How do People of the "CGGC" become Warriors for Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness?

Here's a summary of what I see as the three eras/ethei (ethoses) of our body. (These descriptions are, with minor editing, copied from an earlier post.)

It's the third era, the CGGC, that is the focus of this post. Denominational holders of institutional authority, many pastors/parish priests and congregations in our body in the year 2020 fit this description. (This post is a follow up to the earlier, How do People of Church-es of God Congregations become Warriors for Racial Equality?)

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1. The Church of God, the movement which envisioned itself as joining in a "new Reformation," and that formed around the ministry of John Winebrenner and others,  which was blessed and thrived from before its first moment and which inspired the "planting" of about 800 congregations within 60 years. For these people, the Bible was, literally, the only rule of faith and practice.

2. The Churches of God, the denomination that rejected the radical to settle for being a small, respectable, Protestant, church, which progressively institutionalized the former movement, created the beginnings of a hierarchy and which witnessed the beginnings of what is, by now, a generations-long trend toward spiritual decay and numerical decline which continues to this day. For these people, the assertion that the Bible is our only rule of faith and practice merely is a creedal statement.

3. The CGGC, the effort to reverse the disaster that was the Churches of God, attempting to end decay and decline by increasing the size of the denomination's hierarchy and adopting a leadership model which describes its highest ranking official as the denomination's Chief Executive Officer, and which defines a disciple as a person who attends church worship and which has seen the spiritual decay and numerical decline of the Churches of God continue. In time, the CGGC became characterized by radical Bible talk accompanied by extremely moderate, even conservative, action.

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In addition to high holders of institutional authority in our body, there are many pastors and congregations today who appreciate the radicalism of our body's faith.

Those people who are of the CGGC culture know that, in the days when the Lord of all authority and power and grace and blessing blessed the Church of God, we were radical people in many ways. We were known, for instance, for our extreme position on racial equality because of many things that we were doing.

For the people of the CGGC unfortunately, it's the doing that's the rub.

CGGC people are at home with radical talk. They can be eloquent in their talk. They are unable, however, perhaps, worse, unwilling, to achieve a fierce walk.

The truth about following Jesus is that Jesus didn't write weekly (J-News) updates on His ministry. He didn't write manifestos. He didn't WRITE anything. He's know more for His walk than His talk.

Jesus made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death...to, among other things, incarnate a life of "justice, mercy and faithfulness." (Phil. 2. Mt. 23:23.)

No one in our body talks incarnational living, no one promotes the life of justice, mercy and faithfulness better than the people of the CGGC.

For more than a decade, our CGGC faction  has talked a fierce Bible, sometimes even Jesus, talk...

...but the denominational hierarchs who are of the CGGC have done that from behind their big desks in their fancy offices...

...the congregational pastors who are CGGC have done it from behind their pulpits...

...and the people of the CGGC laity have left their passion for justice and mercy and faithfulness...to the degree they have it, in their pews.

CGGC people don't take it "to the streets."

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So, how do the hierarchs, the pastors and the laity of the CGGC become warriors for justice, mercy and faithfulness?

Follow.

To talk but not walk is a definition of hypocrisy.

I've often flirted with accusing the whole CGGC culture with hypocrisy...

...and I have no doubt that some of these people are, truly, hypocrites. Hypocrites could easily blend in with the CGGCers.

But, I have known some of these people fairly well, in the past, anyway. And, I can't see hypocrisy in them.

I am convinced of two things about the prominent CGGC people, at least.

1. Despite their lofty positions in the institutional hierarchy, they don't DO things that can be followed, or, they don't create followership, they are not followable. They don't lead.

2. They are sincere.

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The truth of the gospel is that we are saved by grace, through faith, to do good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:8-10)

CGGC people, specifically those in denominational and congregational "leadership" are decent at the grace thing and the faith thing, but they're atrocious at the good works which God has prepared...

Left to their own devices, they'll do nothing about grace and mercy and faithfulness, other than talk. I know that BECAUSE THEY NEVER HAVE!

But, they can serve productive role in following in the crucial work of following Jesus in promoting justice and mercy and faithfulness by empowering our people who are followable! And, following.

Blessings on them.