When Friends Abandon Christ

It grieves my soul deeply to witness some of my friends walk away from the Lord.

Over the years, I’ve encountered many who have drifted from the faith—each with different reasons and circumstances. For clarity’s sake, I’ve grouped them into two broad categories:

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Category 1: The Cold or Atheistic

These are friends who show no interest in Jesus Christ or anything related to godliness. They do not attend church and appear fully absorbed in worldly pursuits. I still reach out, trusting that the Lord—who alone opens hearts and draws people to Himself—will do His saving work. I’ve entrusted them to Him, because ultimately, there is no other hope.

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Category 2: Those Who Once Walked With Us

This group weighs far more heavily on my heart. These are friends I met in churches, fellowships, and Bible studies. We once shared spiritual excitement, powerful testimonies, and what appeared to be some enlightenment. But over time, I’ve begun to wonder: were those moments truly rooted in Christ or merely emotional and fleeting?

Let me share a few examples that have grieved me under this category:

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1. Angella (PS: All names have been changed)

Angella attends a church that exalts predictions — what they call “prophecy”, more than the Word of God itself. Recently, her prophet declared that Kampala would flood, and indeed, heavy rains disrupted many lives and businesses, including their own. When I asked why the “remnants” weren’t spared, she responded defensively: “It would have been worse had we not interceded for you.”

But is that true? Did any of them miraculously escape the storm? Or did it not rain on everyone alike? Of course it flooded everywhere, even their own prayer grounds weren’t spared.

This prophet’s camp is well known for esteeming predictions above Scripture. On any given day, a glance at Angella’s status will likely reveal photos of him with captions like, “The man who orders my future” or “The one who redeems me.” Such idolized devotion is deeply troubling. The early church—our enduring model for doctrine and life, did not revolve around weather forecasts, political predictions, or economic projections. They preached Christ crucified. Not sensational prophecies. Not theatrical declarations.

Yet Angella continues to elevate these voices and post images of her prophet almost daily—as if he were the author and mediator of her faith. It grieves me to witness such misplaced devotion.

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2. James, My Neighbor

James follows a pastor known for misquoting Scripture—among other concerns—and who was recently exposed for taking multiple loans, despite publicly claiming otherwise. It made me wonder: if someone can lie so openly and silence the issue without remorse, what else might they be hiding?

When I raised this concern, James brushed it off with, “To the pure, all things are pure”—a misuse of Titus 1:15 meant to deflect accountability. But purity of heart doesn't mean turning a blind eye to truth, shirking responsibility, or abandoning sound doctrine. Sadly, in their camp—as I’ve discussed with him before—many Scriptures are thrown around carelessly, stripped of context, and used to justify almost anything.

Since then, James has distanced himself and now seems to view me as “bad energy” simply for questioning teachings that even seasoned Bible scholars have rightly critiqued. More troubling still, he has walked away from his work and some of his family responsibilities—clear contradictions to a life shaped by the Word of God.

But how can one claim to follow Christ while ignoring His commands, despising correction, and twisting Scripture for convenience? Christ did not die to create a people who live by clever slogans or spiritual shortcuts, but to redeem sinners and shape them into His likeness—through truth, repentance, and obedience. True purity isn’t self-defined; it flows from hearts transformed by the gospel and tethered to the authority of God’s Word.

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3. Phionah’s Husband

When I brought up the issue of ordaining women as pastors, he dismissed Paul’s letters as misogynistic and culturally outdated. I tried to explain that Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2–3 are rooted not in cultural norms but in God’s creation order, and were given as commands for all churches, not just one time or place.

He ended the conversation.

But this isn’t merely about gender roles—it’s about rejecting the authority of Scripture. When we start treating parts of the Bible as outdated or optional—especially when they conflict with modern ideals like feminism or personal preference—we are no longer submitting to God’s Word, but placing ourselves above it. That is dangerous ground. It opens the door to compromise in every other area of doctrine and life.

