Friday, Saturday, Sunday—June 21, 22, 23 Ministry to Men “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked [Jesus]. John 3:4 As we seek to maximize our effectiveness as leaders of men, one of the first things we need to do is find out what’s on their minds. Rheinhold Neibuhr once said, “There is no greater loss than the answer to a question no one is asking.” Find out what questions men are asking, because those are the ones we need to be answering first. Getting to know what makes men tick is a good starting point. But after that, what’s next? What exactly are we trying to accomplish? •• The Goal. The overarching goal of the Christian men’s movement is to restore discipleship as the central mission of the church. It is not enough to make better husbands, daddies, time managers, and workers. We must be careful not to merely seek to improve men’s behavior (better flesh). Instead, our calling must bring men to the foot of the cross where they negotiate the terms of a full surrender of their lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ. •• How To Improve Your Ministry With Other Men. One of the best definitions of insanity is this: doing the same thing over and over again but expecting
different results. If you want a different outcome, you have to do different things. However, people don’t change until they become uncomfortable with something. Our job as leaders is to help men become uncomfortable with the way they live. Jesus comes with tension. If we declare the Scriptures in love, men will become uncomfortable. • Incremental Change vs. Quantum Leaps. Jewel, one of the most popular current pop artists, spent 15 years on the road, often living in her car, to be discovered overnight. Google, arguably the greatest product launch in history, took four years to go live online. It is a roll of the dice to plan and wait for quantum leaps because they are so unpredictable. Steady plodding, though, always adds up to something after awhile. ALM 135 Does your ministry with men need improvement and, if so, what needs to happen? How can you help your men become uncomfortable with lukewarm ways? Daily Reading: 2 Kings 1:1–5:27, Acts 13:42– 15:35, Psalm 139:1–141:10, Proverbs 17:19–23
For Your Small Group
❏❏ June 17–23: Dwight L. Moody once said, “I would rather wake a slumbering church than a slumbering world.” •• What is the difference between evangelism and discipleship? •• Is one better than the other? •• What is the long-term outcome of both?
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