Positioned for Transformation

These are my notes from a message I listened to last year by Lance Wallnau called "Positioned for Transformation"  I found it to be very encouraging, especially when going through difficulty, or as he calls it, the "process".

Here it is:
The “process” is about integrating the Word into your life experience so that you become a “message” as well as a messenger. 

This is why John the Baptist was able to say “I am the Voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

When you have found your Voice, you are manifesting your destiny.  It’s called your Authentic Voice.  You won’t find your authentic voice until you have had Process events.  Process events knock the echo of other people’s voices out of your life so that you can discover the unique expression God gave to you.

You might have an echo that says “You’re not going to amount to anything”.  Or, ”You know, you’re not really built for that”  But your authentic voice changes that.  Which is why you need to proclaim out of your mouth what God wants to see manifested in your life.

You can stop the process of God through whining, complaining, unbelief, etc.  Then you will get a smaller measure of what God has in mind.  It is a matter of fulfilling the prophetic word God has for your life.

Process events are the experiences you’ve had, the trauma, the climactic church splits, betrayals, heart breaks.  They are also your breakthroughs, moments of exhilaration.  All of that comes together to encourage you, and to shape you for your ultimate destiny.

Everybody wants breakthrough, blessing, supernatural encounters, etc, but nobody wants the process.  Everybody wants to have the heart of David, or to rule like Joseph.  But, if you really want that – do you want to go through the process that David or Joseph went through? 

To release Israel out of Jacob, there had to be a process event.(worked for years for Laban)  God is more interested in releasing Israel out of you than making you happy.  Because he knows your ultimate happiness is when you conform to the image of Christ.  Process events are the necessary chiseling to release the genius. 

The process is usually from high to low, high to low.  But, if you understand the process you can learn to endure the process and then learn to actually enjoy the process.

What did David do?  David had a revelation of something.  “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in my distress”.  He was expanding David to be able to rule, and at the right time he would rule.   

David figured out how to take the low points and make them his passion points.  He took his pain and process, and turned them into an occasion for worship and intimacy.  The psalms is the journey of an artist/musician in warfare with the devil who writes his songs from the solitude of reflecting on the processes he was in so he got an anointed perspective that led into an overcoming state.

It’s here that you learn the art of fulfillment.  If you don’t understand this, you won’t have a happy, overcoming disposition during the process.  You’ll just be holding on until you get to the next mountaintop.  It’s easy to be happy on the mountain top, but it’s much more difficult in the process.  Why not just enjoy the whole thing.

You don’t really have to know the future, you just have to have the right attitude toward the process.  Joseph didn’t have a clue that he would rule in Egypt.  He was simply faithful in what he was given at the time. He gave himself to the process.  It started out with a dream, but he didn’t have have any idea how that dream would be fulfilled or the details of how it would work out.  In fact, he tried to make it happen too soon by declaring the dream a little prematurely to his Dad and brothers.  Then he encountered the process, and he remained an overcomer during the process.

Growing in Faith

You may have heard it said, "You just have to keep your eyes on Jesus", or "Just behold him with the eyes of your heart".  When we become self-focused and lacking in Faith, this can be quite difficult to do.  It would probably be easier to just go lift up the corner of our house or lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. It is actually quite impossible to keep our eyes on Jesus simply by trying harder.

How do we learn to live by Faith, and not by sight?  How do we learn to see with the eyes of our heart, not just our natural eyes?  How do we increase our Faith so we are not living by feelings?  How does Faith grow?  Why do we wrestle with our Flesh, and sometimes never seem to have victory?

Let's look at Romans 12:2 and 2 Cor 10:5

^{Ro 12:2} Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Cor 10:5 - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The Battle begins in our Minds.  I believe the main reason most Christians lack Faith and live by feelings, is because their thought life has not been taken captive and made obedient to Christ.  We are in a war!  Our minds must come into alignment with the Mind of Christ, the Word of God!

Galatians 5:17 says "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other"

We must learn to recognize ungodly thoughts that set themselves up against the knowledge of God, and take them captive!

