WHY WAS JESUS SO EFFECTIVE IN ATTRACTING MEN?

Many churches try to attract men through entertainment and activities. Jesus took a different approach. He attracted men by calling them to something greater than themselves.

When Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), He was not offering convenience. He was offering a mission.

1. Jesus Called Men to an Adventure

Jesus invited ordinary men into a cause that would change the world. He gave them purpose, challenge, and eternal significance.

2. Jesus Spoke with Authority

The crowds recognized that Jesus taught with conviction. He spoke truth clearly, boldly, and without compromise.

3. Jesus Demanded Commitment

Jesus never lowered the standard to gain followers. He called men to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him wholeheartedly.

4. Jesus Modeled Courage

He confronted evil, resisted pressure, and stood firm when others retreated. His courage inspired courage in His followers.

5. Jesus Trusted Men with Responsibility

Jesus entrusted ordinary men with extraordinary assignments. He expected them to grow, lead, and carry His message to the world.

6. Jesus Developed Men, Not Just Crowds

While many seek larger crowds, Jesus invested deeply in a few men. His goal was transformation, not mere attendance.

7. Jesus Offered a Cause Worth Dying For

The disciples left everything because they found something greater than comfort and security. They found a King and a kingdom worth giving their lives for.

The Lesson for the  post-modern Church

Many churches attract men by entertaining them.

Jesus attracted men by challenging them.

He called them to holiness instead of comfort, sacrifice instead of convenience, leadership instead of passivity, and mission instead of mere attendance.

Men do not need a softer Christianity. They need a COMPELLING cause, a worthy battle, and a Savior worth following.

Jesus did not attract men by making discipleship easier. He attracted them by making it meaningful.

— Harold Vaughan

 

from Digital Anvil

retrotimetunnel.blogspot.com 

Reasons vs Excuses ?

 

Is it reasonable to expect that non-believers have greater options now than a century ago ?

I guess that because we are able to read the Bible in paper form and digital form today in the 21st century, we are significantly better off than the  yesteryear's masses of non-believers who had neither because of the expense and lack of interest.

 

We have double,even triple the opportunity. 

 

 We have almost a plethora of study Bibles for all sorts of tastes, interests and specialties. Even the internet boasts perhaps untold millions of relevant websites.  But as well, we have digital Bible apps and other parallel apps for easy reading and learning with Bible Ai apps that interact with you to explain and answer almost any question one might have.

However in another stream of understanding,  we are worse off because of those readily available sources, we have fewer excuses than the unbelieving masses of yesteryear.

This greater opportunity for the world-wide community is actually a downside of sorts.  If one looks at the current situation that way?

Don't know what you think?

By Digital Anvil

retrotimetunnel.blogspot.com

Humans and Love: 

 

 

 

Thank Heaven for you and your family's overall adherence to the principles of Love, Humility and Mercy.

Although i am the most foolish man i know, your love,kindness and interest in my life and person taught me that real extraordinary love is mostly selfless with moments of nuanced human desire and motivation.

Tho i am slowly dying. I am truly loved by GOD and  a few others.

People are complex and nuanced with various degrees of selfishness, ego- centric motivation and mixed desires.

Often in life ( and as i see it ) Love is the most worthwhile element in the universe!  It seems to be founded on it. Although i seem to qualify Love (as above, ) i don't mean to. Because human love is mostly conditional. But It reaches great heights,when truly selfless, of GOD-like proportions.

Any other 'consideration' is not even close to Love. 

Of course,each individual sees Love differently. ( check out the 5 Love Languages )

Such is the universal condition that is of being human.

Life for some consists of Faith, Hope and the greatest of these is Love.

Final thought: GOD is LOVE.

