Men’s Ministry touches every person in the world. We all had Fathers, and most of us have brothers, cousins, husbands, sons, uncles and friends. Man suffers from the same sin as woman, rebellion against God. Strangely the tug toward rebellion, though biblically established less strong in a believer vs. a non believer, for those who suffer under a man’s act of rebellion it is hard to understand any real difference. My experience with Men’s ministry is primarily through referral of men in crisis. It turns out every man I have ever known finds himself in a moment or time of crisis, far more often than he can admit to. There is the obvious crisis when the consequences of a poor lifestyle (alcohol, drugs, pornography, unbiblical physical relationships or laziness exists) or the hurt of a failed marriage or the impending dread of a financial loss collides with life. Letting go of being everything to everyone and looking into what went wrong and may go wrong again is frightening to a man. In his own way every man I ever knew thought he had control of things that at a deeper level he always dreaded the world finding out that he didn’t. Fear, though real to a man is hard to express. Each individual man is in bondage and letting bondage go is harder for a man who has been taught to suffer in silence. It’s just that those who taught the man to deny his pain never understood that pain hurts everyone in that mans path.
Usually a man comes to me for ministering and counsel through the referral of a family member or friend. It’s always encouraging to me that those the man has hurt the most are the ones most desperate to see him comforted. Perhaps that can be viewed as self interest, but usually it turns out that those who have been hurt the most still want this man to be their hero. You see, we all find ourselves in a state of rebellion. By helping one of us we’re trying to help all of us.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
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