Those Who Leave

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." 1John 2:19

We work hard to get people in through the front door. We outreach, we advertise, we witness, we invite, trying to get people into our church. And it works. People from all walks of life and from various backgrounds all gathered under one roof to worship and to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

From time to time we get people who find it impossible to stay with us and they leave. Some leave quietly, some leave in a riot of accusations. And we fret over those who leave. We want people to have what we have and to live how we live. And sometimes this just doesn't work.

Pastors sometimes do not work out. Some get moved, some are brought home, and some just quit and walk away from all they know and understand. Some go back to sin, others just waste away in the wilderness of despair.

The Bible says that those who leave become antichrist when they leave in a huff. Antichrist is a unique person in Bible prophecy. But the spirit of antichrist is active in the world today. Leaving is often one way to identify and to recognize these people.

Not everyone who attends our church is like us. Not everyone has been born again and filled with the Spirit. Not everyone is a disciple of Christ. They have put Jesus in their bag just in case. But they know nothing of the life of God in Christ.

Nothing takes God by surprise. The Lord knows those who are His. And He knows those who are Christian in name only.