Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. (2 Cor 11:24-26)

We visited my side of the family this Thanksgiving down in the OC (Orange County).

When we get together it is pretty much about the kids. Between my sister and I we bring four kids total to the Thanksgiving dinner table. My brother is yet to be married but is now in a cool relationship. In a rare, almost kidless, moment (we had my 5 month old) my sister-her husband, my brother-his girlfriend, and I-my wife broke bread together at a restaurant. During the conversation my sister mentioned that this guy she knows is a nice guy and should be married. That got me thinking…and that is always a dangerous thing if you know me.

I know she meant he was a marriable guy and that's fine but it triggered this question to the guys at the table, “Would you rather be thought of as a nice guy or a dangerous man?” (Think Charles Ingals vs. Nels Oleson in Little House on the Prairie.) Wow…did the conversation ever get turned around. What once was a pretty casual conversation all of a sudden got very thoughtful...animated. Neither answered at first and there were many clarifying questions…which I like to avoid because like the Apple Shuffle campaign I like ambiguity.

The boyz, my brother-in-law and brother both finally answered. Then I turned the tables and asked the ladies, “Who would you rather be with a nice guy or a dangerous man?” To make a long story short, after much defining of the word dangerous by each answerer, each chose dangerous.

I know maybe you are in serious doubt of our sanity at this point but if we really think about it men were made and are called by God to be dangerous…not nice. Let’s look at a few examples.

First, we have to go to the Apostle Paul, whom I quote above. Would anyone in their right mind call him nice? He was a dangerous threat to our enemy, Satan, because his mission…above all else even his own safety was to expand the Kingdom of God…to the uttermost parts of the earth. Remember he was also the one in Antioch that argued sharply with Barnabas over taking a quitter on a missionary trip (Acts 15:39). Nice guys don’t do that! When I think of a nice guy I think of a clean cut, well dressed, altar boy…can you really see Paul described above like that?

Second, we must look at most of the men called of God in the Bible and consider if they, our examples, were nice or dangerous. I’ll throw out a few names…David the Giant killer (he wanted to kill one guy, Nabal, with 400 armed men behind him), Samson (killed a lion with his bare hands and a thousand Philistines with a jawbone), Abraham (left his father’s riches to follow an unknown God’s call), Noah (built an arc and withstood years of ridicule since there had never been rain), Peter (chopped off a guard’s ear and walked on water). Those are just a few…I’m sure the next time you read your Bible you’ll see it is filled with these men that did amazing things for the Lord…and were a bit wild! I can’t think of one positive male in the Bible that could be described as a nice guy. In fact, I can’t think of a man in church history that did anything significant for the gospel that wasn’t dangerous…Martin Luther and Jim Elliot come to mind.

Last, let’s look at Jesus…surely you say He was a nice guy. The pictures we see of Him depict him as a nice guy…in many ways our pictures make him look like a bearded woman in a dress holding a lamb. We overemphasize the fact that Jesus said He was gentle and humble at heart (Matt 11:29) and forget He also said He came not to bring peace but division (Luke 12:51). How do the two not cancel each other out? One author said it best, “Jesus was comforting to those who needed it, but confrontational with everyone else.”

We all too often remember the Jesus that healed, held children, and wept all very much a part of His character, but not the complete picture! He also lead a band of mostly ruffian fisherman, turned tables at the temple, regularly argued with Pharisees and Sadducees, rebuked demons with a commanding voice, and died/was beaten for us. None of the later would be considered something a nice guy would do.

So I ask you, the men reading this, “Would you rather be thought of as nice or dangerous?” To the women reading this, “Would you rather be with a nice or dangerous man?

My answer? My Pastor, Bryan Stupar, continues to note that at 35 he may have already had seen more years than he will see. I’m the same age! I’ve wasted most of my life being nice, passive, and doing little for the Kingdom of God. I want to risk more, I want to compete for a greater crown, I want to be available for a calling from God greater than my own safety. In other words, I want to be a Spirit filled dangerous man.

Final Thoughts:
We are at WAR with a Dragon that hates us (Rev 12:17)…and there is a THIEF who wants none other than to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). In wartime situations and if a thief enters your house, dangerous men are needed…not nice men. Let’s allow men to be Spirit filled dangerous men…we desperately need them to be.

The Kingdom of God is built by dangerous men, who will take up the cause and do some of the non-nice things needed to advance any Kingdom. Will we as men take dangerous risks to advance the Kingdom? (Smuggle Bibles, Dig Ditches) Lay down our lives so a few can really know life? (Disciples someone, Put your body in harms way so someone can hear the gospel) Or will we merely waste our lives playing with our toys, obsessing about our 401k and an easy retirement, or sitting in front of our 60 inch plasma screens wishing we were on some great adventure? God's adventure...God's danger is waiting for you...take it!

Don’t worry ladies…I’m hatching a question like this for you as well.