-
Why Some Quit the Church
We begin by noting that there is a difference between a reason and an excuse. An excuse is designed to release one from his duty without revealing the real truth behind the desire for release. A reason seeks release but tells the truth as to why. A Christian should never have either an excuse or a reason for wanting to forsake his duty to Christ and the church. It is a sad thing that some do quit.
Many offer excuses why they never become Christians, such as, they are too bad, or they are good enough, too young, too old, can't hold out, intend to someday, too many hypocrites in the church, etc. The real reason is that they do not love the Son of God and do not have sufficient faith to lead them to obey.
Some are very much against the church and offer as their excuse such things as the church being too narrow-minded, intolerant, hypocritical, old fashioned, etc. The real reason is that they are untaught, or prejudiced, determined to go their own way, unsubmissive to God's truth, misinformed and closed of mind. Why should anyone ever decide to go to hell because of somebody else?
Still others who have become members of the church will quit. Peter shows the tragedy of those who turn back in II Peter 2:20-22. They offer such excuses as too sick, too tired, too busy, have to work, transportation, first one thing then another, excuses that never keep them from doing anything else they want to do. But the excuses do not reveal the real reasons. In this lesson we want to discuss four reasons behind their quitting. There are others than these four that we could also examine.
Shall We Stand?
Some who quit do not like the stand for the truth that the church must take. What they refuse to accept is the fact that the church does not determine what ought to be upheld. Christ has determined that and revealed that in His word. Brethren only have to decide whether to obey Christ or not.
Many brethren really resist the church taking the Lord's side regarding worldliness. The cares of this world have choked out their love for the Lord. They want the things of this life so much that they will sacrifice Christ in order to have them. They are too steeped in ungodly living and do not wish to give that up. They resent the church teaching against drinking, dancing, smoking, immodesty, gambling, dishonesty, gossiping, etc. because those things are part of their lives and they refuse to abandon them. They do not like the condemnation of the evil, sex-crazed movies, television shows, literature and magazines because they watch them, read them, subscribe to them and enjoy them.
They do not like the church to take God's stand on marriage, divorce and remarriage because they, or someone they know, have become involved in sinful situations from which they have no intentions of leaving.
They do not like to hear the church present lessons on attendance at worship, or cheerful and liberal giving, putting God first, because that interferes with their sports, their fun, their vacations, their popularity and pleasure and having more possessions. When the truth gets in the way of what they want they feel uncomfortable and had rather not have to hear about it, so they quit.
The question that Paul once asked, "Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth?" must be answered, "Yes," by many who quit the church. Nobody becomes more agitated and resentful toward truth than church members who wish the other brethren would tone down the condemnation of sin and the proclamation of Christian duties.
Not Quit. Quitter.
Some do not quit entirely, but they drag their feet, complaining always against faithful brethren who stand for God's word, finding fault with every exposure of their sins, attacking the messengers of truth because they cannot handle the message of truth. They have the foolish idea that they can ride two horses at the same time even though they are going in opposite directions.
Some others, who do not quit altogether and do not complain out loud, choose the route of inconsistency and hypocrisy, pretending to follow Christ but resenting every step of the way. They are all diseased with the dislike of the church standing for the truth, which is the what the church must do.
Some have been known to quit because they do not like somebody else who is a member. It may be an elder, the preacher, somebody, anybody. We ought to make sure that whoever and whatever we dislike is based on the Scripture rather than on personalities, peculiarities, opinions and personal enmity. Scriptural problems can be resolved by scriptural processes. Why should anyone take out their dislike of another against God and turn on Him?
Who Suffer?
Who is hurt the most when someone quits? Is it the person who is not liked, or the person who quits? The one who quits is on his way to hell regardless of how ugly somebody else may he. What could be worse than eternal condemnation? Salvation is faithfulness in Christ whether you like somebody else or not. Disloyalty on my part to Christ does not change the essentiality of faithfulness. Letting somebody else, especially somebody we do not like, keep us out of heaven is foolishness gone to seed.
