Friday, December 21, 2007

A Little Leaven

I cried last night, twice in fact. I went to listen in on our choir rehearsels, both the adult choir, and the children's choir. And while the children sang 'silent night' in such a way that it brought me to tears, the adult choir sang one of my favorites, Handel's Messiah. I began to ponder the beauty of innocent and heartfelt worship, and how retaining our purity, and keeping ourselves spotless from the world is a grace and a virtue. I came home, and happened upon this well known verse in Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 5:6, “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
So what’s wrong with a little compromise? Under the guise of tolerance and interfaith relations, the church has been enjoying a peaceable truce with the world for decades now. It has been hugely productive for both camps. The world attends our special productions and concerts, we attend the world’s movies and plays, why, we have proven that all can live as one, coexist, and get along if only we meet halfway. They give a little, we give a little, and behold no more fierce opposition, no more debates and deliberations concerning the one true God, or the one true path, we’re all going to heaven anyway, just using different paths to get there. What’s worse, we glory in our foolishness and our blindness, we consider it a success merely because the pews are filled never giving a single thought to whether or not the souls that fill them are redeemed, saved and sanctified, or are merely ambulatory corpses.
One world, united in tolerance and acceptance of other religions, other gods, even the atheists and agnostics have a seat at the table. We have achieved in accomplishing what four thousand years’ worth of generations could not, we have united the world under the banner of mediocrity, inclusion, and ecumenism. Never mind that the Bible tells us to separate ourselves not only from the world, but also from immoral believers, to keep ourselves spotless and separate. Those were just shortsighted individuals who could not see the bigger picture. Fear mongers is what they were, scaring people into believing that a little compromise would lead to the unraveling of all that had been built on the foundation of purity and righteousness. They just didn’t get it. We’ve come such a long way, our thinking has evolved to such an extent that we can now plainly see what they could not, a little compromise is good for the bottom line, for the building fund, and for the church’s slush fund.
If you take a cup of sewer water and pour it into a gallon of the most expensive wine in the world, that wine becomes nothing more than sewer water. If you take a gallon of the finest wine in the world and pour it into a cup of sewer water, once again, you have very expensive sewer water.
What some refuse to acknowledge is that no matter how little leaven we allow into the church, it compromises the integrity of the whole. However little the compromise, we are making in order to achieve a certain agenda, it has successfully spoiled the entire lump, for compromise begets compromise, and sin begets sin. However little the sin we allow to reside in the camp might be, we must realize that it is the nature of sin, the nature of evil, to defuse itself, to spawn, to grow, to spread to eat away at righteousness, and destroy the souls of those that allow it to flourish.
Rather than actively seek out the leaven in our midst, and purge it lest we become contaminated, we welcome and invite compromise with open arms, and warm smiles. It is not the church’s job to make the sinner comfortable in the midst of the congregation. It is not the church’s job to seem compassionate and sympathetic concerning the sins that are evident in the lives of those who attend service. It is not the church’s job to tolerate anything less than the standard that God has set forth for His children. The church’s one duty, it’s primary goal, is to preach repentance, to point the way to Christ and the cross, and compel those who would hear to be born again, to receive the gift of salvation, to be renewed in mind and spirit, and pursue holiness.
One cannot make deals with the darkness, or with sin and expect them to keep up their end of the bargain. Sin will always renege on its promises it will always go back on its word. Once sin has a hold of a soul, once the darkness has talked it into compromise, it will be merciless in its struggle to reach its final objective, the destruction of the good.
We have been beguiled and seduced by the world, and by we I am referring to the modern day church, not realizing that the world has its own agenda, it has its hidden motives for treating us with a modicum of kindness and false sincerity. We revel in the glory of the world, and glory in our own ingenuity for building bridges and mending fences, not realizing that slowly but surely we are becoming the world.
Those who see beyond the now, those who perceive the outcome of compromise by spiritual insight, are troubled, vexed, heartbroken, and rightly so. For not only will the entire lump be leavened by the little we have allowed, but those who refrain from joining in with the unclean things, will be viewed as dissidents, dissenters and nonconformists, enemies of progress, and spoilers of unity.
If you believe it will only be the world that will persecute the people of God, you are in for a rude awakening. The outline of what is to come is already taking shape, like the first strokes of a painter’s brush upon the canvas. We can see where it’s headed; we can deduce the finished product, long before the finishing touches are applied.
There are those who give themselves freely to sin within the house of God, which allow compromise and selfish motives to dictate the sermons that are preached, and the path that is followed. Then there are those who have chosen to purge out the old leaven, to hollow out their hearts in anticipation of the new resident that will soon reside there, and soon there will be an inevitable clash of these two camps.
The persecuted or the persecutor, the divine or the profane, each must choose a side in the battle that is to come. God will stand with those who are His, who have chosen the narrow path of uncompromising faith, and will rightly judge those who claim to be His, but whom He does not know.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

