Although changes are made in churches worldwide, and many churches compromise and adjust the words of God and lower the standards of God, we serve the Almighty God, Who is the Creator of heaven and earth and all there is within, Who is the same, yesterday, today and forevermore and shall never compromise and lower His standards, but still acts according to His Word that stands forever. God is clear in His Word regarding sin and the consequences of sinning willfully. Is it the will of God that fallen pastors and leaders stay appointed in the church or not? What does the intentional sinning of church leaders say about them? What do their works testify?
Do church leaders, who willfully sin or live in sin, belong in the pulpit?
If church leaders are appointed, who have willfully sinned or live in sin, after their repentance, regeneration, and during their leadership in church, then they shouldn’t be appointed and teach in the pulpit and lead the church.
This may be hard to read and some people may find this ruthless, but the person has consciously made a choice to disobey God and His Word and do something that goes against the will of God.
That’s why in the Old Covenant there was a difference in sins. Everything a person does that goes against the words and will of God is sin, but there is a difference in the kinds of sin
Someone can unconsciously say or do something that is not good and during or afterward be confronted and corrected by the Holy Spirit. But someone can also consciously say or do something with premeditated intent. This means that a person knows that is not good and that it’s not according to the will of God and diametrically opposes His Word, but the person does it anyway, because the love for the flesh is stronger than the love for God and His Word (Read also: What is a sin not unto death and a sin unto death?)
Adultery is a premeditated sin
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21)
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all (Colossians 3:5-11)
For example, when we look at adultery, we can conclude that adultery doesn’t just happen. A pair of trousers don’t go down themselves. No, a person has consciously made a choice to commit adultery, despite the knowledge of God and His will. Every Christian knows, that adultery is a sin.
When a person commits adultery, the person doesn’t walk in love toward God, which means, that the person doesn’t keep the commandments of God (which are also the commandments of Jesus), because if you keep His commandments you walk in love, but the person has consciously rejected God and His Word (Read also: The commandments of God vs the commandments of Jesus Christ) .
The person doesn’t love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, because when the person commits adultery, the person loves himself and the strange woman or strange man and the lusts of the flesh above all.
The person doesn’t keep the second commandment either, which is, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, but has rejected this commandment. Since the adulterous person didn’t remember his wife or her husband and the wedding vow he or she made.
No, when the person commits adultery the person doesn’t love his or her neighbor, in this case, his wife or her husband, but loves himself or herself and wants to satisfy his or her temporary sexual feelings of the flesh.
And… the person didn’t remember the precious souls of the saints and his responsibility and the consequences of this selfish deed to the congregation. Since the uncleanness of sin defames (disgraces) the Name of Jesus Christ and defiles His church and mocks His redemptive work (Read also: Is Jesus a Promoter of sin?).
And so the adulterous church leader has despised God, by rejecting both the words of God as his wife or her husband, and by disobeying the words of God and the wedding vow he or she made and not remembering the souls of the saints and defiling the church.
It’s just like Esau, who didn’t consider his birthright a privilege and precious, but Esau sold his birthright to satisfy his temporary hunger, which was abominable to God. God didn’t say about Esau that He loved him, but that He hated him because of his deed that derived from his wicked heart (Malachi 1:2-3, Romans 9:13, Read also: Can you resist the temptation?).
There are many Christians, who jeopardize their relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father and sometimes even forfeit eternity, by prioritizing their feelings and the will, lusts, and desires of the flesh and putting them above the Word
The blind guides and white sepulchres
It’s already bad that this happens among Christians, who don’t hold a leadership position in the church, but that this also happens among church leaders is really bad.
Because how can they, who are spiritually blind themselves and are led by their flesh and don’t live a disciplined life after the Spirit in obedience to God and His Word, but reject God and His Word and walk in disobedience in darkness and sin willfully, teach the members of the congregation and expect the believers to walk after the Spirit in obedience to God in holiness in the Light?
These leaders are blind guides and whited sepulchres, just like the Pharisees, who appeared beautiful, charismatic, piously and righteous on the outside, but inwardly they were full of extortion, uncleanness, hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).
Although they taught the people in the law and the prophets, and made the will of God known to the people, they didn’t submit to the law and the prophets and didn’t walk in the will of God (Read also: Is the church seeing or blind?)
And so there are many preachers, who have not truly repented and are not born again in Christ and don’t walk after the Spirit in obedience to God. They don’t fear the Lord and don’t take the Word seriously and therefore they consciously keep sinning and persevere in sin, assuming that they can keep sinning or live in sin without consequences, since they remain appointed anyway or after some time are reinstated in the office.
And the congregation, which is many times carnal and therefore makes decisions on the basis of feelings and emotions instead of the Word of God, substantiates this behavior and gives a foothold to the devil and supports sin, by keeping the fallen leader in their office or reinstating the fallen leader in their office (Read also: What did Paul mean by lay hands suddenly on no man)
What is the will of God?
