SEPTEMBER 8

When to Leave

Matthew 15:13-14

IT’S BEEN DECADES SINCE the Jonestown tragedy, but the memory is as vivid as if it were last week. I’ll never forget the chill that ran up my spine when I saw the photo of those nine-hundred-plus people who voluntarily drank poison, laid down without a fight (in rows!) “looking like full-grown rag dolls,” as one eyewitness reported. More than nine hundred corpses who, though dead, still speak.

They listened to preaching, they carried Bibles, they often referred to Scripture, they gave their offerings. They were committed and sincere and loyal and enthusiastic . . . and blind.

Yes, that’s the right word. Blind. It’s not my choice of word, it’s Jesus’. His counsel to all who realize that their leaders have gone off the deep end? Read and never, ever forget:

Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”

MATTHEW 15:13-14

Two extremely powerful words: “Ignore them.” We’d say, “Get outta there!” It’s the best counsel I’ve ever read for folks who are getting involved in a cult or a religious movement that’s gone to seed. It applies to any alleged “spiritual” leader who has stepped beyond proper bounds.

Unfortunately, when you’re blind, you no longer see error. In fact, you lack what I often call a sensitive antenna. Slowly, gradually, as imperceptibly as tiny chunks of soil breaking off a cliff at the beach, clear and discerning sight begins to fade. First, peripheral vision gets blurred. Ultimately, the leader becomes Lord. Heresy replaces orthodoxy.

That’s when it’s time to leave.

By now, you’re likely discerning enough in the Scriptures and mature enough in the faith to trust that uneasy feeling you may have about the place where you worship. Something is off. The Word is not central. There is a harshness or emptiness to the message. It’s time to leave. Life’s too short, and there is too much at stake to blindly hope for the best. It won’t be easy . . . but it will be worth it when you’re free. Get outta there!