This is What Happens When You Silence Prophetic Voices

The world in which the CGGC USA operates is changing. Radically. At the speed of light. And, the CGGC USA, as it currently functions, is not configured to live the gospel in its world.

More than ever, the CGGC USA is church obsessed because it is shepherd dominated.

Without a doubt, men and women who are gifted to be shepherds are crucial to the advance of the Kingdom of God.

Shepherds have the vital role of sustaining and enhancing community among people who have become disciples through the giftedness of apostles, prophets and evangelists. 

Shepherds tend, they care for, disciples but they are not empowered by the Spirit to make disciples. They are by God's design when they live in the Spirit, internally focused. And, if they don't submit to the Head of the Body and are left to their own devises, they will actually destroy the church by focusing on flock, investing Kingdom resources inwardly and ignoring the world of unredeemed people beyond the boundaries of the flock.

If you wonder what this would look like in the real world, take a glance at Western culture in the year 2015.

The "church" has responded to the rise of the belief that pleasure is the basis of ultimate truth in two ways. Liberals have, very simply, gone along with the world and, for example, happily endorsed same sex marriage.

Conservatives, especially those who are most shamelessly shepherd dominated, simply have turned inward and address the challenge of same sex marriage institutionally by taking measures which save them from having to ritualize gay marriage. They write constitutional amendments and create policies while, all around them, more and more people choose to walk in the flesh thinking that to do so is obedience to the Gospel Christ died for.

In the CGGC today, there is not even conversation about a constructive response to the legalization of same sex marriage beyond what insulates the CGGC as an institution.

And, this is what happens when shepherds form a mafia and silence prophetic voices and subjugate apostolic and evangelistic voices, which is what the CGGC USA has done for about the last eighty years.

The Lord has ways of making His truth heard with power in the world. Since centuries before Christ, He has spoken through prophets.

But...

...what happens to prophetic voices in the CGGC these days?

Can you imagine Winebrenner's generation responding as impotently to the acceptance of the gay agenda as the CGGC has today?

We have empowered the shepherd mafia that is digging the CGGC USA's grave. If there is not change soon, the digging will be finished and the burial will take place.

So, what will the shepherd mafia do now?

Form a new Commission?

Create a Task Force?

Hire a Director of LGBT ministries? (Probably not that. They've already spent all their money for staff people.)

What seems certain is thay what they do will, in the end, increase the institutionalization of the CGGC.

Repent.

Smell the coffee, shepherds. Step aside. At least, empower other voices.

While there is still time.

Outside the Box Gathering 6-28-15

When you walk in the Spirit, you just don't know when, where and how He will lead, even when you are in the midst of a gathering.

Recently, I mentioned that one of the causes of the fatigue that is weighing down Evie is a woman from the area who has heard of the acts of mercy that seem to be what we are known for and has contacted us with a request for monetary assistance. So far Evie and she have only exchanged a large number of texts. This woman, call her Janey, is in management at a local national restaurant chain.

This morning we were gathering and Evie had her phone on with the ringer turned up. Her phone indicated a text had come it. She checked it and saw that it was from Janey.

Janey said, "If your group is meeting this morning, why don't you come to the restaurant. I'll be there and Destin (the daughter of one of our participants) can be your server."

This was no small challenge because we had some of our physically and mentally handicapped people with us but our group is not easily deterred by obstacles and, certainly, not tradition bound. So, we made a reservation for about an hour ahead, shared some praises, prayer concerns, read some Scripture and sang one more song and loaded up the cars.

What a wonderful time!

Janey spend about fifteen minutes with us. We finally actually met her. She came across as transparent and eager to be ministered to, not only to be given a cash gift. She also bought three of the meals for the group.

It is a blessing to be able to take our ministry's show on the road, in a moment's time and even in the midst of gathering.

There is such joy for us in His salvation. And, walking in the Spirit, we certainly are not bored.

Same Sex Marriage

Condemn the Justices of the Supreme Court all you like, but, to this point, all the mountaintoppers of the CGGC can think to do about the Western world's embrace of hedonism--the belief that right and wrong is determined by what brings a person happiness and pleasure--is to recommend constitutional language for congregations that will insulate our so-called sanctuaries from hosting same sex marriage rituals.

If you know ANYTHING at all about the early days of the Church of God movement, you know that our mothers and fathers would absolutely abhor what we have become.

We need to repent from the highest mountaintop to our deepest valley.

Two More Cancelled Gatherings

Gatherings associated with our ministry were on the books for the last two evenings. We cancelled both of them for the standard reason.

We have tons going on. Evelyn does especially.

A few weeks ago, our 93 year old next door neighbor fell on a tile floor, gashed his head open, bled like a stuck pig and was rushed to the hospital. Both of us have taken his wife to visit him but Evelyn has done it many times as well as driving the wife to grocery stores.

Last Saturday, my dad fell and was rushed to a different hospital about 30 miles away from where our neighbor is. We spent most of Saturday in the ER and Sunday with mom and dad and my brother and his family, in lieu of gathering. Since then, Evie has been coordinating with the visiting nurse, the home health care aid, the OT and PT and the social worker and visiting mom and dad.

