Author: Michelle Lesley

Servant of Christ, wife, mother, churchwoman, women's discipleship blogger, podcaster, and speaker.
Mailbag

The Mailbag: When is it OK to leave a church that’s begun embracing false doctrine?

Michelle Lesley

Originally published September 12, 2016

The elders and pastor of my church have made it clear that they aren’t interested in my husband’s and my concerns about, among other problems, a new women’s study (by a false teacher) starting this month. He told me he would read the articles I sent him but that I was wrong. Is it OK to leave this church, and, if so, when? How long do we wait and not see change?

That’s a great question, and I’m afraid there’s no “one size fits all” answer. When a church begins slipping, biblically, and there’s a Christian in that church who’s wise and discerning enough to see it, God has put that Christian in that church to help biblically solve that problem, or at least to serve as a prophetic warning as to what God’s Word says about the issue and what will happen if the church does not correct its course.

Our very first priority in this situation is prayer. We must pray fervently for God to change the hearts of the pastors and other leaders, for wisdom to know how to best approach the problem scripturally, and for God to give us wisdom about how long to stay and when to leave. (For us married ladies, that decision ultimately falls to our husbands, so we need to be praying for them, too.)

When you’ve done what you can to help biblically solve the problem(s) and have consistently been rebuffed (and it sounds like that’s about where you and your husband are with this church), it may be time to leave. It is perfectly biblical to leave a church that is embracing false doctrine despite scriptural warnings (Titus 3:10-11, Romans 16:17-18, 2 John 9-11, 2 Corinthians 11:12-15, Mark 6:11, Matthew 7:6).

Sometimes, God will make it exceedingly clear as to when you should leave because the church will ask you to leave or, in some way, make it impossible for you to stay.

It sounds like you and your husband have tried to help this church. Just continue to pray for your church and its leadership, and for wisdom (especially for your husband) about staying or leaving. Then trust God to direct you (Proverbs 3:5-6).

If you do end up having to leave, make sure you immediately begin your search for a doctrinally sound church to attend. No church is perfect, but we need to obey God’s mandate to be faithful members of a local body of believers.

Additional Resources:

The Mailbag: How should I approach my church leaders about a false teacher they’re introducing?

The Mailbag: How to Leave a Church

Searching for a new church?

If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.

Sermons

Romans 13:1-7

Michelle Lesley
Title image courtesy of Woodlawn Baptist Church

It used to be that John 3:16 was the most well-known Bible verse around. Then it was dethroned by Matthew 7:1. Nowadays, Romans 13:1-7 is giving them both a run for their money.

Christians are to obey the governing authorities, but what exactly does that mean? Just how far does the government’s authority extend? And when, if ever, is it biblically good and right to disobey the government?

I’d like to share with you today one of the best expositions and explanations of Romans 13:1-7 I’ve heard since this whole COVID thing began. It was preached by my own pastor, Lewis Richerson. He has been preaching through Romans for a while, and on October 3, we arrived at chapter 13. I found his sermon helpful and clarifying, and I hope you will too.

A few words about the sermon itself before you dive in: In my experience, this is a very atypical sermon format for Lewis, so, like it or hate it, you need to know it’s not the norm for him. This one is almost twice as long as his usual sermons, although, honestly, it flew by for me. Also, he includes a significant amount of historical information and a number of quotes in this sermon whereas he usually just preaches straight exposition of the text. It is probably more akin in style to what you’re used to hearing at a Christian conference rather than on a Sunday morning at church.

Toward the end(ish), Lewis references a number of slides that were projected on the screens. I’ve added those below the audio (in order, I hope!) so you can refer to them.

Church

Throwback Thursday ~ Church Leadership Qualifications: Biblical or Pragmatic?

Michelle Lesley

Originally published February 21, 2017

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When it comes to leadership positions in the church we often get ourselves into unnecessarily sticky situations because we put practical considerations – who is available, who is most talented, who is willing, etc. – above biblical qualifications.
When we fill a position of leadership or responsibility at church we first go to Scripture to find out if the person we’re considering for the position is biblically qualified to hold it. Practical considerations come second. A few examples:

1.

An elder or deacon just died and the church needs someone to replace him. The first place you go is 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, and you start by weeding out the men who don’t fit those qualifications. It doesn’t matter how willing they are or how great of a job they would do or what kind of connections they have or how much money they could bring into the church, they have to meet the biblical qualifications first.

2.

