"Are There Legitimate Exceptions?"

I think what is so amazing about God’s call for His people to “come out of her” is what He doesn’t say. Not only does He call His people to come out of her but he does so without any exceptions, exclusions or exemptions for the good things that have been accomplished under the umbrella of the “churchianity". He cuts absolutely no slack for the positive attributes that people often point to in defense of the traditional church and their justifications for staying within her.

What about the dynamic preachers, prayer meetings, devotions, missions, church planting, contemporary worship, innovative church growth strategies, programs for all the family, good works, the uplifting emotions, fasting, sacrificial giving, suffering, timeless traditions, servanthood, charitable works, orphanages, homeless shelters, food banks, hospitals, soup kitchens, educational institutions, biblical scholarship and even martyrdom? Doesn’t He cut any slack for these? Shouldn’t at least some of these warrant an exemption? Shouldn’t at least some of these noble deeds, good works and virtuous intentions under the religious umbrella of what God is calling His people out of factor in the plus column as legitimate reasons for some staying in? But God’s silence speaks profoundly.

It is many of these positive attributes and considerations that give pause to those who are struggling with God’s call to come out of her; however, none of these appear to serve as acceptable reasons for dismissing God’s call to “come out of her My people”. In spite of those who defensively claim that "their church is not like that", your church is not the exception, you are not the exception; your denomination is not the exception and any sensational movements you may be involved in are not the exception either. WHY? – Because there are no exceptions. God’s ruling is to “come out” and there are no exceptions to the rule. There are no denominational "half-way" houses to ease the transition, no

arbitration boards to negotiate a better deal and no exemption clauses in fine print. If there were legitimate exceptions He would have said so. Instead, He only gives a point-blank ultimatum - “Get Out”. PERIOD!

As the old saying goes, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, smells like a duck and quacks like a duck then it’s probably a duck." Regardless of the degree of good works and noble deeds she has done, churchianity is still churchianity. No matter what the degree of spiritual corruption, religious window dressing, traditions of men, label you give it or contemporary makeover you give it, churchianity is still churchianity and those who have come out of her have little difficulty discerning its familiar scent when they smell it.

It doesn’t matter which brand of churchianity you identify with. Roman Catholic churchianity, orthodox churchianity, protestant churchianity, evangelical churchianity, reformed churchianity, Pentecostal churchianity, independent churchianity, emerging church churchianity, “seeker sensitive” churchianity, hip-hop churchianity, contemporary churchianity, “My church isn’t like that!” churchianity, NAR churchianity, prosperity churchianity, “Word of Faith” churchianity, Baptist churchianity, Church of Christ churchianity, Methodist churchianity, Assembly of God churchianity or one of the other 40,000 plus denominations – churchianity is still churchianity.

As horribly unfair and unjust that this may seem to multitudes embracing these there is an answer to the question when it comes to the individual heart in the equation; “Won’t the Lord of all the earth who knows the heats of men do right?”

Now would be a perfect time to consider the sobering words of Jesus, “Enter by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and there are MANY who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life. And there be FEW who find it.” – (Matthew 7:13,14)