is?) they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him [everywhere]. 46 Three days later they found Him (can you imagine the wide variety of extreme emotions his mother was experiencing, like severe fear and panic) in the [court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions (because of this boy’s/little man’s good intentions, to grow in wisdom and stature, in the eyes of God and man [Luke 2:52]). 47 All (of those) who heard Him were amazed by His intelligence and His understanding and His answers. 48 When they (mom and dad) saw Him, they were overwhelmed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us like this? Listen, Your father and I have been [greatly distressed and] anxiously looking for You.’ 49 And He answered, (in typical, “here’s the facts ma’am”/guy fashion — and notice too, He didn’t at all identify with her emotionally) “Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (Could He have made Mary feel like she should have known better?) 50 But they did not understand what He had said to them. (He didn’t sin though because God’s provided a learning opportunity for Him*).  51 He went down to Nazareth with them, and (as a result of the wisdom He gained about how He had emotionally affected His mother He) was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things (His spiritual growth) in her heart (her spirit).

*see Romans 8:28

 

Those verses are followed by Luke 2:52 (AMP), we see His growth now in verse 52 “… And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom (thinking and acting like God. God is wisdom personified) and in stature, and in favor with God and men.” 

 

How can the Christ be our advocate unless He has spiritually/emotionally experienced everything we’ve experienced and can relate to our great need for a Savior.

MY SPIRITUAL UMBRELLA/CUP RUNNETH OVER

Here’s Some Happiness

 

We’ve lived in our house for forty-four years. While here, I’ve turned a carport into a garage, built what was originally meant to be my at home office on the back part of the garage which now has become a storage room and in the last couple of years has morphed into a shipping room, and then turned a 400 square foot patio I built, into a 400 square foot room addition with double paned windows all the way around it which I got at a repurposing-household-goods store. I also have built porches at our front and rear doors.

 

Recently, Nancy and my daughters thought moving the existing kitchen cabinets would enlarge the kitchen with more countertops space for her. So, we decided what would be best and I got busy.

The first thing I had to do was detach and move the existing cabinets. That meant emptying them so I could take their top off which allowed me to detach them from each other. When I moved them, it exposed an electrical outlet plug. It’s the one shown closest to the moved cabinet, the one to the right of it, is an old landline phone. The other two holes were where the gas line used to be when the house was built in the 60’s; the stove is electric now. To relocate that electrical outlet, I would need to open the drywall (cutting it parallel with the floor) so I could run a wire from that old electrical outlet over to where I could run the wire up to the new location for the new outlet. But I ran into a problem. The walls are made of cement block, so the distance from the side of the cement block to the surface of the drywall was only 1 1/2” so I had to hand-cut a 3” electrical metal box bottom, down to 1 1/2” in depth so that I could install the outlet in it.

That one part took 3 hours. Next, I was able to put the strip of drywall back where I took it out and then drywall tape and plaster it smooth so I could repaint it the next morning. Moving the cabinet included removing the floor molding on the wall so the cabinet could go up against the wall.

 

Then, I did a lot of research looking for the right size and color to match the existing cabinets with a cost I could afford. After a couple of weeks, I found what I was looking for — packaged in a box, which required that I assemble it. That didn’t bother me until I opened it and found that it was manufactured in China. I found basically no instructions which meant I had to go online to find some.

Getting it assembled and located allowed me to attach the “toe-kick” boards under the cabinets. Now all I have to do is wait for the counter tops I ordered so that I can finish it. They said it could be 3 to 5 weeks before they arrive so that means sometime between now and the 26th of February. Maybe I’ll have a picture of it all finished to show in the March edition of the Upside Down Umbrella.

 

All of this was done in between my calendar schedule being filled with men/couples that I have the privilege of discipling, CQI+ Fellow Warrior meetings with Tim, emails, and other CQM related jobs. I have been busy!

 

May I also add the cost of this project was gifted by a woman who appreciates our ministry, which blessed us greatly.

 

I really enjoy doing projects like this and Nancy’s joyful smile and gratitude about it make it all worth it.

 

Thanks too for letting me share it with you.

TO QUENCH YOUR SPIRITUAL THIRST

Scriptural Proof

 

Christ Quest Ministries is introducing Christian husbands (and hopefully the whole Christian world) to a biblical realm that is so foreign to Christians that they’ve never heard of. And even though these biblical truths are recited right out of the Bible, many pastors, seminarians, missionaries, substantial leaders in their Christian communities, who we have been and are currently discipling in our Fellow Warriors Zoom classes, counselling sessions, our website, and social media, have all reported that they have never heard of these biblical principles before!!

 

Today’s brand of Christianity does not include gaining the ability to be a literal portrayal of the Christ and therein living with their wife in an understanding way as the Christ does, being as familiar with their human spirit as they are with their right thumb. Thereby fulfilling the status of literally being the Spiritual Leader in their home — as their wife would attest — understanding their wife’s emotions like the Christ does, knowing how to turn each of life’s events into literal lessons from God, and being a walking-talking example of the fruit of the spirit, to name a few.

