Leaving a church can be a hard decision for many of us, especially if we have been there for a long time. And, in fact, we are warned about constantly criticizing, complaining, or being divisive within the church body. But is there a time when we must disagree? If so, how should it be done? And are there times when we should leave a church?
Also, we will look at the question of spanking. Should physical discipline be a part of today’s parenting? And if you spank, what should be your heart attitude when doing so?
Today’s Readings:
Job 27 & 28
Psalm 97.1-6
Proverbs 23.13-14
Romans 16.1-27
When It’s Time to Go … Leaving a Church
Romans 16.1-27:
Whining, Complaining, & Criticizing
As Paul concludes the book of Romans, he sends his greetings to all the saints at Rome and wishes them well, but includes another important thought before he closes.
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple (vv. 17-18).
Paul warned us that we shouldn’t hang out with those who complain and criticize all the time (1 Cor. 15.33).
And when their whining, complaining, criticizing, or any other behavior brings division, it can be even more dangerous. Titus 3.10-11 says:
If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them (NLT).
If we find ourselves around someone who is critical or divisive, especially over preference or personality issues, we must lovingly encourage them to pray and trust God. If there are legitimate concerns, they should go and talk to those in leadership. But if they continue to respond in ungodly ways, we must have nothing else to do with them and we certainly don’t want to be one of them!
But while it is important to understand these truths about divisiveness, there are times when we must disagree, but we need to do so in a godly way and for biblical reasons (1 Cor. 11.19).
When It’s Time to Go
In Jude 3 we are encouraged to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
And in Galatians 2.11-14, Paul disagreed with Peter publicly. In fact, he reproved him. So while we need to be very careful of our heart attitudes and how we go about things, there are times when we must speak up.
First, we need to pray and study the Word for ourselves. We need to be sure that our concerns are not over preference issues, but are genuinely doctrinal or biblical in some other way.
Even then, we aren’t to gossip or merely complain and criticize. We need to sit down with our leaders and discuss the issues lovingly and respectfully.
And when there are issues that cannot be resolved or when a church veers from the truth, we may need to prayerfully consider if it is time to go to another church.
Many churches today are choosing to water down the truth to make it more palatable to our culture. Some are even abandoning the clear teachings of Scripture.
But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13.8-9). The Bible was and remains our sole authority and should be the plumb line for our individual lives and what goes on in our churches (Jn. 17.17), especially what is being taught.
Of course, there can be other reasons for leaving a church. But we need to be careful not to become church hoppers. Going here and there, constantly disagreeing over preference issues or with a what’s in it for me attitude is wrong.
Today’s Other Readings:
Job 27 & 28:
The Secret Things Belong to the LORD
In chapter 28, Job talks about the things that men will work so hard to dig out of the earth—gold, silver, and precious stones. Then in verse 12, he says:
But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
The Bible teaches that the wisdom of God—that is—the measure of wisdom that He gives to men and women must be dug out, too. But there is, also, a level of wisdom that remains with God.
Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living (v. 13).
Deuteronomy 29.29 says:
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
God hasn’t seen fit to explain everything He does to us! There are things and truths and reasons which we will not know until we get to heaven, if then. But there are things that we can understand and those things are revealed to us through His Word.
It is our responsibility to read and study the Word and seek to understand. It is the Holy Spirit’s responsibility to illumine our hearts.
So, if you struggle to understand something, pray and ask Him to open your eyes so that you might see wondrous things from His law (Ps. 119.18).
Trust & Obey
But in the end, if there is something going on in your life that you fail to understand, trust Him and remember that the secret things belong to Him.
Job concludes this section with:
Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding (v.28).
We must “trust and obey, trust and obey, trust and obey; there is no other way,” as the old hymn says.
Lord, give us a hunger and thirst for Your Word. And as we read, study and meditate on Your truths open the eyes of our hearts that we may behold wonderful things from Your law. As we encounter those circumstances in our lives which make no sense to us and we are tempted to think, “It’s not fair—You are withholding something good from me or allowing something that I don’t deserve and don’t want,” help us to trust in You and Your character. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an “It’s Not Fair!” attitude, I would highly recommend a book entitled It’s Not Fair!: Finding Hope When Times Are Tough by Wayne Mack. This book can help you understand the character of God and how He might be working in your life. And the more we know Him, the easier it is to trust Him.
Psalm 97.1-6:
The Lord Reigns!
“The Lord reigns …” (v. 1). Have you ever thought about what that means? One definition of the word “reign” says, “the fact of being the dominant or controlling power or factor in something.” In the case of God, He is the dominant and controlling power in everything!
Another definition says, “to be the main or most noticeable feature of a situation, place, or period of time.” Again when we extend that definition to God, He is the main and most noticeable feature of every situation, place, and period of time. He is evident in creation (Rom. 1). His is the hand guiding everything. Time and history are counted based on the life of His Son. “History” is “His-Story.” He was the Creator and He will be the One to Whom every knee will someday bow. It’s all about Him! The Lord reigns!
Proverbs 23.13-14:
To Spank or Not to Spank?
Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.
I know these are hard verses for some and something that flies in the face of many of the current child psychology theories.
As with other areas of thought, our secular society says one thing and God’s Word says another. So we must each answer the question, “What is our source of truth?”
That was the essence of God’s question to Adam and Eve.
God had said, “Don’t eat the fruit for if you do you will surely die.” Satan came along and said, “You will not surely die, but you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In other words, God’s a liar and He’s withholding something good from you.
The passage goes on to say that their eyes were opened and they saw that “they were naked.” God’s question to them was, “Who told you that you were naked?” In other words, what or who is your source of truth?
Lovingly & Wisely
Of course, we must remember that Scripture is to be interpreted in light of other Scripture. Ephesians 6.4 says, “… do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” We must have the right heart attitude when we discipline our children. God does not want us to discipline our children in a way that would injure them and neither are we to do it in anger.
This passage is talking about “loving” physical discipline used when appropriate. Discipline that hurts enough to make an impression, but not so much as to do bodily harm. It should be done in love, with the best interest of the child in mind, and should include loving instruction in helping the child come to genuine repentance.
The “rod” might be a wooden spoon for a younger child or a small flat paddle for one a little older. Again, something that will sting and bring tears, but not anything that would do real harm.
I’ve heard many arguments against spanking. Number one among them is that they will just learn to hit, too. But when discipline is administered lovingly on the backside with a “honey-I-love-you-too-much-to-let-you-go-your-own-way” attitude, even a young child knows the difference between a spanking and hitting in anger.
What Do You Think?
Have you ever had to leave a church? Do you believe you left for biblical reasons?
How do you make sure your decisions are biblically based and that you keep God’s Word as your source of truth?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about seven ways to avoid a roller coaster of emotions, habits that rob us of God’s blessings, and ask the question, “If you died tonight, do you know for sure where you would spend eternity?”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.
And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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