My name is Mike, and I’m a throwback. I’m a fossil, an antique, a knuckle dragger, a relic, the vestige of a bygone era; yes apparently I am all these things because I have been called all these things and worse. There are certain monikers and certain names I no longer take offense to. The years have thickened my skin, and made my purpose resolute, so much so that I would rather be labeled an outcast, a zealot, or worse yet a fundamentalist than go along with the main stream that is rapidly heading toward the drop-off.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not what you would call an avid outdoorsman, but I have caught enough shows on river boat rafting, to know that once you are caught by the current, and once you pass a certain invisible line, you have gone beyond the point of no return and have no choice but to ride out the rapids and hope that the drop-off won’t kill you. Rather than guess at that invisible line, rather than go along with the rushing waters and hope that I’ll be able to make it to shore before the inevitable happens, I choose to remain rooted in the Word of God even at the risk of being labeled backward and unthinking.
We are living in a generation wherein children are encouraged to explore their sexuality even before they can spell the word ‘sexuality’, a generation wherein girls of all races, and walks of life are repeatedly used and discarded multiple times before their sixteenth birthday, a generation wherein babies having babies out of wedlock is glorified, a generation in which perversion, licentiousness, lewdness and lack of accountability have now become the norm, and we look at this chaotic mess we’ve made, we look at the destructive effects, the broken homes, the abused children and the outbreak of diseases, and smirking to ourselves, proud of our own tolerance and openness, we call it progress. If this is progress, you can keep it!
The modern day church has been caught in the current of this present world, they are in the slipstream, and with each passing day the sins they once preached against are not only tolerated but embraced. Many don’t even try to make it to shore anymore, they don’t even try to slow down the ever accelerating decline, they just go along hoping against hope that all the things God said about judging sin, and beginning to judge it in His own house were exaggerations, or better still wrongly interpreted by the scholars of old from the ancient Greek and Hebrew.
We know that God is not a liar, we know that He is the embodiment of truth, and if judgment begins in the house of God, if judgment begins with those who have Jesus on their lips but not in their hearts, then it will be the church that will fall of the edge of the precipice before the world does. What is coming upon the church will not be a bump in the road, it will not be a blip on the radar screen, it will not be a passing storm, but rather the full force of the judgment of God.
What were once ideals worthy of aspiring to have now become things to be mocked and looked down upon, and Norman Rockwell’s notion of what family ought to be is now nothing more than a punch line, something to be scoffed at and pitied because it’s so antiquated and backwards. Although they mock those who still hold to the ideals of family, although they scoff at those who reject promiscuity and perversion, the ever growing number of those that think themselves so evolved, open minded and forward thinking really aren’t. What they are doing is not new, it is not cutting edge, but rather it is something that has been done over and over again, with the same result and finality. At the height of its power, the Roman Empire gave itself over to decadence and all manner of perversion, reveling in it and thinking there was no consequence. Then came the fall, and what was once a great empire was left in ruins, overtaken by its enemies, destroyed from within by the evil and depravity of their own hearts.
Yes, I still believe in the sanctity of marriage; Yes, I am the husband of one wife; Yes, I still believe God punishes sin; Yes, I still believe God demands righteousness and holiness of His children; and if these things make me a throwback, then so be it, my name is Mike, and I’m a throwback!
If you’ve ever been called a relic, a fossil, or a throwback, if you’ve ever been accused of being intolerant because you stand against debauchery, depravity, and all manner of perversion, then wear these titles as a badge of honor. Do not be dismayed, do not be discouraged, and by all means do not be dissuaded from standing for the truth of God’s Word, because He comes not only to judge the world in righteousness, but to reward each according to his works.
Psalm 9:7-10, “But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in time of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”
1 Peter 4:17-18, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His father with His angels and then He will reward each according to his works.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Break the Pitcher
The fleeces were over, God had done as Gideon requested proving Himself time and again, until there was nothing left for Gideon to do than to step out in faith, and see the victory God had promised come to fruition before his very eyes. Staring over the assembled crowd of some thirty two thousand men might have bolstered Gideon’s spirits, it wasn’t like he was about to make war against the Midianites, the Amalekites and all the people of the East who were numerous as locusts with a handful of men now was he? Thirty two thousand was still a respectable number, they still had a fighting chance, and Gideon might have felt as though there was a real possibility they might actually pull this off until God spoke to him and said, ‘the people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against me, saying, ‘my own hand has saved me.’
I don’t know what went through Gideon’s mind upon hearing these words, but I know what would have gone through my mind if I were in his shoes. The Israelites were already outnumbered as it was. Even with every able bodied male having come to Mount Gilead, they were still at a tactical disadvantage due to the size of the opposing force. How could God say the people were too many, when through the prism of human reason they weren’t nearly enough?
Even so, Gideon continued to be faithful and obey the voice of God, and at once he did as God commanded and told all those who were fearful and afraid to depart at once from the mountain upon which they stood. Close to 70% of the men that had assembled simply took their belongings and walked away. Of thirty two thousand men, only ten thousand remained, and once again God says to Gideon, ‘the people are still too many!’
Once more God whittles down the number, this time even more severely than the last, and of the ten thousand that remained, 97% were told to depart. Three hundred men, a handful of souls, now stood before Gideon well aware of the fact that they were about to embark upon the suicide mission of all suicide missions if God would not intervene on their behalf.
Less than one percent of the original thirty two thousand men were chosen by God to stand against an enemy whose camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. There is a truth we often forget as children of God, that in His economy, numbers don’t mean much, because even one is a majority when God stands with them. The enemy will always outnumber us, yet in Christ and through Christ we will always obtain the victory.
Judges 7:16-20, “Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. And he said to them, ‘Look at me and do likewise; watch and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do just as I do: When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp and say, ‘the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitches that were in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers – they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing – and they cried, ‘the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
Within these four verses there is a treasure trove of spiritual lessons that we can mine, if we are willing to perceive them through the prism of spiritual eyes.
The first thing that I want to make mention of, and you will see why a bit later, is that every one of the three hundred men whom God had set apart to do battle against the Midianites were given a trumpet, a torch and a pitcher. It wasn’t just Gideon that got them, it wasn’t just the captains of the three companies of men that got them, but every one of these soldiers had received his own trumpet, torch and pitcher.
If we perceive this scripture passage in a spiritual sense, then we readily understand that the trumpets represented the Word of God, the torches represented the Spirit of God, and the pitchers represented the flesh in which our torches are often times encased, the selfsame flesh that often times hides the light of the Holy Spirit in us.
When God sets us apart, when we are called to be His ambassadors on this earth, we are given trumpets and torches, and are commanded of God to break the pitcher that the light of the Holy Spirit might emanate and shine forth. It’s not just a select few that are given these things, but everyone who comes to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and embraces His saving grace.
What is incumbent upon us however is to make sure that our torches are lit, and that when we blow our trumpets they make a sure sound and are not mistaken for clanging cymbals.
