Asking God how it is possible to “stand strong in You and in Your mighty power,” I heard Him say, “Put Me on!”

A salvific response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the crisis of the church in our day demands a verbal declaration of the following principles from all of us leaders at all levels, whether privately with accountability and/or publicly with culpability, as the Spirit leads… [Application of declarations made from 1 and 2 Peter]

If the UMC cannot clearly and lovingly put this issue to rest, then we’re not capable of doing anything else by God’s power. This crisis occurring in our own house where we have the most authority is elementary compared to the battles we’re born to win in the kingdom of darkness. Playtime is over. It’s time for Methodists to shout like David, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Cowardice is as much a sin as homosexuality. Running from battle is as much a sin as murder. “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” Poor stewardship of our leadership responsibilities is equal to one who intentionally leads others astray.

…I stood up and shared my agreements with the ethos of the WCA, but then asked, “Why is the WCA preparing more for the breakup of the church than for victory?… It seems that our common spiritual enemy would be very pleased to see the noisy few kick out the faithful many. But Jesus Himself said that the gates of hell cannot prevail against His church. So if the United Methodist Church is a church of Jesus Christ, why is no one preparing for victory? Is not the UMC a church of Jesus?”

It is God’s role to strategize, and our part to stand. The current leadership landscape in the UMC is full of “traditionalist” fruitless strategizers and “progressive” faithful standers. When people stand, unified and persistent enough, in increasing numbers, they can achieve outcomes for good or evil they never thought possible, and it was always wrought by events and timing neither side predicted. Our duty is not to own the exhausting politics of wrestling for human dominion, but to each individually and together corporately stand up for the Lord’s interests as the Holy Spirit leads.

The following ideas obtained from prayer are a sample and a standard of what God might prompt you to do both individually and corporately. When each of us rebuilds the part of the wall we occupy, we will together be amazed at what God accomplishes in a short time.

We think that so long as the battles for our own souls are won, we can leave everyone else to God’s hands. But God has called His church to lay down our lives for those who don’t know Him yet. If our lives are truly secure as we say we believe they are, we can give up comforts and even our lives here on Earth so that others can come to God for themselves. That’s love.

We must be mustered. God must accomplish something different in each of us to know there is a war and to be called to enlist. Have you heard from God what is the next act of obedience He needs to finish this process in you?