Jesus Kicked Out Of Church–Part 1 – Steve Orr

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What would happen if Jesus showed up incognito in your church? What would happen if he volunteered to serve as an nonsalaried layman? Many stories abound about regular folks like you who served like this for pure joy out of the abundance of their heart and got kicked out of church because they were seen as a threat to the religious establishment (including yours truly).

Apparently, even young people are a threat. A young man named Jessie volunteered to start a youth ministry in his church. Jessie got real. The youth connected with one another as they were led into authentic relationships with Jesus. The congregation witnessed the youth ministry’s good fruit with solemn commitments via the rite of baptism. These youth invited friends who became members of the youth group. They were enthusiastic and having fun. The good news got around.

Then something really GREAT terrible happened. People left the youth groups in their home churches to join Jessie’s group. Worse still, some of the kids’ parents became members of Jessie’s church.

This did not go unnoticed. Eventually, the pastor of a neighboring church called Jessie directly to read him the riot act, saying that he was stealing his sheep. Jessie said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know they were your sheep; I thought they belonged to the Good Shepherd and wanted to follow him.” Not surprisingly, this sent the bitter pastor into a rage. Jessie was accused of being a heretic preaching an easy, false gospel.

This authoritarian control freak pastor sent spies to report all the heresies. He commanded Jessie to step down from his ministry. Not only that, it just so happened that Jessie’s pastor and this bitter pastor were longtime friends and part of the same church network. The next day, Jessie’s pastor called him in for a talk. Jessie was asked to give up his ministry. Jessie refused. Then, he was told that he would be excommunicated if he did not step down. Jessie asked, “On what grounds? Are there any moral or theological problems to justify this excommunication?” Now, it was Jessie’s pastor who got angry. He was excommunicated for being in a bad attitude and told to leave and never come back.

As the decline in church attendance continues, people just complain about it and conclude, “Our society is going to hell-in-a-hand basket because of moral decay and worldly behavior. The entertainment and social media are destroying us.”

How is this different from what the early Christians experienced in the Roman Empire? They continued to grow during those most trying times. Instead of pointing the finger at others, why not come to grips with the radical notion that churches teaching religion need to change?

Why are people leaving churches? Because Jesus is being crowded out by Christless religion. In the end, they suffered the same consequences as Jessie.

Some people intuitively know the church is the problem but don’t know what to do, so they just leave. Others naively try to change their church. They redouble their evangelism efforts. They try to make the church more appealing. But none of this works if Jesus has left the building.

The more people reflect Jesus, who is the Way, the more likely they will come under attack by Christless religion. The more they confront the religious church, the more likely they will be kicked out.

Has something like this happened to you? If so, take heart. It is not you that is being rejected, it is the Jesus in you they reject.

Stories like Jessie’s are more common than we know. Jesus was spurned by the religious leaders of his day. Why? Because he was getting the favorable attention of “their” audience. Why? Because he spoke a truth that they could not stand against. Not only were they jealous, they felt threatened because they were losing their sway and power over the people. The battle ensues when religious figures are de-legitimized, especially when their finances take a hit.

Jesus was rejected by the greatest religious power of his time. If you have been rejected for merely sharing Immanuel, the one who is Truth Incarnate, then you are in good company. What God said to Samuel applies to us, “They have not rejected you, they have rejected me.” (1 Samuel 8:7).

So, give no thought to what you could have done differently to prevent the ire you received. Jesus battled with the religious leaders of his day and was rejected for it. By continuing Jesus’ fight against religion, you are following in his footsteps.

Being rejected by Christless religion is not a failure; rather, it is a victory. Your being “crucified with Christ” brings new life (Galatians 2:20). This resurrection power of the spirit is like a seed with the sure promise of new fruit. People see it. It has an impact with ripple effects beyond the horizon of our awareness.

But the rejection still stings. As God protects his children from the attacks of the religious spirit, he draws them closer to himself like the loving Heavenly Father he is. Sometimes, God protects his children by moving them out of harm’s way.

So, how does this battle against Christless religion end? Where do we find Christus Victor—Christ Victorious? Let’s see how it all ends in the last chapter of the Bible.

Outside the gates of God’s dwelling in the New Jerusalem from above, the gates are never shut while the victims of religion remain outside. Though nothing and no one impure is allowed to enter in, the Spirit and the Bride of Christ sing their siren song of invitation to all those outside the gates, saying, “Come! Let those who are thirsty come. And let them take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:27; 22:17).

As a warrior against Christless religion, you fulfill this prophecy here and now. Keep up the excellent work! Like Jessie, you can wear your being put out of a religious institution as a badge of honor.
Jesus said that his Kingdom is not of this world, but if it were, his servants would fight. Does all this talk of war and fighting, with its violence, feel non-Jesus-like? Of course, it does, but Jesus and his disciples do not fight like others in this world.

Stay tuned for the next episode in this series as we prepare to wage war the Jesus way against religion, which began in the Garden of Eden with the bad fruit taken from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Steve Orr writes to us from Montana. After working in the mecca of technology, Steve traded the rat race of Silicon Valley for the adventures of High Tech in Big Sky Country. Steve has an MBA with experience in accounting, finance, technology, and management. He occasionally writes a little software code, but mostly he likes writing about Matters of the Heart.