California Assembly Bill 2943 is raising a lot of eyebrows around the country. What the bill is about is placing a ban on the advertising and/or sale of sexual orientation change efforts, or SOCE. “Sexual orientation change efforts” refers to any effort by someone seeking to change someone else’s sexual orientation. In other words, if someone is a homosexual, this law would ban a counselor in a paid transaction situation from encouraging that homosexual to adopt a heterosexual lifestyle. It would also ban the sale of any books or other media that encourages a homosexual to adopt a heterosexual lifestyle. There is no word if the bill would also ban someone from trying to convince a heterosexual to become a homosexual, but that would probably be OK given the moral climate in California.

          Aside from the fact that this bill makes certain free speech illegal, there is a more direct concern to Christians. What if a pastor, whose job description includes counseling, sits down with one of his youth and talks about this issue? He gets paid, in part, to do counseling for all manner of things. In doing so and talking against homosexuality, is he violating the law? The way the bill is worded, yes, he is in violation of the law. There are several fact checking organizations that say no, the bill would not be interpreted in that fashion, but why not? The wording is pretty broad. Besides, we were told in the beginning that abortions would happen only in the cases of rape, incest and if the mother’s life was in danger. We see how that has gone. It has become the ultimate in birth control. Going on, though, if you cannot sell media material that condemns homosexuality and the efforts to get someone to leave that lifestyle behind, could the Bible be banned from being sold? Leviticus 20:13---If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Now that is a pretty stern warning to the Jews who are contemplating a homosexual lifestyle. Maybe just the Old Testament would be banned? Probably not just the Old Testament. Romans 1:26-28---Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. Well, that seems like a pretty clear denunciation of homosexuality in the New Testament. Would it be enough to have sales of the Bible banned?

          There are many who would say that ministers will not be fined or arrested and the sale of the Bible will never be banned in these United States. As it happens, I am old enough to remember prayer in school. I remember the pastor of the little church we attended for a while in Leroy, Ohio telling us that Christians would never allow prayer to be taken out of school. I remember when abortion became legal. Even the Christians I knew were saying that they could understand the rape and incest and health of the mother thing. Made sense. And I remember what was said when same sex marriages were allowed. All three of these things were not laws that were passed. These things were decisions by the Supreme Court in interpreting existing laws. However, here it is a law being passed and the wording of the law does allow for legal action against ministers and the banning of the sale of the Bible.

           Of course, there will be courageous ministers and churches that will defy the law. But, cowardice is far easier. And there will be thousands of Christians nationwide who will put up money to buy Bibles to be given away in California. Time, however, will lessen the sting of the new law. Ministers will start leaving California. They will have families to consider. It won’t take long and California will be left to the devices of Satan. Then, gradually, other states will adopt their own laws. It is, after all, the considerate thing to do. Or, maybe, the Supreme Court will just make a ruling and just like that the law will become nationwide.

         Do you really think it will not happen? Really? After all we have seen? Really? Maybe we have adopted a ‘so what’ mentality about the other things. It doesn’t affect me. But this will affect you and me and all of Christianity.

          In one way, I look forward to the coming hailstorm. Christians in this country have never faced real persecution. It is going to be interesting to see how we handle it. But then, I also consider those younger than me. The struggles they will face, the hardships they will endure. And I consider all those who think it will never come here. Their disappointment as they enter into those struggles and hardships. Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in 1948, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” And it will be a condemnation.

          So, what can we do? Legally, any chance to vote something like this down, we do it. The real weapon, though, is prayer. Seeking God’s will. The US is not mentioned in end time prophecy (there are those who say the US is there, but that is based in hope rather than real Scripture). By the time the end times are upon us we will not be a Spiritual nation at all. Even so, we Christians need to still pray. Pray for the Lord to forestall it and pray that the Lord gives us the strength to withstand it.

          Amazing where we are in 2018. More than ever, we need to depend upon the Lord. Deuteronomy 31:6---Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. The hand writing, so to speak, is on the wall. But we need to be strong and courageous.

          Blessings.

          God had a plan for Adam and Eve. Then Satan popped up and that plan was sidetracked. God had a plan for Noah. Satan tried to cripple that plan, but he failed because Noah was faithful. God had a plan for Abraham and Sarah. Satan rose up at every fork in the road and attempted to wreck the plan. Sometimes he succeeded, but when he did succeed in interrupting Abraham, Abraham learned a little more about God. In the end, Abraham followed God and won the victory. God had a plan for David. Satan was desperate to spoil the plan and, like with Abraham, Satan won a few rounds. But God, in partnership with David, won out and the plan was fulfilled. God had a plan for Paul. But Satan, working through difficult circumstances and physical problems and unfaithful assistants, tried mightily to silence Paul, only to find that Paul could not be silenced.

