Long ago, in the land of Jezreel, there lived a man of noble character. He was neither a king nor a prophet, he was not a man of great esteem in the eyes of his contemporaries, he was a man who faithfully tended the vineyard he received as an inheritance from his father. Naboth, also known as Naboth the Jezreelite, the man of which I speak was a man who knew the value of his inheritance, and was diligent in tending it the best way he knew how. Naboth planted, he pruned, and he watered, because it was his desire to honor his inheritance. Naboth lived an unassuming life, until one day, Ahab the king of Samaria, came to him and made him an offer many would not have refused.
Naboth’s vineyard had the misfortune of being situated next to Ahab’s palace, and one day Ahab woke up and realized he really would fancy a vegetable garden. Why he chose Naboth’s vineyard is unknown, for surely Naboth’s was not the only plot of land surrounding the palace, but Ahab’s heart was settled.
1 Kings 21:2, “So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, ‘give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”
On the surface this seemed like a fair and reasonable offer. Taking into account that it was the king himself making the offer, it was even generous and munificent. Naboth was even given a choice between a better vineyard, or its worth in money. Why toil in the sun? Why be at the mercy of the weather? Why concern oneself with whether or not it was going to rain? Why spend the days picking grapes, when he could have taken the vineyard’s worth in money, and lived happily ever after, and garnered the king’s favor by his acceptance of the deal? In short, because it was the inheritance of his fathers!
1 Kings 21:3, “And Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”
The king of this world is always making such offers to the children of God who have received an inheritance of grace and truth. They are not unreasonable offers, in fact they seem outright charitable, because the devil doesn’t haggle when it comes to acquiring something that God values, and then systematically destroying it.
Ahab did not want to continue growing grapes, he wanted to pull out the entire vineyard, and plant a vegetable garden in its place. When the enemy makes you an offer on your inheritance, just remember he does not intend to keep it as it is but destroy it altogether and plant something less noble in its place.
Countless souls have been deceived by the cunning offer of the king of this world, and whether for a better vineyard, or for money, they sold their inheritance, somehow justifying it to themselves.
“Why are you preaching the truth? Why are you standing on the Word?”, the king of this world says, “I will give you a bigger ministry, a greater outreach, just tone it down a tad, let me replace the noble fruit, with ordinary vegetables, and you’ll see how much easier it will be for you. You won’t have to labor as much, you won’t have to be pruning and trimming all the time, you’ll get to enjoy life, and the trappings of this life. If you want out of the vineyard business altogether, then I’ll buy you off, just sell out!”
Chances are Naboth did not know he was a man of noble character, because one’s character is made manifest only upon testing. Noble character is a byproduct of faithfulness and obedience, of humility and dedication. Such character is daily nurtured and matured, although its possessor does not fully realize it. One walks in obedience, one walks in faithfulness not for the express result of having a noble character, but to be obedient to God. Obedience to God however, serves to grow godly character in us, and when the time of its testing comes it flows through us.
Nabath’s noble character led to a noble purpose, and a noble stand. He would not sell, nor barter away his vineyard, because it had been entrusted to him by his father, and as such he would be faithful in tending to it, and growing the best fruit he possibly could.
If only the character of some Christians today was as noble as that of Naboth. If only we as the children of God would realize the true worth of our inheritance in Him, and take a stand in saying that we will not trifle away that which is priceless, for something that is temporal and passing, that we will not sell out, that we will not give in, that whether it be a pauper or a king that pressures us into parting with that which God has entrusted us, we would not quibble, but flatly and convincingly say, ‘no, the Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!’
For most Christians today, it doesn’t take a king to cause them to relent, but any sort of opposition whatsoever. It doesn’t even have to be verbal, just a certain look from a neighbor, a friend, or a family member is enough for most people to sell their inheritance, to stop tending their Father’s vineyard, and relent.
Everybody wants to be loved, and nobody wants to be hated in today’s day and age, but there are certain things worth being hated for, there are certain things worth being despised for, and there are certain things worth being persecuted for. Our Father’s inheritance is one of those things worth suffering the rejection, hatred, and maliciousness of the world over.
Absence of noble character causes many to cut and run at the first sign of trouble, at the first sign of opposition, or the first sign of disagreement. In the face of opposition and persecution we discover our true character, and therein we find whether we will stand for the truth of God’s word, or compromise as so many others already have.
If you do have a noble character, be forewarned that the world, your friends, and even your family will not understand why you choose to reject what to them might seem like a great offer, why you choose to stand on principle, and why you honor the Father’s inheritance. The world cannot perceive that which it has never known, and as Ahab, will be both confused and offended that you chose not to compromise, but rather to stand for the truth. In its ignorance the world will persecute you, and begin to do everything in its power to separate you from your inheritance, because the ruler of this world knows how priceless it truly is, but stand firm, for what is yours is yours, and it cannot be taken away by any man. What we have in God, the inheritance that we have received, no man can take away from us.
The story of Naboth does not have a happy ending, he is not rewarded for his noble character, but rather falsely accused, dragged out of the city and stoned to death. That however is a teaching for another time. For now I ask that you ponder Naboth’s noble character, and search your heart to see if you possess the selfsame character that made this man exceptional even though everything else about him was ordinary.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
A Dangerous Mindset
One of the most loving things God can do for us as individuals is show us and remind us that we are not irreplaceable. I realize this might sound odd to some, but it is one of the truest evidences of love, when God chooses to keep us humble, show us our impotence and frequently so.
I have preached many a sermon on the prophet Elijah. His courage, and boldness in the face of overwhelming odds, his experiences with God, and his obedience, makes him and his life a treasure trove of practical teaching for believers at all levels of spiritual maturity. Yes, Elijah was a rare man, but he was a man.
One of the greatest attributes of the Bible, and consequently one of the most overlooked attributes of the Bible, is that it reveals the humanity of those whom God called into ministry and used in powerful ways. The Bible is not one of those books where all the lead characters are flawless, ever valiant, perfect and brave in every way, but it is an honest portrayal of these men and women who lived so long ago, yet had many of the same shortcomings and trials as we do in our present day. There is no spin, no one tried to cover up the fact that Peter denied Jesus three times, no one attempted to whitewash the fact that David sinned, or that Thomas doubted the reality of Jesus until he was allowed to feel the wounds in Christ’s hands and side.
When we read the Word, we do not read of perfect men, we do not read of superhuman men, we read of men very much like ourselves whose faith and obedience carried them far beyond their abilities.
There is no denying that Elijah was a man and a prophet of God, there is no denying that God did great and mighty works through him, yet even Elijah was flawed.
