INTRO
A man and his ever-nagging wife went on vacation to Jerusalem
When they were there his wife passed away
The undertaker told the husband you could ship her home for $5,000 or, we can bury her here for $150
The man chose to ship her home
Undertaker asked why?
Man responded
"A long time ago a man died here and was buried. And three days later he got back up...I can't take that chance."
- We've been on a series entitled the Sons of Thunder
- Our primary thought is the absence of men in the Christian church
- Christianity is the only religion in the world where men are outnumbered by women
„X Perhaps we've led wrong
„X In catering to women and reaching out to children
- Because now the church is perceived to be a place for women & children and wimps.
WHY MEN HATE CHURCH
1. The Culture Isn't Conducive
2. Too Much Feminine Influence
3. Can't Relate to the Pastor
4. Music is too Soft and Romantic
5. Lack of Relevance
6. A Disregard for Excellence and Professionalism
7. The Church is too Mystical and Spooky
„X God so loved the world...
He saved us
„X But he's coming like a thief in the night to surprise us.
"Let the Word of God impregnate you! The Church is the womb of Christ"
„X Personal prophecies
„X Water from the Jordan
„X Prayer ribbons
„X Are not bought by men
* Men feel that the Christian lifestyle falls somewhere between
o Being a nerd or a nut
* Women who get saved say that they are now married to God
EXAMPLE: Lady praying for me
Putting a prayer shawl over me
While waving a Lion of the Tribe of Judah
banner over me
* Message of:
„X Can't play cards
„X Can't dance
„X Can't go to movies
„X Can't listen to rock-n-roll
* (bring your bad movies & music in)
* This overly cautious...
* Extremely risk-average posture
* Hurts the church's reputation with men.
* Over time the church sends out a message that we're afraid of everything.
* Come to church and you will be afraid...of...
o The spirits in rock music
o The devils in the playing cards
o The spirit of violence in a Rambo movie
* And men are saying...
...I ain't afraid of no ghost!
8. Don't Like the Picture of Heaven that the Church has Painted
o I remember as a 12 year old in a church in Mississippi
o The quartet always sang
„X The 1st million years in glory
„X "I am going to praise him the first million years"
o We've portrayed
„X I'll sing with the Angels
„X Crying Holy
„X Holy
„X Holy
o No man wants to float around on a cloud playing a harp
o Singing Holy, holy, holy
o The Muslim guys get seventy-two virgins
o I believe in Heaven
o But it won't be boring / dull
* Without challenge
* Excitement
* Fun
Heaven Is
o If we are faithful here
o I will make you rulers over many things
Matthew 25:21
His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"
- Worlds to conquer
o Captains -- different levels of rewards and responsibilities
- Mighty warring angels
o Samson will be there
o David
o Moses
o Paul
o Peter
9. Language
* 95% of pastors in America are men
* But you wouldn't know it.
Weakness Precious
Humility Tender
Relationships Gentle
Communication Sharing
Support
* Are the words of a pastor and it's how he says it
* Most compliments I got was the Sunday I was mad about...
...someone stealing money from me
* Churches have their own language anyway
* No longer are we Sons of God
„X But children of God
„X The bride of Christ
* Saved...Sinner...Lost
* Let's worship the Lord and have...
...a love affair with Jesus
...climb up into his lap
* How about...
„X The Kingdom of God suffers from violence
„X And the strong take it by force
Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
DEMONSTRATE: Man Language (Dude Commercial)
How a man hugs
Sign language
10. Church is Perceived to be for Failures
* After you've tried everything
* And you're still down and out
* Come to the church with the rest of us losers!
It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The little league Pirates were down by 2.
The city championship was at stake. But with the bases loaded there was still hope.
Little Billy Simmons, not quite five feet tall, stepped into the batter's box, shivering with fear.
It was a lot of pressure on a twelve-year old catcher.
When the first pitch hung over the plate, Billy swung hard.
The white orb soared high into the air; clearing the outfield fence by a car length.
Home run. Pirates win 6-4
The Pirates' dugout emptied, and Billy's teammates mobbed him at the plate.
It was truly the greatest moment of young Billy's life. But then something strange happened.
Billy's dad came tearing out of the stands and began yelling, "Hey! Why are you cheering for him?"
"I taught him everything he knows! I was the one who taught him how to swing a bat."
"I got up early and drove him to practice. The credit for that homer belongs to me..."
