Wrong Reasons to Leave a Church

Many transfers from one local body to another have nothing to do with Scriptural reasons. People conjure up all kinds of reasons why they must leave their church that are not legitimate or God-led. Here is a list of the reasons I often hear when someone leaves their church: 1. "I wasn't getting fed." Proverbs says, "To a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet" (27:7). As long as the Word of God is being preached-accurately and with insight-spiritual feeding is taking place. 2. "God is telling us to leave." How can you be sure God is telling you this? Is it because of conflict you're running away from? Or problems that you could be part of fixing? God is not the "author of confusion." If God is truly telling you to leave, the message will be confirmed over time; your leaving will not be sudden or in response to anger or done in revenge. 3. "The people at my church do not like, appreciate, use, understand, or care about me." This is a common complaint. Maybe you need to take steps to get involved. The enemy loves it when saints go church hopping. The instability and overreaction of those sheep who leave the flock at the slightest provocation have broken many pastors' hearts. The church of Corinth remains a great example of a church with problems where the people refused to give up. Paul took sixteen chapters to rebuke the church for sixteen major problems, but the Holy Spirit never told anybody to go anywhere except the man living in immorality with his stepmother (mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5). One should always take the matter of changing churches seriously. The Lord adds to the body as He chooses. Each local church is precious to the Lord. Beware when a bitter saint from the church down the road enters your doorway. Unless he is released by his church and led by the Lord, he may bring with him far more than you care to handle. Some who come may not even be Christians. Remember, the local church needs you. As the apostle Paul wrote, it is "the pillar and ground of the truth." Find one you can support, where the doctrine adheres to the Word of God and leaders and pastors are above moral reproach. Serve there with gladness, and you will find spiritual strength, support, and training in the spiritual battle. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

When to Leave a Church

Some may ask when it's wise to stay in the battle and when it's God's will to leave. Leaving a church is not always wrong and frequently healthy. Some churches can never be redeemed because of the level of infiltration. Here are three legitimate reasons to consider leaving a church. Notice, though, there are also cautions before making the choice to break the tie with a local church. First, doctrinal heresy is a reason to leave. Some doctrinal issues are not fundamental to your faith and can be overlooked. For example, some doctrines, such as baptism, forms of church government, the nature of the Tribulation, and the millennium are debatable. They should not be reasons to leave a church, even though you may personally have strong opinions on these issues. Some doctrines, though, cannot be compromised, at least in church leaders. What doctrines must we hold to and consider serious heresies when rejected and preached by our leaders? I'd list the following: 1. The virgin birth and deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. The blood atonement: Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of the world. 3. Salvation by grace through faith. There is only one way to be saved and it's by faith in Christ alone. If you can't get the leadership to agree to this point, nothing can possibly be gained except to try and convert those leaders to genuine faith. 4. The inspiration and absolute authority of the Scriptures. Biblical infallibility is central to evangelical belief. Only through infallible Scriptures can we know that other doctrines are true. 5. The bodily resurrection of Christ. Without the resurrection, Christianity is literally a "dead" religion. 6. The one-day physical return of the Lord. That Jesus is coming again should not be compromised into saying something less, i.e., "His coming is not bodily, but a spiritual coming into the hearts of His people," or some nonsense like that. 7. The triunity of the Godhead. This means that Father, Son and Spirit are all equally divine, but also distinct persons. To deny any doctrines in the above list is to deny the cardinal teachings of orthodox Christianity. Second, church leaders or members engaged in public sin is a reason to leave. When church leadership or pastors refuse to deal with open sin, especially among its co leaders, you've got a problem. An example might be ongoing immorality within the ranks of leadership or being tolerated in the local body of believers. Other issues could be various addictions like alcoholism, pornography, drugs, and so on. When leaders clearly sin and do not repent, or even when they allow sin to grow and flourish in their midst, it's time to consider whether this is God's person for you to follow. Jasper was an excellent preacher and dynamic leader. But sometimes in his antics he would do things that were unorthodox. The theme of his preaching was grace, which is wonderful. However, the people in his church often wondered if he had gone too far. For instance, he often made statements like, "Salvation is of grace, only of grace. Repentance is a work, therefore repentance is not necessary for salvation." Jasper would often say that those who came to Christ on the basis of repentance were not true Christians. This raised the eyebrows of those in his congregation who spent time in the Word. What kept people in that church was that people flocked to it in droves. It grew fantastically. All kinds of people were being "saved." The grace message that Jasper preached with his personal interpretation became very popular. Unfortunately, it was a type of Christianity that did not impact the listener's lifestyle. One day, the news broke that Pastor Jasper and several of the elders in the church had been involved in immorality with women both in the congregation and outside of the congregation. Even more shocking was the revelation from Jasper that though this might not be in the perfect will of God, this was permissible under grace. A group of people under wise counsel left that body and formed a new church that is flourishing today. Jasper's old church, though, has all but died. Christan's cannot tolerate overt sin in the church leadership. If the leaders refuse to admit guilt and repent, it's time to leave that church. Third, if God has called you elsewhere, you should leave the church. Sometimes the Lord truly calls Christians to serve in another place. This may be a new job or a life transition, or for Christian leaders, including pastors, as new vocational ministry, at such a time the ideal would be to have the church you are leaving release or send you to the new body. Be careful, though, when you take such a direction that it is not your pride or a lust for personal glory driving you. But if in your heart of hearts you perceive God wants you in another church plant or situation, by all means heed that prompting. When I was a student in Bible college and assisting as a youth pastor in a rapidly growing church in a city in the Midwest, the senior pastor and I would pray together every Saturday afternoon. Often we prayed about all kinds of places and situations and, to my amazement, as we would pray about other countries, tears would drip down his face, especially when we prayed for Spain. As we were praying, I often felt rather nonspiritual because I did not have a burden for Spain at all. After several months of this, I began to wonder was was going on in his life. I found out when one day he announced that God had called him and his wife as missionaries to Spain. He soon raised all his financial support, went to Spain, and was used of God to found a number of Bible-believing churches. The church that I was part of at that time happily released him to go to another part of the world because they also had seen his "burden" for Spain. I believe that just as my pastor friend was called of God to serve in another part of His world, so God calls us at times to serve Him in other places, other cities, other churches. The only caveat I'd offer is that you be sure of your call. But if God is speaking to you, like He was to my pastor, then move ahead at full speed. You have nothing to fear except stepping out of the will of God by not doing it. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Patten and POLITICS - How Washington works

