Hey guys, this is Mark Barnes. If you were at the last business meeting you heard that I was asked to head up Men’s Ministry. I was also asked to write this blog to talk about where I feel God wants to point us as the men of Meadows Christian Fellowship. All of this feels a little overwhelming to me at this point simply because I do not want to lead this ministry solo. In fact, I believe that being a Lone Ranger is definitely something God has not called us to do as men. So, one of my first goals is to build a team of godly guys from a variety of backgrounds to help lead Men’s Ministry. Because I don’t have this team in place as of yet, I’m going to share a framework from God’s Word that I believe God has called all men that bear the name of Jesus Christ to, and from there we will begin to build practical ways to live this out at MCF.
This past January, I was asked to be part of a men’s Discipleship Group. This was a group where we experienced what it looks like and how to live as a disciple of Jesus. And it was a place where we experienced close relationships and were equipped to become disciple-makers. We met for twelve weeks, and one of the passages we studied was 2 Timothy 2. As I have thought about Men’s Ministry, this passage keeps coming back to me as a passage filled with things we should focus on as godly men. Right now, would you stop reading this blog and go read 2 Timothy 2, and then come back and finish reading the rest of this blog? No, really, don’t blow by reading it, God’s word has much more to say than I do!
Now, this passage is from a letter written by Paul to Timothy. In the first chapter, you can tell that there is DEEP relationship between these two men, and Paul knows that his life is nearing the end. In this final letter, Paul feels that what he is sharing with Timothy is of most importance for a follower of Jesus. Right off the bat in chapter two, he tells Timothy to be strong, but not in his own strength, but in the grace that is in Christ Jesus! Then he tells him to make disciples & get ready to suffer…together with him, because of the gospel (Hmm, I believe Jesus said something remarkably similar). Right after this, Paul uses the example of a soldier. He says that a soldier stays focused on the mission & seeks to please his commanding officer. I have a friend that told me that he has never been closer to a group of men than to the men he served with in the Marine Core. When I asked why, he replied, “We did really hard things together!” (i.e., suffered together). Those words have encouraged me & haunted me. They encourage me because I too have tasted deep relationship as a result of being on mission with others, doing difficult things. And they haunt me because I don’t think we experience this kind of deep relationship among brothers in Christ nearly enough.
So, where do we start? I think we start with the mission handed down by our commanding officer, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe (obey) everything I have commanded you.” This is the foundation everything else must be built upon, learning to be disciples & disciple-makers, together. I believe that if we build on any other foundation, the structure will not stand. This might sound a little strange, but Men’s Ministry can’t be about men. It must be about Jesus Christ, and the men who have committed to being his disciples, following all that he has commanded, in relationship with other men, no matter the cost. So that, we are making disciples of other men & within our families!
So, the question is, what can you do right now to join God in what he is doing among men here at MCF? First, pray! Pray that we all would truly desire what God desires in ways that lead to action. Otherwise, these words will never change anything. Pray for a team of godly men to lead this ministry. Pray for unity. I believe that the men of MCF are probably more divided now, than ever before as to what a godly man looks like. We will need God’s Spirit to help unite us, on mission, together. Every Sunday morning, a group of men meet in Fellowship Hall to pray from 8:30 to 9:15. We would love for you to join us! Secondly, consider joining a Discipleship Group. I told you that I was in a Discipleship Group (D-Group) at the beginning of the year. That group met for twelve weeks & now has started four new groups. The goal is that we ALL learn to be disciples & make disciples with other men. Right now, we have somewhere around a quarter of the men at Meadows in a group. We don’t want this to be a program, but instead, we want this to become the DNA and foundation of who we are as men at MCF. No matter where you’re at in your walk with Christ, we desire for these groups to be a place where we are equipping men with the Word of God, and through accountable relationships, empowered by the Holy Spirit we replicate faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Maybe you haven’t heard about these groups or haven’t been asked to join a group yet. Our desire isn’t to exclude, but to build up trained men that will carry on the mission, allowing multiplication to happen. So, if you would like to find out more about these D-Groups, please don’t hesitate to talk to me about them. You can call me at 847-341-7853, or even better meet with me in person.
I’m very excited about what God is already doing among men at MCF, and I am praying for the things I’ve asked you to pray about. God is on the move, let’s join him!
