UNITY
ONE CHURCH. ONE FAITH. ONE MISSION.
“I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit.” – Ephesians 4:1-4
FOR MEN
There are just a couple of things that we should emphasize as it relates to gender in our mission of unity. Men and women are created differently and yet they have equal value in the kingdom of God and both are necessary to families, communities, and the church. But the good, God-given differences in male and female lead to different challenges at times, and as it pertains to our unity, I would like to challenge our men and women differently. These gender-based challenges are not set in stone and will move from time to time, generationally, and culturally. For example, the male challenge I want to attack during this next year and beyond is one fueled by the “information age” in which we now live. Want to get some quick info on something? It’s right there at your fingertips all the time. There was a time, not long ago, when to have any real knowledge on a subject meant that you had to go to a library, look up a book via the card catalog, and read the whole thing. I want to pursue wisdom with our men. I want to attack pride in us – it’s not good for our hearts, and I am the first in line who needs to hear this. According to God’s Word, knowing God is real wisdom, and we’re invited to know much less about everything else – that’s real humility.
But first I want to announce a new program for our men – the Redeemer Leadership Initiative will launch this summer. The idea is that we have a long on-ramp towards leadership at Redeemer, so we’ll gather men who are interested in leadership or those who have been recommended to join in a long training program that will be educational, practical, and edifying. We’ll gather on Saturday mornings twice a month for about 90 minutes to discuss theological topics, issues within our denomination, and practical ministry considerations. Let Pastor Mark know if you want to be a part of this!
To best facilitate discussion about knowledge, the elders are committed to teaching the book of Proverbs in the men’s Wednesday night Bible study. Pastor Mark will begin the lesson, having taught it before, and then we will invite others to facilitate discussion in rotation. I, Pastor Mark, have a deep desire to lead our men well. Primarily in the study, we’ll be using Ray Ortlund’s book on the book of Proverbs. Having preached through Proverbs before, I can tell you that a good synopsis for the book of Proverbs is: “Know Less. Know God More.” We’ll be on the search for important attributes like humility and centeredness around the Lord, and we’ll do that together. I would love to have a stronger attendance on Wednesday evenings and would love for this time to be a strong expression of unity – all kinds of guys in various life stages exploring God’s Word together. Let’s make it happen!
We will also be re-assembling a committee of sorts to plan men’s group events, fellowship opportunities, and future studies. It is not as though we expect all men to be at all events, or to be around every time the doors are open at the church, but we must offer a plethora of opportunities for fellowship, study, and encouragement to best use our gifts to equip all those around us – especially our younger guys. I am looking forward to the future of men’s ministry at Redeemer!