The White House Fence Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House in DC: One is from New York , another is from Tennessee and the third, is from Florida . All three go with a White House official to examine the fence The Florida contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me." The New York contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700." The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?" The New York contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence." "Done!" replies the government official. And that, my friends, is how government contracting works!

Using Tough Love

What if you are a new member (or even an older member or teacher) and learn that your church has those who do not accept the fundamentals of the faith? Then those infiltrators with a false message gain a strong position and threaten to take over. Tough love is paramount. Be firm but never unkind. Go slowly. You may be able to minister to the infiltrators. Keep in mind that some infiltrators are well-intentioned but misled. Some may even be longtime churchgoers but not Christians. They may be fragile people; if you bend them too fast they will break. Therefore, do not pound down their throats the Bible, the gospel, or yourself. Remember the words of Paul and show compassion, "kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering" (Colossians 3:12). Long suffering, or patience, requires time; be committed to the process, not to a quick fix. In these situations, quick fixes usually lead to delusions. Church divisions and potential splits can occur, but often, by following the above procedures, they can be avoided. We need to examine our own hearts. Are we trying to work in cooperation whenever possible? I think of Bernard and Shelly in this regard. They had been involved in two church splits. Moving to a different state, they joined a fairly large church. It wasn't long until they became critical of Richard, their pastor, who was teaching basic biblical truth. Bernard and Shelly were spreading dissension among the people of the church. So he went to Bernard and said he would like to begin to meet with him on a weekly basis. Bernard seemed open to that strategy. Before long, Richard's wife was meeting with Shelly on a weekly basis. Shelly revealed that Bernard had older brothers who continually put him down and told him he was worthless. His father yelled at him severely. Through much of his life he struggled with deep feelings of inferiority. It became apparent that the reason Bernard opposed church leadership was because people from his past had so wounded him. Pastor Richard's wife received permission to tell her husband about Bernard's painful past. Later Pastor Richard decided and Bernard agreed to draw some boundaries for Bernard, and the pastor warned him not to cross those boundaries. This helped Bernard see clearly what was right and wrong in his critical attitude, and he responded positively. Meanwhile, the pastor affirmed Bernard with love and discipleship by telling him of that love and of his commitment to seeing Bernard grow. A transformation occurred. The critical spirit gradually disappeared and in its place Bernard grew in his Christian life and thrived, like one of those olive trees in the Old Testament planted by a stream of water. For the last fifteen years Bernard and Shelly have faithfully served God in that local assembly. People are not always on the side of evil. More frequently, they are deceived by the lies of the enemy. Whether you are pastor or a member of a congregation recognize your opportunity to help those who create divisions. When godly men and women come alongside and win an opponent's trust by showing love and care, divisive people can often be turned around for good. Never write someone off simply because they're not acting the way you believe a Christian should. Sometimes they're acting that way because they simply do not know the truth. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Responding to an Infection in the Local Church

