Contention Comes in Church

 “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.” -Mark 3:1,2.

Church is typically thought of as a gathering place (Hebrews 10:25) for Christians who have come together in UNITY to worship God, fellowship with other believers, and be taught from the Word of God. This may be an ideal, but it isn't reality, and the Bible recognizes it for what it is. The synagogue is a type of church, and as we see from the above scripture, even Jesus faced contention with it while He was here in the flesh.

This example through Jesus is negative contention that shouldn't be, but the Bible also calls upon Christians to contend for the faith among the body of Christ, which is the REAL church of the Bible;

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.” -Jude 3-5.

We have to understand thet the devil has come to “steal, kill, and destroy,” for he was a murderer from the beginning, and he is the father of lies; see John 10:10, 8:44. This enemy will not allow us to continue in peace, and will especially try hard to divide real believers.

But out of respect for avoiding the possible conflicts, many have gone too far the other way, and choose to follow a path of peace & unity with all, instead of taking a stand. It is true that the Lord does not want us to be lightly moved to bickering, but we MUST take a stand for the TRUTH, and not turn a blind eye toward ways of error within the body of Christ.

“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” -I Timothy 5:20.

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;” -Titus 3:10.

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” -2 Thessalonians 3:6.

When the Bible speaks of unity, it is always for Christian believers with other Christians, but today the gatherings within church buildings are spiritual pollutions of many types. If such an organization is committed to Bible obedience and born-again behavior, then there will have to be contentions against worldliness & sin, as we are directed to do. God never wanted such a polluted body, and we certainly can't have unity with it;

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." -2 Corinthians 6:14&17.

We are also warned greatly against the false teachers & prophets that will arise, and from these we must turn away, or put them away. I fear that even when such phonies come in and are recognized, most will tolerate it without any response. They are in a life-long habit of attending the same church organization, and confronting or stepping away would dislodge them from friendships they value (too highly).

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." -Acts 20:28-31.

I Corinthians 1:10 urges believers all to speak the same things, so that there be no divisions among us; we are FAR from that today, and it has become more a time of "anything goes" than of holiness unto the Lord (I Peter 1:16). God isn't urging us to pick fights every Sunday, but He won't accept compromise with the Word of Truth, either. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) to discern spiritual fruit (Matthew 7:20), holding up all things to the light of the Bible (John 3:21, Acts 17:11). Listed below are other scriptures pertaining to the unity-contention conflict we face as Christians.

Matthew 10:34-36,12:9-14, 13:24-30&37-40, 18:15-17, 24:24; Mark 1:23,39; Luke 4:28,29, 6:6-11, 13:10-14, 17:3; I Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; I Timothy 1:20, 6:5; 2 Timothy 2:17,18, 3:1-5, 4:14; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 17-21; 3 John 9,10.

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." -2 Timothy 4:2-4.

No One Earns Answers to Prayer

 “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:11.

There could be much to say about answers to prayer, but this particular article will focus on the supposed worthiness of the person praying rather than anything else, and it is meant to be a help for the believer in Christ.

As you might guess from the title, God is impartial in His regard for the person. The Lord wants us to pray, and to cast all our cares upon Him (I Peter 5:7); but I see 2 extreme classes that have emerged, centered around the idea of “worthiness” before God; the first are self-righteous, and presumptous upon God in prayer. The second are those who pray little and expect little because they think God won't hear them for their unworthiness. Both of these extremes miss the mark.

The first extreme flows in harmony with the evil prosperity gospel that is so widespread in these last days, especially here in Africa. One example I've seen of this came from prosperity teacher Joyce Meyer, who declared that when you give into the offering you get a "receipt" from God, and the next time you need something this receipt tells God that He must give to you, for you are qualified; this is blatant HERESY against the Word of God! It directly violates the principles of being saved by grace, and NOT our works (Ephesians 2:8,9). Our God gave it all, His only begotten Son, to die for our sins-He owes us nothing. And what can we give to God, that He did not first give to us (I Corinthians 4:7)? Our merit with God rests with Jesus, and in the Bible promises He gave to us of His own character.

"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." -Psalm 116:12,13.

Another example of the first extreme comes from those teaching that everyone has a destiny. This is yet another unbiblical position, but the claim here is that we must align ourselves with our destiny in order for God to hear us. If we are aligned, all will go well, and we will be healthy, wealthy, and loved. They say that God can do nothing in our lives unless we are aligned. In the Bible, it seems to me that neither Jonah nor Pharisee Saul (Paul) were in line with God's "destiny" for their lives, and yet God chose and used them! The need to "align with destiny" is yet another works- based salvation plan that disagrees with God's revealed will in the Bible.

