Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Throwback

My name is Mike, and I’m a throwback. I’m a fossil, an antique, a knuckle dragger, a relic, the vestige of a bygone era; yes apparently I am all these things because I have been called all these things and worse. There are certain monikers and certain names I no longer take offense to. The years have thickened my skin, and made my purpose resolute, so much so that I would rather be labeled an outcast, a zealot, or worse yet a fundamentalist than go along with the main stream that is rapidly heading toward the drop-off.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not what you would call an avid outdoorsman, but I have caught enough shows on river boat rafting, to know that once you are caught by the current, and once you pass a certain invisible line, you have gone beyond the point of no return and have no choice but to ride out the rapids and hope that the drop-off won’t kill you. Rather than guess at that invisible line, rather than go along with the rushing waters and hope that I’ll be able to make it to shore before the inevitable happens, I choose to remain rooted in the Word of God even at the risk of being labeled backward and unthinking.

We are living in a generation wherein children are encouraged to explore their sexuality even before they can spell the word ‘sexuality’, a generation wherein girls of all races, and walks of life are repeatedly used and discarded multiple times before their sixteenth birthday, a generation wherein babies having babies out of wedlock is glorified, a generation in which perversion, licentiousness, lewdness and lack of accountability have now become the norm, and we look at this chaotic mess we’ve made, we look at the destructive effects, the broken homes, the abused children and the outbreak of diseases, and smirking to ourselves, proud of our own tolerance and openness, we call it progress. If this is progress, you can keep it!

The modern day church has been caught in the current of this present world, they are in the slipstream, and with each passing day the sins they once preached against are not only tolerated but embraced. Many don’t even try to make it to shore anymore, they don’t even try to slow down the ever accelerating decline, they just go along hoping against hope that all the things God said about judging sin, and beginning to judge it in His own house were exaggerations, or better still wrongly interpreted by the scholars of old from the ancient Greek and Hebrew.

We know that God is not a liar, we know that He is the embodiment of truth, and if judgment begins in the house of God, if judgment begins with those who have Jesus on their lips but not in their hearts, then it will be the church that will fall of the edge of the precipice before the world does. What is coming upon the church will not be a bump in the road, it will not be a blip on the radar screen, it will not be a passing storm, but rather the full force of the judgment of God.

What were once ideals worthy of aspiring to have now become things to be mocked and looked down upon, and Norman Rockwell’s notion of what family ought to be is now nothing more than a punch line, something to be scoffed at and pitied because it’s so antiquated and backwards. Although they mock those who still hold to the ideals of family, although they scoff at those who reject promiscuity and perversion, the ever growing number of those that think themselves so evolved, open minded and forward thinking really aren’t. What they are doing is not new, it is not cutting edge, but rather it is something that has been done over and over again, with the same result and finality. At the height of its power, the Roman Empire gave itself over to decadence and all manner of perversion, reveling in it and thinking there was no consequence. Then came the fall, and what was once a great empire was left in ruins, overtaken by its enemies, destroyed from within by the evil and depravity of their own hearts.

Yes, I still believe in the sanctity of marriage; Yes, I am the husband of one wife; Yes, I still believe God punishes sin; Yes, I still believe God demands righteousness and holiness of His children; and if these things make me a throwback, then so be it, my name is Mike, and I’m a throwback!

If you’ve ever been called a relic, a fossil, or a throwback, if you’ve ever been accused of being intolerant because you stand against debauchery, depravity, and all manner of perversion, then wear these titles as a badge of honor. Do not be dismayed, do not be discouraged, and by all means do not be dissuaded from standing for the truth of God’s Word, because He comes not only to judge the world in righteousness, but to reward each according to his works.

Psalm 9:7-10, “But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in time of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

1 Peter 4:17-18, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His father with His angels and then He will reward each according to his works.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was really encouraging!
VERY encouraging.
Let's just go ahead and continue as before relics for the LORD!

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you."
Amen!

Anonymous said...

Michael
I am the same as you and enjoyed you article very much.There are very few true Christians who uphold the true word of God today and this includes many Pastors.I believe many love the World more than Jesus ,and I believe that God is now "giving them over to their real love" When they say they love God ,most lie.The Church today has become more of a helper to Satan than to God .I have read much of you and your dear Fathers writings and your reward is sure! I could say much more but I will leave it at that as the Spirit has led me.Keep doing what you are doing because you are correct and it will serve you well! God bless and keep you and all your "House"
Burt