11 comments:

ryanfromDetroit said...

Amen, Michael.

We as the body of Christ can have nothing to do with sin, because as you mentioned, if one portion of our lives is lived not according to truth, we are living a lie.

The Spirit of God is speaking this, without a doubt, to those who can receive it. He is making a final call to those who have not chosen to repent of dead works, to take up their cross and follow Him. The truth, and comfort, in it is the fact that the Lord only chastens those that He loves. I thank God that He is chastening still, for if He was not, this green season that we are all experiencing would abruptly come to an end and the judgment that He has so clearly shown us would be quickly upon us.

May God give us all ears to hear and may we have that assuredness that we are His (My sheep know My voice and another's they will not follow).

God be with you, Michael, and may He continue to lead you into all truth by His Spirit.

God bless,
Ryan

A Seed Sower said...

It is a beautiful thing to see a grown man cry!
As to what your saying here..Amen lil brother. If anyone is in a church that is full of poluted ones I agree they need to come out from amongst them, lest they become poluted, and be seperate, lest they receive of their plagues.
Tell Monica .."thanks for getting me hooked on Clemintines"..never had one in my life until your blog mentioning them..God Bless you, and all the Saints who post to his blog, may you all have a Blessed Christmas.

Anonymous said...

The other night in prayer I heard in my head a multitude of people singing. At first I couldn't make out the words, but I soon understood what they were saying:

"Sing Hallelujah, Glory to our God and King"

It continued to repeat over and over in a slow beautiful refrain. It had to be millions upon millions of voices. The setting seemed to be some time after the tribulation.

I wanted to mention it, because with so much doom and gloom coming I think the Lord wanted to remind me of the great joy that will follow.

God Bless,

(I'm a regular to the blog but wish to remain anonymous for this posting)

Bonny said...

So true, Michael. My pastor refuses to compromise on worldly issues, or pray with the local ecumentical group, so our church is small...the biggest churches where I live, are the sin-filled, experiencial, rock and roll- playing gatherings (give me Handel's Messiah any day!!!) who like to please man more than God by tolerating sin and inviting the world in. There are also those who rigidly refuse to depart from dead traditions of man, and in doing so, still compromise because they do not allow the Holy Spirit to speak (in fact they do not even believe He does speak today)....both extremes are ones of compromise and a desire to please man. One day many will wish they had offended man and pleased God instead.
God bless, Michael.

Anonymous said...

Amen! It is very challenging to live separate from the majority, but it is the end reward I have my eye on! Prayers and blessings to you and your family, Michael.

NH friends :)

Steve and Cheryl Thomson said...

Dear Michael,

Bless you and yours at this difficult yet blessed time. We check your blog almost daily, and we appreciate your messages so much. We have been on the HandofHelp mailing list for years.

We are serving the Lord in a conscience-hitting ministry as laypeople, and we have posted on YouTube a thought-provoking music entry, entitled "Rudolf Finds the Meaning of Christmas."

We hope you have a chance to view it, so just go to www.youtube.com/fishersofmen.

This video is the top one on display.

Your brother and sister,

Steve and Cheryl Thomson

Elm Street Chapel said...

Amen. Truth. To those who can hear, it will set captives free. To those who cannot and are satisfied in their walk that have hardened themselves have no ears to hear, or eyes to see.