Once the torch is lit, once the power of the Holy Spirit is upon us it is our duty to break the clay pitchers, because if we keep the lit torches in the pitchers for too long, we run the risk of putting out the flame altogether. Herein lies the problem that so many believers face today, that rather than break the pitcher, rather than do away with the clay that is keeping the light of truth hidden, they coddle the flesh, and do everything in their power to make sure that the flesh is first and foremost satisfied and cared for.
Judges 7:21, “And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.”
From the onset these three hundred men knew that if they were to survive the night, God would have to intervene on their behalf, God would have to perform a miracle, God would have to fight the battle, and God would have to get the glory for it all. There they stood, without cavalry, without spears, without archers and without swords, with a trumpet in one hand and a torch with a clay pitcher in the other. To the last, every man did as Gideon had commanded, they broke their pitcher, let the light of their torches shine forth, and they blew their trumpets. It must have been a site, watching as the Midianite hoard ran and cried out and fled, while every man stood in his place all around the camp.
If the enemy sees that you have the Word, if he sees that your torch is lit and the power of the Holy Spirit is in you, if he sees that your pitcher is broken, and the flesh no longer holds sway over you, then he has no choice but to flee. Yes, it is that simple, break the pitcher, blow the trumpet, raise your torch, and the enemy will flee.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
I don’t know what went through Gideon’s mind upon hearing these words, but I know what would have gone through my mind if I were in his shoes. The Israelites were already outnumbered as it was. Even with every able bodied male having come to Mount Gilead, they were still at a tactical disadvantage due to the size of the opposing force. How could God say the people were too many, when through the prism of human reason they weren’t nearly enough?
Even so, Gideon continued to be faithful and obey the voice of God, and at once he did as God commanded and told all those who were fearful and afraid to depart at once from the mountain upon which they stood. Close to 70% of the men that had assembled simply took their belongings and walked away. Of thirty two thousand men, only ten thousand remained, and once again God says to Gideon, ‘the people are still too many!’
Once more God whittles down the number, this time even more severely than the last, and of the ten thousand that remained, 97% were told to depart. Three hundred men, a handful of souls, now stood before Gideon well aware of the fact that they were about to embark upon the suicide mission of all suicide missions if God would not intervene on their behalf.
Less than one percent of the original thirty two thousand men were chosen by God to stand against an enemy whose camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. There is a truth we often forget as children of God, that in His economy, numbers don’t mean much, because even one is a majority when God stands with them. The enemy will always outnumber us, yet in Christ and through Christ we will always obtain the victory.
Judges 7:16-20, “Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. And he said to them, ‘Look at me and do likewise; watch and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do just as I do: When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp and say, ‘the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitches that were in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers – they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing – and they cried, ‘the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
Within these four verses there is a treasure trove of spiritual lessons that we can mine, if we are willing to perceive them through the prism of spiritual eyes.
The first thing that I want to make mention of, and you will see why a bit later, is that every one of the three hundred men whom God had set apart to do battle against the Midianites were given a trumpet, a torch and a pitcher. It wasn’t just Gideon that got them, it wasn’t just the captains of the three companies of men that got them, but every one of these soldiers had received his own trumpet, torch and pitcher.
If we perceive this scripture passage in a spiritual sense, then we readily understand that the trumpets represented the Word of God, the torches represented the Spirit of God, and the pitchers represented the flesh in which our torches are often times encased, the selfsame flesh that often times hides the light of the Holy Spirit in us.
When God sets us apart, when we are called to be His ambassadors on this earth, we are given trumpets and torches, and are commanded of God to break the pitcher that the light of the Holy Spirit might emanate and shine forth. It’s not just a select few that are given these things, but everyone who comes to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and embraces His saving grace.
What is incumbent upon us however is to make sure that our torches are lit, and that when we blow our trumpets they make a sure sound and are not mistaken for clanging cymbals.
Once the torch is lit, once the power of the Holy Spirit is upon us it is our duty to break the clay pitchers, because if we keep the lit torches in the pitchers for too long, we run the risk of putting out the flame altogether. Herein lies the problem that so many believers face today, that rather than break the pitcher, rather than do away with the clay that is keeping the light of truth hidden, they coddle the flesh, and do everything in their power to make sure that the flesh is first and foremost satisfied and cared for.
Judges 7:21, “And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.”
From the onset these three hundred men knew that if they were to survive the night, God would have to intervene on their behalf, God would have to perform a miracle, God would have to fight the battle, and God would have to get the glory for it all. There they stood, without cavalry, without spears, without archers and without swords, with a trumpet in one hand and a torch with a clay pitcher in the other. To the last, every man did as Gideon had commanded, they broke their pitcher, let the light of their torches shine forth, and they blew their trumpets. It must have been a site, watching as the Midianite hoard ran and cried out and fled, while every man stood in his place all around the camp.
If the enemy sees that you have the Word, if he sees that your torch is lit and the power of the Holy Spirit is in you, if he sees that your pitcher is broken, and the flesh no longer holds sway over you, then he has no choice but to flee. Yes, it is that simple, break the pitcher, blow the trumpet, raise your torch, and the enemy will flee.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Expectation of Opposition
I learned allot from my grandfather throughout our years of traveling together. One of the most important lessons he taught me, one that has served me well since his passing is that whenever God sets you on a course, whenever there is a calling on your life, whenever you are willing to surrender your all in order to be obedient to the heavenly Father, you must live with the expectation of opposition.
Whenever someone would come against our ministry or against my grandfather personally, he would simply shrug his shoulders and say, ‘we must be doing something right. If the devil isn’t mad at you, if he’s not fighting you every step of the way, then chances are you are doing something wrong.’
It is tragic that nowadays rather than live with the expectation of opposition, the church is doing everything it can, it is bending over backwards to accommodate the world, to reach an armistice of sorts wherein the church does not offend, rebuke, or stand against the world’s actions, and the world leaves us to our hollow spirituality, and diluted gospel.
It was shortly after Gideon’s encounter with the angel of the Lord, in fact on the same night that Gideon was given a mission. Taking into account that all the nations which surrounded Israel, the Midianites, the Amalekites, the people of the East, and even many of the Israelites were worshippers of Baal including Gideon’s own father the task that was set before Gideon was not an easy one.
Judges 6:25-27, “Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, ‘take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.’ So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.”
In reading this passage there are a few things I must point out. First of all, the altar of Baal which Gideon had been commanded to tear down, was on his own father’s property. From this revealing scripture, we can conclude that Gideon’s father, like much of Israel during that time was a Baal worshipper.
The second thing that leaps out is the fact that God commanded Gideon to first and foremost tear down the altar of Baal, and cut down the wooden image that was beside it. Why would God command such a thing? Aren’t we all supposed to be tolerant, and all embracing? Aren’t we supposed to turn a blind eye, bite our tongue and not call evil, evil?
