A Vision for the Men’s Ministry of Calvary Chapel Oroville.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Paul is answering the age old question that every man asks. “What is the will of God for my life?” Not everyone is called to be a Pastor. Not everyone is called to be on the streets of Calcutta helping the poor and living among the destitute. We have jobs, spouses, kids, and responsibilities. What does God want us to do in our everyday lives?
Rejoice always - We need to remind ourselves that God is in control and we are not. When I was saved, I rejoiced. Somewhere down the line, I thought I needed a good job to be happy. I thought I needed a good wife. I thought I needed stuff. But God a question for me. “When was salvation no longer enough?” I didn’t have a good answer for Him. I need to be constantly reminded to rejoice because of the simple fact that I am saved. I don’t need anything else. Habakkuk 3:18, Philippians 4:4
Pray without ceasing - We need to be men of prayer. Prayer is not a simple list of things we would like God to do. Prayer is the means by which we may enter boldly into His throne room of grace. Our prayer rises before Him as sweet incense. I can be the first to admit that sometimes, my prayers stink. In my prayers, I need to spend more time realizing who God is, what He did, who I am, and what I did, before I can come to Him asking Him to fulfill a little request. And on top of that, I need to do it all the time. God doesn’t cease to listen to my heart when I say, ‘Amen.’ He doesn’t ignore me when I’m not talking to Him, so why not always talk to Him? We can’t hide anything from Him, so why try? We need to treat God as if He’s real, because He is. We need to talk to God as if He listens, because He does. And we need to listen to God as if He is going to speak, because He will.
Give thanks - We need to remember what He’s done and thank Him for that. If I don’t constantly thank Him for what He did on the cross, I start to forget that pivotal moment when my sins were washed in His blood. I can still see the cross in my mind, and I still know the facts, but I am separate, an observer, and I need to keep thanking Him for what He did to participate in my own salvation. I find, when I thank Him for many things, I remember who He is and who I’m not and realize that the things I wanted to ask Him are not really as important as I thought they were.
My vision for the Men’s Ministry at Calvary Chapel Oroville is one of growing closer to the Lord. Our men have fruit. Our men have good works that give glory to our Father in heaven. I want to give them God’s heart. I want to give them His open heart that will invite others in and fulfill in us His will for us. And we need to rejoice, pray, and give thanks... all the time.
-Jonathan Dow