Transformed!

Once there was a man who started feeling ill. At first, he tried to ignore it, pretend as though the feeling wasn't there, but it just kept getting worse. Soon it began to show in his countenance, and as he glanced into the mirror one morning, he was horrified at what he saw. His face wasn't his own anymore. The man staring back was haggard and sallow, his eyes sunk into the back of his head, and his skin had taken on a sickly pallor.

The man realized he could not continue on this way, and he finally broke down and sought the help of a physician. It was not easy for him to seek help. He was a proud man. The physician was welcoming and open, he asked the man his symptoms, and without much ado told the man what ailed him.

The physician did not try to sugar coat the man's condition, nor did he attempt to minimize the severity of his sickness. The physician was forthright as he could be, informing the man that if his illness went untreated, it was terminal. The mortality rate was 100%, but the good news was that there was a treatment for it, and once administered, had a 100% success rate.

“That’s wonderful,” the man said, “is there a prescription?”

“Yes, the doctor said, and because it’s so outside of your ability to pay for it, I will cover the cost of the medicine. There are, however, certain lifestyle changes you will need to make, such as what you eat, and the kind of exercise you get, but as far as the medication itself, it is covered.”

Upon hearing this, the man's countenance changed, and he became visibly angry.

“But I like my lifestyle. I like what I eat. Isn’t there another way? Can’t I just take the medicine? Maybe I should get a second opinion. I think I read somewhere online that there are holistic remedies.”

"There is no other way," the physician replied calmly, but the man would hear none of it.

"We'll see about that!" the man barked as he stormed out.

We are living in a time wherein there are many self-titled, self-appointed, and self-anointed physicians who insist that all you have to do in order to pass from death to life is take the medicine. They insist that no repentance is required, that transformation is not essential, and that all one need do is raise a hand and say a prayer, then go on with their lives as though nothing happened.

Eventually, they'll bring up the issue of tithing, but as far as repentance is concerned, that is a topic that will turn off most people, and they know it. Never mind the fact that without holiness, no man will see God, or that once forgiven Jesus told the woman at the well to go and sin no more.

This is a new age, a new era, and we need to make it easier for people to get saved than what was prescribed in Scripture, or we run the risk of building colossal sanctuaries and no one showing up.

Unfortunately, there is no Hippocratic oath for pastors and evangelists. They gamble with men's souls for temporary gain and deceive countless individuals into believing they have been healed when all they've done is made them comfortable as they die. The church has become a gigantic hospice care facility that manages the pain of dying, while not addressing the dying itself.

Yes, you will run the risk of some walking away if you insist on repentance. Yes, you will run the risk of being hated by those you love enough to speak truth to if you stand on Scripture. Yes, you will be misunderstood and branded a zealot, a hater, an intolerant knuckle dragging fear monger, but at least you won't have blood on your hands when you stand before the Almighty.

Be brave enough to tell the lost that they don't have to die in their sin. Be brave enough to say to them that repentance brings about forgiveness and that the blood of Jesus can wash them clean. Most may reject you, but some will listen, be transformed, and live. 

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.