Revitalizing fellowship in our local churches is a key objective of the 2025 theme of the Church of Pentecost, “Unleashed to live a life worthy of your calling.” This article focuses on one critical aspect of how to bring back life into the fellowship of our local churches by dealing with what I refer to as the “Judas Complex”.
The “Judas Complex” refers to the tendency of some individuals in our local churches to walk away from the fellowship, not because they were hurt by others, but because they are burdened by the shame and guilt of their own actions; and believing they are beyond forgiveness, they abandoned the fellowship altogether. Dealing with the Judas Complex, therefore, means taking deliberate steps to restore the straying back into the fold (Ezekiel 34:4 NKJV).
Fellowship Began with God
Fellowship did not begin with the church. It began with God. From eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have lived in perfect fellowship with one another. This eternal communion was reflected in God’s creation of humanity. When God declared, “It is not good for the man to be alone” in the beginning, He did not only speak of marriage, but it was also about what it means to be human: the need to have edifying relationships with one another. As Solomon wrote, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). We were made to walk together and flourish together with others. Fellowship with one another is a basic human need.
Fellowship In the Early Church
The early Church understood this well. Luke records that the believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). They didn’t just attend services together; they shared their lives: they ate together, prayed together, gave to each other, walked by each other and strengthened one another in faith. Fellowship in the early church was not just a part of what the church did; it was the church. Peter called the church the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2:17 NKJV).
Sacred, Yet Not Without Challenges
Yet even something as sacred as the fellowship of believers does not come without its own challenges. Ambition, misunderstandings, disappointments, and even betrayals do occur in fellowship. Jude warns of those who become “blemishes” at our love feasts (Jude 1:12 NKJV). Jesus stated it plainly that “it is impossible that no offences should come.” (Luke 17:1 NKJV)
These struggles within the fellowship are not signs of failure; they are a vital aspect of doing life together, even among believers. Unfortunately, many expect the church to be the one place where no one fails or hurts, forgetting that the church is made up of people who are being sanctified daily. Hence, when that expectation is broken, they leave the fellowship, wounded and disillusioned.
Leaving The Fellowship Through The Judas Complex
However, it is also inaccurate to assume that people always leave our local churches because they were mistreated by others. There are also those who walk away because of something they did. They were not pushed out of the fellowship; they pulled away from it, being overwhelmed by their own guilty conscience. This is what I call the “Judas Complex”, the quiet withdrawal of church members from the fellowship of the local church, driven by their own guilt, shame, and the belief that restoration is no longer possible.
The Case of Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot belonged to the greatest fellowship to have ever existed in the history of the church. He was one of the Twelve. He belonged to a fellowship in which Jesus himself was the leader. He walked with Jesus, was sent to minister for Jesus, and was entrusted with the group’s money. But at one point, he betrayed the Lord.
Scripture tells us that afterwards, “Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood’. Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself (Matthew 27:3-5 NKJV).
Rather than returning to seek refuge and forgiveness from the fellowship, he departed from it in shame, remorse and regret and, tragically, ended his life. Judas did not leave the fellowship because someone hurt him. He left because he could not live with the guilt and shame of what he had done. He did not believe there was a way back to the fold. That is the essence of the Judas Complex.
What If Someone Had Gone After Judas?
While we know that Judas did not return to the fellowship for forgiveness and restoration, we do not know if any of the members of the fellowship also made any attempt to seek him out.
What if, when the news of his remorse at the temple became known, someone from his fellowship – Peter, John, or James – had gone after him and confronted him with his sin while also reminding him of the mercies of God? We do not know how Judas’s story might have ended if one of the other disciples had gone to him, but we know how Peter’s story ended when Jesus himself sought him out.
The Case of Peter
Peter also experienced what we may call the Judas Complex. In the most critical moment of Jesus’ earthly ministry, when He was being tried and prepared for crucifixion, Peter denied Him. Not once, but three times, and with curses. Though he had once boldly declared his willingness to die for Christ, when the pressure came, fear overcame him, and he denied the Lord three times.
After his denial, Peter was also filled with remorse. Scripture tells us, “He went out and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75 NKJV). Like Judas, he was broken by the weight of his failure. And after Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter returned to his old life, saying, “I’m going out to fish” (John 21:3 NKJV), a sign that he may have seen no way forward in his walk with the Lord after what he had done.
But the story did not end there. When Jesus rose from the dead, the angel who sat at the tomb (Mark 16:5 NKJV) gave specific instructions to the women at the tomb: “Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you into Galilee” (Mark 16:7 NKJV). The message was clear: Peter had not been cast off. His failure had not canceled his calling.
When Jesus later met Peter by the sea, He gently restored him, asking three times, “Do you love me?” (John 21:15-17 NKJV), allowing Peter to reaffirm his love and loyalty for every time he had denied Him. That moment of restoration transformed Peter. He went on to become one of the pillars of the early Church (Gal. 2:9 NKJV), a bold preacher of the gospel, and a faithful shepherd of God’s people.
Peter’s story is a testimony that the Judas Complex does not have to end in despair and destruction if we can reach out to the straying.
The Judas Complex in The Church
While Judas’s story fulfilled prophecy and we cannot reinterpret it so much, his pattern of guilt, isolation, and eventual destruction, even eternal destruction, can be a great lesson to us because it still plays out today in our churches.
