This lack of loyalty to our
church family is contrary to the ways of God. The Bible tells us not to love
only with words, but in deed and in truth as well (1 John
3:18). As those who are chosen of God,
we are holy and beloved. Therefore, we need to put on a heart of compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and
forgiving others even as the Lord forgave us. Love is the bond of perfection
and keeps peace within the Body of Christ (Colossians 3:12-14). With God’s Spirit within us we are capable of
abounding in love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and to all the saints (2 Corinthians
8:7).
When Jesus was asked to
identify the greatest commandment, He said, "Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength." Then he said, “...and love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark
12:30-33). All of our love belongs to
God and out of this bond flows our love for one another. Would you like to be
treated with patience and compassion? Treat those in your church family the
same way. We are imitators of God as beloved children. We walk in love, just as
Christ loved us. He laid down His life for us and we can do no less for one
another (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Let us commit every area of
our life to our Heavenly Father and glorify Him in all that we do by bearing
with each other’s foibles and personality quirks, preferring one another above
our self (Colossians 3:13). It
is to our credit to bear with one another (Proverbs 19:11). We accept
each other just as we are and we allow God to work in our lives as He sees fit.
This brings glory to God (Romans 15:7).
It also safeguards us from getting easily offended, from giving up on our union
with our brothers and sisters and from hopping from one church to another.
If discontentment is fueling
your desire to leave, you will take it with you no matter what church you
attend. If something offensive was said or done to you, it was probably
unintended; so talk to the person who offended you and get the issue resolved
rather than leave the church. If you did something offensive and are
embarrassed, ask for forgiveness and move past the incident, do not think you
have to go to another church to escape humiliation. God often uses members in
our church who are carnal and whose edges are rough to serve as sandpaper to
rub off our imperfections. "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the
countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17).
If you feel a genuine
leading from God to go to another church, make an appointment to talk to your
pastor first and discuss your reasons with him. He has invested his time and
nurture into your life. Leaving his flock without discussing your issues is
like walking out on a marriage without looking back. If he perceives that you
have God’s will as the motive for your move, he will send you on with his
blessing. Then, if you ever want to return to that church, you have not muddied
the waters by negative words and behavior.
However, the longer you stay
at one church, the more you build trust with other members of the congregation.
Few people will open up to a stranger. That is why long-term ministry with one
church almost always brings greater opportunity to reach people at deeper
levels and in more intimate ways than if you move from church to church. A sign
of spiritual maturity is that people can be loving and patient with anyone (1 John
2:10, Galatians 5:22-23), and they can
humbly submit themselves to truth and the correction of authority (Hebrews
13:17).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, whenever we
consider moving to another church, remind us to evaluate the impact our exit
will have on our present congregation. Help us to consider if it will
ultimately benefit both congregations, or if Satan will use our departure for
his purposes. Sometimes, You do lead us to leave one church for another; but
help us to follow Your leading and to lay down our life for one another. Remind
us not to be moved by fleshly considerations and to give much prayer and honest
examination of our motives before changing churches. Help us never to damage
Your Saints through a selfish move on our part. I know You will hold us
accountable for our actions. Remind us to keep an eternal view when we make all
of our decisions.
Thought for the Day:
Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. –
Ephesians 4:2