by Rev. Doug Leaman
Project Soli Deo Gloria, Brazil
the Missions Banner, May 2021 (online edition)

A central desire for the Soli Deo Gloria mission in Brazil is to serve God and His gospel as far and as wide as He will allow.  A diverse ministry has been developed by the providence of God.  One way the land resources are being used, together with a focus on discipleship, is through a tool called “Future Men.”

The next “Future Men” event is coming up this week.  The basic idea is to get fathers and sons together for a couple of days where they will be encouraged to learn new skills for life and leadership.  The theme of the current event is “building and repairs.”  This time, the plans include building a chicken coop and teaching about electricity while hanging lights, as well as how to do simple repairs to the brick walls of South American construction.  Different men will organize and lead workshops and give hands-on experience to each father and son team.

In the big cities of Brazil and South America, these practical life-skills are lost for millions of young men.  Hard work, an independent mindset, time and resources, cooperative effort, and the whole idea of building and investment are casualties, negatively impacting the future generation. If the family no longer serves as a microcosm of what the church should be doing, then the household of God will suffer. There is, however, a deeper and more urgent tragedy happening with the men of this generation.

Men have, in great measure, lost a Biblical worldview. They do not know how to build marriages, family life, and souls on the solid rock of God’s Word.  The distinction between male and female has been blurred.  Men are often passive and have lost the notion of Biblical headship.  Sexuality is chaotic and selfish and has strayed deeply from Biblical moorings.  Developing families and discipling children is often considered boring, too much work, or unnecessary.  The highest calling of worshiping God has been dumbed down to a narrow focus on human feelings and sensitivities.  The family is eroding at such a fast pace that the burden upon the next generation is unfathomable.  The duty to exemplify and pass God’s truths on to the next generation has largely been abandoned and is like a desert wasteland of irresponsibility.  The need for future men is palpable.

In the first words that God spoke to man, He calls them to cultivate and protect (Gen 2:15).  Men are to build many things for the glory of God, but the most important are souls that fear Him.  Marriage needs to be cultivated and bear fruit.  Blessed marriages and strong families protect the next generation from the soul eroding tendencies of pagan culture.  These basic truths are the ones that bring blessing to the church that is called to be a city that is set on a hill, demonstrating to the world how to glorify God in the short time here on the earth.  These Biblical truths are eroding before our eyes and now it will take courage and leadership to face the storm of opposition.

None of these truths can be built upon, apart from the good news of salvation in Christ.  The gospel of God’s saving grace must always be the priority.  Thank you for what you have already done in partnering with us for His glory.  Please pray that these tools may be wielded for a harvest that resounds to the glory of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.