Why I Left The Church
By: Roger Barcus

It was just like any other day, and in fact, I can’t even remember if it was cloudy or sunny, snowing or raining. Just an ordinary day. But I left the church. And I’m not sorry I did! It was one of the best things I ever did in my walk with God. If I had to do it over again, I’d do it again and I wouldn’t have waited so long – for I was under bondage. I was tied to some traditions that left me unfulfilled and feeling guilty. Now I’m free and I feel really great. I encourage you to leave the church too.

Here’s how it happened: It was in an ordinary service the usual songs and choruses, offering, prayer, a special and preaching with an altar call afterwards. But I was not satisfied. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel the presence of God or that the music and preaching were offensive. It was that someone brought a guest to church, but he was the only one. It bothered me. Why didn’t I have someone in church with me? What was going on in my life that made me so busy that I put that part of my walk with God on the back burner? That was the day I left my United Pentecostal Church determined to spend more time with
God and with those who didn’t know God in Spirit and Truth. After all, didn’t Jesus balance time between the disciples sinners? Wasn’t He the one that was accused of being comfortable in the company of harlots and people who drank?

Many tearful prayers, scores of church cards, and five Bible studies later, I had someone in church with me. It was not a special service. In fact, it was just like the one when I left. But it was just what he needed. I looked over and saw him clapping with us during the singing and there was a smile on his face. Later, during prayer, I saw a couple of tears coming down his cheeks. He told me after service that
he was desperate for help and that his life was out of control and he didn’t know what to do. We prayed and he cried some more as he repented. I think I felt as good as he did. But Satan didn’t want to let him go.

Later, he came over and I met him on the front porch with a big smile, but he’d come over to punch me out. He’d been drinking to relieve his pain, he said, and a voice inside him :old him to injure me. We prayed right there. Demons were bound and cast out. Now he knew that :)ooze only makes things worse. He felt much better and a few weeks later during Bible study, he received the Holy Ghost in his living room. Praise God!

Even after he was baptized in Jesus’ Name he had his struggles, but there is a love of God in his heart that he never knew before and a place to turn to when the flesh gets too strong.

When I get to heaven and see people like him dancing and shouting praise to God for eternity, I’ll be so glad for the day I left the church to go out and find that hurting person so he could know Jesus like I know Him. I’m not hound with the traditions at told me, without saying it, only specially-called people were soul-winners. I’m not under he bondage of guilt from sitting in church getting fat on the Word and not exercising or being a doer as James tell us. I’ve been set free since I left the church!

THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED IN THE INDIANA TRUMPET, MARCH 1996, BY ROGER BARCUS, P. 5. THIS MATERIAL MAY BE USED FOR STUDY AND RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.