The Last Days Of The Church XLV

 If we are driven by circumstances or feelings rather than the pursuit of godliness and true devotion, there will always be something to distract us from the way or send us down some rabbit trail or another, wasting time and energy while remaining in the same spiritual state as we were. If the enemy can’t convince you to betray the truth, if he can’t tempt you away from the foot of the cross, the next best option he has at his disposal is to keep you stagnant, in the same place, rehashing the same things, never growing, maturing, or advancing beyond the milk of God’s word to the meat thereof. He’s hoping to run out the clock so when the trumpet sounds you have no oil in your lamp, none in reserve, and nowhere to get it from in a timely fashion.

The devil has contingencies for his contingencies. His purpose is to keep you from realizing the authority you have in Christ and walking in it. However that comes about is fine with him, as long as you don’t pose a danger, as long as the power of God does not reside in you, and as long as you don’t threaten his machinations.

If you’ve ever wondered why the enemy leaves some men alone and others he attacks with the ferocity of a rabid hyena, now you know. The devil will oppose you in proportion to the danger you pose to his plans. Hence, the reason those in leadership must be ever more vigilant, knowing that the enemy has a target on their back and would like nothing more than to see their demise. The enemy attacks you because you pose a threat. He leaves you alone because you don’t. It’s not God’s favor that the world doesn’t hate you. The world doesn’t hate you because there is no Jesus to be found in you. By you, I mean the royal you, and this is not targeted at any one individual in particular, just a generalization based on observable patterns throughout my life.

If we were to examine the lives of those who walked in obedience and authority through the prism of the flesh, if we were to gauge their successes based on the world’s metrics, we would readily conclude that they were failures, never having reached their potential or adequately monetized their platforms. If only someone had told them about Patreon, Indiegogo, Kickstarter, or Buy Me a Coffee, perhaps they wouldn’t have to work for a living. It’s not that they don’t know about it. It’s that they refuse to exploit the sheep of God’s pasture to make their existence more palatable. The goal is obedience, not comfort or ease of life.

It’s the lesson many have had to learn the hard way: When you are dependent upon others for your daily bread, they hold sway over you, and whenever you say something they don’t like, even though it aligns with the Word, their response is to tighten the purse strings until you see the error of your ways.

Eventually, it becomes a game of pandering to those with the fattest wallets, and as was the case in the olden days, we begin to hand out allowances and sell indulgences because we don’t want to rock the boat or risk spoiling a good thing. Especially when it comes to those who started out doctrinally sound and began teaching greater and greater deceptions, there is a good likelihood that somewhere along the way, there was someone with money who asserted influence over them and suggested that they tone down all the talk of holiness unto the Lord, or repentance and sanctification.

The most detrimental thing an elder board or a church body can do is use the power of the purse to influence an individual who is tasked with rightly dividing the Word and preaching the gospel. This happens more often than anyone dares to imagine, and the fruit of it is always bitter and poisonous.

Throughout our forty years of ministry, there have been instances wherein we were made offers others thought us mad for turning down because they came with the promise of endless resources and means by which we could grow the work tenfold, thirtyfold, even fifty-fold if we had the stomach for it. All it would take to have all the money we would ever need and finance all the projects we could ever dream of was to make one small compromise, which, weighed against all the good we could do with the money we’d receive, was outright insignificant. At least, that’s how it was presented to us.

We were offered planeloads full of aid going in and out of Romania, which we would be responsible for distributing, and cash on hand to fund church buildings and more orphanages, all for the small price of distributing the Book of Mormon in country.

Since context matters, at the time, our family of seven was living in a two-bedroom apartment that also doubled as the ministry office. My mom cleaned homes, and my dad worked two jobs to pay the rent.

My grandfather and I were picked up in a limousine—the first our neighborhood had likely seen in its entire existence—flown to Branson, Missouri, and pitched this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do things as a ministry we’d only dreamed of. My grandfather was less than cordial in his refusal of the offer, not because he was angling for more or because it was paltry, but because he knew that one compromise would beget another, and it is a far better thing to have the favor of God than the favor of man.

It’s hard to find men that can’t be bought nowadays. You can look far and wide and find nary a one that isn’t for sale at the right price, but those that are unmoved by promises of station, position, or financial windfalls and are steadfast in their convictions even though they know it will cost them something by being so, stand the test of time, and continue the journey long after those who sold themselves abandon it.

Even though we were poor by any metric, and life was difficult, it was not a hard decision for my grandfather to make, nor did it take him time to debate its merits. When asked to compromise something you know you ought not, the answer should always be a hard no. Your soul is not for sale, and your relationship with God is not currency or something to barter away in exchange for the fleeting things of this world.

If the enemy can’t get you to back down with the stick, he’ll offer the carrot. To the devil, it doesn’t matter which will cause you to capitulate, only that you do. Not only are we to endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, but we must also resist making compromises in exchange for an easier, more comfortable existence.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Posted on 25 August 2024 | 12:00 pm