The truth is simple even though it is difficult to digest for some, and it is a truth that much of today’s church has forgotten altogether, namely that the sacred and the profane cannot coexist. God didn’t tell Gideon to build another altar beside Baal’s alter, He did not tell Gideon to be careful not disturb the wooden image that was beside it, he told him to tear down the altar, cut down the image, and on the same patch of earth wherein the altar of Baal stood, he should erect an altar to the one true God.
When it comes to the hearts of men, God reacts in the same manner. He will not attempt to elbow his way into your heart, and compete for a piece of real estate therein, He demands that first and foremost you and I tear down the idols, that we sweep away the debris, and build a new altar wholly dedicated to Him and Him alone. Although the Word warns us that we cannot worship two masters, many still try, only to discover that in attempting to please both their idols and the one true God they have never known the fullness of the one true God in their hearts.
The third thing that leaps out from the aforementioned verses is the fact that Gideon was not ignorant of the fact that there would be opposition and even retaliation. In his own wisdom, because it was not something God told him to do, Gideon set about obeying the command of God, but because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. Gideon lived with the expectation of opposition, he lived with the expectation of retaliation, and although he tried to prevent them the best way he knew how, by doing it at night, his expectation of blowback did not impede him from carrying out God’s command.
I mention this, because the proud and self-righteous among us will be quick to rebuke the fearfulness of Gideon, they will be quick to beat their chest and say, ‘I would have done it in the light of day’, but words are words, and actions are actions, and if most everyone you knew would be out for blood, and calling for your death for having destroyed their idols, I doubt the haughty words would ever lead to action.
Yes, Gideon did tear down the altar of Baal, and cut down the wooden image beside it by night, yes he was fearful of the blowback that he knew he would have to confront, but he obeyed God nevertheless. Before we judge Gideon too harshly, we need to realize that Gideon knew his countrymen, and he knew what they would do. These men would not demand an apology, they would not demand a retraction, they would not ask kindly for Gideon to put things back the way they were, they would be out for blood.
Judges 6:28-31, “And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. So they said to one another, ‘Who has done this thing?’ And when they had inquired and asked, they said, ‘Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.’ Then the men of the city said to Joash, ‘bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.’ And Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Le the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
Although the unfolding of this drama is pretty self-explanatory, there is one thing I need to point out. When you stand for the truth, with the full knowledge and expectation that you will have opposition, often times your defense will come from the most unexpected of places.
It was Gideon’s father, the selfsame man who had an altar to Baal and a wooden image on his property that came to his defense and said, ‘would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!’
I highly doubt that Gideon had a hint or notion that his own father would be his defender. It’s not as if they conferred the night before, it’s not as if they talked among themselves and decided that when the people came for his head, his father would stand in his defense. What Gideon did, he did by night for fear of his own father’s household, yet it was his father that came to his rescue.
Live with the expectation of opposition, purpose in your heart that it is not merely possible or probable, but certain that the enemy will attempt to intimidate, silence, and dissuade you from carrying out God’s command. Likewise however, live with the knowledge that the one true God is your defender, and in times of difficulty He will be your strong tower.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Whenever someone would come against our ministry or against my grandfather personally, he would simply shrug his shoulders and say, ‘we must be doing something right. If the devil isn’t mad at you, if he’s not fighting you every step of the way, then chances are you are doing something wrong.’
It is tragic that nowadays rather than live with the expectation of opposition, the church is doing everything it can, it is bending over backwards to accommodate the world, to reach an armistice of sorts wherein the church does not offend, rebuke, or stand against the world’s actions, and the world leaves us to our hollow spirituality, and diluted gospel.
It was shortly after Gideon’s encounter with the angel of the Lord, in fact on the same night that Gideon was given a mission. Taking into account that all the nations which surrounded Israel, the Midianites, the Amalekites, the people of the East, and even many of the Israelites were worshippers of Baal including Gideon’s own father the task that was set before Gideon was not an easy one.
Judges 6:25-27, “Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, ‘take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.’ So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.”
In reading this passage there are a few things I must point out. First of all, the altar of Baal which Gideon had been commanded to tear down, was on his own father’s property. From this revealing scripture, we can conclude that Gideon’s father, like much of Israel during that time was a Baal worshipper.
The second thing that leaps out is the fact that God commanded Gideon to first and foremost tear down the altar of Baal, and cut down the wooden image that was beside it. Why would God command such a thing? Aren’t we all supposed to be tolerant, and all embracing? Aren’t we supposed to turn a blind eye, bite our tongue and not call evil, evil?
The truth is simple even though it is difficult to digest for some, and it is a truth that much of today’s church has forgotten altogether, namely that the sacred and the profane cannot coexist. God didn’t tell Gideon to build another altar beside Baal’s alter, He did not tell Gideon to be careful not disturb the wooden image that was beside it, he told him to tear down the altar, cut down the image, and on the same patch of earth wherein the altar of Baal stood, he should erect an altar to the one true God.
When it comes to the hearts of men, God reacts in the same manner. He will not attempt to elbow his way into your heart, and compete for a piece of real estate therein, He demands that first and foremost you and I tear down the idols, that we sweep away the debris, and build a new altar wholly dedicated to Him and Him alone. Although the Word warns us that we cannot worship two masters, many still try, only to discover that in attempting to please both their idols and the one true God they have never known the fullness of the one true God in their hearts.
The third thing that leaps out from the aforementioned verses is the fact that Gideon was not ignorant of the fact that there would be opposition and even retaliation. In his own wisdom, because it was not something God told him to do, Gideon set about obeying the command of God, but because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. Gideon lived with the expectation of opposition, he lived with the expectation of retaliation, and although he tried to prevent them the best way he knew how, by doing it at night, his expectation of blowback did not impede him from carrying out God’s command.
I mention this, because the proud and self-righteous among us will be quick to rebuke the fearfulness of Gideon, they will be quick to beat their chest and say, ‘I would have done it in the light of day’, but words are words, and actions are actions, and if most everyone you knew would be out for blood, and calling for your death for having destroyed their idols, I doubt the haughty words would ever lead to action.
Yes, Gideon did tear down the altar of Baal, and cut down the wooden image beside it by night, yes he was fearful of the blowback that he knew he would have to confront, but he obeyed God nevertheless. Before we judge Gideon too harshly, we need to realize that Gideon knew his countrymen, and he knew what they would do. These men would not demand an apology, they would not demand a retraction, they would not ask kindly for Gideon to put things back the way they were, they would be out for blood.
Judges 6:28-31, “And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. So they said to one another, ‘Who has done this thing?’ And when they had inquired and asked, they said, ‘Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.’ Then the men of the city said to Joash, ‘bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.’ And Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Le the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
Although the unfolding of this drama is pretty self-explanatory, there is one thing I need to point out. When you stand for the truth, with the full knowledge and expectation that you will have opposition, often times your defense will come from the most unexpected of places.
It was Gideon’s father, the selfsame man who had an altar to Baal and a wooden image on his property that came to his defense and said, ‘would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!’