Romans 10:17 - So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith comes and grows by a revelation of the Word of God. As we meditate on and ponder the Word of God - it becomes revelation to us.  God's word then becomes more real than our circumstances and what we see with our natural eyes.  God's word becomes tangible - it becomes filled with faith and we can see the evidence of things unseen with the eyes of our heart.

John 5:38, 39  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

God's word must become more than just "information", it must become "Revelation".  The Pharisees had lots of information - they knew the scriptures inside and out, backwards and forwards.  What they were lacking was "Revelation", God's word was not really "abiding" in them.  We must become one with God's words, they must become our daily bread, our life.  This happens when we grow in relationship with God and as we overcome in the daily battles.  His words move from our heads into our hearts and become part of our daily experience.  We learn to trust him and his words more than we trust ourselves. 

How did Jesus defeat the devil in the wilderness?  (Luke 4).  That's right - with God's word.  The devil was able to quote God's word, but he did it in a mocking way.  That's because he doesn't really know God's heart.  Jesus knows God's heart, and was speaking out of his deep relationship with God the Father when he used God's Word to defeat the devil. Jesus lived a life of absolute trust and dependence upon God the Father and upon the Holy Spirit.  The wonderful thing about the temptation of Jesus is to see how completely Jesus trusted God as his provider, and the keeper of his future.  Jesus refused to give in to short-term thinking ("turn these stones into bread") and instead looked with the eyes of faith into what his future would be like if he actually gave in to the temptation.

Here is what I have done in the past, and what I strongly suggest you do.  When you are having dark, defeated thoughts or are being tempted by the enemy; first, write the thoughts down.  Identify each of these thought patterns as lies, then ask God to show you the truth and shine light into those areas of darkness.  Write down the truth God speaks to you to replace those lies.  Most of the time, it will be a direct scripture.  It could also be a picture, vision, or dream.  Or, God may speak truth to you through someone else who you are sharing your struggles with.  You can do this in many areas, whether it be Fear, anxiety, self-focus, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, purposelessness, envy, jealousy, provision, etc.

A counselor at a church we once attended, Robert Fetveit, often said:  "I am an evangelist to the unconverted areas of the believer's heart"

We must learn to replace lies with truth throughout our daily lives.   But you can't fight lies by just casting them down - you must replace the lies with the truth of God's words.  Then, turn the truth into a prayer of faith that is in the direct opposite spirit as the lie.  You can craft very personal prayers to combat the enemy.  Here are some examples:

1.  Not feeling God's presence, feeling rejected or abandoned by God.

Prayer of Faith: God, I believe that you are present right now, whether I feel it or not. I believe you will never leave me or forsake me.  You promised that nothing can ever separate me from your love. Romans 8:38,39

2.  Purposelessness

Prayer of Faith: Jer 29:11 - God, I know you have plans for me, to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me a hope and a future.  You have not forgotten about me, You have engraved me on the palms of your hands. Isaiah 49:16.  I believe you exist, and you will reward me as I diligently seek you - Heb. 11:6.

3. Bitterness and unforgiveness.

Prayer of Faith:  I refuse to allow this person to control my life and make me angry.  They do not determine my identity, only you can do that Lord.  I am your son(or daughter), you are well pleased with me.  Even though this person may hate me and has wronged me, I believe that you love me, Lord.  This person has made me extremely angry, but I ask you to remove this anger, Lord.  Lord, I release this person and what they have done to me to you.  Judgment and vengeance is yours, and I refuse to judge and seek vengeance.  Luke 6:28 - Lord, I choose to bless and pray for __________.  Lord, I ask you to remove from me the bitterness I feel.  I choose to forgive ___________.  Lord, is there something you would like me to do as a blessing for this person, would you have me write out a blessing or send a gift to this person? 

4. Fear

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  1 John 4:17 - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Prayer of Faith:  Lord, wrap me in your arms of perfect love and drive out all Fear.  I come to you as your son(or daughter) and cry, "Abba, Father".  I refuse to give way to Fear (1 Pet 3:6) and declare that the spirit of fear has no power over me.  I have the Holy Spirit in me that gives me power, love, and a sound mind.  I have overcome the world, just as you have overcome the world.

