When God sets about accomplishing his purposes in his saints, he often first prompts them to leave. His desire to have the earth filled and subdued by image-bearers required that “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife…” (Genesis 2:24). He began a chosen race by asking Abraham to leave land and kindred (Genesis 12:1), orchestrated the deliverance of his people through a mighty exodus (leaving) from Egypt, and again and again charged them to leave the idols they worshipped.
We, too, all these millennia later, will hear the same call in myriad ways. Given the fact that we are by nature abhorrent to God, the scriptures always call us to leave certain things for others.
Leave Sinful Habits
The Bible has called us to leave sinful practices and commit to righteous living. Ephesians 4:22-24 urges believers to put off their old self/their former way of life that is being corrupted by sinful desires. When we lived in sin, we embraced habits, behaviors, and attitudes that were contrary to God. God calls us to embrace the new life we have received in Christ. The Bible further calls us to renew our minds and become like Christ Jesus in true righteousness, as we were created in his image and likeness. We must ensure that our thoughts, words, and actions align with the word of God. Failure to live transformed lives comes with consequences.
Scripture warns that if we continue sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice for sin left (Hebrews 10:26). Grave are the consequences to be suffered by anyone who rejects the truth and commits habitual sins. While it is true that God forgives when we genuinely repent, anyone who stubbornly continues in sin unto death will not escape judgment. Sinning willfully indicates a conscious rejection of the truth and a stubborn disregard for God’s commandments. Therefore, let us abstain from the lust of the flesh that continues to wage war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).
Leave Old Identity Givers
God called Abraham to leave his country, relatives, and father’s household. Abraham lived in Mesopotamia, where they worshipped idols (Joshua 24:2). His family gave him an identity, and God desired to give him a new identity that aligned with his purpose (Genesis 12:1-3). In our African context, where we are so loyal to our traditions and culture, God calls us with no less urgency to be separate from cultural practices that do not align with God’s will. That is certainly not a call to follow Jewish culture, but God’s way of life.
The apostles, in the early stage of the church, debated and concluded that Gentile converts did not need to be subjected to Jewish culture but were only required to refrain from practices that could interfere with their new life in Christ (Acts 15:5-11). Christians in Africa, for example, will often be accused of practicing the white man’s religion or following Jewish culture at the expense of their own. Nothing could be further from the truth. Christianity is a call to pursue God’s design for life. He is the author of the human race, which means we could never live fulfilled lives unless we align with his original plan in creating us.
Leave Worldly Attachment
There is an excellent call in scripture for us not to love the world or anything in it (1 John 2:15-17). The world lives from the point of selfishness as it is guided by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Those things do not glorify God nor indicate a love for him. Romans 12:2 calls us not to conform to the pattern of this world but instead to be transformed by renewing our minds, after which we shall be able to test and know God’s will, which is to guide our lives. 1 John 2:17 confirms that those who live by the will of God will abide forever. We cannot rely on the world since the world and its passions are just passing by. Why build your life on quicksand when God calls us to build on rocky ground (Matthew 7:24-27)? The storms of life are sure to come, and only if we build on a firm foundation shall our lives stand the test of time.
Leave for Missions
Christians have been called to leave our comfort zones for the mission field. We are all beneficiaries of the great sacrifices that saints before us made. And yet, sadly, many established churches would rather hoard their members and resources than deploy them to the mission field. God gave the fivefold ministries to equip the church for the works of service (Ephesians 4:11-12). There is a great problem when the task of equipping takes an entire lifetime to achieve. It is a waste when people turn to Christ, only to be kept sitting under one minister until they die, who then buries them, all while never expending themselves in tangible ways for the benefit of the lost. We are in great want of intentionality in raising laborers for the kingdom of God.
The world is in no short supply of unreached people — the harvest is plentiful (Matthew 9:37) —but churches will scarcely send missionaries because it will cost them financially. A ministry without cost is not of Christ, since Christ’s call demands we be ready even to lose our lives. God scattered the early church through persecution so that they could spread out and share the gospel with the world as he desired (Acts 8:1-4). They had been stuck in Jerusalem while God had called them to preach the gospel in Judea, Samaria, and other parts of the world (Acts 1:8). The Greek word for church, Ekklesia, literally translates to “the called out”. We are the “called out ones”, tasked with the spread of the truth of Christ. Are you living out this call?
Called to Abide
Scripture charges us to not merely leave, but to cling. We are to abide (John 15:4-8). To abide means to be attached to Christ. We are to have a close relationship with Christ characterized by obedience to him and living in fellowship with him. Jesus says that whoever has his commands and obeys them is the one who loves him (John 14:21). As we leave our sinful habits, ungodly cultural practices, and worldly attachments and commit to ministry, we are expected to hold on to Christ to remain productive.
God did not ask Abraham to leave his homeland in vain. He promised to make him a great nation, to grant him a new name, and to make him a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:1-3). When we come to Christ, we are born into a new family of believers who belong only to the tribe of the lion of Judah. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free, but we are all one and heirs of God through Christ (Galatians 3:28).