• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

A Quiet Simple Life

Sallie Schaaf Borrink

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Subscribe
  • Categories
    • Christian Faith
    • Comfort Food Recipes
    • Gracious Christian Parenting
      • Gifted/2e Parenting For Christians
    • Homemaking
      • Free Homemaking Printables
      • The Prudent & Prepared Homemaker
    • Homeschooling
      • Relaxed Homeschooling
      • Homeschooling a Creative Child
      • Homeschool Mom Encouragement
      • Homeschool Planning
      • Gifted/2e Homeschooling
    • The Library
    • Our Cozy Family Life
    • Simple Living
    • Unit Studies & Resources
      • Unit Studies
      • Unit Study Printables & Worksheets
      • Unit Study Books
      • Unit Study Activities
  • Tags
  • The Shop
    • Explore The Shop By Category
      • All Products For Women
      • All Products For Children
      • Clip Art & Digital Papers
      • A Quiet Simple Life Series
      • Poetry
      • Editable Homeschool Planners
      • A Full Year Shopping Pass
    • Cart
    • Digital Products Terms of Use
    • Your Account Details
      • View Your Orders
      • Go To Your Downloads
      • My Account
    • Lost Password Help
  • Donate
  • Go To: SRA
You are here: Home / Christian Faith / Saying “No” To Church Pressures

Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement.

Saying “No” To Church Pressures

January 19, 2015 by Sallie Borrink
1 Comment
3         
3
Shares

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Belonging to the body of Christ can be one of the most wonderful aspects of our lives. And belonging to a church can truly be one of the most difficult or even worst parts of our experience on earth.

In this age of interconnectedness, our belonging to the body of Christ isn’t just limited to our local congregation. We can also be impacted by online relationships with other Christians around the world. So what do we do with pressures that come from being a part of the church? How do we say “no” to church pressures?

You are probably expecting some long explanation of all the things that can go wrong in a church setting and examples of these church pressures. I’m not going to do that. We all have experienced enough of that already and there is no reason to rehash all the negative. (If you truly have no idea what I’m talking about, count yourself extremely blessed.)

When it comes down to it, saying “no” to church pressures means basically one thing.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith.

  • It means not listening to people who try to steal your freedom in Christ.
  • It means not listening to those who try to draw you into their rigid rules and legalistic schemes.
  • It means not listening to anyone who teaches Jesus plus something else no matter how great that something else might seem.
  • It means, at times, stepping back and separating your relationship with Jesus from the local body or church, even if this means leaving the church without somewhere else to go. Yes, sometimes it is necessary to leave a church in order to save your relationship with Christ.

While the body of Christ is found in the local church, not every local church or church member is a part of the body of Christ.

Not every pastor is a part of the body of Christ. Let that sink in a moment.

There are many unregenerate people out there sitting in the pews and even standing in the pulpit who have no idea what it means to truly belong to Christ. There are many people who present a form of godliness, but there is no life and no Jesus in it.

I suspect you can trace almost every church pressure we experience in life back to a lack of focus Jesus and what He accomplished for us on the cross and in his resurrection. It is Jesus plus something else. Or in some cases there’s no Jesus in it at all.

Fellow believers who truly love you and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit will not feel compelled to control you and your spiritual life. Anyone who is trying to control you, manipulate you, or shame you into anything church-related should be avoided like the plague.

In fact, even more than the plague because the plague only destroys the body.

Those people will seek to destroy your soul.

This post is part of my 5 Days of Saying “No” series.

Saying No To Church Pressures


3         
3
Shares
Category: Christian FaithTag: 5 Days of Saying "No" | Margin

Related Helpful Content For You

Create A Quiet Time Routine

Wishing Paybacks On Your Children

“Who Am I?” Sung By The Altar Of Praise Chorale

Are Hard Things Always Good? (And Are Easy Things Always Bad?)

Previous Post:Saying “No” To Homeschool Pressures
Next Post:Our Family’s Positive Experience With Minecraft

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cait Fitz @ My Little Poppies

    January 20, 2015 at 10:10 am

    I so appreciate this post, Sallie. We are pretty regular church goers, but every now and then the stress of wrangling kids outweighs the benefit my husband and I get from mass. On those weeks (which have been the last couple this month), we go for a hike as a family. I often feel that I can get my spiritual needs met as a family in the great outdoors as well, or sometimes better, than I do sitting in the pew. It just depends on how things are going each weekend.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Thank you for your comment. I read and appreciate each one even if I am unable to respond.

