Is Church Ruining Your Life?

For example, if you are a heavy drinker (you like getting drunk), that is a lifestyle that will hurt you and could also hurt other people.

If the pastor (minister, priest, etc.) is a godly man or woman and preaching the true word, your heart will be convicted by the speaker's words. It happens to all of us, new baby Christians, old and young mature Christians. We call it the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. On habits like drinking or smoking or something that legal and the scripture is silent on, we can agree to disagree. Something like dancing would fall into this category. But when the Holy Spirit convicts you from your heart, that's hard to resist.

Personally, even though I do not drink alcohol, I am not against drinking, Jesus turned water into to wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Scripture does tell us to not be given to wine. Just like scripture does not teach that money is the root of all evil (but that the love of money is the root of all evil), scripture also does not teach that drinking is sin (but getting drunk is).

God can convict your heart in a bar. Sometimes preachers go to bars and preach if the manager or other proprietor allows the preacher to do so. Leaving the building does not mean you have left the church. Jesus loves you and wants you to repent (meaning turn away) from your sins.

You can tell whether or not your preacher or other church leaders are following God's word by reading God's written word, and there are plenty of preachers that don't, but there are also preachers that do. Some churches you shouldn't attend and when you leave you should take as many people with you as you can.

But when a preacher is preaching the word and especially if the preacher is both preaching the word and cares about you spiritually and otherwise, the problem is you, not the church. Leaving that "church" will do you no good. See, you can leave the building, you can leave the people, you can continue in your evil lifestyle, but Jesus will not leave you. The Holy Spirit's convicting power is not limited to a building or a church building, nor is His power limited to a group of people gathering together.

Now, I gave the example of drunkenness, my dad was an alcoholic, and really wasn't allowed to be around much, but you know in your heart if there are other sins you may be enjoying. But people pray for you and guess what, God answers those prayers.

You could be in the middle of committing adultery, fornication, drunkenness or something else that you know in your heart is wrong, but that you enjoy and the Holy Spirit will convict you. He will bring it to your mind that it is wrong. You may have a friend or relative who is a Christian, who attends church and be with them when the Spirit convicts you, you can leave them, but Jesus will never ever leave or forsake you, so you might as well find a good, Bible-believing church and return to the one whose words you have rejected. Pray about which church you should attend. If church is really ruining your life, then your life needs to be ruined.

The Holy Spirit can lead you to the right church for you, but you can not get away from Him.