          There is a constant war going on between God and Satan and the war is being fought on the battlefield of our very souls. God has a plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11-13---¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. When we fail to achieve the plan, it is because Satan has stepped in the way. However, when Satan does assail us, we know that the plan is important enough to warrant Satan working to thwart the plan. Do we cave to Satan, or do we push forward with the Lord?

               What is God’s plan for Urbana Yoke Parish? Since I am the pastor of the church, I naturally have all the answers. So, Pastor, what is God’s plan for Urbana Yoke Parish? I can tell you unequivocally and knowingly……I have no idea. I can, however, quote the great old song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.” Many things about tomorrow/ I don't seem to understand/ But I know who holds tomorrow/ And I know who holds my hand.

          God has a plan for this church. As Jeremiah said, He is giving us a future and a hope. Back in April, we made a huge leap of faith, voting to move to just one worship center after many, many years of spending large sums of money keeping two older buildings open and looking sharp. This decision was a hard one for many to make. But the committee gave a clear and well thought out, and well researched, presentation. For all of us there was clearly little choice. Where will this lead? There will eventually be more money for ministry. As we go along there will be benefits we cannot imagine as yet. And we will see, eventually, the plan that God has for this church that has been delayed for multiple decades. For the moment, we are seeing an excitement that I, for one, didn’t expect. Things are happening, things are taking shape and soon the builders will be on site. It is a blessing!

          But, as always, there is Satan. If all this was happening and there was no response from Satan, I would be worried. He is not going to trifle with any church if he sees that church just plugging dully along, wearily following their own lead rather than the leading of the Lord. Lots of churches do that and Satan just lets them go. Why should he bother when they are doing his work for him? However, we have seen little things of the workings of Satan here and there. Rumors. Applications for permits just dropping through the cracks. One contractor dropping out. All the usual delays. Nothing big, really. Through everything the folks have gotten stronger in resolve.

          And then, just in the last two weeks, people outside the church are suddenly getting angry. People who don’t attend and don’t support the ministry and who never have anything good to say, are suddenly threatening what we are doing. One says they will get the building that is going to no longer be used on the National Register of Historic Places so it cannot be anything other than what it is now. Another saying that they are going to retain a lawyer and legally stop what we are doing. Unreasoning anger and desperate words. Fueled by Satan. As one said, “I fully plan on taking legal action and getting a lawyer involved to save the church and get a petition going I have a dog in this fight and will just see who comes out on top” I didn’t accidentally forget to put punctuation in that portion. The whole e-mail was like that. One long, run-on sentence. Threatening. It actually made me smile a little. I can understand intense feeling, but when one resorts to threats, that person is being a mouth piece for Satan. And that then causes me to know that what we are doing is right. God doesn’t resort to threats and posturing. Satan does resort to threats and posturing. We are also told in these pleasant little postings that the people in the church were manipulated into making the decisions they made. That bothered me a little bit. A person who can be manipulated is a weak, emotionally compromised person. I look around on Sunday morning and I don’t see anyone like that at all. These people are insulting the congregation. It is all about their agenda, which is Satan’s agenda.

          Can the buildings be put on the National Register for Historic Places? Sure, if the owners of the buildings request it and the buildings are accepted as such. However, an outsider cannot get the buildings on the Register. Can they bring legal action? Yes, they can if they can find a lawyer to take a case he will lose. We were very careful to dot all the ‘I’s and cross all the ‘T’s to make sure we were legal in all we did. We will move forward.

          As we move forward we will be attacked by Satan. It doesn’t matter. God has a plan for us. Many of us will likely never see the full fruition of that plan, but personally speaking, I don’t have to see the end result in 20 or 30 years. Many things about tomorrow/ I don't seem to understand/ But I know who holds tomorrow/ And I know who holds my hand.

          One of my major faults as a husband (and I freely admit to many faults) is that I do not do vacations well. Over the last 40+ years vacations have been canceled or shortened because of things happening in the church. Money for vacations has sometimes been an issue. Sometimes it was a car you just could not trust to take anywhere. But mostly, over the years I have been unable to focus on getting away from it all and having fun. Either the church at the time has filled my mind or, during the funeral home days, the families I felt I was neglecting.