Sidebar

I’m Sallie, Christian wife, mother, homeschooler, and homebody. Do you desire to create a quiet simple life for your family? If so, I invite you to explore my helpful content about the faith-filled and home-centered life. Please start here. Welcome! ♥ 

Categories

Find It Here

My Other Website: Sallie’s Rebuilding America

Popular Right Now

  • Classical Conversations Negatives And Why We Didn't JoinClassical Conversations Negatives And Why We Didn’t Join
  • Home Office Ergonomics - The One Choice That Will Save or Cost You Thousands of DollarsHome Office Ergonomics – The One Choice That Will Save or Cost You Thousands of Dollars
  • Occupational Therapy For Dysgraphia Or Writing ProblemsOccupational Therapy For Dysgraphia Or Writing Problems
  • Margin, Rhythm, and Decision MakingMargin, Rhythm, and Decision Making
  • The Ultimate List of AIP Comfort Food RecipesThe Ultimate List of AIP Comfort Food Recipes
  • Understanding Eosinophilic Esophagitis and ResourcesUnderstanding Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Resources
  • The Cozy Life In America (and Why I Prefer It To the Danish Hygge)The Cozy Life In America (and Why I Prefer It To the Danish Hygge)
  • Eyewitness To History - Firsthand Accounts Of Historical EventsEyewitness To History – Firsthand Accounts Of Historical Events
  • Free Printable Prayer Journal PagesFree Printable Prayer Journal Pages
  • My Beautiful and Peaceful Christmas Music Station On PandoraMy Beautiful and Peaceful Christmas Music Station On Pandora
  • Baked Potato SoupBaked Potato Soup
  • Banana Grape-Nuts BreadBanana Grape-Nuts Bread
Receive new post notifications from A Quiet Simple Life

Powered by follow.it

Popular Today In The Shop

  • Rocks & Minerals Copywork – Print & CursiveRocks & Minerals Copywork – Print & Cursive
  • True or False? Activity - ApplesTrue or False? Activity – Apples
  • True or False? Activity - U.S. PresidentsTrue or False? Activity – U.S. Presidents
  • Pilgrims Sentence Scramble Printable ActivityPilgrims Sentence Scramble Printable Activity
  • Cursive Handwriting Practice - 100 Sight WordsCursive Handwriting Practice – 100 Sight Words
  • Making Tally Marks Activity - ApplesMaking Tally Marks Activity – Apples
  • Shapes and Colors Bingo Printable Game 3x3Shapes and Colors Bingo Printable Game 3×3
  • Thanksgiving Fun Facts CardsThanksgiving Fun Facts Cards
  • 21 Days of Scripture for Simple Living21 Days of Scripture for Simple Living
  • Scrambled Sentences Worksheet - GardenScrambled Sentences Worksheet – Garden

Join The Conversation

  • Birdie on Margin, Rhythm, and Decision Making
  • Peggy on Margin, Rhythm, and Decision Making
  • Alison Ward on Margin, Rhythm, and Decision Making
  • Patti Gardner on Margin, Rhythm, and Decision Making
  • Mrs. White on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Pam on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Cheryl on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Lauren on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Amanda on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Marilyn on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Sue Elvis on Happy Birthday To Me!
  • Peggy on Late Winter Days at Home

Blogging Is Better With Blinkies!

My Blogroll

  • Adventures In Keeping House
  • The Blessed Hearth
  • The Bluebirds Are Nesting On The Farm
  • By Sun and Candlelight 
  • Coffee Tea Books and Me
  • Creekside Cottage
  • Elefantz
  • Exquisitely Unremarkable
  • Generations Before Us
  • Heavenstretch
  • Homemakers Thoughts
  • Hope and Thrift 
  • A Housewife Writes
  • Jane Austen's World
  • The Legacy of Home
  • Like Mother, Like Daughter
  • Love My Life
  • Mama's Learning Corner
  • Mountain Housewife
  • The 1940s Experiment
  • North Ridge Farm
  • Rural Revolution
  • Something From Almost Nothing
  • Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth
  • Stories of an Unschooling Family
  • Sugar Pie Cottage
  • Thinking About Home
  • Thrive On One Income
  • Upon Hope
  • Vox Popoli
  • A Working Pantry 

Lifetime Visits

17,545,771

Archives

Contact Me • Privacy Policy • Disclaimers & Affiliates

Copyright © 2023 · A Quiet Simple Life · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

Scroll Up