Acts 29 Showing Humility...Again

Being that it is Saturday, I am stealing stuff. I have jacked this from Scott Thomas on his response to more criticism of Driscoll and Mars Hill. It is interesting that the one who is showing the most humility through this are the very ones being criticized and condemned. This post was further instruction for me on how I should respond to criticism and attacks. Have a great weekend. For the original article, click here.

Let's Move On!
by Pastor Scott Thomas, Director of Acts 29 Network

I am deeply honored to serve as Director of Acts 29 Network and as a pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I am witnessing God's blessings on both organizations in a way that I have never experienced and that few people get to witness in their lifetimes. Acts 29 just completed a Boot Camp in Raleigh NC last week where we united with the esteemed author and professor Dr. Wayne Grudem, Southern Baptist Seminary President (SEBTS) Dr. Danny Akin and SEBTS professor and author Dr. Andreas Kostenberger. These men served alongside the other Acts 29 pastors who presented the gospel as strong as any place I have been. Sin and fallenness were acknowledged repeatedly, the grace of Jesus was brightly illuminated and the message of Redemption through the blood of Jesus was consistently presented.

I saw Wayne Grudem set aside his academic brilliance and respond to the Holy Spirit's leading to shepherd a pastor through an issue. Unexpected. I saw speakers humble themselves under the grace of Jesus and admit that we are blessed to proclaim His Word as dying men to dying people. I am proud of Tyler Jones, Ed Marcelle, Daniel Montgomery, Jason Roberts, John Fooshee, Justin Anderson, Chris Atwell, Elliot Grudem, Jamie Munson, Taylor Roberts, Kevin Marshall and the 30 other Acts 29 pastors who came to serve sacrificially to help men to plant and thrive on the front lines known as church planting. I saw Mark Driscoll gave a final address to us envisioning our movement reaching 300,000 people in the next 7 years. You can download it here.

I saw men pray for one another, hug one another, counsel with one another, assess one another and love one another.

And then I saw the article from the official denominational press. Sad. (I refuse to reengage your mind with a link to their site).

I have had dealings with the editors of this publication in the past. I have challenged them to report news and not biased opinions. I have challenged them to do proper research BEFORE sniping another organization that loves Jesus, believes in the inerrant Word of God and is seeking to evangelize the lost for the glory of God. I have given them my cell phone number and asked them to contact me with any issues, questions or problems because we have many of our Acts 29 pastors who are affiliated with this denomination. My phone is silent, but their vulgar reporting skills are not.

Many people have commented to them and about them and I have a list of over 20 blogs that have criticized their "sloppy journalism," as one noted author put it. But, I am calling for all of us to ignore the innocuous criticisms and get back on the front lines of presenting the gospel faithfully to those who are desperately in need of redemption. The sniping of one publication has hindered our focus on the real enemy: Sin, Satan and the effects of a fallen humanity.

A movement does not stop to address every critic. It moves on in spite of critics and in expectation of critics. I'm bored with it all and my neighbor needs Jesus.

Let's move on.