Every day, from the moment we open our eyes, we are being discipled. Not just by sermons and podcasts but by something deeper, more invisible.
We are being discipled by narratives. By stories. We live in a world that doesn't just sell products. It sells identities. It doesn't just give us content, it gives us meaning. It tells us:
Who we are.
What the good life is.
What we should fear.
What we should chase.
These narratives are not neutral ideas. They are competing gospels. And unless you consciously resist them, you will unconsciously believe them. Romans 12:2 tells us plainly: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." The word for 'world' is 'aion,' the spirit of the age. It means the cultural current— the air we breathe.
Paul is saying, 'Don't be shaped by the world's story. Be transformed by God's story.'
The young men you seek to shepherd and lead are constantly being shaped by false narratives, false gospels that the world is feeding them. These are swimming in default stories, reinforced with every click, like, share, and listen. Every man is shaped by the stories he inhabits. The modern world tells many stories—some obvious, others more subtle—all of which rival the Christian gospel. These false narratives promise life but deliver bondage. The question is not if you're being shaped, but by which story?
These are today’s stories that men are most likely to inhabit:
Romanticism: "You are your feelings."
Idol: Emotions. Your feelings.
Lie: Salvation through self-expression
Promise: If you feel deeply, you are truly alive. Intensity equals authenticity.
Truth: "The heart is deceitful above all things" [Jer. 17:9]. Your feelings and emotions are valid, but rarely are they true. Your feelings are not a compass. We are not our feelings; we are made in the image of God and remade in the image of Christ.
Consumerism: "You are what you have."
Idol: Money and possessions.
Lie: Salvation through acquisition.
Promise: Stuff = Status. Accumulate to prove your value. More things mean more life.
Truth: "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" [Luke 12:15]. Be rich in Christ, not Costco. You will ont leave this world with any of your possession, thus all this stuff, is a good gift from God to be used for HIs glory.
Rationalism: "Only what I can reason is true."
Idol: Human intellect.
Lie: Salvation through the mind.
Promise: Trust yourself, your intelligence is the final authority. If it doesn't make sense, it can't be true.
Truth: "Lean not on your own understanding" [Prov. 3:5]. Truth is not man-discovered, but God-revealed. What is the ultimate source of truth? Scripture. Who is the ultimate source of truth? God. Who is the great revelaer of truht? The Holy Spirit. Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life? King Jesus.
Pragmatism: "If it works, it must be right."
Idol: Utility and function.
Lie: Salvation through efficiency and outcomes.
Promise: Functionality justifies morality. Effectiveness equals truthfulness. If it works it must be true.
Truth: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" [Prov. 14:12]. The values of God's Kingdom are the opposite of what the world promotes. Blessed are the humble, the meek, those who weep, those who are persecuted, etc… [Matt. 5].
Individualism / Hedonism: "You are the center."
Idol: Self.
Lie: Salvation through autonomy and self discovery.
Promise: Be your own god. Do what makes you happy. Freedom is found in doing what you want.
Truth: "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me" [Luke 9:23]. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" [Gal 2:20]. The good life is not discovering your true self. The good life comes when you learn to die to self and live for God and others.
Relativism: "There is no ultimate truth."
Idol: Choice.
Lie: Salvation through tolerance.
Promise: No one can tell you you're wrong. Truth is subjective; every path leads somewhere good.
Truth: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" [John 14:6]. Truth is not a concept but a Person.
Perfectionism: "You must perform to be accepted."
Idol: Achievement.
Lie: Salvation through flawlessness and perfection.
Promise: If you succeed, you'll be loved. You are only as good as your last performance.
Truth: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" [Rom. 5:8]. You are not loved because you are perfect; you are being perfected because you are loved.
Western Religion [Moralistic Therapeutic Deism]: "God wants you to be nice, safe, and happy."
Idol: Comfort, ease, and pleasure.
Lie: Salvation through positivity and politeness.
Promise: God exists to meet your needs and provide for your comfort. The Christian life should be easy.
Truth: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" [Acts 14:22]. Full stop.
All these stories have three things in common: They center on the self, not the Savior. They preach ease, not sacrifice. They promise life but deliver death. Each of these narratives preaches a false gospel:
A false creation [you are your desires].
A false fall [your only problem is a lack of freedom].
A false savior [more stuff, more therapy, more progress].
A false redemption [be happy, be nice, be you].
The Christian story—the one true story—declares: "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:19–20). The good life is not comfort but conformity to Christ. As C.S. Lewis warned: "The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed." These false gospels are assumed everywhere. But the true gospel must be proclaimed.
Which is why these young men need YOU. They need you to share with them the true story, God's story, the only story where the end is glory, and the center is Christ. God's story says: "You are made in God's image. Your problem is sin. Your hope is the cross. Your purpose is worship. Your future is resurrection."
Young men today don't need more feelings. They need more faith.
They don't need more stuff. They need more Scripture.
They don't need to express themselves. They need to die to themselves.
They need Jesus. He is the True and better Story. And He has appointed YOU as His royal storyteller. Grab a group of young men. Show [and tell] them a better story. His story. One of grace, glory, and resurrection.
For the King,
— Harp
Two opportunities to connect in the next 10 days… Any man in the Midwest, I’d love to see you at the Manhood Reclaimed Conference at the Neosho Civic Center: 109 W Main Street, Neosho, MO 64850. The conference starts on Saturday, 9/6, at 8AM.
For those in the greater DFW area, we are co-hosting a one-day Men’s Discipleship event with Discipleship.org at LakeChurch on Thursday, 9/11. Details HERE.
So good, Harp. Our feelings are good indicators, but they are terrible decision makers!