An Open Letter to the Men of New Community
On June 20th Pastor David read the following letter to the men of our church during the Sunday service
Our church needs you. We need to see men who are devoted to Jesus above everything else. New Community Covenant Church will grow in size and depth as you demonstrate the beauty and importance of Christ’s body, the church. We need more examples of men who give the best of their talents and resources towards God’s mission in our city. We already know what it looks like when a man lives for himself and his own selfish desires. Show us- show your church- the power that comes when you give yourself away to a purpose far greater than yourself. Our church needs you.
Our families need you. Whether you are married or single; whether or not you have children of your own, our families need men who are singularly focused on the will of God. Our culture has so demeaned the man’s role in the family that we hardly know what it looks like any more. Show us! Show us what maturity looks like. Show us what responsibility looks like. Show us what generosity looks like. Show us what it looks like to honor and respect our mothers and sisters. Show us how a Godly man- a man under the authority of Christ- asks a woman out, treats a woman in a dating relationships, and ultimately proposes marriage. We have children who need to know they matter. They may be your children or someone else’s children, but your interest, affirmation, challenge and encouragement are desperately needed. Because too many men behave like children, too many of our children have to act like adults. We need men who will be men so that our children can enjoy their childhood. Our families need you.
Our neighborhoods and city needs you. Ours is a time when many of us men are more interested in making ourselves happy than loving our neighbors. Our leadership potential gets directed towards our own selfish ends rather than towards the challenges and crisis in our schools, prisons, workplaces and neighborhoods. But you are called to something greater. In Christ you have been given a new identity- son of God- and a new purpose- to advance the mission of God. The Holy Spirit has strategically given you everything you need for a life of leadership and sacrifice. We need your strength and your intellect, your creativity and your passion. Our city will be blessed as you live as the man God created you to be. Our neighborhoods and city needs you.
Lastly, we need you to need Jesus more than anything else in the world. Please don’t just go through the motions of being a Christian. Don’t play church. Show us- your friends, your children, your girlfriend, your family, your wife, your coworkers- what it means to rely absolutely on the Gospel of Jesus. We know you’re not perfect. We don’t need you to be perfect. But we do need you to know completely your Heavenly Father. Depend on him. Listen to him. Trust him. And then obey. Take risks. Live passionately. Give yourself away and love with such a passion that we can only explain your life by knowing your identity in Christ. You were once a dead man. But you have been resurrected with Christ. The old man has gone- Thanks be to God!- and a new man has been raised to eternal life. Be that man.
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