Q&A- SHOULD I REPORT SEXUAL IMMORALITY IN MY CHURCH?:
We received a message from one of our sisters that reads as follows:
“I just relocated to a new environment and definitely a new branch of my church and getting there, I met a brother I once knew back in the days of youth choir and then, he was disciplined because of his promiscuous lifestyle even with the sisters in the choir then. I was surprised seeing him in the choir section again but immediately I told myself, maybe he has changed and shouldn’t be judged but weeks after, I joined the choir section there and we got talking but I noticed he still does that physical touch thingy while talking to sisters and I stopped talking to him but last month, one of the sisters I relate with in the section opened up to me that she got so close to the brother and they almost had sex and he also told her about other sisters he did same with. Please I need advice on how best to expose him with wisdom to the church knowing his past well.”
Dear sister, thank you for this message. God bless you! To be frank with you, what you have described is not a small issue. This is not a personality flaw of the brother. This is not a misunderstanding. This is not something to be managed quietly.
What you have described is a plague, and Scripture teaches us that when a plague is seen in the camp and ignored, God holds the watchers responsible.
Let me explain.
The Story Of Phinehas
In Numbers 25, Israel was in a very dangerous spiritual state. Sexual immorality had entered the camp, and as a result, the anger of the Lord was kindled. A plague broke out, and people were dying. Moses, the elders, and the people were mourning at the entrance of the tabernacle. Tears were flowing.
But while the leaders were mourning and the people were crying, a man of Israel boldly brought a Midianite woman into his tent, in full view of everyone!
While the camp was under judgment. While people were dying. While leaders were praying. This was open, defiant sexual immorality.
At that moment, Phinehas rose. He did not debate with anyone. He did not wait for a committee. He did not say, “Let us be patient.” He did not fear being misunderstood. He took a javelin, followed them with a run into the tent, and struck both of them in the act.
And the Bible says the plague stopped immediately!
God Himself testified that Phinehas was jealous for His holiness, and because of that jealousy, wrath was turned away from Israel. God called it righteousness. God rewarded it with a covenant of peace. Wheeew!
This teaches us that when sexual sin is openly tolerated, prayer alone does not stop the plague. Someone must rise and confront it- with a javelin!
LET US CALL IT WHAT IT IS: FORNICATION!
Why Sexual Immorality Is a Different Kind of Sin
Scripture is unmistakably clear that sexual immorality is not treated like every other sin. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, the Bible says:
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
This statement alone sets sexual immorality apart. It is a sin in another type of category. Sin against the body! The Bible does not say to avoid this kind of a sin. He says flee it. Run from it. Do not negotiate with it. Do not manage it. Do not try to be mature around it. Why? Because sexual sin is a sin against the body, and the body is not neutral ground. The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Sexual immorality is a grevious sin. It tampers with what God calls His dwelling place. And to happen in the church? With leaders, workers who are meant to be creating an atmosphere for Heaven in the congregation? Oh, no!
The Bible continues in the same passage:
“Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you… and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
This is why sexual sin carries weight. When sexual immorality happens, it is not just two people involved. The Spirit of God, who dwells in the believer, is being dragged into defilement. That is why the Bible reacts strongly against it.
Sexual Immorality Defiles More Than the Individuals
In 1 Corinthians 5, the Bible does not say the sinners alone are the problem. He says the church’s tolerance is the problem.
“Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”
Sexual immorality spreads. It changes the spiritual temperature of a church. It weakens discernment. It dulls the conscience. It emboldens others to sin quietly.
That is why Paul rebuked the church for being proud and silent instead of mourning and acting.
Sexual immorality spreads in exactly the same way the Bible shows us in the story of Achan. The Bible says that one man’s hidden sin caused the entire camp of Israel to lose strength. Israel went out confidently to fight a much smaller enemy, yet they were defeated, killed and driven back. No one initially knew why. Morale dropped. Courage failed. Fear entered the camp. The Bible says this happened because sin was hidden among them.
That is how sexual immorality works in a church. It changes the spiritual temperature quietly. Prayer becomes heavy. Worship loses sharpness. Discernment weakens. The conscience of the body becomes dull. People begin to tolerate what they once would have resisted. Others are emboldened to sin quietly because they sense that holiness is no longer being guarded. Just as Israel could not stand before its enemies while Achan’s sin remained hidden, a church cannot stand in spiritual authority while sexual immorality is tolerated in its midst. Leaders will start dying, prayers will be unanswered, children will go wayward, fire will die, demons will be empowered etc. It is not a good place to be at all!
The Bible says Israel did not recover strength until the sin was exposed and dealt with. Victory did not return through more prayer alone, but through obedience. Through putting away. In the same way, when sexual immorality is confronted and removed, clarity returns, fear of God is restored, and the camp regains strength.
