Is God Calling You out of Church to come away with Him ?
86Visit this site!!!! :0) http://called-out.com/
8 years ago God (Yes God) led me to leave the organized church as we know it and come away with him into the desert. I asked him for 3 confirmations telling no one. We all know everyone has an opinion :0). I received my confirmations and ventured into the unknown with God.
Boy was I judged and called backslider etc by those who supposedly loved me In Jesus name...It was sad and hard at first but exciting a whole new adventure were I was not in control.
Daring to live on the edge were Jesus lives’ to boldly go where most Christians long to go, but because we have seen too many examples of our Brothers being shot down, we listen to man and not God…Fear of your neighbor is a terrible thing…but a holy healthy fear of your heavenly father is a powerful way to live.
Over the past 20 years I have only met a hand full of people who were thoroughly passionate about God, the vast majority have a knowledge of him or are more concerned about their status before others or telling other Christians how they should live their lives or building their own kingdoms and bringing converts into the same bondage as themselves.
In short I believe God brought me to this country to teach me how to love the lost sheep of his flock and it has been very hard class to take! Many times I have wanted to quit. But as I slowly progress and gain his understanding of unconditional love I gain understanding of how he feels by the churches rejection of his love.
Over the next 8 years I had more fellowship than I had in all the 14 odd years of churches I attended. Truth be told I was bored to death in church, It was like I was dying inside spiritually and my spirit needed to be fed…the more I cried out to God I felt his heart for a people that had chosen to go their own way. Everything looked right but inside no real life existed.
I knew I was not the only one and I know there are 1000`s more God has called out into the desert to be wooed by HIM: 0)
When you look at it biblically all the people who wanted more of God spent long times alone with Him, being broken, engineered, rebuilt. Their ministries destroyed and his plan being restored in their hearts….Moses…David….Joseph…Paul...to name but a few :0)
God continually sent me Angels and Visions along the way to encourage me…the Following is one instance….It happened in the High desert of Central Oregon on one of many motorcycle trips….
It was early in the morning I was heading north bound on Highway 97 about 60 miles north of Klamath Falls Oregon. The sky was clear and the temp was in the 90`s and I was doing one of my favorite things....I had been gone for 3 days riding my! 1985 BMW k100 motorcycle...the worlds rolls Royce of bikes :) I have ridden many bikes before, but in my estimation no other bike comes close...those Germans know what they are doing vvvvvvvvrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I had just had breakfast at a roadside cafe and now relaxed and well fed I opened up the throttle and sped north through the morning air of vast high desert of good old Oregon.....I was feeling truly alive , gloriously present. This is living I thought to myself...I wish my dad could see me know living my dream in the US of A...
As a child growing up in Ireland, I had always dreamt of riding through the desserts of cowboy land ,sleeping under the stars ,now I was riding a wonderful piece of engineering, at last playing in my own westerns!! YAY for me :)
Then a thought came to me...pull over and make a memorial...yes just like that.....Ok God! I will , so I looked for a side road, found one, propped the beamer on the stand , walked down a sandy embankment to a clearing in the high desert pines. (Seven years before I had left Church / organized religion to embarked on a journey of self discovery and had come into a deeper more meaningful relationship with my creator)
So I looked around for some rocks to make a memorial but could only find wood. That will do I thought and so I knelt down and placed my right hand on the sand and with my left plied the small clump of wood on top. Ok! God what to you want me to say.... the words just flowed out....I told God that the old Michael Quinlan with all his hurts and fears was dead , gone ,the new man was alive , ready to live. So I stood up and felt the most tremendous peace envelope me.
While this was going on my cell phone rang, it was my friend Sonya. Mike where you...out are in the desert I said..... When are you coming back...don't know I replied...Hey guess what just happened I said and filled her in ...wow she said , we agreed to meet in a few days for tea and hung up.
I climbed the embankment and feeling like a new man hopped on the beamer and sped north.....wow ...that was great I thought reliving the moment, I felt so free..... then it happened! No I did not crash :0)
... All of a sudden I knew I was not alone and could sense something coming up on the left side of the bike , as I looked the most beautiful vision pulled up and rode alongside of me....It was a golden motorcycle , it looked like a cross between an Indian bike / Harley . Riding it was God , his hair and beard were flowing in the wind and a big grin was on his face..
Before I could get a word out...He said...Is`NT this great... (I always knew he was with me ...but this was so cool...for a kid that always wanted to go riding with his earthly dad ( it had never happened...) this was the ultimate :0) ) Then I had a strong urge to check my right mirror , I saw another bike coming up fast...I recognized the white helmet , the black leathers with red stripes down the arms , the brown bull nose tank of a Kawasaki 750..IT was My DAD..I began to weep uncontrollably (My Dad had died 9yrs ago) he drew up alongside me quickly and Glanced over at me...there was no face in the helmet only his spirit...I felt such unconditional love for him like I had never known before ..The author of many of my troubles in life...I was now loving freely and unshackled from...words can not describe how I truly felt...alive would be an understatement lol..
Through my tears of joy I kept thinking I have to watch the road. That was some moment! All three of us Riding north on highway 97 on the breathtaking ride of our lives...well mine anyway :)
It seemed like it went on forever or that time stood still , then it was over . I wept all the way to the high desert museum just outside of bend ( manag`ing to keep the bike on the road) had a long rest and reflection on the past couple of hours...a lot more happened on that trip....
I have many stories but This is written to those of you That have dared to live on the edge and Follow the desire of the spirit …hang in there, it’s well worth it :0) and those of you feeling Gods pull on your heart GO FOR IT!!!!! Loose all for the sake of finding your none religious true self in Him :0)
Hey this is a great Site to visit.... Truthforfree.com Cheers Mike :0)
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Beautiful Mike, God is only as real as our yearning for him. If we draw nigh to Him, He will draw near to us.
The Golden Motorcycle, 'That is Grand!'
Thanks. I've been blessed by your hub.
Excellent hub, Mike. Very touching.
This is a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing your journey with God.
A beautiful recollection of the love of your bio and the Almighty , Thank you for this story ! truly touching ! I loved it and voted it up all the way across! Thank you:)
You too, Mike. Glad to find a fellow believer in Christ. Looks like we have kindred spirits. Praise the Lord for Hub Pages!!! Wonderful fellowship!
I'm thinking the Lord is calling many of us out of the church so that we can fall in love with Him with no conditions attached. I haven't been in a church in at least 10 years and have fallen so much in love with Him. He also gives me dreams (nearly every night) and visions. I lost a baby in 1980 and He showed me my baby grown up (around 8 or 9 years old) in a vision in heaven when I was driving down the road near the cemetary where she was buried. He saw my tears and knew the grief I was feeling, and said, "don't be sad, she's not there."
It's a wonder I didn't have a car accident while I was looking at her! Amazing what God can do. He looks at our hearts and blesses us abundantly when we love Him like there's no tomorrow!!!
Yes I agree!
This is a great hub! Thanks for sharing, and I quite agree some people are not meant to be in organized churches. God has to definitely call each one of us to His own.
yesh I love it! :)
I feel You; I am part of You. It works vice-versa as well.
I always try to listen honestly to my heart then, I use reason, logic and compassion to act. Great piece here, thank you!
I believe it is good to be part of a community with believers outside the confines of the religious walls.
The problem is the thinking that feeding the "corporate beast" with you membership and participation are the only essentials to your "Christian" walk, when in fact, to be blunt, is idolatrous. If you are looking for "positions","labels" and flattery you will be welcomed with open arms.
In the kingdom of God, you never step down, but only step aside in order to facilitate what He wants to do. Those who step down, unfortunately have elevated themselves by man rather than elevating Him.
If you really want to see the kingdom of God at work feed the poor instead of "self." Check out the food bank or soup kitchen for truth.
This idolatry is often an extension of our own "self", a substitute for Jesus Christ and a hindrance in our walk with Him and to others.
The kingdom of God is evident in the very truths in the Bible. Take it to "church" and parallel what it says. You may find your perception of truth through a different lens.
All you did was step aside Mike, and He is doing His will in your life. Good testimony.
Touching article, " So you don't want to go to church anymore". this is the title to a book given by a pastor to his flock... the church as we know it today has become a business, locked in law and legalism busy building their little KINGDOM, not that they mean to do it in some cases!
Once I needed to go to church... but have moved out side the square, this does not mean I have forsaken the gathering as Jesus said "if two or me are gathered in my name in the midst I will be there,". It's about relationship not religion. God knows a mans heart better than anyone. Your article made me cry. Bless you mate.
Thanks so much Mike I have been led by the Holy Spirit to come aside and in doing so felt so close to God After years in church and being really involved its like a freedo ive never felt before.As im 66 now its like the ministry for the old in the church is making cups of tea and cleaning up.I mean after 30 years what did I have to offer.But now as I embrace my past and see how wonderful our God is Im so full of the joy of the Lord and have a peace that is so comforting .At the moment we are having lots of after shocks from the earthquake here in Christchurch Newzealand but I cant help feeling so excited even though many are grieving over the loss of homes an buisiness But No lives lost Our God is so merciful and full of love as He is calling our nation back to Himself.Be blest and thankyou
I envy you, Mike. I am not a qualified Christian.
Hey Mike I'm so glad I came across your page as I was doing some research on "If God calls you to leave your church, does He give you a clear direction?". My husband and I are leaving our church of 15 years where my husband has been a youth pastor in training for about 4-5years now. For the past year or so God has really been pressing upon our hearts that it is time for us to leave. We have both had our separate confirmations that this is what God wants us to do. So together we turned in our formal resignation letter. It has been about a week and a half since and what we thought would be a fairly easy transition has turned into the complete opposite. There have been rumors started as to the real reason we are leaving, like we found another church (we haven't), it's something someone did (it's not!), and other ridiculous accusations. These are coming from people with whom we have formed friendships with, the very people we look to for support. We are both just really hurt by the way this is being dealt with and was wondering if you had a similar experience and if you could offer some insight. Also if you do not mind my asking, what were your confirmations? This week will be our last week there and we don't want to leave knowing that bridges could possibly be burned. In fact this Friday we were thinking of having a time where we will sit down with the youth and leaders of the church and they can ask us questions if they have any. I am just very disappointed that we have been taught by our "leaders" to obey the call of God, yet that is exactly what we are doing and they question it. Did they think God's call would be confined to the walls of the building?! Anyways, I'm sure you can tell there is some hurt there but any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for sharing your story!!
God told me not go to church, too, Satan is controlling the churches. Church goers don't even read the bible, and don't even have a clue of what Jesus meant about being born again. They never had an conversion experience, is why. This one church goer even threaten to kill me because I told her that God told me not to go to church.
Well Mike, that was a great article. I can relate too. You know that!
Mike107, This was a interesting, unusual and insightful hub! What an experience? The Lord has many ways of getting our attention.
To answer you question? Yes I believe God is Calling... I truly believe that ministry must go beyond the walls! God never intended for His Church to be contained only in a building of "Brick, Mortar & Sheetrock" It is good to come together to fellowship. As Judah's Daughter said: "where two or three are gathered together..." But now all too often there are many political and power struggles that work against the actual building of God's CHURCH going on! We the people are His Church! So yes, I know that the Lord has called me/us out...
He has told us that "Our body is a Temple of the Living God" it is quite freeing when you embrace this principle. You realize that God is everywhere you are. Daily you must ask to be filled with His Precious Holy Spirit! We must spend time meditating on His Word and then applying that Word to our lives... Hen yes "go ye therefore..." Thank you for sharing & Blessings
This is to all of the people commenting on this page... I'm almost in tears I thought I was alone on this I just gave my life back to the Father about 8 months ago and I thought I was alone in the physical sence on this subject. But now I see that I'm not the only one! You all have givin me a great deal of encouragement and I thank you all. My our Father in heaven bless you all!
Hi there, neighbor :-) Well, we certainly cannot put God in a box, and that includes the organized "church". I have to say I have reservations about God and your Dad on the motorcycles, only because of the "visions" the founders of false doctrines have shared ~ but, I honor the fact that you had such a powerful experience that brought you closer to the Lord.
