It' time for the church to WAKE UP!!!

[D.Brandon Campbell]

It's time out for just going to church every sunday worshipping behind your four walls! We in the church arguing about what colors we gon' wear for the choir anniversary! We in the church arguing about the credit you didn't get for this program and such. We're arguing in the church, and there are lost souls out there to be won!

When will the church wake up? It doesn't matter how many members you have if your church is not making more of an impact than on the "Church Channel!" The only people you're reaching on there is other church folks! When we gon get out into the streets? When are we gon stop just coming to church out of habit?

When are we gonna feed more than just the soul of a man? When are we going to have a better answer for someone hurting other than "I'll Pray for you?" When are we going to stop worrying about if our hats match our outfit, and worry about getting more souls won for the kingdom?

We gotta wake up church!

This is my official wake up call to the church! Will you respond to it?

Min. BCam

[Napoleon J. Harris V]

I feel you Min. West, but I disagree, I think it is more than noble in fact it is correct to busy one's self with the work of the church, however, I believe that we as a collective body ought to be fighting the good fight! Yes God can do much with very little, however, this spiritual war we're in is not going to be won by deploying small battalions or special ops forces. No it will take the entire army the whole military to win it. So I echo Min. BCam and the others and in the prophetic words of Teddy P circa the Harold Melvin days.... "Wake Up" or said better, let's be about the Father's business and get active. Our victory lies in our faith and our faith necessiates fellowship which is predicated upon our ability to organize collectively.

[Adrian Lamar West Sr.]

Do yall not know?
Has it not been heard ,and seen?
The televangelists are not the only false ones around, If your body is sleep then your head is also, trust me they are awake, yet they refuse the TRUTH. We can hold none accountable, when we are selves are not accountable.
Our victory is going too come from patient endurance through our faith. We all have too admit that at some point in our lives we were like the others, but once the Holy Spirit began too work in our lives, we gained a higher knowledge, and began to do bettere.
In the words of our Lord and Savior, "LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN" Now that is prophetic. Not concerned about what they in my congregation don't do, yet am amazed in what GOD can/is/will do. All who are taking up space, are not apart of the body.
the Church has/is organized, if we take our business/professional skills out of it (ie.. The way it works in the world) and let it be done in EARTH as it is in HEAVEN, then things will work out. The rhetoric of who doesn't do and who does, is out of date.. We all have a race to run. We must stay in our lanes in-order to stay in the race.
honestly how many Bishops, Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, serve others. Not many I tell you.
Yet these are supposed too be the head. If ideas, thoughts, are not in the head/heart they never manifest themselves ifrom the body/action.

Without a shadow of a doubt we need prayer "Men aught to always pray, yet in-order for the prayers too be significant the persons must be righteous. Let's stop looking at others, and take a self inventory and see if we stack up.

[Napoleon J. Harris V]

I feel you! I beleive it is the leadership that is parlty to blame for the scatterdness of the church. Just look at howmany conventions there are. I mean there are 4 main Baptist conventions, there used to be 1!
Mamma from Soul Food said it best we all fingers and isolated we can make a change, we can do wonderous things, yet when we get on 1 accord! and be together we can strike a mighty blow. You know a fist is more impactful than a ginger poke. And West, yeah God can do some grand things with a finger, just ask Balshazar how he crashed his party, so imagine what He can do with a whole hand!

So upon reading your comment I am left with a wonderous question!
What am I doing Personally that is causing fragmentation in the church? Or said differently how am I impeding in the unity necessary to create Shalom, or the reign of God or God's will being carried out on earth as it is in heaven?

[John]

Though I'm no minister my Brothers in Christ, I will say you as ministers can't save one person, only God can do this so please don't try to overload yourself with unnecessary burdons. I thnk some leaders have false ideas about themselves and what they can and can't do. They put pressures on themselves. Just present the true Word of God and let God do the rest. He don't need us to fight His battles period. We just need to spread His Word.

[D.Brandon Campbell]

I'm sorry West, I totally disagree with you respectively. THE CHURCH IS SLEEP!!!! I will not back down from my original point.

It's almost as though you're getting offended, Bro West, like I'm from the outside looking in. I'm not. I'm on the inside, and we are not doing enough in the church period. The whole notion that if an individual feels he/she is not doing enough then they should take individual accountablility alone is not enough sir!

Take inventory and see how we stack up is all fine and true. But even your local church soup kitchen is not enough. I believe this type of attitude is what keeps the church in the "Luke Warm" state my other brother speaks about.

Nobody is knocking the church for doing what it's doing, but we had soup kitchens in the 70's! When are we going to teach men to fish instead of just feeding them fish?

Dude I would tell you that if we don't take a corporate attitude and take on this enemy in a more serious fight, then we'll not only be sleep, WE'LL BE DEAD!!!!