What should you do if your church becomes infected with spiritual poison, or even defects to the other side. My advice to Christian leaders is: Do not allow any spiritual battle to rob you of God's joy and peace and your sleep. When you do, the enemy is winning the battle. Instead, use prayer, a mighty weapon and the encouragement of dialogue with other leaders who can offer good counsel and a godly response. Remember, a godly response means correction of error, but done with gentleness and in love. Dwight, the senior pastor of a conservative charismatic church, used that strategy after a group of men from his church returned from some special downtown meetings with renewed enthusiasm, but also false doctrine. They began to teach that there is only one manifestation of the Godhead-the person of Jesus Christ. Sometimes He might take the form of the Father or the form of the Spirit, they said, but there is only Jesus Christ. They argued that the Trinity was an evil doctrine. Their teaching touched a significant number of people in his church, and Dwight knew he was on the verge of a firestorm. He brought the other leaders of the church together, and they began to hold prayer meetings three times a week, crying out to God to change the hearts of those who had strayed from truth. In the sovereignty of God, the lies were exposed and all but three members of the group were brought back to an orthodox position about the Trinity. God also exposed the extreme excesses of the original group and showed that His power would never be demonstrated in people who were not correct in their doctrine. By gentleness and love, what could have been a fierce, divisive controversy simply resulted in the loss of three members. That was fortunate, although, sad too say, it rarely happens that way. Satan always wants to scare a pastor and make the church leaders shudder at what's happening in their church body in a way that makes them fearful of taking action. But when you cling to the Lord and cry out to God, God often gives victory in ways none could anticipate. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

