A few days ago, I received an email that, I believe, contains amazing insight into the response of the people of the Kingdom...and of the people of the institutionalized church...to the challenge of the spread of the coronavirus.
The note also contained a critique of my own ministry.
I responded to both themes in my own email.
The note to me appears first. It is edited, primarily, to preserve the anonymity of the author.
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Bill,
Yesterday I went to the CGGC website and listened to Lance's devotional concerning our present crisis.
I have listened to several devotionals since Sunday. "_____ _______ Church" went live for the first time this past Sunday. I gave them an A plus for their message.
I went to the ______ Church of _______'s site on Facebook and felt like _______ ____'s meditation was helpful.
Then I listened to Lance yesterday.
I was disappointed, because, Lance included no scripture and reference to finding rest or hope in Jesus.
He repeated a number of times the need to lean on each other. It is VERY TRUE, THAT WE MUST LEAN ON EACH OTHER.
But you are talking about reaching the disenfranchised... In my opinion that is not Lances strength.
Unfortunately you may be preaching to the wrong crowd.
Your message is relevant. You may be holding services for the wrong people to accomplish your objective.
I did not go to Winebrenner. ____ ______ advised me not to come.
He knew at least two things. He knew Winebrenner and he knew me.
Choose a new audience and you may help change Winebenner.
You will not live long enough to change the Brass...
My reply:
My friend,
Your note contains an incredible amount of insight into the events of these times.
Your big picture take:
That it is people who turn their eyes upon Jesus and who seek their strength and comfort in the Word who walk the true path is prophetic and timely.
When I first began to describe the CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CGGC BRAND, I noted the sin of Ecclesiolatry, or the worship of the church, not of the Lord of the church. And, the CGGC has it bad...
...as you noted from Lance's video.
Curiously, almost as a deist would, Lance talks some about God and the Kingdom of God, but not about Jesus.
Lance's talk is very this-worldly, about what the church is doing, about the church reaching out, about bringing hopeless people into the church, but not about Jesus Himself.
To be fair, Lance does quote a line from "the Lord's Prayer" near the end of his talk.
Having said that, I disagree with you on who my audience must be.
I agree with you that, in all likelihood, I will not live long enough to change, as you call them, the Brass.
But, the mercy and compassion of the Lord is great. He continues to call even the "Brass" to Him.
And, that, in part, is what the Lord uses prophets for, Old Testament and New.
I believe that my ministry is to call out to the people who are the least likely to focus on Jesus and to live as if the Word is our only rule of faith and practice.
You commentary on Lance's video vividly demonstrates how well our Brass fits that description.
My success will be in continuing to extend God's mercy and love to the Brass, not in convincing them, though I hope some day our Brass will live as people of the Lord and the Word.
bill
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I struggled long and hard over whether or not to publish this post.
My friend's take on Lance's video is negative, but who can criticize its take away. My friend's big picture take is on point.
What's not in Lance's video is the most important part of the video.
In fact, it seems to me that it is what is not there that defines the CGGC in our time.
We need to repent.
We need to put Jesus and the Word back in the center of who we are and what we do.
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