          Last week’s vacation could have been different. I have been trying to change my outlook on life since my surgery. I figure Marsha deserves that from me. Those canceled vacations and shortened vacations have affected her, as well. What we should have done with this vacation is that we should have gone somewhere instead of going ‘home.’

          While on vacation everyone I talked to asked me how it felt to be ‘home.’ I know what they meant. In a ten mile stretch on Rt. 20 in Northeast Ohio there are three towns. Perry to the west, Madison in the middle and Geneva to the east. I grew up in Perry, Marsha and I lived in Madison and we pastored and lived in Geneva, where our son and his wife still live. If anywhere is home, it is that stretch of three towns. Except it isn’t home. Not to me. For the first little bit when someone would ask how was it being home, I replied, “I’ll let you know next week.” I thought that was funny and clever. It just got met with confused looks, so I let it go.

          While on vacation we saw, and stayed with, family. That is always a good thing. For a little while. No longer do you have to worry about long distance calling rates, so we are in contact with family whenever we want to be. Getting together is enjoyable as far as being in their presence, but there is nothing to catch up on. Margaret had a bout with cancer and had surgery, but Marsha stayed on top of that. Adam struggled with his long drive to work last winter, but we knew all about it. Buddy has gotten some things settled in his life, but we were aware. Nothing new to catch up with. I kept thinking about Mary Earle going zip lining and wishing we had done the same. It is not a lack of love for family. It is just that there are many things to do.

          While on vacation we got together with friends. Word got out through our daughter in law that we were coming into town and all of a sudden, our free time was gone. I got together with four different pastors over four meals (Marsha got to miss one of those get togethers). We also got together with the funeral home crew for a big meal together. It was very nice, but it also was not in the original plan. It certainly wasn’t wasted time. In these cases, there was catching up to do. Baby pictures to look at, stories to tell, tears to wipe away. I was, and still am, very close with the pastors and the funeral home crew. At one time I have prayed with all of them. There have been times when some of them have prayed with me. It just wasn’t part of the plan.

          While on vacation we got to see the sights. Sort of. There were some places we were absolutely going to go to, but never had the time. There is a favorite park we used to go to a lot and have picnics, particularly on New Year’s Day. (Amazing how empty parks are in Northeast Ohio on New Year’s.) Beautiful park. We have had great times there! We drove through. Took maybe 10 minutes. The Amish community in our area is not commercialized or built up. One small general store with a place to eat. We intended to drive around, but we went to the general store and had a sandwich. Not enough time for anything else. Lake Erie was always a part of our lives. Often the rolling of the surf would put us to sleep at night, or on occasion the tug boat horns blowing as they wrestled a ship into harbor would keep us awake. We sat in the car on a bluff over looking the Lake for about five minutes. Then we had to go.

          We left a day early because Marcia Knee was in the hospital, and it was a good thing. If we had left when we had planned I would never have gotten to have had my last conversation with her before her passing. But my Marsha and I were both happy to leave and come home. With the church happenings and school starting and the holidays rolling in (sorry, but it is true) there is so much to do and to look forward too. Vacations are good, but they don’t beat real life.

          There was one thing on vacation that was a real treat, though. Rev. Bob Cunningham pastored a church close by the church I pastored in Geneva for years. Bob and his wife Judy and Marsha and myself did some things as couples, ballgames, meals and such, but Bob and I got together weekly for coffee and conversation. When they retired they moved to Arizona for Judy’s health. Judy died a couple of weeks after my surgery and in time, Bob moved to where he wanted to move to in retirement, which was Florida. Though we talk often, we hadn’t seen each other in six years. As it happened, Bob was going to be coming up the same week we were going to Ohio. We arranged to have dinner together and then the three of us went to a ballgame. But the real fun came on Sunday. Bob had had a man in his church named Brett Hildabrandt who felt led into the ministry. Brett went through the lay ministry course under Bob and completed it. By that time Bob had retired. Brett then became my associate pastor for several years. He told me once that Bob had been his inspiration, I had been his mentor and Marsha had been his big sister. Brett now pastors a church in the area. He and I talk fairly often, but we haven’t seen each other since we moved here and he and Bob haven’t seen each other for quite a while. So, Bob and Marsha and I conspired to just pop in on him on Sunday morning. We sat down front on the third row. (typical church, we were the farthest ones forward in the church) Brett came in talking to one of the men. He was busy reading something, but he finally put it aside and started to scan the crowd. His eyes flitted past us and continued on, then he stopped and slowly came back to Marsha. Recognition settled on his face. Then he looked at me then Bob. He just dropped his head, but you could see the big grin. Now that was fun and worth the entire vacation.

