Pastor Perry Noble left NewSpring Church in South Carolina in July 2016 after he confessed to alcohol abuse.
Last November, Noble said he would no longer return as a pastor and would prefer to serve as a church consultant instead.
But life has surprising ways of working out. Just this month, Noble found himself back at the pulpit — but at a different church.
Noble was invited to speak at Elevation Church by his good friend and confidante, Steven Furtick, according to The Christian Post.
As Elevation Church celebrated its 11th anniversary on Saturday, Noble announced on Twitter that he got the amazing opportunity to preach again. "Thank you @stevenfurtick for allowing me the honor of preaching at Elevation tonight — cannot wait to do it again tomorrow!!" Noble said.
Later, Noble opened up on Facebook about his recent preaching opportunity. He thanked Furtick for never leaving his side despite the difficult time he'd been through.
"In July of 2016 I thought I would never preach again! I allowed myself to be deceived by the enemy and depended on alcohol more than Jesus! However...during this entire time Steven Furtick hasn't been someone who 'had my back' but rather has stood by my side and been a source of encouragement, friendship and has been willing to tell me what I needed to hear," he said.
Because Furtick trusted him enough to speak before the pulpit, Noble said "what I thought was dead came to life again."
Throughout the whole ordeal, Noble said he got to discover who his real friends are, and he feels fortunate to count Furtick and his wife, Holly, as among them.
"Jesus brings dead things back to life — if you are doubting or disbelieving I understand; I've been there. However, if you are bit dead then God is not done — His plans for you are still greater than you could have ever imagined," he said.
