When is it Time to Leave?

A number of professing Christians are alarmed by what they view as fatal heresy and even apostasy occurring in Christianity.  Please allow me to make a distinction here.  The Body of Christ is composed of people.  However, Christianity is composed of various churches, denominations and movements, and people.  The Body of Christ is pure, but Christianity is riddled with heresy.  Many of these factions have been heading down the road to apostasy for quite some time.  I have observed a common paradigm that is woven through all of them.  There are a number of members in each faction that will rise up in protest and oppose the invasion of the heresy.  It does not seem to matter because heresy eventually takes over.  That may be due to the fact that some of the protestors either die or capitulate to the heresies.  There is another reason that I will relate later in this article.  In any case, the result is that the churches, denominations or movements become apostate to a significant degree.  In some of these apostate entities, there are still people protesting even though the organization has become so spiritually decrepit that it appears beyond help.

The question remains; “Why do they stay?”   It is a paradox of sorts.  Although they claim to want purity in their relationship with God, they are willing to associate with an impure entity for no good reason(s).  Some would protest and declare that they have invested their lives in the organization and they are not going to allow Satan to destroy it.  But Satan mocks them and their feeble protests, and then goes on and does what he wishes.  Other ones will not admit it, but they stay because they are fearful of leaving.  They are afraid of the unknown, of losing fellowship with friends, of suffering, and ministers are fearful of losing income and position.  All the reasons amount to an insufficient argument for remaining in fellowship with a religious entity that has been overcome by apostasy.

In my 36 years of following Christ Jesus I have never witnessed an entire church, denomination, movement, turn back to God after reaching critical mass with heresy.  I have witnessed a few churches recapture their former vision and position, but not without conflict and painful upheaval, plus loss of membership and leaders.  The only cure for apostasy seems to be preventative measures.  The moment a heresy knocks on the door, people must rise up and vehemently reject it.  If it has been accepted to a degree and then exposed, they must spew it, as it were, out of their mouths.  There is a good reason that does not occur.  It is because there are a certain number of people in every church, denomination, and movement that view a heresy as an alternate point of view that needs to be heard.  They give place to Satan while they marginalize the protests and insist on being “reasonable” and “rational”. “Reasonable and “rational” translated is, “Give sin a chance.”  The only rationale is to reject heresy in every form no matter how gaudily it is clothed in claims of truth or promises of beneficial worth.

Heresy always comes from very convincing people that appear well-intentioned and even godly.  You can observe these tares most clearly in Internet venues such as forums, blogs, and Facebook pages.  They are the ones who immediately rise in strong opposition when someone points out a heresy.  You would think that they had been poked with the hot iron of a personal insult.  They go off on tirades about accepting other points of view.  Many of them speak in ethereal terms of being loving and kind, or about being thoughtful or considerate.  They accuse the messenger of getting his or her facts from dubious sources, of being ignorant, of leaping to false conclusions, and of being judgmental, legalistic, or even hateful.  However, you never witness them speaking out against any sin or heresy.  All their effort is focused on individuals that dare to challenge a work of darkness.  I have observed them attending church meetings with no outward sign of participating in worship, no reaction to the preaching and teaching, and no outward show of support for anything good that occurs in the church.  However, when a heresy is exposed or prevented from entering the church, they rise up as if they are God-ordained ombudsmen for doctrinal diversity.  Professing Christians that are unstable or dependent on the externals, words and appearances, are easily swayed by such individuals.

