Wake Up the Mighty Men
Adapted from Jentezen Franklin's
And Then We Were One, Real Solutions for Real Marriages
Listen to this: in families where only the woman serves God, 17% of the time the children will follow in the faith. But in families where the man serves God along with the woman, 93% of the time the children will follow Jesus Christ. That’s why Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
With over 30 years in ministry, I have learned that men respond to straight talk. Men like for people to deal with real issues and tell it like it is. Men don’t need to be talked ‘at’ about stuff that they can’t even relate to. With me, my ADD kicks in quickly if I can’t relate to what a speaker is talking about. When I’m reading my sermon outline, I know that if it’s boring me, I don’t have a shot with most of the men.
We need to equate faith with guts. Ladies, if you can find ways to show your man that being a part of a faith community does not mean they have to get in touch with their feminine side, you may have a shot at getting them to church. The church, in far too many cases, has feminized the church experience and we have stopped relating to and speaking to real men. Men need preaching that challenges them.
Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
Joel 3:9
“Wake Up The Mighty Men.” Ninety percent of the men who live in the United States say they believe in God. Five out of six men in the U.S. refer to themselves as Christians. Yet only 35% of the men in the United States attend church. Only 35%! Only one out of five women will have their husband sitting beside them in church today. I look out over the congregations I preach to, in churches all over the world, and so many of the women in each service will not be sitting with their husband. It’s a startling statistic!
I refuse to believe that Jesus Christ, one of the toughest men ever to walk this earth, is not relevant to the 21st century man. But I do believe that there’s a total disconnect between many men and the 21st century church experience; especially in the American culture. Men outnumber women in the Hindu faith, men outnumber women in the Buddhist faith, and men outnumber women vastly, in the Islamic faith. Only in Christianity do women outnumber the men.
Over time, the message of risk and adventure have been taken out of the church, and suddenly, it became all about safety and security. The word “sanctuary” comes from the word “security.” Women want security and safety. Men want risk and adventure, and when the church becomes just a little safe place, we lose their interest. That’s where tradition comes from. We don’t want to change anything. We want it safe, and we want it secure. The church then becomes traditional, the guys get bored, and they stop coming!
Our faith is adventurous! It’s about taking risks, trusting God, being watchmen and fierce leaders. Jesus preached, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Faith means guts! Faith means walking on water. Faith means slaying a giant with a small stone. Faith means fearlessness! And the Lord says, “Wake up the mighty men.” We need you. Your family needs you and you have a place and a role to play in the 21st century church!”
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