You Are Not A Bondservant To A Church, But To Christ

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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[Janet Easson Martin]

You Are Not A Bondservant To A Church, But To Christ

You are not to be a bondservant of a church or any leader.  You are to grow to become a bondservant of Christ alone!  Giving yourself over to a binding committment like never leaving a church for life actually is a sly substitute for binding yourself to Christ.  Submitting to a church or it's leaders above all else is IDOLATRY.  You have actually disobeyed the first commandment.  

Following blindly along with whatever some men say is God's will is like yoking yourself to them and being led wherever they go.  This produces weariness and burdens too heavy to bear.  There is ONLY ONE we are to yoke ourselves to and that is Christ!  Our taking His yoke promises to take away stress, burdens, and weariness.  Of course, the Bible speaks of being yoked to our spouse, but that is a little different.

Being manipulated into making commitments to disciplers, leaders, and churches that are only meant for God is enticing IDOLATRY.  People start confusing real faith and submission to God with faith in and submission to the church leaders.  Loyalty to God is very personal and involves decisions and choices that must be between the individual and God and may not necessarily be supported by some Christian leaders.  

God doesn't want our highest loyalty to men or a church but to Him.  He wants us to know His Love - its length, breadth, height, and depth - and respond of our own volition to trust Him implicitly.  And, out of that, willingly become Christ's bondservant.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Unfortunately, the leaders of GCx have gotten used to hiding and confounding the truth for many years in order to defend their organization, and paint it as respectable Christianity.  It is NOT respectable.  Perhaps this is why this sexually abusive pastor thought he would get away with not stepping down and submitting to intensive counseling.  He was discipled and leading in a environment of secrets where abuses regularly get silenced and shunned away.  The members were often "beaten down" and used to feed the leaders' ego.

It seems that these churches' leaders that were appointed by other leaders who were appointed by Jim McCotter, founder of GCx, say many things that sound impartial and equitable to those outside for public relations purposes, but actually do many things that are definitely not impartial nor equitable to those inside or those formerly inside, for control purposes.  There is a very unbiblical partiality regarding loyalty to GCx leaders.

If this was not the case, then Scout's claim would have been biblically and equitably responded to years ago when it was brought to their attention.  Impartiality would have removed this abusive pastor from his position of wide influence and control.  (See the post on this forum:  "Are GCx Elders Above the Bible?")

[Free now]

Amen and amen! Thank you, Janet Eason Martin.  As believers, we belong to Jesus and are part of His Body, His Church♥️

Free now