When Your Church Becomes Infected

The great deceiver uses his many tricks in many churches. Because believers comprise the local church and the enemy has the ability to deceive believers (see 2 Corinthians 11:3; 2 Timothy 2:25; 1 Thessalonians 3:5), we should not be surprised at his successes. In fact, Satan was tempting and creating havoc within the earliest New Testament churches. Paul issued warnings about the tempter to the churches in Corinth and Thessalonica, and he warned the young yet God-fearing Timothy and other godly servants not to quarrel but to be kind and gentle to everyone (see Ephesians 4:31-32; 2 Timothy 2:24). All of us become duped at one time or another, no matter how careful we are. We are most open to deceit, though, when we are not connected with the Lord through the Scriptures, prayer, and obedient living. People seek the wrong things in the church and turn to other resources, such as the occult, in order to get them. Watch out for counterfeit truth. Satan is in the business of destroying churches. What then are his greatest weapons in destroying them? Let me give you four primary methods he uses to undermine leadership and stop a church's progress. First, Satan can counterfeit the truth. Second, Satan can give great feelings, and believers, remembering feelings of joy, even ecstasy, upon their conversion and first weeks with the Lord, may associate good feelings with spirituality. Some Christians crave those joyful feelings they experienced at the end of a week-end-retreat-the so-called "mountaintop high"-as proof all is right between God and them. With great feelings, these believers think they must be "spiritual" because they "feel so good." But feelings are fleeting and dangerous. Extreme emotional highs often produce extreme emotional lows. Yes, the fruit of the spirit includes joy (and peace, for that matter), but we should not test our spirituality by seeing if strong emotions are constantly present. Where fruit is present on an ongoing basis, we can be more assured we are walking in the Spirit. Patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, and the other fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 should be evident in a believer's life. Courtney loved those moments of high emotion, and Satan seemed to use them to delude her about her relationship with God. As we visited together in a counseling session, Courtney said, "I think I am a religious-high junkie." She explained that over the past few years when any big-name faith healer visited the area she would go to the services. Sometimes she gave large amounts of money against her husband's wishes. Several of those times she was able to talk to the faith healer, and he or she would lay hands on Courtney and offer some type of "imparted wisdom" to her. She told me, "Dr. Copley, the feeling was absolute ecstasy. The exhilaration was like nothing I had ever experienced." I could imagine that it was! She went on. "But there was one problem. It would never last. I would always have to seek another high. Besides that, the lows became extremely low." As we talked about the Christian life, I was able to show her that the normal Christian life is one in which we walk in love with Jesus Christ, and go where He leads us by His Spirit and through His Word. I told her that while there might be times of ecstasy and exhilaration, those experiences were always preceded by a reason. "For instance," I said "King David danced before the ark when it was returned by the Philistines. He experienced ecstasy and worship. But he had a strong reason to do so-the glory of God." She agreed, and I added, "As we walk with the Lord in a personal love relationship with Him led by His Spirit through the Scriptures, we can live a life that glorifies God without any counterfeit joy or peace or exhilaration that might not be from Him in reality." Courtney began seeking God through the Scriptures and prayer and found through the practice of true Christian disciplines her life evened out and became much more stable. Watch out for counterfeit healing. Satan can also counterfeit healing (see 2 Thessalonians 2:9). You can be sure the enemy will seek to counterfeit anything that is truly from God, even healing. I believe God can and on occasion does heal in the day in which we live. To say that He does not is to deny the power of God. Many times, though, He does not choose to heal. I have seen situations where people have sought out certain ailing Christians to persuade them to receive the healing that they so desperately needed. Shawn was so duped. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in his early twenties. He had battled this debilitating illness for several years by taking anti psychotic medications. Because of modern scientific research, we have found that many drugs can take such people from a highly dysfunctional condition to a rather "normal" state of mind. In Shawn's case, he found that when he would take his drugs properly he could work a job, think with clarity, and function well. However, he always felt somewhat dull and "stupefied," which is a typical side effect of such drugs. Shawn came to my office after being released from the psychiatric ward in the local hospital. He told me right away, "Dr. Copley, some weeks ago a faith healer came to town and I went forward. The faith healer laid hands on me and then he pronounced me healed of my schizophrenia. The strangest thing was I had not told him I was schizophrenic. After he laid hands on me I felt like a lightning bolt suddenly charged through my body. I walked out of that place feeling higher than I ever have in my life. As a result, I stopped taking my medication cold turkey." Listening, I realized he was in much distress about this. He went on. "For the next fifteen days I was higher than a kite. I was happy, bubbly, personable, striking up conversations with strangers, full of energy, shouting out loud hallelujahs, and it was great. But then I bottomed out, and I ended up back in the hospital, back on my medications, back to living life as I had. What happened to me? I said, "What happened to you was you became the victim of a false healing. That which God truly does He does permanently. We have an enemy, and the enemy wants to deceive and disillusion us and eventually destroy us through these deceptions. One of those is false healing. I'm sorry to say. God probably wants you to take your medication, perhaps for the rest of your life." Shawn agreed and has been normal ever since. But he was actually lucky. I have heard of good Christian people like him who have committed suicide or slipped into deeper psychosis as a result of such deceptions. I believe it's possible for God to heal completely in such cases. But it's rare. The more common way God "heals" is through modern medical techniques, which are legitimate and can help people immensely. Keep in mind that Satan does empower for false healing, partial healing, and even occasional full healing to lead people away from God. Watch out for counterfeit power. Finally, Satan can grant limited power. Many people seek power or control-sometimes both. Satan, who has temporary rule over this world, has power that he can bestow.It is limited compared to that of God almighty, but it is still power, and this counterfeit power can woo and impress and deceive us. It's easy to understand why power is so appealing. We all have a sense of personal inadequacy. There are times n counseling that the client and I both reach a state of hopeless despair at our own inadequacy to solve a problem. It's at that point that we cry out to God for His help, because when we are weak, God is strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-20). There's nothing wrong with this, and it's certainly not that bad place to be. When we realize the need for help beyond what this world has to offer, we are being exactly what God made us all along: dependent creatures who need His love and power to survive. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings. Many people, though, seek the wrong kind of power: the power of Satan. And Satan does have earthly power; that's why he could offer Jesus the kingdoms of this world (see Matthew 4:8-9). Today Satan offers different kinds of power to Christ's followers. Some of the power sources that come from the enemy are: 1. Signs and miracles. 2. False Ecstatic worship, which is actually a highly toxic mysticism. The fruit from this worship is weak, which in turn produces weak Christians. 3. The false promise of health and wealth if you love God and have faith (and give to a certain ministry). 4. False authority. Those who have such authority refuse to be tested in their faith by mature brothers. I see this all the time among church members and even pastors. It's up to the church to expose Satan's counterfeit power with God's truth. When the church operates in the power of the Holy Spirit, the result will be seen in true conversions, changed lives, genuine love, and world evangelism, plus numerous other Christian virtues that are practiced by the church. These all witness to the presence of a loving God willing to give abundant life and bring freedom from the lies and oppression of the enemy. Satanic power always corrupts, though, and those who seek it will ultimately be destroyed because that is the enemy's real purpose behind his so-called gifts. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