5.  Feeling like God is angry with you or disappointed in you today

Prayer of Faith:  God, I believe you never change - you are the same yesterday, today, and forever.  You loved me yesterday when I felt your love, so I believe you also love me today.  You are not fickle and capricious like pagan gods.  Your love is constant, it remains the same every day.  You have always loved me, you love me now, and you will always love me - regardless of how well I feel like I have performed.  I know I am not perfect, and I sometimes fail - but I believe that will never change how you feel about me.  I am your son(or daughter), and you love me just like a human parent loves and wants the best for their children.  Just like the prodigal son who returned to his father smelling like pigs, you still loved him and accepted him - you ran to him and embraced him before he could even say a word.

6.  Failure

Prayer of Faith:  I know a wise man falls and gets up 7 times.  This failure will not defeat me - in fact, this is how I will defeat the enemy, by getting back up quickly.  I only really fail when I have fallen and refuse to get back up, wallowing in self-pity and self-focus.  Lord, I repent for what I did, it grieved your heart and hurt others.  I receive your forgiveness and restoration.  Let your face shine upon me - restore to me the joy of my salvation (Psalm 51)

7. Anxiety

Prayer of Faith:  I refuse to worry about tomorrow - tomorrow has enough troubles of its own.  I bring this situation to you that I am anxious about - release your peace into it.  I choose to focus on you and not let my mind become divided.  I receive your peace, because you are the prince of Peace.  I choose to focus on your hugeness, your provision, your blessings.  I refuse to dwell on something that will probably never come to pass.  I thank you for a positive outcome, and I picture you, Lord, right in the middle of this situation or circumstance.  I refuse to give in to a bleak picture where you are not present.

Refuse to become over-focused on the lies and problems - all these examples are intended to get our focus back on God and the truth.  This builds faith!

If all else fails, and you can't even pray - cry out to Jesus for help!  He will come and rescue you, he is your rescuer!

Experiencing God

People under the influence of religious spirits will usually minimize experiences.  Don't get me wrong, I fully know the danger of experiences that are not aligned with the word of God - but don't let that deter you from experiencing Jesus. He desires you to know him personally, not just to read about him in a book.

Example:
What if you had read many guidebooks about DisneyLand, watched some videos about it, heard from others how great it was and what a fine time they had. But, when you got there you found the gates were closed. A person at the gate said: "There are enough things written about DisneyLand so that people don't really need to experience it any more.  Go home and read your guidebook some more!"  Wouldn't you feel a little ripped off, even cheated? I'll bet your kids would be wailing!

Reading about a beautiful sunset, or the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees is far different than actually being there - seeing it, feeling it, smelling it, savoring it!

That's what the Church of today has done to God - in fact, that's what the church has been doing since  the church became institutionalized.  The bible was taken out of the hands of the common people and only those who were "qualified" could interpret it for you. A priest had to be a mediator between you and God.  No, the Holy Spirit is our teacher and he will use his word to guide you into experiencing God and doing his will.

The bible becomes dry and dull when we don't take it as a guidebook for really experiencing him and obeying him.   As Jim Palmer put it in "Wide open spaces", it is a launch-pad, not a landing-strip.  The purpose of the bible is to get to know God and have a living relationship with him.  Many churches esteem the Bible so highly, they almost believe it is the 3rd person of the Trinity!  Father, Son, Bible.  We are not to worship the Bible, we are to worship God!  I am not minimizing the Bible - I am simply putting it in it's proper place!

I believe those who make a big deal about Sufficiency of Scripture are many times off base because they under-emphasize experiencing God.  The scriptures are only sufficient when they lead you into a real relationship with the living and very interactive God - who speaks to us today!  Of course, he isn't going to tell us to do something opposite of what he has already spoken through the scriptures, but there are a lot of areas where we will need more specific guidance through the Holy Spirit.(e.g. why are spiritual gifts necessary if the scriptures are sufficient?)  Scriptures can become twisted and bizarre when a person doesn't have a real relationship with God and is not taught by the Holy Spirit.  In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who is doing the work in Hebrews 8:10,11.  He is the one who applies God's word to our heart and teaches us. 

