Sometimes trying to rightly divide one's time can be likened to having six slices of pie and eight guests; there just isn't enough, no matter how you try. I haven't posted anything in about a week, but this does not mean I haven't been working. I'm trying to finish up a book before I leave Romania, and I am also working on a series called 'the loveliness of Christ' for our television show. The starting point is the verse in Isaiah 53:5 that says 'He was bruised for our iniquities.' I was still very young when I read that verse, and although I didn't know what 'stripes' were, I knew what bruises were well enough since I'd fallen off my grandfather's bicycle often while learning to ride it.
I realize most people quote the last part of the verse, that tells us that by His stripes we are healed, by I have always reacted more to the fact that He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. It is a four part series that I'm almost finished with, and will be filming once I return to the states.
I've also been traveling with my dad and visiting some of our ongoing projects in the surrounding communities, as well as passing out food and aid to the poor. Even though it has only been a few months since I visited, things have gotten visibly worse here as well. I hope to post something substantial sometime this week.
I try to push away the thought that if only I had more time I'd be able to do more, and make due with the time that I have. Thank you all for your understanding.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Spared Sheltered or Sifted
Whether for expediency’s sake, or due to the underlying fear that discovering the truth might contradict our own presupposed interpretation, a great majority in the church today have chosen to clump together the three distinct and independent ideas of judgment, wrath, and persecution, into one interchangeable and confusing mass of doctrinal amalgam.
Due to the blending together of these three individual concepts, many within the house of God today are either confused as to what the end times will be like in respect to the children of God, while others are wholly indifferent and apathetic concerning this topic, because to them it is nothing more than a futile intellectual exercise.
“We’re not going to be here anyway, so why bother discussing it? God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, so there, it’s settled.”
This is the danger of clumping together three very different concepts, and drawing our own conclusions. Judgment, wrath, and persecution are very different in and of themselves, and when we place all three under the same umbrella, we get a distorted view of what the future holds for us as children of God.
Of the three, one is reserved exclusively for the godless, one is reserved exclusively for the children of God, and one is interchangeable, poured out over unbelievers, as well as believers who have strayed, or otherwise dismissed the commands of God. In order to understand the difference between judgment, persecution, and wrath we must take each individual concept, and see what the Word of God would say about each of them. As always, the Word must have the final authority, and as such we must bend our will to conform to the truth of God’s Word, rather than bending the truth of God’s word to conform to our will.
We begin with the concept of judgment, since of the three it is mentioned earliest in God’s word. Judgment is also the only one of the three that is interchangeable. What I mean by this is that the righteous judgment of God can be applied to the godly and the ungodly alike, as evidenced in the Word of God.
The first mention of the judgment or judgments of God is recorded in the book of Exodus, as God reassures Moses that he will make a way for the people of Israel to be released from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
Exodus 6:6, “Therefore say to the Children of Israel: I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
Before delving into the judgments of God against the Egyptians, and His faithful protection of the people of Israel in the land of Goshen, there are certain truths concerning the judgments of God that we must establish.
First, the judgments of God are always just, and based on truth rather than supposition. God does not guess when He judges. God does not suppose, nor does He harbor any doubt when He speaks judgment upon a person, a land, a people or the entire world. The Word tells us that justice, and judgment is the habitation of His throne, and as such go hand in hand in executing His righteousness. I realize it has become a popular pastime of many a Christians to second guess, or outright question God’s judgments, or the justice thereof, but the foolishness of such practices cannot adequately be described by a mind as limited as my own.
Romans 2:2, “But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.”
I hear comments such as ‘it was unfair for God to do that’, or ‘I think God should have shown a bit more grace’, and each time I find them both tedious and foolhardy. I shake my head, and wonder how it is that man has so elevated himself and his view of himself, that he stands ready to question God, or presume that God was not just, merciful or gracious. God’s judgments are just! God’s judgments are based on truth, and according to truth!
The second thing we must acknowledge when considering the judgment of God, is that it is impartial. God does not show favoritism, God does not show nepotism, He judges without partiality, and those who sinned without law will perish without law, while those who sinned in the law will be judged by the law.
God weighs the hearts of men, He judges based on what the eyes cannot see, He goes beyond the exterior shell, or the image we attempt to project, and everything from our intent, to our motivation, to our thoughts are an open book to Him.
Romans 2:11-12, “For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”
God’s judgment also begins in His house, and acts as a sifting mechanism, separating the wheat from the chaff, those who truly serve Him with a heart of worship and righteousness, and those who serve Him only in the hope of receiving earthly rewards.
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?”
The judgment of God is very different from the wrath of God, because the wrath of God is reserved in exclusivity for the sons of disobedience. It is when God pours out His wrath that His children are sheltered by His omnipotence, and are safe under the shadow of His wing.
Although the wrath of God was provoked, stirred, and even waxed hot against Israel in the Old Testament, it was never poured out, at least not in the measure other passages in Scripture describe it. Even when His wrath was stirred and provoked, it was against those who sinned, committed idolatry, forsook God, mocked His messengers and despised His words.
Zephaniah 1:14-18, “The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.”
I wanted to include this entire passage of scripture, because it paints a vivid portrait of what the day of the Lord’s wrath is. Yes, the day God’s wrath is poured out upon the world will be a frightful day indeed, a day of trouble, distress, devastation and desolation, for all those who have sinned against the Lord. It is not from judgment, or persecution that God will shelter us, but from His wrath. Of the three God’s wrath is the only one reserved for the ungodly, and the sons of disobedience, and His children will suffer no part of it.
Throughout the New Testament whenever the wrath of God is mentioned it is within the context of the disobedient, or those who have rejected God.
Romans 1:18-19, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has show it to them.”
Now we come to the difficult part, the part that pertains exclusively to the children of God, that of sifting or the persecution of the saints. It is not a topic many are excited to talk about or expound upon, because the culture in which they were raised has excluded the possibility of persecution for them.
Every time I preach on persecution in America, I get more blank stares from the audience than any other topic, because they just can’t relate to the idea of persecution. I would most likely get the same blank stares if I were to go into a fully stocked supermarket and start talking about how we would stand in line for hours on end for such basics as oil, sugar and bread when I lived in Romania, with the very real possibility that they would run out before we got to the head of the line. Some things just don’t register yet, but they will with time.
Throughout the centuries we have seen the folly of living with the mentality of ‘it could never happen here, and if it did it would never happen to me.’ Things we thought would never happen in America are happening, and it would behoove us to remember that for two thousand years the followers of Christ have been persecuted throughout the world, and even now in many nations the selfsame persecution is raging. Why would we be spared when all others weren’t? If God judges without partiality what makes us special an exempt from that which countless brothers and sisters are even now enduring?
What we must acknowledge and accept, although it is difficult for some who have fashioned their own pseudo-gospel, is that the Word of God does not lie, and in it we are encouraged to live with the expectation of persecution. It does not speak of mere probability, or potential, but certainty.
2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
If one’s desire is not to live godly in Christ Jesus, but merely pretend when it is convenient for them, then they have nothing to worry about. Just as the pebble is moved along by the rushing river, so will Christians whose desire is not godliness be moved about, perpetually finding the path of least resistance, conflict, and sacrifice. The sad truth is that most would readily sacrifice more for their flesh than they would for their soul, and compromise their deepest held beliefs for the promise of an easy and hardship free life.
If however our desire is to live godly, then we must now and for the rest of our existence purpose in our hearts that we will not be moved, we will not be shaken, and we will not let go of Christ no matter the cost.
I believe the season of threshing has already begun within the house of God, and after the threshing comes the sifting. In order for God to do great and mighty works in and through the church during these end times, that the words of Christ might be fulfilled, He needs to first purge and purify the Bride that it might be that pure and spotless entity standing in stark contrast to the darkness of this present world.
In those days, the world will see your hope and hate you for it, they will see your steadfastness and despise you for it, they will see your protection and persecute you for it, but some will see the hand of God upon you, His light shining through you, and humble themselves falling at the foot of the cross in repentance.
God’s desire is not to spare us from being sifted! God’s desire is to mold our character, and strengthen our constitution, to grow our faith and mature us by way of sifting. Our perception of how God views us has much to do with whether or not we accept the idea of sifting as one that God not only endorses but employs frequently. While we tend to believe that God sees us as helpless, fledgling baby birds, who venture no further than the safety of the nest, God sees us as His ambassadors, as those who would be shining lights in a world of darkness, those who would stand for truth and confront the forces of darkness.
There is an exchange between Jesus and Peter in the gospel according to Luke that is very telling and sobering. Jesus forewarns Peter that Satan had asked for him that he might be sifted as wheat, but rather than say ‘I intervened, and it won’t happen’, Jesus says, ‘I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail!’
If Peter had any hope that he might be spared sifting, that somehow his faith would not be tested, it is at this moment that the illusion is shattered.
Luke 22:31-32, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
This passage is a sobering reminder, that even the most mature of believers, even those who have been in ministry for decades, are not spared the sifting.
In conclusion, may we continually acknowledge that God’s judgments are just, His sifting no matter how violent is both purposeful and necessary, and His wrath against the sons of disobedience is long overdue.
Yes, God is love, God is mercy, God is grace, but He is also holy and righteous and just. We cannot divide His attributes and appropriate only the ones that suit us, or that appeal to our view of how we think God ought to be.
In His love, mercy and grace God sent His Son to die upon a cross for the sins of men, but in His holiness, righteousness and justice He will pour out His wrath upon those who rejected and despised the priceless sacrifice that was made on their behalf.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Due to the blending together of these three individual concepts, many within the house of God today are either confused as to what the end times will be like in respect to the children of God, while others are wholly indifferent and apathetic concerning this topic, because to them it is nothing more than a futile intellectual exercise.
“We’re not going to be here anyway, so why bother discussing it? God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, so there, it’s settled.”
This is the danger of clumping together three very different concepts, and drawing our own conclusions. Judgment, wrath, and persecution are very different in and of themselves, and when we place all three under the same umbrella, we get a distorted view of what the future holds for us as children of God.