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)
God is love, merciful and forgiving, they say. But is that true? God is absolutely merciful and forgiving if someone truly repents and not because the person is caught in the act and asks forgiveness out of a religious habit and after some time falls back into the same sin. Still, God is also righteous and that part is many times left out. The love of God is a righteous love and not a new age love (Read also: New age in the church? and The Holy Spirit vs the new age spirit, which spirit dwells in you?)
It is the will of God that all His sons (this applies to both males and females), who are born of Him and have His nature and represent Him on earth, walk after the Spirit in holiness and not in uncleanness, fornication and the lust of concupiscence, as the Gentiles, who don’t know God and are not born of Him and walk in disobedience to God and His Word in the will of their father in darkness.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, who were the old creation and therefore carnal, that they obeyed the lust of their father and not of God (Read also: The will of God vs the will of the devil).
Would God appoint a worker of iniquity?
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16)
And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ: From whom the whole Body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Would God trust and appoint leaders in the church, to raise His sons and teach them in the Word, so that they get to know the will of God and lead them into the truth so that they grow up into spiritual maturity in Christ after His image, if the leader is not spiritually mature and doesn’t walk as a mature son of God and doesn’t submit to the Head Jesus Christ and don’t do what Jesus; the Word says, but is prideful, rebellious, carnal and does the will and the works of the flesh and willfully sin and/or live in sin?
Would God trust His sons to someone, who claims to know God, but doesn’t listen to Him and doesn’t do what He says and deny God through His works? Does this person belong to God?
What does the intentional sinning of church leaders say about them?
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin (John 8:34)
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate (Titus 1:16)
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee (Titus 2:11-15)
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame (1 Corinthians 15:34)
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not (1 John 5:18)
The works of the church leader testify that the church leader is carnal and walks in darkness and does the will of the flesh and is a slave of sin. Sin still reigns as king in the life of the church leader and the wicked one aka the devil still has a hold on the leader. This should already be a warning to the church.
The danger is, that when a pastor or other leader in the church, who should be born again and spiritually mature and should know the will of God, refuses to submit to God and His Word and therefore is prideful, rebellious, and disobedient, the sheep will follow the example of the fallen pastor or other fallen church leader and shall also walk in pride, rebellion, and disobedience to God and His Word.
The same (unclean) spirit that dwells in the pastor (or other church leader) shall come over the church and the members of the church shall bear the same fruit as the leader and shall walk in wickedness and uncleanness (Read also: Many pastors are leading the sheep into the abyss)
How can a pastor or other church leader expect from the believers that they do submit to God and obey His Word, when the preacher doesn’t do it himself?
If a preacher or other church leader commits fornication and adultery, how can the preacher confront, warn, correct and chastise a church member in these areas and forbid fornication and adultery? Exactly the church leader can’t. Therefore the church shall compromise and accept sin in the church.
Putting the relationship with Jesus at stake and playing with eternity to fulfill the lusts of the flesh
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears (Hebrews 12:14-17)
In the New Covenant, in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, Paul mentioned the thoughts of God regarding the profanity and act of Esau, who despised the Lord by rejecting his birthright for the temporary carnal lusts and desires. Paul warned the believers. And yet, there are many church leaders, who say they have knowledge about God’s Word and claim to see, but don’t care about Paul’s warning and disregard this Scripture.
It is remarkable, that so many people object to women in ministry and substantiate their objection with two Scriptures, but the Scriptures regarding carnal leaders, who are unspiritual and have the mind of the world and are addicted to pornography, masturbation or get involved with other sexual uncleanness and commit fornication, adultery, live together unmarried, have a homosexual relationship, are divorced and remarried and therefore the spouse of more than one women, commit idolatry, witchcraft, steal, fraud, (pathologic) lie, have an alcohol addiction, etc. they get free rein and are appointed in leadership without any objection.
No objections and Scriptures are cited with them, while there are many Scriptures in the Bible to exclude them from ministry (a.o Romans 1,2,6,7,8, 1 Corinthians 15:34, 2 Corinthians 6, Galatians 2:17-21;5:13-26, Ephesians 4,5, 1 Timothy 3; 5:19-25; 6:2b-12, 1 Titus 1:6-9, 2 Peter 2, 1 John 3,5).
The intentional sinning of church leaders has consequences
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them (Ephesians 5:1-7)
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother (1 John 3:4-10)
If an apostle, evangelist, prophet, pastor, teacher, elder, deacon, worship leader or anyone else, chooses deliberately to obey the will of the flesh above the will of God, then the person has made a conscious choice to reject God and His Word and shall bear the consequences thereof.
Even if the person is famous, influential, and powerful in the church world or bears the name of a famous relative or is a theologian, charismatic, eloquent, wealthy, and seems to be sincere and piously from the outside, God is not a respecter of persons and is not misled by words and outward appearances, but God looks at the heart, since the works of a man derive from the heart.
And as long as intentional sins derive from the heart, the heart and nature of the person are not changed and the person is not born again, but the heart is still of stone and the person doesn’t belong in church leadership.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