          So, we are back. This past week has been busy, next week will be busy, holidays are coming………..good to be home.

          Marsha and I are leaving Monday morning for a week’s vacation. It will actually be the first time we have taken off together since we have been here. Because of my extended time off with my surgery last year I really didn’t feel I could take vacation time off. Then, Aaron insisted (Pastor Larry, you will take a week off.) and I scheduled a week in September. But Marsha had an event with the ladies and one thing led to another and we got away for two days to Michigan. But now, we are going to be visiting family in Ohio for a week. Other than two over night trips to Ohio for funerals, I have not been back in the time we have been here. I am looking forward to it.

          Getting together with non-family members is going to happen, too, but with three other pastors. And the funeral home folks. Our daughter-in-law called the other night to talk to Marsha. Somehow, my former co-workers at the funeral home found out we were going to be in town. (The only way they would know is the daughter-in-law telling them since she works there.) They want us all to get together. I really care for these people and we all have really good relationships. But, it is a family trip. On the other hand, it will be a free meal. The getting together with the pastors will be in three different situations, all of which involve eating. (Ever wonder what pastors do when they get together? They eat.) I talked to one pastor this week, a man who has been my friend for 23 years. I went to Ohio last December for an overnight to be with him at his son’s funeral. When we talked on the phone he told me he really needed to talk about some things. I have a feeling what it is about, because we have talked about it many times. Chuck is a retired United Methodist Church pastor, but he is still fairly active. With everything going on in the UMC, and given how distressed he has become over it all, I think Chuck is going to cut his ties with his denomination. It is distressing to see someone agonizing over losing something like that, but it is encouraging to know he is choosing Scripture over tradition. My old friend is struggling with the issue and it is causing him pain.

          The UMC is not the only denomination that is following a different path than Scripture. Acutely aware of society, almost every denomination in America today is trying to walk a line between God’s Word and society trends. The problem when you straddle the fence is that you are accomplishing nothing. We have talked about this whole thing in this blog before, so we are not going to get into it now. Suffice it to say, every denomination in the country is getting smaller at a time when the population is growing at an unprecedented rate. The UMC, as an example, has gone from 11,000,000 people in the USA in 1968 to 7,000,000 million now while the national population has grown from 201,000,000 in 1968 to 327,000,000 in 2017. Religion is in trouble.

          BUT! WAIT! There is good news! Religion is not the same as Christianity. I know I have been quoting polls lately by Christian polling companies that keep their fingers on the pulse of Christianity in America, and this will be the last time for a while, but while church attendance is going down, Bible reading is actually going up. You would think that one would reflect the other, but the fact is, many church goers never crack the Book while many readers never darken the doors of a church.

          Here is what I have found out this week. 48% of Americans read their Bibles. Meanwhile, less than 20% attend church. Granted, the first poll question asked if you read daily, the next if you read weekly, the next monthly and then the last quarterly. But the question for church attendance is the same, which still puts Bible reading way above church attendance. In fact, those adults who read at least several times a week are at 35 %. And this does not include reading in church.

51% of all Baby Boomers (age 53 -71) read the Bible on a regular basis, while the generation above that, the Elders, only have 48% who read the Bible. I have been told all my adult life that Boomers are taking the country to ‘hell in a handbasket’, whatever that means, but it seems as my generation gets older they are turning back to the Word. In fact, all the age groups among adults (Millennials, Gen Xers, Boomers and Elders) are all reading the Bible to some degree at close to 50%. It is a trend we don’t see in the news media, but it seems that, in the privacy of their own time, Americans are dusting off the Word.

 Another interesting thing is that well over half of all these people who are reading the Word are reading it electronically. Computers, laptops, tablets, Kindles, cell phones or whatever. Many reasons for that, but the biggest is convenience. I do this mostly because I can adjust the font to be able to read better. But there is no denying that convenience is a key. Also, in many electronic applications, one can cross reference and search with lightning speed not to mention the fact that, in many cases,  you can set your electronic device to read to you.