But the second extreme is also hurtful, if we lose faith in praying because we think we aren't "good enough" for God to hear & answer. Brethren, no one is good (Romans 3:10-12), or good enough, but Jesus is our righteousness; and the Bible assures us that we are justified through Him, and God the Father will hear & answer our prayers.

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." -2 Corinthians 5:21.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." -Romans 8:31-34.

Because we have such confidence, God tells us to come BOLDLY to Him with our needs;

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." -Hebrews 4:15,16

We have Bible examples, though, that we can take comfort in over our feelings of unworthiness. God tells us that nothing of our own efforts saves us (Romans 9:16), and Jesus commends the publican over the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14;

"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Bold type added.

Numerous Old Testament figures showed that they had a keen awareness of their sinful natures, yet God still used them and answered their prayers. Please read of the widow in I Kings 17:18; Elijah in I Kings 19:4; David in Psalms 25:7 & 40:12; Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:39; even Paul recognized it in Romans 7:18-8:1 & I Timothy 1:15. God has forgiven the sins of the Christian, and hears our cries;

"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." -Psalm 130:3,4.

David was the "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22) and was well acquainted with God's mercy. After David had sinned with Bathsheba, and had been confronted by Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 11&12, David repented and was forgiven. But one of the judgments pronounced upon him was that the child he had fathered with Bathsheba would die. When this illness came upon the child, David fasted for 7 days, for he yet hoped that God would have mercy in this matter (2 Samuel 12:22)! David knew he was forgiven, and could call upon God once again. Of the benefits the Lord gives His people, we find that David writes in Psalm 103:2-4;

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;"

There are many in this world that simply will not accept the sinful separation that is naturally between themselves and the Lord, and insist on their own good works to prevail with God in prayer. God will NOT recognize their works or cries, and anything they apparently accomplish will be only of their own effort, and not blessing; these desperately need humility and repentance.

But others are still wallowing in the shame of their sins, even after forgiveness, and do not call on the Lord like they should, and rob themselves of blessings and peace; yet others are also robbed due to the lack of their prayers. Brethren, we have to get over this! Jesus paid the debt for our sin that we could never afford, and by His righteous mediation we can now call upon God at will, fully expecting His merciful attention.

In the end, we see that no one can ever earn an answer to prayer, but Jesus bought those privileges for us by the price of His own blood. Seek the Lord! Trust in what He has provided.

"For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard." -Psalm 22:24.

"He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." -Psalm 147:10,11.

" Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." -Matthew 7:7,8.

God's Relationship with Evil

 “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” -Isaiah 45:7.

As believers we accept that God is good (Mark 10:18), holy (I Peter 1:16), light (I John 1:5), and love (I John 4:16). But then we come to scriptures such as the above, and it's hard to understand how such a good God could be related with evil, but the Word of God affirms it more than once. Is it actually the Lord himself directly inflicting hardships? Let me give you my take on this subject, relying on the Bible for insight.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” -Genesis 1:31. Bold type added to emphasize.

Right from the beginning, we find that everything God made was good, and we know that God is good. The simplicity of it is that mankind was given a choice, and by choosing to disobey God's instructions, sin & evil entered the world. Of course, the devil was the deceiver who caused us to stumble, so what about him? If the devil was part of the creation in Genesis 1, how could God call him good? Remember what the Bible says about such a consideration;

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” -Isaiah 5:20.

When we read the story of creation, this is an account of the world & universe we see and live in today. Genesis 1 tells of the creation of 2 heavens; the heaven of the earth, and the heaven of the sky (Genesis 1:8,17), which would include outer space. What we are NOT told about here is the 3^rd heaven (2 Corinthians 12:3); also called the “heaven of heavens” where God dwells (I Kings 8:27). Our God is eternal, and we are not told of any beginnings for His dwelling place. It would therefore also make sense that the angelic host existed in the 3^rd heaven with God prior to the creation of man and our universe. We find one such clue to this state of being in Job 38:4-7, where it appears that the angelic host was a witness to our creation.

But this would also mean that there was NO devil, and NO hell at the time we were created. Satan's pre-fallen name was Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), and Ezekiel 28:12-15 calls him, “the anointed cherub that covereth.” V. 13 declares that he was in the Garden of Genesis 2 BEFORE he rebelled against God. Hell was created after the devil rebelled (Matthew 25:41), and we are simply not told at what point this happened. Indeed, at the time of our creation, ALL was very good!

Without our God, nothing would exist. Therefore evil exists only because of the initial creation, but it was not evil as it was created, but became evil due to the choices that were made. God himself is not evil, but He is still the supreme ruler of the universe. God limits how far the devil can go, and even limits his knowledge, as we see in I Corinthians 2:7&8;

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

And so God still takes the credit for all that happens, because He still has power over every-thing, and we can see this in the book of Job 2:3 in the account of God's interaction with Satan;

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause."

