Why People Leave the Church (3)

'Let us not...judge one another anymore...' Romans 14:13 KJV

It's the end of May already and Memorial Day weekend is upon us. I want to thank those who served our country in the various branches of the military. We salute you! But something else is happening this Sunday...we are baptizing and dedicating 4. I hope you join us and celebrate with those who have given there heart to Christ and our taking the next step in baptism. I'm looking forward to this weekends service and I'm praying you are too. I hope these last three thoughts on the prodical son has spoken to you. Here's the last reason people leave the church: because of the attitude of some church members. The older boy in Christ's parable knew how to be a son, but he didn't know how to be a brother. If the jealousy and judgmentalism he showed toward his brother is anything to go by, it's little wonder his brother left home in the first place. Paul writes: 'Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.' The Bible says, 'He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.' (1 John 2:10 NKJV) Do your attitudes and actions strengthen others or cause them to stumble? The action of encouragement takes work. I have to personally work on this everyday. Its easy to make people stumble and control them. John writes about Diotrephes? John talked about him: 'I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.' (3 John 1:9-10 NKJV) Diotrephes was an opponent of authority who wanted only one thing-control! And John denounced him as 'evil', saying, '...he who does evil has not seen God.' (v11 NKJV) Only eternity will reveal how many people have been driven away from the church by critical, callous, controlling Christians. Make sure you're not one of them! Be an encourager for the kingdom. You are loved more than you know!