Of the three, one is reserved exclusively for the godless, one is reserved exclusively for the children of God, and one is interchangeable, poured out over unbelievers, as well as believers who have strayed, or otherwise dismissed the commands of God. In order to understand the difference between judgment, persecution, and wrath we must take each individual concept, and see what the Word of God would say about each of them. As always, the Word must have the final authority, and as such we must bend our will to conform to the truth of God’s Word, rather than bending the truth of God’s word to conform to our will.
We begin with the concept of judgment, since of the three it is mentioned earliest in God’s word. Judgment is also the only one of the three that is interchangeable. What I mean by this is that the righteous judgment of God can be applied to the godly and the ungodly alike, as evidenced in the Word of God.
The first mention of the judgment or judgments of God is recorded in the book of Exodus, as God reassures Moses that he will make a way for the people of Israel to be released from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
Exodus 6:6, “Therefore say to the Children of Israel: I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
Before delving into the judgments of God against the Egyptians, and His faithful protection of the people of Israel in the land of Goshen, there are certain truths concerning the judgments of God that we must establish.
First, the judgments of God are always just, and based on truth rather than supposition. God does not guess when He judges. God does not suppose, nor does He harbor any doubt when He speaks judgment upon a person, a land, a people or the entire world. The Word tells us that justice, and judgment is the habitation of His throne, and as such go hand in hand in executing His righteousness. I realize it has become a popular pastime of many a Christians to second guess, or outright question God’s judgments, or the justice thereof, but the foolishness of such practices cannot adequately be described by a mind as limited as my own.
Romans 2:2, “But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.”
I hear comments such as ‘it was unfair for God to do that’, or ‘I think God should have shown a bit more grace’, and each time I find them both tedious and foolhardy. I shake my head, and wonder how it is that man has so elevated himself and his view of himself, that he stands ready to question God, or presume that God was not just, merciful or gracious. God’s judgments are just! God’s judgments are based on truth, and according to truth!
The second thing we must acknowledge when considering the judgment of God, is that it is impartial. God does not show favoritism, God does not show nepotism, He judges without partiality, and those who sinned without law will perish without law, while those who sinned in the law will be judged by the law.
God weighs the hearts of men, He judges based on what the eyes cannot see, He goes beyond the exterior shell, or the image we attempt to project, and everything from our intent, to our motivation, to our thoughts are an open book to Him.
Romans 2:11-12, “For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”
God’s judgment also begins in His house, and acts as a sifting mechanism, separating the wheat from the chaff, those who truly serve Him with a heart of worship and righteousness, and those who serve Him only in the hope of receiving earthly rewards.
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?”
The judgment of God is very different from the wrath of God, because the wrath of God is reserved in exclusivity for the sons of disobedience. It is when God pours out His wrath that His children are sheltered by His omnipotence, and are safe under the shadow of His wing.
Although the wrath of God was provoked, stirred, and even waxed hot against Israel in the Old Testament, it was never poured out, at least not in the measure other passages in Scripture describe it. Even when His wrath was stirred and provoked, it was against those who sinned, committed idolatry, forsook God, mocked His messengers and despised His words.
Zephaniah 1:14-18, “The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.”
I wanted to include this entire passage of scripture, because it paints a vivid portrait of what the day of the Lord’s wrath is. Yes, the day God’s wrath is poured out upon the world will be a frightful day indeed, a day of trouble, distress, devastation and desolation, for all those who have sinned against the Lord. It is not from judgment, or persecution that God will shelter us, but from His wrath. Of the three God’s wrath is the only one reserved for the ungodly, and the sons of disobedience, and His children will suffer no part of it.
Throughout the New Testament whenever the wrath of God is mentioned it is within the context of the disobedient, or those who have rejected God.
Romans 1:18-19, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has show it to them.”
Now we come to the difficult part, the part that pertains exclusively to the children of God, that of sifting or the persecution of the saints. It is not a topic many are excited to talk about or expound upon, because the culture in which they were raised has excluded the possibility of persecution for them.
Every time I preach on persecution in America, I get more blank stares from the audience than any other topic, because they just can’t relate to the idea of persecution. I would most likely get the same blank stares if I were to go into a fully stocked supermarket and start talking about how we would stand in line for hours on end for such basics as oil, sugar and bread when I lived in Romania, with the very real possibility that they would run out before we got to the head of the line. Some things just don’t register yet, but they will with time.
Throughout the centuries we have seen the folly of living with the mentality of ‘it could never happen here, and if it did it would never happen to me.’ Things we thought would never happen in America are happening, and it would behoove us to remember that for two thousand years the followers of Christ have been persecuted throughout the world, and even now in many nations the selfsame persecution is raging. Why would we be spared when all others weren’t? If God judges without partiality what makes us special an exempt from that which countless brothers and sisters are even now enduring?
What we must acknowledge and accept, although it is difficult for some who have fashioned their own pseudo-gospel, is that the Word of God does not lie, and in it we are encouraged to live with the expectation of persecution. It does not speak of mere probability, or potential, but certainty.
2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
If one’s desire is not to live godly in Christ Jesus, but merely pretend when it is convenient for them, then they have nothing to worry about. Just as the pebble is moved along by the rushing river, so will Christians whose desire is not godliness be moved about, perpetually finding the path of least resistance, conflict, and sacrifice. The sad truth is that most would readily sacrifice more for their flesh than they would for their soul, and compromise their deepest held beliefs for the promise of an easy and hardship free life.
If however our desire is to live godly, then we must now and for the rest of our existence purpose in our hearts that we will not be moved, we will not be shaken, and we will not let go of Christ no matter the cost.
I believe the season of threshing has already begun within the house of God, and after the threshing comes the sifting. In order for God to do great and mighty works in and through the church during these end times, that the words of Christ might be fulfilled, He needs to first purge and purify the Bride that it might be that pure and spotless entity standing in stark contrast to the darkness of this present world.
In those days, the world will see your hope and hate you for it, they will see your steadfastness and despise you for it, they will see your protection and persecute you for it, but some will see the hand of God upon you, His light shining through you, and humble themselves falling at the foot of the cross in repentance.
God’s desire is not to spare us from being sifted! God’s desire is to mold our character, and strengthen our constitution, to grow our faith and mature us by way of sifting. Our perception of how God views us has much to do with whether or not we accept the idea of sifting as one that God not only endorses but employs frequently. While we tend to believe that God sees us as helpless, fledgling baby birds, who venture no further than the safety of the nest, God sees us as His ambassadors, as those who would be shining lights in a world of darkness, those who would stand for truth and confront the forces of darkness.
There is an exchange between Jesus and Peter in the gospel according to Luke that is very telling and sobering. Jesus forewarns Peter that Satan had asked for him that he might be sifted as wheat, but rather than say ‘I intervened, and it won’t happen’, Jesus says, ‘I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail!’
If Peter had any hope that he might be spared sifting, that somehow his faith would not be tested, it is at this moment that the illusion is shattered.
Luke 22:31-32, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
This passage is a sobering reminder, that even the most mature of believers, even those who have been in ministry for decades, are not spared the sifting.
In conclusion, may we continually acknowledge that God’s judgments are just, His sifting no matter how violent is both purposeful and necessary, and His wrath against the sons of disobedience is long overdue.
Yes, God is love, God is mercy, God is grace, but He is also holy and righteous and just. We cannot divide His attributes and appropriate only the ones that suit us, or that appeal to our view of how we think God ought to be.
In His love, mercy and grace God sent His Son to die upon a cross for the sins of men, but in His holiness, righteousness and justice He will pour out His wrath upon those who rejected and despised the priceless sacrifice that was made on their behalf.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Causes of Wrong Worship
Well, we made it back safe and sound. Saw more mountains in one week than the previous ten years put together, but Romania is a beautiful country, and I'm not just saying that because it is my homeland. We have allot of mountains, some with very interesting histories, and it is inevitable that one feels the weight of history bearing down upon their shoulders as they drive through a mountain pass, only to see an old Roman fort that has been standing for some two thousand years that used to house legions of Roman centurions and soldiers.
Contemplating the passing of time, and the generations upon generations that have come and gone is sobering, allowing us as individuals to acknowledge our own insignificance.
As I arrived home, after driving almost two thousand miles, I realized I missed writing. I missed the task of sitting down at my computer every morning and just sharing my thoughts. And so, I started writing again.....
I’ve been seeing a certain mindset creep within the house of God recently, and it has become prevalent enough that I thought it warranted a rebuttal of sorts. The way this new idea is being expressed within the church differs from place to place, but it can all be summed up in one short sentence.
“It doesn’t matter how you worship, just worship.”
This may sound gleefully liberating on the surface, but the Bible tells us there is a right way to worship God, and a wrong way to worship God. There is an acceptable sacrifice, and then there is a rejected sacrifice. Rather than list all the wrong ways in which men worship, today I want to deal with the causes of wrong worship. The list is long, from the ever present peacock feathers, to gold fillings, to irreverent and foolhardy manifestations with undeniable animalistic tendencies like barking or clucking, so listing all of them would be futile since new ways are being schemed up on a constant basis.
To me at least, causality has always been cleaner, clearer, and more relevant. You can know that your car is making a clunking noise, but until you know the cause of it, you can’t fix it. By the same token, we can know that unacceptable worship is taking place within the churches, but until we know the cause we cannot begin to remedy the situation.
The cause of wrong or unacceptable worship is fourfold. To a greater or lesser degree one can trace the genesis of such worship to one or all of these causes.
The first and most prevalent cause of wrong worship is absence of Biblical teaching. When the foundation is unstable and not built upon solid ground, the rest of the structure no matter how large or grandiose is likewise shifting and unstable. Because the source of the problem is the foundation itself, sooner or later the whole thing crumbles to the ground, no matter how many support beams one might have introduced with the passage of time.
We have strayed from the gloriously simple doctrine of true and undefiled worship into a new arena of mysticism that promises more excitement than it ever really delivers, playing on the fundamental flaw of all men to complicate something just for the sake of making it more complicated. What so few choose to acknowledge is that the guidelines set forth in the Word of God are there for a reason, and if we choose a different means of worship, we are no longer worshipping the one true God. It may be new and exciting to get golden dandruff, it may send a chill down one’s spine to wake up with new fillings, but this does not make it divine or sovereign.