Michael, you said; The church’s one duty, it’s primary goal, is to preach repentance, to point the way to Christ and the cross, and compel those who would hear to be born again, to receive the gift of salvation, to be renewed in mind and spirit, and pursue holiness.

Salvation alone only empowers people to become the sons and daughters of God. Doing His will is the confirmation of son ship. The Gospel or Good News is far more than salvation, and learning acceptable behavior. It is the impartation of the seal of God the Holy Spirit, that is the will of God, the provision of God, the restoration to God. When the church lost the power of God, the Holy Spirit through unbelief and sin in the 2nd or 3rd century, man instituted his lawful imitation of the Spirit of God and established a mock system to ensure their own authority. Today we still fight the inbred ignorance and dependence on a man rather than the faith to walk with God as Job, Noah and Daniel. That righteousness, faith and walking in the fullness of God's provision, the Holy Spirit in fact, is alone what will allow a person to walk with our Savior and Bridegroom to the wedding, lamps lit, in this world, during the tribulation.
L,J,P&HG
Dave

Anonymous said...

Amen Michael. This is slightly off the topic, but I wonder if part of the problem is trying to combine evangelism of the lost and discipling of believers into one venue? I know in some countries where there is persecution, "church services" or meetings include only believers told by the Spirit where the meeting will take place, and preaching of the gospel to unbelievers takes place in a completely different setting. They don't bring their friends to "church" to hear the gospel, they only bring them after they are sure they are genuinely saved and the Holy Spirit directs them to, because otherwise they may be used as spies and report the meetings to the authorities or to militant muslims or whatever. The American church has freely opened its doors to anyone to come in, which has set it up to feel obligated to be "hospitable" and "tolerant" etc.

deannaslater said...

I have tried to look at going to church at this time in my life as being a help, to be there for the lost, and surely God has used me to pray with people, to reach out, yet I see so much sin, that is being tolerated, has this vexed my soul? has it caused me to compromise my own life? these people are young, in there 20, and 30's they all love the Lord no doubt but the acceptance of others in sin into working with us as if they were not sinners is not separated, I have prayed and prayed, Lord what do you want with me here, there is so much I'm not in agreement with,I think I must separate myself now to cling unto the Lord in the last days before the New Year, I ask that you would Pray that the Holy Spirit would clearly guide me to what to do, do I stay or do I go? I am feeling lately now it is time to go, but I only want to do as the Spirit leads, I would rather be alone again with the Lord then to be sitting in a church that tolerates compromise, thats lazy, doesn't even believe in the gifts of tongues the heavenly language that was so freely given to us that believe, nor does not have alter calls to pray and lead people into repentance, yet they are approaching leading sinners to Christ in a very slow methodical way, Loving the sinner no matter what, and this is to tolerate its sin, have I come to a point of tolerating sin, and cause it to come into my own life, these are very serious quiestions I'm asking and need the Fathers direction, I love these people dearly I am torn because there is so much love here, and God does always use me to pray for someone that is hurting when I'm there, If God is going to keep me there to help do a work, then I must be strengthened to not fall into this laxadazily
type of attitude, is this a mission field for me, is God doing works through me here to strengthen his people? I was so much more serious before I entered this place, and it seems I have come to a place of tolerance that just cannot be right, and as you know I have experienced the very sin I have preached against since the beginning of coming to this church, So I have between Christmas and New Years to really seek God, work is closed down for this time, I need for God to really show me to stay or go, Please be in prayer with me through this time, I need the prayers of the saints so desperately, and as I pray I will lift up all, that God would give us sure direction for this coming year, may he bless us with answers for each of our lives, In Jesus Name. Amen

deannaslater said...

Michael, today I have this word, a wonderful beginning to my week of prayer, I am expecting great things through this week. Isaiah 41:10 "Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keeping a firm grip on you." Glory to our Lord.

Joyce from OKC said...

Amy: I was just reading Lamentations. Chapter 1 verse 10 reads for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her santuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation. I was pondering that when I went to see if Michael had any new posting. Going over older ones, I came across your comment. You may have something there. Joyce in OKC