Divine Disruptions?

Last Sunday, Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota had their morning service interrupted because one of the pastors is also an ICE agent. Protesters came in chanting Renee Good’s name and using foul language. One of them claimed their disruption was something Jesus would have done. Chauntyll Allen compared it to the Lord chasing the money changers out of the temple. I doubt Allen even knows Him. She is the leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities and “married” to a woman. Allen and two other protesters were later arrested but have since been released.

Cities Church issued this statement: “Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus - or any other act of worship - is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.” Still, their situation had me thinking about other meetings where preachers faced opposition from the congregation. Even if one disagrees with what’s said from the pulpit, it’s rude to interrupt the speaker. One can choose to keep quiet, say something later, or simply walk out.

Once I attended a home meeting where a traveling preacher defended his belief in a post-tribulation rapture. Other people in attendance countered things this preacher said by quoting Scripture. I kept quiet except for correcting him on one erroneous statement. The preacher claimed Billy Graham’s ministry produced the 1972 film “A Thief in the Night.” I raised my hand first to get permission to speak. Then I mentioned I used to work for Billy’s film ministry. “Thief” was not one of their productions. The preacher wasn’t apologetic about his mistake, and resumed defending his post-tribulation beliefs. I became grieved in my spirit and left before the meeting was over.

Shortly after the Lakeland Revival cooled off in 2008, I attended a men’s breakfast in Virginia. During a sermon about accountability, the pastor made critical remarks about Todd Bentley. A missionary who went me to the breakfast had spent over two months at the revival. He also didn’t like what was said and walked out early. I soon did the same. Later, I expressed my concerns in an email to this pastor. He replied with comments I felt were condescending. Since then, I’ve returned to his church only once for a Rodney Howard-Browne meeting.

Then there were a couple of meetings where I stayed despite strongly disagreeing with the minister. A friend in Florida once drove me to a church seminar about essential oils. The speaker was a messianic woman who called the pre-tribulation rapture viewpoint “a deception.” I wanted to say out loud “No, it’s not”, but I felt it would be more appropriate to keep quiet. The woman continued sharing information that didn’t interest me. Therefore, I moved to the back of the church and worked on my laptop until my driver was ready to leave.

Another time, my then-roommate invited me to a house church he had started attending. The pastor (who called himself a “grace preacher”) had a critical spirit. Throughout his sermon, he defended his belief in “once saved, always saved.” I would have left early, but I was seated behind him and didn’t want to disrupt the meeting. When it was finally over, I asked this pastor if we could talk privately. I used an adultery analogy to disprove OSAS, and also quoted 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” This man kept defending his viewpoint. I said, “We’ll have to agree to disagree”, and never went back there.

Until the Lord returns, we will encounter brethren whose beliefs differ than ours. I avoid spending time with religious folk who come across as know-it-alls. All of us should be teachable and open to correction.

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” - James 1:19-20