The history of Aaron’s two sons is a well known and often discussed one. Each took his censer, put fire in it, and put incense in it, and offered profane fire before the Lord. For this, the fire of the Lord fell upon them and devoured them. At the time Aaron was the high priest of Israel, both Nadab and Abihu were grown men, around thirty years of age, and even if they would have been ignorant of how to bring a proper offering, ignorance is no excuse for the sin they committed. We take so lightly those things which ought to be of utmost importance to us, and take so seriously the trivial things that are fleeting and worthless.
The second cause of wrong worship is impatience. In an ever accelerating world, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to simply wait on the Lord.
“We prayed not one, but two prayers, we even took a day of fasting, and still no signs, no wonders, no stirring of the waters.”
Often we grow so impatient than rather than waiting on God and walking in His will, we get ahead of God and try to manufacture a miracle, a revival, or a word from the Lord. Impatience leads to imprudence, imprudence leads to disobedience, and disobedience leads to death. I know it is a difficult thing to contend with, seeing as so many are teaching that God is supposed to be our own personal errand person, there to be beckoned when we need some extra cash, or a shiny new car, but God is not on our time clock, we are on His. Our duty is to obey, to pray, to fast, and grow in Him. He knows when to work, how to work, and who to work through.
One of the most profound examples of impatience, due to the ensuing consequences was that of Saul.
Saul was a man under great strain. The armies of the Philistines had gathered together to fight with Israel, some thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, as well as foot soldiers as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. When the men of Israel saw that they were outnumbered, and that there was no logical way they could win the war, they ran and hid, some in caves, some in thickets others in rocks, holes and pits. Saul began to see the whole of his army disbanding even before the first arrow was released from a bow, even before the first casualty was felled by sword or spear.
The prophet Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days, but those seven days had passed, his army was in disarray and now there was even news of some who crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad in order to escape the coming slaughter. Saul was running out of options, his people were scattered from him, and attempting to unify them once more, to bring some hope to an otherwise hopeless situation, he hastily and impatiently said, ‘bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.’
Yes, the Lord had been specific, through the mouth of Samuel God had told Saul to wait, but all the circumstances surrounding him told him he must act, and act quickly.
1 Samuel 13:10, “Now as it happened, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and greet him.”
Rather than get a pat on the back for taking the initiative and bringing the sacrifices himself since Samuel had been delayed, rather than be praised for having a cool head under fire, rather than being lauded for standing in as a surrogate for Samuel, Saul was rebuked and harshly so.
The question Samuel asked Saul was deceptively simple, yet pregnant with implication: ‘What have you done?’
I’m certain that the tone in which Samuel asked the question was not a soothing or conciliatory one, and this is why Saul went on the defensive trying to justify his actions, his impatience, and his disobedience.
1 Samuel 13:11-12, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. Therefore I felled compelled and offered a burnt offering.”
Why is it that people who are feeling guilty about something always have a tendency to ramble?
‘Well you see, here’s the thing, you didn’t show up, and I felt compelled to disobey the Lord’s command since I couldn’t go to war without making an offering, plus the Philistines were about to descend on me.’
Samuel’s response to Saul’s attempted justification was not nearly as lengthy. Samuel simply said, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which he commanded you.’
What follows are the consequences to Saul’s impatience, ‘For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom shall not continue.’
Due to one moment of impatience, this man’s entire trajectory had suddenly shifted. Not only would Saul’s kingdom over Israel not be established forever as God had intended, but his kingdom would not even continue for God had found another man after His own heart. Even though he was a king, even though Samuel was late, even though the enemies had gathered, none of these things excused Saul’s impatience.
The third thing that is sure to lead to wrong and as such unacceptable worship is compromise. We live in a society that compromise of one’s values, morals and even dignity is the price we pay for achieving success, or realizing our dreams. Compromise has become as common place and acceptable an option in the church today, as it is in the world.
“Your church isn’t growing at the pace you’d like? Maybe you’re too strict, too rigid, and too inflexible. Maybe you should do less preaching and praying and more pizza nights, bingo nights, and sharing sessions of which passages in scripture you feel are too harsh or unyielding. Is your ministry not bringing in enough to keep the lights on? Maybe you should start sending out glow in the dark miniature crosses, and gaudy trinkets, red and green handkerchiefs upon request, the red for healing the green for financial prosperity. Maybe you should ask more often, and pander to the big givers by making them feel like they’re exclusive and special, in a higher echelon of power and prestige.’
I’ve often found myself smiling mirthlessly at seeing all the books on church growth in the Christian bookstores. The recipe is simple if you’re willing to compromise the truth of Scripture, and your building will be full to the rafters if you focus on pleasing people more than pleasing God. It’s worded differently, but those are the major themes of every church and ministry growth manual.
‘Give the people what they want, not what they need!’ This is the cry of every wolf and sleazy pitchman masquerading as a preacher these days.
‘You want to be happy don’t you? You want to get rich don’t you? You want to have everything you ever wanted, and a little extra to boot don’t you?’
And the bleary eyed masses, as though suffering from a corporate delusion shake their heads in unison. ‘Ugh, I thought I was coming to church because I wanted to know Jesus, get saved, and go to heaven, but that stuff about money and straight teeth sounds good too.’
So often we fail to realize that the standards by which God judges those within His own house are much more stringent than those with which He judges those not of His house. I realize to some this is a shocking statement, but I can prove it Biblically.
At a certain point in Israel’s history the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines. After some time, the Ark had been recovered, and preparations had been made to transport the Ark back to the City of David. God had already predetermined how the Ark should be transported, its very construction proving the fact that God had intended that it should be carried on the shoulders of men, by the staves that went through the four rings of cast gold on each corner of the ark.
It is obvious that the Philistines had neither Levites nor priests to transport the Ark in a rightful manner, so chances are they used a cart to carry it from place to place. Seeing as the Philistines had gotten away with transporting the Ark in a cart, Israel followed suit, built a new cart, and placed the Ark on the cart.
As the Ark was being transported in the new cart that had been fashioned, the oxen stumbled, and a man named Uzzah put out his hand to the Ark of God and took hold of it for fear of it stumbling to the ground. It was then that the Lord’s anger was aroused, God struck Uzzah, and he died beside the Ark.
It would be easy to go off on a rabbit trail and explore why it was that Uzzah was punished for doing a seemingly noble and good thing, how irreverence played a big part in Uzzah’s punishment, but I want to stick to the point.
What God didn’t punish the Philistines for, namely the improper transporting of the Ark, He punished Israel for, because Israel knew better, and God held them to a higher standard.
Israel had compromised that which they knew they ought not, because they thought God would overlook their compromise just as He had overlooked the irreverence of the Philistines.
Our view of God determines the seriousness with which we approach worship, and the reverence with which we stand before His omnipotent glory. Lest we forget, our God is a consuming fire.
The fourth cause of wrong worship is credulity or outright ignorance. Man wants to believe that he can impose his own criterion when it comes to worship, and as such as long as you think it’s good and acceptable, then it must be such. The problem arises when we realize that it is the Bible that sets the standard of worship, it is the Bible that establishes the criterion, and our duty is to be conformed to the word of God, rather than attempt to twist the Word to suit our desires.
During His dialogue with the woman at the well, Jesus says something profound that cannot be overlooked: “You worship what you do not know!”
Many today are guilty of the same offense, in that they worship what they do not know. The only acceptable means of worship is worship in spirit and in truth. It is only those who are willing to submit themselves, and worship God in spirit and in truth that He is seeking, for only such as these are willing to humble themselves, and let the Potter do what the Potter does, which is mold and place in the furnace that which is pleasing in His sight.
Credulity is faith without a filter. Credulity believes without diligently seeking the Word to see if it is acceptable to God, and as such wanders from experience to experience, from church to church, worshiping what it does not know, for it never took the time to discover that which is essential in acceptable worship.
When we choose to establish our own means of worship, placing the desire of the worshipper above the commands and guidelines of the Object of our worship, we become as Nadab and Abihu, Saul, and Uzzah, doing what we ought not to do, and worshipping in a manner that is displeasing and unacceptable in the sight of God.
If we worship, may it be in spirit and in truth, in obedience and humility, that our worship might not be in vain, but that it bear the fruit of intimacy and a lasting relationship with God.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Contemplating the passing of time, and the generations upon generations that have come and gone is sobering, allowing us as individuals to acknowledge our own insignificance.
As I arrived home, after driving almost two thousand miles, I realized I missed writing. I missed the task of sitting down at my computer every morning and just sharing my thoughts. And so, I started writing again.....
I’ve been seeing a certain mindset creep within the house of God recently, and it has become prevalent enough that I thought it warranted a rebuttal of sorts. The way this new idea is being expressed within the church differs from place to place, but it can all be summed up in one short sentence.
“It doesn’t matter how you worship, just worship.”
This may sound gleefully liberating on the surface, but the Bible tells us there is a right way to worship God, and a wrong way to worship God. There is an acceptable sacrifice, and then there is a rejected sacrifice. Rather than list all the wrong ways in which men worship, today I want to deal with the causes of wrong worship. The list is long, from the ever present peacock feathers, to gold fillings, to irreverent and foolhardy manifestations with undeniable animalistic tendencies like barking or clucking, so listing all of them would be futile since new ways are being schemed up on a constant basis.
To me at least, causality has always been cleaner, clearer, and more relevant. You can know that your car is making a clunking noise, but until you know the cause of it, you can’t fix it. By the same token, we can know that unacceptable worship is taking place within the churches, but until we know the cause we cannot begin to remedy the situation.
The cause of wrong or unacceptable worship is fourfold. To a greater or lesser degree one can trace the genesis of such worship to one or all of these causes.
