We’re Looking For A Few Good Men

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The challenges that men are facing in our culture today are staggering. Many men feel lost, without a solid moral compass. They feel helpless as to what position they are to play in a society that is constantly changing. It has become increasingly more difficult to be a warrior for God. It has been said that the church is the hope of the world. If that is true, then men are the hope of the church. This is not a chauvinistic sentiment. It is a question before every church today and one I asked on Sunday: “Will we as men be warriors for God?”

Even a cursory reading of Scripture reveals that God is looking for good men. Consider the following passages: Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” 1 Timothy 3:1 (NASB) says, “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” And 2 Timothy 2:2  (NASB) says,  “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

When Jesus came to this earth, He chose 12 men: Peter, James, John, Matthew. . . we know their names well. But how well do you know them. We should learn about them because they changed the world. And yet they did not seem like people capable of changing world history.  They didn’t have modern technology to help them. No iPhones, iPads, internet, texting, or elaborate sound systems. They didn’t even have the printed page. No,Thomas did not tweet, Peter did not have a Facebook page, and Andrew did not Instagram. It was all done by “word of mouth,” person to person. Yet these hand-picked disciples, in a relatively short amount of time, shook the ancient world.

You know what? God is still looking for men and women to shake the world today. God is looking for men with humble hearts; men who will sacrifice everything for the cause of Christ and who will stand in the gap as servant-leaders for their families and for the church. It all started by Jesus calling a few men to follow Him. His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow. Men were to be His method of winning the world to God.

My prayer is that the we will be those type of men, warriors for Jesus Christ. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean to be a warrior today?
2. How do you define manliness? What in your mind constitutes an ideal man?
3. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NASB) says, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” What did Paul mean when he said, “act like men?”
4. What can we do this week to move a little closer to the man God wants us to be?