Man to Man

Give Yourself The Greatest Gift Of All:

A Men’s Small Group

By Al Cialella

The greatest gift of Christmas is Jesus the Christ! To receive Him as Lord and Savior by asking Him to forgive your sins and invite Him into your heart is the greatest gift for Christmas.

"HE" is the gift I received just before Christmas about 18 years ago when a dear friend, Paul Pastorello, introduced me to Jesus. Most of us come to Christ because someone cared enough to "give Him" to us.

You would do a great service for someone- family, friend acquaintance- by sharing Jesus Christ with them just in time for Christmas.

Once you have already accepted Christ as your savior, start a men’s small group that meets weekly, a novel gift.

Most men in the Church do not have a close friend with whom they can share their innermost thoughts, failings, feelings, and successes. This includes the man in the pulpit.

It is very simple to start a men’s small group. I would like to share with you some simple steps, questions, and words to use to start a small group.

Most Pastors are really busy and most would not meet with men in his own church. Don’t be offended if the answer is "NO." Letting him know of your meeting and, periodically, its progress is a good thing to do.

before church or Bible study.

Evenings are popular Monday through Friday. The rules are up to you and the men you meet with.

I don’t like to eat or drink while in a men’s small group meeting. It’s very distracting. Eat before or after the meeting. One to two hours is enough. You’ll see the guys next week.

Choose a room that you can close off with a door and where there is no phone or other distractions. Guys can silence their beepers, phones, or put them on vibrate.

The idea is to make each guy feel welcomed, safe, and comfortable.

Each man who enters the room gets a hug from every guy in the room. Yes, even though a guy may be a little uncomfortable hugging another man. That is strictly because he wasn’t raised with it.

Did you father hug you, kiss you, say "I love you; I’m proud of you," put you on his knee and read God’s Word to you, hug mom openly in front of you? Did he show you how to be a good husband, father, son, and man of God?

We each desire hugs. Paul says to greet each other with a brotherly kiss- hmmm, hugging is GOOD!

Put your chairs in a circle. The facilitator or leader should have a watch in order to start and end on time. The facilitator can say, "Let’s hold hands and begin with prayer. Sam, since you are sitting to my left, you can dial and I will

hang up." The leader should end the prayer at the beginning and at the end of the meeting.

Some guys are uncomfortable praying or may feel intimidated. Some may not even know how to pray. If so, move on to the next man.

Here is a great "ice breaker" for a bunch of guys (preferably 4 or 5) who don't know a lot about each other. Ask them to give their testimony in 2 minutes or less. Time it. Start with the man to the left of the facilitator and go around clockwise like you did during prayer time.

Asking simple questions like "how many were in your family?" "were you raised in a particular religion?" and "what is your life like now?" can help a guy get started.

Remember any man, married, single, divorced, widowed, young, old, black, white, red, yellow, churched, or unchurched is welcome in our groups.

Look for the conclusion to this article in the next edition of Man to Man

From the Editor’s Desk… Taking the "Christ-" out of Christmas?

The time of year has come when signs are posted for Christmas trees. And while we know that the evergreen tree is a pagan tradition, many Christians still have them in their home, since Jesus is ever living like an evergreen is ever green.

But have you noticed that more and more holiday signs use the word "X-mas" in place of Christmas? That’s just a space-saving effort you say? Maybe not.

It has been the effort of this culture to remove Christ from anything

and everything. Easter is about a bunny. Christmas is about a fat man in red. And prayers are no longer in Jesus’ name.

Peter and John were faced with the same challenge in the book of Acts. They were told by the Pharisees to renounce Jesus and stop preaching His name, but they refused.

So why is the "X" so significant? Can there really be a Christmas without Christ?

We can get caught up in the secular traditions of the season such as

giving gifts, hanging lights, putting up an evergreen tree, and even reading about Santa. But we can balance all of this.

Christ is the greatest gift ever given. He is the light of the world. We can have everlasting life through Him, and we can reflect this in how we treat one another- like the generous jolly man in red.

Even if we choose to participate in the secular traditions, Christ is still the reason for the season and center of it all.

Don’t put the X where JC belongs. Keep the Christ in Christmas.

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory."- Isaiah 6:3, NIV

Men, what do you see is going on in your personal life, right now? This very moment? Sounds and sights of the Christmas Season are upon us once again. What is it that you are perceiving with the glitter, the sparkle of tinsel and lights, trimmings, shopping, packages, and singing the traditional carols?

Are you being blessed or are you’re emotions being strung out? Is it real or is it more like looking at the world through colored cellophane?

Do you catch yourself thinking or even saying, "what is this all about?" Are you experiencing joy with all these festivities or is something missing?

As I reflect on the beauty of this world, I realize that it’s not in having excess money or material things and objects that are most important, but to become more aware that it’s God and His creations- our families, friends, our

music, the mountains, the sunsets. Most of all it’s knowing that we have a personal vital relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord, and Savior.

There are two questions you must answer if you want peace, joy, rest, comfort, and purpose in your life.

1. Are you a Christian?
2. DO YOU KNOW JESUS?

If you answered NO to either question, then here’s how you can become a Christian and know Jesus as your personal savior and friend.

First, admit that you are a sinner and that you need a savior to save you from hell.

Second, confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive your sins.

Third, ask Jesus to come into your heart, take control of your life, and be your pilot.

Finally, find a Bible preaching church, and get involved in a men’s ministry in order to grow. And give Calling All Men a call. We can help you get started.