"This situation somewhat prepared me for being a pastor's wife, but as a naturally trusting person, I still got caught off guard by evil people. I have sadly learned that wolves want to harm, which is very different from people who don't intend to cause harm but do. They create so much confusion for the sheep in the church because they know how to manipulate relationships and scatter the church. I have learned that anytime I sense someone coming to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10, GNT), there is a demonic element involved." -- Grace Driscoll
Now this is going to be a deeper teaching than you are used to Grace but I pray you listen. I have included the entire context of John 10:10 because so many people conflate the devil with the thief. The devil is NOT the thief listed in John 10:10. What can we glean from the passage? The thief does not enter the sheepfold by the door but rather climbs in another way. The sheep do not know the voice of the thief for they do not belong to him. They will follow the voice of the shepherd but flee from the thief. The listeners did not understand the figure of speech Jesus was using so He tried to be clearer for them. Jesus is the door of the sheep. If the sheep enter through Him they will be saved. Conversely, all others are considered thieves and robbers and if entered through them -- they will not be saved. That is what the thief steals, kills and destroys. If we enter into the true church through Jesus Christ we are saved and can expect eternal life in abundance. If we entered the apostate church through a false Christ then the thief has effectively stolen salvation from us and our eternity is killed and destroyed if we do not reject the wolves and come out from among them upon hearing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ preached. For the wolf does not care for the sheep. He runs them over with imaginary church buses and joyfully preaches about it. He leaves them to die when the going gets tough. Are you getting the sense of who the wolf was in your scenario Grace?
It is truly beyond shame that Grace Driscoll would actually write an article about church hurt as if she is the victim of it. To completely ignore the incalculable hurt she and her husband have wrought upon the church. To then cite John 10:10 out of context and completely miss that the thief in question is the false teacher and thus is her husband. Yes there truly is a demonic element involved when a pastor beats his sheep, steals from them, cheats a national newspaper and then skips out on any discipline. That truly is demonic.
"This is why church hurt is so common. I have had numerous conversations with people who are afraid of or opposed to trying church again because they are confused or have been hurt by wolves. The church is supposed to be a safe place for hurting people to heal, but evil people hurt them more. Sadly, some people let this be a reflection of who God is instead of seeing it as a spiritual battle for which we should run to Jesus for help. Satan wants us to be isolated, not hear the preached Word, and not be in God's presence with God's people. When people in the church hurt us, we can ask God to heal those wounds and bring healthy, wise people into our lives. They can help us discern the counterfeits to Christ and help us heal." -- Grace Driscoll
Wow. The disconnect is staggering. This is just like that pastor at my Friday prayer meetings wailing that someone needed to repent when it was himself all along. You have had numerous conversations with church hurt people who are afraid to or oppose trying church again because they have been confused and hurt by wolves? Were any of these folks from the greater northwest area? Yes, church should be a safe space and it is tragic when evil people hurt them more. Now carefully take out your mirror Grace.
This is so sad beloved. Grace and Mark Driscoll have literally hurt thousands of people, many of which will never return to church. I have become friends with a few and the damage is quite real. Yet this article reflects what has been consistently portrayed by Mark since they left. That somehow, they were the victims. In this post-truth world it is important to emphatically state they were not. They were and remain the wolves.
Pray for their latest victims in Arizona as well as those still bleeding in Seattle.
