Thursday, April 11, 2013

I'm Angry and You Should Be Too!


After finishing one of three sermons I was scheduled to preach this past Sunday, a brother came up to me and as we were talking he said he’d heard something the idiocy of which was so astounding that at first I had to chuckle.

During the six hour drive back to Wisconsin the next day, I had time to dwell on what he’d said, and with each passing mile I grew angrier and angrier.

What the brother said he’d heard a pastor say is that God did not punish Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of sodomy, He punished Sodom and Gomorrah because they were inhospitable.

To hear him tell the tale, one would readily conclude it wasn’t the fact that they attempted to break down Lot’s door to have their way with the messenger of the Lord that angered God, it was that they didn’t bring a bunt cake along.

The reason I grew progressively angrier and I continue to be angry to this moment, is because the church is doing everything in its power to validate and justify the perversions of the world –  twisting Scripture to the point that one doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry – so long as they don’t have to call sin, sin.

The men speaking these nonsensical idiocies are those whom we look up to as our spiritual authorities, and those whose only mandate is to lead us to all truth in Christ Jesus. They are failing at their singular duty, and failing miserably.

It doesn’t take genius IQ to read the word of God and see why God judged Sodom and Gomorrah. It doesn’t take a diploma in expository exegesis or hermeneutics to come to the realization that two plus two equals four, and if the intent of the Sodomites were honorable in any way, first, Lot would not have offered up his daughter in the messenger’s stead, and second, the messenger of the Lord would not have blinded the entire city.

I for one am angry and I think you should be too. The Bible is okay with anger. It even tells us to be angry and sin not, but that really isn’t telling us anything is it?

Are we just supposed to sit here and fume as I’ve been doing for the past few days? Are we supposed to go and lift weights until our back starts to spasm, or run until we realize we’re so far from home we need to call a taxi?

I believe there is an answer as to what we can do, and I believe it is the only thing that will work. No, it’s not calling these men on the carpet for the heresies they are teaching, because they lost their ability to blush long ago, and their conscience has likewise been seared.

The answer is to simply stop!

Stop attending their churches, stop giving them your hard earned money, stop buying their books, just stop.

‘Here we go Martha, now he’s going to tell us to support his ministry instead. I knew there was a catch.’

Actually, although we do good, noble, Biblical work and feed orphans, widows, and the poor, just so you don’t think I have a vested interest, I will not ask you to support my ministry.

You can however take the money you would have put in the  plate, and go buy ten large pizzas, find the poorest most desperate section of your city, and go give the pizzas to those who are hungry.

There are countless things you can do, wherever you happen to live, that will exemplify Christ far more profoundly than giving in to the pressure of being told you must sow an extra special seed this month, because last month’s extra special seed didn’t quite cover the cost of all the time the pastor put in to his heretical reinterpretation of God’s Holy Word.

Be the hands of Christ yourself. Be the feet of Christ yourself. Be the heart of Christ yourself. You will never know how good it feels to give – even if what you’re giving is something seemingly insignificant to you – until you actually do it yourself.

If you can’t find a place that feeds you spiritually, make your home the place where you get fed. Get together with your spouse, pray, read the Word, pray again, and you will be amazed at the revelation God begins to pour into your heart.

The reason so many understand so little is because there is an epidemic lack of sincerity in the hearts of most individuals calling themselves believers today.

They don’t want to know the will of God…they just want their current lifestyle and peccadillos to be validated and rubberstamped by God. And so, they would rather live off of platitudes and affirmations and declarations, and looking in the mirror telling themselves how capable and lovable they are, just as long as no one challenges them or highlights their need for repentance.

If in freedom the best the modern day church can muster is a duplicitous, lukewarm, halfhearted imitation of true worship, what pray tell will the selfsame church do when persecution descends upon it?

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

10 comments:

meema said...

Michael,
I bumped up against this pathetic theology about a dozen years ago when I was still participating in group forums. A young woman posted this tripe and I could not help but gently point her to Genesis 19:4-5 that could hardly be interpreted any other way. She was not receptive to my argument, so I shook the dust off my feet.

I had to stop participating in forums, even the presumably Christian-centered ones because I always seemed to be the lone voice. For much the same reason I, and most of my family do not attend church. We worship every day, not just Sundays.

I’m going to take the opportunity to mention this as well. There has been a lot of hoopla and praise for the recent Bible series on History channel. My husband and I watched the first episode. There was so much missing I didn’t wish to watch any more. I tried to reason that it was similar to reading a children’s picture book Bible - just the highlights are given to children in Bible stories, of course, because children need milk, not meat. That was my rationale. But in the first episode, even in the milk, there were little inserts of mistruth. For example, in the representation of Sodom and Gomorrah, the sin of the city was expressed as general debauchery, men and woman partying hardy. Further, Lot’s daughters were cast as young children which would make it easier to dismiss what happened between Lot and his daughters and the two sons produced who grew up to be enemies of Israel.

I’m pointing this out even as some might say I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but it’s more important than most people can grasp. We need meat, not pablum, nor watered down milk. We need truth and we need to come out, stop sitting on the fence, and supporting, by default, those who would pervert and undermine Christ. This is called being lukewarm.