I, too, have felt the condemnation by the "church-goers" that I am sinning or certainly can't claim to be a Christian and witness to others about the gospel of Jesus Christ and not go to an organized church. The Bible simply says not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together and goes on to say where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I AM in the midst of them. Amen.
My calling is also outside the church building. I tend to find corruption, flesh, greed, condemnation, competition, gossip, busy-bodies, pride, false interpretations, and especially "religion" in most churches. I don't want to subject myself to the slightest luring into the "church" and away from my intimate relationship with God in any way! And to realize so many do not KNOW the LORD or have this type of relationship with Him! This is amazing!
I am thankful to know there are others that walk with God (or ride with Him lol) outside the "churchianity" and understand what salvation and "Christianity" is all about. God be with you as you share your love in Him with others.
Great story; I enjoyed it a lot. getting out from under religiousity. God wants us to ride with him and talk with him...
YES! YES! This is soooooooo real Mike!!! I was called out from the church and when I try to explain to many what was going on with me, they just looked at me like I was CRAZY!!! Though I still attend because of the fellowship that God wants me to continue with special people He's working with and for the feeding of my own soul and spirit. Some people think because you are a Pastor, it stops there. NOT! We need feeding of the Word all the time through others and our on consumption. I haven't missed a BEAT serving GOD there but I am all over the internet and I couldn't at first figure out why. I am so blessed to have read your HUB and to know that what I am doing is pleasing to God as well as your testimony. WOW, it pays to follow our LORD!!!!
Hi Mike I love the Gold motorcycle That is so cool. I
know all about this hub. Different situation same 'story'. I know you understand. I am in a Bible Based Church, The Holy Spirit told me I needed to be around like minds in fellowship.
It is good very good. When God inspires and we follow it is very good. You might find some of my spiritual hubs
inspirational.
Thank You for sharing and caring. I am a new fan. I will return
Bless Be Blessed
A wonderful story. A true smile....the kindom of God. It's not complicated at all...if we look for him....he will show up...it is spiritual. Thank you for sharing.
Mike, I envy you. (Just kidding) Fortunate are those who feel the presence of God. I just finished reading one more hub on spiritual experience in a desert. You might want to have a look at the latest Monkdom series of blueraven6. He speaks of similar experiences. This is one of your best hubs Mike. A big thumbs up.
Hi Mike!
Well bummer we didn't get to talk yesterday but it was great to meet Cynthia over the phone! Hope you had fun on the quilting excursion....when I heard 'quilt,' I thought for a second maybe 'Kilt'....lol.
I was just telling my friend Carol yesterday about you and the contents of this hub where you share of your encounter with the Lord and your dad on the bikes (I believe you'd shared this in another hub too and it was ingrained in my memory). The pdf ("out of church christians") I sent to my Pastor and Carol and I will be sharing it with others. I didn't read the whole thing, but chapter 10 is a confirmation for me in how some of us have been praying. I'll tell you about it later.
Thanks for the encouragement as I can totally identify with all you shared in the first part of this hub. It's not the wilderness as some would think where we are wandering and lost, not reaching our destination, but it's a time to be wild with the Lord and truly live a life of adventure with Him, fulfilling our destinies.
Blessings!
Christine
LOL, not sure if all is well in Jersey as I live in Guernsey :) :) Nice to see you back Mike.
Oh Wow Mike, what a great sharing of your experience, (if that makes sense). A true inspiration to all of us. Thanks :)
Great hub. Thank you.
Wow Mike, great hub--I love it!!






























MakinBacon 3 months ago
A little over 35 years ago I had the same revelation and calling, and have had the blessing from Jesus to be able to come across many other believers sharing the life of Christ together outside of the church system.
It's amazing to have fellowship with one another outside of the trappings of the pastor "feeding" the fat sheep until the day they die.
Rather, for me, it has been the sharing of the life of Christ and learning of Him from one another.