Phionah insists on continuing in defiance of God’s clear design for church leadership and public teaching, framing her stance as strength or liberation. But true freedom is not found in resisting God’s order—it’s found in submitting to it. My hope is that she, and many others—will come to see that the gospel is not about affirming our desires, but about crucifying them. Christ does not call us to rewrite His Word to fit our cause. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

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4. Amanyabyoona

We’ve been friends since Primary Two, but our relationship began to strain when I questioned her unwavering loyalty to a so-called prophet—one known for failed predictions and teachings that stray far from Scripture.

Rather than engaging thoughtfully, she doubled down.

To this day, Amanya continues to post quotes and images from this now-deceased prophet—many of which barely mention Christ, let alone exalt Him. She also avoids any sincere, Scripture-based dialogue. But how can one claim to love Christ and yet resist testing all things by His Word? As with many caught in cult-like systems, there’s little room for discussion with Amanya—especially if you're not affirming her loosely held, unsystematic beliefs.

And yet, Scripture calls us to discernment. The Bereans were commended for examining everything against God’s Word (Acts 17:11).My hope for Amanya is that she would come to treasure a faith rooted not in personalities, prophetic legacies, or faith movement slogans—but in the crucified and risen Christ. True faith isn’t about “naming and claiming,” positive confessions, or manifesting outcomes. It’s about trusting God’s Word even when the outcome is unclear, submitting to His will even when it’s not what we hoped for, and enduring in obedience because Christ is enough. Real faith rests not in what we declare, but in what God has already declared in His Son.

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5. Sonia

Sonia no longer believes in God. Last I heard, she left her husband under unclear circumstances—despite his desire to reconcile, and now has a child with another man, while still legally married.

Even more painful is how she now mocks Christians on WhatsApp and class group chats, calling us brainwashed. Yet not long ago, we used to memorize Scripture together in fellowship.

As John writes:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us…” (1 John 2:19)

Her story is a heartbreaking example of apostasy—often beginning subtly until the mask of fellowship falls away.

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6. Timothy

Timothy zealously defends his pastor—who once led a months-long teaching series urging believers to physically claim land based on Abrahamic promises. Their camp seems far more invested in property, financial gain, and leadership ambition than in Christ Himself—forgetting that our true inheritance in Him is spiritual, not material(Eph 1:3).

When I reminded Timothy of Paul’s sobering warning in Galatians 1:6–9, he replied bluntly: “I’m not interested anymore.” I wasn’t surprised—his pastor had already blocked me for raising the same concern.

But if we reduce Christianity to a tool for personal gain, we become no different from those who followed Christ only for fish and bread. That is not the gospel. As Paul said, “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9). A gospel that exalts possessions over the person of Christ is not the gospel at all.

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A Shared Pattern

These six and many others like them—still move within Christian circles. They speak fluent “Christianese,” attend church, and seem devout. But in truth, their hearts seem far from Christ.

They defend their pastors and camps more passionately than Scripture. They resist correction. They sidestep the cross.

They’ve replaced the true gospel with messages about positive confession and possesion, prosperity, perfect health, land acquisition, no suffering or even the denial of death itself. And sadly, they often scorn those who try to bring them back to Christ crucified.

In many ways, they mirror the Pharisees: steeped in religious lingo but hardened against truth.  

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What does scripture commend us to do?

We carry them in prayer and also examine ourselves.

Frankly speaking, I’ve been a Stoche, Angella, Timothy, Amanya - and many others not even mentioned here. And truth be told, we’ve all had our moments. We are still a work in progress.  

Only the Lord can turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Only He can open blind eyes and breathe life into what is dead. May the God who saves, convicts, and restores have mercy—on them and on us all.

In the meantime, we continue to gently engage them with love, remembering that they are not the enemy, but the mission field—even as we remain watchful over our own lives and doctrine.

“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)