 66% of all Americans wonder often what the Bible says about certain events, which indicates a certain confidence in the authority of the Scripture. What is really interesting here is that among the most curious are adults with minor aged children at home. They are worried about their children and want some reassurances. Further, 53% of adult American wonder how the Bible can affect their lives. This would indicate to me that maybe, just maybe, people are realizing that they need a guidebook to get through life.

 57% of adult readers say that reading the Scripture makes them more aware of their need for God in their lives. They may not understand, at least at first, how that happens and how it fits their lives, but they are on a journey, and a journey is made up of many steps. People are reading the Scripture and wanting more.

 To end the poll, 58% of all adult Americans say that the Bible has transformed their lives.

 Your first reaction is probably exactly like mine. WHAT??!!? That makes no sense whatsoever. How can people be reading the Bible more and sin is abounding more? If all these people are seeking, why aren’t they in church? If the Bible is changing attitudes, why don’t we see it? And, maybe the biggest question, how can they hope to understand this complex Book on their own?

 But then, we stop and consider. Maybe sin is abounding more because Satan sees the trend. Not all these seekers are born again Christians, but even born again Christians get into some bad situations filled with sin. Reading the Bible, being curious, seeking answers does not mean that sin no longer has dominion. Then the second question; where are these people in church? Evidently, they are seeing something different in the Scripture than they are seeing in church. They are reading about love, but in church they see gossip, backbiting, arguing, anger and disunion. If you are seeking medical help, do you go to a crack house? Church and their denominations are moving away from God. The third question asks why we don’t see the changing attitudes. I think it is because we are pretty much stuck on being around and fellowshipping with people like ourselves. Maybe the only window we have to the wider world we have out there is the window the news media gives us. Do we actively go out and seek people, or do we insulate ourselves? And then, lastly, we wonder; how can they understand the meanings in the Bible outside of organized study? It is a good question, and a valid one. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me, “What does this mean?” While knowledge of Biblical times and knowledge of the languages and all that is useful, the fact is that the Bible is not really hard to understand. We think it is because we have been told it is hard to understand, but it is not. On my laptop, I use a web-page that has 58 English translations of the Bible as well as a lot of reference material. It is all there at my fingertips, and much easier to use and even understand than any of my print Bibles. People are finding out that yes!, they can read and understand the Word of God!

People are moving away from denominations because the denominations are moving away from the God they are seeking. People are moving away from churches because churches are not reflecting the Lord. The Bible says we are to gather ourselves together. We study, we fellowship, we become a family. That is what draws people together.

In the end, the Word of God will be triumphant. I want to ride that bandwagon!

          Marsha posted an article link on Facebook this week. It is an interesting read. Published by Fox News, it takes much of its information from Pew Research, which is one of the leading church research groups, along with The Barna Group, in the country. The article is called “When is it OK to Quit Your Church? Five Reasons to Leave.”

          Seems a little odd for the pastor to be directing people to a page that tells them they can leave the church. But I have always encouraged people to follow God’s lead, even to the point of telling them it is OK to leave. People who stay in a church when they feel God is moving them along are not helping the church where they are staying and they are hurting the church they are refusing to go too. Many will go to the church they have grown up in or where their parents have gone, but where we go to church should be a matter of God’s will. I hope I would never try and use guilt on someone to keep them in the church I serve.

          There are reasons to leave a church. But, the reasons most give for leaving have very little to do with proper reasons for leaving a church. The four most common reasons for leaving a church, according to Pew Research, are;

1.)            Sermon quality.

2.)            Welcoming environment/people.

3.)            Style of worship.

4.)            Location.

These may seem valid, but are they? Let’s look……

          Sermon quality. I have been told my messages are to long, to short, to intense, not strong enough, poorly thought out, not thought out enough, to Spiritual, not Spiritual enough. It goes on. I even had a deacon once, in all seriousness, ask me for a dozen or so sermon tapes to help him fall asleep at night because nothing snoozed him off like one of my sermons. In the late 1970s, early 1980s I was an associate pastor at a church in Hialeah, Florida. One of the older ladies in the church (late 50s, which to me at the time was ancient) told me that she could not stand the senior pastor’s messages. “Dry as toast.” A week or so later, in conversation with her husband, (a lovely and Spiritual man) he told me how much he appreciated Pastor Wilkes and what a wonderful preacher he was for our people. I have found that sermon quality is in the heart of the beholder. If it is from the Bible, how can it be bad? That may be too simplistic, but for me it is true. I quit trying to please folks from the pulpit a long time ago and I am not going to start stroking someone’s feelings now. Nor should I. I have never considered myself ‘the preacher.’ I am the pastor, and that is a different thing.

