Pastor Marvin Sapp, leader of The Chosen Vessel church in Fort Worth, Texas, has responded to criticism surrounding his directive to close the doors during an offering at a recent Christian conference.

Pastor to the stars John Gray III is reacting to Marvin Sapp's viral Church donation request -- telling ushers to close the doors until the congregation coughs up $40,000 -- and he says culture and context are key.

The pastor and gospel singer went viral this week after he was seen telling church ushers to "close the doors" while taking up an offering in a resurfaced video