Okay here is my take on other people's view of Grace. They can't figure us out? We somehow are big, and don't fit in the box of megachurch models. We are real, not flashy; approachable, not cliquey; the list goes on. The one statement that always makes me chuckle, is that we water down the truth at Grace. Better yet, it is often said that we shy away from sin, hell, and deep Bible truths. Or at least we must be doing so with all that traffic over there. I have come to realize that some people just feel better about themselves, when they can tear down The Bride of Christ, even if they do not have all the details. Oh by the way, imagine Jesus' perspective, as he listens to someone bash his bride. Imagine if you heard someone talking bad, about your wife/bride.
I read a blog entry last night of a fellow pastor railing against us, because of our plasma TVs. And that somehow we could use that money to feed the starving people in the world. If he only knew the large amount of resources we do allot every week of the year to rescue people. I had to chuckle on that one too. And then another fellow pastor, through a comment on his blog, refer to me as the Mega church guy, who suggested a book he read, that covered why we don't share resources. Oh if he only knew the truth. The fact is this, I chuckled again and felt sorry for these guys... because there is no way God blesses these kind of gestures at his bride.
So the above picture just blesses me, to know that people are digging in, and taking notes on a shallow,one-inch deep, theological subject of eschatology. oh yeah we have been accused of being very shallow too. And by the way, we did talk about the Devil,sin, and hell, all in one message!
I love my church, and would put my disciples up against any, in a contest of determining who is on mission, and changing our world. You know we might not understand sublapsarianism, but we fully understand how to reach the world for Jesus! Chuckling on, and feeling sorry for what is coming to these individuals who feel the need to bash the bride of Christ.