          Welcoming environment/people. I haven’t seen the poll, but I am going to assume that people leave because there is not a welcoming environment or people. But, in thinking about it, I have known people who go to a big, mega type church, because they don’t want to interact with others. So, I suppose it could be that on occasion someone would leave a church because people are too friendly. However, that would not be enough people to warrant being second on the list. In all likelihood, people leave because others are not friendly enough. Remember the old saying? “To have a friend you need to be a friend.” I have seen people come in to church over the years, accept the handshakes of others, but with their body language, make it clear they do not want to interact. Or, they come in, sit down and expect others to come to them. Or, they want attention and care, but do not have any desire to reciprocate. Humans are humans and if they sense someone does not want to be bothered, most of us will comply. It is not that the church is unfeeling. Crystal Latimer. Someone Marsha knew from work. She visited our church at the invitation of Marsha. Within three weeks she was treated like an old time member. People loved her. Another lady came in at the same time. Lasted three weeks then left because we were cold. Crystal thought our folks were the friendliest ever. The other lady actually refused to be greeted or shake hands.

          Style of worship. This one I get, to a point. If you are not comfortable with the worship, it might be hard to worship. Not everyone enjoys traditional music or contemporary praise music. Not everyone enjoys Power-Point messages. Not everyone enjoys a more charismatic service. Styles of worship can change. But, consider this; is your worship of God dependent on your comfort zone? If it is, are you actually worshipping or are you seeing to your personal traditions or desires? In the New Testament, Paul was preaching. He preached for so long, around three hours, that a man who was sitting in the window (presumably because of the crowd) fell asleep and fell to the street below. I cannot imagine that sitting in that window was comfortable, but he was going to worship regardless. I always figured he fell asleep because he had worked all day. If we held onto worship styles we would be worshipping like they did in the New Testament. Three hour sermons, meeting in homes, worshipping every night and doing communion each time. Would we like that? Of course not, mostly because it would conflict with our comfort zone. Before you condemn the style of worship, ask yourself if that worship is anti-Biblical or just anti-comfort. Because of my hearing, music is an assault to my ears. I would be much happier in a music free church. But God called me here.

          Location. Some people move away. They have to drive 30 or 40 miles to get to church. They drop out. But then, do they go anywhere else to church? Usually not. Few people agree with me on this, but I feel that if you drive past one or two like minded congregations on the way to the old church, pray about changing churches. It becomes to easy to not go on a snowy or rainy day. Then it is a habit to not go.

          Which brings me to this thought; if people drop out of church for any of these reasons, do they go elsewhere? The answer, mostly, is no. It is not the lousy sermons, it is not the people in the church, it is not the style of worship and it is rarely the location. It is the heart of the person who quits.

          This article does give five reasons to quit, though. Let’s look……

1.)  It’s OK to leave if God calls us to leave.

2.)  It’s OK to leave for family and marriage.

3.)  It’s OK to leave a church if you have moved too far away to conveniently drive to your church.

4.)  It’s OK to leave if you cannot follow the church’s leadership.

5.)  It’s OK to leave if heresy is being preached.

We should be in the church God has called us to be in. That is not just for the pastor. It is for each person. Churches have needs. Maybe that need is you. Nothing wrong with that.

When two Christians get married, but they have always gone to different churches, they need to go to the same church, together. Maybe it is his or hers or a different congregation altogether, but it should be a church that they decide on after much prayer together.

You should go to a church easy to get to, unless you feel the leading of God to continue at the old church.

If the church’s leadership is out of step with the Scripture, you can either stay and work to bring it back to the Bible or you can leave, depending on God’s leading.

If the Word is not coming from the pulpit, you can either stay and work to bring it back to the Bible or you can leave, depending on God’s leading.

We are about to enter a new phase in our church’s existence. Some may not be happy with it. But consider your actions. Most people leave church because it no longer suits them. Remember, though. It doesn’t matter if it suits you. It only matters that it suits God.

          In the opening chapters of Genesis, people tended to live a very long time. From the moment that sin entered into the world mankind began to devolve rather than evolve. We are still devolving. Mankind possesses more knowledge now than ever before, but that is because the knowledge has accumulated generation by generation. Wisdom, however, is in short supply. We can see the lack of wisdom in the corruption that now plagues humanity. Those who mock the Scripture are mocking the wisdom of the ages.