What would we think of such a father? Strange? Yes. Insecure? You bet. A jealousy problem? Absolute.
Yet this is exactly how many Christians perceive our heavenly Father!
We see Him as this insecure man in the sky who gets cranky if His kids receive so much as an ounce of recognition for their accomplishments.
Most fathers are thrilled when their children achieve great things, but not our heavenly Father.
We have this crazy notion that He's threatened by His children's success.
When a Christian receives praise, he'd better deflect it to God -- or else God will come marching out of the stands to take revenge!
* Abraham Got to be great (Genesis 12:2)
* David got to be great (2 Samuel 7:9)
„X Remember the Sons of Thunder
* Mark 10:35-45
* They never got rebuked for wanting to be great.
* The purpose for addressing the issue
„X Is that we need men
* Not neglecting women
„X God told Adam AND Eve to be ONE and have...
...Dominion = Power, authority
* I believe the American Church is
„X Weak (without power and authority) because we've
„X Pushed men out
„X Unless they grew up in church
* We need men
o Jesus called 12 men to build and promote His work
* Why we need men...
* According to "Why Men Hate Going to Church" by David Murrow
1. Men's Expansionist Outlook Promotes Church Health
Men make things happen. Men expand the church and its influence in the world. Richard Rohr and Joseph Martos write:
"When male energy is absent, creation does not happen, either in the soul or in the world.
Nurturance happens, support and love perhaps, but not that new 'creation out of nothing' that is the unique prerogative associated with the masculine side of God."
2. Men's Orientation Toward Risk Promotes Church Health
Men are hard-wired for risk taking. The number one killer of fifteen to twenty-four year old males is accidents.
Men pay higher insurance premiums than women do.
Female investors hold less risky investment portfolios than their male counterparts and generally take fewer chances with their money.
Both men and women gamble, but men are more likely to bet the farm on one roll of the dice.
Jesus made it clear that risk taking is necessary to please God.
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 24:14-26), the master praises two servants who invested their assets and produced more, but he curses the servant who played it safe.
He who avoids all risk is, in the words of Jesus, "wicked and lazy" (v. 26)
Women want safety, but we need risk. We need men to lead us to greater adventure.
3. Men's Focus on the Outside World Promotes Church Health
The masculine spirit is naturally directed outward. Men are always building things, creating things, and subduing the earth.
A man may not feel complete until he has left his mark on the world.
Men's outward focus is a gift to the church. Without a masculine spirit the church turns inward.
It begins to minister primarily to the family in here instead of the world out there.
4. Men's Concern with the Rules Promotes Church Health
Women tend to exalt relationships over rules. Men tend to exalt rule over relationships.
Isn't this legalism? Didn't Jesus value people over the rules?
Of course, but He made it quite clear that rules have their place.
Christ said, "Don't suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning" (Matthew 5:17 CEV).
5. Men's Pragmatism Brings Innovation to the Church
Men are always trying to improve things. They're tinkerers.
They like to open the hood and adjust things to get maximum performance.
6. Men Bring Strength to the Church
Edwin Louis Cole said, "You can derive spirituality from women in the church, but you get strength from the men."
Not a very politically correct statement, but what does your experience tell you?
Doesn't the presence of spiritually alive men bring strength to the body?
Gordon Dalbey notes, "A unique and truly awesome power arises when men gather together; the power which God gives especially to men collectively, to get His work done in the world."
7. Men Bring Money to the Church
A straight shooting pastor once told me, "When she comes to church and he doesn't, you get the tithe off the grocery money. When they come together, you get the tithe off the paycheck."
A Gallup study found that people who are actively engaged in their local church give three times as much as those who are disengaged.
Conceivably, a church could triple its contributions just by engaging men.
8. Godly Men Attract Women
Twenty-eight-year old Sabrina from Australia says, "There's something sexy about a man who's following after God."
Bruce Barton points out, "Women are not drawn by weakness. The sallow-faced, thin-lipped, so-called spiritual type of man may awaken maternal instinct, stirring an emotion which is half regard, half pity."
Without dynamic, life-giving men, a church will eventually lose its women as well, especially the younger ones.
9. Men Bring Their Families to Church
Here's an oft-quoted statistic in men's ministry circles: when a mother comes to faith in Christ, the rest of her family follows 17% of the time.
But when a father comes to faith in Christ, the rest of the family follows 93% of the time.
I've seen it time and again...a man encounters Christ, his family follows.