Your church is located near a neighborhood full of Chinese immigrants, most of whom don’t speak English. Someone comes up with the commendable, Great Commission-honoring idea to start a Bible study to reach out to the men and women of this community. The only person in your church who speaks Chinese is a woman, so she’s the natural choice to teach the class, right?

Wrong. We start with the biblical qualifications for teachers, and one of them (1 Timothy 2:12) is that women are not to teach men. She could certainly teach (assuming she is able to teach – language alone doesn’t make someone a good teacher) a women’s class, or a male could teach the class in English and she could translate, or a man could take the time to learn Chinese before the church begins offering the class, or if there is a Chinese man in the class who is able to teach, he could teach the men and she could teach the women. But the woman doesn’t teach a co-ed class herself because Scripture forbids this.

3.

A young couple starts attending your church. After a few months, they step up and say they’d like to sing on the worship team. They’ve both got great voices and would radically improve the quality of the music on Sunday mornings. As you chat with them about joining the team, you find out they’re living together (unmarried). They’re both well aware that this is sin, but disagree with what the Bible says about adultery and fornication and have no intention of repenting, marrying, or moving out. Matthew 18:15-17 and 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 are quite clear that people who continue in rebellion after being called to repent are not even to be members of the church, let alone lead in worship.

Remember that the practical way is not always God’s way. Remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). Remember that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12). Remember when Saul did what was good in his own eyes instead of obeying God’s word (1 Samuel 15). Remember what happened to Nadab and Abihu when they conducted worship their own way instead of God’s way (Leviticus 10:1-6).

Obeying God’s word is not always easy, practical, or convenient, but it is always best, biblical, and blessed.

Judges Bible Study

Judges ~ Lesson 12

Michelle Lesley

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Read Judges 14-15

Questions to Consider

1. Go back to lesson 3 (link above) and review your answer to the first part of question 5, Israel’s pattern of sin and repentance in 2:16-23. How does today’s passage fit this pattern? How does today’s passage fit the theme verse of Judges (21:25), “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”?

2. Read 14:1-4. Compare this passage to Deuteronomy 7:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. Why did God command Israel not to intermarry with these pagan nations, and why does God command Christians not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers? Were the Philistines among the nations God commanded Israel not to intermarry with? Is it fair to say Samson was obeying the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law? Why or why not?

Compare Samson’s statement at the end of verse 3 and verse 7 to the theme verse of Judges (21:25).

In verse 4, does “he” refer to Samson or the Lord? Examine the cross references for verse 4. Did God think Samson’s marriage to a Philistine was a good and godly union, or was He using Samson’s foolishness for His own purposes?

3. Read 14:5-20. What does it mean that “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon” Samson? (14:6,19, 15:14) What does the fact that this happened several times in this brief passage (along with many other discrete instances of the Holy Spirit suddenly coming upon a person in the Old Testament), indicate about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament compared to the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling all Believers in the New Testament?

Why was it important to Samson to keep secret from his parents where the honey (9) came from? (Hint: Think back to the requirements of the Nazirite vow from lesson 10 – link above.)

4. On the map below, locate Zorah and Eshtaol (Judges 13:2, 25), where Samson and his family were from, in relation to Timnah and Ashkelon where the action in today’s passage takes place (disregard the arrows). Describe how Samson’s actions in chapter 14 functioned as sort of a stealth, small-scale invasion of Philistia and sheds light on our earlier examination of 14:4. How does the “one man invasion” strategy we see God using here with Samson compare to the “small army” strategy He used with Gideon (see lesson 7 – link above). Consider the actions of the 3000 men in 15:13-15 as you answer.

5. Read 15:1-20. Describe the cowardice of the men of Israel in 13-15. Think about all of the places in Scripture where God tells His people to stand firm, fear not, cry out to Him for help, and trust Him. What should these 3000 men have done instead? Compare their fear of the enemy to Gideon’s fear of the enemy (lessons 6&7 – links above), and their response to the enemy to his response to the enemy.

Are there any ways in which 11-13 pre-figures Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, our perfect Judge, and the high priests handing Jesus over to the Roman officials?

How was Samson’s defeat of the enemy (14-16) different from Jesus’ defeat of the enemy at His first coming? How could “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant,” (18) be said of Jesus centuries later?

6. Consider Samson’s motives for each of his attacks on the Philistines in today’s passage, his “hot anger” in 14:19, and his apparent posture of personal vengeance in 15:7. Now compare these to his statement in 15:18: “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant,” and recall what the angel told Manoah and his wife (see lesson 11 – link above) about Samson’s mission and what they probably told Samson about all of that. Is it reasonable to infer that Samson viewed his attacks on the Philistines in today’s passage as consciously carrying out his mission of “he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines,” (13:5) or was he just a hot head getting personal revenge?