If ever you consider quitting the Lord's church because of some of the members, you better consider who gets hurt. Do you realize who you are offending? True, everyone is hurt when anyone quits a faithful church. But never does the failure, fault, or weakness of somebody else give you sufficient justification to neglect your sacred duty to God. Keep before us the words of Jesus, "No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven." (Luke 9:62).
An Avenue of Apostasy
Some quit because they marry outside the church and under that influence they lose their zeal to be faithful to it. I am aware that there are many people who have married non- Christians who have not only remained faithful themselves but have converted their mates. If this be your case, be thankful it turned out that way. You are the exception, not the rule. Those who have studied the matter tell us that seven out of ten who marry outside the church eventually leave the church. We have known many, many people who have gone that deadly path. Only a small percentage ever converts their mates.
Many children are lost to the cause of Christ because only one of their parents cared for the Lord's church. The other did not. The children were torn in frustration and confusion and did nothing for the Lord. There is not an adequate way to express the heartache and trouble that has come into the hearts of many brethren because they married outside the church.
Many who marry non-Christians do not leave the church but they become rather bland and shy regarding the truth. They do not stand as they once did. They are prone to compromise and minimize truth in favor of their mates. They are often so critical of the church because the church must take the Lord's position which the non-Christian resents. Homes that are divided religiously may have a degree of happiness now and then, but they can never be what God wants the home to be because Christ does not reign supreme in that home, even at the top.
One of the leading causes for the apostasy of Israel was that they married those outside of God's family and people. This polluted their thinking and their faith suffered. Even though repeatedly warned against it, they persisted in it and it brought their ruin. These things were written for our learning, but many just will not learn.
Marrying one who shares your faith is a safeguard against apostasy. How can people do this thing to themselves and their children they may have? Do they care only for themselves that they leave out God from their marriage? Here is the closest human relationship on earth, and God is omitted. We need all the encouragement we can get to live life faithfully. How contrary to good sense to deliberately place the added burden against yourself by entering a marriage with one who does not put Christ first in life!
We do not apologize for denouncing mixed marriages. If you had seen as much trouble in the lives of others because of such things that most preachers see, you would not see it any other way than the way we have presented it.
Did They Really Start?
Some quit because they may never have really started. They were not converted. They went through a form for some motive, but their heart was not changed. They became a member like somebody joining a club. They held reservations in their mind even as they verbalized their professed convictions. They became a member to please somebody else rather than the Lord. They did not really obey God, but had other motives for doing what they did. Maybe they were misled by over-zealous "soul winners" who did not teach them sufficiently, and when they did come to understand the true cost of being a Christian they melted away. We would not pretend to judge their hearts, but these things are matters of reality with some.
Nothing short of genuine commitment to the cause of Christ will please God. Somebody has said that nobody can be sure just who really belongs to God. We do not subscribe to this view because by the word of truth we can tell who is and who is not a Christian. Being unable, however, to judge another's heart, we may be deceived regarding some. But God knows the hearts of all people. We can tell, as far as outward appearance is concerned, who is indicating faithfulness, but what the inward man is we leave to God. When a person comes to be baptized we ask them if they believe that Christ is the Son of God. Only God knows if they are telling the truth when they say they do. We have to accept what we are told because we are not judges of another's heart. Whether one has really been converted to Christ is between them and God. We can know if we are saved. We may not be one hundred per cent sure of all others. But we must insist that they do what they do in compliance with God s commands, not only outwardly, but inwardly. We can determine the outward, and leave the inward to God and the person involved. Evidently some have gone through the motions outwardly but it becomes evident later that their motives were not as they should have been. They turned away.
This is not to say that all those who fall away never were really converted, as the Baptists erroneously teach. People can fall away and leave that which they once truly and obediently accepted. But some have seemingly fallen away from what they appeared to accept because they either were not aware of what was expected or really never accepted it from the heart. There is difference in being "wetted" in baptism and being "wedded" to the Lord.
Same End
Regardless of why some quit the church, his soul is lost. Does it really matter why one quits when the result is hell in every case? Whatever be the provocation and temptation to quit God, it is folly to do so. Let nothing cause you to quit His church as it strives to continue faithful. You be faithful to Him in His body. Salvation will never be enjoyed in heaven any other way.