After having seen the fire of God descend upon the alter, after having slain the prophets of Baal, after having prophesied the coming rain, and outrunning Ahab’s chariot on foot, Elijah finds himself fleeing from before Jezebel.
Apparently Jezebel was not a very forgiving woman, and even to this day her name lives in infamy. Upon hearing that all the prophets of Baal had been executed by the hand of Elijah, Jezebel sent a message to him, informing him in so many words that he too would be dead by that time the next day.
Now here was Elijah, the great and mighty man of God fleeing from before the presence of Jezebel. The Word tells us that first he ran to Beersheba, and after leaving his servant there, went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree.
It is here that Elijah does something that I’ve always found very odd, even baffling. As he sat under that broom tree, Elijah prayed that he might die saying, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’
This prayer is troubling for one reason in particular. If Elijah really wanted to die, why did he flee? If Elijah really wanted to die, why didn’t he just sit at home and wait for Jezebel to come and do as she had threatened?
Because I believe Elijah thought in his heart that he was irreplaceable. He fled because he thought to himself, ‘if Jezebel kills me, who will stand for the truth; If Jezebel kills me, who will confront the prophets of Baal?’
Why would I come to this conclusion? Because of a very telling encounter that Elijah had with God some time after his time under the broom tree. Between Elijah asking God to take his life, and the conversation I refer to, there is a window of about forty days and forty nights. During this time, Elijah’s strength was sustained by one meal that the angel of the Lord had brought him, and this too is a fascinating and practical teaching, but for another time.
For forty days Elijah journeyed until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night, and behold the word of the Lord came to him, and said, “What are you doing here Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:10, “So he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
So here he was, the man of God, bemoaning his fate, and having self-pity. He also accentuates the fact that he is the only one that is left of those who were zealous for the Lord God, as the other prophets were killed with the sword.
“If I don’t fight, if I don’t rebuke, if I don’t warn, then who will? I’m the only one left, all the others have been felled by the sword, I’m irreplaceable, and that is why I had to run from Jezebel, because if she killed me, there would be no one left.”
Here is where God open’s Elijah’s eyes, here is where I believe that for the first time he realizes he is not the last man standing, nor is he irreplaceable.
1 Kings 18:18, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
One might think that this is directed at pastors, evangelists, or ministry leaders exclusively, but the truth is that anyone can fall into this dangerous mindset of thinking themselves irreplaceable.
“No one can lead worship the way I do, no one can vacuum the church the way I do, no one can keep the books the way I do, what would this fellowship be without me?”
Some have even allowed themselves to be so blinded by their own self-importance that they think because they’re so necessary to the work of God, even if they sin God will overlook it because they’re irreplaceable. If history has taught us anything, it’s that no one is irreplaceable. Servants come, and return to the earth from which they came, but the work of God goes on. Just when we think we’re the only ones left, just when we think there is no one else who will stand, God opens our eyes to the reality that there are seven thousand others who have not defiled themselves.
If God has called you to serve in any capacity, serve faithfully, serve honorably, serve with dedication, serve with passion, but always remember that it is God working through you, and as such you must guard your heart from sin, and keep yourself in His will.
God is not impressed by the size of our church, or the size of our ministry, He is not impressed with how well we speak or how well we write. God simply expects to be obeyed! When He said be holy for I am holy, he meant it, and He will use someone with less natural talent and ability to do His work and bring glory to His name who is walking in holiness, than someone who is gifted in the eyes of the world but has chosen the way of compromise.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
I have preached many a sermon on the prophet Elijah. His courage, and boldness in the face of overwhelming odds, his experiences with God, and his obedience, makes him and his life a treasure trove of practical teaching for believers at all levels of spiritual maturity. Yes, Elijah was a rare man, but he was a man.
One of the greatest attributes of the Bible, and consequently one of the most overlooked attributes of the Bible, is that it reveals the humanity of those whom God called into ministry and used in powerful ways. The Bible is not one of those books where all the lead characters are flawless, ever valiant, perfect and brave in every way, but it is an honest portrayal of these men and women who lived so long ago, yet had many of the same shortcomings and trials as we do in our present day. There is no spin, no one tried to cover up the fact that Peter denied Jesus three times, no one attempted to whitewash the fact that David sinned, or that Thomas doubted the reality of Jesus until he was allowed to feel the wounds in Christ’s hands and side.
When we read the Word, we do not read of perfect men, we do not read of superhuman men, we read of men very much like ourselves whose faith and obedience carried them far beyond their abilities.
There is no denying that Elijah was a man and a prophet of God, there is no denying that God did great and mighty works through him, yet even Elijah was flawed.
After having seen the fire of God descend upon the alter, after having slain the prophets of Baal, after having prophesied the coming rain, and outrunning Ahab’s chariot on foot, Elijah finds himself fleeing from before Jezebel.
Apparently Jezebel was not a very forgiving woman, and even to this day her name lives in infamy. Upon hearing that all the prophets of Baal had been executed by the hand of Elijah, Jezebel sent a message to him, informing him in so many words that he too would be dead by that time the next day.
Now here was Elijah, the great and mighty man of God fleeing from before the presence of Jezebel. The Word tells us that first he ran to Beersheba, and after leaving his servant there, went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree.
It is here that Elijah does something that I’ve always found very odd, even baffling. As he sat under that broom tree, Elijah prayed that he might die saying, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’
This prayer is troubling for one reason in particular. If Elijah really wanted to die, why did he flee? If Elijah really wanted to die, why didn’t he just sit at home and wait for Jezebel to come and do as she had threatened?
Because I believe Elijah thought in his heart that he was irreplaceable. He fled because he thought to himself, ‘if Jezebel kills me, who will stand for the truth; If Jezebel kills me, who will confront the prophets of Baal?’
Why would I come to this conclusion? Because of a very telling encounter that Elijah had with God some time after his time under the broom tree. Between Elijah asking God to take his life, and the conversation I refer to, there is a window of about forty days and forty nights. During this time, Elijah’s strength was sustained by one meal that the angel of the Lord had brought him, and this too is a fascinating and practical teaching, but for another time.
For forty days Elijah journeyed until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night, and behold the word of the Lord came to him, and said, “What are you doing here Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:10, “So he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
So here he was, the man of God, bemoaning his fate, and having self-pity. He also accentuates the fact that he is the only one that is left of those who were zealous for the Lord God, as the other prophets were killed with the sword.
“If I don’t fight, if I don’t rebuke, if I don’t warn, then who will? I’m the only one left, all the others have been felled by the sword, I’m irreplaceable, and that is why I had to run from Jezebel, because if she killed me, there would be no one left.”