Heb 8:10,11
¹⁰For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
¹¹And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

The bible in the hands of a person not relying on the Holy Spirit is a very scary thing! Look at what happened to the religious people of Jesus' day.  Their over-emphasis on the scriptures, interpreted in the wrong spirit(without love), caused them to miss Jesus!

John 5:37-40
³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸ nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. ³⁹ You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Luke 11:52
“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

The experts in the law knew about God, but they didn't really know God.  To really know God comes from personally experiencing him.  Experiencing his love, his forgiveness, his truth.  When his truth comes into contact with our lives, it changes our hearts and makes us like him.  Real knowledge of God comes from an interactive relationship with the living God!

In conclusion:
Reading about something is far different than actually doing it and experiencing it.  Let's look at the experiences of the early disciples not as something to be theorized about or doctrinalized as events that only happened in the past. Instead, let's look at them as something to be sought after for our day.

Habakkuk 3:2
 ² LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD.
Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy

The Exuberance and Joy of Jesus

 Luke 10:21

 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

We have been reading the book "Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldredge.  While not agreeing with some of his broad-brush strokes in other books he has written about what most men are like, we have found this book to be very refreshing and gives a much-needed glimpse into the real personality of Jesus.

Beautiful Outlaw Web site

We gathered with some friends along with our children a couple weeks ago and shared some of the different characteristics of who Jesus is, and found it to be a great discussion.  We are focusing as a family on getting to know Jesus better as he really is.  The religious fog surrounding who Jesus really is has confused and kept many Christians from experiencing a daily, interactive relationship with him. 
Some of the interesting characteristics we shared about Jesus included:
1. Fearless
2. Courageous and determined
3. Close to the broken and downcast
4. Prickly - unshaven (a picture of his humanity and realness)
5. Humble and real
6. Sacrificial Servant
7. Exuberant and enthustic
8. Exceedingly Joyful
9. Peaceful
10. Extravagant Giver
11. Good receiver
12. Eyes of Fire
13. Intense

I will add to this list as I get time, it is by no means comprehensive, but gives a picture of the direction we were heading as we shared.

I shared a dream I had about 2 years ago that helped me get a better glimpse into Jesus' personality.  I remember in the dream, there was a gathering of people who were waiting to see God revealed, like he was going to come out on stage where we could all see him.  The anticipation was great amongst the people gathered there, and I remember wanting to get into the front row.  When a man came out on stage and began telling jokes(good ones of course), we were all taken aback a little.  And, he was actually quite funny.  He then came down amongst the audience, and began to touch people, dancing and laughing the entire time.  His Joy was contagious, and everyone he touched began to laugh uncontrollably, including myself.  He was having a great time of it, he absolutely loved filling people with this joy.  I remember thinking - this is the most exuberant, excited, joyful person I have ever seen.

When I woke up, I realized that this man was Jesus Christ.  This dream has changed my view of Jesus, and has stuck with me to this day.  Many times I look back and I can still remember how this dream changed my picture of who Jesus is in my heart.

When I woke up, I was also reminded of the scripture Zephaniah 3:17
¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

I am also reminded of David in  2 Samuel 6:14 "And David danced before the Lord with all his might."  He was undignified, not caring what people thought - his only focus was on "the Lord".   "with all his might" speaks to me that he was very exuberant and enthusiastic in his dancing; this was no mournful ballroom dance. David's dance was a dance of joy and an expression of enthusiastic love and praise to God.  Let's get rid of our religious, dignified, Michelangelo-like picture of what David's dancing might have looked like and see it how it really was.

Also see 2 samuel 6:5 "David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals"

Here we have a picture of David and others celebrating with all their might. This is not a solemn, dignified worship service here, this is un-restrained abandon before God. This is a picture of what the "man after God's own heart" did to show his love and passion for God.

