Greetings -
This is a repeat post that was originally posted on another one of my blogs. The original post date was March 2, 1010. It is a guest piece from Timothy that I felt led to post again for blog visitors who recently came on board.
Sandra's comments:
Timuchin used a term unfamiliar to me, "virile" Christianity. I asked him what was meant by "virile" Christianity. Below is his response. I placed his response here because it spoke to me that there is potent truth in what he expressed. Does anyone care to comment?
Timuchin stated:
Virile Christianity just means a more masculine flavor to Christianity. If the apostle Peter were to come back and visit one of today's churches, he wouldn't tolerate their spineless, worldly nature. The pastor would feel threatened and call the police. The only one who is allowed to be masculine in the church is the pastor. Everyone else is required to take a feminine role.
Men have an assertive nature. They want a dramatic cause they can follow. They don't mind taking risks. The man Jesus said, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, pick up his death sentence and follow me!" That's 100% commitment. Don't give me anything less!
The women have a responsive, community-oriented nature. They want everything and everyone to safely and peacefully grow. They want protection and peace. Everyone is welcome so long as they are not threatening in some way.
This is why men feel uncomfortable in going to church. The ones who eventually become pastors were urged to do so by their mothers. The rest look to meet their instinctual drives with the military, the Freemasons, The occult, Islam, sports, gangs and missions.
I'm trying to recapture this masculine perspective in Christendom.
I think that we are all to have that assertive nature, not just men. Unfortunately, not many Christian men/women have that assertive nature in which Tim described. A lot of Christians today are in that luke warm state. We're not 100% committed. We just want to be comfortable. We want our lives to be free of conflict. I think that we compromise way too much of our morals, and it's showing.
ReplyDeleteSomething I pray almost every night is that God would make me More like Jesus. I want people to see the light of Jesus shining through me, and nothing of me...
Thank you, Julie,for your comments. Your points are valid, indeed.
ReplyDeleteMay GOD help us all...
I heard it stated, "The Word works if we work it."
David Murrow in his book "Why Men hate going to Church" has a similar message. Women want to work in consistent, nurturing ministries in the church. If you want men to feel at home, you need to provide projects for them to conquer.
ReplyDeleteWhen a church is full of women with their children and the husbands stay home, it doesn't take long until the kids ask 'How come Dad can stay home' and they will drop out too.
A healthy church needs men. Murrow says that you can gage the health of a church by the number of Harleys and pick up trucks in the parking lot.
Thank you, Karen - that is good and helpful info. I love the illustration about the Harleys and pick up trucks in the parking lot.
ReplyDeleteFor sure, more needs to be done. My experience with most church men is that either they are not there or if they are there, they have little or no anointing, holy authority or power from GOD.
Yet, I watch Christian programming,- streaming Sunday services at T.D. Jakes'church and others where men are shown fervent in worship to GOD where they stand with hands raised and tears streaming down their faces in worship to GOD. Observing men in such holy postures so appeals to me... Sincere worship can be discerned by the discerning (spiritual).
Relative to church men, aside from Christian programming, sincere worship to GOD is not my experience with them. The truth is that the anointing, authority and power from GOD does not flow because sin is habitually in the lives of so many professing Christians and thus distance and subsequent separation from GOD.
Lord, please help us all, in Jesus' name.
Prayer:
Father, we ask that You do what You deem necessary to pull down strongholds in those who are called by Your name. Your Word states in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,..."
Lord, please teach spiritual leaders what is necessary to guide men into lives of pure hearts and clean hands. We all need such help but in particular, I beseech You, Lord, to work within men so that they can be fully Yours in spirit and in truth.
Father, there is an abundance of men who are outside of Your will. You know how to draw them, Holy Father. Please teach your faithful servants how to plant and to water so that You will provide the increase that will have root in the men who have long chosen the weak over the mighty.
Karen, you have brought some light onto what is happening with the men of the church.
ReplyDeleteMy husband was a permanent fixture in the nursery of our church for many years. He loved working with all those little kids, but seldom would you see him in the church service. Recently, the children's pastor told him that his services were no longer needed, after 19 or more years.