Here is where God open’s Elijah’s eyes, here is where I believe that for the first time he realizes he is not the last man standing, nor is he irreplaceable.
1 Kings 18:18, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
One might think that this is directed at pastors, evangelists, or ministry leaders exclusively, but the truth is that anyone can fall into this dangerous mindset of thinking themselves irreplaceable.
“No one can lead worship the way I do, no one can vacuum the church the way I do, no one can keep the books the way I do, what would this fellowship be without me?”
Some have even allowed themselves to be so blinded by their own self-importance that they think because they’re so necessary to the work of God, even if they sin God will overlook it because they’re irreplaceable. If history has taught us anything, it’s that no one is irreplaceable. Servants come, and return to the earth from which they came, but the work of God goes on. Just when we think we’re the only ones left, just when we think there is no one else who will stand, God opens our eyes to the reality that there are seven thousand others who have not defiled themselves.
If God has called you to serve in any capacity, serve faithfully, serve honorably, serve with dedication, serve with passion, but always remember that it is God working through you, and as such you must guard your heart from sin, and keep yourself in His will.
God is not impressed by the size of our church, or the size of our ministry, He is not impressed with how well we speak or how well we write. God simply expects to be obeyed! When He said be holy for I am holy, he meant it, and He will use someone with less natural talent and ability to do His work and bring glory to His name who is walking in holiness, than someone who is gifted in the eyes of the world but has chosen the way of compromise.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Portrait of Humility
There are many things that spring to mind when one considers John the Baptist. He was the uncompromising forerunner of Jesus, the man who didn’t mince words, the man who chose to clothe himself in a camel’s hair, and had a unique diet that consisted of locusts and wild honey. John the Baptist, called as such, not because he belonged to the Baptist denomination, but rather because he baptized people, was unconventional to say the least. Here was a man who did not go into the cities to preach, he did not seek out a following, but rather as counterintuitive as it might seem to many today, went into the wilderness of Judea and began to preach.
He did not have a vast repertoire of sermons, but his message consisted of nine powerful and relevant words, that have kept their potency and authority to this day: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’
I have heard many sermons on John the Baptist’s boldness over the years, as well as his uncompromising message, but few if any concentrated on what I believe to be one of his greatest attributes, which was his humility.
Perhaps it’s due to the fact that his personality overshadowed this virtue, or his clashes with the Pharisees and Sadducees kept us from digging deeper into the man’s character, but it is one attribute of his life that we can learn from, and even learn to emulate in our own lives.
Consider that John the Baptist had what many would consider today a very large ministry. The news of him traveled throughout the land, and people would come to the wilderness of Judea just to hear him and be baptized by him. His message was heeded by the poor and rich alike, so much so that even the Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized by him. Although he had some choice words for them, rebuking them without holding anything back, it is John the Baptist’s humility I want to focus on for this particular teaching.
Matthew 3:5-6, “Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”
By any estimation, John’s was the biggest ministry around at the time, both in Jerusalem and Judea. In fact some even thought that he was the Messiah the prophets of old had prophesied of. We realize just how special and rare a person John the Baptist was, when we see that he let none of the accolades go to his head. Sure people came from afar just to hear him speak, sure people came to be baptized by him, but he always maintained that sense of perspective, wherein he knew that it was not him, but God working through him.
John the Baptist lived with the expectation of seeing one greater than himself, and he knew himself well enough to play down any of his own works. This is a lesson that many preaches and evangelists have failed to learn, and as such appropriate the glory and praise due God for themselves.
Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
To see the full measure of John the Baptist’s humility, we need look no further than the contrast between him and his followers. After Jesus had come to be baptized by John, after the Spirit of God was seen descending upon Him like a dove, and the voice from heaven was heard saying, ‘this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’, the followers of John came to him greatly distressed.
Rather than see Jesus for who He was, they saw him as a threat to the ministry of John the Baptist. These men came to tell John that in fact Jesus had started baptizing and that men were coming to Him. Now the answer that John the Baptist offered these men reveals his heart of humility in a greater way than anything else he could have done.
John 3:27-28, “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’”
What do you have that God has not given you? What talents do you posses that were not a gift from God?
Rather than giving in to the rhetoric of his followers, and thinking to himself, ‘hey, maybe Jesus is trying to upstage me, maybe He is trying to take my followers’, John the Baptist simply pointed out the fact that it was not his ministry to begin with. If he was called it was by God, if he was empowered, it was by God, if he was effective it was by God, and if God chose that it was time for him to step aside, if it was time for him to decrease that Christ might increase, he would obey just as he had up to that point.
Humility births in us the knowledge that our labors are not our own, our victories our not our own, our accomplishments are not our own, but everything that is given to us in order to further the kingdom of God and bring glory to His name, comes directly from heaven, from the hand of God.
A humble heart defers to Jesus, a humble heart obeys Jesus, and a humble heart follows Jesus. It is not concerned with its own merits, it is not concerned with its own popularity, the desire of the humble heart is singular; to serve God, and obey when He commands.
When we possess the humility of John the Baptist, no matter the great calling that God places on our lives, no matter the number of people reached through our ministry, we will always know that nothing is of ourselves, for a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
Walking in this sort of humility ensures the presence of God in us, and the works of God through us. We go where He sends us, we speak what He tells us, and we rest in the knowledge that it is He who will stir the hearts of men, it is He who will compel men to fall to their knees at the foot of the cross and repent of their sins, accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.
John the Baptist lived with the expectation of one mightier than he, who would come and forever change the world, offering mankind the opportunity to be reconciled unto God. Today we live with the expectation of His second coming, the Christ, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. Our duty as His ambassadors are not to draw men unto ourselves, but point men to Him, that He might draw them unto Himself, and that they might be transformed and renewed in mind and heart.
John the Baptist will be remembered for many things, but one thing he should be remembered for is his unceasing humility. May God grant us the grace and wisdom to pursue such humility!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
He did not have a vast repertoire of sermons, but his message consisted of nine powerful and relevant words, that have kept their potency and authority to this day: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’
I have heard many sermons on John the Baptist’s boldness over the years, as well as his uncompromising message, but few if any concentrated on what I believe to be one of his greatest attributes, which was his humility.
Perhaps it’s due to the fact that his personality overshadowed this virtue, or his clashes with the Pharisees and Sadducees kept us from digging deeper into the man’s character, but it is one attribute of his life that we can learn from, and even learn to emulate in our own lives.
