I’ve preached to men in all sorts of places, from Promise Keepers rallies to regional conferences to local church basements. I love it when Christian men gather—when they pray hard, dig into the Word with one another, and call each other higher.
But here’s the hard truth:
Most Christian men don’t share their faith personally.
After four decades of ministry, I’d guess 95% of the men I’ve ministered to have never clearly shared the Gospel with a friend, coworker, neighbor, or family member. And frankly, that’s a problem.
Fishing for souls
When Jesus said “follow me,” He included a promise:
I will send you out to fish for people.
Fishing isn’t optional. Instead, it’s the inevitable outcome of following Jesus.
Over the course of His 3.5-year ministry, Jesus took young boys, and through discipleship, He turned them into godly men and taught them how to fish for souls. Soon after Jesus ascended into Heaven, here was Luke’s commentary on this boys-to-men transformation:
When they [the Sanhedrin] saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
After Christ had discipled Peter and John, they astonished the religious leaders because of their boldness in sharing the Gospel. Are you astonishingly bold in sharing the Gospel personally? If you’re not, you should be.
Dad sets the pace.
Here’s what we often forget: Men set the pace for their families. When dad shares the Gospel, it changes the culture of the whole household. When he doesn’t, that silence echoes throughout the home too.
So how do we fix the problem of men not leading their families in sharing the Gospel? We fix it as you would any problem:
- Get the training.
- Grab the tools.
- Do the work.
Men’s ministry leaders: Don’t hold guys accountable only for reading their Bibles, loving their wives, and avoiding porn. Train them how to share their faith. Encourage them to be bold in sharing the Gospel. Hold them accountable to make disciples and become fishers of people.
That’s the mission.
It’s time to man up.
It’s time to follow Jesus to the front lines. It’s time to be not just Christian men—but also fishers of men. Start with your coworkers. Start with your neighbors. Your family. Your friends.
Let’s go fishing.
If you need training to start sharing your faith, check this video out:
