“Come Out of Her, My People”

How could you break unity with God’s people?

We marvel at the idea that simply standing true to God and to the principles of His Word could ever break unity with God’s people.

A dear brother writes to us as follows: “I think you have erred in leaving the Church of God, and yet God is blessing you and The Trumpet.”

To talk about “leaving the church of God and yet receiving the blessing of God,” is Babylon confusion. There is absolutely no way given under heaven and among men whereby we can leave the church of God but by ceasing to live by faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ, or falling into and continuing in sin; in which case God does not and cannot continue His blessings upon that soul as before.

[Daniel S. Warner—quoted in Andrew L. Byers; Birth of a Reformation, “The Crisis”]

We can also testify joyfully that the wonderful power of God has kept us from entering into a sectarian spirit—the group spirit. And when it became painfully plain that we were attempting and had been attempting to work with a group of people who willfully and knowingly accepted members in the leadership who denied the clear teaching of the Word of God on certain lines and who advocated that all should do the same, the Lord, in mercy, helped us to withdraw from the error and confusion to keep clear with Him. We perceived plainly that the bonds that held all of them together were not of God.

When we read in Revelations 13:16-17 of the mark that the second beast caused to be placed in the right hand, or in the foreheads of all who worshiped the image, we rejoice greatly at the love and mercy of God who delivered us from so horrible a thing. And we rejoice in our freedom, in no wise cast down that we are not allowed to buy or sell in the dominions of those who bow before an unwritten creed which is not of God.

We are those who have “His Father’s name written in their foreheads.”* (Revelation 14:1) We are open to all that is of God and closed to all which is not.

We counted that, surely, in the body of people with whom we once worshiped and worked, there were people who loved God supremely and would tolerate nothing else—but we heard a different music sounded. An image (group unity and harmony above trueness to God) was presented, and we, with everyone else, were expected, when the music sounded, to “fall down and worship the golden image”* (Daniel 3:10,12) which had been set up. But the Lord has helped us to keep Him first, so that we can testify with the original three, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter…. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”* (Daniel 3:16-18)

“Free from Babel in the spirit,
Free to worship God aright,
Joy and gladness we’re receiving,
Oh, how sweet this evening light!”*

The Lord dealt with us early in our ministry and gave us enough understanding of the pattern of apostasy that we were led to consecrate to be true to God, no matter what happened around us. We wanted to be part of the remnant.

“And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.”* (Isaiah 37:31-32)

And so we were ready, if it were to transpire, to respond to the call, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”* (Revelation 18:4) And we were resolved to “be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,”* (2 Corinthians 6:14) to “touch not the unclean thing,”* (2 Corinthians 6:17) to “withdraw from every brother that walketh disorderly.”* (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

We expected that a small group (the “remnant”* (Isaiah 37:32)), would stay true to God, and we wanted to be a part of those who were left, no matter how small were their numbers and no matter what the cost. We read of the whittling down of God’s people in Gideon’s army (by God’s decree), and our heart said “Amen,” although it is grievous that so many didn’t make it (Judges 7:1-8).

When it came down to it, however, we have found that it is simply a matter of being true to God and faithful to the light and understanding He has given to you. Instead of being led of the Lord to stay in the right group, the words of Jesus ring in our ears, “Lovest thou me more than these?”* (John 21:15) It is personal love and loyalty to God above all else that matters with the Lord. As the title of the tract by Sister Jarvis states, God or a System: Which? And in this way, “thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”* (Isaiah 30:21)

We confidently looked to others whom we esteemed in the Lord, expecting them to take the initiative in being true to God—and they did not. With astonishment, we discussed with them the precious principles and truths which had been so prominent a part of our relationship previously, and they were confused and contradicted their previous light. They appeared to have forgotten some things for which they used to contend, and all in all, these precious brethren manifested such a different aspect and spirit that we were quite amazed.

It was grievous to our hearts to have to stand, apparently, alone. We had such confidence in our brethren, had no desire to move apart from them, and expected that God would lead us as a group. This simply did not happen.

I was talking with Brother Herschal Hargraves, and he made a statement that arrested my attention. He spoke of men that he had left behind in the movement where he had once been. And he stated that they were men whom he greatly respected and esteemed, both at the time that he left that group of people and at the time of our conversation.

I was surprised, even somewhat shocked. How could he esteem them and respect them and yet leave them? Why didn’t they leave, also? So I voiced my concerns and questioned Brother Hargraves about these men. I will never forget his answer. He replied slowly and very thoughtfully, almost as if he were speaking to himself as much as to me, “They were established. They had congregations. They could defend themselves….” His voice trailed off.

What was not stated (and it did not need to be stated) was that they were sectarians—they had chosen to offer fidelity and loyalty, to remain and be a part of a group of people who have long had their candlestick removed; who, in the words of Brother F. G. Smith, “are unworthy of the recognition of spiritual congregations.”1

No doubt, it appeared better to these dear folks to do what they could from within, than to be on the outside with all attendant disadvantages. With Abraham, their cry would be, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!”* (Genesis 17:18) And still the reply of the Lord is to cast out that which is not of Him and to embrace that which is of Him only.

This requires a steadfast faith in God instead of men. How dark the future can look! What fears and apprehensions beset! In the book A True Story in Allegory, the spirit of apostasy speaks of those who will not bow in these terms, “You know, for a young shepherd to start out alone, and with everybody suspecting him—besides, perhaps, a few misgivings about his own spirituality, which we will be able to fasten upon him—will make the future look somewhat hopeless, as well as affecting his own power and freedom.”2

How thankful we are that we serve One who hath promised that “there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”* (1 Corinthians 10:13-14)

At our time of crisis, we did not realize that in all the history of apostasy, hardly any groups of people have been able to withdraw intact, as a group, from the apostatizing body. It is a test of personal love to God. He brings His own together who love Him supremely.

But the Lord had prepared a family for us. They wanted to go all the way with the Lord and were living to what they knew and understood. On one Sunday morning, during services, the brother said, “I would like to read a scripture.” He hesitated a moment, then added in a tone of wondering shyness, “It seems important.” The scripture was Jeremiah 3:14, and it reads, “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” I looked at my wife, and she looked at me. It settled this question of how God would bring out His children. The brother did not comprehend how much we needed that truth at that time; the Lord used him.

How precious it is to walk with Jesus! How good He has been to me! I did nothing to deserve such kindness and graciousness from the Lord.

“We will enter no door that is opened by men
Who promise a home for the soul;
For in Christ we abide in the church that will stand
While ages eternally roll.”*

“No earthly master do we know, to man-rule will not bow,
But to each other and to God eternal trueness vow.”*