Have you ever been hurt by a church, or more accurately, someone within your church? Many believers stay away from organized churches because they were once wounded by some leader in a church or some “charter member” who had been there since the first brick was carted onto the property. When that happens, many individuals feel wronged by the entire church or by God himself.
A number of years ago, I tried to share my faith with a man that I worked with. I knew he did not go to church so I was trying to turn every conversation into a discussion about the Lord. One day he simply told me that he was not interested in anything having to do with church. He went on to tell me that at one time he and his wife had both been very involved in a church and had served in numerous ministries. But one day he had come home unexpectedly and found his wife in bed with his best friend who also was very involved in his church. He felt betrayed by God who had “let that happen” and by church people who apparently were all hypocrites. He had generalized the offense from two people failing God, to God himself and the entire world-wide church. He had never been back to any church. I have met numerous people in my lifetime who have done the same thing when they were wounded or disappointed by something that occurred in their church.
We should not be surprised because Satan does his best work within the church. Scripture warns us of that reality over and over. On numerous occasions, Jesus spoke of the religious leaders of the Jews as children of Satan and sons of hell. These men thought that they were incredibly spiritual and pleasing to God and yet they were deceived. That deception caused many to stay away from embracing God. Jesus declared, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Mt.23:13-15). Satan had taken what was holy and over a period of years had perverted the heart of Judaism, turning it into rules made by men rather than a guidebook for building a relationship with God. Their hypocritical way of life and burdensome rules kept people away from the Lord.
Paul encountered the same demonic tactics. Writing to the church at Corinth about men who were trying to undermine his ministry there, he wrote, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
Jude was forced to write about the same phenomenon. He said, “ I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4). In addition, Paul warned Timothy by saying, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Tim.4:1-2).
We need to understand that Satan has an active ministry within the church. Where else would he direct his best efforts? The church is God’s only instrument for distributing his grace to a lost world so why would he not infiltrate the church in order to destroy it?
Toward the end of World War ll, it was discovered that Germany had built cities just like cities in America and had trained German spies to blend in with American culture, speak perfect English, discuss baseball, be well versed in American history, dress like Americans and order food that Americans liked. The plan was to infiltrate the American army and America itself with perfect replicas of the average American whose plan was to confuse and destroy Germany’s enemy. Satan does the same in the Lord’s church.
John spoke of such men when he said, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 Jn.2:18-19). Those men had been part of the church, had fellowshipped with the saints, and probably led ministries but John declared they were not members of Christ but rather those who were controlled by the spirit of Anti-Christ.
We will inevitably be wounded, betrayed, or offended by people in the church. Some are simply broken people, immature in Christ (even long time attenders can remain spiritual children). These individuals have been victimized by Satan. They carry deep wounds and fulfill the adage that “hurting people hurt other people.” Others are unknowingly under the strong influence of Satan and believe they are serving God while all the time they are doing Satan’s work. Still others apparently arrive with clear and willful agendas to damage the church.
So, what are our takeaways? First of all, don’t be surprised when some people in the church fail you or act badly. We are all still in process and will fall short of the glory of God in our bad moments. Some are plants of the enemy so don’t ascribe their behavior to the whole family of God or God himself. Choose not to be easily offended and do not generalize the failure of a few to represent the many. Secondly, don’t let Satan win. Make biblical responses to bad actors applying grace and forgiveness as needed. For those serving Satan without repentance, the leaders of the church must discipline them and escort them to the door.
We must remember that we are in a war and that war is sometimes fought within the confines of the church – especially when we have been infiltrated by enemy agents. Now, please don’t accuse everyone with whom you have differences or who had been rude to you of being pawns of Satan and anti-Christs. Mostly, we will encounter broken people whose pain spills over onto others. But remember, that even within the walls of God’s church our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Don’t be surprised by it and do reject the body of Christ because of it. In the end, those who stick will win and a generous application of grace and love towards those who have wronged us neutralizes the venom from the serpent. Be blessed today in Him.