Consider that John the Baptist had what many would consider today a very large ministry. The news of him traveled throughout the land, and people would come to the wilderness of Judea just to hear him and be baptized by him. His message was heeded by the poor and rich alike, so much so that even the Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized by him. Although he had some choice words for them, rebuking them without holding anything back, it is John the Baptist’s humility I want to focus on for this particular teaching.
Matthew 3:5-6, “Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”
By any estimation, John’s was the biggest ministry around at the time, both in Jerusalem and Judea. In fact some even thought that he was the Messiah the prophets of old had prophesied of. We realize just how special and rare a person John the Baptist was, when we see that he let none of the accolades go to his head. Sure people came from afar just to hear him speak, sure people came to be baptized by him, but he always maintained that sense of perspective, wherein he knew that it was not him, but God working through him.
John the Baptist lived with the expectation of seeing one greater than himself, and he knew himself well enough to play down any of his own works. This is a lesson that many preaches and evangelists have failed to learn, and as such appropriate the glory and praise due God for themselves.
Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
To see the full measure of John the Baptist’s humility, we need look no further than the contrast between him and his followers. After Jesus had come to be baptized by John, after the Spirit of God was seen descending upon Him like a dove, and the voice from heaven was heard saying, ‘this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’, the followers of John came to him greatly distressed.
Rather than see Jesus for who He was, they saw him as a threat to the ministry of John the Baptist. These men came to tell John that in fact Jesus had started baptizing and that men were coming to Him. Now the answer that John the Baptist offered these men reveals his heart of humility in a greater way than anything else he could have done.
John 3:27-28, “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’”
What do you have that God has not given you? What talents do you posses that were not a gift from God?
Rather than giving in to the rhetoric of his followers, and thinking to himself, ‘hey, maybe Jesus is trying to upstage me, maybe He is trying to take my followers’, John the Baptist simply pointed out the fact that it was not his ministry to begin with. If he was called it was by God, if he was empowered, it was by God, if he was effective it was by God, and if God chose that it was time for him to step aside, if it was time for him to decrease that Christ might increase, he would obey just as he had up to that point.
Humility births in us the knowledge that our labors are not our own, our victories our not our own, our accomplishments are not our own, but everything that is given to us in order to further the kingdom of God and bring glory to His name, comes directly from heaven, from the hand of God.
A humble heart defers to Jesus, a humble heart obeys Jesus, and a humble heart follows Jesus. It is not concerned with its own merits, it is not concerned with its own popularity, the desire of the humble heart is singular; to serve God, and obey when He commands.
When we possess the humility of John the Baptist, no matter the great calling that God places on our lives, no matter the number of people reached through our ministry, we will always know that nothing is of ourselves, for a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
Walking in this sort of humility ensures the presence of God in us, and the works of God through us. We go where He sends us, we speak what He tells us, and we rest in the knowledge that it is He who will stir the hearts of men, it is He who will compel men to fall to their knees at the foot of the cross and repent of their sins, accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.
John the Baptist lived with the expectation of one mightier than he, who would come and forever change the world, offering mankind the opportunity to be reconciled unto God. Today we live with the expectation of His second coming, the Christ, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. Our duty as His ambassadors are not to draw men unto ourselves, but point men to Him, that He might draw them unto Himself, and that they might be transformed and renewed in mind and heart.
John the Baptist will be remembered for many things, but one thing he should be remembered for is his unceasing humility. May God grant us the grace and wisdom to pursue such humility!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
9 Years
Well, today I have officially been married for 9 years. Time flies. It's amazing how the years just roll by, and the only thing that draws our attention to the swift passage of time is the graying hair.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Those Who Weep and Those Who Mock
I do not have attention deficit, I have time deficit. Between filming the truth in a nutshell videos, the thirty minute tv program, writing and speaking, there aren't many hours left in a day. I haven't forgotten about the fruit of the Spirit, as soon as I get a moment's respite, I will finish up the teaching. I've never been a perfectioninst, but I do hold myself up to a certain standard, so I won't do a patchwork job just to say it was done. I hope you understand. Please keep me in your prayers, time is short and life is busy.
The history of Israel offers us countless lessons and teachable moments. In some cases it teaches us what we ought to do to be pleasing in the sight of God, but in most cases it teaches us what not to do.
If one does a thorough study of the people of Israel, we realize that for hundreds of years they cycled from being faithful to God, to God blessing them, to Israel rebelling against God and sinning, to God punishing them, to Israel repenting.
The problem with this cycle, is that each time Israel sinned, it became harder and harder for them to pull out of the tailspin as a nation.
When I was younger I used to love watching air shows on television. Some of you already know what I’m talking about, the teams like the Thunderbirds, and the Blue Angels who do some amazing air acrobatics that leave people in awe. One of the most dangerous things these pilots do is take their planes up, then stall out, letting it fall to the ground, only to pull up at the last possible second. It is a spectacular thing to watch, at least when it works properly. Throughout the years, there have been instances when whether due to human error, or mechanical malfunction, some were never able to recover, and crashed to the earth in a fireball of twisted metal.
Many people today, who see flirting with sin as an acceptable practice, are like these daredevil pilots, who get as close to the earth as they can, then right themselves, soaring back toward the clouds. The only problem is that some never get the chance to level their walk, to start climbing again, to repent and return to God, and crash back into the mire of sin from which they had been freed.
Israel had sinned again! They had gone into another tailspin, due to the duplicity of Balaam, a prophet divided in his heart between obeying the Lord and making a small fortune by giving into Balak’s demands to curse the people of God. Although Balaam did not disobey God outright by cursing God’s people, for God had told him to bless them, he did teach Balak what to do in order to arouse God’s anger against His own people.
Revelation 2:14, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.”
Although this scripture is in the context of the message to the church in Pergamos, it reveals what Balaam’s sin was, and why the name of this man has throughout history been associated with disobedience.
Balak at the time was the ruler of the Moabites, and he found himself between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand he knew that he could not defeat Israel as long as their God was with them, he had already seen the deathblow the children of God had dealt to the Amorites. Realizing that they only way he had a hope of defeating Israel was to somehow remove the hedge of protection from around them, and to get their God to stop fighting on their behalf, he sought out Balaam in the hopes that Balaam would curse the people, but instead of cursing them, Balaam blessed them.
Although it is not specifically stated in the book of Numbers where this entire drama plays out, by the words that Jesus spoke in Revelation, it seems that as a parting gift to Balak for all the oxen and sheep he had given him, Balaam whispered something in Balak’s ear.
I do not know what was said, but as I imagine this encounter play out, I can see Balaam leaning over to Balak and simply whispering “if you can’t get God to abandon them, maybe you can get them to abandon God.”
