Comparative

 When you think about it, everything past generations did on behalf of the Kingdom was more difficult to carry out than it is for this present generation. Whether the speed of travel, safety concerns, or ability to connect with heretofore unknown individuals, all of it was harder and more taxing. Yet, somehow, those of this present generation are less willing than the generations that came before them to do anything meaningful, or that would get them out of their comfort zone for the glory and kingdom of God.

The promise of reward remains the same, but the willingness of the servants has waned from generation to generation. You can say they don’t make them like that anymore, and for the most part, it’s true of self-professing Christians as well. We don’t want to exert ourselves; we don’t want to get our hands dirty, and we don’t want to feel uncomfortable, no matter what Jesus promised He would recompense us upon His return.

If someone dares to exert themselves, if someone dares to labor, then those pretending to are quick to hobble the individual because he’s making them look bad. What if the sheep catch onto the fact that the upper echelon of Hillsong crooners stay in hotels that cost more per night than they make in a month? What if the sheep begin to assemble the pieces and realize that the mission field the pampered and elite say they were called to usually involves sun, palm trees, and a relaxed atmosphere?

What a glorious thing to be able to witness to your cabana boy in between bringing you drinks. Look out, George Muller, you’ve got some competition now. Co-pastor-reverend-prophetess to the nations Gigi McGee is tackling the actual mission field from a hammock in Fiji while recovering from a medical procedure because it sounds better than saying she’s recovering from Botox lip filler. Makes you look kind of dumb trying to feed orphans and widows.

I have no problems with anyone making coin, just don’t call yourself a missionary, pastor, bishop, or evangelist while doing it. Call yourself an entertainer, a guru, a life coach, even a visionary if you must, even though we both know you aren’t, but don’t drag Jesus into your grift, and don’t bilk the children of God in order to sustain your rock star lifestyle. A workman is worthy of his hire, but there are wage brackets. Everyone notices when you reach the level of obscene, whether in the church or the world.

It used to be missionaries boarded ships they had to be on for weeks, if not months on end, to travel halfway across the world and preach the gospel with only the clothes on their backs, uncertain of whether or not they’d ever make it back home. They ventured into the unknown without the benefit of an itinerary, contacts, funds, or a pocket translator. They had to depend on God for everything from guiding the way to finding someone that could interpret for them once they arrived at their destination. It was a crash course in trusting God to be sure, and those who went were truly sent and weren’t just playing at trying to win Cabo for Jesus during spring break.

Bible smugglers not only had to acquire the Bibles they distributed, but brave interrogations, governments, tortures, and dangers, all so they could get the Bibles into the hands of those who needed them. None of them were guaranteed safe passage or that they’d make it back to their homeland, but they did what they had to because it was required of them. They were needed, and they stood in the gap. God called, and they answered.

God is still calling, but those answering seem to be fishing for an angle, trying to have their cake and eat it too. It’s not that our ability to obey has lessened, but our willingness to obey has. If I’m going to devote my life to ministry, then my name better be up in lights. If I’m going to pursue my calling, there better be a payoff. There will be, but Jesus never promised it would be while you were here. It is when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory that those who suffered loss for His sake will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life.

Why do we lack the motivation and dedication to do so when we have the greatest opportunity in the world’s history to reach the lost? It’s easier than ever, yet the number of those reticent to speak of their faith and proclaim the name of Jesus increases evermore. If you’re waiting for God to beg, He won’t. If you choose to keep silent, the stones will cry out because God doesn’t implore. He commands.

Whatever you choose, know that the shallow, superficial, and trivial will not sustain you in the long term. Whether it’s James or Kansas, the message is the same. Life is a vapor, dust in the wind, a fleeting thing that begins to unravel as soon as we are born, and the only thing that matters, what remains, what persists and echoes into eternity, is what you did in service to the King.

All the things men prize and aspire to will be cold comfort when they are returned to the mud, and the cheers of their contemporaries are heard no more. Do as unto Him that you might receive from Him that which He has promised.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.