I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

Acts 20:29

Wolves want blood. Innocent, vulnerable blood.

Wolves want your family’s blood, your church’s blood.

Wolves want to kill.

In the 20th chapter of the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul was saying goodbye to the Ephesian church. A church he dearly loved. And on his way out he had a stern warning: Keep watch because vicious wolves are out there. Prowling, circling, biting, chewing, destroying. And they will never stop.

What do they want? They want to dismantle the goodness that God has designed into the world. They want what the Devil himself desires: to kill, steal, and destroy. They want to destroy young naive people. They like fresh meat.

But the problem isn’t what they want, but how they plan to get it. If you look closely at Acts 20, Paul says in verse 28 that the key to stopping wolves is male leadership. If you can get rid of the strong, caring cadre of men united, the vulenerable little lambs are sitting ducks to the drooling white fangs of the hungry beast. Get rid of the shepherd, and the wolf has full range. I like how Peachy Keenan puts it, “Children are the prey, and the prize. But to get to them, first they (the wolves, the LGBTQ+ brigade, the Global Cabal, the jealous ones) had to bulldoze through a wall of masculine protectors, dismantle your God-given maternal authority, and strip you of your agency. Mission accomplished.”

To get what they want, all they need to do is remove those who have the courage to say, “No! Not on my watch!” We need strong men, and women who value them, to stand up to the onslaught of a world gone mad. Is it any wonder why men are so devalued in our current culture? Why dad is debunked, husbands are has-beens, deacons and elders are expendable, and pastors are disposable? Of course – – they are strong and male. And wolves hate them.

Jepthah – The Reluctant Leader

In the book of Judges, chapter 11, we find one of the most interesting characters in all of the Old Testament. His name is Jepthath, and he is the perfect male model for our times. The reason I say this is because at first he is not wanted. He is the son of a prostitute, and for no fault of his own, he is driven out of Dodge and not wanted in regular society. I can hear Jepthah using our modern male’s voice, “People can go pound sand if they don’t want me around. I will just leave and let them deal with the problems alone. I can always find better things to do.”

Judges 11:3 then says, “So Jephthah fled and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.” He thumbed his nose at leadership, found some friends in low places, hopped on his Harley, or Ford F-150, grabbed 40 gallons of extra gas, and got lost. I think every good dad, husband, and pastor feels this, “Hey, since I am not wanted I will go up to the cabin with some friends and shut out the world.” I have often wanted to buy a little house, take a 2-year supply of books, and move to the deepest, darkest forest I can find. My wife doesn’t believe me, but I could live for months without taking a shower…well, maybe she does know that.

Verse 4 says, “Some time later,” some bad dudes attacked Israel and the people didn’t know what to do. “Go get Jepthah!” they cried. So Jepthah and his band of scoundrels, his group of manly men, came back to town and according to verses 32-33, beat the tar out of their enemies and captured 20 of their cities. Now that is a man. A reluctant leader, but still willing to come back and lead as God calls him.

When needed, he heeded.

Did you know, most of the manly men, good men, I know are reluctant leaders just like Jepthah? In a society that looks down on male leadership, they will still do the heavy lifting of leading, caring, and making tough decisions even when much criticism is hurled their way. And if you notice with Jepthah, he didn’t do it because he was a patriarchal monster, it was because without his leadership, the vulnerable, the innocent, the weak are easy prey.

I don’t blame the men who chose to never leave the woods. I can understand why you would go off-grid, grow asperagus at your hobby farm, and be self-sustaining after being called toxic and bigoted. But never forget, the world is hurting, and the wolves are closing-in without your leadership.

My gripe with the hatred that is leveled toward male leadership is how often men are slandered with false motives. Most men who are dads, husbands, elders, deacons, and pastors are not in those positions because they are demanding control. They are not seeking patriarchal hegemony. They are not even wanting to keep women silent and their wives barefoot and pregnant. No, not in the least! (Most men I know have given everything they have earned for their wonderful wives to spend).

Like Jepthah, men have been asked to save the day because no else can.

Consider the role of a pastor for a second. I have been at this church for close to 27 years. Many people have accused me of wanting this job so I could lord it over others. Lord what? The midnight distress calls? The Sunday sermons while people are camping in their RV’s? The counseling of the serial adulterer? Wow, if you really want that kind of power, you can have it.

I have heard the phrase, “Most pastors are nothing but a good old boys club.” Let me tell you, it ain’t much of a club, especially when most of your decisions and sermons are looked at with skepticism and critical review. I also have been asked, “Why do you have to be male to be a pastor?” It is rather simple, “Because God says so in Scripture.” Just ask the female apostles, they will tell you. (Oh, yeah, they were male). There is this silly belief that men just want to keep power in the hands of the men. Again, that is not the reason.

If you want a woman for a pastor, go for it! I found that there are many men who are more than glad to hand their responsibility over to women, run away to Tob, and drink many beers in a hidden cabin with a gang of scoundrels. In fact, this is happening more than ever before. If a woman really wants to wear a robe and talk in deeper pious tones, act religious and holy, most lazy men I know will say “go right ahead.” But deep down ask yourself, “Is that really what God wants? Can a female lead a bunch of men who used to be considered scoundrels, get them to follow her sweet-matronly leadership into battle so they can hold off the snarling, stubble-faced enemy at the gate?” Not so sure.

The truth is wolves are real. Their teeth are sharp. And yes, they love to wage war. There are those times when you will want Jepthah in the battle, you will need him in the battle!

The world needs men. The home needs men. The church more than ever needs men. Men were made for war, and the souls of people you love are being stolen and devoured by vicious wolves. Sometimes a woman just won’t do. Oops, I uttered what people have always known but don’t have the hutzpah to say for fear of blow back and name calling. Face it, people need to admit that Captain Marvel is fiction.

Listen to Paul again in Acts 20:28-29, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.” When Jesus shed his blood, was it just for fun? No, salvation is war, and those you love are on the front lines.

Strong men, quit hiding and lead. We need you!