Here is a comment from Anna, who decided to go see the CBC machine in person:

Mole report:

Ok, so I just had to go in person to hear the rest of this sermon. I enjoyed the worship. It really was about the Lord and who He is, and I could tell that many of the people enjoyed that place of simply being in God’s presence and focusing on Him.

Then Doug got up and the whole thing shifted. He said something like, “Aren’t you glad we have a mighty God. If you need something from God, now is the time to pray. If you need finances, or healing or whatever, ask Him.” It totally went from all about God to all about me. Aarghh! (quoting FICM)

Then came the tithing speech with reference to Nehemiah, with a statement read in unison about how we give and God will help us build our wall.

There was the video CBC advertisement — I kid you not. Marc Estes introduced a family who had gone through a health crisis, and the families around them helped them practically and financially. This is wonderful, and what the church is supposed to do. But to advertise it like auto insurance??? Join our church and you will be taken care of. (Unfortunately, just like auto insurance, the church only “insures” those with minimal risk. See what happens if you have mental problems.) Aaargh again.

Finally after those video announcements, came the sermon. It was basically a rehash of the previous week. I’m still scratching my head as to how PF came to his dream interpretation and how he could apply those scriptures to it. This is why:

Ravines are not places you should hang out, especially in dry climates. The first good rain, and that ravine turns into an instant riverbed. I’m glad that PF was rescued in his dream, but if that were my dream, I would probably consider it a warning that I was in a precarious place. I would not think it was a place to stay and build and invite others — especially if you are praying for “rain.”

Now the passage in Isaiah, when read in context (as FICM pointed out), is all about the Messiah and His zeal to provide salvation. In fact, in that verse “when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” — the word “lift up a standard against him” is the translation of just one word: nus. My Bible dictionary says that in this passage it means “the speedy and onrushing manner in which the Lord escorts His Redeemer.”

Does this sound like it’s all about us, and how our prayers hold back the enemy? NO!! It’s about the fiery zeal of God to redeem those He loves, through the person of His Son.

And finally, the whole passage in Ezekiel is about judgment. “I looked for a man…” is basically, where is someone who will repent? Where is someone who will fall on their face before God and ask for mercy like Moses did?

Not once did I hear about the love, the majesty, the fear of God. Not once was the focus upon Him. Not once did I hear about Jesus Christ (who He is) and Him crucified (what He has done). The whole focus was egocentric. It’s the paradigm of CBC, as evidenced by their worship transitions, their advertisements and their sermons.

This appeals to selfish Americans, but it is not the gospel in which the Holy One targets our self-life for execution.

Ok. I’m done. Sorry for soapbox once again.

Well Anna, I'm glad you enjoyed the worship.

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