2 Samuel 6:16, 20
¹⁶ As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
²⁰ When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
The religious spirit operating through David's wife tried to shut down this worship.  The religious spirit always despises and looks with contempt on those who express great joy and enthusiasm.  See how she criticizes and finds fault with what David was doing by focusing on what he was wearing rather than looking at his heart, sounds just like the Pharisees of Jesus' day doesn't it?

²¹ David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. ²² I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”
²³ And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

See how David responded to her criticism? Rather than attempting to please her, he gave absolutely no place for the spirit of religion - in fact, he said he would go even further next time. "Even more undignified than this"  David did not care how people perceived him, he knew his heart was pure before the Lord.

In conclusion:
We all need to have revelations and experiences to help us get a real picture of who Jesus really is.  We need to get rid of the religious thinking and demonic lies that have distorted our view of who he really is.  How can you have a relationship with someone like the man pictured in most of these paintings?
Traditional depictions of Jesus

Much Christian art (and theology) has concentrated on guilt and suffering. But Jesus came to bring joy to the world - not to make guilt-ridden wrecks. This collection of paintings from artists from 18 countries gives their impressions of a laughing, loving Jesus who is a living presence.
Jesus Laughing Exhibition

I believe Jesus is very un-religious, in the sense that he really enjoys life and people.  I believe he loves to laugh, and he has a sense of humor.  He created you with a sense of humor, didn't he? What makes us think our creator would have less of a sense of humor than his creation?

I invite you to open yourself up and ask God right now to reveal to you the real Jesus so you can experience his exuberant love and joy!

Jesus is passionate for you, his heart burns to reveal himself to you. His heart is directed towards you, his eyes are ablaze, turned in your direction. He longs to give you his joy and he is enthusiastic to spend time with you. He wants you to experience him and get to know him!  Don't be afraid of experiencing and encountering Jesus!

The Road of the Kingdom

“In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

The rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

and all mankind together will see it.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

– Isaiah 40:3-5

Ondrea had a vision last year while we were in prayer with a couple others.  In the vision, she saw a road or highway.  The highway was the road that represented God's kingdom and also led towards his kingdom, the Promised Land.  The hand of God was there, directing and guiding the builders.  The work was hard, but enjoyable; it was not stressful or overly-difficult because those building were doing exactly what God wanted them to do. 

Those who were building the road did not know exactly where it led; all they knew was they were listening to God's instructions and obeying him.  Along the road were settlements, villages, houses, etc.  Many would leave the road and join the settlements.  Those in the settlements would spend time attempting to convince those building the road how great the settlements were, and why they should join their settlements.  The settlements many times were great places, filled with great people.  The settlements were not inherently evil, many great things were happening there. However, it was bad in the sense that those who settled had left their primary calling and were no longer building God's kingdom.  The settlements offered peace, safety, comfort, and could meet many needs.  Those trying to get those on the road to come into their settlements were sinning because they were distracting the builders from their true purpose in God.  They should have been able to recognize the call on others and encourage them in it rather than trying to make themselves feel better by getting others to "settle" with them.  Those on the road looked foolish to those in comfort so they felt "better than them" and a need to "help" the poor people that weren't in their settlement.
We believe the road represents the life of Faith, such as in Genesis 12 when Abraham left his country, not knowing exactly where he was going.  He was leaving a life of comfort and familiarity, leaving much of his family, to follow God. 

Hebrews 11:8-11
 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 8:20
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Jesus had no place to call his own home.  He was a marked man from the time he entered his ministry, the religious leaders were out to kill him.  He lived to follow and do the will of the Father, he had no room to settle down and grow comfortable, not even a place to sleep at times.

I am also reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The way to life is narrow and difficult while the way to destruction is easy and wide.  There are many detours and seemingly great places that God wants us to stay away from.  We are called to a life of faith, and that will include difficulty and self-sacrifice.