How Should the Church Respond to Satanic Plants

How should the church deal with these people-those from within and without the church who can be used by the enemy? The following principles are of utmost importance while ministering to such people: First, prayer is our ultimate weapon. Thus we must "pray with-out ceasing," Second, we must love the individuals whom the enemy is attempting to work through. We must build a relationship with them (they are often extremely needy). Remember God promises to be there with us (Matthew 18:20). Third, we must gain some insights about the type of occult or satanic involvement any individual may have willingly or often unwillingly participated in. Those who are attacking leaders, spreading heresy, or dividing the church should be confronted with their actions and God's truth, according to the model of Matthew 18:15-17. Some will not respond to God's truth and will need to be removed (Titus 3:10). Others will respond to Christ's love and become new creations in Him. Keep your options open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. How God can break through. During a spiritual warfare conference years ago, I sat at a table with a friend of mine when a young lady, probably in her mid-thirties, walked over and took a seat beside us. As we were waiting to be served the evening meal, I struck up a conversation with her. To my absolute shock she knew far more than I did on the subject of spiritual warfare. As we continued to talk, I found that she was single, a registered nurse, and a member of a church whose pastor I knew quite well. As I listened to her talk about spiritual warfare I realized she had gone places I had never been. Finally she looked at me and said, "You're curious as to who I am, aren't you?" I said, "Ma'am, I cannot understand how you can have the level of knowledge and insight you have, considering your age and occupation." At that point she shared her story. "I was a witch in a coven. I was sent as a plant to such-and-such church to destroy it. I went in and did what I was assigned to do. I began building relationships and cursing various people, such as the pastor, but in time as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, his message began to reach my heart. One day God opened my spiritual eyes and I trusted Christ as my Savior." I sat there amazed, my throat tight. She went on. "Now I am born again and a growing Christian. God has brought me freedom in Christ. I have renounced everything in my past. I have an intense hunger for God and His Word. The Lord is using me to win others to Jesus Christ. He is using me in the counseling ministry to help others come to the freedom that only can be found in Him. I rejoice that God saved me, because I know if I had remained a witch I would have ended up in hell." Sometime later I had an opportunity to share with the pastor of her church how exciting it was to meet this young woman. He smiled and said, "You don't know the half of it." He then told me what he had seen with this lovely lady. When she initially arrived at his church, he had a feeling she had come from the local coven. His church is an aggressive body that does tremendous damage to the gates of hell, and that was why the coven was eager to destroy it. He said, "I immediately alerted the leaders of the church to pray for her. They were very careful to hold her before the throne of grace daily, and not to bring accusations against her or even tell her of our suspicions. As we gently reasoned with her and prayed for her, God broke through the thick layer of lies and years of pain, and the Word of God penetrated her heart and God gave her new life." I agreed this had to be a special case, and he said, "Sometimes churches are too quick to remove someone who does not fit in with them. God may in His sovereignty bring that person into that body to come to Jesus Christ." It's a tough call. But Christians walking with Christ and a church united in spirit need fear no one. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Standing Firm Against Satan's Lies