I love Sunday morning church! But it's not enough and that's not what it's about. That's the frosting, not the cake.
Min. Harris hit it on the head. We're busy with doing the building's church work and not the life's church work.
We're ushering and not ministering. We're singing and not ministering.

Fine, you disagee. But can you honestly tell me the church is living up to it's full potential?

Let me get this straight, we serve the creator of the universe and we can't do better than some holiday baskets and "Good Lawd" prayers?

Man if that's the case then maybe you need to take some inventory. Cause the one I serve can do exceedingly, abundantly and above all!
The God I serve can and will wake us up! Now we can be the advocates for change or the sustainers of the present. I'm calling for the change.

God gave me the ministry of New Vision. That's what I'm operating in. Get ready for th New Vision!

Min. BCam
Be blessed beyond your wildest dreams!

[Rev. Charles Moore]

Ok my brothas,
Let me pose the question. The Church that you are referencing, is it about us? or is it about Him? The Bible clearly states that God never sleeps nor slumbers, but we are on the other hand may be sleep in his presence. There are many in the body that need to wake-up realizing that God is preparing for his return and we need not be caught with our work assignments undone.

God has never stopped speaking to us, but it has been us saying sssshhhh to God for fear of waking the people up. God is not pleased because many are refusing to listen to the voice of God even now. We need to nudge them, shake them, disturb their rest for the battle is at hand.

Now Bro. Campbell, I like your fire and I like your zeal, but what is your plan? You said the Church needs to wake-up...amen. You said we can be the advocates for change...amen. We want to know what is the plan? What is the best method for getting our Youth off of the block and back in the pew? What is the plan for getting our brothas and sistsa out of the Strip Club and into a prayer meeting?

You see, some of us have been fighting on these streets for years reaching out to the lost, the forgotten, and the left behind. We have been out here preaching the Gospel, outside the pulpit and not passing around a collection plate. We have to be careful to not become complacent with just complaints. You got our attention, now tell us coach, the game plan.

I encourage you to write the New Vision and make it plain. There are those out here ready to put the plan into action. What I would like this post to evolve into is a discussion on tactics that we can use and follow-up messages to discuss the results of our efforts.

Only trying to motivate you in Love
Min. CMoore

[D.Brandon Campbell]

Min. CMoore, you pose the question that Min Harris already posed. I wrote about some tactics in a previous post, go back and look for that tell me what you think.

But I think we're getting it all wrong here people. I'm not angry at the church (And when I refer to the church I'm speaking of the body of believers that consider themselves christians and saints.) Nor am I church bashing. This is the black preaching network is it not? So I'm putting the call out to my black preachers! This is not a jugdement, this is a call. I said it in my first post, IT IS TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO WAKE UP!!!

Some people believe we're in the worst times. We may be in the end times, but not the worst times. We have so many tools (internet, phone, email, etc.) now to deliver the gospel and do ministry works that the disciples would kill for! It's just not enough anymore to pray and wait on God! Because God has already given us some power to do some things. Why are we still praying about it? (Only praying about it, not acting on the prayer)

I can stand here all day and quote some scriptures, but again we're preachers right? We know this stuff already. Jakes said it best (Paraphrased) "Christ is on the mountain top seeking Godly counsel, and we're at the base of the mountain SLEEPING!!!

Maybe I haven't been specific enough. so here's some more...........

WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO ABOUT OUR YOUTH?- Numbe one, stop judging them. The church is too busy telling the ones we do have to pull up their pants, and judging their music. If we as the body, would offer an alternative to the mess they see in the streets instead of just judging it, we'd be more influential in their lives. They don't want to stop listening to 50 and Snoop because they have money, cars, and females. We have tambourines, church hats, and good lawd prayers! LOL (I love that Min Harris!) We have to provide an alternative. It's got to be just as exciting, and fun as the rap videos but in a Christ like way.

OH, AND BE REAL!!!! They see your mess! You go to church and shout all sunday, and curse them out all day Monday. They see you go to the alter and "get your deliverance" but smoke a ciggarette right after service. Some of them even smoking a blun.....well I'll leave that alone!

WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO TO GET OUR BROS AND SIS OUT OF THE CLUB?- Again, another great question. I think we must examine why they are spending all of their money and time at the clubs. Again what do we have in the church to counteract that? Why is that married man going to the strip club? He's unhappy at home. Why is that 21 year old going to get crunk every weekend? Cause we ain't crunkng it in the church!
LOL
We must create an environment that is not just about correction of sins, but appealing to the physical man as well.
OH AND LETS BE TRANSPARENT about what we're doing with the chruch funds. This makes people get rid of that lame excuse to not let "some jack legged preacher" take all their money.

You know Christ is the one that never changes, but THE CHURCH SHOULD!!! We have to go with the time. I'm not saying compromise our values, but I am saying we need new and innovative ways to deliver those values to those of the "Crunk Generation".

