Filed under: Teleios Letters
Below is an e-mail I received from a gentlemen who attended a gathering we had last week (The Men’s Summit in Dallas, TX). It also includes my response. My prayer is that this dialogue will encourage all of you to become Teleios Men. By the way, I used a fictitious name (Richard) to protect the identity of the writer. Enjoy!
Hi Dad (Larry),
Hope that all is well. I just wanted to say thank you again for having me at the Men’s Summit this year. Each day was Spirit-filled, encouraging and edifying.
Thank you so much for all that you do. You are loved and appreciated beyond words.
At the Summit, you told me that I’m not seeing myself like God sees me. I understand that I can learn how God sees me through studying His Word, but what are some other ways that this new sight can begin to take place?
Love you, Dad. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you,
Richard
Hi, Richard:
I can’t even tell you how proud I am of you.
Your image of who you are comes from past experiences, mostly in childhood, that causes you to relegate yourself to a false and inferior image. That image of yourself has to be exchanged for what God has created you to be before you were ever born. You look like him, incredibly anointed and uniquely gifted, way beyond who you see yourself as being. You’ve got the wrong picture of yourself in your wallet. You need to exchange pictures of yourself. God views you light years ahead of who you see yourself to be.
God has given me, and probably all of us, an ability to see people for who they are, rather than what they think of themselves. Believe me, if you knew how awesome you are, you’d be doing hand stands right now, just like Jesus seeing Peter as a rock.
There are some other tools you can consider implementing:
1. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. God created you in his image, and you’re the only one like you.
2. Don’t try to be like anyone else. You can use godly examples to imitate, but that’s only for the purpose of giving you a model in which to follow. But when you come in to your full potential in Christ, you will look like no one else.
3. Learn to talk to yourself, inner-talk, in words that continually build you up. “I’m awesome and I can’t even help it. That’s the way God made me.” Don’t use inner-words, mind-talk, that tears you down. “Oh, I’m so stupid.”
4. Be sure and let the Holy Spirit direct your future. He knows God’s schematics, plan and purpose for your life.
5. View others as God views you, incredibly gifted and creatively endued from their Maker.
6. Be around people who build you up and encourage you, rather than tear you down. Pessimistic people will eventually begin to negatively affect your self-image.
7. Don’t be afraid to risk things. Be like Peter who got out of the boat. It would be better to risk things and fail then to safely remain in the boat and succeed at doing nothing.
I love you more,
Dad
Filed under: Teleios Introduction
Welcome to the Teleios Man, the culmination of years of teaching, writing, praying and investing in tens of thousands of men, with a heart to see them come into their full release and potential in Christ.
Teleios is the Greek word for “complete, total, finished, and mature.” It is found often in the New Testament. In Matthew 4:58 Jesus calls upon the disciples to become “Teleios,” as his Father in heaven is “Teleios.” Many translations use the word, “perfect,” which immediately causes men to recoil, often with the jaded response, “well, none of us are perfect.”
But why would Christ call us into perfection and completeness if it was impossible? Maybe it’s because Christ knew it could only be done in one way, and that was through Him. That opens up the most exciting of opportunities, and that is to fulfill the desire of Christ through His own perfection.
To the man who chooses to come to Jesus Christ, confess his sins, believe in Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, an incredible exchange is made; Jesus takes the man’s sins and gives that man His righteousness, holiness, perfection, and eternal life. He instantaneously becomes a Teleios Man, a man complete in Christ.
Teleios Man is a call to men from every corner of the globe to move into the fullness that Christ has for him. It is a call to put Christ first, to put their wives and families second and to install themselves as “servant of all.” It is a call to maintain a life of moral purity, responsibility, controlled behavior, disciplined life-style and godly character. It is a challenge to change both the image and behavior of men in the eyes of the world into a Christ-like example of maturity. The Teleios Man is serious about seeing Christ portrayed and completed in the example of his own life.
But how many of us have failed and are imperfect? All of us, there are no exceptions. The purpose of the Teleios Man is to train imperfect men how to live in the perfection of the Perfect Messiah, Jesus Christ. Is that good news or what?
Stay glued to the Teleios Man blog for training, support, resources and encouragement.
We’re on a roll, momentum is growing and we want you to be part of the Teleios Man revolution. The next time someone tells you that they’re not perfect, you can respond, “Well I am. I am in Christ and he is my perfection.”
I love you in Christ,
Larry Teleios Titus