In addition, a person we have still never met has been in contact with Evie, hoping for several thousands of dollars to help her catch up on bills. Evie has been gathering information and has been relaying that information to participants, primarily, of the Thursday gathering, the people most likely at this point to show mercy.

In addition, all of us have been working full-time jobs.

In short, we, especially Evie, have been too busy, and too exhausted, practicing the love your neighbor as yourself command to gather.

I don't think any of us are happy about the cancellation of the gatherings, and I suspect that none of us we are practicing perfect obedience, but we are living the "Simply Jesus" life as sincerely as we can, trusting that His grace and mercy will be poured out into our own lives.

So three straight gatherings bagged. I'm hoping desperately that Sunday's will happen.

-----------------

Why do I say all this? Not to boast in my own righteousness. Read the tone. I want no praise for this, nor do any of the rest of us.

I believe that what we are doing is fruit of a belief that going to church is not an act of righteousness. For most American Christians today, it is the central act of righteousness.
And, that the ease with which we cancel a gathering, compared to the way mainstream church people would, illustrates fruit that distinguishes us from so many.

The Two Most Frequently Asked Questions

Since I posted the letter from ERC Conference Secretary Pastor John A. Selcher informing me that I have been defrocked by the unanimous vote of the Conference Administrative Council, I have been asked the same two questions by several people. They are:

1. Has anyone from the Conference spoken to you in person about what the Standing Committee and Administrative Council have done?

2.  Has anyone from the Conference reached out to the congregation?

As of today, two months and four days after the vote, the answer to both questions remains:

No.

Exhaustion vs Burnout

I've been thinking about the themes that appear consistently in my Gathering posts and I know that one of them is fatigue. Both Evelyn and I are often very, very tired to the point, as was the case last Sunday, we called off the gathering because we didn't have the emotional and physical wherewithal to host it.

I have also been thinking about the fact that church, uh, leaders these days devote a considerable amount of energy and resources in attacking the problem of pastoral burnout.

When I was working as a pastor, I struggled to develop strategies to avoid burning out. And, honestly, I wonder if my own act of repentance from traditional, Christendom-rooted, seeker-sensitive, parish-priest led ministry is itself not fruit of burnout.

I want to clarify the fact that, while I am often very tired, this fatigue doesn't feel as if it is a stage in burning out. As tiring as this way of living can be, I continue to feel as zealous and fresh in this lifestyle as I have ever been.

And, I think that the difference between this life and the pastoral life is that this life is life in the Spirit whereas the life of the pastor is a humanly created way of living.

According to Paul, Christ gave His Body some who are apostles, others who are prophets, others who are evangelists and others who are shepherds and teachers. As the church became institutionalized, it invented the role of parish priest/pastor.

And, I believe, that is the difference that accounts for the difference between my life as a subject of the Kingdom and my old life that was church-centered. Becoming fatigued in a church role created by human beings to serve an institution is to become tired apart from the will of God. To become weary in doing good while walking in a role created by the King for Kingdom service connects a man or woman to the refreshing power of the Holy Spirit.

My guess, as I move forward, is that I will still become tired. After all, I am a geezer and this is a very full life. But, as long as I fulfill a Kingdom, not church, role, the Lord will keep me burnout free if I continue to connect to His strength.

I believe that if church leaders want to defeat the problem of pastoral burnout they will have to repent of church focus and eliminate the role of pastor/priest and empower Kingdom people to live out ministries empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In Lieu of Gathering: 6-21-15

We cancelled the gathering in our home this morning.

We, especially Evie, are exhausted, too much so to go to the time and trouble of preparing our house to host a gathering. It is actually to the point that we have become too emotionally and physically weary to be able to benefit from gathering with other disciples. Paul, of course, warns against allowing yourself to get to this point. He does that in Galatians 6. We know that this is not a good thing. We also recall Jesus telling His disciples, at one point, that they needed to go off by themselves to a quiet place to get some rest. This is an attempt of sorts to do this to the best of our abilities. And, I should add that we are being supported by one person in our grouping of gatherings who is offering care to us.

-------------------

I see an irony in this that connects to one of the reasons the people at the top of the ERC mountaintop have decided to take away my ordination. According to Kevin Richardson, I have been convicted on the mountaintop of breaking my ordination vow to adorn myself with "exemplary piety."

And, as I understand the teachings of Jesus and the behavior of New Testament Christians, it is because we are adorning ourselves with piety that we are too weary to invite our brothers and sisters into our home today.

It strikes me that the mountaintoppers conviction that my piety is wanting reveals the essence of my conviction that they need to repent and lead the Conference in repentance.

We define piety from Jesus' definition of it in His prophecy of the separating of the sheep from the goats on the Day and from Paul defining worship as offering your body as a living sacrifice and from James definition of (true) religion as caring for orphans and widows in their distress. And, we have been practicing that form of piety with a vengeance lately, particularly, "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat...I was a stranger and you invited me in," and "I was sick and you visited me." Fold into that recipe, "Honor your father and mother."

I'd love to know, from Scripture, the definition of piety employed by the people who have passed judgment on me.

--------------------

Anyway, we have become so tired practicing piety in the way we understand it to hold the gathering today.