If someone came to you and said that Samson’s aforementioned motives, anger, and apparent posture of personal vengeance conflict with James 1:20: “the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God,” (because God’s righteous purpose of pushing back the Philistines was accomplished here) and Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord,'” how would you answer that person? (Hint: Be sure you’re reading all of these verses and passages in context.)

Homework

  • Recall from lesson 10 (link above) Samson’s parents’ wisdom and godliness, and the wise and godly counsel they gave him in today’s passage. Consider their good counsel in light of these passages. Why is godly counsel important? How can you tell the difference between counsel that is wise and godly and counsel that is unwise, fleshly, or merely pragmatic? Who would you go to for wise, godly counsel if you needed it? What can you do to prepare yourself to give wise, godly counsel to someone who comes to you asking for it?

Suggested Memory Verse

Speaking Engagements

Report Back: Rooted in Christ Conference

Michelle Lesley

What a pleasure it was to share with the wonderful ladies of Ekalaka Bible Church in beautiful Ekalaka, Montana, for the Rooted In Christ Conference.

I flew into Rapid City, South Dakota, which is just down the road from Mt. Rushmore. Since I had never been there before, Pastor Jon, his lovely wife Kati, and their super sweet kiddos, Liam and Evangeline, were kind enough to take me there for a quick tourist stop before we headed north for Ekalaka.

As if taking me to Mt. Rushmore weren’t gracious enough, they also drove me up into Black Hills National Forest where we saw Spearfish Canyon and Bridal Veil Falls. I was there a little too early in the year for the full fall color “leaf peeping” experience, but one species of tree (no idea which one) had already turned an eye-popping yellow, and those were absolutely exquisite.

As we headed up toward Ekalaka, we passed through Belle Fourche, South Dakota, where the geographic center of the United States is located, as well as Sturgis, South Dakota, home of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Along the way, it was fun to see small herds of deer and antelope roaming the open fields. And have you ever seen such a beautiful sunset?

The natural beauty of Montana is stunning. Kati has quite a way with flowers. Look at these beauties at her house:

Saturday afternoon was day one of the conference, and the ladies of EBC had things looking spiffy. Check out these charming decorations:

Session one was Walking in Biblical Womanhood. We took a look – mostly from Genesis – at God’s perfect creative design for womanhood. After a delicious homemade lasagna supper, it was time for session two: Walking In Biblical Womanhood. God wants us to fill out Creation with godly womanhood, not buy into the feminist narrative that we have to be exactly like men to have any value.

Do I laugh at my own jokes? It’s a dirty job,
but somebody’s got to do it! :0)
Chatting after the conference

After a warm time of worship with the EBC branch of the family Sunday morning, it was time for day two of the conference that afternoon. Our first session was a stimulating Q&A with lots of insightful questions. Following another hearty supper of homemade soups and sandwiches, our final session was Discernment 101: Learn to Discern. How can we tell the difference between the biblical and the cheap, unbiblical knock off? We looked at some scriptural and practical ways.

Door prizes
My lovely hostess gifts from the ladies of EBC. The pendants each have a line from a hymn in them. Kati picked out this water bottle before she even knew I was going to be speaking on the Armor of God passage! Providence!

Bright and early (well, actually, it was really early so it wasn’t bright yet) Monday morning, I had to say goodbye to the delightful town of Ekalaka and wing my way back home. On my first flight I had the pleasure of sitting next to a very nice lady named Jodie. She and her husband were flying home from visiting some of the same sites I had seen in South Dakota, and she was kind enough to show me her pictures. Some of the pictures were of the crafts she creates and sells in her Etsy shop, and they were just so adorable and well crafted that I had to share them with you. Head on over and do some early Christmas shopping at Jodieshappyhill. (And I believe she might add some more items, so you may want to check back every now and then.)

Many thanks to Pastor Jon, Kati, the kind ladies I had lunch with on Saturday and Sunday, and all of the conference attendees and members of EBC for your warm hospitality and for making my trip so memorable. If you ever find yourself in rural southeastern Montana, I highly recommend you make it a point to visit with the fine brothers and sisters of Ekalaka Bible Church.

If your church or organization is ever in need of a speaker for a women’s event, I’d love to come share with your ladies as well. Click here for more information.

Photo Credits

Photos of Michelle speaking / chatting, conference dinner by Kati Champlin.

Sunset photo by Tina Brady.

All other photos by Michelle Lesley.