Settling for less than God's call on your life will mean different things to different people.  Listening to the shepherd's voice, obeying and following him is the key!

Leaving a Church

It is never an easy thing to talk about when to leave or stay at a church.  Here are a few of my thoughts on this sticky issue.  A couple weeks ago, I met with a man who is leading a small church. He said:  "I think people who are struggling need to just pick a church and plug in!"  Is that the kind of flippant attitude we should have, is one church just as good as another?  I don't think so, it is crucial to find out exactly where God wants us to be.  The fact that you may even be considering leaving a church(apart from selfish reasons) is a sign that you are desiring to break with the status quo.  I applaud you if you are truly seeking God.  I believe God is also excited that you are rethinking and seeking to discover where he wants you to be and what he wants you to do.

Luke 6:39-41 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher."

I have a few questions I would ask about any leadership I am considering placing my family under or removing ourselves from.  No matter how much we want to believe otherwise, we do become like those we place ourselves under.  It is prideful to believe we can remain in toxic environments and remain un-affected.

1.  Am I being taught and encouraged to Love God more?

2.  Am I being taught and encouraged to Love people more?
3.  Is there an expectation that we are building something greater than our own kingdom. Are we building our own little kingdom, or God's kingdom?
4.  Is there a religious spirit?  Is there pride, exclusivism, or pharisaical thinking.
5.  Are the main things kept the main thing, or have minor doctrinal issues and gray areas become the main thing? 
6.  Is the leadership in complete control, or are they facilitating the working of the Holy Spirit and listening to where God is leading?
7.  Is there an expectation that God can speak to more than just 1 person in the group.
8.  Are people encouraged to find their God-given purpose, and are they then released, empowered, and activated into it?
9.  Is doctrine the most important thing?  The Pharisees missed Jesus because of their over-emphasis on doctrine.
10. Have rules replaced relationship?
11. Is there life here?  Is spiritual birth happening, is spiritual growth happening?
12. How does the leadership respond to confrontation or differences of theology/practice?

 Of course, no church is without its problems - I was reading in 2 Cor. 12:20 the other day and was amazed at the problems existent in the Corinthian church.  Paul said - "For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder."

Sounds like the way things are around our house sometimes :)

This list from Paul contains different kinds of problems than the ones I mentioned in the first list. The kinds of problems the Corinthians struggled with are related to immaturity and can be resolved by helping people to grow up.  The kinds of problems that are much more difficult to deal with contain an extreme controlling or religious aspect. Of course, none of us are completely free from a religious spirit, so I am talking about a place where a Religious Spirit has almost complete and total control.  Jesus took a no-compromise approach to these kinds of people and environments.  Judging from the way he dealt with it, I don't think He would ever allow himself to be controlled by that kind of spirit or place himself under it.  Personally, I would be praying about when(not if) to come out from under that kind of spirit.

I remember when we first came to realize the fact that we were dealing with an ancient religious spirit in a church we were attending.  It was definitely sobering.  My wife sensed it spiritually as we sat in church one day, and she was able to see and sense its power and far-reaching effects.  It is so much bigger than just the church we were part of. It is ancient, and its effects are much bigger than you think.  We are not wrestling with flesh and blood in these environments.

It is certainly important to stay where you are unless the Lord moves you on.  Have you been asking the Lord if it is his time to move you on yet?  A number of years ago, my wife and I received a prophetic word that the Holy Spirit was like our Chauffeur, who would take us where he wants us to go.  When it was time for us to move on, we would get into the car and he would drive us to the next destination.  We have always sought to remain sensitive to God's timing about when and where he wants us to be.  If we are in the wrong place, it is very costly to remain there.  We don't even realize the fullness of the negative influences and wrong spirit we are under until we obey the Lord in leaving.  Sometimes, we don't even need to know exactly where we are going before we leave.  Just like Abraham, all he knew at first was that God was calling him to leave the familiar things(his country, his people, and his family).  He didn't know exactly what the promised Land was yet, all he knew was that he had to obey.  “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you."  Genesis 12:1

If a church is in serious doctrinal error or teaching unbiblically, it is time to seriously consider leaving that church. I am not talking about minor doctrinal issues, but major issues regarding who God is, who Jesus is, the authority of scripture, etc.