Satan's lies against the church are often subtle. But they can also be direct, as can his actions. He can use people to influence members' lives. Let me tell you about Pastor Sam. As his suburban church thrived and honored God, he felt his ministry could hardly get any better. Hundreds of people found Christ through the ministry of this New York church. Pastor Sam found church growth to be one of the most exhilarating things he had ever experienced. A seminary even gave Sam an honorary Doctor of divinity degree in recognition of his excellent work. Preaching to hundreds of people weekly fulfilled his life dream. Sam did not take into account that the enemy might want to undermine this great work. He didn't reckon with the fact that great victory invites great danger. Perhaps spiritual pride had set in. While a believer is occupied with the blessings of God, the devil schemes to steal it all away. Satan's scheme in Sam's church was to appear as an "angel of light." A well-groomed lady with position, power, and money joined the church. This "sister," whom we'll call Angeline, quickly won the hearts of the church leaders through her charm, physical presence, and downright "spiritual" ability. In a short time Angeline was given a major position of leadership. She befriended and visited every family in the church. She spent thousands of dollars of her own money on new equipment for the ministry. Over the next two years, she became deeply enmeshed into church life. A willing worker, a "humble" friend, she seemed to be sent from heaven. This all changed abruptly. Early one Monday morning, Pastor Sam went by the church to retrieve something he left the evening before. When he walked into the building, he received the shock of his life. This woman had stayed in the building Sunday night. During the night she had erected an alter behind the pulpit. On the altar lay the pictures of most of the families in the church. Candles were burning and Sam soon realized some sort of ceremony was taking place. In time, he was to find out this was actually a satanic ritual meant to claim every soul in the church. Shortly after Pastor Sam walked in on her a male voice spoke through Angeline. The voice told the pastor there was a church of several thousand members in the area, and the voice said it knew the exact date the pastor would resign. It promised him the pulpit as the next senior pastor if he would cooperate with the voice. Sam ignored the voice. He turned, went to his office, and called the police. They removed the woman, and the items on the altar were burned. Sam thought this was the end, but mass confusion gripped his people. Sam invited me to help stabilize the situation. This woman, who had appeared to be so spiritual and committed, was actually an emissary of Satan. Sam told me Angeline was later identified as part of a satanic cult operating in the area. I knew it would be difficult, but Sam believed God was in the situation (as He always is), and for three weeks I counseled individual families ten hours a day and preached each evening. The revelation of candles burning before member's pictures sent fear through the congregation. During this time I met with every family in the church, discovering problems and sins that had "spun out of control" during the time of this woman's tenure. We prayed for the Lord's wisdom and searched the Scriptures for His answers. For instance, one family I'll call the Dakins had turned to alcohol during this very difficult time in the church. It started with Angeline bringing the family a bottle of wine when she came to visit. She would quote the Scriptures where Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his infirmities. However, it seemed as if Angeline had some sort of unique insight into this family situation, for before the husband and wife became Christians they both had been alcoholics. During this time of mass confusion they went back to comforting themselves with alcohol rather than the Word and people of God. By the time I was able to spend an afternoon with the Dakins, they were addicted to alcohol again and it was on the verge of spinning out of control. I believe this woman purposely set up the Dakins to bring destruction in their lives. Thankfully, God was able to work through that, and as I talked with the husband and wife, they both repented of the sin with many tears and asked God to redeem the situational. Later that day Mr. And Mrs. Dakin asked their children's forgiveness for the example they had set and how they had sinned before them. Still later yet they expressed repentance to the entire church. What was the enemy's lie here? Yes, you were once addicted, but now that you are Christians you are stronger. This may even be scriptural." Over that time, the Lord graciously gave light and understanding and soon restored the church. At the same time. Pastor Sam's eyes opened to the reality of warfare: Satan walks around roaring like a lion seeking whom he may devour. The church lost several families. Some could not believe Angeline could do such thngs, and felt the church has misunderstood her and overreacted. One family chose to believe Angeline's accusation against the church leaders, despite her Sunday night burning in the church. Three other families said, in essence, "If the leadership has no more discernment than this, we don't feel protected here." And thus they went elsewhere. Angeline had sown her wicked seeds. But the church recovered; indeed it is a growing church, one where the Lord is being honored. But the question remain: How did this woman gain such power in the church? The truth is, there are many people like this. Few worship Satan, but they are under his influence and open to suggestions. They may not even realize they are simply pawns of the devil. But they invade and then infect the church with the kind of turmoil that can split it, lead people into sin, or provoke doctrinal shifts that render the church unusable by God. No church is immune from the implant of a satanic infiltrator. Again, they May not be a part of an organized cult or satanic group. Disgruntled "Christians" coming from another church may serve the enemy just as skillfully; so can long-term members who disagree with one another and began to choose sides. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Need to Stand Firm and Resist