I highly doubt that Gideon had a hint or notion that his own father would be his defender. It’s not as if they conferred the night before, it’s not as if they talked among themselves and decided that when the people came for his head, his father would stand in his defense. What Gideon did, he did by night for fear of his own father’s household, yet it was his father that came to his rescue.
Live with the expectation of opposition, purpose in your heart that it is not merely possible or probable, but certain that the enemy will attempt to intimidate, silence, and dissuade you from carrying out God’s command. Likewise however, live with the knowledge that the one true God is your defender, and in times of difficulty He will be your strong tower.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
An Issue of Perspective
I have always found Gideon to be an interesting study in humanity and doubt, as well as man’s ability to overcome doubt and step out in faith when God calls upon him to serve. Since early youth Gideon has fascinated me, and for good reason. Here is a man who is hiding in a winepress, threshing wheat in secret, for fear that the Midianites might discover him, yet this selfsame fearful man is called a mighty man of valor by none other than the Angel of the Lord.
Today I want to talk about two different perspectives, two different ways at looking both at the call of Gideon, as well as Gideon’s reaction to the call on his life.
In every scripture there is a lesson, in every passage a teachable moment, and as I reread the sixth and seventh chapter of Judges this morning, there are enough lessons for at least three posts within these two chapters.
Judges 6:11-13, “Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ And Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
Throughout the Word of God we see that when God calls someone He never approaches them as they presently are, but as what He knows they will become. From a human standpoint, and through the prism of human reason, Gideon was just a fearful man, hiding in a winepress, who by his own words was the least in his father’s house, who in turn was the weakest clan in Manasseh. There wasn’t much to work with from a human standpoint, and the call of Gideon to be the one who would save Israel from the hand of the Midianites seemed out of place, if not altogether foolhardy. Surely there were greater clans within Israel, surely there were more valiant warriors, surely there were men who were not presently hiding, threshing wheat, performing the task of a farmer, but rather men who were wielding swords, and throwing spears, who could nock an arrow blindfolded, and whose aim was true. Surely there were men who were more physically imposing than Gideon, men who knew the way of war, who had warrior blood running through their veins, yet here stood the angel of the Lord, declaring to Gideon that the Lord was with him, and calling him a mighty man of valor.
The fact that God can take the least among us, the most insignificant, the least logical choice, and transform them into someone that will do great exploits for His kingdom is one of His attributes that is most humbling to me. As human beings, no matter what we are trying to achieve, we need something to work with, something that will establish a solid foundation; something that we can build upon. God however, takes the broken, the rejected, the overlooked, and builds them up, transforming, molding and chiseling until what was once considered irredeemable becomes something priceless. God saw in Gideon what he never saw in himself, not because Gideon had hidden talents, not because Gideon was a closet genius, but because God knew Gideon could be molded and fashioned, because God knew the vessel realized he was nothing more than a vessel, and all that God would do through him could never be mistaken for the work of Gideon, but rather the work of God in him.
When God called Moses, he was a stuttering sheepherder, when God called David, he was a young shepherd boy with a slingshot, when God called Daniel, he was a slave in Babylon, when God called Peter he was a man who reeked of fish, and whose hands were calloused from pulling in nets all day. Seeing them as they were, and not what God made them, one would never believe what these men would accomplish in their lives.
Whatever it is that the Lord has called you to, walk in the knowledge that it is He who will equip you, it is He who will mold you, it is He who will prepare you, and it is He who will put the words in your mouth.
The second perspective I want to delve in is that of Gideon, not so much at his reaction of being called a mighty man of valor, but rather his reaction at being informed that the Lord was with him, and with Israel.
An angel of the Lord stood before him, yet Gideon had the nearsightedness to ask ‘where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about?’ An angel is standing before you, you are seeing him with your own eyes, yet you still ask where the miracles of God are? As strange as Gideon’s reaction might seem to us, we are often guilty of the selfsame reaction.
We experience the love of God, the mercy of God, the blessing of God, and yes, even the miracles of God on a daily basis, yet for some reason we are still ungrateful, and we still look up to the heavens crying out ‘Lord where are your miracles? Lord where are you blessings?’
It is often that we are guilty of not seeing the forest for the trees, of not seeing the hand of God in the little things, being sidetracked by the desire to see grandiose and extravagant things instead.
Another thing that leapt out at me in contemplating the exchange between the angel of the Lord and Gideon is that Gideon never asked why it was that the Lord delivered Israel into the hands of the Midianites. Perhaps he already knew, or perhaps he assumed that the Lord was just fickle and He punishes without warrant or provocation.
I went down this rabbit trail simply to make one thing perfectly clear. God never punishes without warrant or provocation, He does not enjoy seeing His creation suffer, and if a nation is judged, it is justified, and warranted.
Judges 6:1-2, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.”
It was because the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord that the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. It was not simply because God felt like punishing them, it was not simply because God wanted to see them dig dens and caves for themselves in the sides of mountains, it was because they did evil, it was because they transgressed, it was because they turned their back on a loving God, whose justice demands that He judge with all righteousness and holiness.
There is much more to learn from the extraordinary life of Gideon, and in subsequent posts we will discover other aspects of this man’s life that deserve a second glance, and even a more in-depth contemplation.
“Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors are destined to repeat them.”
– George Santayana
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Today I want to talk about two different perspectives, two different ways at looking both at the call of Gideon, as well as Gideon’s reaction to the call on his life.
In every scripture there is a lesson, in every passage a teachable moment, and as I reread the sixth and seventh chapter of Judges this morning, there are enough lessons for at least three posts within these two chapters.
Judges 6:11-13, “Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ And Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
Throughout the Word of God we see that when God calls someone He never approaches them as they presently are, but as what He knows they will become. From a human standpoint, and through the prism of human reason, Gideon was just a fearful man, hiding in a winepress, who by his own words was the least in his father’s house, who in turn was the weakest clan in Manasseh. There wasn’t much to work with from a human standpoint, and the call of Gideon to be the one who would save Israel from the hand of the Midianites seemed out of place, if not altogether foolhardy. Surely there were greater clans within Israel, surely there were more valiant warriors, surely there were men who were not presently hiding, threshing wheat, performing the task of a farmer, but rather men who were wielding swords, and throwing spears, who could nock an arrow blindfolded, and whose aim was true. Surely there were men who were more physically imposing than Gideon, men who knew the way of war, who had warrior blood running through their veins, yet here stood the angel of the Lord, declaring to Gideon that the Lord was with him, and calling him a mighty man of valor.
The fact that God can take the least among us, the most insignificant, the least logical choice, and transform them into someone that will do great exploits for His kingdom is one of His attributes that is most humbling to me. As human beings, no matter what we are trying to achieve, we need something to work with, something that will establish a solid foundation; something that we can build upon. God however, takes the broken, the rejected, the overlooked, and builds them up, transforming, molding and chiseling until what was once considered irredeemable becomes something priceless. God saw in Gideon what he never saw in himself, not because Gideon had hidden talents, not because Gideon was a closet genius, but because God knew Gideon could be molded and fashioned, because God knew the vessel realized he was nothing more than a vessel, and all that God would do through him could never be mistaken for the work of Gideon, but rather the work of God in him.
