I must confess: I do not know why so many men of my generation hesitate to proclaim the name of the Lord with any sense of urgency or excitement. I do not know why there are so few men willing to take up the mantle of Christian leader. It puzzles me as to why men of a certain age (20s to 30s) refuse to stand up for Christ and sing his praises, as we are called to do.

It confuses me. It frustrates me. It disappoints me.

You should feel the same way.

After all, we are supposed to be leaders. We, men, are called to be the head of the church, the leader of the family (1 Cor. 11:3) and the fisher of men. How can we expect to bring others to Christ, which is our ultimate mission, when we ourselves are too timid to proclaim His glory?

John Eldridge speaks at length in his book Wild at Heart about the weakening of man. As he states in his book: “Most messages for men ultimately fail. The reason is simple. They ignore what is deep and true to a man’s heart, his real passions, and simply try to shape him up through various forms of pressure.”

This is still true; the problem hasn’t gone away and it won’t until someone decides to tell them to stand up and act like men! Look through the Bible and see that the men of God were both compassionate and strong! David was not so sensitive that he could not slay a giant, yet he was sensitive enough to sing, literally sing, his praises to God for all of eternity to hear. I could use other examples, but do I really need to?

What are we afraid of? Well, like Eldridge says, the church hasn’t helped things, but the church isn’t the only issue. Some of us don’t want to come across too forceful and offend any of our friends or coworkers. We’re looking out for our careers and social lives; we’re worried what people might think if we freely proclaim the Gospel. We’re putting too much emphasis on our image and not enough on God (Romans 1:21-24).  Too put it even more plainly: We’re letting Satan to use our egos and insecurities (two powerful weapons) against us and against God.

Let’s put a stop to this. Let us “put our childish ways behind us,” (1 Cor. 13:11) and become real men. What good does it do us to keep our mouths shut? What do we hope to gain? (Mark 8:36) It is time to stop making excuses, to stop rolling your eyes, to stop putting it off and take on the role you have been given as a man of God: Leader!

We must demand this of each other. If I falter in any way, I pray that you should be there to help me gain my strength. We must call on one another to become a leader in Christ and to cast off the superficiality of the world to become real Christian men. Real Christian leaders.

This is what the world needs. This is what you need. This is what I need. This is what your family needs. Your wife or future wife. Your best friend. Your coworkers. The stranger standing next to you in line at the grocery store or sitting next to you in the church pew. This is what the world needs. We need real Christian men. We need real Christian leaders.

Friends and family: We must demand this from our men. We must stop making excuses for them: Age does not matter. Financial standing does not matter. Political or occupational situations do not matter. God matters.

I specifically call on the women of my generation and younger to demand these things from those men around them. Stop making excuses for them and demand that become strong Christian leaders. Do not settle for anything less. You are a gift to them from God and to settle for anything less than what God wants for you, would be insulting to your Creator. Support these men and encourage them, for they are dependent upon you (1 Cor. 11:11).

Are you young? Then set an example for those around you. Are you in need? Then set an example for those around you. Are you in a difficult working environment? Then set an example for those around you.

Lead.

Abraham, David and Job. John, Jesus and Paul. All leaders, all men of God.

We were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). It’s time we start acting like it.

Smith Getterman works at Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he lives with his blessing of a wife, Kristin, and his ridiculously awesome son, Baker. Next week: Dr. John Burk of Seton Hall shares his thoughts.

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