Hidden sin always weakens the many for the sake of the one, until it is brought into the light.
This said brother needs to be exposed and reported because his brotherhood is even a contention.
“…the Bible declares that no one can claim salvation and go on practising sin like an unbeliever. If the outer life of a child of God is not made pure, it is evidence that the inward heart has never been renewed. The faith that does not produce holiness is not New Testament faith; it is not saving faith…”– Alan Redpath
Sexual immorality does not coexist with the fear of God. One drives out the other. Where the fear of God is preserved, sexual sin is confronted. Where sexual sin is excused, the fear of God quietly departs.
Why Silence Is Dangerous in the Face of Sexual Immorality
Dear sis, the Scripture never praises silence in the face of corruption. Silence is never called wisdom or ‘love’ when holiness is at stake. When God opens your eyes to a plague and you refuse to speak, you do not remain neutral. You become complicit.
Paul warned Timothy:
“Neither be partaker of other men’s sins.”
If you keep quiet, you may think you are safe. You may think you are avoiding trouble. But Scripture says otherwise.
Mordecai told Esther that if she remained silent, deliverance would come from another place. God would still save His people. But she would lose the privilege of obedience, and judgment would not pass her house untouched.
Also Read: God Honoured Phinehas for His Zeal
Ananias and Sapphira and the New Covenant
Some people say, “But we are under grace.”
Yes. And grace is not softer than the law. You think it is? No! Grace is stricter.
In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church. No one forced them to lie. They wanted to look spiritual. Peter confronted them, and they fell dead under judgment. Scripture says great fear came upon the church, and the church walked in power.
God was protecting His dwelling place. And He did it so fiercely.
Grace does not tolerate hypocrisy. Grace does not excuse corruption. Grace preserves holiness.
What You Must Not Do
First, you must not delay, my sister. Do not postpone obedience. When the Bible shows us light, delay itself becomes disobedience. You have already seen what is happening. You already know this is not right. Waiting longer does not make it safer. It only allows the situation to deepen. When God opens your eyes to a plague, He expects instant movement.
Second, you must not carry bitterness in your heart against this brother. It is very normal to feel hurt, angry, and deeply saddened by what you have seen and heard, but bitterness will corrupt you even while you are trying to address corruption. The Bible teaches us to hate sin without hating the sinner. You must direct your anger where it belongs. Not at the person, but at the sin. The Scriptures show us that righteous anger exists. When the house of God was defiled, holy anger rose in Jesus, and decisive action followed. That is the kind of hatred you are to have. Hatred for the defilement, not hatred for the soul.
You must also not be judgmental in the flesh. This is not about condemning a man to destruction. This is about stopping a plague and giving room for true repentance. Condemnation hardens hearts. Righteous confrontation restores order. The Bible says judgment begins in the house of God, not for destruction, but for cleansing.
You must not fear. Fear of people, fear of reputation, fear of misunderstanding, fear of being labeled. None of these should rule you. The Bible says the fear of man brings a snare. Courage is required when holiness is at stake. You are not called to be popular or loved by man. You are called to be obedient.
You must also not calculate the outcomes. Do not begin to imagine what will happen after you speak. Do not play scenarios in your mind. Do not try to control reactions. The Bible teaches us to obey God and leave the consequences to Him. Obedience is your responsibility. Outcomes belong to God. When obedience is delayed because of fear of outcome, obedience never truly happens.
You must not act emotionally or without scriptural clarity. You need to be settled in your heart about why you are doing this. Not because you are offended. Not because you are angry. But because the Scriptures demand holiness and the protection of God’s people. When your reason is anchored in the Word, you will not waver.
Finally, you must not gossip. Do not spread this from ear to ear. Do not process it with people who have no authority to act. Gossip weakens your testimony and pollutes the atmosphere further. Instead, get your facts straight. Be clear. Be accurate. Be sober. Then take those facts directly to church leadership. The Bible establishes order for a reason. Authority exists to protect the flock, but authority cannot act on what it does not know.
What You Must Do
You must pray. Deeply. Honestly. Ask God to give you courage and lead you to the God-fearing leader who will indeed handle this as a plague.
Then you must go directly to that church leadership and make the report clearly and truthfully, with facts, patterns, and witnesses where possible.
You are not judging wrongly. You are not destroying the church. You are rising with the javelin. You are standing where Phinehas stood. You are contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. You are protecting the sisters. You probably will also save the broter, who knows? You are preserving the glory of the Lord.
If you do not act, the plague will not stop. And God will ask why you saw it and kept quiet.
Dear sister, be jealous for the name of the Lord. Pray, rise, speak, and leave the outcome with God. The Church must be clean for the glory to remain.
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