When God called Moses, he was a stuttering sheepherder, when God called David, he was a young shepherd boy with a slingshot, when God called Daniel, he was a slave in Babylon, when God called Peter he was a man who reeked of fish, and whose hands were calloused from pulling in nets all day. Seeing them as they were, and not what God made them, one would never believe what these men would accomplish in their lives.
Whatever it is that the Lord has called you to, walk in the knowledge that it is He who will equip you, it is He who will mold you, it is He who will prepare you, and it is He who will put the words in your mouth.
The second perspective I want to delve in is that of Gideon, not so much at his reaction of being called a mighty man of valor, but rather his reaction at being informed that the Lord was with him, and with Israel.
An angel of the Lord stood before him, yet Gideon had the nearsightedness to ask ‘where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about?’ An angel is standing before you, you are seeing him with your own eyes, yet you still ask where the miracles of God are? As strange as Gideon’s reaction might seem to us, we are often guilty of the selfsame reaction.
We experience the love of God, the mercy of God, the blessing of God, and yes, even the miracles of God on a daily basis, yet for some reason we are still ungrateful, and we still look up to the heavens crying out ‘Lord where are your miracles? Lord where are you blessings?’
It is often that we are guilty of not seeing the forest for the trees, of not seeing the hand of God in the little things, being sidetracked by the desire to see grandiose and extravagant things instead.
Another thing that leapt out at me in contemplating the exchange between the angel of the Lord and Gideon is that Gideon never asked why it was that the Lord delivered Israel into the hands of the Midianites. Perhaps he already knew, or perhaps he assumed that the Lord was just fickle and He punishes without warrant or provocation.
I went down this rabbit trail simply to make one thing perfectly clear. God never punishes without warrant or provocation, He does not enjoy seeing His creation suffer, and if a nation is judged, it is justified, and warranted.
Judges 6:1-2, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.”
It was because the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord that the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. It was not simply because God felt like punishing them, it was not simply because God wanted to see them dig dens and caves for themselves in the sides of mountains, it was because they did evil, it was because they transgressed, it was because they turned their back on a loving God, whose justice demands that He judge with all righteousness and holiness.
There is much more to learn from the extraordinary life of Gideon, and in subsequent posts we will discover other aspects of this man’s life that deserve a second glance, and even a more in-depth contemplation.
“Those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors are destined to repeat them.”
– George Santayana
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Dangers of Rushing to Judgment!
Although well over twenty years have passed I remember the incident like it was yesterday. At the time I was my grandfather’s translator, and having already traveled with him for the better part of four years, I knew the pain he went through whenever he had a gout attack. At least I thought I knew the pain he went through until I myself started having gout attacks. It was only when I started experiencing the excruciating pain for myself that my compassion for my grandfather grew all the more, and I realized just how much of himself he sacrificed in his obedience towards God.
For those of you that have never had a gout attack it has been described as having hot razor blades between your joints, and although this description sounds exaggerated I assure you it is not. It is a painful, painful malady, one that I would not wish on my worst enemy, and my grandfather had suffered from it for so long that it had also caused him chronic arthritis. Since gout attacks usually occur in the joints of the feet and the knuckles of the hand, and are as unpredictable as earthquakes, whenever an attack comes on, the act of walking or standing can be likened to being stabbed repeatedly.
The evening before my grandfather was scheduled to speak at a church in Nebraska, we were in a local motel, getting ready to go to sleep when suddenly I saw him wince in pain. I knew what was coming, there was no way of stopping it, and by the next morning my grandfather was teary eyed from the pain of putting on his socks. I half carried him to the car, he leaned on me heavily as we walked up the church aisle, we found a pew closer to the front, and we sat down. The service began, the worship team did their thing, and when it was all over the pastor introduced my grandfather, and with one hand on my shoulder he gingerly made his way to the pulpit.
It was after the service, after he had poured out his heart, and preached a message of repentance that a lady in her thirties came up to my grandfather as he was sitting down, and with one hand on her hip, reeking of self-righteousness said, ‘I just wanted to tell you that I couldn’t receive any of what you said because while the worship team was singing and ‘entering in’ you just sat there.’
Although I repented later, it was the first time in my life that I wanted to do violence to another human being. I myself had stood the entire service, but it was not me she was talking to, it was my grandfather, who was on the verge of passing out from the pain he was going through. I didn’t even bother translating what she had said to my grandfather, I simply shook my head and thought ‘God have mercy on you.’
So what’s the point of this trip down memory lane? The point is a simple one, it is something every mother or father has repeated at least once, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ It is so easy to rush to judgment, it is so easy to conclude certain things about individuals at first glance, especially if we have a critical spirit, but as is often the case our first impression isn’t always ‘spot on’ and what we end up doing is unjustly judging those around us.
Throughout my years of ministry I have run across such individuals from time to time, the ones who feel as though they are interim judges, swinging the gavel of their perceived authority so much so that they suffer from chronic tennis elbow. Each time I run across such people I am reminded of that experience twenty years ago, and I see the same spirit, the same absence of grace, the same lack of love, and my heart breaks.
When we see a brother or a sister suffer we can either react like Job’s friends berating them, concluding in our hearts that they have hidden sin, or we can extend grace, weeping with those who weep and mourning with those who mourn.
God has not abdicated His throne, He is not asleep at the wheel, and it is He who will judge all men in righteousness and holiness. Do not rush to judgment, no good can come of it, because God and God alone knows the truth in its entirety, He alone judges the hearts of men, and He alone has the authority to pass sentence.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
For those of you that have never had a gout attack it has been described as having hot razor blades between your joints, and although this description sounds exaggerated I assure you it is not. It is a painful, painful malady, one that I would not wish on my worst enemy, and my grandfather had suffered from it for so long that it had also caused him chronic arthritis. Since gout attacks usually occur in the joints of the feet and the knuckles of the hand, and are as unpredictable as earthquakes, whenever an attack comes on, the act of walking or standing can be likened to being stabbed repeatedly.
The evening before my grandfather was scheduled to speak at a church in Nebraska, we were in a local motel, getting ready to go to sleep when suddenly I saw him wince in pain. I knew what was coming, there was no way of stopping it, and by the next morning my grandfather was teary eyed from the pain of putting on his socks. I half carried him to the car, he leaned on me heavily as we walked up the church aisle, we found a pew closer to the front, and we sat down. The service began, the worship team did their thing, and when it was all over the pastor introduced my grandfather, and with one hand on my shoulder he gingerly made his way to the pulpit.