The first and most prevalent cause of wrong worship is absence of Biblical teaching. When the foundation is unstable and not built upon solid ground, the rest of the structure no matter how large or grandiose is likewise shifting and unstable. Because the source of the problem is the foundation itself, sooner or later the whole thing crumbles to the ground, no matter how many support beams one might have introduced with the passage of time.
We have strayed from the gloriously simple doctrine of true and undefiled worship into a new arena of mysticism that promises more excitement than it ever really delivers, playing on the fundamental flaw of all men to complicate something just for the sake of making it more complicated. What so few choose to acknowledge is that the guidelines set forth in the Word of God are there for a reason, and if we choose a different means of worship, we are no longer worshipping the one true God. It may be new and exciting to get golden dandruff, it may send a chill down one’s spine to wake up with new fillings, but this does not make it divine or sovereign.
The history of Aaron’s two sons is a well known and often discussed one. Each took his censer, put fire in it, and put incense in it, and offered profane fire before the Lord. For this, the fire of the Lord fell upon them and devoured them. At the time Aaron was the high priest of Israel, both Nadab and Abihu were grown men, around thirty years of age, and even if they would have been ignorant of how to bring a proper offering, ignorance is no excuse for the sin they committed. We take so lightly those things which ought to be of utmost importance to us, and take so seriously the trivial things that are fleeting and worthless.
The second cause of wrong worship is impatience. In an ever accelerating world, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to simply wait on the Lord.
“We prayed not one, but two prayers, we even took a day of fasting, and still no signs, no wonders, no stirring of the waters.”
Often we grow so impatient than rather than waiting on God and walking in His will, we get ahead of God and try to manufacture a miracle, a revival, or a word from the Lord. Impatience leads to imprudence, imprudence leads to disobedience, and disobedience leads to death. I know it is a difficult thing to contend with, seeing as so many are teaching that God is supposed to be our own personal errand person, there to be beckoned when we need some extra cash, or a shiny new car, but God is not on our time clock, we are on His. Our duty is to obey, to pray, to fast, and grow in Him. He knows when to work, how to work, and who to work through.
One of the most profound examples of impatience, due to the ensuing consequences was that of Saul.
Saul was a man under great strain. The armies of the Philistines had gathered together to fight with Israel, some thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, as well as foot soldiers as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. When the men of Israel saw that they were outnumbered, and that there was no logical way they could win the war, they ran and hid, some in caves, some in thickets others in rocks, holes and pits. Saul began to see the whole of his army disbanding even before the first arrow was released from a bow, even before the first casualty was felled by sword or spear.
The prophet Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days, but those seven days had passed, his army was in disarray and now there was even news of some who crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad in order to escape the coming slaughter. Saul was running out of options, his people were scattered from him, and attempting to unify them once more, to bring some hope to an otherwise hopeless situation, he hastily and impatiently said, ‘bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.’
Yes, the Lord had been specific, through the mouth of Samuel God had told Saul to wait, but all the circumstances surrounding him told him he must act, and act quickly.
1 Samuel 13:10, “Now as it happened, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and greet him.”
Rather than get a pat on the back for taking the initiative and bringing the sacrifices himself since Samuel had been delayed, rather than be praised for having a cool head under fire, rather than being lauded for standing in as a surrogate for Samuel, Saul was rebuked and harshly so.
The question Samuel asked Saul was deceptively simple, yet pregnant with implication: ‘What have you done?’
I’m certain that the tone in which Samuel asked the question was not a soothing or conciliatory one, and this is why Saul went on the defensive trying to justify his actions, his impatience, and his disobedience.
1 Samuel 13:11-12, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. Therefore I felled compelled and offered a burnt offering.”
Why is it that people who are feeling guilty about something always have a tendency to ramble?
‘Well you see, here’s the thing, you didn’t show up, and I felt compelled to disobey the Lord’s command since I couldn’t go to war without making an offering, plus the Philistines were about to descend on me.’
Samuel’s response to Saul’s attempted justification was not nearly as lengthy. Samuel simply said, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which he commanded you.’
What follows are the consequences to Saul’s impatience, ‘For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom shall not continue.’
Due to one moment of impatience, this man’s entire trajectory had suddenly shifted. Not only would Saul’s kingdom over Israel not be established forever as God had intended, but his kingdom would not even continue for God had found another man after His own heart. Even though he was a king, even though Samuel was late, even though the enemies had gathered, none of these things excused Saul’s impatience.
The third thing that is sure to lead to wrong and as such unacceptable worship is compromise. We live in a society that compromise of one’s values, morals and even dignity is the price we pay for achieving success, or realizing our dreams. Compromise has become as common place and acceptable an option in the church today, as it is in the world.
“Your church isn’t growing at the pace you’d like? Maybe you’re too strict, too rigid, and too inflexible. Maybe you should do less preaching and praying and more pizza nights, bingo nights, and sharing sessions of which passages in scripture you feel are too harsh or unyielding. Is your ministry not bringing in enough to keep the lights on? Maybe you should start sending out glow in the dark miniature crosses, and gaudy trinkets, red and green handkerchiefs upon request, the red for healing the green for financial prosperity. Maybe you should ask more often, and pander to the big givers by making them feel like they’re exclusive and special, in a higher echelon of power and prestige.’
I’ve often found myself smiling mirthlessly at seeing all the books on church growth in the Christian bookstores. The recipe is simple if you’re willing to compromise the truth of Scripture, and your building will be full to the rafters if you focus on pleasing people more than pleasing God. It’s worded differently, but those are the major themes of every church and ministry growth manual.
‘Give the people what they want, not what they need!’ This is the cry of every wolf and sleazy pitchman masquerading as a preacher these days.
‘You want to be happy don’t you? You want to get rich don’t you? You want to have everything you ever wanted, and a little extra to boot don’t you?’
And the bleary eyed masses, as though suffering from a corporate delusion shake their heads in unison. ‘Ugh, I thought I was coming to church because I wanted to know Jesus, get saved, and go to heaven, but that stuff about money and straight teeth sounds good too.’
So often we fail to realize that the standards by which God judges those within His own house are much more stringent than those with which He judges those not of His house. I realize to some this is a shocking statement, but I can prove it Biblically.
At a certain point in Israel’s history the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines. After some time, the Ark had been recovered, and preparations had been made to transport the Ark back to the City of David. God had already predetermined how the Ark should be transported, its very construction proving the fact that God had intended that it should be carried on the shoulders of men, by the staves that went through the four rings of cast gold on each corner of the ark.
It is obvious that the Philistines had neither Levites nor priests to transport the Ark in a rightful manner, so chances are they used a cart to carry it from place to place. Seeing as the Philistines had gotten away with transporting the Ark in a cart, Israel followed suit, built a new cart, and placed the Ark on the cart.
As the Ark was being transported in the new cart that had been fashioned, the oxen stumbled, and a man named Uzzah put out his hand to the Ark of God and took hold of it for fear of it stumbling to the ground. It was then that the Lord’s anger was aroused, God struck Uzzah, and he died beside the Ark.
It would be easy to go off on a rabbit trail and explore why it was that Uzzah was punished for doing a seemingly noble and good thing, how irreverence played a big part in Uzzah’s punishment, but I want to stick to the point.
What God didn’t punish the Philistines for, namely the improper transporting of the Ark, He punished Israel for, because Israel knew better, and God held them to a higher standard.
Israel had compromised that which they knew they ought not, because they thought God would overlook their compromise just as He had overlooked the irreverence of the Philistines.
Our view of God determines the seriousness with which we approach worship, and the reverence with which we stand before His omnipotent glory. Lest we forget, our God is a consuming fire.
The fourth cause of wrong worship is credulity or outright ignorance. Man wants to believe that he can impose his own criterion when it comes to worship, and as such as long as you think it’s good and acceptable, then it must be such. The problem arises when we realize that it is the Bible that sets the standard of worship, it is the Bible that establishes the criterion, and our duty is to be conformed to the word of God, rather than attempt to twist the Word to suit our desires.
During His dialogue with the woman at the well, Jesus says something profound that cannot be overlooked: “You worship what you do not know!”
Many today are guilty of the same offense, in that they worship what they do not know. The only acceptable means of worship is worship in spirit and in truth. It is only those who are willing to submit themselves, and worship God in spirit and in truth that He is seeking, for only such as these are willing to humble themselves, and let the Potter do what the Potter does, which is mold and place in the furnace that which is pleasing in His sight.
Credulity is faith without a filter. Credulity believes without diligently seeking the Word to see if it is acceptable to God, and as such wanders from experience to experience, from church to church, worshiping what it does not know, for it never took the time to discover that which is essential in acceptable worship.
When we choose to establish our own means of worship, placing the desire of the worshipper above the commands and guidelines of the Object of our worship, we become as Nadab and Abihu, Saul, and Uzzah, doing what we ought not to do, and worshipping in a manner that is displeasing and unacceptable in the sight of God.
If we worship, may it be in spirit and in truth, in obedience and humility, that our worship might not be in vain, but that it bear the fruit of intimacy and a lasting relationship with God.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Scribbles
I'm a scribbler, always have been. Today I noticed that my Bible was getting a little on the thick side, and so I decided to clean it out. I discovered I had accumulated allot of pieces of paper, old church bulletins from churches I've spoken in, gas receipts, napkins, and oddly enough one wedding invitation, all scribbled on with thoughts or ideas I had at a certain moment in time.
Since tomorrow I will be going away for a few days, to see the Romanian countryside and spend some alone time with my wife, sans laptop, cell phone, two way radio, telegraph machine or any other form of technological distraction, I decided to type up a few of the notes I'd found in my Bible and make them into a post.
These are just my thoughts. If offensive in any way, I apologize in advance....
We are so busy lamenting, bemoaning and decrying the effects of our disobedience, that we fail to see the cause. We have become cold and blind to our own sins as a nation, and as such cannot hope to right ourselves. The glory of what was will be a memory still for we refuse to do the one thing that would turn the tide. We refuse to repent!