And so, the Moabites started playing nice with the people of Israel, inviting them to the sacrifice of their gods, offering up their women, and instead of refusing their advances, the people of Israel ate and bowed down to the gods of the Moabites.
God did not abandon Israel; Israel forfeited the providence, protection and blessing of God, by bowing down to the gods of the Moabites, and committing harlotry with the women of Moab.
Contrary to what you may have heard, we serve a jealous God. We serve a God who demands, and rightly so, that we have no other gods before Him, we serve a God who demands, and rightly so that our hearts not be divided between Him and the world.
Deuteronomy 4:24, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
The elders of Israel knew that they had sinned, Moses and the congregation of the children of Israel were gathered together weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, realizing that they had aroused the anger of the Lord against them. As this was going on, as the elders and the children of Israel wept at the door of the tabernacle, as they cried out to God for forgiveness, one of the children of Israel came and presented a Midianite woman to his brethren, in full view of those who were prostrate before the Lord.
This wasn’t just bad timing, this was outright mockery of the elders and the children of Israel, for as they wept, this man reveled in his sin and disobedience as though attempting to say, ‘see, I have transgressed and God has not struck me, I have sinned and God has not judged me.’
Among those who wept there was a man by the name of Phinehas who was the grandson of Aaron the priest. Phinehas saw the open mockery, rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand, followed the man of Israel into his tent, and thrust both the man and the woman through with the javelin.
Because of his actions, the plague was stopped among the people of Israel, but not before twenty-four thousand people perished in the plague.
There have always been, and there will always be consequences to sin. There have always been and there will always be mockers within the house of God, who look upon those who weep in repentance with disdain and open disgust. Sin kills, and disobedience is a sure road to sin.
It is a far better thing to be counted among those who weep, to be counted among those who are zealous for the things of God, than to be counted among those who mock.
Mockery against the children of God and those who strive for righteousness will only grow and intensify in our present age. You will be hated, you will be ridiculed, you will be labeled colorfully vile adjectives for your faithfulness, but through it all you must keep your eyes firmly affixed to Christ and the cross.
Because of his faithfulness, because he was zealous for his God, God gave Phinehas His covenant of peace, and a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, and not only to him but also his descendants.
Jude 1:17-21, “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
These mockers, these worldly persons who cause divisions that Jude is referring to are not in the world, but within the house of God. Not having the Spirit, they walk according to their ungodly lusts, abusing and trampling upon the grace and blood of Christ, attempting to pervert the way of truth.
If we love Jesus, then we will be faithful to Him. If we love Christ than we will build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus unto eternal life.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The history of Israel offers us countless lessons and teachable moments. In some cases it teaches us what we ought to do to be pleasing in the sight of God, but in most cases it teaches us what not to do.
If one does a thorough study of the people of Israel, we realize that for hundreds of years they cycled from being faithful to God, to God blessing them, to Israel rebelling against God and sinning, to God punishing them, to Israel repenting.
The problem with this cycle, is that each time Israel sinned, it became harder and harder for them to pull out of the tailspin as a nation.
When I was younger I used to love watching air shows on television. Some of you already know what I’m talking about, the teams like the Thunderbirds, and the Blue Angels who do some amazing air acrobatics that leave people in awe. One of the most dangerous things these pilots do is take their planes up, then stall out, letting it fall to the ground, only to pull up at the last possible second. It is a spectacular thing to watch, at least when it works properly. Throughout the years, there have been instances when whether due to human error, or mechanical malfunction, some were never able to recover, and crashed to the earth in a fireball of twisted metal.
Many people today, who see flirting with sin as an acceptable practice, are like these daredevil pilots, who get as close to the earth as they can, then right themselves, soaring back toward the clouds. The only problem is that some never get the chance to level their walk, to start climbing again, to repent and return to God, and crash back into the mire of sin from which they had been freed.
Israel had sinned again! They had gone into another tailspin, due to the duplicity of Balaam, a prophet divided in his heart between obeying the Lord and making a small fortune by giving into Balak’s demands to curse the people of God. Although Balaam did not disobey God outright by cursing God’s people, for God had told him to bless them, he did teach Balak what to do in order to arouse God’s anger against His own people.
Revelation 2:14, “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.”
Although this scripture is in the context of the message to the church in Pergamos, it reveals what Balaam’s sin was, and why the name of this man has throughout history been associated with disobedience.
Balak at the time was the ruler of the Moabites, and he found himself between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand he knew that he could not defeat Israel as long as their God was with them, he had already seen the deathblow the children of God had dealt to the Amorites. Realizing that they only way he had a hope of defeating Israel was to somehow remove the hedge of protection from around them, and to get their God to stop fighting on their behalf, he sought out Balaam in the hopes that Balaam would curse the people, but instead of cursing them, Balaam blessed them.
Although it is not specifically stated in the book of Numbers where this entire drama plays out, by the words that Jesus spoke in Revelation, it seems that as a parting gift to Balak for all the oxen and sheep he had given him, Balaam whispered something in Balak’s ear.
I do not know what was said, but as I imagine this encounter play out, I can see Balaam leaning over to Balak and simply whispering “if you can’t get God to abandon them, maybe you can get them to abandon God.”
And so, the Moabites started playing nice with the people of Israel, inviting them to the sacrifice of their gods, offering up their women, and instead of refusing their advances, the people of Israel ate and bowed down to the gods of the Moabites.
God did not abandon Israel; Israel forfeited the providence, protection and blessing of God, by bowing down to the gods of the Moabites, and committing harlotry with the women of Moab.
Contrary to what you may have heard, we serve a jealous God. We serve a God who demands, and rightly so, that we have no other gods before Him, we serve a God who demands, and rightly so that our hearts not be divided between Him and the world.
Deuteronomy 4:24, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
The elders of Israel knew that they had sinned, Moses and the congregation of the children of Israel were gathered together weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, realizing that they had aroused the anger of the Lord against them. As this was going on, as the elders and the children of Israel wept at the door of the tabernacle, as they cried out to God for forgiveness, one of the children of Israel came and presented a Midianite woman to his brethren, in full view of those who were prostrate before the Lord.
This wasn’t just bad timing, this was outright mockery of the elders and the children of Israel, for as they wept, this man reveled in his sin and disobedience as though attempting to say, ‘see, I have transgressed and God has not struck me, I have sinned and God has not judged me.’
Among those who wept there was a man by the name of Phinehas who was the grandson of Aaron the priest. Phinehas saw the open mockery, rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand, followed the man of Israel into his tent, and thrust both the man and the woman through with the javelin.
