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The Vision Sadly, most men wander aimlessly through life, spending themselves on uninspiring pursuits. One guy put it something like this, "Over the course of a man's life, his manhood is too often determined by ball fields, bedrooms, and billfolds." Sad, but true. The Brotherhood hopes to give men an inspiring Biblical vision of manhood, call them up, and equip them to love God, their families, their church, their community, and their world through Jesus Christ—and to help others do the same.The vision of The Brotherhood is for each of us to become the man that God created us to be. Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." God created all men for a purpose, our desire is for each of us to reach and complete that purpose. Matthew 4:18-20 "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him." We are sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers who have a love for Christ and a passion to become the man He wants us to be. We want to grow relationships with other men so we can help each other in our walk with Christ. It is about being REAL with each other. Our men's ministry is dedicated to helping men to become Christ-like men. A Christ like man is a servant, a servant of God's church, a servant of his family, a servant of his community. We accomplish this by:
— Praying for each other’s needs and the needs of the church If it has come to your mind that our men's ministry is for passive, perfect little Christian men, I can tell you now that it is not. A lot of us did not grow up in the church; we are men reborn in Jesus Christ and we know that He is our only hope in this dark and declining world. In the 1800s Charles Spurgeon said, "There has got abroad a notion, somehow, that if you become a Christian you must sink your manliness and turn milksop." (qtd. in Murrow 3) But that isn't what the Bible says. In Scripture, we don't see Christ as the bearded lady, but as the Lion of Judah. He did not conduct the majority of His ministry in the temple, but out in the field helping the lost and developing relationships with other men. He went fishing, camped out at night and hiked hundreds of miles during His time on earth. "Think of Moses and Elijah, David and Daniel, Peter and Paul. They were lions, not lambs - take-charge men who risked everything in service to God. They fought valiantly and spilled blood. They spoke their minds and stepped on the toes of religious people. They were true leaders, tough guys who were feared and respected by the community. All of these men had two things in common: they had an intense commitment to God, and they weren't what you'd call saintly." (Murrow 6) The church provides opportunities for spiritual growth, but it should go a step further and address all three areas of a man's life; the spiritual, emotional and physical. Most churches are good at the spiritual development, so-so in the emotional development, and poor at the physical. The Brotherhood will attempt to address the most significant failures of most men's ministries. The Brotherhood will take men's ministry a step beyond Sunday School, worship and Men's Fraternity. It will add elements that better round out what is currently offered men. Opportunities to serve others (ie. construction project, professional services, etc.) will be offered as well as opportunities to get men out of the church, out of the house, out of the office, and out of town doing the things men love to do. Getting out of doors, hiking to the top of a mountain, hunting wild game, going fishing will provide the men of LDF the opportunity to build relationships that will stand the test of time and give men the strength to do what God has called us to do. Being a Christian is not a destination; it is the beginning of a life-long journey. With the help of God, it is our greatest hope that this men's ministry will help you along the way. It is time to cast the net and be fishers of men. Join us! |
