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ABMen/USA President Manuel Luquin is available to speak at church, association and regional gatherings.
For more details contact President Luquin.
Comunidad
Cristiana La Verdad
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ABMen/USA President Manuel Luquin is available to speak at church, association and regional gatherings.
For more details contact President Luquin.
Comunidad
Cristiana La Verdad
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Where are the Men?
Within the last year the question of where the men are has come up more and more. Why aren’t men more active in ministry? How come men don’t take their faith more seriously? George Orwell said, the ordinary man is passive….Against major events he is as helpless as against the elements. So far from endeavoring to influence the future, he simply lies down and lets things happen to him. What a tragedy in which men have been put in today’s society! I believe that men that see that other men have an “identity” in the secular world, they don’t want to have the Christian label on them.
So much emphasis has been put on manners and appearances, that shame is big in the church. This has help keep men in line. What we don’t realize, is that their identity is being squashed, their will is being broken, and that the lives of those who love and depend upon them are being diminished as well. But, the truth is, that everyone loses when men are not allow to be whom God made them to be. Can you imagine what would happen if Jesus appeared at your church next Sunday and begin to say, “You hypocrites!” “White-washed tombs.” “You fools!” “Dull people.” And “a brood of vipers fit for hell!” We would probably say to Him, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, Jesus, don’t say it at all.” What I am saying, is that men (Christian) are expected to follow a nonexistent Jesus, which hinders and frustrates those of us who possess a vital masculine nature but are told no to activate it.
Bill Hybels says that passive Christians repel non-Christian from the faith; “I’ve learned through the years that seekers are not impressed with spinelessness…Most of the time, seekers…respect and admire Christians who aren’t afraid to take a stand…
Let me say it once more: Seekers have little respect for weak Christians. Deep down they’re looking for somebody – anybody – to step up and proclaim the truth and then to live it boldly
Today we teach men that they should not stand up for themselves and for others. We have told them that good Christians don’t do conflicts! Think about it guys: Wouldn’t it be great to view conflict as an event you could enter into with moderation, tact, and wisdom, the way you’ve seen other men embrace it? To be freed from the shackles of niceness, a fearful vice that takes on the deceptive posture of virtue, an idol that distances you from God and from others? I am not saying that we stop being nice personas, but that we need to put our priorities into prospective, and allow God to use us according to how He has made us. Then marriages would be saved, our culture war would gain new and powerful members, children would get a dad to admire, missions would be launched, and God’s redemptive plan would transform yet another dark realm of this messed-up world.
Many men are often uncertain about what the next step in their Christian life ought to be after salvation. We need to help eliminate the guesswork for them. We need to give to our ministry a fresh new look that would attract other to be part of it, teaching them how to grow closer in their faith to their Savior. A ministry packed full of encouragement and practical insights, which will help unlock the Christian life. Our theme for the next two year, “Back to basic” will give some insights to what needs to take form in our men’s ministries, to get back on track with the will of our God and Savoir.
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