Leaving the Church. A Mass Exodus We Can’t Ignore.

If you are a Christian, at least in these parts, it won’t take you very long to find one; someone wandering, offended, or just plain disillusioned with the institution of the church.

Some of my closest brothers and sisters can be found church hopping, or saddened and leaving the church all together…silently disappearing unnoticed from corporate assemblies.

And although a building may not see their frustration, a denomination may think nothing of numbers declining; as a Christian, my heart grieves deeply for the folks losing hope in a structured assembly.

Most of us have heard the stories about the millennial generation leaving in droves.  Annoyed, frustrated with the lack of authenticity, rejecting the insincerity and sometimes shallow hypocrisy often spotted in so-called “churchy people”.

And I can’t say I blame them.

But the problem is, as a result many end up finding God independently, sometimes tainting Him with their own thinking, or mixing Him, like they used to do in scripture, with a culture of greed, false love, or New Age thinking; where all is relative, it’s all about positive thoughts, or they wrap themselves in some dangerous, no-rules, “don’t judge” kind of persona.

Still, as mature adults, we somehow can disregard their mass church exodus, stating, “Well, they are young”, “It’s just their age”, or “They will return when they are married and have children”.

Sadly, research is finding, unlike the generations before them, too often these young people never return.  In fact, how many drown in a culture before ever experiencing the fullness and true freedom found in the one true Jesus of the Bible?

But it’s not just young people anymore saying, “au revoir” to the local church.  It’s not just youth, or the most broken, those sitting in the back of the sanctuary, wobbling on the fringes of our culture who disappear into the shadows with no one running after them.

It’s mature Christians, people who have studied scripture, those who have spent decades giving their time and their finances, leaving the church ever-increasingly with a bad taste in their mouth.

And where for awhile we could lure people with entertainment or empty exhorting… many strong believers don’t want a church who appeases them with shallow doctrine, man-bound legalism, or empty bench warming.  They want “sold out” Bible-based, Jesus centered worship, and a congregation filled with sacrificial holiness.  They want genuine, long-over-due, transparent authenticity.

Some turn to the internet for comfort or fellowship, while granted, others settle sitting blank-faced in a pew somewhere, simply disconnected from the predictable ritualistic outline of it all; possibly staying because of guilt or because when they were little they were taught, “That’s what you do, go to church, on Sundays”.

Neither group are happy.  Neither living the full gospel of the people in the Bible.

I open scripture the morning after a long debate with a friend who came to dinner the night before, both of us Berean-like lovers of the Word, asking, “Why go to church at all?”, and “What does the true church look like, in scripture?”

Opening as the sun came up the true source for living, the place God reveals his plan amongst the plastic plots of fallible people.

I find at the end of Luke, resurrected-Jesus returns to the right hand of God, ascending literally into the sky.  The disciples witnessing Jesus while He is departs, God-incarnate lifting His hands out to the disciples, invoking a blessing on them while ascending to the heavens.  (Luke 24:50-51)

But what happened next struck me most of all.

Instead of grieving the loss of Jesus as he departs, they worshiped Him joyfully; instead of feeling lost and abandoned, they are full of praises, then go straight to the temple where they are continually; celebrating and extolling God.  (Luke 24:52-53)

Now aren’t these the same people who saw the leaders of the temple crucify Jesus earlier?  Weren’t they present, hearing Jesus rebuke the Pharisees, turn the tables, spread anger for making His house of prayer, a place for thieves?

Still, didn’t they go to the temple anyway?

And it struck me, these verses were after Jesus told them to “go, wait in Jerusalem for power upon high”, prior to the Holy Spirit outpouring of Pentecost…and yet, they didn’t hide, mourning and grieving like I had once thought.  They were praising God and somehow found joy in residing in the temple of God.

Commentary actually says that every hour the temple was open, the disciples were there, praising after being blessed by the son of God, and having “great joy”.(Luke 24:52) They didn’t feel abandoned or down cast. They were expectant, liberated, filled with anticipation at what God was about to do.

And isn’t that the key friend?  To wait expectantly in our Spirits for God to reveal Himself increangly more?

For, encountering Jesus never ceases to change, and the glory of the Lord often draws us to the temple to worship and pray.

Such a blessing leading to that upper room waiting, didn’t exclude the church like many say….it included it.

I sit and meditate on this a bit.  The fact that the disciples filled with the glory of God, actually were drawn to dwell constantly in this ritualistic, powerless, legalistic church of their time.

I mean, if anyone had the right to run from the temple, make excuses as to why the church is tainted or useless…wasn’t it the disciples?  They had just saw their Jesus pierced, headed with a crown of thorns, lying in a tomb at the recommendation of the leaders of the church.

Still, the disciples encountering Jesus ascension not only led them to the House of God, but they went willingly, with joy and praising.  Why?

I think the reason is the same reason Jesus as a boy was found in the temple teaching as a child.  His parents looking frantically for Him, but Him telling his parents, “Of course you should find me here.  Where else would I be?  I must be in my Father’s house”.

Jesus even taught in the temple as an adult, even while most of the recorded incidents of Jesus touching people was done outside the church; on a hill, in a tree, bending in the dirt, when the Pharisees stood with stones in their hands.

So, why did Jesus even bother with teaching in the temple?  Why did He spend His days there though often He was in danger of being captured, barely slipping out before the church people could seize Him?

I think it’s clear…Jesus loves the church.  He came for the church.  He died for the church.

And yet, as those exodus-ing might tell us; the church is in us, and because of Jesus, we now are the temples of His Holy Spirit.  And yes, that’s true logistically.  Yet, if even Jesus and the first disciples after the resurrection were literally compelled to the physical church…even with all of it’s flaws….should we be too?

And maybe we just get it wrong?  Maybe, we go to church to “find” God…when He has already found us.

And once we realize we are no longer lost, and taste His glory in our heart of heart…we can not help but be drawn anywhere God’s people gather.

And what if as mature believers, we didn’t look for God first in a building, group of people, or in some charismatic leader…but daily turned our gaze to heaven, witnessing His resurrect in our very own hearts before we thought to go look for Him other places?

Then, would our joy overflowing hinder us from dragging into some churches expecting something externally to fill us?  Then, might we shed disappointment because we “get it” that Jesus blood was shed knowing each of us has free access to walk boldly into the Holy of Holies…

The revelation that we need not ever be the same, Jesus alone has the power to save, and it is only His life, His joy, His ways that can ever truly give us all what we need.

Yes, many are leaving the church.  I get that. But as long as any kind of building representing God still stands; be it a tarp, a cathedral, a gymnasium where God’s people gather on a Sunday mornings….I will be there.

Because I love the church.  And if we read scripture, we might see…

Jesus and His disciples did too.