 

Here is the reason for this article: It is not at all unusual for wives to unequivocally and insistently be unwilling to yield the conclusions they are operating upon — they whole-heartedly believe that Christian men do in fact know exactly — that they are causing mental and emotional damage to their wives and that they are doing it purposely. I have literally heard many wives express in many ways their reasoning which includes: “I’m a human being you’re a human being; I know what you’re doing therefore, you know what you’re doing. You just don’t care!”

 

Doesn’t it seem like a simple fact — that portraying those unbiblical qualities and portraying their un-Christ-like conduct, would in fact, be uncaring. Doesn’t it make sense that if those failures were illustrated before you married him, you wouldn’t have married him. Didn’t he seem different before you married him? He was! He was operating in what we call “Marketing Mode” in order to sell himself to you! You saw character flaws, but did you assume he would change once he was married?

 

To unequivocally and insistently be unwilling to yield their conclusions that he knows what he’s doing, is a killer to marriages. The next discovery needs to be: is he willing to read the book Discovering the Mind of a Woman as a foundation for him to be discipled for obtaining Christ-likeness.

 

My wife Nancy, after 13 years of marriage, said, “I’M DONE WITH YOU!” I asked myself back then, “So what do I do now?” Why did I ask that? Because during all my years of church attendance I never heard even one message about those topics I listed above, I never received any training about them, so where could I turn for solutions?

 

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t hear God speaking but I do get distinct impressions from Him. Here was His solution to my 13 years of failure at marriage: He prompted me to get into His Word. I have since come to understand that the Bible is His “Instruction Manual” having answers with specific solutions for life that definitely work.

 

Here’s some of the questions that I found answers to: Why do you think God’s “Instruction Manual” has to command every husband in the world, from time immemorial to today, to live with their wife in an understanding way like God does? (I Peter 3:7) Because He knows we don’t!!

 

Why does God’s “Instruction Manual” have to command a husband to love his wife as much as He loves himself?  Because He knows we don’t!!

 

What does the “Church” think the Christ means when He commands that we husbands are to lay down our life for our wife like He did for the church (not the building, but those Christians who have accepted Him as their Savior)? How many men do you believe think that the Christ is talking about physically dying? How many husbands have a clue that He was talking about spiritually setting ourselves aside — dying to self — so we could become a living example of the Christ to our wives? Why does God have to command us to incorporate such a statement? Because He knows that we don’t understand what spiritually dying to self means!!

 

I have said to thousands of wives (women) emphatically, “You do not have a clue; you do not have any idea about the depths of IGNORANCE you are dealing with! But neither do we men.” And they cannot conceive, believe or relate to what I’m saying.

 

Now let me give you Jesus’ (the Master Teacher Who’s being led by the Holy Spirit) own words about this topic to the men that He’s been discipling for probably a year or two — almost daily. Mark 8:13 through 21 (NIV), 13 “Then he (Jesus) left them (the people He’s preaching to), got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. 14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them (because the bread reminded Him). “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 16 They (the disciples) discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. 20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.”

 

21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” We can see here that Jesus is speaking of spiritual bread/food and they are ignorant of that spiritual aspect, focusing on the physical bread/food. Even with Jesus as their teacher/coach, this is an example of how ignorant men naturally are of the human spirit.

 

Even the apostle Paul, the guy who wrote 2/3rds of the New Testament wrote in Romans 7:15 and 18 (NASB), For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 18 For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate.”

 

Can the apostle Paul writing those words be further proof that the information he and we are sharing is not normal for us men to grasp and make continuous, unfailing application of?

 

Can it also be proof that substantiates why God made marriage a life-time contract — because He knows that even though we have accepted the Christ as our Savior (like the apostle Paul) our sin nature is still alive — so we will need His help — through His helper — for the rest of our lives as her husband?

 

May I close with this, THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE for a man to continue in his un-Christ-like ways. All of it is to help him recognize his own spiritual ignorance and accept his wife as God’s help for him, to see his un-Christ-likeness and let us disciple him to be the man God wants him to be.

CHECK OUT UPCOMING CLASSES

NEW CQI+ ONLINE CLASSES COMING IN FEBRUARY

FEATURE OF THE MONTH

Discovering the Narrow Gate

Ken Nair transformed his powerful Discovery Seminar into an engaging, interactive workbook so readers can go deeper into the teachings he didn’t have time to fully unpack in person. Designed for study, reflection, and note-taking, this book is rich with insight into Ken Nair’s foundational concepts, challenging men to step into their calling as Christ-like spiritual leaders within their homes. It calls for a serious commitment to God, inviting men to intentionally grow in understanding and maturity as they pursue a life that increasingly reflects Christ. Serving as a substitute for the Discovery Seminar and fulfilling the prerequisite for the Christ Quest Institute, this book equips readers to grasp the importance of spiritual leadership and God’s plan for men. Additionally, it can be used as a homeschool curriculum, helping children discover God’s design and purpose for their lives.

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