The fact that we seek out points of egress before we even consider fighting for truth testifies to the weakness of our character, and the lukewarm state of our commitment. We will not commit to confrontation unless we’ve already mapped out an exit strategy, unless we’ve formulated a means by which we can backpedal and retract what we proclaimed, making our original statements void of conviction or validity. We are pretending to fight a war, with no true intention of winning it! We are pretending to oppose the enemy, with no true intention of shedding one tear or drop of blood for our convictions!
It is a tragic thing watching the downfall of a nation. My heart can’t help but weep.
I relish the idea of how simple my life would be if I would have never left my homeland. Chances are I’d be a farmer; chances are I’d know how to milk a cow by now.
I have discovered a sure way to keep from getting discouraged in ministry. Every morning, look in the mirror and remind yourself that it is not your battle it is God’s. Do what you were called to do, do it faithfully, do it diligently, do it wholeheartedly, do it passionately, and let God do what He promised He would, namely draw all men unto Himself.
God never promised He would spare us from trials; the only thing He promised is that He would be with us in our trials.
Can there be any hope for the next generation when we so vehemently idolize the functionally retarded?
Being incapable of desiring wisdom is a sure sign of mediocrity.
Be certain that what you are living for, is worth dying for.
A day absent of prayer is a day absent of blessing; a life absent of prayer is a life absent of power.
Perceive your sadness as the shadow of the blessing that is on its way.
Make your heart the temple of the Holy Spirit, so much so that every sacrifice you make upon its altar will be well pleasing to God.
We have come to expect men of God to boast of their works, to glory in their own fame, and seek the honor and reverence of men. It was not always so, and we are the worse for it, for having lowered ourselves to praising men.
We live in a material world, all the while being granted the privilege to peer into the immaterial, the spiritual, that which eyes of flesh alone cannot perceive.
What measure of tragedy must befall this nation, what cataclysmic catastrophe must we be witness to, that we may be compelled to repent?
We influence all that surrounds us, every minute of every hour, of every day.
Those, whose desire is to be in one accord with the world, deny Christ.
We cannot be in one accord with God and with the world; with the law and with grace; with scripture and traditions that have no scriptural basis.
There cannot be a dual harmony with God and with mammon. We can only be in harmony with one, subservient to one, and the choice is left up to us.
It is neither what man thinks himself to be, or what others consider him to be that is of any relevance. In the end all that matters, the only opinion of any relevance is God’s. How does God consider you?
Men give themselves titles and positions, things that are worthless in the eyes of God.
You are only what the grace of God has made you; aspire to nothing more than to do His will.
How can one block out the sun? How can one deny the existence of fire as it burns and blisters? How can we reject life, when it beckons to us with every breath?
There are certain realities that exist, which are so powerful that man has no choice but to acquiesce to them.
Truth must be rediscovered by every generation. The search for truth continues unabated to this day, and it will continue as such until the end of time.
What a savage enemy the fear of men can become when in pursuit of truth.
Fear destroys the fiercest of warrior, and the most devoted of servants.
The truth of the gospel is not a religion or denomination, it is not a system or a philosophy, it is not brittle morality, but it is life and heavenly light, it is power and joy, it is Jesus Christ, in the fullness of His sovereignty.
Give heed to no man that would seek to teach you something other than the words of the Holy Scriptures.
No authority on earth, no power of this realm has the right to modify the word of God.
Man’s earthly origins are of no relevance to God. He judges without partiality.
When Christ came, the one and only reality, the one and only truth, there no longer remained a need for shadows, symbols, and empty traditions.
God has seldom chosen the great men of this world, for it would seem, high places and faith in Christ do seldom well agree.
There is much to sadden us in the view of the ruins of our race. What we once were, and what we have become is beyond tragic, and truly lamentable.
Fear is a useless emotion; its only benefit from the flesh’s point of view is to justify our inaction.
Only in the light of the gospel can we see what an utter tragedy sin is, and the blinding beauty of what God’s grace is.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Since tomorrow I will be going away for a few days, to see the Romanian countryside and spend some alone time with my wife, sans laptop, cell phone, two way radio, telegraph machine or any other form of technological distraction, I decided to type up a few of the notes I'd found in my Bible and make them into a post.
These are just my thoughts. If offensive in any way, I apologize in advance....
We are so busy lamenting, bemoaning and decrying the effects of our disobedience, that we fail to see the cause. We have become cold and blind to our own sins as a nation, and as such cannot hope to right ourselves. The glory of what was will be a memory still for we refuse to do the one thing that would turn the tide. We refuse to repent!
The fact that we seek out points of egress before we even consider fighting for truth testifies to the weakness of our character, and the lukewarm state of our commitment. We will not commit to confrontation unless we’ve already mapped out an exit strategy, unless we’ve formulated a means by which we can backpedal and retract what we proclaimed, making our original statements void of conviction or validity. We are pretending to fight a war, with no true intention of winning it! We are pretending to oppose the enemy, with no true intention of shedding one tear or drop of blood for our convictions!
It is a tragic thing watching the downfall of a nation. My heart can’t help but weep.
I relish the idea of how simple my life would be if I would have never left my homeland. Chances are I’d be a farmer; chances are I’d know how to milk a cow by now.
I have discovered a sure way to keep from getting discouraged in ministry. Every morning, look in the mirror and remind yourself that it is not your battle it is God’s. Do what you were called to do, do it faithfully, do it diligently, do it wholeheartedly, do it passionately, and let God do what He promised He would, namely draw all men unto Himself.
God never promised He would spare us from trials; the only thing He promised is that He would be with us in our trials.
Can there be any hope for the next generation when we so vehemently idolize the functionally retarded?
Being incapable of desiring wisdom is a sure sign of mediocrity.
Be certain that what you are living for, is worth dying for.
A day absent of prayer is a day absent of blessing; a life absent of prayer is a life absent of power.
Perceive your sadness as the shadow of the blessing that is on its way.
Make your heart the temple of the Holy Spirit, so much so that every sacrifice you make upon its altar will be well pleasing to God.
We have come to expect men of God to boast of their works, to glory in their own fame, and seek the honor and reverence of men. It was not always so, and we are the worse for it, for having lowered ourselves to praising men.
We live in a material world, all the while being granted the privilege to peer into the immaterial, the spiritual, that which eyes of flesh alone cannot perceive.
What measure of tragedy must befall this nation, what cataclysmic catastrophe must we be witness to, that we may be compelled to repent?
We influence all that surrounds us, every minute of every hour, of every day.
Those, whose desire is to be in one accord with the world, deny Christ.
We cannot be in one accord with God and with the world; with the law and with grace; with scripture and traditions that have no scriptural basis.
There cannot be a dual harmony with God and with mammon. We can only be in harmony with one, subservient to one, and the choice is left up to us.
It is neither what man thinks himself to be, or what others consider him to be that is of any relevance. In the end all that matters, the only opinion of any relevance is God’s. How does God consider you?
Men give themselves titles and positions, things that are worthless in the eyes of God.
You are only what the grace of God has made you; aspire to nothing more than to do His will.
How can one block out the sun? How can one deny the existence of fire as it burns and blisters? How can we reject life, when it beckons to us with every breath?
There are certain realities that exist, which are so powerful that man has no choice but to acquiesce to them.
Truth must be rediscovered by every generation. The search for truth continues unabated to this day, and it will continue as such until the end of time.
What a savage enemy the fear of men can become when in pursuit of truth.
Fear destroys the fiercest of warrior, and the most devoted of servants.
The truth of the gospel is not a religion or denomination, it is not a system or a philosophy, it is not brittle morality, but it is life and heavenly light, it is power and joy, it is Jesus Christ, in the fullness of His sovereignty.
Give heed to no man that would seek to teach you something other than the words of the Holy Scriptures.
No authority on earth, no power of this realm has the right to modify the word of God.
Man’s earthly origins are of no relevance to God. He judges without partiality.
When Christ came, the one and only reality, the one and only truth, there no longer remained a need for shadows, symbols, and empty traditions.
God has seldom chosen the great men of this world, for it would seem, high places and faith in Christ do seldom well agree.
There is much to sadden us in the view of the ruins of our race. What we once were, and what we have become is beyond tragic, and truly lamentable.
Fear is a useless emotion; its only benefit from the flesh’s point of view is to justify our inaction.
Only in the light of the gospel can we see what an utter tragedy sin is, and the blinding beauty of what God’s grace is.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Compromise Campaign
It began a few hours after the resurrection of Jesus, and it has been going on ever since. The campaign to compromise the truth, to cast doubt on the person of Christ and God’s holy Word is not some new insidious idea that the enemy came up with as a last ditch effort, but something that the devil and his minions have been actively pursuing since the very day that Jesus rose from the dead.
Three days had passed, the stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was now empty. Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and by uttering one single word, ‘rejoice!’ He had rekindled their hope, strengthened their faith, and caused their faces to shine with joy.
Baffled and not knowing what to do, having seen the empty tomb, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
Not wasting any time, wanting to get ahead of the situation, the chief priests and the elders began a campaign that would span two thousand years, a campaign that has in recent times gathered more steam with the releases of such pseudo-intellectual drivel as the gospel of Judas, or the Da Vinci code.
The elders and the priests knew that they couldn’t let the truth get out, they knew that they couldn’t allow the masses to hear the news that an angel had appeared and rolled away the stone, that Jesus had risen from the dead, that all that He claimed would happen happened as He had said, because it would undermine their authority and power, and cause even more people to follow the Christ than before His crucifixion.
Matthew 28:12-15, “When they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure. So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”
This is how it all began. A council of elders, a large sum of money, some soldiers willing to lie, and the campaign against truth was born. This campaign rages to this day, and it has two major targets. There are people in this world that will do anything, and say anything to discredit either a risen Jesus, or the Bible, for these are the two great thorns in the side of the godless.
The enemy has not masked his purposes, and his intent is very clear. He has invested vast resources, and those who do his bidding have even attempted to infiltrate the house of God and sow doubt as to the divinity and sovereignty of Jesus, dismissing the Bible as nothing more than a noble book of moral imperatives, rather than the divinely inspired Word of God.
As well financed, streamlined and diversified as the campaign against truth is, there are some major flaws, and insurmountable obstacles that will keep it from being the success the enemies of the cross envisioned it would be throughout the centuries.