               But, back to longevity. By the time of Moses, mankind had slipped back in lifespan to roughly what we experience now with modern medical procedures. Some would, occasionally, live longer, but the average of a man was around 80 years old. Women tended to not live as long due to the stresses of childbirth. However, Moses was an exception. His life went in 40 year increments. Until he was 40, he lived as Pharaoh’s grandson. At 40, he had to flee Egypt. For the next 40 years he tended his father-in-law’s sheep. At 80 he was called into service by the Lord through the burning bush. For the next 40 years he led the Jews through the Wilderness, dealing with all their problems while also boldly following the lead of the Lord. Then, at 120 years of age, he turned it all over to Joshua and then died. A complete life, by any standard. Along the way, Moses wrote a body of law that is, despite the desire of modern thinkers to make us think otherwise, the basis of our own legal system. Within his final address to the people, Moses gave them encouragement and direction. He also gave this verse. Deuteronomy 31:6---Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

               We know this verse. We have heard it, studied it, maybe memorized it. But does this verse reside in our hearts and make a difference?

          First time I ever put this verse to use. Fall of 1974. I had graduated from high school in June. I was going to go to Bible college in January 1975. I knew the Lord was calling me to be a pastor. I needed the six months to get enough money together to start school. As I worked at a factory to put together that money I also envisioned myself pastoring a great mega-church somewhere in the future. I was going to be awesome. Then the pastor decided I needed to be on the preaching rotation for our children’s church. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, does it? Our church ran buses. We brought in around 600 kids every Sunday. They were divided into two age groups. Kindergarten to third grade, fourth grade to sixth grade. So, my first preaching effort was in front of 300 fourth, fifth and sixth graders. I was terrified. I had big plans, but those plans didn’t include little kids. How was I supposed to talk to them? How could I relate to them? I would find out in later years that well established and experienced pastors find it harder to preach to children than they do adults. I didn’t know that at the time; I just knew I was scared to death. I knew nothing about ordering my thoughts to bring a message. I knew nothing about any of it. I did, however, come to the conclusion that I had made a major mistake. Obviously, God did not want me to preach. Eventually I came across Deuteronomy 31:6. I told God that I would be strong and courageous and I promised Him that I would never preach again after this one time. Just please get me through it.

          And He did. When it was over I had to think it all out. Wasn’t so bad. They were just kids. They listened, sort of. The important thing was, I had done this with the Lord.

          We cane be strong in the Lord for He is with us. Sometimes in our arrogance we take off without the Lord, leaving Him behind. But He is still there, waiting to pick us up when we fall. And we will fall. We can be courageous in the Lord because He has already won the battle for us. When we boldly do what we think is right, rather than what God knows is right, we begin to battle on our own. And we will lose. We don’t need to fear enemies or circumstances, because He already has a plan. We make plans and expect the Lord to agree to those plans. But our plans should be made in Him. Finally, we are told He will not leave us or forsake us. But, we do leave Him sometimes, don’t we? We do the things we think are right and proper. We do forsake Him, as well. King David certainly did in his sin with Bathsheba. He thought he was king so it would be alright. It wasn’t alright, though, and he lost all his strength and courage and Spiritual covering.

          Is your life strong in the Lord or is it strong in you? The good impact you make when you are strong and courageous in Him is everlasting.

          In 2008 a pastor from a church several towns over from where we lived called me up and wanted to take me out to lunch. He pastored a large church that was growing dramatically. He told me to pick the restaurant and he was going to pay. I picked my favorite place and we met there. I love Subway. Over lunch he thanked me. I was confused a little. “For what? You paid.” He told me that I was a huge influence on his life. He was a little boy in church that day of my first ever sermon. He came to Christ. Over the years we had gone back maybe three times to preach to the adults, and this pastor could remember every message, every point. “So, I just want you to know how grateful I am for your faithfulness.” I told him how terrified I had been that first time. “But you did the right thing.”

