We moved to where God was not

A few weeks after having left what had been our church home for five years, my wife and myself and two other non-compromising-Bible couples from the same church were asked by a minister from another denomination to join him in starting a church in our community.  This man was known to us all, as he and some of his present church people had sometimes shared their ministry amongst us in that former church.  The pastor shared what he believed had been put on his heart by God and so after many hours of discussion it seemed as though this invitation was being ordained of God.  

We continued to get together and put it to prayer seeking the Lord’s wisdom and leading and the more we did so, the more it seemed as though this was God’s idea, not just simply a good idea.  Once the legal aspects had been set in place to incorporate the church, it was decided that we would approach one of the local primary schools and ask them if we could rent a room for a few hours every Sunday. The principal of the school was more than happy to accommodate us and she showed us a room that she thought would be suitable.  The room was suitable but it needed painting and when we offered to do that job she counter-offered by reducing the rent a few dollars.

The word soon got around that there was a new church opening in the area and it was not long before we were joined by three or four families from our former church plus some families from elsewhere. God’s anointing was very evident upon the music and the preaching and when people came forward for ministry, many of them experienced immediate spiritual, emotional and physical healings. Once again, the reality, revelations and power of God were all most active and it seemed that God was going to do in this new fellowship what He’d been doing in that former place.  We were a mightily blessed little group in that school-room.

Then after a few months the pastor felt the need to look for a bigger and better building, saying that we needed to prepare for numerical growth.  When he asked for our thoughts about that, I was hesitant and expressed this to him.  I was/am no Church Growth expert, so when he  further explained and justified his reasons for moving I became quite enthusiastic. I did not seek God for His view on this matter.  It was decided that we would move to a larger venue, a hall with a seating capacity for over six hundred people.  Like most halls of that size the stage was large, separating the team of only three or four musicians and the pastor, from the people. 

There was no sign anywhere indicating increase in numerical growth, so this separation was not only ridiculous, it looked ridiculous. So, with some persuasion, the pastor agreed to set up at floor level amongst the people. He regularly talked of the need for a crusade.  So he organised one, calling in some supposedly gifted overseas singer/preacher, plus a minister with a reputation for his healing ministry.  The crusade was advertised quite extensively in the community but for all the efforts, only a handful of people came – and all from other churches! Very little godly ministry was evident in those men at that meeting.  

After having spent years among the people of my community I knew that if God was really in this “crusade” then He would arrange for people to come.  But they did not come and it was then that I began to seriously think that this whole church thing was now being taken out of God’s hands and into the hands of this pastor.  Much earlier in the piece I became disturbed with his insistence to being addressed as “pastor.” 

One time at a meeting he was questioned, ‘why?’ with a couple of his decisions, and he replied, “Because I am the pastor.”  I should have taken that to the Lord in prayer, but failed to do so.  Today, sixteen years later, I see no problem in taking that to God and then challenging the one in love with his title. Honor the leader’s position, yes, but not his title for it is a sign of spiritual and mental insecurity. Such, is the last thing on the mind of a leader who knows who he is in Christ.  

This man was soon to express a desire for material things when the church could ill-afford them – an expensive sound system, a new photocopier, and a small bus to transport people to and from; all in the name of preparing for church growth. One day he asked a few of us to pray for the church, for its pending growth, increased finances etc.  He then said he would arrange a meeting to discuss what the Lord revealed to us individually.  God quickly revealed to me the futility of religious man who tries to build that which only God can build Psalm 127:1.

Instead of a face to face meeting, he opted for the telephone. When I told him what God had revealed to me, he said, “Amen.” I thought that response meant he would wait on God to lead us, but no, he’d already made up his mind what he was going to do. My time with him on that telephone was the longest I have ever spent with anyone – then or since – over four hours! And I experienced God’s presence, wisdom and power in mighty ways all through that conversation. Nevertheless, as often can be the case, it turned out to be rather fruitless, because when we met at the following Sunday service, not one word was mentioned about it.

He did not like to be challenged for his unwise ways, especially when it came to practical matters and the use of money.  Money seemed more important to him than the spiritual needs of people and lost souls in the community.  My wife and I, along with the other two original couples spent many hours agonizing before God over this and other situations we found ourselves in.  In our case also, our two eldest children were experiencing “Christian” hypocrisy once again at its best and sadly, they did not get the personal, individual support that they so desperately deserved from me, their father.

This same pastor demonstrated no respect for time. He rarely kept appointment times with his core leaders and the unspoken expectation was that we would be at his every beck and call. I challenged him about that at times, but he saw it as disrespectful to his position as pastor. It was the second time (but it would not be the last) that I was to experience a church leader operating as one who was there to be served, rather than serve Matthew 20:26.  

It was not until a few years later did I discover just how deeply insecure and manipulative many church leaders can be and how they love to misquote New Testament Hebrews 13:17, so as to bolster their positions. This is a great evil in the church.

It is one thing to have disagreements in church matters (and there were many), but it is quite something else when one experiences spiritual disunity. When the spirit is disturbed, that means for me that the Holy Spirit has set off His alarm bell and should that happen, it is wise to seek Him as to why. The two other couples experienced the same disturbances so we individually sought God asking Him to show us if our motives and agendas were in line with His. When one says to God, “Thy will be done,” He will test us with those words, making sure we don’t mean, “my will….” None of us intended to fail that test and all glory to God, we did not.

Although not all at the same time, God revealed His will and we each experienced His peace as we made our decisions before Him to sever ties with this pastor. God revealed Himself to me as I was driving along the road. He told me that He would watch over me in my coming in and in my going out Psalm 121:8. I took the “going out” part as, time to go from this man. When I informed the pastor of my decision he told me it was, “probably a good thing.” It was not a good thing to discern his spiritual arrogance and blindness. He could not see that the church had no future.  Neither could he see that it was dying because it was an expression of himself and not the Lord Jesus Christ.  

On the Sunday following, I gave the pastor my official letter of resignation and he said nothing. He did not publically acknowledge our leaving either. Later in the day I then made contact with some of the church members to inform them that as a family, we had left the church. I felt also, that I owed them some specific explanations as to why and how we had come to that decision. I would have preferred that our problems be shared with the church in the first place, but insecure men will always find “religious” ways to ensure that this never happens, violating Scriptures in the process. 

The church carried on for some weeks to follow, but it was soon to close its doors and “the sheep were scattered” – some of them to this day, sixteen years later.  So the question is:  Was the church really ordained of God in the first place?  The answer is yes, it was.  God mightily blessed us while we remained under His anointing and leading in that little school-room. 

And, He may well have continued to bless us in that great big hall, but His hands were tied by this time.  The geographical move was not really our problem so much, it was the spiritual move.  Under the direction of that leader, we moved out from under God, spiritually.  We moved to where God was not.  There is always a price to pay for such a decision.

Although we all went our separate ways after that episode, my wife and I have remained in touch with the two other couples and the blessings of God continue to be evident upon them, as well as ourselves.  I don’t know what happened to the pastor, but as I look into God’s truths and principles in the Bible, I suspect there has been no change in his thinking at this point.  ” …..You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first shall be servant  of all.”  Mark 10:42-44.