In many churches today, before one can go out and perform a mighty work for God or desires the church’s support, that person has to either get permission from their church or go through numerous committees which in turn has to get approval from the committee-of-committees.
The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 states (NKJV):
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
When many churches place red-tape upon red-tape upon their members in order to fulfill The Great Commission, have we turned The Great Commission into The Great Permission where we can not do any type of evangelism until we cross our ‘t’s and dot our ‘i’s? What if, by the time we go through the red-tape and the committees, find out that the opportunity for evangelism or ministry has been squandered or no longer exists? Fulfill The Great Commission, not The Great Permission.
Another black eye for organized religion… although
I can see a need for some level of oversight, I think too many churches go overboard on the notion…
Good post Al…
I agree on the ‘need for some level of oversight’. After re-reading my post, I probably should have added this statement before the last sentence in the last paragraph:
‘I understand that there is a need for some review from church leadership before the church supports this. I do have one major concern about this.’