I just got home from our weekly men's group and I couldn't wait to put my thoughts into words. I pray that the things I write are reflective of the bible and as I type, my fingers are directed by God. Thank you Father God for this time to share with my many brothers.
Our group is made up of about 15-20 men and we meet every Tuesday night and do a study. I viewed tonight as a pivotal moment for the group as we discussed the direction we are taking and some of the studies that might be coming up. It is an amazing group of men. Men made up of all backgrounds. Men that are transparent. Men that are committed to following Jesus. Men that value the relationships they have with their wife. Men that are dedicated to their children. Men that serve in the church. As one of many facilitators in the group, I realized one common question that all the men continue to ask. The question about where are all the men in our church? Let me explain why this continues to be a topic of discussion.
Our church is amazing! We have a group of pastors that not only care about where the church is heading, but have a vested interest in each individual throughout the church. Our Head Pastor is truly a gift from God. With over 4500 members in a very tight knit community of Colorado, we have been blessed with a church that is active not only with its members, but also in the community and throughout the entire metro area.
As an active member on the Men's Event team, the one thing that we continue to pray for is the active participation of men in our church. I say this, because I believe there is something missing. Please understand this is a calling to all men in our community. A calling that is clearly defined by 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Timothy 3:2 & 12, Acts 20:28. Men have been appointed by God to be leaders in the church. Yet consistently, we see more participation by women in our church than we do men. For example, our church has a Tuesday morning program and a Tuesday evening program specifically for women. On average these 2 groups combined have over 200 women actively participating in group studies that grow their faith. A staggering number compared to our 15-20 men that consistently show up on Tuesday. In our church we have over 1400 men that attend. In our last men's conference, we had about 10% of those men attend. From an outside look, that's not terrible, but from a perspective of God wanting men to lead the church, I would say we fall well short.
So what do we do as men? Well, the first thing we do is pray and let God direct our steps. This is written in Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without Ceasing". Meaning that asking God for clarity and strength is everything. Paul is not referring to non-stop talking, but rather an attitude of God-consciousness and God-surrender that we carry with us all the time. Every waking moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions.
The second thing we need to do is motivate each other and ourselves. A lot of Christian men don't understand that growing in each other and living our lives to help others grow is a purpose driven by God and a gift He gives us. Hebrews 10:24-25, "Spur one another towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another."
The last thing is to hold each other accountable. Many Christians have experienced unhelpful accountability, including myself. They also think that accountability is only for behavior modification. Hebrews 3:13 says there is a loving conversation we can have that actually addresses the heart and prevent it from being hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Rather than giving up because our accountability partners/groups don't work, we should strive to do them better and be careful with these thoughts.
I urge you to reach out to each other, love one another and participate in activities with one another. Get out of the cave, get in a bible study group, read your bible 5 minutes a day (I took that from our Lead Pastor) and pray for transparency to each other. This is what the bible teaches us and it is the path to spending eternity with Him. When we are by ourselves, it allows the enemy to get in our head and harden our heart. I love you my brothers and I look forward to spending time with all of you in prayer and fellowship.
I give this to you all in Him
Brian Smith
Our group is made up of about 15-20 men and we meet every Tuesday night and do a study. I viewed tonight as a pivotal moment for the group as we discussed the direction we are taking and some of the studies that might be coming up. It is an amazing group of men. Men made up of all backgrounds. Men that are transparent. Men that are committed to following Jesus. Men that value the relationships they have with their wife. Men that are dedicated to their children. Men that serve in the church. As one of many facilitators in the group, I realized one common question that all the men continue to ask. The question about where are all the men in our church? Let me explain why this continues to be a topic of discussion.
Our church is amazing! We have a group of pastors that not only care about where the church is heading, but have a vested interest in each individual throughout the church. Our Head Pastor is truly a gift from God. With over 4500 members in a very tight knit community of Colorado, we have been blessed with a church that is active not only with its members, but also in the community and throughout the entire metro area.
As an active member on the Men's Event team, the one thing that we continue to pray for is the active participation of men in our church. I say this, because I believe there is something missing. Please understand this is a calling to all men in our community. A calling that is clearly defined by 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Timothy 3:2 & 12, Acts 20:28. Men have been appointed by God to be leaders in the church. Yet consistently, we see more participation by women in our church than we do men. For example, our church has a Tuesday morning program and a Tuesday evening program specifically for women. On average these 2 groups combined have over 200 women actively participating in group studies that grow their faith. A staggering number compared to our 15-20 men that consistently show up on Tuesday. In our church we have over 1400 men that attend. In our last men's conference, we had about 10% of those men attend. From an outside look, that's not terrible, but from a perspective of God wanting men to lead the church, I would say we fall well short.
So what do we do as men? Well, the first thing we do is pray and let God direct our steps. This is written in Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without Ceasing". Meaning that asking God for clarity and strength is everything. Paul is not referring to non-stop talking, but rather an attitude of God-consciousness and God-surrender that we carry with us all the time. Every waking moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions.
The second thing we need to do is motivate each other and ourselves. A lot of Christian men don't understand that growing in each other and living our lives to help others grow is a purpose driven by God and a gift He gives us. Hebrews 10:24-25, "Spur one another towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another."
The last thing is to hold each other accountable. Many Christians have experienced unhelpful accountability, including myself. They also think that accountability is only for behavior modification. Hebrews 3:13 says there is a loving conversation we can have that actually addresses the heart and prevent it from being hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Rather than giving up because our accountability partners/groups don't work, we should strive to do them better and be careful with these thoughts.
I urge you to reach out to each other, love one another and participate in activities with one another. Get out of the cave, get in a bible study group, read your bible 5 minutes a day (I took that from our Lead Pastor) and pray for transparency to each other. This is what the bible teaches us and it is the path to spending eternity with Him. When we are by ourselves, it allows the enemy to get in our head and harden our heart. I love you my brothers and I look forward to spending time with all of you in prayer and fellowship.
I give this to you all in Him
Brian Smith