For those yet to understand the danger the corporatization of Christianity poses, and how far some will go to defend the kingdoms and fiefdoms they’ve built, there seems to be an undercurrent of hope for a renaissance of sorts. They’re pointing to newly compiled statistics citing an increase in church attendance by young people, a spike in the purchase of Bibles, and this, if nothing else, bolsters their lagging hope that within their lifetime the pendulum will swing anew, and selfless men who have no vested interest or ulterior motives, whose only desire is to preach the gospel to the nations will rise to the top and be embraced not as spiritual authorities, or visionaries but as servants, as laborers, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Given the lessons learned from history and the predictability
of human nature, I cannot allow myself to be as hopeful as some because I
understand that once those who have ensconced themselves in seats of power and
declared themselves spiritual authorities feel threatened, once they see the
danger those not seeking fame or fortune pose to the status quo, the knives
will be unsheathed, the daggers will be sharpened, and the bloodletting will
begin anew.
It’s the same story told and retold since the early church,
wherein those who know themselves to be the human equivalent of leeches, whose
employment of usury is so commonplace as to become normalized, who wear the
masks of righteous men but beneath it all seethe with all manner of darkness
and perversion, will go to any lengths, resort to any means, and do what they
must in order to retain the power they’ve worked a lifetime to amass.
If they can’t corrupt those they see as a danger, if they can’t
throw money at the problem to make it go away, they’ll drag their name and reputation
through the mud, and attempt to destroy and discredit the message based on the
manner in which it was delivered rather than the substance thereof. If their
delivery is soft and monotone, they’ll be labeled as lacking power and the
presence of the Spirit. If they emote and raise their voice, they’ll be labeled
as lacking in love and not being soft spoken enough. If they won’t get in line
and follow the program, those who’ve been at this for decades, weaving lies
upon lies until it resembles a hideous tapestry only a madman can conceive of,
will find a way to sideline them.
That the young, fresh faces seeking to know the truth,
seeking to understand the way, searching for something outside themselves to
which they can pin their hope, will be collateral damage in the process makes
not a whit of difference to the old wolves who’ve been feasting on the sheep
for decades upon decades. Exploiting people with deceptive words is all they’ve
ever done and all they know how to do. To them, it’s war, and there has never
been a war without casualties. Sincere, hungry souls are an existential threat
to the duplicitous and profane. They cannot be allowed to succeed, for the
success of the pure-hearted means the end of their rule.
In case I’m being vague, or not blunt or direct enough, I am
disgusted by what calls itself the modern-day church, and doubly so by its
supposed leaders who leverage their supposed authority to silence the bleating
of the sheep, defend the indefensible until the deeds of those they are
defending become so egregious as to make a heathen blush, and whose hearts beat
with disdain rather than love for the household of faith.
The point of this protracted rant is simple enough: don’t put
anyone up on a pedestal, and if they are not, as the Bible demands, above
reproach, don’t pretend that they are. You’re not touching God’s anointed by
exposing sin; you’re doing your duty as one whose desire is true worship rather
than feigned allegiance.
My heart is heavy, and I weep for those who will be caught in
the crossfire of what is about to transpire in the contemporary church. Civil
unrest, turmoil, and war won’t just occur in the nation; it will also take
place in denominations, in churches, and in ministries because the old guard is
wily and adept at twisting scripture to achieve their own ends. Fathers will be
divided against sons, mothers will be divided against daughters, and the
division and separation will be swift and violent.
Getting alone with God, learning to hear His voice, engaging in
prayer, and reading the Word for yourself is more of an existential necessity
today than at any other moment in our lifetime. Soon, it won’t be just men with
forked tongues speaking flattering things; it will be individuals who will rise
and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
They will declare, “Look, here is the Christ!” and if you do
not know Him, if you haven’t spent time with Him, if you’ve not felt His touch
or heard His voice, if prayer is something you practiced infrequently and in
short bursts, their susurrations will be so compelling, their proclamations so
convincing, that you will fall for their falsehoods and believe their lies.
Through it all, the faithful will abide. The remnant will
endure. Forged in the fires of persecution, they will stand and not flinch away
or cower, regardless of the threats leveled against them, because they will
know their God personally and intimately. They will not have established their
faith on the experiences of other men, but in having had fellowship with Him
directly, having cried out Abba, and having heard, Yes, my child.
You get to know God by spending time with Him, not by hearing
someone else tell you about Him. Do not outsource your spiritual growth and
maturing because it’s too important a thing to entrust to someone else.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, not someone who claims to have
seen Him. There is no such thing as spiritual surrogacy. It is a lie. It’s like
saying, if you eat two pizzas every evening, your neighbor will get fat. It
doesn’t work that way. He who endures to the end shall be saved, but by the
same measure the soul that sins will die.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
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