Dear friend, I was floored by learning of your friend’s situation. Even though I usually know what to say, I was baffled and speechless and asked some spiritually mature brothers for helpful advice. Your name wasn’t mentioned. Here’s what two brothers advised:
From Mr. T: “This Pastor must admit to Christ his own sins and ask forgiveness, the Devil may have a stronghold on him but Christ can step in upon admission of sin and a true effort on his part in listening to Christ and the Holy Spirit and deciding to follow Christ. The (wife) should be praying for her husband continuously to listen to Christ and believe that Jesus will deliver him from these sins, she must also ask forgiveness from Christ if she has in any way not been Christ-like. We know prayer works but we must follow Godly instruction. With Christ, all can be repaired.”From Reggie: “He has to step down he is no longer acting above approach. Mathew 18: 15-19 church discipline is for every believer. The Pastor is in sin. If a sinning brother is openly sinning ex-communication is warranted! 1 Cor 5: 1-12… Like all of us- he needs to repent!”I agree with both of them because their advice is biblically sound. Only God can “unmess” that messiness, starting with the pastor. He shouldn’t be taking his church through that mess if he’s “anointed” (a very subjected and misused term). Remember, Satan was once an “anointed cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14) and can still appear “as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14-15). The pastor may be a true child of God, but as long as he lives an ungodly life, he needs to leave the pulpit and sit in the pew or be excommunicated if he remains ungodly. What’s really sad is that other preachers (I assume, hopefully, I’m wrong) isn’t stepping up and advising the leaders of that church to handle that pastor according to biblical instructions. That’s why unaccountable pastors get away with indulging in immoral and unethical behavior. Since the church has failed to follow Scripture in this matter, God’s judgment has resulted (Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Well, at first I didn’t know what to say. I could only piggyback on what my brothers said. May God help your friend and her husband.
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