When I was in Ukraine just a few weeks ago, pastors took me aside to inform me of a pending scandal in that war-torn country. As if battling Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine were not enough, I was told that the biggest church in the nation was about to implode. Then, last week the press picked up the story. Sunday Adelaja, Pastor of the largest church in Ukraine (third largest in all Europe) confessed to having sex with at least 30 or more women in his church, Embassy of God. (Embassy has 25,000 members plus 700 daughter churches in 45 countries.) According to published reports, Adelaja couldn’t actually remember how many church women he’d had sex with.
So why bring up yet another sordid story of ministerial misconduct? For one thing, this isn’t conjecture. Adelaja has admitted his misdeeds, and, according to a church official, Adelaja is unrepentant and refuses to submit to spiritual and moral authority. Then, there is the sheer volume of the sin. Thirty or more women? In his church? And he admits there are probably more?
Our ministerial associates in Ukraine pointed out that Adelaja has fiercely opposed deliverance ministry and publically taught that Christians can’t have demons. Well, guess now, who has the demons? Is there any other reasonable, spiritual explanation for such egregious actions of such moral magnitude? Let me be clear. I am not Adelaja’s judge and jury. Who really knows why all this happened? He obviously was a spiritually gifted man. But the facts must be faced. Anyone, including pastors, can fall prey to great evil. And it’s not always the “flesh” that is to be blamed. Sometimes it really is the devil and his demons. I pray that good men of God will help pastor Adelaja and his wife sort this out, but I pray even more that someone will confront the demonic forces in and around him that caused this lamentable tragedy. As I’ve said before, and will emphasize again, “Everyone needs to break curses. Everyone needs deliverance in some measure.” That includes pastors and all those in Christian leadership.
An encouraging word: DON’T SPEND TIME WITH SINNERS
What kind of crowd do you hang out with? The psalmist David has some advice: “Do not gather my soul with sinners” (Psalm 26:9). What great advice. You know the old adage, “Birds of a feather, flock together.” I understand that in the course of employment and commerce we have to spent time with those who don’t know the Lord. But when it comes to our personal, quality time that’s of our own choosing, we need to be careful about our associations. If the wicked are throwing a party, don’t go. If sinners are going to the bars or clubs, don’t go. If you spend too much time with sinners, you are more likely to become like them, then they are to become like you.
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.