The first major flaw, the first weakness of the compromise campaign is ignoring or dismissing truth itself. Truth, simply defined is an affirmation or information that corresponds to a reality. There are two major reasons we receive something as truth, the first of these being that the person relating the information to us is credible. We receive something as truth because the person we are receiving it from, is worth believing, of good character and above reproach. If the person from whom we hear something is not credible, then it casts a shadow of doubt on the very thing they are attempting to disseminate.
If however the person is credible, then we have the tendency to believe them at their word. When Jesus stood before Pilate, He was asked a very direct and poignant question: ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ And Jesus simply answered, ‘it is as you say!’
Jesus then continued saying, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
I submit to you today, that there has never been a more credible individual in the history of mankind than Christ Jesus. He testified of Himself, saying ‘I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.’ If we take anyone’s words to heart, if it ought to be the words of Christ, for He is above all, worth believing.
The second reason we receive something as truth, is personal experience. There can be a thousand voices denouncing something, but if we have felt it, known it, seen it, or tasted it, it is truth to us, and the voices of the naysayers have no effect.
When Jesus healed the man that had been blind from birth, his personal experience dictated his response to the accusations the Pharisees made against Christ. The Pharisees had said Jesus was a sinner, and this man who had been healed, simply replied, ‘whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.’
This man’s personal experience made his faith and ensuing conviction unshakable. He had been blind, of this he was certain, and now he saw.
The second flaw and weakness of the compromise campaign is the motivation behind this endeavor. Why do we do what we do? The answer to this question is the motivation that drives us. Whatever action we choose to undertake, whatever endeavor we choose to pursue, there is a motivation behind them that drives us.
What motivated the Apostles of Christ to preach the truth, what motivated them to preach a risen savior even though it had been forbidden by the high priests, was the fact that they had seen Him, they had spoken with Him, they had dined with Him, and their lives were forever transformed by being in proximity of Him.
What motivated the guards to go about the city and lie, what compelled them to tell all who would hear that Christ’s followers had come in the dead of night and spirited his body away, was nothing more than personal interest. A man, who pursues a certain course of action out of personal interest, will only do so while it is profitable to him. A man who pursues a course of action out of deep conviction and personal experience however, will continue to pursue it even in the face of great opposition, physical affliction, persecution and even death.
The third flaw and weakness of the compromise campaign against the truth, is the utter lack of any proof. Those who would deny the sovereignty of Christ, those who would deny the divinity of Christ, those who would deny a risen Christ, are quick to grasp at straws, from forging etchings on ancient tombs, to highlighting and pronouncing as firsthand accounts, manuscripts that were written some three hundred years after Christ’s time on earth. They know they cannot disprove Christ with evidence, and so they must manufacture it, conjure it, and twist it to fit their agenda.
In two thousand years, there has never been an ounce of proof to support the fanciful story that the Disciples of Christ came while the guards slept and took his body away. As even a first year law student will rightly tell you, ‘no evidence, no crime!’
While the men who made these extraordinary claims had not an ounce of proof, or a shred of evidence, the body of evidence supporting a risen Christ is undeniable. From seeking out His disciples, and encouraging them to put their finger in His wound, to some five hundred souls having seen Him until the ascension, there are witnesses upon witnesses who testified to a risen Christ.
The last flaw and weakness of the compromise campaign against truth, is the defying of logic. There are many things in this world that defy logic, yet God created us with the ability and the need to process, to use reason, and reach logical conclusions.
By the very words the soldiers were commanded to speak concerning what had transpired at the tomb of Christ both the elders and the men who dutifully repeated their words defied logic.
‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ What’s wrong with this statement? What absolutely and unequivocally defies logic in these twelve words? If they were sleeping, how did they know what had happened? How could they testify to the fact that the Disciples of Christ had come and stolen him at night if they were fast asleep? Can you tell me what the rest of the people in your home were doing while you slept? Of course not!
The entire campaign against truth is based upon the false assumption that if we as followers of Jesus are fools for Christ, then we must be fools in every other area of our lives. It’s not so much the enemy that has a low view of believers, as it is his minions. With every generation they attempt to sneak one by, hoping to pervert the gospel and cast a negative light upon the sinless character of Christ, hoping that we are asleep at the wheel, that we would not employ logic, and expose them for the fools and liars that they are.
What is disconcerting is that whether due to indifference or just outright exhaustion, many within the house of God have stopped defending Christ; they have altogether ceased standing up for the truth, allowing the enemy to gain a foothold, to sow seeds of doubt, and causing some of the sheep to question the veracity of Biblical doctrine and absolute truth.
Be bold dear friend in defending the truth of Scripture, in standing for the cause of Christ, encouraged by the knowledge that the entire foundation of the compromise campaign is based upon an unabashed lie.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Three days had passed, the stone had been rolled away, and the tomb was now empty. Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and by uttering one single word, ‘rejoice!’ He had rekindled their hope, strengthened their faith, and caused their faces to shine with joy.
Baffled and not knowing what to do, having seen the empty tomb, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
Not wasting any time, wanting to get ahead of the situation, the chief priests and the elders began a campaign that would span two thousand years, a campaign that has in recent times gathered more steam with the releases of such pseudo-intellectual drivel as the gospel of Judas, or the Da Vinci code.
The elders and the priests knew that they couldn’t let the truth get out, they knew that they couldn’t allow the masses to hear the news that an angel had appeared and rolled away the stone, that Jesus had risen from the dead, that all that He claimed would happen happened as He had said, because it would undermine their authority and power, and cause even more people to follow the Christ than before His crucifixion.
Matthew 28:12-15, “When they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure. So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”
This is how it all began. A council of elders, a large sum of money, some soldiers willing to lie, and the campaign against truth was born. This campaign rages to this day, and it has two major targets. There are people in this world that will do anything, and say anything to discredit either a risen Jesus, or the Bible, for these are the two great thorns in the side of the godless.
The enemy has not masked his purposes, and his intent is very clear. He has invested vast resources, and those who do his bidding have even attempted to infiltrate the house of God and sow doubt as to the divinity and sovereignty of Jesus, dismissing the Bible as nothing more than a noble book of moral imperatives, rather than the divinely inspired Word of God.
As well financed, streamlined and diversified as the campaign against truth is, there are some major flaws, and insurmountable obstacles that will keep it from being the success the enemies of the cross envisioned it would be throughout the centuries.
The first major flaw, the first weakness of the compromise campaign is ignoring or dismissing truth itself. Truth, simply defined is an affirmation or information that corresponds to a reality. There are two major reasons we receive something as truth, the first of these being that the person relating the information to us is credible. We receive something as truth because the person we are receiving it from, is worth believing, of good character and above reproach. If the person from whom we hear something is not credible, then it casts a shadow of doubt on the very thing they are attempting to disseminate.
If however the person is credible, then we have the tendency to believe them at their word. When Jesus stood before Pilate, He was asked a very direct and poignant question: ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ And Jesus simply answered, ‘it is as you say!’
Jesus then continued saying, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
I submit to you today, that there has never been a more credible individual in the history of mankind than Christ Jesus. He testified of Himself, saying ‘I came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.’ If we take anyone’s words to heart, if it ought to be the words of Christ, for He is above all, worth believing.
The second reason we receive something as truth, is personal experience. There can be a thousand voices denouncing something, but if we have felt it, known it, seen it, or tasted it, it is truth to us, and the voices of the naysayers have no effect.
When Jesus healed the man that had been blind from birth, his personal experience dictated his response to the accusations the Pharisees made against Christ. The Pharisees had said Jesus was a sinner, and this man who had been healed, simply replied, ‘whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.’
This man’s personal experience made his faith and ensuing conviction unshakable. He had been blind, of this he was certain, and now he saw.
The second flaw and weakness of the compromise campaign is the motivation behind this endeavor. Why do we do what we do? The answer to this question is the motivation that drives us. Whatever action we choose to undertake, whatever endeavor we choose to pursue, there is a motivation behind them that drives us.
What motivated the Apostles of Christ to preach the truth, what motivated them to preach a risen savior even though it had been forbidden by the high priests, was the fact that they had seen Him, they had spoken with Him, they had dined with Him, and their lives were forever transformed by being in proximity of Him.
What motivated the guards to go about the city and lie, what compelled them to tell all who would hear that Christ’s followers had come in the dead of night and spirited his body away, was nothing more than personal interest. A man, who pursues a certain course of action out of personal interest, will only do so while it is profitable to him. A man who pursues a course of action out of deep conviction and personal experience however, will continue to pursue it even in the face of great opposition, physical affliction, persecution and even death.
The third flaw and weakness of the compromise campaign against the truth, is the utter lack of any proof. Those who would deny the sovereignty of Christ, those who would deny the divinity of Christ, those who would deny a risen Christ, are quick to grasp at straws, from forging etchings on ancient tombs, to highlighting and pronouncing as firsthand accounts, manuscripts that were written some three hundred years after Christ’s time on earth. They know they cannot disprove Christ with evidence, and so they must manufacture it, conjure it, and twist it to fit their agenda.
In two thousand years, there has never been an ounce of proof to support the fanciful story that the Disciples of Christ came while the guards slept and took his body away. As even a first year law student will rightly tell you, ‘no evidence, no crime!’
While the men who made these extraordinary claims had not an ounce of proof, or a shred of evidence, the body of evidence supporting a risen Christ is undeniable. From seeking out His disciples, and encouraging them to put their finger in His wound, to some five hundred souls having seen Him until the ascension, there are witnesses upon witnesses who testified to a risen Christ.
The last flaw and weakness of the compromise campaign against truth, is the defying of logic. There are many things in this world that defy logic, yet God created us with the ability and the need to process, to use reason, and reach logical conclusions.
By the very words the soldiers were commanded to speak concerning what had transpired at the tomb of Christ both the elders and the men who dutifully repeated their words defied logic.
‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ What’s wrong with this statement? What absolutely and unequivocally defies logic in these twelve words? If they were sleeping, how did they know what had happened? How could they testify to the fact that the Disciples of Christ had come and stolen him at night if they were fast asleep? Can you tell me what the rest of the people in your home were doing while you slept? Of course not!
The entire campaign against truth is based upon the false assumption that if we as followers of Jesus are fools for Christ, then we must be fools in every other area of our lives. It’s not so much the enemy that has a low view of believers, as it is his minions. With every generation they attempt to sneak one by, hoping to pervert the gospel and cast a negative light upon the sinless character of Christ, hoping that we are asleep at the wheel, that we would not employ logic, and expose them for the fools and liars that they are.
What is disconcerting is that whether due to indifference or just outright exhaustion, many within the house of God have stopped defending Christ; they have altogether ceased standing up for the truth, allowing the enemy to gain a foothold, to sow seeds of doubt, and causing some of the sheep to question the veracity of Biblical doctrine and absolute truth.
Be bold dear friend in defending the truth of Scripture, in standing for the cause of Christ, encouraged by the knowledge that the entire foundation of the compromise campaign is based upon an unabashed lie.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Empires of Dust
The town I live in when I am in the States is undergoing a makeover of sorts. As you drive down the main thoroughfare leading into the old downtown, on the left side of the street there are bulldozers and cranes, heavy duty trucks, and a handful of people cleaning up the rubble of what once was.
Since I’ve been living in Watertown Wisconsin on and off for the past nine years, I remember the glory days of what once stood on that spot. There was a major chain clothing store that some years ago moved outside the city limits, a small shop that sold greeting cards of all kinds, and a camera store. If one drove by today, you would never know those edifices once stood in what is now a large square of scarred cement and concrete.
The buildings had stayed empty for some time, until one day as I was driving in to work I saw the bulldozers and the wrecking ball hard at work.
By the time I got the idea to stand across the street every day and take a snapshot of the progress, to see the march of time and the steady destruction of what was once a thriving business it was already too late.
For some reason seeing those buildings disappear before my very eyes on a daily basis made me sad inside. Apparently all it takes for the memory of a place to forever be erased is some heavy duty equipment and a few gallons of diesel fuel. Who will remember that once upon a time a clothing store stood on that very spot two generations from now? Who will reminisce about the time some long forgotten relative bought their first camera at the camera store that once stood there? No one!
We build empires of dust with every passing generation, refusing to acknowledge that the winds of time will blow them asunder sooner or later. We labor and we toil for things that have no permanence, believing that we will leave our mark on the world if we can just amass so much, and build so much. Although the words of Solomon have proven themselves true, that all is vanity, we do not take them to heart, and follow in the footsteps of those that came before us thinking that we will be the exception to the rule, that we will somehow cling to that which we have amassed beyond this life.
Even among the children of God there seems to be little contentment. We want more and more, and we don’t care how we get it. We dismiss the warnings of God’s Word that love of possessions rather than love of God leads to ruination, believing that we will find a balance between desiring God and desiring material things. There can be no balance; there can be no armistice between two opposing forces so hostile toward each other such as love of God and love of flesh. We either love God, or we love the world. We are either content and thankful for that which He gives us, or we give ourselves over to the lust for power and opulence, that the world has elevated to an art form.
Sooner or later every man comes to the conclusion that Solomon came to, that in fact all the works of our hands and all our labors are vanity and vexation of spirit. There is someone close to me; in fact he is family by marriage who recently came to this conclusion. Ever since I married my wife he didn’t quite understand what I did, and why I didn’t try to build to amass, to hoard and to store up.
Whenever this particular topic of conversation would come up, I would ask him, ‘why should I try to store up and build? I’m not taking any of it with me anyway.’
‘So you could be happy’ he would answer.
‘But I’m already happy’ I would retort.
Some years ago, this man started a company that went on to do very well. He built the big house, bought the fancy new car, and during dinner in his new home one night I asked him, ‘so did all this bring you the happiness you were looking for?’
He gave me a sad look and said, ‘not even close.’
True joy, lasting joy, that ever illusive happiness the world is searching for can only be found in Christ, at the foot of the cross, in humble gratitude and submission. This world is passing away, and every generation builds upon the rubble of the last, reaching ever higher, hoping to acquire that which can only be acquired on our knees in worshipful supplication.
If you know Jesus you are already blessed beyond measure, having acquired that which is priceless and eternal. If you do not know Jesus, then no matter how much material possessions you might have acquired, you are still a lamentable soul worthy of pity, for all that you possess will not be able to lengthen your life by one second, or give you that sense of fulfillment you are so desperately searching for.
It is human nature to desire more, to want to possess, to own, to have, but our nature has been transformed and we are no longer the slaves of human nature, but have attained a divine nature that knows intuitively that our treasure is not of this earth, nor is this our home.
We journey toward eternity, toward the home that Christ has prepared for us, and though the world continues to build empires of dust, as children of God we must continue to keep our eyes on the kingdom that is to come, that kingdom that is eternal and everlasting.
Jeremiah 17:11, “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Since I’ve been living in Watertown Wisconsin on and off for the past nine years, I remember the glory days of what once stood on that spot. There was a major chain clothing store that some years ago moved outside the city limits, a small shop that sold greeting cards of all kinds, and a camera store. If one drove by today, you would never know those edifices once stood in what is now a large square of scarred cement and concrete.
The buildings had stayed empty for some time, until one day as I was driving in to work I saw the bulldozers and the wrecking ball hard at work.
By the time I got the idea to stand across the street every day and take a snapshot of the progress, to see the march of time and the steady destruction of what was once a thriving business it was already too late.
For some reason seeing those buildings disappear before my very eyes on a daily basis made me sad inside. Apparently all it takes for the memory of a place to forever be erased is some heavy duty equipment and a few gallons of diesel fuel. Who will remember that once upon a time a clothing store stood on that very spot two generations from now? Who will reminisce about the time some long forgotten relative bought their first camera at the camera store that once stood there? No one!
We build empires of dust with every passing generation, refusing to acknowledge that the winds of time will blow them asunder sooner or later. We labor and we toil for things that have no permanence, believing that we will leave our mark on the world if we can just amass so much, and build so much. Although the words of Solomon have proven themselves true, that all is vanity, we do not take them to heart, and follow in the footsteps of those that came before us thinking that we will be the exception to the rule, that we will somehow cling to that which we have amassed beyond this life.
Even among the children of God there seems to be little contentment. We want more and more, and we don’t care how we get it. We dismiss the warnings of God’s Word that love of possessions rather than love of God leads to ruination, believing that we will find a balance between desiring God and desiring material things. There can be no balance; there can be no armistice between two opposing forces so hostile toward each other such as love of God and love of flesh. We either love God, or we love the world. We are either content and thankful for that which He gives us, or we give ourselves over to the lust for power and opulence, that the world has elevated to an art form.
Sooner or later every man comes to the conclusion that Solomon came to, that in fact all the works of our hands and all our labors are vanity and vexation of spirit. There is someone close to me; in fact he is family by marriage who recently came to this conclusion. Ever since I married my wife he didn’t quite understand what I did, and why I didn’t try to build to amass, to hoard and to store up.
Whenever this particular topic of conversation would come up, I would ask him, ‘why should I try to store up and build? I’m not taking any of it with me anyway.’
‘So you could be happy’ he would answer.
‘But I’m already happy’ I would retort.
Some years ago, this man started a company that went on to do very well. He built the big house, bought the fancy new car, and during dinner in his new home one night I asked him, ‘so did all this bring you the happiness you were looking for?’
He gave me a sad look and said, ‘not even close.’
True joy, lasting joy, that ever illusive happiness the world is searching for can only be found in Christ, at the foot of the cross, in humble gratitude and submission. This world is passing away, and every generation builds upon the rubble of the last, reaching ever higher, hoping to acquire that which can only be acquired on our knees in worshipful supplication.
If you know Jesus you are already blessed beyond measure, having acquired that which is priceless and eternal. If you do not know Jesus, then no matter how much material possessions you might have acquired, you are still a lamentable soul worthy of pity, for all that you possess will not be able to lengthen your life by one second, or give you that sense of fulfillment you are so desperately searching for.
It is human nature to desire more, to want to possess, to own, to have, but our nature has been transformed and we are no longer the slaves of human nature, but have attained a divine nature that knows intuitively that our treasure is not of this earth, nor is this our home.
We journey toward eternity, toward the home that Christ has prepared for us, and though the world continues to build empires of dust, as children of God we must continue to keep our eyes on the kingdom that is to come, that kingdom that is eternal and everlasting.
Jeremiah 17:11, “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; It will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Heart of Man
There is a chasm wide and deep that will forever separate the way God sees the hearts of men, and the way men see their own hearts. We have so romanticized the heart that in the eyes of most in our day and age, the heart of man can do no wrong. We’ve all heard the flowery one liners, from ‘follow your heart and you’ll find your bliss’, to ‘trust your heart it will not lead you astray’, to ‘if your heart tells you something’s right, then how can it be wrong?’
Now all these sayings make for great bumper stickers, but they are among the vilest of lies that have ever been uttered since the genesis of human existence. In order to understand the true nature of the human heart, we must take into account the One who created it, and what He thinks of it.
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Ecclesiastes 9:3, “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”
I don’t know about you, but I get the distinct impression that God sees the hearts of His creation, very differently than how His creation sees their own hearts. There is a great mass of humanity today that is following their hearts right into hell. There was no way to sugar coat the previous statement, no way of making it more palatable, because this is the reality that we must accept and deal with.
Yes, it is true, the heart wants what the heart wants, but absent of God, the heart wants your destruction, your hopelessness and your death. Beware the heart of the unregenerate man, for in it there is much wickedness.
There is only one way by which your heart will not continually deceive you, there is only one way by which your heart will not be full of evil and filled with madness, and that is by God being ever present on the throne of your heart.
So what is it that God does in the hearts of men?
The Word tells us that one of the things God does with the human heart is He tests it. The God who sees all and knows all, also sees and knows the condition of our hearts. He is also aware of the intent with which we perform certain tasks or functions. The human heart is the wellspring of intent, and by it and through it God knows if something was done out of love or bitterness, out of mercy of a vested interest, out of love for Him, or love for self.