By Digital Anvil

retrotimetunnel.blogspot.com

Life Is Difficult M Scott Peck has written a best-selling book called The Road Less Travelled. It is an old book now but starts with a great piece of wisdom. Peck writes, "Life is difficult... once this is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters." A very simple and very helpful truth. We go through life assuming it should be good. We live like we deserve an easy, trouble-free life. Then, when life is difficult, we become angry and resentful. Where did we get that idea from? Why do we assume life should be good? We should not be surprised when life proves to be tough. Instead, we should expect this to happen, not as a pessimist but as someone who has a positive approach to each challenge we face. A key reason we can be positive is that we are not in this alone. God has promised to be there with us in the hard times. This is a wonderful promise which allows us to face the most difficult times with peace. God loves you and will never leave you. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:8    Share this daily -reading. My defacto- mentor: Thanks, Karl Faase. Digital Anvil retrotimetunnel.blogspot.com

LowDown-- A Song by Boz Scaggs

A Sense of Betrayal:

 

Exemplified by the 70s popular song -Lowdown

 

A piece of music from my teenage years when i felt a sense of betrayal. Although i cannot  point to any particular event, the song by singer/songwriter Boz Scaggs contained a robustly distinctive yet now nebulous feeling, i call --betrayal.

 

 Tap or Click link below for song

 

 Link to Lowdown

 

From Digital Anvil

retrotimetunnel.blogspot,com 

When Feminism Forgets Men and Boys, it Forgets EQUALITY:

WHEN FEMINISM FORGETS MEN AND BOYS, IT FORGETS EQUALITY

How did a movement founded on equality become, in some quarters, a movement that appears indifferent (or even hostile) to the suffering of half the population?

I am increasingly troubled by the moral contradictions of contemporary feminism.

Consider the argument that resources should not be directed towards male victims of violence, boys' education or men's suicide prevention until every woman and girl is safe.

What kind of moral framework gives 100% weight to female suffering and 0% to male suffering?

Consider the realities:

🔹 SUICIDE: 76.5% of Australian suicide deaths in 2024 were male. That's 2,529 fathers, sons, brothers and friends. In the United States, 80% of suicides are male.

🔹 EDUCATION: Across the OECD, boys lag significantly in reading, writing, and other areas of literacy. Young men are behind in school completion, and in higher education attainment.

🔹 VIOLENCE: US CDC research found that 44.2% of men experienced intimate-partner contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking during their lifetimes.

🔹 JUSTICE: US federal research found that women received sentences averaging 29.2% shorter than men after statistical adjustments.

🔹 FATHERHOOD: Fathers continue to confront serious barriers to equal recognition and involvement in their children's lives.

These disparities have multiple causes. Feminism did not create them all.

But feminist theories, advocacy and institutions have helped shape education, domestic violence policy, family law, public funding and cultural attitudes.

With influence comes accountability.

The feminist-influenced Duluth Model, for example, has been criticised for its male-perpetrator/female-victim assumptions and inadequate recognition of other patterns of domestic violence. The Duluth Model has shaped public policy and billions of taxpayers’ funding, but empirical evidence contradicts the flawed assumptions of this model.

When boys fall behind, men die prematurely, or male victims struggle to access services, where is the urgency?

Where is the compassion?

Where is the equality?

Some feminists genuinely champion universal human dignity. They deserve recognition.

But any ideology that dismisses male suffering, stereotypes masculinity as inherently harmful, or treats boys as collectively responsible for historical injustices deserves serious moral condemnation and being overturned.

The greatest danger isn’t merely hostility towards men. It’s the institutionalisation of indifference to male suffering.

We don't need fewer rights for women.

We need equal dignity, equal compassion, equal protection and evidence-based support for EVERYONE.

A boy's life is worth no less than a girl's. A father's suffering matters no less than a mother's.

Equality must mean exactly that. Equal.

#MenAndBoys #GenderEquality #MensMentalHealth #BoysEducation #Fatherhood #MaleVictims #InternationalMensDay #CelebratingMasculinity

By Celebrating Masculinity.

(From Digital Anvil.)

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