To read the full account you would know that it was Satan's hand that afflicted Job, but the Lord had to grant him permission. You can find another account of God's interactions with the subordinate spirits in I Kings 22, given through the prophet Micaiah. The Bible also declares that God uses the wicked as His sword (Psalm 17:13), rather than actually doing evil Himself.

In short, our world today is filled with evil, and has fallen far from its original sinless state. God is the sovereign ruler still, but for this time He allows evil to exist as a result of the choices we are free to make. Through all of this God reveals who He is, even using the devil's evil for His glory, as we saw earlier in I Corinthians. If there were no trials, why would we call on God at all?

And so we conclude that first, all things were created by God; second, everything was very good when God created it. Third, God is not evil, and there was no evil in the beginning of His creation, not even the devil or hell. Fourth, God gave mankind & the angelic host freedom to choose, and as a result of them making disobedient choices, evil came into the world. Fifth, God is still ultimately in control of everything, but evil is allowed in a limited way to fulfill God's purpose.

So that is what is meant when the Bible tells us that God creates evil. The Lord has created all things, and He reveals Himself to us by creation, and through the truth of His Word. It will always be somewhat of a mystery to us, but we can TRUST the God who sacrificed His Son for our reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

"For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." -Romans 9:17,18.

Give Love Back to God

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” -Matthew 22:36-38.

In spite of all Jesus did for mankind through His death on the cross, this first and great commandment is still in effect for us today, and I dare say that now, because of Jesus, we ought to be all the more inclined to fulfill it. Very often this first commandment becomes diminished as we use it together with the following verse, Matthew 22:39;

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Today it keeps being emphasized how much God loves us, but little is said of returning His love-we only take it from Him. But before going further into that topic, I want to point out a common error I've witnessed from the professing church, which occurs when we include the next commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus includes this 2^nd commandment here so that we will never forget that our love for God cannot be separated from how we treat others, and that we must not, “become so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” In I John 4:20 we are told that no man can love God whom he has NOT seen, and not love his neighbor whom he has seen.

The error I see happening is that when these verses are used together, the typical emphasis is on the 2^nd, not the first command-and the priorities become reversed. Churches today have a focus on material services for the public which often EXCLUDES any presentation of the gospel; the person's separation from God by his/her sins, and the need to repent & be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. To fulfill the 2^nd command, the first must be in place in our lives. If we really loved our neighbors, we would tell them of their need for salvation, and seek to turn them from Hell.

Moving on from there, I would tell the sincere but struggling believer that the more we grow in our love for Jesus, the stronger we become against sin. We need this good gift from God (James 1:17), and must pray that He will increase it, because it is not naturally within us;

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” -Romans 7:18.

We cannot avoid all temptations, brethren. Sometimes we may vex ourselves by trying to figure out a strategy to overcome many and varied points of struggling. We also CANNOT gain the victory in our own efforts, but need to avail ourselves of all the advantages God gives us. First, take comfort in knowing that our righteousness is of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and is the gift of God that we never earn (Ephesians 2:8,9). Second, Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to guide & strengthen us, and to even intercede for us in prayer (Romans 8:26,27). And third, which is the focus of this blog, is that the more we love Jesus the more our fleshly temptations will lose their grip on us! Think how hard it would be to consider every possible point of stumbling, and then to cunningly devise ways in which to overcome! There is a simplicity in just loving God through Jesus more & more, so that our hearts are transformed, and we are all the more inclined toward righteousness.

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” -John 14:21.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” -I John 5:3,4.

If we are to truly love Jesus, we have to love Him for who He is according to scripture. Then we must not only accept who He is, but all that He teaches us, and what He tells us about our status with Him. Today most have re-created Jesus into an image they find more pleasing, and appoint teachers that will promote the views they favor (2 Timothy 4:3,4). These views teach that Jesus loves all, and all loved Him during His fleshly time on earth. They tell us that we are all children of God already, sin is not serious to keep us from Him, and He is loaded with gifts for us that He wants to share! Things like money, health, popularity, jobs, cars, and homes.

But the scriptures tell us that we are lost sinners in need of salvation, which we can only find through Jesus. We are by nature children of God's wrath, and need adoption by His grace (Galatians 4:5).We are not to love the things of this world, and God discourages being rich (I Timothy 6:6-11), but promises to supply all our needs (Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:19). We must have the correct view of God and accept what He declares our status to be with Him, or we can never love Him as we need to. We must remember that there is no good in us prior to salvation (Romans 3:10-12), and that we did not love God first, but He loved us, through Jesus;

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” -I John 4:10.