Because of his actions, the plague was stopped among the people of Israel, but not before twenty-four thousand people perished in the plague.
There have always been, and there will always be consequences to sin. There have always been and there will always be mockers within the house of God, who look upon those who weep in repentance with disdain and open disgust. Sin kills, and disobedience is a sure road to sin.
It is a far better thing to be counted among those who weep, to be counted among those who are zealous for the things of God, than to be counted among those who mock.
Mockery against the children of God and those who strive for righteousness will only grow and intensify in our present age. You will be hated, you will be ridiculed, you will be labeled colorfully vile adjectives for your faithfulness, but through it all you must keep your eyes firmly affixed to Christ and the cross.
Because of his faithfulness, because he was zealous for his God, God gave Phinehas His covenant of peace, and a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, and not only to him but also his descendants.
Jude 1:17-21, “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
These mockers, these worldly persons who cause divisions that Jude is referring to are not in the world, but within the house of God. Not having the Spirit, they walk according to their ungodly lusts, abusing and trampling upon the grace and blood of Christ, attempting to pervert the way of truth.
If we love Jesus, then we will be faithful to Him. If we love Christ than we will build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus unto eternal life.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
A Generational Divide
In recent days some truly disturbing information has been floating across my desk. With each article, with each news clipping my heart grows just a little heavier. The one common thread in all the writings is the state of what will be the future generation of America. If this nation is still here thirty years from now, it will be a very different nation indeed.
The departure from any semblance of morality, the departure from the pursuit of godliness is astounding to behold. We have been so consumed with leaving a material nest egg for our children, that we have neglected the spiritual aspect of their existence thereby leaving them spiritually bankrupt. The outcry in America today should not be ‘save our planet’ but rather ‘save our children’, because evil is never static, and with frightening speed it is going from bad to worse.
In order to see just how much damage the enemy can inflict in one generation, we must go back in time and look at the history of Israel. Barring a few minor setbacks, Joshua’s generation was a generation of excellence. It was a season in Israel’s history when the people served God, and when God prospered them, protected them and defended them. The people remembered what God had done for them, and they lived in obedience to His laws.
Judges 2:7, “So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.”
It is a great testimony indeed, that not only Joshua, or his household served the Lord, but the people served the Lord as well. But soon, Joshua was gathered to his fathers, and all of his generation gathered to their fathers as well. The old generation was returning back into the dust from which it came, having fought the good fight of faith, and walked in the will of the Lord.
Then something truly tragic happened. Within the span of one generation, the children of Israel went from serving the Lord, to doing evil in the sight of the Lord.
Judges 2:10-13, “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.”
This is a tragic portrait that repeats itself far too frequently. Although Joshua’s generation was faithful to God, although they knew the work which He had done for Israel, they made one fatal mistake. Joshua’s generation neglected to pass on the baton of righteousness to the next generation. Why didn’t the new generation know the Lord or the work which He had done for Israel? Because it had not been ingrained in them from early youth; no one had taught them the ways of God.
I do not know what distracted Joshua’s generation so. I do not know what kept them from teaching their children the ways of God, and what God had done for their people. Maybe they just took for granted the fact that they were the people of God, and assumed that their children would simply discover God on their own. Maybe they were too busy building houses and barns, and settling into the land that God had given them. Whatever the reason, the consequences of their actions were far reaching, and tragic to behold.
If only they could have seen what would become of their children and grandchildren, if only they could have known that the absence of diligent instruction in the ways of the Lord, would lead their offspring to serving other gods and bowing to them, perhaps they would have taken more time to teach, to mold, and to instruct.
Today’s generation is eerily similar to the generation of Joshua. We were taught the ways of the Lord, we saw His great and mighty works, yet we are woefully neglectful of passing on the love for Jesus to the next generation. We’ve adopted this laisser-faire attitude and this posture of indifference, wherein we look at what is becoming of the next generation, wherein we see the corruption and the vileness of sin surrounding them on all sides, and the best we can do, is shrug our shoulders and say, ‘children will be children.’
We must own up to our responsibility, and acknowledge that in large part, we are responsible and accountable for the spiritual condition of the generation of the future.
‘I’m kind of with you, but our children aren’t worshipping idols or anything.’
Anything that replaces God as preeminent in the heart of man is an idol, and anything that takes up our time and energy more than the pursuit of God is idolatry. Just because there aren’t statues of strange mythical beings, or altars upon which men sacrifice animals anymore, it does not mean that idolatry isn’t alive and well in our modern culture. Our children are just as surrounded by the gods of the people who are all around us as Israel was, and due to our inconsistency and our lack of devotion, due to our being distracted by other things, and not taking a stand for Christ, they are being enticed into bowing to idols just as readily as the children of Israel.
Wake up you are losing your children! Wake up your children are being taken captive by sin and perversity!
I realize it is much easier trying to be your child’s friend than his parent, but somebody has to be the parent. Somebody has to set a standard. Somebody has to define right from wrong, righteousness from sin, acceptable and unacceptable practices. It’s not the teacher’s job, it’s not the guidance counselor’s job, it is your job, and your sovereign duty before an almighty God to raise your children in the righteousness and fear of the Lord. It is with love that I urge you, be the example you desire your children to follow!
What is the spiritual inheritance you are leaving your children? What will the church of America look like in twenty years? These are questions with which we must all be confronted, because raising a child in the ways of God does come about accidentally, but due to a planned and intentional investment in their spiritual future.
I write these lines not as a parent, but as one who was the recipient of being brought up in the ways of the Lord. I can say, with all requisite honesty, that there can be no substitute for Jesus in a young life, and any education or privilege built upon another foundation will crumble into nothingness. Give your children the foundation that will be stable, steadfast and constant throughout their lives, which will be a shelter in the storms of this world, and a source of strength in their time of adversity. Give them Christ first and foremost.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
The departure from any semblance of morality, the departure from the pursuit of godliness is astounding to behold. We have been so consumed with leaving a material nest egg for our children, that we have neglected the spiritual aspect of their existence thereby leaving them spiritually bankrupt. The outcry in America today should not be ‘save our planet’ but rather ‘save our children’, because evil is never static, and with frightening speed it is going from bad to worse.
In order to see just how much damage the enemy can inflict in one generation, we must go back in time and look at the history of Israel. Barring a few minor setbacks, Joshua’s generation was a generation of excellence. It was a season in Israel’s history when the people served God, and when God prospered them, protected them and defended them. The people remembered what God had done for them, and they lived in obedience to His laws.