Psalm 7:9-10, “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, who saves he upright in heart.”
1 Thessalonians 2:4, “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”
God is continually testing the hearts of men, even the hearts of believers, and those we consider mature in the faith, and the constant hope of God’s faithful is that He saves the upright in heart. God tests the heart, because in it He finds the answers to such questions as ‘is what we do for the glory of God, or for our own? Do we serve Him because we love Him, or because of the things we think He will give us if we feign service? Is He the preeminent priority in our lives, or do we have other gods before Him?’ All these questions can only be answered by testing the heart.
God also touches the hearts of men, that they might be sensitive to His guidance, and fulfill His purpose. There was much division in the land of Israel when the first king was chosen to rule over the people. Just as it is today, no matter who is chosen to rule over a people, there is never total consensus, or unity regarding that person. When God chose Saul to be king over Israel, not all the people were excited or even accepting of him. In fact there was a number who despised him, and wondered to themselves how one such as Saul could save them.
There was however a group of men, whose hearts God touched, and they went with Saul as his protection detail. These were valiant men, and because God touched their hearts, they followed after their newly anointed king without murmur or complaint.
1 Samuel 10:26, “And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched.”
When God touches a man’s heart, his perception, and his perspective are transformed. He does not see as he once saw, but as God sees a given situation or circumstance, and as such follows after God’s guidance.
When we come before Him with repentance of the heart, and a humble spirit, God also cleanses the hearts of men. God will not build upon an existing foundation. God will not accept anything less than our whole heart that He may do the work of sanctification and regeneration required for us to be able to call ourselves His children. We can give of our time, we can give of our possessions, we can give of our talents, but God requires the heart. In fact God demands the heart, for if our hearts are not His, nothing is His, but if our hearts are truly His then everything is His.
Hebrews 10:19-22, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
This is a work that God alone can do, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Once our hearts are His, God also establishes, or strengthens our hearts in holiness. No words can describe the tragedy of believing that God is up in heaven, looking down, but remains wholly uninvolved in our lives. So many live with the belief that when we suffer, God turns a blind eye, when we need strength He simply shrugs His shoulders, and when we need direction, He remains silent. God is ever present in the lives of His children, and strengthens them when they are weak, binds their wounds when they are hurting, and speaks to them when they need to hear His voice. We serve an engaged God, a God who is involved in the lives of His beloved, whose presence is plainly visible if only we had eyes to see.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming o four Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”
God also guides, or directs the hearts of men. I realize many today have adopted the idea that everything is chance, happenstance, a chain of events that lead to a chain reaction, absent of any external or divine influence. To me that just sounds depressing, but it is also unbiblical.
Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”
“Are you saying that God stirs nations against each other? Are you suggesting that God puts animosity in the hearts of men for their neighbors? Are you implying that natural disasters whether earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornados, or typhoons are divinely ordained?”
I’m not the one saying it, the Bible says it, and I believe what the Word of God says. I believe one of the most destructive things to take place within the house of God over the past century, is that we’ve attempted to reshape God, and remake Him into what we would like Him to be. It’s like all of a sudden, within the past century God has undergone a major makeover, and He no longer judges sin, He no longer gets angry, He is no longer holy, righteous and just, He’s just a harmless white haired deity, sitting up in heaven, weighed down by the passage of centuries, just hoping we do the right thing, so that He could bless us by way of material excess.
We have attempted to strip God of His omnipotence, we have attempted to strip God of His omniscience, because to say that God allowed something to happen would offend the world, and compel them to point out, at least from their skewed view, that God is unfair, unloving, unjust, and unmerciful.
Because our focus is more on being politically correct, than pleasing in the sight of God, we have taken the one true God, the God at whose name entire nations trembled in fear, and relegated Him to the position of a magic genie who grants us wishes if we say the right words at the right time.
Since we’re on the topic, this is also largely the reason there no longer remains a shred of the fear of the Lord among many of today’s churches, because in their estimation even if God wanted to do something, even if He did want to punish sin and separate the wheat from the chaff, He just doesn’t have the power to do it anymore.
Not only does the world perceive the God of the Bible as being powerless, but many Christians share the world’s view concerning this matter.
Yes, the heart of man is a complicated thing, for it can either be a host of peace, joy, righteousness and devotion, or a host of sin, darkness, madness and death. Whether God is present in our hearts makes all the difference in the world, as striking a difference as that between noonday and midnight.
Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Now all these sayings make for great bumper stickers, but they are among the vilest of lies that have ever been uttered since the genesis of human existence. In order to understand the true nature of the human heart, we must take into account the One who created it, and what He thinks of it.
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Ecclesiastes 9:3, “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”
I don’t know about you, but I get the distinct impression that God sees the hearts of His creation, very differently than how His creation sees their own hearts. There is a great mass of humanity today that is following their hearts right into hell. There was no way to sugar coat the previous statement, no way of making it more palatable, because this is the reality that we must accept and deal with.
Yes, it is true, the heart wants what the heart wants, but absent of God, the heart wants your destruction, your hopelessness and your death. Beware the heart of the unregenerate man, for in it there is much wickedness.
There is only one way by which your heart will not continually deceive you, there is only one way by which your heart will not be full of evil and filled with madness, and that is by God being ever present on the throne of your heart.
So what is it that God does in the hearts of men?
The Word tells us that one of the things God does with the human heart is He tests it. The God who sees all and knows all, also sees and knows the condition of our hearts. He is also aware of the intent with which we perform certain tasks or functions. The human heart is the wellspring of intent, and by it and through it God knows if something was done out of love or bitterness, out of mercy of a vested interest, out of love for Him, or love for self.
Psalm 7:9-10, “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, who saves he upright in heart.”
1 Thessalonians 2:4, “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”
God is continually testing the hearts of men, even the hearts of believers, and those we consider mature in the faith, and the constant hope of God’s faithful is that He saves the upright in heart. God tests the heart, because in it He finds the answers to such questions as ‘is what we do for the glory of God, or for our own? Do we serve Him because we love Him, or because of the things we think He will give us if we feign service? Is He the preeminent priority in our lives, or do we have other gods before Him?’ All these questions can only be answered by testing the heart.
God also touches the hearts of men, that they might be sensitive to His guidance, and fulfill His purpose. There was much division in the land of Israel when the first king was chosen to rule over the people. Just as it is today, no matter who is chosen to rule over a people, there is never total consensus, or unity regarding that person. When God chose Saul to be king over Israel, not all the people were excited or even accepting of him. In fact there was a number who despised him, and wondered to themselves how one such as Saul could save them.
There was however a group of men, whose hearts God touched, and they went with Saul as his protection detail. These were valiant men, and because God touched their hearts, they followed after their newly anointed king without murmur or complaint.
1 Samuel 10:26, “And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched.”
When God touches a man’s heart, his perception, and his perspective are transformed. He does not see as he once saw, but as God sees a given situation or circumstance, and as such follows after God’s guidance.
When we come before Him with repentance of the heart, and a humble spirit, God also cleanses the hearts of men. God will not build upon an existing foundation. God will not accept anything less than our whole heart that He may do the work of sanctification and regeneration required for us to be able to call ourselves His children. We can give of our time, we can give of our possessions, we can give of our talents, but God requires the heart. In fact God demands the heart, for if our hearts are not His, nothing is His, but if our hearts are truly His then everything is His.
Hebrews 10:19-22, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
This is a work that God alone can do, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Once our hearts are His, God also establishes, or strengthens our hearts in holiness. No words can describe the tragedy of believing that God is up in heaven, looking down, but remains wholly uninvolved in our lives. So many live with the belief that when we suffer, God turns a blind eye, when we need strength He simply shrugs His shoulders, and when we need direction, He remains silent. God is ever present in the lives of His children, and strengthens them when they are weak, binds their wounds when they are hurting, and speaks to them when they need to hear His voice. We serve an engaged God, a God who is involved in the lives of His beloved, whose presence is plainly visible if only we had eyes to see.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming o four Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”
God also guides, or directs the hearts of men. I realize many today have adopted the idea that everything is chance, happenstance, a chain of events that lead to a chain reaction, absent of any external or divine influence. To me that just sounds depressing, but it is also unbiblical.
Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”
“Are you saying that God stirs nations against each other? Are you suggesting that God puts animosity in the hearts of men for their neighbors? Are you implying that natural disasters whether earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornados, or typhoons are divinely ordained?”
I’m not the one saying it, the Bible says it, and I believe what the Word of God says. I believe one of the most destructive things to take place within the house of God over the past century, is that we’ve attempted to reshape God, and remake Him into what we would like Him to be. It’s like all of a sudden, within the past century God has undergone a major makeover, and He no longer judges sin, He no longer gets angry, He is no longer holy, righteous and just, He’s just a harmless white haired deity, sitting up in heaven, weighed down by the passage of centuries, just hoping we do the right thing, so that He could bless us by way of material excess.
We have attempted to strip God of His omnipotence, we have attempted to strip God of His omniscience, because to say that God allowed something to happen would offend the world, and compel them to point out, at least from their skewed view, that God is unfair, unloving, unjust, and unmerciful.
Because our focus is more on being politically correct, than pleasing in the sight of God, we have taken the one true God, the God at whose name entire nations trembled in fear, and relegated Him to the position of a magic genie who grants us wishes if we say the right words at the right time.
Since we’re on the topic, this is also largely the reason there no longer remains a shred of the fear of the Lord among many of today’s churches, because in their estimation even if God wanted to do something, even if He did want to punish sin and separate the wheat from the chaff, He just doesn’t have the power to do it anymore.
Not only does the world perceive the God of the Bible as being powerless, but many Christians share the world’s view concerning this matter.
Yes, the heart of man is a complicated thing, for it can either be a host of peace, joy, righteousness and devotion, or a host of sin, darkness, madness and death. Whether God is present in our hearts makes all the difference in the world, as striking a difference as that between noonday and midnight.
Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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