Until we feel a divine jealousy over His Body, we will never be properly motivated to guard, protect, and contend for our unity. Many are walking away from the Church or wandering from church to church with negative attitudes and bitter words, causing mistrust, criticism, and isolation. Regardless of the reasons, we need to realize the damage done when we sentence the entire Church to a time-out because of the mistakes of a few.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled (Hebrews 12:14-15).

View Comments (7)

Jesus died to save us as individuals, but He is returning for us as a Bride (see Eph 5:25-27). We are each responsible for our personal holiness, but we are corporately responsible for our sanctification as a Bride worthy of the Bridegroom. We are on a journey much bigger than our individual goals and aspirations. We must be joined together for a Kingdom cause that far outweighs our individual preferences or personal agendas. Somehow, we must find the same love for the Church that Christ has.

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).

To take down the demonic ruling authorities over our nation, we must have corporate authority. We cannot have corporate authority if we are divided or live in isolation. Unless we walk together and learn to work through our conflicts and differences, we will be handicapped in our prayers and have no standing in the spirit. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we do need a love for the Church that can see past one another’s flaws and mistakes.

It’s one thing to leave a Church because it doesn’t align with your beliefs; it’s another to slander a Church because they didn’t do things according to your personal preference. Even when there is sin in the camp and need for accountability, we can walk through it with integrity, looking for ways to address the individuals while protecting our corporate witness (see Matthew 18:15-17).

As a community pastor, my husband teaches a quarterly class for visitors and newcomers who want to learn more about our church. A few years ago, he added a new subject that very few pastors would probably address: How to Leave a Church with Blessing. With the growing number of people coming through our doors, broken and bitter from previous church experiences, he wanted to empower people to make these transitions in a way that was honoring to God and protected the witness of the corporate Church in our community.

Many times, disgruntled prodigals move on to other congregations; and we have learned that how they leave one church is how they will enter the next. A negative testimony of any previous church or pastor will follow them. Without proper resolution, it’s only a matter of time before that same testimony is repeated in the next stop on a person’s church-hopping journey.

When we realize that the Church is much larger than any one congregation, and that we are all interconnected, we will guard our testimony and honor those in leadership, even when we disagree with them. It’s Christ’s Body we’re talking about and He has a jealous love for it—all of it.

…But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:24-26).

• Excerpt taken from Wanda’s upcoming book, MOVING FROM SWORD TO SCEPTER (Releasing February 18, 2020).