          We are not just living our own lives. We are molding other lives as we go along. Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

          I got up early this morning, as is my custom, and turned on the computer. It is easier for me to do my time with the Scripture on the computer because I can make the print large enough so that I don’t have to strain to see the words. I really like leafing through my Bible, but if I do that in the morning I wind up with a headache and I cannot read as much. So, I spent some time on the computer, spent some time in prayer, checked my blood sugar (75) and began to consider my day. My back has been hurting for a couple of weeks now, so I decided a half hour in my recliner was in order. We bought this recliner the week before my heart surgery. I figured that with my heart surgery I would be needing to be in my recliner a lot and I felt a lift chair would help. My old chair was worn out and was a struggle to get out of, so we went to Sam’s Club and bought this one. As it happens, I have used the lift part two times. But, it also has a heated seat and back, which is something I use all the time. So cool! Back hurts? Just sit down, push a button and it reclines, push another and the seat heats for thirty minutes. Really nice. I figured this morning I could afford the thirty minutes of bliss. It won’t recline manually. You recline and adjust it with the controller. I got it just right, got the heater fired up and settled back for a little therapy.

          Then the power went out. Fans went out. Lights shut off. Everything went quiet. Well, shoot, I thought. Better go down and see if the main breaker has gone out. I got the remote and pushed the button to sit the chair up. But, the power was out. It has a battery back-up, but whoever puts batteries in? So, there I sat, needing to get up but unable. My back was pretty sore, so how could I climb out without more pain? Two choices; accept the pain and struggle out or lay there and sweat because there were no fans. I struggled out of the chair, put my shoes on and opened the basement door. I reached around and flipped the light switch. Of course, the power was out. I knew that, but the reality hadn’t sunk in. I went and got a flashlight and went down stairs. Breakers were all good, so it wasn’t just us. Nothing else to do, so I set about getting ready. No shower. The water pump was out. We only had pressure in the lines until it ran out and I felt toilet flushes should come first. I had planned to recharge my phone, but that wasn’t going to happen. Breakfast was not going to be warm. The day was looking pretty grim.

          I figured I could still go to the church and finish my week’s preparations. My laptop has a battery. But, I wasn’t going to be able to send out the blog. (I had another one ready to go. You will get that next week.) I was ready to leave the house when the lights came on, the fans started spinning, the refrigerator started to hum. Whoo hoo! We are in business! The best part of a power outage is when it comes back on.

          Such a relief. I wasn’t looking forward to roasting at the church. I could get the blog out. The rest I had to do could be handled. We depend so much on the power. When we no longer have it, we are lost for a bit while our minds adjust. Life becomes less easy.

          It made me think of Spiritual things. We have a great power in our lives. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. It is an amazing thing. Yet, there are moments when we don’t feel that power. Times when we feel powerless and lost. We call out to the Lord and feel nothing in return. No power. We check our Spiritual breaker box and find that all the breakers are set and ready. We fumble around in the dark and finally find a flashlight that can give a little relief, but it is only temporary. We walk into things, we strain to see our way, we struggle as we stumble. Why has the Spiritual power left us? Is God forsaking us? How long can we make our way using our own power and efforts.

          King David felt this when his baby son was sick and dying. Psalm 13:1---How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? ² How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? ³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, ⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶ I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

          You can see the despair. He is praying, but the Lord isn’t there! (vs 1) He was trying to figure it out for himself, but nothing. (vs 2) He was desperate enough to grow a little angry with the Lord, even to the point to where he says the enemy (Satan) will defeat him. But then, he takes a moment and reconsiders. Verses 5 and 6 finds this man of God remembering how the Lord has always been there for him in the past. Even in the depths of grief and loss, he can see the Lord. He knows the Lord will be there for him.

          David had been away from the Lord. The ill child was the product of his sin with Bathsheba. He had literally turned off the power switch by his actions. The child died. We are told that he turned back to the Lord. Psalm 30 is the result of that turning back. If you read it carefully you will see it answers all the points of despair in Psalm 13. Psalm 30:1---I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. ² O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. ³ O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

⁴ Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. ⁶ As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” ⁷ By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. ⁸ To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: ⁹ “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? ¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, ¹² that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

          David was a man after God’s own heart, yet the moment came when he willingly turned off the Power. He paid a horrible price, but he came back to the Lord.

          Does it seem as though the power is gone from your life? Do you feel you are just going through the Spiritual motions? Are you wondering where He is? It is not that God has forsaken you. You have forsaken Him. You have done something you reckoned was right or justified but was not right or justified in His eyes. We cannot come into His presence with willful sin in our lives. It is true that Christ died for all our sin, but that doesn’t give us a license to continue to sin. When we do sin, we must turn back to Him.

          Do not do the struggle alone.

          Blessings.