A victim of the Church Mafia needs help

OK, I received a comment on my post ‘The Church Mafia – Spiritual Abuse in our churches’ and to be honest , it made me quite mad especially about how some pastors treat the flock. So I thought to myself, I need to bring in the troops of those bloggers that I visit on a regular basis whose blogs give my daily encouragement. So Anointed Vessel, Young Calvinist, Lavrai, Daniel, Pilgrim, Bro Melvin, Bro Tyris, I’m Speaking Truth, and Isaiah, we have a sister in need. This is really where our internet ministry’s rubber meets the road.The bible says in 2 Cor 13:1 “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established” and it think it is just wise if Tara could get advice from more than one person.

Please read the following from Tara

I am about to walk out of christianity as I am so misunderstood within the Body of Christ. I have been saved for the past 12 years and never was able to submit to ungodly behavior or abuse. Because I spoke out, I was told I am demonic and there is a spirit of Jezebel on me. My husband also told me that the Holy Spirit told him, I have a bad attitude and he left for 2 weeks after 3 months of marriage. i was devastated and wanted to know what type of God was I serving. I apologize for my behavior in order to please him, because I was told my spiritual leaders I must walk in forgiveness. It is now 5 years and still experiencing the condemnation at home as well as the church. Because I share my concerns, they labelled me as having a victim mentality. I am frustrated and feels as if I am in a prision. I can write more . My pastors told me I cannot do anything within the church at the cost of my marriage but they believe my husband is called to be in the worship team. I sat for several months Sunday after Sunday with a broken heart, as I must submit to my husband. Now my husband is using this against me, saying these pastors are right and now see why they deny as ministry activity.

I cried out for help many times, I beg and pleaded. I even curse God and told him I am going to be a Muslim. I rip my Bible because of the frustration. What must I do, I so desperately need help. I cannot even backslide, I tried but never succeed in going back to life before I was a christian.

Please help me

Let us work together to try and encourage Tara and give her some godly counsel. Also let us be sensitive to her situation and try not to confuse her. Even though we are in different countries, Christ unites us all

1 Cor 12:24-26
….but God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. IF ONE PART SUFFERS, EVERY PART SUFFERS WITH IT; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

P.S. Tara, if you prefer me not to have this post, please let me know and I will delete it or make it private but I am sure that it will be beneficial to a lot of people who are going through the same thing

Related post:

The Church Mafia – Spiritual abuse in our churches

The Church Mafia – Spiritual abuse in our churches – A Testimony

Spiritual Abuse – Don’t Suffer in Silence

The Five Solas – Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone)

Sola Gratia is the teaching that salvation comes by God’s grace or “unmerited favor” only — not as something deserved by the sinner and is an unearned gift from God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The bible makes it clear that our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa 64:6) and that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. If we think that there is anything that we can do to earn salvation, then that is what is called ‘works righteousness’. This view is held by Roman Catholics and the Mormons for example where it is taught that our good works somehow earn us into heaven. This is in direct contradiction to the above scriptures because it makes it claer that it is ‘not of works, lest anyone should boast‘.

Some may say that the book of James promotes works righteousness and that there is a contradiction. This is not the case. James is basically saying that your good works is a product of your salvation (Matthew 5:16) but your works cannot in and of itself save you.

UPDATE: Tyrellh gently encouraged me to clarify the above statement so as to not cause confusion so I will try to explain what James meant. Here is the scripture below

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works ( James 2:14-18 )

So was James saying that we cannot be saved by faith alone thus disagreeing with Paul in Eph 2:8-9?

When James says ‘Can faith save him?’, I believe it was a rhetorical question where he was asking , and I paraphrase, ‘Can a person believe and that’s it, and then live as they want?’. I believe he was stating that if you have true faith, then it will be evident in your works, hence the reason why he said ‘Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works‘. So James is not a contradiction at all with Eph 2:8-9. Good works are not a REQUIREMENT of salvation,but EVIDENCE of it’!

We must never think that that we deserve anything from God. We are saved by grace alone

Related Posts:

The Five Solas – Sola Scriptura (By Scripture Alone)

The Five Solas – Solas Christus (Christ Alone)

The Five Solas – Sola Fide (By Faith Alone)

The Five Solas – Soli Deo Gloria (Glory To God Alone)