Lands of the Atlantic - Covering Wash DC, New York and New England

[Testing123]

GTCA (Gospelize, Truthize, and Churchize America) has officially been launched! Applications forms are now available for "migration" Boston, Mass!

http://gtca.us/

http://www.lordsmovetoboston.org

Methinks that the "Lord's Move to Boston" is a bit more complicated than it appears. The conflict between the Church in Newton (Silas Wu) and the BB's has been exacerbated over the "One Publication" policy and quarantine. In recent years, Newton has developed a particular relationship with the LCs in Brazil. As I understand it, there are now full-time workers from Brazil connected with Newton and operating in Boston, which has one of the largest Portuguese-speaking populations in the US. Does anyone know if there has already been a group meeting as "the Church in Boston" in concert with Brazil and Newton? What is Newton's attitude toward the "GTCA"?

[aron]

If you build a better mousetrap, all you need are mice. The efficacy of your trap will soon be plain to all.

If you have a mediocre trap, or worse, a poor one, then the marketing comes in. Wrapping, slogans, music, product placement, all these are key to push the product out on the market.

If you have the Spirit, then people will be touched, and called, and conformed to God's will. The "age" doesn't matter; 2,000 years ago, 500 years ago, or right now. Spirit is Spirit and reality is reality.

If you are lacking in reality, marketing comes in. Slogans, catchphrases, banners, exhortations, quotas, etc.

One of the last meetings I went to was on "The Lord's Day" (Sunday for most folks) to the "Lord's Table Meeting". After the table, the meeting was held by one of the out-of-towners who was exhorting the locals to sign up for next week's training on how to get "vital" and follow the "new way", or some such. The whole meeting was this long shpiel from this brother, telling the saints they didn't want to miss this training, it would change their lives, etc, etc, etc.

After a very short while I got clear what was going on. Marketing. Pure and simple, this was a marketer pushing a product on the consumers. If he really had something "real" from God, he could have simply said right there to the crowd, "You want reality? Here", and given them his portion. Instead, it was, "Come next week and your life will be changed." Pfooey!

Now, as a disclosure, I will admit that I have not had experiences like the apostle Peter or John Wesley where thousands fell down under the weight of the Holy Spirit when I spoke to them. But I don't pretend to have laid hold, as these "trainers" do. If they had something of substance, they simply would have spoken, and reality would have shone clearly. Instead, it was an exhortation to sign up for a "training" to get "vitalized".

To me, GTCA is merely a marketing ploy, covering the lack of substance, of reality. A rather thin "fig leaf", to be sure. Yes, some folks will get saved, and this surely is good. But the reality, or lack of reality, of what is getting pushed here seems self-evident to me.

[Suannehill]

I remember going to a "session" in Toledo where we were being encouraged to find the thing in our locality that attracts people...he wasn't speaking of Christ...and push that thing. The longer I listened the more appalled I became! I finally stood to speak and said..."Brother, marketing the church is straight out of the pits of hell!" There was a long pause...and he just went on marketing.
Sue

[Ohio]

Sue, were you then holding hands with a couple ushers?

[Suannehill]

I never thought about it...
Oh I remember...
It was a "responsible ones" meeting...no ushers!!!!!!!!!

[Ohio]

Sisters behaving responsibly ... how magnanimous!