It was after the service, after he had poured out his heart, and preached a message of repentance that a lady in her thirties came up to my grandfather as he was sitting down, and with one hand on her hip, reeking of self-righteousness said, ‘I just wanted to tell you that I couldn’t receive any of what you said because while the worship team was singing and ‘entering in’ you just sat there.’
Although I repented later, it was the first time in my life that I wanted to do violence to another human being. I myself had stood the entire service, but it was not me she was talking to, it was my grandfather, who was on the verge of passing out from the pain he was going through. I didn’t even bother translating what she had said to my grandfather, I simply shook my head and thought ‘God have mercy on you.’
So what’s the point of this trip down memory lane? The point is a simple one, it is something every mother or father has repeated at least once, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ It is so easy to rush to judgment, it is so easy to conclude certain things about individuals at first glance, especially if we have a critical spirit, but as is often the case our first impression isn’t always ‘spot on’ and what we end up doing is unjustly judging those around us.
Throughout my years of ministry I have run across such individuals from time to time, the ones who feel as though they are interim judges, swinging the gavel of their perceived authority so much so that they suffer from chronic tennis elbow. Each time I run across such people I am reminded of that experience twenty years ago, and I see the same spirit, the same absence of grace, the same lack of love, and my heart breaks.
When we see a brother or a sister suffer we can either react like Job’s friends berating them, concluding in our hearts that they have hidden sin, or we can extend grace, weeping with those who weep and mourning with those who mourn.
God has not abdicated His throne, He is not asleep at the wheel, and it is He who will judge all men in righteousness and holiness. Do not rush to judgment, no good can come of it, because God and God alone knows the truth in its entirety, He alone judges the hearts of men, and He alone has the authority to pass sentence.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, April 11, 2011
You Have Not So Learned Christ!
A few years ago mantras were all the rage. Self-help gurus were coming out of the woodwork each promising a happier, healthier, and more productive life if only you looked in the mirror each morning and repeated a sappy one liner meant to motivate you. From the ever popular “I’m a winner; I’m worth it; I deserve it; I am smart; I am successful,” to the less popular “I’m beautiful on the inside and that’s what counts” countless souls shelled out good money to buy newly published books that simply regurgitated the ideas and mantras of a previously published book.
Seeing the wild success of the secular gurus the wolves among us also got in on the act, and since they had to one-up the other guys, it was no longer sufficient to look in a mirror and repeat a few words, we were supposed to look up to heaven and shout at the top of our lungs ‘money come to me now!’
Time seems to have told the tale, and people began to realize that just because they said ‘I’m a winner’ to their reflection it didn’t really make them one, and so the secular side of the mantra machine fizzled. It took somewhat longer for the ‘spiritual mantras’ to prove themselves void of substance, because although money never came from heaven when they called for it, credit was a good substitute, and when the credit line ran out, well there was always the equity in the house. ‘Blessings and prosperity, abundance and wealth,’ how the words rolled off the tongue, how the heart grew cold toward God, how Jesus was relegated to Easter and only then sparingly, until the day it all came crashing down, and the shiny new car got towed away, and the oversized mansion got seized, and the idols we worshiped were crushed into the earth by the reality that pressed down upon our heads.
Being one that enjoys the thrill of swimming against the tide, it is only now, after the notion of mantras has all but died that I’ve adopted a mantra of my own, and I would urge you, even beseech you to adopt the selfsame mantra in regards to the spiritual nourishment you receive, and allow to take root in your heart. Now before I start getting e-mails rebuking me for using the word ‘mantra’ I use it within the context of a statement that is frequently repeated, having nothing whatsoever to do with Hindu mysticism. Thought I’d make that clear since some people have the inane tendency to overreact. I only call it a mantra because I find myself repeating it frequently, and with each passing day the frequency seems to grow.
With that having been said, my mantra is this: ‘You have not so learned Christ!’
It is within the context of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that I rediscovered this magnificent verse some time ago, and it has both aided me and been a comfort to me, it has strengthened me, and often times even encouraged me to continue pressing ever onward toward Christ, continue walking the narrow path of faith, and I pray it does the same for you.
After Paul reminds the church in Ephesus that they should no longer walk as the gentiles walk, after He reaffirms the truth that their understanding is no longer darkened, and that they are no longer alienated from the life of God and as such should no longer give themselves over to licentiousness and the works of evil, Paul pens these seven magnificent words, ‘but you have not so learned Christ.’
The message he was attempting to convey to the church then, is as relevant and timely if not more so to the church of today, namely that even though there are those whose understanding is darkened, even though there are those who walk in ignorance, even though there are those who’ve had their hearts hardened and surrendered to sin, we have not so learned Christ.
I have preached many sermons on the end times, on the multitude of things that are about to descend upon the earth, and each time I preach such a message I am faithful in reminding all who would hear that the greatest danger for the believer will not be earthquakes, famines, wars or rumors of war, but rather the deception that will engulf the world.
In His prophetic utterance on the end times in Matthew 24, Jesus mentioned earthquakes once, he mentioned famines once, he mentioned pestilences once, but he mentioned the deceivers, the false prophets, and the false christs that would appear and attempt to deceive if possible even the elect, no less than four times within a twenty one verse discourse.
I realize discussing deception is not as exciting as discussing specific end times events that are about to unfold, but in my humble opinion, it is far more relevant, important and necessary to make certain that we are standing on the truth of God’s word, that we are following after the Christ of the Bible, rather than know the specificities of the next few years.
Many today forget that they have not so learned Christ, and so begin to drift away and follow after false christs.
‘But brother, it sounds so good, after all these years they found the loophole wherein holiness, righteousness, self-denial, self-renunciation, even the daily carrying of our crosses is no longer necessary.’
When you hear something like this, and the question is no longer if but when you will hear it, or other doctrines that are in direct conflict with the Word of God, our response shouldn’t be ‘tell me more, it sounds interesting,’ but rather, ‘I have not so learned Christ, therefore I’ve heard enough.’
From a purely Biblical point of view, taking into account the words of Jesus, as well as the warnings of Paul the Apostle concerning these last days, I am certain that the frequency with which we will repeat these seven words will multiply exponentially.
It doesn’t matter how good it sounds to the flesh, it doesn’t matter how much emotional sense it makes, if it is unscriptural, if we have not so learned Christ, then it is incumbent upon us to reject it no matter who the person speaking the newfangled teaching might be.
These seven words will save you much heartache in the months and years to come, and though others might embrace the wider path, though others might reject the notion of accountability toward God, or the sanctifying of oneself, remember, you have not so learned Christ!
Ephesians 4:17-24, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Seeing the wild success of the secular gurus the wolves among us also got in on the act, and since they had to one-up the other guys, it was no longer sufficient to look in a mirror and repeat a few words, we were supposed to look up to heaven and shout at the top of our lungs ‘money come to me now!’