It is interesting to note how often the early church members would move from one area to another, or exchange people between churches to share gifts, ministry, etc.  I don't think there was such a strangle-hold on keeping people in one place to build a personal kingdom. Of course, we are to be devoted to one another, and not leave places for flippant, selfish reasons.  However, if God is leading or calling someone into a different area or to minister to a different group of believers, that is not a threat to God's kingdom.  It is only a threat to the person who is trying to build a personal kingdom.

We certainly should not leave a church because of personal offenses, personal taste issues, relational conflicts, or immaturity issues. We need to work through these issues and allow God to mature us and heal us. However, when a church is nothing like Christ really meant it to be, or is heading in the opposite direction that God is calling us to go in, we need to be in serious prayer about whether we are in the right place.

 

Excuses for not leaving:

1.  God just wants me to stay here and be an agent of change within the church.  While this may seem like a noble or lofty goal, I believe this is extremely rare.  You need to make sure that is what God is calling you to do.  I have found that far too often, this is simply an excuse to remain where you are and avoid making any serious decision.  What if Martin Luther had decided to remain a Catholic priest and try to change the Catholic church from within?  Yes, he certainly could have - but he had a much greater impact when he came out of it, stood up for what was wrong, and sought to be an agent of change from the outside.  You don't have to remain within a church structure for God to use you to change it.  Would you ever counsel a Mormon or Jehovah's witness to stay within their church and try to bring about change from within?  Doubtful.

2.  God wants me to remain faithful to the church or the leadership
Does God want you to be faithful to an organization, or does he want you to be faithful to him?  If you are being encouraged to be faithful to men or an organization, you need to be careful.  You need to be willing to follow God, whether anyone agrees with you or not.  While faithfulness is a noble virtue, we don't need to be faithful to the wrong things, particularly a church system.  While we never give up on people, we don't need to be faithful to an organization or man-made structure.   

3.  But I just love the people, they're such nice people.
We must be willing to leave behind any people or religious systems that are keeping us from really following Christ.  While we may still remain in relationship with them in various ways, we do not have to remain under the leadership structure of that church.  We do not have to go in the same direction they are going.  Also, sometimes people are just nice when you are going the same direction they are and believe all the same things they do.  When you start to go against the grain or speak up about whether God is really part of the church, you will find out quickly if these are really nice people or not!

4. I don't want to hurt the pastor's feelings or the people's feelings by leaving
The New Testament does not tell us to be nice to each other, it tells us to love each other.  Sometimes doing the loving thing or the right thing is not going to be interpreted as the "nice" thing.  You need to do what God is telling you to do whether it is interpreted as nice or not.

5.  I am breaking covenant if I leave this church
Time to get out of that church soon!  If you feel like you are a covenant-breaker, or you will come under some sort of curse for leaving that church, you need to find the exit soon.  That is a spiritually abusive and controlling environment, and you need to get out of it!

How to leave:

Assuming the church is not abusive or cultic, we need to make sure we communicate very openly and honestly with our church leaders about why we are considering leaving. Generally, there should be no slipping out silently with everyone wondering why you left. Of course, I never had that option since I was involved in leadership in some way in the last two churches we were part of. It was imperative to explain my position well and lovingly talk to the pastor(s) about why God was calling us out of those churches. The leaders may not be excited about you leaving, they may try to get you to stay - so it is very important to know exactly why you are leaving, and to remain obedient to God.

Conclusion:
It amazes me how much time, effort, prayer, and thought we Americans will put into temporal things such as Jobs, Houses, Finances, etc. - but how little goes into finding out about our place in his eternal Kingdom. A large part of this is, what do I do about church? What is the church? How am I to be part of the church? This is a critical issue, and it is important to find out what God wants us to do. Much prayer and seeking needs to take place - it is not something to be taken casually or lightly.