Men's Ministry Update
Men’s Ministry Update
Hey guys, this is Mark Barnes. If you were at the last business meeting you heard that I was asked to head up Men’s Ministry. I was also asked to write this blog to talk about where I feel God wants to point us as the men of Meadows Christian Fellowship. All of this feels a little overwhelming to me at this point simply because I do not want to lead this ministry solo. In fact, I believe that being a Lone Ranger is definitely something God has not called us to do as men. So, one of my first goals is to build a team of godly guys from a variety of backgrounds to help lead Men’s Ministry. Because I don’t have this team in place as of yet, I’m going to share a framework from God’s Word that I believe God has called all men that bear the name of Jesus Christ to, and from there we will begin to build practical ways to live this out at MCF.
This past January, I was asked to be part of a men’s Discipleship Group. This was a group where we experienced what it looks like and how to live as a disciple of Jesus. And it was a place where we experienced close relationships and were equipped to become disciple-makers. We met for twelve weeks, and one of the passages we studied was 2 Timothy 2. As I have thought about Men’s Ministry, this passage keeps coming back to me as a passage filled with things we should focus on as godly men. Right now, would you stop reading this blog and go read 2 Timothy 2, and then come back and finish reading the rest of this blog? No, really, don’t blow by reading it, God’s word has much more to say than I do!
Now, this passage is from a letter written by Paul to Timothy. In the first chapter, you can tell that there is DEEP relationship between these two men, and Paul knows that his life is nearing the end. In this final letter, Paul feels that what he is sharing with Timothy is of most importance for a follower of Jesus. Right off the bat in chapter two, he tells Timothy to be strong, but not in his own strength, but in the grace that is in Christ Jesus! Then he tells him to make disciples & get ready to suffer…together with him, because of the gospel (Hmm, I believe Jesus said something remarkably similar). Right after this, Paul uses the example of a soldier. He says that a soldier stays focused on the mission & seeks to please his commanding officer. I have a friend that told me that he has never been closer to a group of men than to the men he served with in the Marine Core. When I asked why, he replied, “We did really hard things together!” (i.e., suffered together). Those words have encouraged me & haunted me. They encourage me because I too have tasted deep relationship as a result of being on mission with others, doing difficult things. And they haunt me because I don’t think we experience this kind of deep relationship among brothers in Christ nearly enough.
So, where do we start? I think we start with the mission handed down by our commanding officer, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe (obey) everything I have commanded you.” This is the foundation everything else must be built upon, learning to be disciples & disciple-makers, together. I believe that if we build on any other foundation, the structure will not stand. This might sound a little strange, but Men’s Ministry can’t be about men. It must be about Jesus Christ, and the men who have committed to being his disciples, following all that he has commanded, in relationship with other men, no matter the cost. So that, we are making disciples of other men & within our families!
So, the question is, what can you do right now to join God in what he is doing among men here at MCF? First, pray! Pray that we all would truly desire what God desires in ways that lead to action. Otherwise, these words will never change anything. Pray for a team of godly men to lead this ministry. Pray for unity. I believe that the men of MCF are probably more divided now, than ever before as to what a godly man looks like. We will need God’s Spirit to help unite us, on mission, together. Every Sunday morning, a group of men meet in Fellowship Hall to pray from 8:30 to 9:15. We would love for you to join us! Secondly, consider joining a Discipleship Group. I told you that I was in a Discipleship Group (D-Group) at the beginning of the year. That group met for twelve weeks & now has started four new groups. The goal is that we ALL learn to be disciples & make disciples with other men. Right now, we have somewhere around a quarter of the men at Meadows in a group. We don’t want this to be a program, but instead, we want this to become the DNA and foundation of who we are as men at MCF. No matter where you’re at in your walk with Christ, we desire for these groups to be a place where we are equipping men with the Word of God, and through accountable relationships, empowered by the Holy Spirit we replicate faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Maybe you haven’t heard about these groups or haven’t been asked to join a group yet. Our desire isn’t to exclude, but to build up trained men that will carry on the mission, allowing multiplication to happen. So, if you would like to find out more about these D-Groups, please don’t hesitate to talk to me about them. You can call me at 847-341-7853, or even better meet with me in person.
I’m very excited about what God is already doing among men at MCF, and I am praying for the things I’ve asked you to pray about. God is on the move, let’s join him!
Mark Barnes