Judges 2:7, “So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.”
It is a great testimony indeed, that not only Joshua, or his household served the Lord, but the people served the Lord as well. But soon, Joshua was gathered to his fathers, and all of his generation gathered to their fathers as well. The old generation was returning back into the dust from which it came, having fought the good fight of faith, and walked in the will of the Lord.
Then something truly tragic happened. Within the span of one generation, the children of Israel went from serving the Lord, to doing evil in the sight of the Lord.
Judges 2:10-13, “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.”
This is a tragic portrait that repeats itself far too frequently. Although Joshua’s generation was faithful to God, although they knew the work which He had done for Israel, they made one fatal mistake. Joshua’s generation neglected to pass on the baton of righteousness to the next generation. Why didn’t the new generation know the Lord or the work which He had done for Israel? Because it had not been ingrained in them from early youth; no one had taught them the ways of God.
I do not know what distracted Joshua’s generation so. I do not know what kept them from teaching their children the ways of God, and what God had done for their people. Maybe they just took for granted the fact that they were the people of God, and assumed that their children would simply discover God on their own. Maybe they were too busy building houses and barns, and settling into the land that God had given them. Whatever the reason, the consequences of their actions were far reaching, and tragic to behold.
If only they could have seen what would become of their children and grandchildren, if only they could have known that the absence of diligent instruction in the ways of the Lord, would lead their offspring to serving other gods and bowing to them, perhaps they would have taken more time to teach, to mold, and to instruct.
Today’s generation is eerily similar to the generation of Joshua. We were taught the ways of the Lord, we saw His great and mighty works, yet we are woefully neglectful of passing on the love for Jesus to the next generation. We’ve adopted this laisser-faire attitude and this posture of indifference, wherein we look at what is becoming of the next generation, wherein we see the corruption and the vileness of sin surrounding them on all sides, and the best we can do, is shrug our shoulders and say, ‘children will be children.’
We must own up to our responsibility, and acknowledge that in large part, we are responsible and accountable for the spiritual condition of the generation of the future.
‘I’m kind of with you, but our children aren’t worshipping idols or anything.’
Anything that replaces God as preeminent in the heart of man is an idol, and anything that takes up our time and energy more than the pursuit of God is idolatry. Just because there aren’t statues of strange mythical beings, or altars upon which men sacrifice animals anymore, it does not mean that idolatry isn’t alive and well in our modern culture. Our children are just as surrounded by the gods of the people who are all around us as Israel was, and due to our inconsistency and our lack of devotion, due to our being distracted by other things, and not taking a stand for Christ, they are being enticed into bowing to idols just as readily as the children of Israel.
Wake up you are losing your children! Wake up your children are being taken captive by sin and perversity!
I realize it is much easier trying to be your child’s friend than his parent, but somebody has to be the parent. Somebody has to set a standard. Somebody has to define right from wrong, righteousness from sin, acceptable and unacceptable practices. It’s not the teacher’s job, it’s not the guidance counselor’s job, it is your job, and your sovereign duty before an almighty God to raise your children in the righteousness and fear of the Lord. It is with love that I urge you, be the example you desire your children to follow!
What is the spiritual inheritance you are leaving your children? What will the church of America look like in twenty years? These are questions with which we must all be confronted, because raising a child in the ways of God does come about accidentally, but due to a planned and intentional investment in their spiritual future.
I write these lines not as a parent, but as one who was the recipient of being brought up in the ways of the Lord. I can say, with all requisite honesty, that there can be no substitute for Jesus in a young life, and any education or privilege built upon another foundation will crumble into nothingness. Give your children the foundation that will be stable, steadfast and constant throughout their lives, which will be a shelter in the storms of this world, and a source of strength in their time of adversity. Give them Christ first and foremost.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Marks of Jesus
I've gotten sidetracked, but in a good way. I've been working on a study for some time now, entitled 'Spared, Sheltered or Sifted' dealing with the Biblical view of the believer and the end times, and the clear differentiation between judgment, wrath and persecution. As such, I haven't had any time to continue the study of the fruit of the Spirit. This is only temporary, and as soon as I finish this present study, I will return ot the study of the fruit of the Spirit. I just want to get all this down before I lose it. I hope you understand. God bless.
At the end of his stirring letter to the churches of Galatia, wherein he rebuked them for turning away from the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, Paul writes something truly remarkable.
Galatians 6:17, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul had just successfully concluded defending his position as to why he no longer taught circumcision, rebuking those who tried to compel the Galatians to do it by saying that they did so only that they might not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ, when he essentially says, I need no outwardly showing in the flesh, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
There has been much speculation over the centuries as to what the marks of the Lord Jesus were that he carried in his body, and today we will be discussing this topic at length.
What were the marks to which Paul was referring?
Some have said that surely the marks of which Paul spoke, were the scars and bruises left over from being in chains, from having his feet placed in stocks, from being whipped, beaten, stoned, and overall brutalized for the sake of Christ.
Paul was a man accustomed to both pain and suffering. If most preachers today would present their accomplishments in ministry, boasting of the ministries they had started, and the people they had led to Christ, Paul lists his sufferings as his badge of honor.
2 Corinthians 11;24-28, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
So were these the marks of Jesus that Paul was referring to? Was he saying that he was tired of all the disputes concerning circumcision because the wounds in his body were more of a testament to his being a new creature than any outward showing in the flesh?
First we must consider that Paul did not say he bore the marks of his suffering in his body, but rather the marks of the Lord Jesus. In order to understand what marks Paul was referring to, we must go back to Christ, and discover what the marks of Jesus were. Yes, all roads lead back to Jesus, and rightly so!
From the manger to the cross, one of the greatest marks of Jesus was self denial. He could have been born in a palace, but He chose a manger. He could have been rich, but He chose to be poor.
He could have ruled, but He chose to serve. He could have taken, but He chose to give. He could have cursed, but He chose to bless. He could have saved Himself, but He chose to save mankind. He could have lived, but He chose to die in your stead and mine, that we might have life.
As He hung upon the cross, they mocked Him, not knowing that with one word He could call legions of angels to come to His aid. They crucified the Son of God, and He went as a lamb to the slaughter.
Mark 15:31-32, “Likewise the chief priests also, together with the scribes, mocked and said among themselves, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.”
We see this particular mark of Jesus, the mark of self-denial, evident in Paul as with great pathos he says that what came upon him daily was his deep concern for the churches. All the things that he continually suffered seemed to have paled in comparison to his concern for the people of God and the brethren. When was the last time you heard self-denial Christianity preached in a modern day church?