Time seems to have told the tale, and people began to realize that just because they said ‘I’m a winner’ to their reflection it didn’t really make them one, and so the secular side of the mantra machine fizzled. It took somewhat longer for the ‘spiritual mantras’ to prove themselves void of substance, because although money never came from heaven when they called for it, credit was a good substitute, and when the credit line ran out, well there was always the equity in the house. ‘Blessings and prosperity, abundance and wealth,’ how the words rolled off the tongue, how the heart grew cold toward God, how Jesus was relegated to Easter and only then sparingly, until the day it all came crashing down, and the shiny new car got towed away, and the oversized mansion got seized, and the idols we worshiped were crushed into the earth by the reality that pressed down upon our heads.
Being one that enjoys the thrill of swimming against the tide, it is only now, after the notion of mantras has all but died that I’ve adopted a mantra of my own, and I would urge you, even beseech you to adopt the selfsame mantra in regards to the spiritual nourishment you receive, and allow to take root in your heart. Now before I start getting e-mails rebuking me for using the word ‘mantra’ I use it within the context of a statement that is frequently repeated, having nothing whatsoever to do with Hindu mysticism. Thought I’d make that clear since some people have the inane tendency to overreact. I only call it a mantra because I find myself repeating it frequently, and with each passing day the frequency seems to grow.
With that having been said, my mantra is this: ‘You have not so learned Christ!’
It is within the context of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that I rediscovered this magnificent verse some time ago, and it has both aided me and been a comfort to me, it has strengthened me, and often times even encouraged me to continue pressing ever onward toward Christ, continue walking the narrow path of faith, and I pray it does the same for you.
After Paul reminds the church in Ephesus that they should no longer walk as the gentiles walk, after He reaffirms the truth that their understanding is no longer darkened, and that they are no longer alienated from the life of God and as such should no longer give themselves over to licentiousness and the works of evil, Paul pens these seven magnificent words, ‘but you have not so learned Christ.’
The message he was attempting to convey to the church then, is as relevant and timely if not more so to the church of today, namely that even though there are those whose understanding is darkened, even though there are those who walk in ignorance, even though there are those who’ve had their hearts hardened and surrendered to sin, we have not so learned Christ.
I have preached many sermons on the end times, on the multitude of things that are about to descend upon the earth, and each time I preach such a message I am faithful in reminding all who would hear that the greatest danger for the believer will not be earthquakes, famines, wars or rumors of war, but rather the deception that will engulf the world.
In His prophetic utterance on the end times in Matthew 24, Jesus mentioned earthquakes once, he mentioned famines once, he mentioned pestilences once, but he mentioned the deceivers, the false prophets, and the false christs that would appear and attempt to deceive if possible even the elect, no less than four times within a twenty one verse discourse.
I realize discussing deception is not as exciting as discussing specific end times events that are about to unfold, but in my humble opinion, it is far more relevant, important and necessary to make certain that we are standing on the truth of God’s word, that we are following after the Christ of the Bible, rather than know the specificities of the next few years.
Many today forget that they have not so learned Christ, and so begin to drift away and follow after false christs.
‘But brother, it sounds so good, after all these years they found the loophole wherein holiness, righteousness, self-denial, self-renunciation, even the daily carrying of our crosses is no longer necessary.’
When you hear something like this, and the question is no longer if but when you will hear it, or other doctrines that are in direct conflict with the Word of God, our response shouldn’t be ‘tell me more, it sounds interesting,’ but rather, ‘I have not so learned Christ, therefore I’ve heard enough.’
From a purely Biblical point of view, taking into account the words of Jesus, as well as the warnings of Paul the Apostle concerning these last days, I am certain that the frequency with which we will repeat these seven words will multiply exponentially.
It doesn’t matter how good it sounds to the flesh, it doesn’t matter how much emotional sense it makes, if it is unscriptural, if we have not so learned Christ, then it is incumbent upon us to reject it no matter who the person speaking the newfangled teaching might be.
These seven words will save you much heartache in the months and years to come, and though others might embrace the wider path, though others might reject the notion of accountability toward God, or the sanctifying of oneself, remember, you have not so learned Christ!
Ephesians 4:17-24, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Three Things You Will Never Hear God Say!
(We will be suspending the teaching series on the principles of judging for the next fourteen days so that I might keep my word, and post the 'fourteen teachings in fourteen days'. Although it would be easier for me just to continue posting the series, it would be disingenuous since I had already started the series, and planned on seeing it through. As promised, this is the first of fourteen teachings entitled 'three things you will never hear God say!')
When it comes to preaching the Word of God I have always believed that in order for a message to have impact, in order for it to stir the hearts of the hearers, preparation must be coupled with divine inspiration. One can have the most eloquent, polished, and nuanced of sermons yet see it fall flat simply because it was not what the people in that particular congregation needed to hear. And so, I prepare, and extensively so, I read the Word, I meditate upon it, I pray for guidance and understanding, but I never enter a church with a pre-formulated sermon, a canned presentation that although intellectually challenging does nothing to stir the heart.
I was sitting near the back of a friend’s church in Michigan recently, and as is my custom, I was praying for inspiration, for God to give me the message that I was supposed to share that evening. Suddenly, within the span of thirty seconds, God poured the message I was to share into my heart, both clearly and concisely. I had never preached it before, never even thought of approaching the subject matter in that way, yet the message was there, title and all, three things you will never hear God say.
The first thing you will never hear God say is: ‘I didn’t really mean that!’
I realize full well that there are certain men within Christendom that have made it their life’s mission to convince the sheep of God’s pasture that there are certain things He didn’t mean in His word. I also realize that more individuals than we would like to believe have given in to this seducing spirit, because it is pleasing to the flesh, it takes the narrow path of faith and turns it into a twelve lane superhighway, and as an added bonus eliminates the need to pursue holiness, righteousness, and a life separate from the world and the things of the world.
Although countless voices continue to croon and attempt to convince that God didn’t really mean what He said in His word, you will never hear God say He didn’t really mean it.
When we stand before His holy face, when on that great and terrible day of the Lord we will be called to give account for our lives, attempted justifications such as ‘I thought You were just exaggerating, or I didn’t think you really meant that’ just won’t do.
God does not mince words, He is not a double minded politician, He is not duplicitous in His nature, and if He said something He meant it.
Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
The second thing you will never hear God say is: ‘I love you, but not enough to forgive your past!’
When a heart surrenders and repents before God, there are no qualifiers, there are no conjunctions; God simply forgives. If you happen to be reading this today, and you’ve been thinking to yourself that God can never forgive what you did, it is the enemy that is whispering this in your ear. Repent and He will forgive, give Him your heart and He will make it His home, seek Him and you will find Him. He is a good God, He is a forgiving God, He is a loving God, He is a merciful God, and in His infinite grace, in His infinite mercy in His infinite goodness He sent His Son Jesus to shed His blood and die for our sins that we might be forgiven, and reconciled unto Him.
You will never hear God say He loves you but not enough to forgive you, because He has demonstrated the limitless depth of His love through Jesus Christ. Repent and be restored, repent and be forgiven, repent and be reconciled.
