Recently we were confronted with a situation which forced us to make some serious decisions and to take a new direction in our spiritual lives.  For me, personally, it was the second time in less than six years that I had found myself asking "How can I stay any longer?"

No matter how much we wish things could be different, there will be times when we know that there really is no point staying any longer in a church.  Staying would mean confrontation with people who are not willing to be confronted or challenged.

I remembered the words of the Israelite Joshua.  Faced with a situation in which others were vacillating and undecided, Joshua declared his loyalty to the God who had brought them up out of slavery in Egypt, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord", Joshua 24:15.

Slavery can take many forms for folks today:  being held captive by family customs or religious traditions, being trapped by our own false ideas about what the church is about, being caught up with worldly possessions and interests, being shackled by ungodly habits or practices, and more.

In the earlier situation, the church I had been a part of all my life had drifted over time and was no longer what it claimed to be, the undenominational church of Christ.  It had lost its local autonomy.  Outside influences were dictating the thinking of people who should have known better.  There was also no Godly leadership within the group.  Gossip, tale-bearing, slander, even lying, were rampant within the church.  Decisions were being made based on hear-say, not on truth.  God's laws were being ignored every day by souls who were quick to judge and quick to condemn.

In the recent situation, there was no commitment to following the teachings of the Scriptures, even amongst the "leadership team" of the church.  People had taken roles God never intended for them to have or for which they simply were not qualified.  The doctrines being taught and the practices of the group did not match the name on the sign outside their meeting place.

So when the preacher openly lied to us and to others, and behaved as a bully or taught false doctrine, there was no willingness to address his sin.  Instead "the Board", or "leadership team", remained silent, pretending not to hear or see, and choosing to collude with the "pastor" rather than address his sinful behaviour.

Others, quite knowledgeable and experienced in church leadership, acquiesced to cover his wrong-doings rather than risk having the whole sorry arrangement "blow up in their faces".  Calls for a congregational meeting to discuss the issues were instead ignored or denied.  A long-established tradition of "shooting the messenger" rather than dealing with the problem was perpetuated one more time.

In short, no effort was made to address the sinful behaviour of the "pastor" even though it was obvious to many that something was seriously wrong within the church.

In both situations sin was being "swept under the carpet" in the name of congregational unity.  Did either group think that God could not see?

As Joshua declared, "we will serve the Lord".  Surrounded by men who were unwilling to whole-heartedly commit to God's work, he boldly set his own course.  At times like these, it is not about traditions or customs.  It is not about "keeping peace" or "agreeing to differ".  It is about standing up for Christ Himself.

Was Jesus a hypocrite? or a liar?  Was Jesus caught up in religious offices or titles?  Was Jesus someone who did His "own thing" and ignored "His Father's business"?  Of course not.

It is interesting that all four Gospel writers recorded the occasion of Jesus going to the temple and overturning "the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold doves".  Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19, Luke 19:45-48, John 2:13-17.

Sometimes, we need to accept that "God's house" has become "a den of thieves", the home of hypocrites or just a comfortable "place to worship each Sunday".

That is the time for good people to leave.