The Church Needs Men

"The most critical need of the church at this moment is men, bold men, free men. The church must seek, in prayer and much humility, the coming again of men made of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made." - A. W. Tozer.

A. W. Tozer, an American pastor, wrote this quote a few decades ago, and I believe this need for men has only grown in the last couple of decades. We could spend much time here thinking about why this is happening, but as with any other issue, this one is multifaceted. We have the rise of political and social ideologies that seek to erase biblical masculinity from the map; we have the destruction of the family that left guys without a model for manhood; we have churches that became too feminine and failed to equip men biblically; and the list goes on and on, and probably all these different problems feed each other.

Now, we can lament the situation or start working to rebuild what is broken. The manly thing to do is to take responsibility, collect the broken pieces, and start building the church's future by the power of the Spirit. I agree with Tozer; the church needs bold and free men, like the prophets and martyrs, and this will just come with the unashamed preaching of the Gospel. 

The Gospel is the story of the most bold, strong and courageous man, Jesus Christ. It's the story of the perfect prince who dared to leave his glory to slay the most fearsome dragon to save his future bride. The Gospel rightly preached gives us forgiveness of sin and adoption into the family of God, but it calls us to die to ourselves, to be strong and courageous and join Jesus in his mission of overthrowing the kingdom of darkness.

The prophets and martyrs dared to stand against the most powerful enemies because they knew God was for them. They knew that not even death could defeat them, that there is no one like our God, that He is strong in battle, and that His word shall abide forever. And they knew the Kingdom of God would conquer and be everlasting.

Men, our God is above all earthly or spiritual powers; it's time to rise. The body they may kill, but the victory is ours. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church! 

Nino Marques