So the big question to be answered is, how do we increase our love for God? As I said before, we must pray-pray-pray for this, because it is not natural in our flesh. Even so, it will all begin with our repentance. Only too often those that claim to be Christian never thought they were bad enough to need any significant forgiveness, and real repentance is lacking. Remember that Jesus said that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17). In other words, if a person won't recognize that they are a sinner separated from God, they cannot repent. ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

And so to increase in love for God, we should take time thanking Him for taking care of us so well, and for the tremendous price Jesus paid to wash away our sins. Consider this example;

“There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” -Luke 7:41-47. Bold type added; our sins drove Jesus to the cross.

There are several other things I'd like to note, as we seek to love God and Jesus more. After we pray for this love increase, we must A) be sure to keep studying God's Word. As shown in John 14:21, when we love Jesus we will keep His words; we need to read the Bible for this! For example, Jesus told Peter that if he loved Him he would feed His sheep (Christians) in John 21:15-17. Today I have witnessed many church leaders insisting that the flock do a better job of feeding them! Guess where the love for God isn't? B) We should always seek to know God's will, follow it, and pray for Him to bring about its fulfillment (I John 5:14,15). C) When we do God's will, things may not always turn out visibly well for us; but when we love Jesus as we should, we will still be glad to serve Him, even if we are demeaned in men's eyes (Luke 17:10). D) We should seek the Lordship of Jesus in our daily lives. What I see in the church of these Last Days, is that while people recognize their need to be saved, they DO NOT want to give up control of their lives-they will not make Jesus their Lord, and yet they MUST.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” -Luke 9:23,24.

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” -Luke 14:33.

Do we really love Jesus with all of our being? Yes, we could all do better. But have we loved Him for saving us from Hell, or only for what we thought He would give us here on earth? We need to answer this question. But there is a power when we have that proper love & affection; a power God gives us to overcome, and glorify Him all the more. I urge you to seek after the Lord to love Him more, and honestly, and devoutly. Let us not be as the nine lepers who took healing from Jesus, and were on their way, but as the Samaritan that returned with love for his God.

"And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." -Luke 17:17,18.

Giving up for God

“Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” -Ezekiel 14:20.

In certain settings there can be a great pressure put on believers to “win souls” for the Lord. Christians can also pressure themselves, especially where lost loved ones are concerned, but it is the Lord who brings salvation, and we are only conduits for the message.

“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” -I Corinthians 1:5-7.

It is a strong message in scripture that there is a time for everything, and that includes a time for letting go, or giving up (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). We know that the great majority of people will be eternally lost, even though God doesn't want them to be (2 Peter 3:9). And I am not picking out a couple isolated verses in the Bible, but a very clear message to God's people.

In Jeremiah there are 3X the prophet is told NOT to pray, cry out, or intercede for his people, found in 7:16, 14:11&12, and 11:14;

“Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.” We also find in Jeremiah;

“Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.” -15:1.

“Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.” -15:19 Bold type added to emphasize.

The directive is consistent in both the Old & New Testaments of the Bible, please see Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:11, Acts 13:51, and this from Matthew 15:12-14;

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

What could be the reasons God has for such seemingly negative interactions? First would be not to waste time, either with them or in prayer for them (Ephesians 5:16). Second is that the next phase of the work may be someone else's (I Corinthians 3:6). Third is that our Christian life witness may be compromised as we try to reach them, perhaps to the point of stumbling into sin (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). Fourth is to remember that ours is the work of witnessing, but salvation is of the Lord (Mark 10:26&27). Fifth is that we will only become frustrated, and give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27) who wants to accuse & condemn us (Revelation 12:10, Romans 8:33&34).

So we can see then what the Word of God says, that there are good reasons to pull away from situations/people, but the LORD must show you when and how; and there will be clues given by the Holy Spirit. One big one is simply that in “overstaying” your welcome in a ministry situation, you may see that you are compromising in other areas of Godly obedience. Please consider the following supporting scriptures as well, and many others could be mentioned;

“Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.” -Proverbs 14:7.

“When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:” -Proverbs 1:27-29.

“I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.” -Isaiah 66:4

“I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” -Galatians 5:12.

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” -2 Thessalonians 3:6.

See also Psalm 58:3-5; Proverbs 1:24-30; Isaiah 65:12; Ezekiel 3:4-7, 14:14; I Corinthians 5:13; I Timothy 6:5, 2 Timothy 3:5.

Please don't be discouraged by what I have said here, for I am hoping it will free you (John 8:31&32). The real work of salvation is a mystery, and this or any other thing God desires will come through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26&27), not our striving. So relax! We are justified through Jesus' blood, and He will complete in you that which He began (Philippians 1:6).

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” -John 3:7,8.

Here is a link to the YouTube video I did on this subject, as well https://youtu.be/o35PaiepR4g