What is the church to do when persecution results? The church is to stand firm against the enemies of our Lord, whether these enemies are human or demonic. In light of this, churches are to be wary, vigilant, and refuse to give in to the tactics of the enemy. That calls for standing on the foundation of the Word. It's like a sumo wrestler taking up his position on a mat; the church and its leaders retain their balance, but if they are strong in the Word and ready for such an assault, they will not easily be moved, let alone knocked down. Unlike the sumo wrestler, we have much more than a skimpy loincloth; we have the complete armor of God at our disposal. A friend of mine I'll call Austin pastors a progressive church in a fairly large city. After he began his ministry there, he learned two factions had kept the church divided for ten years. Both of these factions had different ideas no what the church was to do. He called me one day and asked if I would be willing to help his people come to a new vision for the church. Austin wanted me to give an outside perspective and help unify the two split factions within his church. The leaders and I met in a pleasant country setting, about an hour's drive away from the church. We spent the first hour in prayer and worship. Then, as we rose from our time of worship, I asked each of the church leaders and their wives to share their burden for the church. I jotted notes as they spoke. Amazingly, I kept hearing the same thing, which is unusual when you have factions like this. Of course, it was all phrased in different words and different ways, but it was basically the same thing. They wanted to glorify God and to do His will though the body. With this clarified, we capitalized on how we could glorify God and make ourselves available as vessels to function in His body. We turned to problems that might hinder the body, the Lord brought conviction and repentance to these members. At that point, we moved on to the vision the Lord wanted to give these leaders. Several Scriptures helped the leaders' thinking: "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest" (John 4:35)., "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31), and "Bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2). Before the weekend retreat was finished, it appeared everyone had moved toward the mind of Christ-one mind leading the entire body. The folk understood they might see things differently from others, but that was only because each had different gifts that guided their hopes and desires. Now seeing this for what is was, they realized their factionalism had been a lie of Satan. In reality, they were much more unified than they originally thought. And there was as brand-new commitment to serving together for the glory of God. Recently I was able to talk with Austin about the results of this meeting; he described a new enthusiasm-an enthusiasm the church had never experienced in the previous ten years. Now their Sunday evening gatherings began with prayer, which usually lasts an hour or more before they actually get to the preaching. They're bringing more diversified people into the body. A new love for each other permeates the body. And there is fresh understanding of the work of the enemy. "Understanding the lies of the enemy and understanding the mind of Christ has brought new life into the church, "Austin concludes. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Power of a Church's Vision

Unity comes when the people have a common vision. I was reminded of this years ago when I directed a discussion with the pastors and elders of a church in the Midwest during a two-day retreat. The church was being pulled in several directions. As I spent time with the church leaders before the retreat, five areas of conflict came to the forefront. There were relational, spiritual, doctrinal, philosophical, and organizational conflicts among the people of the congregation. As each problem was brought up, the forty-plus of us would gather together and ask the Spirit of God to guide us. What soon became evident was the lack of a clear vision statement for the body of Christ, they had no answer. I advised them to seek God and His vision of what He wanted to do in their midst. During the actual retreat, we hammered out a vision statement that everyone agreed upon. The mission statement went like this: "This local church exists for the purpose of loving Jesus Christ by magnifying Him through the Word and worship, by loving believers and encouraging them toward maturity and ministry, and by loving the lost through making Jesus Christ known to our neighbors and the world." This mission statement gave the leaders of the church a purpose and a direction. They next evaluated the programs of their church. In the process, some of them were discarded because they did not fit into the mission statement of the church. Others were added. As the leaders moved forward in the process, their hearts were unified. It was not uncommon during that weekend to see them break down in tears of repentance and forgiveness toward each other. The power of their vision made possible not only direction and unity but also greater love and commitment toward each other. God wants us to have His vision. As a congregation walks with the Lord, the members are to walk in the unity of the Spirit, which He has established in His body. Now, several years later, the church is strong, it has grown, there is solid unity among the people, and God is being glorified. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Power of the Church

What power does the church possess under God's authority in spiritual warfare? What can we, as members of the local church, expect to see happen when God is truly ruling there? The power of the church is the power of every single Christian: the Holy Spirit. But in the church that power is enlarged through unified believers. Remember, before the disciples received the Holy Spirit they were in a sense powerless, the same way any unbeliever is today. However, afterward, they experienced incredible power as together they began to impact their society. In the book of Acts we see three amazing results occurred when the Holy Spirit came upon the church: 1. The church experienced growth in numbers (Acts 2:5-11). 2. The church experienced growth spiritually (Acts 10:47-48; 15:32; 19:17-20). Spiritual growth typically results in numerical growth. Healthy Christians reproduce themselves. 3. The church experienced persecution from her enemies (Acts 5:17-42; 14:3-7). I'm not saying these are things that will always happen to any church where the Spirit is working. Sometimes, depending on the situation and for other reasons, a church does not grow dramatically or even incrementally even though there seems to be real spiritual growth. Keep in mind, however, that any church where Christians develop genuine maturity and/or numerical prosperity is subject to spiritual assault by the great deceiver. In fact, I believe the enemy will certainly launch a counterattack. He recognizes that Christ's kingdom is the ardent enemy of the kingdom of darkness. When Satan sees his own strongholds tumbling down, he must act. Often this comes in the form of persecution. It's then that the power of the Spirit is so crucial. This power rarely happens in one person alone. Generally, God uses it in the many, uniting them together in a cause that is greater than any single person's vision. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Spiritual Warfare in the Church

