Last week, Pastor Josh White launched GBC Phoenix into Man Month with a challenge for men to be bold. This week, the “O” in the BOLD acrostic stands for Opportunity — and the call is the same: how will you use the time God has given you?
Life Is an Opportunity — Not a Guarantee
Pastor Josh opened with a personal story. A few months ago, he ended up in the emergency room. The doctor said three words he wasn’t expecting: “It looks like cancer.” In that moment, everything changed. He didn’t know how much time he had left — and it made him rethink how he was spending it.
Nobody gets that kind of warning. The Bible makes clear that our time on earth is finite and uncertain. And one day, every believer will stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ — not to be judged for sin (that’s settled at the cross), but to give an account for how we lived. The question isn’t just are you a Christian? It’s: what are you building?
“Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:10, 11
Build Your Own Godliness
The first opportunity every man has is to use his time building his own godliness. Not just going to church, not just showing up — but intentionally constructing a life that will withstand the storms.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”
— Matthew 7:24-25
The contrast is stark. A foolish man builds on sand — on his own plans, his own ambitions, his own comforts. When the storms of life hit, that crumbles. But a wise man builds on the rock of Christ and His Word. That foundation holds.
Pastor Josh pointed to 1 Timothy 6:6-7 as a defining verse for this idea:
“Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”
— 1 Timothy 6:6-7
Contentment doesn’t come naturally. There’s constant pressure to accumulate more — more stuff, more status, more comfort. But godliness combined with contentment is true wealth. And it’s available to every man, regardless of his circumstances.
Build Your Brother’s Godliness
But it’s not enough to focus only on yourself. The second opportunity is to invest in other men’s godliness. That’s where micro groups come in.
Pastor Josh was joined by Travis Sanders, David Barons, and Mike Thompson — men already in micro groups — to share what this looks like in practice. A micro group is a small band of 2-5 men who meet every other week to:
- Share life — the real highs and lows, not just surface-level conversation
- Apply Scripture — using God’s Word to make sense of what’s actually happening
- Hold each other accountable — bearing one another’s burdens
- Pray together — bringing everything before the Lord as a team
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:1-2
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
— Proverbs 27:17
Mike Thompson shared how one of the men in his micro group challenged him to be more intentional about sharing his life with others — and it changed him. David Barons described how meeting with another brother every two weeks at 6:30 a.m. has become a non-negotiable on his calendar. Travis Sanders said it plainly: we weren’t meant to do this alone.
The call for every man at GBC is simple: try it for 90 days. Commit to a micro group and see what happens. It might feel awkward at first — like stepping into cold water. But you won’t regret it.
So What?
Here’s the challenge: you’re either building or you’re not. Every day you make choices about how you spend your time — and those choices are building something. The question is whether what you’re building will survive the fire.
Pastor Josh closed with one final opportunity every believer has right around the corner: Easter. In three weeks, GBC will have two identical worship services on Resurrection Sunday. Every person in our lives who doesn’t know Christ — or who knows Him but is disconnected from a community of faith — needs to hear the gospel clearly. Easter is the perfect opportunity to invite them.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Men, be bold. Build your life on the right foundation. Build up the men around you. And invite someone to come and hear the hope that you have.
Scripture References
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 — The Judgment Seat of Christ
- Matthew 7:24-27 — The wise and foolish builders
- 1 Timothy 6:6-7 — Godliness with contentment
- Galatians 6:1-2, 6:10 — Bearing one another’s burdens
- Proverbs 27:17 — Iron sharpens iron
- 1 Peter 5:8-9 — Be sober, be watchful
- Romans 1:11-12 — Mutually encouraged by each other’s faith
- Jude 1:20-21 — Building yourselves up in your most holy faith
- 1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 — Encourage one another and build each other up