Title: At What Point Should You Leave a Church? Meta: The time to leave a church is when you realize this church and her leadership has no commitment whatsoever to Christ or the Gospel; it is not a true church. - Phil Johnson Tags: church,leaving,member,Gospel,Phil Johnson 1 00:00:00,235 --> 00:00:02,000 When you have a friend 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,689 who is in a church that doesn't preach repentance, 3 00:00:05,689 --> 00:00:08,079 is not teaching on sin, 4 00:00:08,079 --> 00:00:09,681 is not calling people to Christ, 5 00:00:09,681 --> 00:00:11,729 is not preaching a Biblical Gospel, 6 00:00:11,729 --> 00:00:15,280 how do you counsel that person 7 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:16,901 to leave the church? 8 00:00:16,901 --> 00:00:18,754 And I guess I would add, 9 00:00:18,754 --> 00:00:22,744 at what point does a Christian 10 00:00:22,744 --> 00:00:26,146 leave a church where they don't align 11 00:00:26,146 --> 00:00:28,722 on different issues? 12 00:00:28,722 --> 00:00:32,277 Yes, and I am always reluctant 13 00:00:32,277 --> 00:00:35,852 to encourage people to leave churches 14 00:00:35,852 --> 00:00:38,242 where the Gospel is preached. 15 00:00:38,242 --> 00:00:41,867 There are churches that aren't really that good, 16 00:00:41,867 --> 00:00:44,999 but at least they adhere to and proclaim the Gospel. 17 00:00:44,999 --> 00:00:47,231 You can read the letters of Christ 18 00:00:47,231 --> 00:00:50,495 to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, 19 00:00:50,495 --> 00:00:52,799 and you discover that most of those churches 20 00:00:52,799 --> 00:00:57,164 had really bad features in one way or another. 21 00:00:57,164 --> 00:01:01,484 Most of them got as much scolding as praise from Jesus. 22 00:01:01,484 --> 00:01:03,097 But never did He say to anyone, 23 00:01:03,097 --> 00:01:04,719 you should get out of that church 24 00:01:04,719 --> 00:01:07,303 and go to the church at Philadelphia. 25 00:01:07,303 --> 00:01:09,941 He didn't say that. 26 00:01:09,941 --> 00:01:12,993 So, I think if you're a person who 27 00:01:12,993 --> 00:01:14,914 knows the truth and knows the Gospel, 28 00:01:14,914 --> 00:01:17,721 and you have an opportunity to teach 29 00:01:17,721 --> 00:01:20,487 and have your voice heard and all that 30 00:01:20,487 --> 00:01:21,332 in a church, 31 00:01:21,332 --> 00:01:23,013 then you need to use your influence 32 00:01:23,013 --> 00:01:24,919 as much as possible to move that church 33 00:01:24,919 --> 00:01:26,145 in a good direction. 34 00:01:26,145 --> 00:01:29,238 Sadly, that doesn't always happen 35 00:01:29,238 --> 00:01:30,660 and people sort of cave in 36 00:01:30,660 --> 00:01:32,386 and go along with the flow 37 00:01:32,386 --> 00:01:34,266 because it's easier. 38 00:01:34,266 --> 00:01:36,479 But the time to leave a church 39 00:01:36,479 --> 00:01:39,669 is when you realize this church and her leadership 40 00:01:39,669 --> 00:01:42,248 has no commitment whatsoever to Christ 41 00:01:42,248 --> 00:01:43,108 or the Gospel. 42 00:01:43,108 --> 00:01:44,590 It's not a true church. 43 00:01:44,590 --> 00:01:46,672 I grew up in a church like that as I said. 44 00:01:46,672 --> 00:01:48,337 It was a mainstream liberal church. 45 00:01:48,337 --> 00:01:49,625 And I had lots of friends 46 00:01:49,625 --> 00:01:53,659 who were genuine believers - 47 00:01:53,659 --> 00:01:56,900 not the soundest thinkers. 48 00:01:56,900 --> 00:01:58,912 But my best friend, 49 00:01:58,912 --> 00:02:01,718 his father was a Pentecostal, 50 00:02:01,718 --> 00:02:03,266 faith-healing evangelist. 51 00:02:03,266 --> 00:02:05,874 And I think he really understood the Gospel 52 00:02:05,874 --> 00:02:07,453 and he had the Gospel, 53 00:02:07,453 --> 00:02:10,377 but he spent all the years that we were best friends 54 00:02:10,377 --> 00:02:12,653 he spent trying to get me to speak in tongues. 55 00:02:12,653 --> 00:02:14,673 He never gave me the Gospel. 56 00:02:14,673 --> 00:02:16,705 And when I discovered the Gospel 57 00:02:16,705 --> 00:02:19,869 and realized I need to repent and be saved 58 00:02:19,869 --> 00:02:21,595 I was pretty irritated with him. 59 00:02:21,595 --> 00:02:23,676 I said you've known me for all these years 60 00:02:23,676 --> 00:02:25,091 and you're talking to me 61 00:02:25,091 --> 00:02:26,416 about speaking in tongues, 62 00:02:26,416 --> 00:02:28,206 but you've never given me the Gospel. 63 00:02:28,206 --> 00:02:29,419 Why? 64 00:02:29,419 --> 00:02:31,076 And it just never occurred to him 65 00:02:31,076 --> 00:02:32,270 to give me the Gospel. 66 00:02:32,270 --> 00:02:34,079 So that's my answer to the other part 67 00:02:34,079 --> 00:02:34,907 of the question: 68 00:02:34,907 --> 00:02:37,226 how do you counsel a person who's in a church like that? 69 00:02:37,226 --> 00:02:38,302 Give them the Gospel 70 00:02:38,302 --> 00:02:40,651 because they might not be hearing it at church. 71 00:02:40,651 --> 00:02:42,643 And though they profess to be a believer, 72 00:02:42,643 --> 00:02:44,686 they might not really understand 73 00:02:44,686 --> 00:02:46,711 what faith in Christ entails. 74 00:02:46,711 --> 00:02:48,415 So teach them the Gospel, 75 00:02:48,415 --> 00:02:50,307 and then you'll be in a better position 76 00:02:50,307 --> 00:02:52,729 to tell them what to do about where they go to church. 77 00:02:52,735 --> 00:02:55,151 And in fact, if they're going to a church 78 00:02:55,151 --> 00:02:57,575 where the Gospel isn't taught, 79 00:02:57,575 --> 00:03:00,692 and they hear the Gospel and believe, 80 00:03:00,692 --> 00:03:02,551 I think it's going to be their instinct 81 00:03:02,551 --> 00:03:03,919 to want to leave that church 82 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,234 and go where Christ is proclaimed.