There are four other marks of Jesus that Paul bore in his body that we as children of God and followers of Christ must bear in our bodies as well.
Hebrews 7:26, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.”
Within this one verse, we see the four marks of Christ our High Priest. Our duty is to bear these marks ourselves, our duty is to be holy, to be harmless, to be undefiled, and to be separate from sinners.
Seeing the life and writings of Paul some might think him to be super human, a man who ascended beyond the abilities of all others, but the simple truth is that Paul was a man, a mere mortal just as any of us, yet he was able to carry these marks of the Lord Jesus in His body.
We are all marked! Every man and woman walking this earth bears a mark in their body that reveals their character and nature. We are either bear in our bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus, or the marks of this world.
Before Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, God marked him, toward his shame rather than toward his honor. The marks we carry in our body, testify of who we serve.
Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?”
We are either marked of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness, but make no mistake; we all bear marks in our bodies.
If we bear the marks of Christ, we will reign with Him in glory. If we bear the marks of sin, we will be cast out from before the sight of God. Realizing this, the following are crucial questions:
Which marks do you bear in your body? Is self denial evident in your life and character? Is holiness present in your nature? Are you harmless in your conduct? Is the disdain for sin and the desire to be undefiled and separate from sinners an ever present reality in your life?
These are questions only you can answer, and I pray you do so honestly and sincerely before an omniscient God. He knows the marks we bear in our bodies, He knows our walk, He knows our thoughts, and He knows our intentions.
We live in an age where it is popular to project an image, to make others think we are something more, or something greater than what we know ourselves to be. I pray we denounce such practices, I pray the pharisaical spirit that is sweeping through the churches would not get a foothold in our lives. If you can’t be yourself among the brethren, then maybe something has to change. If you have to project an image, whether piety, righteousness, servitude, outward devotion, the performing of a certain ceremony, or a myriad of other things that elevate us in the eyes of our brothers and sisters, and perform them for that purpose, then maybe it’s time to search our hearts and repent.
God knows us to the inner depths of our being, and the marks we bear in our bodies cannot be hid from his eyes. May we be found bearing the marks of the Lord Jesus.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
At the end of his stirring letter to the churches of Galatia, wherein he rebuked them for turning away from the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, Paul writes something truly remarkable.
Galatians 6:17, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul had just successfully concluded defending his position as to why he no longer taught circumcision, rebuking those who tried to compel the Galatians to do it by saying that they did so only that they might not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ, when he essentially says, I need no outwardly showing in the flesh, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
There has been much speculation over the centuries as to what the marks of the Lord Jesus were that he carried in his body, and today we will be discussing this topic at length.
What were the marks to which Paul was referring?
Some have said that surely the marks of which Paul spoke, were the scars and bruises left over from being in chains, from having his feet placed in stocks, from being whipped, beaten, stoned, and overall brutalized for the sake of Christ.
Paul was a man accustomed to both pain and suffering. If most preachers today would present their accomplishments in ministry, boasting of the ministries they had started, and the people they had led to Christ, Paul lists his sufferings as his badge of honor.
2 Corinthians 11;24-28, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”
So were these the marks of Jesus that Paul was referring to? Was he saying that he was tired of all the disputes concerning circumcision because the wounds in his body were more of a testament to his being a new creature than any outward showing in the flesh?
First we must consider that Paul did not say he bore the marks of his suffering in his body, but rather the marks of the Lord Jesus. In order to understand what marks Paul was referring to, we must go back to Christ, and discover what the marks of Jesus were. Yes, all roads lead back to Jesus, and rightly so!
From the manger to the cross, one of the greatest marks of Jesus was self denial. He could have been born in a palace, but He chose a manger. He could have been rich, but He chose to be poor.
He could have ruled, but He chose to serve. He could have taken, but He chose to give. He could have cursed, but He chose to bless. He could have saved Himself, but He chose to save mankind. He could have lived, but He chose to die in your stead and mine, that we might have life.
As He hung upon the cross, they mocked Him, not knowing that with one word He could call legions of angels to come to His aid. They crucified the Son of God, and He went as a lamb to the slaughter.
Mark 15:31-32, “Likewise the chief priests also, together with the scribes, mocked and said among themselves, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.”
We see this particular mark of Jesus, the mark of self-denial, evident in Paul as with great pathos he says that what came upon him daily was his deep concern for the churches. All the things that he continually suffered seemed to have paled in comparison to his concern for the people of God and the brethren. When was the last time you heard self-denial Christianity preached in a modern day church?
There are four other marks of Jesus that Paul bore in his body that we as children of God and followers of Christ must bear in our bodies as well.
Hebrews 7:26, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.”
Within this one verse, we see the four marks of Christ our High Priest. Our duty is to bear these marks ourselves, our duty is to be holy, to be harmless, to be undefiled, and to be separate from sinners.
Seeing the life and writings of Paul some might think him to be super human, a man who ascended beyond the abilities of all others, but the simple truth is that Paul was a man, a mere mortal just as any of us, yet he was able to carry these marks of the Lord Jesus in His body.
We are all marked! Every man and woman walking this earth bears a mark in their body that reveals their character and nature. We are either bear in our bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus, or the marks of this world.
Before Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, God marked him, toward his shame rather than toward his honor. The marks we carry in our body, testify of who we serve.
Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?”
We are either marked of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness, but make no mistake; we all bear marks in our bodies.
If we bear the marks of Christ, we will reign with Him in glory. If we bear the marks of sin, we will be cast out from before the sight of God. Realizing this, the following are crucial questions:
Which marks do you bear in your body? Is self denial evident in your life and character? Is holiness present in your nature? Are you harmless in your conduct? Is the disdain for sin and the desire to be undefiled and separate from sinners an ever present reality in your life?
These are questions only you can answer, and I pray you do so honestly and sincerely before an omniscient God. He knows the marks we bear in our bodies, He knows our walk, He knows our thoughts, and He knows our intentions.
We live in an age where it is popular to project an image, to make others think we are something more, or something greater than what we know ourselves to be. I pray we denounce such practices, I pray the pharisaical spirit that is sweeping through the churches would not get a foothold in our lives. If you can’t be yourself among the brethren, then maybe something has to change. If you have to project an image, whether piety, righteousness, servitude, outward devotion, the performing of a certain ceremony, or a myriad of other things that elevate us in the eyes of our brothers and sisters, and perform them for that purpose, then maybe it’s time to search our hearts and repent.
God knows us to the inner depths of our being, and the marks we bear in our bodies cannot be hid from his eyes. May we be found bearing the marks of the Lord Jesus.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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