True Christians must face the fact that every generation of Christians are infiltrated by individuals that are deemed as mere nominal Christians.  In appearance and action (or lack thereof) they resemble wilted or malnourished wheat.  However, if they were nominal Christians, there would be hope for reviving them to vibrancy.  They are not nominal Christians; they are tares.  These tares will grow and mingle with Christians long enough to assume many of the outward qualities.  However, they will come to life the moment a move of the Holy Spirit occurs, or a heresy approaches for entrance. The Holy Spirit is a threat to them, heresy is an attraction.  It isn’t that they have no discernment, but that they do not have the mind of Christ.  Therefore, they are not alarmed by approaching or invading heresy.  Instead, they become agitated when someone opposes heresy.  They deem heresy as progress, as a natural extension of the thought process that operates in them.  Thus, they make the individual pay dearly that dares to expose or reject what they believe is an increase of God.  I seriously doubt if most of them are even aware that they are in league with Satan.

There is another preventative measure that cannot be neglected without dire ramifications.  A church, denomination, or movement, must have a steady stream of new converts to counter the influence of such people.  In fact, if they are not infused with new converts and periodic revivals, no matter how strong their doctrine may be, that church, denomination, or movement, will die spiritually.  They will become infested with heresy and individuals that cannot discern good from evil.  Nothing righteous can grow in such an environment.  Anyone attempting to remain will use most of his or her spiritual resources resisting the contamination of apostasy.  One has to consider if it is worth such an expenditure and waste of spiritual energy simply to meet with root-bound tares in a particular building.  Is that really what it is all about…a building? Is it worth the massive waste of spiritual energy to remain in a tare infested denomination or movement?  Of what benefit is it to waste all that energy just to have a title in front of the term Christian?  I am more in empathy with ministers whose income is tied to a denomination or movement.  However, it is better to be in poverty, or to work at a secular job, and to have fewer places to preach, than to wade around in a cesspool pouring out fresh water.  Please accept my word of honor that I do not make that last statement from an ivory tower of abundance.

I left the denomination that I was ordained with over much less apostasy than the amount that has infected it today.  I did not wait for the New Age Movement, Roman Catholicism, and etcetera, to infiltrate the leadership.  I witnessed the quenching of the Holy Spirit. It was manifested as disdain and condescension toward ministers that preached with demonstrations of the Spirit and power.  I observed the marginalizing of the anointing, underhandedness, the flagrant lying, and other wickedness in leadership.  I made my exit.  It has not been an easy path, but easy was not what I signed up for when I gave my life to Christ.  God never promised me a cozy and comfortable life with all the perks and benefits of being a “clergyman”.  He called me out of darkness, drug and alcohol addiction, bondage to hatred and violence, and other wicked vices.  I owe Him everything.

Have I suffered?  Yes, but the spiritual benefits of that suffering are priceless.  Did I become financially and materially impoverished?  Yes, but I am spiritually rich.  Was I rejected?  Yes, many times and to great degrees, but I am accepted by God.  That’s really all that matters.  Was I fearful?  Yes, often, but I learned how to hold His hand.  It has always been extended, but I often trusted too much in my own abilities.  Did I feel alone?  Yes, many times.  But I learned how to hear the still, small, voice, and how to embrace the fellowship of His sufferings.  Did I lose my confidence?  Yes, and I have no confidence in the flesh.  Did I endure other hardships?  Yes, but I learned how to pray.  And it was not pagan contemplative praying, but communicating with God for long periods every day.  Have I regretted my decision?  I would be lying if I said that I did not at times regret it.  But each time I thought of going back, I would shudder to the depths of my soul.  Did I have any pity parties?  Yes, many.  I even made some of them last for days.  But they ceased after I re-read Foxes Book of Martyrs and reflecting considerably about the persecuted church.  I’m no martyr.  I would be too embarrassed to relate my woes in heaven before that blessed throng who loved not their lives unto death.  I just thank God that I left before the door closed on my exit.  That door will eventually close on anyone who rationalizes that they can have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness and remain a viable Christian.

Finally, God has a book.  It will not have recorded in it some of the things important to us in the temporal realm.  Instead, in it is recorded the names of people that love Him and their righteous deeds.  When His pen has ceased to move regarding your church, denomination, or movement, it is time to shake the dust off of your shoes and leave.

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord”
And who meditate on His name. (Malachi 3:16)