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Many former members describe the same feeling: fear.

Not ordinary nervousness, but a deep, visceral fear that settled in the body and shaped decisions. A sense of tension, dread, and pressure - fear of being seen, fear of being singled out, fear of questioning, fear of leaving.

 

Some recall feeling it in their legs, in their chest, in their stomach. Others describe a racing heart or sudden surge of panic when encountering a former member in public, leading them to avoid eye contact or change their path.

 

This response was not rooted in personal conflict, but in a deep sense of fear - of being seen, judged, or of something terrible happening if they were recognized. The body often carries what the mind was never allowed to name.​

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Fear kept many people in place. Fear of losing God’s will. Fear of losing the kingdom. Fear of spiritual consequences. Fear of social rejection. Fear of losing family, friends, and community. Fear of being alone.

 

The Bible speaks directly to this kind of fear.

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Perfect Love Casts Out Fear​

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Scripture does not present fear as the foundation of Christian faith. It presents love.

 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

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This verse does not mean Christians never feel fear. It means that fear is not the governing force in a relationship with God. When fear becomes the primary motivator, when obedience is driven by dread rather than love,  something has gone wrong. When fear becomes the main tool for obedience, conformity, or loyalty, that pattern does not reflect the character of God.

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Fear-based systems often speak of love, but function through intimidation, uncertainty, and pressure. Scripture says the opposite: love, when it is genuine and mature, pushes fear out.

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God Did Not Give You a Spirit of Fear

 

The New Testament is explicit that fear is not the spirit God gives His people:

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For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)​

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Scripture does not describe fear as a fruit of the Spirit; rather, the Spirit is given to produce love, peace, and freedom. As Paul writes, “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15)

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Fear Keeps People Bound

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The Bible recognizes that fear can trap people.

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For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

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Fear of spiritual loss, fear of disapproval, fear of being cut off - these can function like chains. They keep people in environments that harm them spiritually and emotionally.

 

Jesus does not call His followers to remain in fear. He calls them into freedom, truth, and love.

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Christ does not say, “Stay or else.”
He says, “Come to me.”

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You Are Not Betraying God by Leaving Fear

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Many people were taught - explicitly or implicitly - that leaving Wellspring Church meant rejecting God’s will, losing His best, or forfeiting the kingdom. Scripture does not teach that God abandons His children when they leave a particular church or leader.

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Jesus is not confined to an institution, a leader, or a doctrinal system.

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My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27–28)

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Leaving fear, coercion, or control is not leaving Christ. It is often the first step toward hearing His voice more clearly.​

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Fear of Losing Community Is Real

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One of the deepest fears is not theological - it is relational.
 

Many fear losing friends, family, identity, belonging, and support. That fear is real, and Scripture does not dismiss it or minimize the pain involved.

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Some churches appeal to Jesus’ words in Matthew about division within families to pressure people into cutting off loved ones or withdrawing from those who leave. It is important to read these passages carefully. Jesus is not commanding believers to sever relationships or to manufacture isolation. He is describing the painful reality that truth can bring conflict in a broken world - not prescribing relational rupture as an act of obedience.

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Scripture consistently affirms ongoing moral responsibility toward family, even amid disagreement and loss. Relational separation may sometimes occur as a consequence of following Christ, but it is never presented as a spiritual requirement, a test of loyalty, or a tool of control.

 

Jesus also speaks to those who experience loss not with threats, but with compassion and promise:

 

There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time… and in the age to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29–30)

 

Loss is real. Grief is real. Loneliness can be real.

But God is not unable to bring new relationships, new community, and new belonging - without requiring fear, coercion, or the abandonment of love.

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Christ Does Not Lead Through Terror

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Some leaders cultivate fear - sometimes through anger, intimidation, spiritual threats, or unpredictable discipline. Scripture presents a different picture of Jesus:

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Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29)

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Gentle. Lowly. Rest-giving. These are not the traits of fear-based leadership.

 

 

Your Body Remembers Fear

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Many former members describe physical reactions: tension, shaking, dread, hyper-vigilance. These are normal responses to environments where power is unpredictable and safety feels conditional.

 

The Bible speaks to embodied fear too:

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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

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Healing often involves time, safety, therapy, prayer, and new community. Scripture does not shame those processes. God cares about bodies and souls together.

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You Are Allowed to Be Free

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Jesus does not ask people to remain where fear is used to control them.

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You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

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Freedom does not mean instant peace or no pain. It means no longer being governed by terror - no longer believing that God’s love is conditional on staying in a particular system.

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A Gentle Word to Those Still Afraid

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If you feel fear when you think about leaving, questioning, or speaking, you are not weak. You are responding to something that is real.

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You are not betraying God by seeking safety, truth, or clarity. You are not outside His will by walking away from fear. You are not losing the kingdom by refusing control. Christ does not need fear to keep you near Him. He draws people with truth, kindness, and love.

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The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 103:8)​​

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