I realize the issue I’m about to address is a complicated one with many issues and nuances surrounding the subject. Please view this as the start of a conversation and an invitation into the process of change.
There is a serious lack of men in the church and in the mission field these days. Many say this is due to the feminization of the church. Church leadership is still predominantly male, but the backbone of the church is of the female persuasion.
Worship songs, sermons, books, and many other outlets of the church are geared toward their key demographic, women. I’ve talked to men that are upset about this saying they don’t get what they are looking for is this chiefly female environment. You can do a quick Google search and see similar sentiments.
My question to them is, why don’t you do something about it?
We’ve left behind the values and lessons of the Bible, and decided to do our own thing. Look at what Jesus does. His life exemplifies what the life of a godly man looks like:
A man who prays. Luke 5:16
How do we know the will of the Father unless we talk to him? Our God is a relational God and you cannot have a relationship without conversation. Imagine trying to have a real relationship with your wife, parents, children, siblings, or friends without ever talking to them. It just won’t work.
A man who reads the Bible. Luke 4:16-30
During the reign of Hitler in Nazi Germany, he commanded the Catholic and Protestant churches to preach unconditional subjugation to him based off of the contents of Romans 13. During the reign of Hitler in Nazi Germany, he commanded the Catholic and Protestant churches to preach unconditional subjugation to him based off of the contents of Romans 13. Hitler was able to misuse the Bible to support his tyrannical government because the people trusted false teachers and didn’t look into the meaning of Scripture themselves.
If we don’t know what the Bible teaches, we reasonably can’t expect to live by it. Learning from sermons is a good thing, but we still need to know our Bible. When we depend solely on the study of another man or woman we rob ourselves, and have no way of testing the truth of what we hear.
A man who loves his wife as Christ loves the church. Ephesians 5:25
Seriously, we as men have fallen seriously short in this area. If you love your wives as much as you say you do, show it. Providing for your family is important but don’t forget about spending time in relationship as well. Learn what makes your wife feel loved, and tell her what makes you feel loved. If you don’t speak the same emotional language, there are going to be problems.
A man who isn’t afraid to proclaim his faith. Joshua 1:9, Matthew 10:3, Matthew 10:28
Too often we are afraid of what people are going to say about us when we talk about God. I’m guilty of this myself. We need to pull ourselves up and proclaim how good God is to his children.
All of the apostles suffered greatly for their faith in Jesus. But the loved and believed in him so much it didn’t matter, all that mattered was their love for him and furthering his kingdom. Here in America, we don’t have to worry about being stoned or crucified for our faith. Let’s take up the banner of Jesus and proudly proclaim our faith in him.
A mission minded man, discipler of God’s people. Matthew 28:19
This isn’t difficult to interpret. We need to go out and make disciples. According to Africa Inland Mission, somewhere between 80 and 85 percent of all single missionaries are women. For every 10 singles sent, only 2 are men. Why is this so? What keeps us from going? And don’t think making disciples means going all over the world either. It can be done inside your own family, your job, your neighborhood. Look for these opportunities wherever you may go.
We have so many good role models in the Bible, and they show us characteristics of men of God. God took Gideon’s fear and turned him into a great general of Israel. Moses was a murderer with a speech impediment, and yet God showed him how to lead his people out of Egypt. God placed a calling on the heart of Nehemiah and called him to action. David killed Goliath with one stone because of God’s provision. He equips us and provides for us but we need to go out and do something with it.
Gentlemen, if we aren’t satisfied with the state of the church it’s time for us to do our part. Step up and become the men God built us to be. He will give us the stone, but we still have to step out in faith and throw it.