Most people are in church 3 to 4 hours a week. But the other 164 hours they are around the same mess they came to church to get away from in the first place. We have to find ways to help people keep chirst in the other 164.

Thank God for the men and women of God, out there in the streets and taking ministry outside the walls. But this ain't about you. It's about a collective effort to get the entire body to do the same.

There's so much more, we can share with each other later in this post and others. Til then.........

Be blessed beyond your wildest dreams!
Min. BCam

[Rev. Charles Moore]

Min. BCam,
First let my apologize for not reading the earlier post. I agree with the pooling of Churches for you are correct in stating we serve the same God. But my point of concern will be surrounding the compromising of the Gospel for the sake of being accepted by the world. I consider myself open to both the comtempory and the tradition and I love to worship the Lord so much, I'm able to be comfortable to both enviroments. We spend plenty of time being critical of the word tradition in the church, however let's look at a different view. We must remain careful in becoming to worldly in our to be accepted by the world.

When Jesus walked among the "Gentiles", he never changed his message, he never changed his clothes, not did he attemp to hide his heritage. We want the world to see that Loving God is hip and in our attempt to do so, we try a less offensive approach to get their attention. I heard some say that I can still listen to my crunk music and still be a Christian, but what about the new creature in Christ? We have Soul-ties that we never release and true worship can not be comprimised. Worship songs without reference to Christ is not a worship song, nor can we maintain a steady position in both worlds. THe conversion experince will cause a true change in the believer, with old things passed away. My fear is that people will not know the difference between the club and the Church, and those who don't will be entertained instead of converted. It being too traditional is dangerous, isn't fair to say that being worldly is equally dangerous? what happen to words like Sacred? Everypeople wants to go to Heaven, but many are too connect to their soul-ties to the world.

Now, I do not have any issue with Christian rap music and I don't have a problem with gettin Crunk. I do have a concern that people are gettin lost in the smoke and going to church for the experience and leave the church in the same condition as they entered.

I feel you in the approach, but I don't want to be accepted by the world if it means compromising the Gospel. THe point of conflict is in our attempt to be acceptable by the world, can they still see the Christ in me. The source behind the change in me.

[D.Brandon Campbell]

You're so true. I stated that in my last post as well, I said,
"You know Christ is the one that never changes, but THE CHURCH SHOULD!!! We have to go with the time. I'm not saying compromise our values, but I am saying we need new and innovative ways to deliver those values to those of the "Crunk Generation"."

I agree totally! You and I both are comfortable in the traditional and contemporary, but for those who are not, we've got to reach them! It may take some stuff you and I don't like, but if it's christ, then I say let it be.

I DON'T WANT TO BE ACCEPTED BY THE WORLD!!! Amen? Amen! I want to be listened to. Cause what I got to tell them is some good stuff! LOL.

Remember 15 years ago, praise dancing was ungodly? Remember 20 years ago if you said Jehovah Jireh in a baptist church, it was blasphemy? Remember back before sister act came out, there were no dancing choirs?

All I'm saying brothers and sisters is, BY ALL COSTS WE MUST REACH THE LOST!!!

WAKE UP CHURCH!!!!!!!!

And why not,
Be blessed beyond your wildest dreams!
Min. BCam

[John]

I hear what both you Christian Brothers are saying and hear your frustratioins but still this is the way it is. When God called us the "Luke Warm" age He is not joking and we all know this. We can't fight God's battles no matter how frustrated we get. He doesn't need us to fight His battles and we know this too. This is a "Luke Warm" generation for a reason. We are to comfortable because we think these material things are the answer. We go to church because we feel that's all we have to do or that's all the time I have because I've got wordly things to do. I'm too busy! I just want to recieve information but don't have time to share this information. I hear what you say and we feel that maybe our generation is so intelligent but I have to disagree and don't think the first disciples would want this Information Age we're in. IT makes people lazy. They did it best by being in peoples faces. How can we show these kids anything simply by being behind computers feeding them the internet. I think you ministers just have to stop taking things so personal and do what has worked from day one and that is preach the Word everywhere. Because everyone doesn't come to church and most that do it's just to show they believe and that's good enough for them. Everyone won't get invovled and I know you're aware of this. I do feel and understand your frustration but just keep doing what you feel you should do and let God help. Bless you my Christian brothers.

[Napoleon J. Harris V]

Min. BCam, there is more than nobility to your claims. I feel as though the church is in a time warp, in a bubble, and than lastly in denial. In the time warp because we've never ajusted to the changing climate of society. Only in church will folks slock to be still and listen to a person talk for 30 or more min. Now I ain't saying nothing is wrong with that, but we gotta recognize that times are no they have changed. Even on TV the camera moves angles every 30 seconds or so. What will we do. Secondly and more importantly we are in a time zwarp because we've never adjusted properly to the challenge of intergration. Prior to when Jim Crow was still king we couldn't go anywhere else but church. As it stands now the beloved community has some hefty competition like sports, and restraunts and parks, and whatever else folks decide to do ln liue of worshiping. We have to account for this social change and challenge.

