Craig Groeschel: You're not doing squat if your ministry hasn't been called a cult

Craig Groeschel, the founding pastor of LifeChurch.tv, stated that pastors are "probably are not doing squat" in God's Kingdom if their ministry has not been labeled as a cult.

The pastor spoke during the Catalyst Atlanta Conference at the Infinite Energy Arena where he decried how Christians often point out each other's flaws.

He recalled a time when an evangelist knocked on his door and invited him to his church. He revealed to the evangelist that he was a part of Life Church. Not knowing that Groeschel was the pastor, the evangelist said to him, "My pastor says your pastor doesn't preach the truth."

"I wonder how much it grieves the heart of God, how often we as Jesus followers take shots at one another," Groeschel said.

"We have a common Enemy," he continued, "but the enemy is not the church down the street, not another denomination, or a style of worship."

He noted that Satan is working to destroy the unity of the Church and added that if the Church continues to work together, Christ's work would be unstoppable.

The Catalyst conference, titled "Uncommon Fellowship," focused on John 17 where Jesus prayed for the Church to be one.

Groeschel said that to achieve "uncommon unity," churches must recognize that it needs help from other ministries. He also emphasized that "unity is not uniformity" and added that there is strength in diversity.

The pastor stated that churches are often tempted to criticize the flaws of others and noted that no congregation is immune from this temptation.

Groeschel also highlighted the importance of generosity. He recalled one time that he prayed for a Bible and received one from the Gideons on the same day. Years later, he got involved in the development of a Bible app that had the potential to make him richer but he refused to cash in.

"The Bible I got was free, and the Bible we have will always be free," he said. "The Bible is not for sale," Groeschel continued.

The pastor said that Jesus' uncompromising love is the Church's greatest weapon. He believed that it should be applied even to pne's worst enemy.

He recalled an instance when he wanted to kill a man who molested his younger sister but he was convicted by the verse Matthew 6:15 which stated, "If you do not forgive others my Heavenly Father will not forgive you."

He wrote a letter to the man to forgive him and shared how he found grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Thousands attended the annual three-day Catalyst Atlanta conference which began on Oct. 5. Other speakers  present at the conference include Andy Stanley, Derwin Gray, Soong-Chan Rah, Brenda Salter McNeil, Christon Gray and many others.