Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

There you sit.
Your Bible is with you. Smiling faces greet you. The lights are dim enough to let you disappear just a little, granting you the privacy you hoped for. You are not sure what to expect. It has been a long time since you walked through the doors of a church.

The parking lot team was helpful. The door greeters noticed you were new, even though you hoped to slip in unnoticed. You briefly consider turning back to the parking lot, but it is too late. Eye contact has been made. Smiles exchanged. Conversation initiated. They walk with you toward the sanctuary.

The dim lights feel welcoming. The back row is empty, waiting. People are friendly, and you are relieved, but you still hope they will let you come and go quietly, on your own terms.

The “seeker” has just experienced church for them, and it is not over yet.

The music begins, and it feels more like a concert than worship. You are invited into personal experiences, personal encounters, your own interpretation of what you need from God. It does not feel threatening. Maybe it is not so bad. So far, it is nothing like what you expected.

The pastor takes the stage. He opens with jokes. He shares personal stories. You relax. He seems normal. Approachable. Nothing like the pastors you have been warned about.

Then he opens his Bible, and you tense up.

Here it is.
This is where it goes south.
This is where he points you out as the wicked sinner you know you are. This is where eyes across the room land on you and expose you as the wretch who does not belong among such perfect people.

But instead, he says, “I just want you to know that if you’re new here, you belong here. It may be your first time, but you’re already family.”

Wait.
Is that it?

You just walk in, and now you belong? This is not what you expected. Isn’t he supposed to warn you about judgment? About hell? About sin? What kind of preacher is this? What kind of church is this? It is not hellfire and brimstone like you feared, but it also feels unlike any church you have ever heard of.

Could it really be this easy?

He begins to speak about what he feels God spoke to him, for you. Well, not just you. For the whole congregation. But you are part of them now, aren’t you? So maybe it is for you. Did God really speak to him? Does he hear directly from God? He gets sermons straight from God? How close must this man be to God?

He reads a passage of Scripture, then quickly launches into more stories—stories about what God is doing in this church, about amazing encounters, about how you can have them too. God wants to do amazing things through you. He has an amazing plan for your life.

This is almost too good to be true.

You walked in expecting condemnation. Part of you even thought you deserved it. Another part of you hoped they would confirm everything you were told about Christians being judgmental and hypocritical so you could justify continuing in your sin.

But now?
Now you are confused.

Maybe this God isn’t so bad after all. Maybe He is actually pretty easy going. The music stirred something in you. You felt something. Was that God? The people were kind. And if God has already welcomed you, maybe you want in. Maybe He can fix your life. Because your life is a wreck. Maybe He can help you become a better person. Maybe He can repair the things you have broken.

You walked in hopeless. Your life is nothing to be envied. And this man keeps speaking about hope—hope tied directly to your circumstances. “If you need hope, you’re in the right place”, he says. The words land softly, almost warmly.

Could this be real?

Have you really been wrong about Christians all along? Were they never as harsh or judgmental as you were told? Could it really be this easy? Does God simply want you to be happy? To have a better life? Have you been missing out on this all along?

Maybe this is what you needed. Not conviction. Not confrontation. Just hope. A fresh start. A God who meets you where you are and wants to improve what’s broken.

For the first time in a long while, you feel something lift, just enough to believe that relief might finally be possible.

Tears well up. The dim lights hide your pain.

The pastor closes with an invitation.
“If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, what are you waiting for? Today is your day for a fresh start. If you feel Jesus tugging on your heart, don’t leave the same way you came in. Place your faith in Jesus today. He loves you.”

That is it.

You are undone, but in a new way. You go forward. You weep. You sob. Your heart feels wide open. You want this Jesus. You cannot imagine going anywhere else. You are all in. This is the church for you.

Heartbreaking, isn’t it?

You who read and understand.
You who see how many are being led after a different Jesus and a different gospel.

Many today have a wrong idea of Christ, the church, and the Gospel because of those who have so badly misrepresented Him. But many within the church have responded to abusive teaching by swinging the pendulum just as far in the opposite direction with teaching that is equally dangerous and just as false.

We all need the Gospel.
We have all sinned against God.
We are all image-bearers of God.

But we are not all children of God.

All are welcome to hear the Gospel.
Not all belong to the body of Christ.

The language used is often meant to sound loving and welcoming, but it is deeply misleading and eternally damning to many. It offers belonging without repentance, family without regeneration, salvation without the cross.

Friend, it is not loving to lead men down the broad road to hell in the name of being seeker-friendly, welcoming, relevant, or effective.

We need the Gospel.
We need God’s Word opened and faithfully exposited.
We do not need the imaginations of men’s hearts.

The lights need to be on. We need to see one another. This is corporate worship offered to God. It is God-centered, not man-centered. Scripture must hold its rightful place of authority in the teaching, life, and practice of the church.

Anything less is not love.

Christ is building His church.
He is the one who adds.
He loves her.

He draws men to Himself. His means are not attractive to the world, but they are glorious to the one who is dead in sin and whom God awakens by His grace. God calls the dead to life and brings them to Himself.

The Gospel is enough.
It does not need help.
It does not need to be made appealing.

Christ will build His church.