Young Charlie Smith (not his real name) was fresh out of seminary. Charlie couldn't wait to move to the parsonage of the church that had just called him as senior pastor. Armed with a master's degree and full of zeal, Charlie planned to set the world on fire. His face glowed as he thought of preaching in the pulpit of this beautiful auditorium, that still smelled new. The unanimous vote boasted his spirits, and he looked forward to leading a unified church. Within days of unloading the moving van and helping his wife and two young children settle in, Charlie realized the unanimous vote actually came from two factions that had split months before but were unwilling to leave the new building. Each side claimed a right to own it and remain, with the other group leaving. Each group also believed Charlie was their man. Several days after getting started, Charlie learned the chairman of the elder board was involved in an affair with a young married woman who was also a member of the church. The former pastor would not confront the issue; instead he chose to answer a call to greener and calmer pastures. During his early sermons Charlie saw a smirk on the face of the head elder almost as often as he observed the closed eyes of the elder who dozed through every sermon. Charlie began to dream of the "good old seminary days," when he carried a full course load and also worked forty hours a week in the freezer at the meat packing plant to make ends meet. This was difficult, but it didn't compare to the stress of this pastorate. Each group pulled on Charlie as members jockeyed position to take over the facility. Nearly every church event turned into a power play. Even a solemn event like a funeral became a show of force. One faction would tell Charlie. "You better not give him as Christian funeral. If anybody ever went to hell, he did." His sin? Siding with the other faction, of course. The only warfare instruction Charlie had ever received in seminary was some teaching on theological liberalism that had invaded the church. Excellent teaching that this was, Charlie was ill prepared for the all-out internal warfare going on in his pews. Though he also studied about church conflicts and how to "be in charge of the war" in a church situation, nothing in his class notes shed light on the present problem. Without question the enemy was behind this assault on the church, using all his classic tactics to divide and conquer. During this time, Charlie began to wonder if the enemy's purpose was not only to destroy the ministry of the church but to seriously blemish the reputation of the Lord. This hurt even more than the idea that the church itself might go down. So Charlie began to pray. He realized God had ordained the church for His service, and he asked the Lord to oppose whatever forces were at work in the church. He actually pleaded with God for a miracle. As he sought the Lord, the Spirit brought to Charlie's attention a group of committed saints who took neither side. He discovered that they, often with tears, were praying desperately for the church in the way only scared but committed saints can do: with passion, love, and genuine hope that God would answer. The group prayed, and Charlie led them with the hope of "winning one for the Father." One night as verse jumped off the page of the Bible as Charlie read, "The time has come for judgment to being at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). Not sure what this meant, Charlie prayed that this would indeed be God's operative plan. However, he didn't really expect what was about to happen. The next day the leader of one of the factions died quite suddenly. It did cross Charlie's mind that God might have "struck him down," even as He had struck Ananias, Sapphira, and Herod Antipas (see Acts 5:1-11; 12:20-23). Pastor Charlie didn't say anything about his thoughts as he preached this leader's funeral; he did not try to rally anyone against the other group or even mention the conflict. But as he preached, the other leader suddenly fell sick, went into the hospital, and was not expected to live. Charlie visited him and prayed for him. By the unique grace of God, this second leader did live, and then accepted Christ while he was in the hospital. God, who had interceded twice already, was ready to act through this new child of His. One morning three weeks later, the converted elder stood before the congregation, gave his testimony, and then pleaded for forgiveness. As if setting in motion the gears of a great machine that had been idle, a genuine revival broke out. People crossed the aisles to seek forgiveness from one another. The chairman of the elders was disciplined for his adultery. Within a few short years, the church, now committed to honoring God, doubled in size. Charlie watched it all unfold, as astonished as the rest. but grateful that God had known what to do about the problem even if he hadn't. Through that experience, Charlie grew in his understanding of spiritual warfare as he searched and taught the Scriptures in order to build up the flock. He also warned the flock over and over that the wolf remained ready to attack again, so they must be vigilant and ready, as Paul said to the Ephesians in Acts 20:28-30. Charlie saw clearly there are two kingdoms operating in God's world, and they are mutually exclusive. He also learned that Jesus is the ultimate Lord of both kingdoms. This example, while a bit unusual, is not unique. God loves His church and protects it. The local church serves as the primary fortress and offense against the enemy. If you are a Christian and are not involved in a church, it's my hope that you will become convinced of the church's position before God and of its power, and of your own need to become allied with other Christians in the struggle. Lone Rangers rarely last long in the church. That's why it's called "the body of Christ." In that sense, Jesus Himself needs us to accomplish His purpose as much as we need Him. The miracle of Christianity is that God has made us His coworkers. Not slaves, nor merely servants. But coworkers and those who will share in the harvest! Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.