Once there was a man who started feeling ill. At first, he
tried to ignore it, pretend as though the feeling wasn't there, but it just
kept getting worse. Soon it began to show in his countenance, and as he glanced
into the mirror one morning, he was horrified at what he saw. His face wasn't
his own anymore. The man staring back was haggard and sallow, his eyes sunk
into the back of his head, and his skin had taken on a sickly pallor.
The man realized he could not continue on this way, and he
finally broke down and sought the help of a physician. It was not easy for him
to seek help. He was a proud man. The physician was welcoming and open, he
asked the man his symptoms, and without much ado told the man what ailed him.
The physician did not try to sugar coat the man's condition,
nor did he attempt to minimize the severity of his sickness. The physician was
forthright as he could be, informing the man that if his illness went
untreated, it was terminal. The mortality rate was 100%, but the good news was
that there was a treatment for it, and once administered, had a 100% success
rate.
“That’s wonderful,” the man said, “is there a prescription?”
“Yes, the doctor said, and because it’s so outside of your
ability to pay for it, I will cover the cost of the medicine. There are,
however, certain lifestyle changes you will need to make, such as what you eat,
and the kind of exercise you get, but as far as the medication itself, it is
covered.”
Upon hearing this, the man's countenance changed, and he
became visibly angry.
“But I like my lifestyle. I like what I eat. Isn’t there
another way? Can’t I just take the medicine? Maybe I should get a second
opinion. I think I read somewhere online that there are holistic remedies.”
"There is no other way," the physician replied
calmly, but the man would hear none of it.
"We'll see about that!" the man barked as he
stormed out.
We are living in a time wherein there are many self-titled,
self-appointed, and self-anointed physicians who insist that all you have to do
in order to pass from death to life is take the medicine. They insist that no
repentance is required, that transformation is not essential, and that all one
need do is raise a hand and say a prayer, then go on with their lives as though
nothing happened.
Eventually, they'll bring up the issue of tithing, but as far
as repentance is concerned, that is a topic that will turn off most people, and
they know it. Never mind the fact that without holiness, no man will see God,
or that once forgiven Jesus told the woman at the well to go and sin no more.
This is a new age, a new era, and we need to make it easier
for people to get saved than what was prescribed in Scripture, or we run the
risk of building colossal sanctuaries and no one showing up.
Unfortunately, there is no Hippocratic oath for pastors and
evangelists. They gamble with men's souls for temporary gain and deceive
countless individuals into believing they have been healed when all they've
done is made them comfortable as they die. The church has become a gigantic
hospice care facility that manages the pain of dying, while not addressing the
dying itself.
Yes, you will run the risk of some walking away if you insist
on repentance. Yes, you will run the risk of being hated by those you love enough
to speak truth to if you stand on Scripture. Yes, you will be misunderstood and
branded a zealot, a hater, an intolerant knuckle dragging fear monger, but at
least you won't have blood on your hands when you stand before the Almighty.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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