Leverage – “Use (something) to maximum advantage.”
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Archimedes
A lever is a long instrument, such as a pole or a board, which, when used with a fulcrum, multiplies force. For example, a person can exert energy to move a stone. But with a long pole and a fulcrum, that same energy can be used to move a massive boulder.
This concept of leverage brings me to a central question: What is the best use of a mature Christian man? In what ways can a church exert its resources – its “energy” – so that mature Christian men are used to maximum advantage to the glory of God? Or to put it another way, what are the “force multipliers” for men in the church?
Of course, the next question is, what is a “mature Christian man”? Using the central command Christ gives us in John 13:34, “A new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you,” we can define a mature Christian man as someone who knows how to love others as Christ has loved him.
Therefore, when a church deploys mature Christian men to full effect, it gives them a vision for demonstrating their newfound ability to love like Jesus in increasingly effective ways and to increasingly larger groups of people.
For example, a mature Christian man will begin by applying the principles of Christ’s love to his marriage and family. He will be more understanding and caring with his wife. He will be more patient with his children and seek to be a better example for them. By doing so, suddenly his influence has grown from simply himself to those in his family.
Next, a mature Christian man will look for opportunities to express Christ’s love to his extended family. Perhaps he will seek reconciliation with any he has offended. Or maybe he will help a relative who has severe needs. Now his circle of influence has grown to include a number of his relatives – a natural “force multiplier.”
At the same time, a mature Christian man will understand that the love of Christ mandates that he meet the needs of his fellow believers in his church who are struggling. He will begin advocating for them and seeking out ways to serve them. His “leverage” – his ability to influence people toward loving like Jesus – has grown even larger, perhaps to several hundred people in his congregation.
Finally, a mature Christian man will look for ways to love his neighbors. He learns their names. He prays for them. He befriends them. He serves them. In doing so, his “force multipliers” grow even larger. He now has massive leverage for good, for the gospel, and for the glory of God in his home, in his church and in his community.
The key is making sure all Christian men understand the radical nature of Christ’s love and how it applies in these various situations. Without that understanding, the “lever” will be weak and break and the force multiplier effect will stop. But when men’s ministry maintains its focus and understands the goal of training men to love like Jesus, there is no reason why it shouldn’t be able to, as Archimedes said centuries ago,”move the world.”
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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