A cursory scan through the fellowship in our local churches would reveal the sobering reality of many who once served faithfully in various roles within our churches but have since withdrawn from the fellowship after falling into some kind of sin
Though some, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, have returned like prodigal sons and daughters to seek forgiveness and restoration and are now doing well, many others still choose to remain outside the fellowship, being weighed down by guilt, afraid of rejection, and overwhelmed by the belief that they no longer belong.
Tragically, this often opens the door to further spiritual decay. Some have drifted into recurring sin and addiction. Others have spiraled into bitterness or unbelief or even embraced atheistic or idolatrous ideologies.
What If We Sought Them Out?
Definitely, their stories might have been different. In most cases, many of those who have strayed from our fellowship due to the Judas Complex could be restored if someone cared about them enough and simply reached out to them as true friends, reminding them of God’s unfailing mercy, which is renewed every morning; walking alongside them, and patiently helping to restore them back into the fold. Otherwise, we leave them vulnerable to despair and destruction, even eternal destruction.
We cannot afford to write off our members who are suffering from the Judas complex. Their absence from the fellowship of the local church points to something greater than their sin against the fellowship; it points to their own shame that is pulling them away. And shame is not something to punish; it is something to heal.
Apostle Paul, on Restoring the Backslider
Paul understood this when he pleaded to the church in Corinth on behalf of a man who had fallen into sin, saying, “You should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So, I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Cor. 2:7-8 NKJV)
Again, to the Galatian Christians, Paul wrote, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1–2 NKJV).
We can therefore conclude that restoring those who have strayed from our fellowship is not a suggestion; it is a responsibility. It is part of what it means to be a member of the local church.
This then is our calling: to confront sin, but also to rescue the sinner in the Spirit of Christ. To uphold truth, but also to extend mercy and grace, reaffirming our love to those who think they have gone too far to be welcomed home.
Dealing With the Judas Complex in The Local Church
While we cannot change Judas’s story, we can choose how we respond to those around us who are quietly slipping away like Judas, being consumed by guilt, leading to isolation, then eventual destruction of their lives, and sometimes their souls. Here are a few suggestions for our consideration:
- We must learn to go after the lost. When someone leaves the fellowship, our first instinct must not always be to assume the worst. A phone call or a visit to find out their challenges might be the lifeline they need. We must understand that the command to “rescue the perishing and care for the dying” is not only towards unbelievers but also backsliders. We must seek them out, in love, offering them the same mercy we ourselves have received.
- Let’s put on the heart of the Father and resist that of the elder brother: In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-31), we see that while the father was delighted to see his son return, his elder brother was disgusted by his return. Dealing with the Judas complex means appreciating the fact that while some prodigal sons, convicted by the Spirit of God, would like to come home on their own, with a longing for grace and knowing the heart of the Father, others would still hesitate, remaining at a distance not because they do not miss the “Father’s house”, but because they fear the judgement of the “elder brother” in the house. Let’s put on the heart of the Father and not only delight in the return of our brothers and sisters who have fallen into the Judas complex, but also run to meet them as they return.
- Let’s build a culture of honesty and truth in our local churches. Many believers hide their struggles until they cannot bear them anymore because they fear being judged by fellow members within the fellowship. Our local churches must become places where we, without fear of condemnation, can confess our sins to one another and pray for one another, that we may be healed. Knowing that the prayer of a righteous person has great power, as it is working. (James 5:16 NKJV).
- The concept of the true grace of God must be taught and modeled in the church. Though the grace of God must not be made a license for sin, it must also not be withheld from the sinner who is looking for avenues to return home. Though we do not make the grace of God a license for sin, we must also teach that it is greater than our greatest failure. It reaches to the highest mountain and flows to the lowest valley to redeem and restore the sinner.
- Restoration must be the ultimate goal of church discipline. The local church must not only be a place where sin is confronted and condemned but also a place where sinners are compassionately sought out and restored in the Spirit of Christ. While our local churches should uphold church discipline to the latter without compromise, restoration of the backslider must always be the goal.
- There are consequences for not seeking the lost. If we do not seek them out, the enemy will seize the opportunity to isolate and destroy them. Paul writes, “So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him… so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” (2 Cor. 2:8, 11 NKJV). Again, as the Lord rebuked the Old Testament Church for neglecting the straying, He will rebuke us also for not seeking the lost (Ezekiel 34:1-4). Moreover, it can affect the morale of the Church, making it feel that members of the fellowship are not really cared for, leading to a culture of individualism in the church, hence weakening the fellowship of the local church.
- Let’s unleash the whole Church in pastoral care. Follow-up should not be limited to a few leaders or teams in the church. While this can be maintained, the whole church must be unleashed to care for one another and demand accountability from one another. This will ensure that all members are cared for and their spiritual needs identified and resolved as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
In Jesus’ parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Luke 15), one theme stood out: joy and celebration. They rejoiced and celebrated whenever the lost was found. Dealing with the Judas complex in our local churches evokes the same reaction.
It not only restores the backslider, but it also stirs joy and celebration in the church. It sparks honesty and commitment towards one another and mutual care for one another in the fellowship of the local church.
Remember that Jesus himself assured that “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7 NKJV). And so, let us be the kind of church that says to those weighed down by the Judas complex, being ashamed and straying, “You are not beyond grace. There is still a place for you here.” Knowing that in Christ, no one is beyond redemption, and no story has to end in despair.
Written by: Isaac Kwabena Tagoe (Nanton District Minister, Tamale Area)
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