O.B.E.Y.

Welcome to De-Commissioned, a place for former members of the Great Commission movement (aka GCM, GCC, GCAC, GCI, the Blitz) to discuss problems they've experienced in the association's practices and theology.

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[IWishToRemainAnonymous]

The Greatest Reason Of All

By Brent Knox
Okay. I am going to pull out the big gun. Of all the reasons to spend 45 minutes of your life filling out the Spiritual Life Survey (REVEAL), the greatest reason of all is because the pastors are asking you to. Notice the attitude Paul encourages the believers in Thessalonica towards their leaders: “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, NLT)

The writer of Hebrews gets even more explicit: “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.” (Hebrews 13:17, NLT)

Doing what your leaders ask is easy when:

You agree.
It’s convenient for you.
Doing what your leaders ask is hard when:

You disagree.
It’s inconvenient.
However, wouldn’t the progress of the church be so much greater if we set aside our preferences, little disagreements, and smaller priorities for the greater good? For instance,

If we ALL got involved financing KAH, packing food, inviting friends….great things could happen!
If we ALL got involved in Growth Groups and attended with enthusiasm….great things could happen!
If we ALL completed the survey, then the best information would be gleaned and the best decisions would be made and….great things could happen!
God is asking us to set aside personal preferences and smaller priorities in favor of following spiritual leaders. In this way, the Kingdom of God can move forward in powerful ways.

   

[IWishToRemainAnonymous]

I do not agree with this. I found it on the Evergreen Community Church web page and thought people should see it.

[Innerlight]

OK, sorry...I stand corrected!  whew, you just saved me a lot of time having to read Greek!

I sincerely apologize

[Huldah]

I went to have a look at the survey, just to see what kind of questions they were asking. Somehow it reminded me of my long-ago experience with GC. Lots of very personal questions about your exact level of commitment to God and church, a list of answers to choose from (no fill in the blank or open ended questions where you might actually express a real opinion), and you can't skip any questions you'd prefer not to answer. The latter  struck me as a bit heavy-handed.

As far as I got, nothing in the survey was such an essential kingdom-builder that it justified invoking "the big guns."

[Linda]

I was struck by the line "God is asking us to set aside personal preferences and smaller priorities in favor of following spiritual leaders."

This seems the opposite of "servant leadership" where the leader would set aside personal preferences and smaller priorities to serve the body.

In a way, I am glad the teaching is no longer hidden. So, that's a plus. This is a pretty "out there" comment. Pulling out the "big guns" on something so small. Makes one wonder.

I truly believe these leaders love the Lord and their misguided theology is a result sitting at the feet of Jim McCotter when they were young. So sad.

[Innerlight]

Interesting, we took one at our church, and it was a low key event, handed out in a Bible study, as it related to spirtual gifts.  I belong to a very large metro church based in the western suburbs (you can figure it out).  It's not Grace   The whole test was geared to finding out what your gifts were, none of the obeying your leaders stuff was mentoned, or even brought up. 

[Linda]

I've been thinking about the idea of a pastor "pulling out the big gun" of demanding people obey him because he is a pastor.

Two thoughts come to mind. First, is there ever an example in the Bible of a church leader demanding obedience to him based on his position? What comes to mind that counters the idea of a pastor "pulling rank" is 1 Peter 5: 1,2:

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,  not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;  not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Wouldn't the more Biblical approach be to say, "This is a survey that I believe will help us as a church. I'm going to set aside 45 minutes to fill it out and I hope you will, too."

The other thought that comes to mind is, "What makes for a legitimate leader in the church?" In GC, the given is that every elder is a legitimate leader because he has been "recognized" by the other leaders as an elder. Then, the assumption is, that this man who has been recognized is to be obeyed in everything because of the verses stated in 1 Thessalonians and Hebrews. What is never mentioned to the congregation is that all GC elders have a direct lineage to the very first GC apostle/elder, Jim McCotter. Their position and therefore their authority (which they would say comes from God) is actually derived from a man, who in 1970 or so, proclaimed himself an apostle.

Also missing from their theology is the concept of the Holy Spirit speaking to every believer and the priesthood of the believer. The curtain was torn, we have direct access to God. When you stop to think of it, that is an amazing thing.

[blonde]

What Brent Knox says above is very scary.  It verges on cult behavior. 

[nelliepooh]

If this was on facebook I would dislike it right away.