Ministry to Men at Grace Bible Church

 

Puppies with oversized paws are on track to become big dogs. The initial size of the feet tell a lot about the future size of the dog. God has called men to wear big shoes--shoes much larger than our feet. We must grow into the big shoes God has ordained for us--and we can grow into them. But how?

God has ordained men to servant leaders in their homes, in the church, and in the world. Men are often not the spiritually-minded servant leaders God has called us to be. There are a variety of reasons for this. In some cases, men do not know or understand their calling. Some men choose not to fulfill their roles, abdicating their responsibilities to their wives and investing themselves in other pursuits. Many who are aware of their calling and who want to be the men God wants them to be simply do not know where to begin. The ministry to men at Grace Bible Church seeks to instruct, inspire, and encourage men to step up in the power of the Holy Spirit to be the men God has called us to be--to put on those big shoes God has for us and to grow into them.

In 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 5:23, God's Word declares that men are leaders. These two verses do not speak of what we are to do; they speak of who we are. They are not imperative, commanding what we must do; but indicative, stating who we are. All men are leaders. The question is what kind of leaders are we, and where are we leading those who are following? Those who are devoted to, and who follow Christ are leading rightly. Those who do not, are not.

There are also passages in the Bible that tell men what we are to do. There are others that simply describe what the godly man looks like--and from there it is up to us to see that we look like that. The following are three passages that give valuable instruction about being men in general, in our families, and in the church.

1. In General: Titus 2:2 & 6. Paul instructed Titus that there are two groups of men: older and younger. The younger (v.6) must be exhorted (encouraged, urged, and charged) to be sober-minded (of sound mind, sane, moderate). Young men need to cease being boys, and become men. They need to stop playing and get to work.

   The older men have a longer list. They are to be sober (temperate, vigilant, circumspect). They are to be reverent (dignified, honorable, honest). They are to be temperate (self-controlled, discrete). They are to be sound in faith, in love, and in patience. Being sound means healthy, uncorrupted. We men are to be healthy and uncorrupted in our faith, that is, in our beliefs, and our singular and complete reliance upon Christ. We are to be faithful men. We are to be healthy and uncorrupted in our love, meaning in our affections, benevolence, and charity towards others. We are to be healthy and uncorrupted in our patience, meaning that we are to persevere, being constant, and enduring to the end. This is what God calls us to be and this is what those we lead need, and look to us to be.

2. In the Home: Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:4. Paul instructs men regarding our roles in the home stating that we are to lead as Christ leads (v.23); love as Christ loves (v.25, 33); tending to our wives' spiritual needs as Christ tends to ours, primarily by seeing that our wives are continually washed in God's Word (v.26). We are to care for our wives as meticulously as we care for our own bodily needs (v.28), nourishing and cherishing them as Christ does the Church (v.29). Regarding our children, while we have a responsibility to provide for their physical needs (1 Timothy 5:8), our primary responsibility is to tend to their spiritual needs, bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

3. In the Church: Titus 1:6-9 (c.f. 1 Timothy 3:1-13). Though not all are called to be elders or deacons in the church, all should aspire to meet the qualifications set forth for elders and deacons since the biblical standards for these offices are nothing more than a description of exemplary godly men. The qualifications can be arranged into three categories:

   1. Character (blameless, not accused of dissipation [carelessness or vice], or insubordination, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, and self-controlled).

   2. Family (a one-woman man, having faithful children).

   3. Spiritual (a steward of God [faithful and responsible to Him], taught in the Word of God, holding fast to the Word of God, able to convincingly teach the Word of God.)

   These are the qualifications for elders. The same standard is presented for deacons, except they need not be teachers. Though these are standards for elders and deacons, these are descriptive of every godly man--or at least what every Godly man is to be striving for.

How do we as men fill these rather large shoes? There are five steps each man must take.

1. Embrace God's calling. Remember, we are not commanded to become leaders, rather God's Word declares that we are leaders. The sooner we accept this calling, the sooner we will be on the path to fulfilling it. We must not ignore or resist, but embrace our calling.

2. Become men of the Word and of prayer. Before saying what the older and younger men are to be like, in Titus 2:1, Paul told Titus to "speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine." It is as we submit ourselves to the Word of God that we will "be transformed by the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12:2). In addition to being students of God's Word, we must devote ourselves to prayer; not just reciting prayers, but wearing ourselves out in prayer, if need be, so that we may lay hold of God's best for ourselves and for those we are called to lead. The man who is not serious about the Bible and about prayer is not serious about being a spiritually minded servant leader.

3. Get priorities in order. When we begin to understand God's calling on our lives, we will discover that it is not a part-time or spare time job. It requires time, effort, and concentration. There are many things that vie for our time. The man who is committed to being the man God has called him to be will have to say "no" to many other opportunities that constantly present themselves. These may include career, wealth, material possessions, position, and entertainment and leisure. Once a man understands the value of eternal pursuits and says "yes" to the Lord, it is much easier to say "no" to temporal pursuits.

4. Learn from and lead others. None of us know everything. All of us know something. We can learn from each other, but we must be together. Besides what we can learn from our peers, we do well to look for men who are further along in the journey than we are so that we can learn from their successes and failures. Each man should look for more experienced men who can mentor them, and less experienced men whose lives they can impact.

5. Function according to the biblical job description. No one is an MVP (Most Valuable Player) the first time they try a sport. It takes years of practice, discipline, and self-denial. Some advance more rapidly than others. Few become masters. But those intent on becoming proficient, do so by diligently playing the game--a lot. The place to begin the practice of spiritual leadership is wherever you are, and the time to begin is now.

The aim of the ministry to men at Grace Bible Church is that the men of our church would be renown in heaven for being spiritually minded servant leaders. It is our prayer that our church be known as a place where godly men are visibly involved, seeking to fulfill their God-ordained roles.

At Grace Bible Church we are committed to providing men with opportunities to grow into the big shoes God has ordained for us to wear.

 

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