In Ezekiel 46:9, there’s a curious instruction about worship in the temple:
“Whoever enters by the north gate shall go out by the south gate, and whoever enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate.”
At first glance, it sounds like crowd control. Just an orderly way to manage traffic.
But in a vision filled with spiritual symbolism, it’s hard to believe God was mainly concerned with foot patterns. The design forces something intentional: no one leaves the same way he came in.
That physical movement paints a spiritual truth.
When a man steps into God’s presence — and into godly community — he shouldn’t leave the way he came in.
Every week, we walk into church or men’s group carrying something:
Stress from work.
Tension at home.
Fatigue.
Pride.
Distraction.
Private struggles no one else sees.
If we walk out unchanged — same posture, same hardness, same distance from God — then we’ve treated the gathering like a hallway instead of holy ground.
Christian community is not spectator seating. It requires participation.
Sometimes your role is to receive.
To admit you’re struggling.
To let someone pray for you.
To hear truth you need.
Other times your role is to give.
To encourage a younger man.
To share wisdom from experience.
To speak up when silence would be easier.
Healthy brotherhood is an exchange. Some weeks you come in empty and leave strengthened. Other weeks you come in steady and leave having strengthened someone else. Either way, movement happens.
Before you leave your next gathering, ask yourself:
- What gate did I come in?
- What am I walking out with?
- What is actually different?
It may not be dramatic. It might simply be a softer tone at home. A needed apology. A clearer conviction. A renewed commitment to lead spiritually instead of coasting.
But it should be something.
Imagine if your wife or kids could tell which gate you left through.
Not, “Dad went to men’s group.”
But, “Dad came home different.”
That’s the point.
Sacred space isn’t designed for traffic flow.
It’s designed for transformation.
And as men who want to lead well, we should never leave the way we came in.
Questions:
What “gate” did you come in through today?
What are you carrying right now — stress, pride, discouragement, distraction, something else?
When was the last time you can clearly say you left Christian community different than you arrived?
What specifically changed?
Do you tend to show up more ready to receive or ready to give?
What might it look like for you to grow in the other direction?
What usually keeps you from engaging deeply — pride, busyness, fear of vulnerability, comfort?
What would it take to move past that?
If your wife, kids, or closest friends evaluated you after men’s group, what evidence would they see that you went through a different gate?
What’s one tangible change you can make this week?
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