My husband now goes to one of the services. He sits in the balcony where no one will see or notice him, and right after the service he's gone. I used to sit up there in the balcony with him, but recently the Lord told me that if I actually wanted to get more out of worship than I was getting, I needed to stop hiding myself up in the balcony. He wanted me down on the main floor, and not in the back pew. I was to forget that there were others around me, and I was to just worship Him. The last two Sundays I've sat in the third row, and I've been blessed through worship. God is so good...
Greetings -
ReplyDeleteI posted the prayer shown below yesterday - Friday August 13th at 10:59 p.m. and ALREADY AN ANSWER FROM OUR LORD HAS COME. Hallelujah!
This morning, on The Word Network, I watched Pastor Henry Babers do a sermon "play illustration" about a wife who loves and serves GOD/JESUS. Pastor Babers had some of his church members as "actors." He had the props on stage - sofa, table,...
The wife and kids went to church and the husband stayed home. It had a happy ending.
It was such a joy to watch, especially after having just posted the prayer last night!
I will probably do a separate post to tell more about the sermon illustration.
HERE IS THE PRAYER THAT THE LORD HAD ME TO POST LAST NIGHT:
Father, we ask that You do what You deem necessary to pull down strongholds in those who are called by Your name. Your Word states in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,..."
Lord, please teach spiritual leaders what is necessary to guide men into lives of pure hearts and clean hands. We all need such help but in particular, I beseech You, Lord, to work within men so that they can be fully Yours in spirit and in truth.
Father, there is an abundance of men who are outside of Your will. You know how to draw them, Holy Father. Please teach your faithful servants how to plant and to water so that You will provide the increase that will have root in the men who have long chosen the weak over the mighty.
August 13, 2010 10:59 PM
My prayer is directly for the Christians themselves. The Christians need to be mentored into being fruitful and gifted and mature on their own. Twice I have mentored men until I had worked my way out of a job. One is a seminary professor and the other is a pastor on the opposite end of the country. I may be introverted, but I am effective on a one-on-one level.
ReplyDelete"I pray that Christians all over the world would grow and abound in understanding what they can pray for. May they grow in goodness, divine guidance, sanctification, hope, godly attitudes, koinonia and Agape love, which is the ultimate goal for us Christians. Heavenly Father, speak truth to us through visions, dreams, angels, Christian ambassadors and Bibles. Replace Satan's worldviews, attitudes, identities, personas and deceptions with Your Truth."
We shouldn't be permanently dependent upon a pastor.
Hi Timothy -
ReplyDeleteYour points are indeed valid as I believe that mine are, as well. More proof that we are a body (smile).
In particular, I was drawn to your last sentence, "We shouldn't be permanently dependent upon a pastor." That is so on point, Timothy. Perspective and balance is so important - as is discernment. Also, nothing and one one can ever be a legitimate substitute for GOD.
Thank you, Timothy, for what you prayed. I appreciate what you expressed which is truly needed.
This is an email I sent directly to Sandra, and I thought I would share it here, as it pertains to the topic...
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra,
I did go back and read it. I'm just not too sure what I can add to what has already been said. I've felt alone at church for years, because my husband has either hidden in the nursery for the whole of Sunday morning, or he sits way back in the back of the balcony. Even when I sat in the balcony I didn't sit with him, because I couldn't see anything sitting there. I know that seems like I'm not in submission to my husband, because I refuse to sit with him where he is, but I just can't do it.
For a while I was toying with the idea of switching churches. The worship wasn't doing anything for me, and I was disillusioned because yet another pastor was leaving us. I prayed about it, and this is what the Lord told me. I was to stop sitting up in the balcony where I'm hidden from everyone, and everyone was pretty much hidden from me. I was to stop worrying about what was going on with everyone else, and I was to sing my praise to Him, and worship Him. If I felt the Spirit move in me, I was not to hide it, but to raise my hands in worship, and let it show etc... I've done this for the last two Sundays, and I no longer have that pull to look for another church. I think that God has me at this church for a reason, so this is where I am. Worship is what you make it.