Secondly, the church is in a bubble. We are oblivious to many of the social ills of society. As a whole we do not adress the real problems that betides folk. At best we may heal people by treating the symptoms, but we don't heal as Christ by making people whole. We like BCam keeps asserting have to take it a step beyond acts of benevolence and charity and be proactive and gaugue the systemic ills what keep people bound. We have to wake up to the socail woes of AIDS, unemployment, and the evils of imperialistic capitalism (which is the personification of the evil that stems from loving money). It is the later that has created the most problems for people, nearly every social woe is caused from the greed that fuels this economic system. We as the church have gotta tackle this issue and not sit oblivious watching and waiting looking above, for in our Christian walk to gaze exclusively upwards causes us to trip on our brothers and sisters down here!

Lastly, we are in denial, this is to say that we deny the existence of the 1st 2 ailments. This is dangerouse, because we fail to admit our own destitutreness, and thus ask for help from on high. I do believe that the church is no IS God's vehichle for change. I just believe it will take us too really take a big look at ourselves and do some internal auditing of our current state.

I do not believe bro. John that we are fighting God's battles, no not at all. I believe some of these things are actually our battles that God wants to fight for us, but we aren't even showing up to fight! We have to do better, we may not be sleep but we're definitely looking in the wrong direction! We have to really seek God's counsel and read the Bible, the whole thing! Not just the familiar stories, but all of it. And discern from the text how God wants us to be in the world.

[D.Brandon Campbell]

Applause to Min Harris. (Boy I know you can preach! LOL)

I find myself repeating and trying to make clear what I'm saying. So let me take authority over my post and declare this. THIS IS A CALL TO THE SLEEPING CHURCH TO WAKE UP!!! PERIOD!
If you're doing what I'm talking about then just agree with me. If you think your church is not sleep, then don't worry about it.

Bro. John I understand and see what you're saying. Please understand this is not a frustration post in the sorts of anger. This is a frustration because (let me stop saying how I feel, let me pull preacha out real quick) the body of Christ is not doing enough!

God revealed to me that his church is sleeping. This is not just a call ladies and gentlemen. This is a revelation. If you are not equipped to fight this battle then please step back. I'm talking to the front runners. I'm talking to Judah. I'm talking to people tired of Church as usual. I'm talking to the people of God reading to take the church to the next level. Some of y'all will stay here on this level. STAY!!! God needs the fighters! And we're ready to move!
Bro. John I respectively disagree. This is a fight. But I'm not fighting it FOR God, I'm fighting it WITH him! We are constantly at war with the enemy. Oh brotha ths IS warfare! And it is time for the body to get equipped with the helmet, breastplate and the sword!

You don't think this is a battle? That devil is out there legalizing gay marriage and abortion. He's out there making derrogatory music number one on the charts. Songs blazing on the radio speakers about a girl being "My shawty", a "Bussy baby", and how she can "take pipe". People homeless, hungry and hurting. Terrorists plotting new attacks, and preachers are coming out of the closet! Oh it's a fight!

We been playing church long enough! If you think church is hats, hallelujahs and hooping, you're wrong! Church is minitry! And ministry is service. Not only service to God but to his people.

God said his church will be full service! Not just self serve! Come get your soul fed, your body healed, your mind renewed all in HIS house! Yes! Come learn to interview, buy homes, and invest money! In his house! We're not just going to pray for you. We're going to pray and then move! Ha ha look at your neighbor, nudge them a lil' bit and tell 'em move! MOVE!

We'renot going to just have church. we're going to be church. When FEMA wont do thier job, the church will. When the banks try and con you with a sub-prime loan, the church can teach you to make a better choice.

We're not just going to teach you how to get financed, we're going to finance you! We're going to build the houses. When the state won't offer good schools, we'll build them! CHURCH WAKE UP!!! We will do more! I declare it today!

I declare full service ministry! In my lifetime! Yes! Thank you Lord! (I'm happy y'all) In my lifetime!
WAKE UP CHURCH!!!!!

Lord as you have given this revelation, I pray that you would light our fires God. I pray that preachers can be full time servants to advancing the kingdom and not have to be boggled down with a secular job. Lord I pray that you would open our eyes and wake us up Lord! We're tired of sleeping Lord! WAKE US UP!!! Show us your new level. Thank you in advance for the wake up and the move. Thank you Lord. In my lifetime God! In your name. Amen.

Be blesed beyond your wildest dreams!
Min. BCam