Men: The Abandoned Mission Field
Today, I want to talk to you about 1 big area of the mission field that we have left out, and that area is men.
I. Wrong Focus
A) The church has adopted the McDonald’s approach to church, and it’s failing miserably.
1. Get the kids, and you get the family, but that’s not actually the truth, because in many cases it doesn’t work. If that was the case, the churches now would be full of parents, just as much as their children.
2. Two centuries ago, there was no such thing as a youth pastor or Children’s church, because family life was different than it is today.
3. We are even seeing now that teenagers have been pushed aside because after all, it’s about the kids, you get the kids, you get the family. Our teens are walking away from their faith after they leave the parents home.
4. I think that if we can find a way to get dad to be sold out for the Lord, you will have no problem getting the family, because the father is the head of the household, and should be the spiritual head, even though many wives are forced to take that role.
B) There Is An Epidemic
1. Matthew 9: 10-13
2. We know that our men need to get hooked up to the great Physician, we just got to figure out how to get them there.
3. Statistics show young people are easier to convert than adults. Most born again adults received Christ during their teenage years. Again, our thoughts are, get the kids saved, I agree with you to an extent, but what we need to do 1st is get dad saved, than the kids will come.
4. Russell Rainey asked a number of men why they didn’t go to church. A common response was: “There’s nothing for me to do”
5. When he asked why don’t you do something in your church? Their response was “I am not a preacher, and all that’s left is an usher.”
6. The church has pushed the men to the side, and men feel like all they can do is preach or usher.
7. Men feel insignificant, they feel like the church doesn’t offer them anything. They feel the church doesn’t need their gifts, or want to use their talents. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
8. Most men think that church is for women and children, not for them.
9. The Church has adopted the Titanic approach to church. Get the children and women 1st, and pray for the men.
II. Jesus’ Approach To Ministry
A) Get The Men, And You Will Get The Family
1. What’s wrong with the women-and-children focus of today’s church? After all, men aren’t very interested. Why should we minister and focus our attention on men? Because Jesus did.
2. Jesus didn’t focus His ministry on women and children, Jesus’ approach was men 1st. This doesn’t mean that the women and children weren’t important, but Jesus understood the concept, you get the father, you get the family.
3. Matthew 9:35- 38 10: 1 & 5-8
III. What Men Bring To The Body Of Christ.
A) Men’s Gifts Promote Church Health
1. Men make things happen. Men expand the church and its influence in the world.
B) Men’s Orientation Toward Risk Promotes Church Health
1. Men are hard wired for risk taking.
2. Judges 15: 9-16 We like movies like Braveheart, Gladiator, the Patriot, war movies, action movies because this is how we tick. This is something that God put into us, to conquer, to rule, to take risks, to do daring things. Men want to lead an army of men to destroy the enemy.
3. In Matt 25: 14-26 was the parable of the talents. Notice that the man who buried his money was cast off, and the ones who invested their money, they took a risk was both rewarded for what they did.
3. The #1 killer of 15-24 year olds males is accidents. Men pay higher insurance premiums than women do.
4. Both men and women gamble, but men are more likely to bet the farm on one roll of dice.
5. Women want safety, men need risk, men need adventure.
C) Men Focus On The Outside World Promotes Church Health
1. The masculine spirit is naturally directed outward. Men are always building things, creating things and adding on.
2. When Jesus said Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. When hearing that an alarm, a whistle goes off on the inside of us.
3. Without the masculine spirit working in the church the church just focuses on the church body itself and forgets about a lost & dying world.
D) Men’s Concern With The Rules Promotes Church Health
1. Women tend to exalt relationships over rules. Men tend to exalt rules over relationships.
2. Some people say this is legalism, but Jesus made it quite clear that rules have their place.
When the Religious leaders came to Jesus tempting him about paying Cesar, Jesus said what is owed to Cesar must to paid to Cesar.
E) Men Bring Innovation To The Church
1. Men are always trying to improve things. They’ re tinkerers. They like to adjust things to make things better, shift things.
F) Men Bring Strength To The Church
1. Obviously there are power in numbers. When you bring the man, you bring the family, and that is unity.
2. The Bible says that a house divided will fall, well if we have the family, we have dad doing what he is supposed to do, there is going to be strength to the church.
G) Men Bring Their Family’s To Church
1. When a mother comes to faith in Christ, the rest of her family follows 17% of the time. When the father comes to faith in Christ, the rest of the family follows 93% of the time.
2. Acts 16: 27-34
3. The number of unchurched Americans who don’t attend services except for holidays, weddings or funerals nearly doubled since 1991 and 2004
4. Islam is the fastest growing religion. Since 1950 the number of Christians in the world doubled, but the number of Muslims nearly tripled.
5. Islam is enormously popular with men.
Now if you were satanm trying to defeat the church, what would your strategy be? Sideline the most aggressive, bold, risk- taking warriors. Make them feel unwanted, unneeded, and uncomfortable. Hide the veil of comforting religion. Our job is to lift the veil of religion and call men to battle.
III What Is Our Battle Plan?
A) G- Men ministry
B) G- Men Mission is to train men into disciples and leaders.
1. Iron sharpens iron, and when men get together something explosive is released in the spiritual world.
C) G- Men Battle Plan
1. Teach men to be Godly leaders, husbands, and father in a world that is desperate for genuine leadership.
2. To prepare men to be disciples and leaders in order to influence the world around them, instead of the world influencing them. We are going to incorporate encounter retreats for not just men, but women as well so we can see both husband and wife will have an encounter with God.
3. After these retreats people’s lives will change dramatically. Bondages and addictions will be broken, and destiny’s will be made known. There will be no more questions of did I hear God, or was that God, because after these retreats, you will encounter God like you never have before. It will change your walk with the Lord.