I’m angry too, Michael, and honestly, I fear to say, God is as well. I can’t even want to consider the consequences of God being angry but the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is most definitely repeatable.

For Christ,
Meema

Jeremiah said...

There is no end to Bible revisionists. Sodom's principle sins (according to Jude 7) were "giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh."

In short: sodomy.

However, Ezekiel 16:49 does remind us that Sodom's sins were many.

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."

Isn't it interesting that the sins above which are in bold are an accurate snapshot of 21st century America? Even more chilling, it's a picture of a very large part of the 21st century American church.

Excellent post!

marshall warren said...

I share your feelings. It breaks my heart to see how many "Christians" have remade God in "their" own image and created a Jesus that allows them to bring all their worldly baggage with them into the kingdom of heaven. The bible is no longer God's Holy Word to them. Rather it has become a reference book for justifying their own beliefs. We need to pray!!!
God bless your ministry,
Marshall Warren

Mary Lamoray said...

Excellent!!!

FionaB said...

Sadly, this is the reason my spouse and I left our church several years ago and have not found another one that isn't lukewarm or trying to make things "comfortable" for everyone.

We do as you said and look for ways to minister to others. We have trusted that the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us in all things and to date He has not let us down. In fact, He has been doing a major work in both of our hearts.

I have met several who have questioned my Christianity because I do not attend a church. While I believe that my walk with the Lord doesn't depend upon being in a building, I do miss the fellowship. Unfortunately that fellowship came at a cost, that cost being my becoming someone who was slowly being shaped into someone who was ok with sin and being "seeker sensitive".

A sad day indeed when true believers and ones who want to be holy before their God have to leave the very places where they are supposed to be at home.

j said...

Mike,
What's a person suppose to do? I'm sick and tired of the preaching that is being preached in the church today. If I didn't have two daughters living at home I would stop going to church altogether.
I can listen to better sermons online being preached.
I pray everyday that God will and direct my life and my family's life everyday.
I'm sick of having church just to have church. I long for the revivals and altar calls that the Assembly of God denomination used to have years ago.
As I read my Bible God says there will be a great falling away. Sadly we are seeing this happen in the churches today. A great falling away.
Jeff

Barbara said...

That sounds like a gay church. The Episcopal church has preachers who are homosexual. They twist the scriptures to justify their behavior. It is laughable. What you can do is call them out on it. Then when they yell at you and tell you that your view is not welcome, you can leave for good.

People can find whatever they want in the scripture. The new trend in Islam is to think that the Bible even predicted Mohammed and Islam. They think because an ancient Hebrew word structure resembles the name Mohammed, that means that he is the next authority from God.

I find these ideas funny in a way. They are dangerous, but only to people dumb enough to believe them.

I heard that the city was destroyed for utter lawlessness, which was exemplified by the pervert men breaking in a door to rape strangers.

Homosexuality does lead to depravity. Maybe that is why this preacher thinks it is okay to read his own view into the Bible.

I was shocked that Lot would offer his own children to these horrible men. I still can't come up with a good reason for that. I wonder if that creepy city was just affecting his judgement.

Anonymous said...

from a nurse: I know it's difficult, everybody, but try not to fume and become apoplectic. It will just drive up your blood pressure, and most of us have enough problems these days without that. Yes, it's terrible, just like the Bible told us it would be. Get a grip, because as time goes on it will get worse, not better. I sometimes feel like in this world I am up to my neck in raw sewage with nothing to grab hold of to climb out of it, I just have to pray for the strength and patience to continue until the Lord sees fit to take me out of it Himself. I pray often for an insulating layer of His presence to shield me from this. We can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that God will judge all this, and the consequences of His wrath are far beyond any earthly ones we could come up with.

Anonymous said...

Beloved in Christ, as I read I am astonished that so many others have gone through my same experiences yet we have never met. We are one in the Spirit of Jesus. It is good that the truth is in you and that you shrink not back from declaring the whole counsel of The Word of God. Though I too long for fellowship with you, I know that God hears the sum of our prayers and receives them even as if we were together, since we are of like mind and purpose. Keep on feeding each other the meat of the Word. Fast and pray literally unceasingly and devour the Word continually. Remember the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, so let His praises be continually on your lips. Though we are separated now, it may be the angel of the Lord will rescue us with the wings of a great Eagle and nourish us in the wilderness if we will consent to go. We do not know what the Lord has decreed, but Daniel was told that those who do know their God will do great exploits. Therefore, KNOW Him and be fully known. I pray the Lord will send His Spirit on all who repent and believe so that we will continue in love of the true brethren. Keep the Word of His patience and be not dismayed; be strong in the Lord and in the courage of His might. Put on the whole armor of God as you've been commanded and then pray and stand and watch. For He is coming back for a spotless bride who is watching and who keeps her lamp full of oil. Endure to the end and do not faint and you shall see the joy of your salvation as promised. HALLELUJAH!

heweeps said...

All interesting but I think the Ezekiel 16 verse has said alot. Homosexuality, a perverted type of lust/sex is very self centered. Lust and sex become strong addictions when they are focused on. So the activity practised by these people led them into a state of being so centered on their sexual desires that every thing else was put aside. The heart becomes really hard, nothing else matters except what will lead to more lustful activity. Only the blood of Jesus can break these chains.