Acts 3:19-21, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
Although it is frequently used by Jesus, as well as the Apostles throughout the gospel, the word ‘repent’ seems to have fallen out of favor with the modern day church. It is to our detriment that we neglect repentance, because without repentance there can be no forgiveness.
True repentance implies more than just feeling regret or remorse, it implies more than just feeling sorry for our past actions, true repentance demands that we turn away from the sins which ensnare us, and embrace the forgiveness, the mercy, the grace and the life of Christ.
The third thing you will never hear God say is: ‘I didn’t see that one coming!’
One of the most errant, deceptive and destructive doctrines making its way through the house of God, is that He does not know the future. I’ve heard it on more than one occasion, from men who considered themselves spiritually mature, and each time I hear it I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
‘God’s as much in the dark as we are brother. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen, it’s as shocking to Him as it is to us.’ Really? Are you sure? Then how did Micah know that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah? Then how did Isaiah know that Jesus would be born of a virgin, be wounded and bruised, oppressed and afflicted, or that He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb? Then how did Zechariah know that the Christ would be betrayed for the price of a slave?
I could go on, for pages and pages since we haven’t even touched the prophecies of Jesus concerning the last days, or the book of Revelation, but I think you get my point.
God is sovereign, He is omniscient, He knows the end from the beginning, He exists outside of time and space as we perceive it, and there is absolutely nothing that happens in this entire universe without His foreknowledge.
It would seem as though man is no longer trying to build a tower high enough to reach God, but rather in his pride and arrogance man is trying to bring God down to his level.
‘No way God can know more than me! I have a college degree, and even the requisite pedigree. Even the thought that I am not the master of my own destiny, the captain of my own ship, and the ruler of my domain is anathema to me!’
And so, we dismiss the loving warnings of a loving God, we do away with those parts of the Bible that forewarn us of the coming days because well, we just don’t like them, and chalk it all up to the notion that God is a reactionary being as much of mankind tends to be, and each new day is filled with a myriad of surprises for Him just as it would be for us.
It is not so! God is neither ignorant nor blind, and if He has spoken it, He will also bring it to pass.
Isaiah 46:9-13, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
When it comes to preaching the Word of God I have always believed that in order for a message to have impact, in order for it to stir the hearts of the hearers, preparation must be coupled with divine inspiration. One can have the most eloquent, polished, and nuanced of sermons yet see it fall flat simply because it was not what the people in that particular congregation needed to hear. And so, I prepare, and extensively so, I read the Word, I meditate upon it, I pray for guidance and understanding, but I never enter a church with a pre-formulated sermon, a canned presentation that although intellectually challenging does nothing to stir the heart.
I was sitting near the back of a friend’s church in Michigan recently, and as is my custom, I was praying for inspiration, for God to give me the message that I was supposed to share that evening. Suddenly, within the span of thirty seconds, God poured the message I was to share into my heart, both clearly and concisely. I had never preached it before, never even thought of approaching the subject matter in that way, yet the message was there, title and all, three things you will never hear God say.
The first thing you will never hear God say is: ‘I didn’t really mean that!’
I realize full well that there are certain men within Christendom that have made it their life’s mission to convince the sheep of God’s pasture that there are certain things He didn’t mean in His word. I also realize that more individuals than we would like to believe have given in to this seducing spirit, because it is pleasing to the flesh, it takes the narrow path of faith and turns it into a twelve lane superhighway, and as an added bonus eliminates the need to pursue holiness, righteousness, and a life separate from the world and the things of the world.
Although countless voices continue to croon and attempt to convince that God didn’t really mean what He said in His word, you will never hear God say He didn’t really mean it.
When we stand before His holy face, when on that great and terrible day of the Lord we will be called to give account for our lives, attempted justifications such as ‘I thought You were just exaggerating, or I didn’t think you really meant that’ just won’t do.
God does not mince words, He is not a double minded politician, He is not duplicitous in His nature, and if He said something He meant it.
Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
The second thing you will never hear God say is: ‘I love you, but not enough to forgive your past!’
When a heart surrenders and repents before God, there are no qualifiers, there are no conjunctions; God simply forgives. If you happen to be reading this today, and you’ve been thinking to yourself that God can never forgive what you did, it is the enemy that is whispering this in your ear. Repent and He will forgive, give Him your heart and He will make it His home, seek Him and you will find Him. He is a good God, He is a forgiving God, He is a loving God, He is a merciful God, and in His infinite grace, in His infinite mercy in His infinite goodness He sent His Son Jesus to shed His blood and die for our sins that we might be forgiven, and reconciled unto Him.
You will never hear God say He loves you but not enough to forgive you, because He has demonstrated the limitless depth of His love through Jesus Christ. Repent and be restored, repent and be forgiven, repent and be reconciled.
Acts 3:19-21, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”
Although it is frequently used by Jesus, as well as the Apostles throughout the gospel, the word ‘repent’ seems to have fallen out of favor with the modern day church. It is to our detriment that we neglect repentance, because without repentance there can be no forgiveness.
True repentance implies more than just feeling regret or remorse, it implies more than just feeling sorry for our past actions, true repentance demands that we turn away from the sins which ensnare us, and embrace the forgiveness, the mercy, the grace and the life of Christ.
The third thing you will never hear God say is: ‘I didn’t see that one coming!’
One of the most errant, deceptive and destructive doctrines making its way through the house of God, is that He does not know the future. I’ve heard it on more than one occasion, from men who considered themselves spiritually mature, and each time I hear it I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
‘God’s as much in the dark as we are brother. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen, it’s as shocking to Him as it is to us.’ Really? Are you sure? Then how did Micah know that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah? Then how did Isaiah know that Jesus would be born of a virgin, be wounded and bruised, oppressed and afflicted, or that He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb? Then how did Zechariah know that the Christ would be betrayed for the price of a slave?
I could go on, for pages and pages since we haven’t even touched the prophecies of Jesus concerning the last days, or the book of Revelation, but I think you get my point.
God is sovereign, He is omniscient, He knows the end from the beginning, He exists outside of time and space as we perceive it, and there is absolutely nothing that happens in this entire universe without His foreknowledge.
It would seem as though man is no longer trying to build a tower high enough to reach God, but rather in his pride and arrogance man is trying to bring God down to his level.
‘No way God can know more than me! I have a college degree, and even the requisite pedigree. Even the thought that I am not the master of my own destiny, the captain of my own ship, and the ruler of my domain is anathema to me!’
And so, we dismiss the loving warnings of a loving God, we do away with those parts of the Bible that forewarn us of the coming days because well, we just don’t like them, and chalk it all up to the notion that God is a reactionary being as much of mankind tends to be, and each new day is filled with a myriad of surprises for Him just as it would be for us.
It is not so! God is neither ignorant nor blind, and if He has spoken it, He will also bring it to pass.
Isaiah 46:9-13, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion for Israel My glory.”
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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