Homeward Bound

Taking the Week!

2013-06-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

This week I will be celebrating thirteen years of marriage, and as such I will be taking the week and spending it with my wife. Sometimes we need a break and this is as good a reason as any.

It seems like just yesterday we were standing in church, holding hands, and being prayed over.

It has been a wonderful thirteen years. Thank you all for understanding.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 8

2013-06-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since we’ve already established that faith is the first requirement – the prerequisite to building up our spiritual man and growing in Christ – what then can we build upon the faith we already possess that we might be those valiant warriors and true ambassadors of the cross as so many who came before us seem to have been?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but men don’t have the boldness of their forefathers anymore. They don’t have the strength of character, and the courage of their convictions to stand for truth, or defend it for that matter.

It is largely the reason the enemy has been able to run roughshod over the house of God in recent years, and it is to our shame and dishonor.

What became of the men who would not flinch in the face of the enemy, or back down when others disagreed with them? Since when did being a spineless, mealy mouthed, soothsayer and ‘yes’ man of the godless become the accepted norm within the house of God?

Men of conviction and boldness are so rare in the church nowadays, that the system doesn’t know what to do with them when they spring up from time to time. Because much of the church today doesn’t want to be associated with anyone who might be controversial, chances are better than good that rather than come alongside and defend the truth as they ought, they distance and disavow themselves of the individual in question, finding reasons why they’re really not a brother, because, well, they’re not tolerant enough for the world’s palate.

2 Peter 1:5-7, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”

So Peter assumes, and rightly so that since we’ve escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, we already possess faith. As such, he encourages us to give all diligence in adding to our faith virtue.

Since virtue is the first thing Peter mentions, it is the first thing we will discuss as one of a handful of necessary building blocks for our growing in Christ, and maturing our spiritual man.

So what is virtue? Well, virtue is defined as behavior showing high moral standards, and although it is that, it is also much more than that where the children of God are concerned.

I realize full well there are teachings floating about the ether telling believers they need not aspire to, nor seek to live a high moral standard, but the word of God tells us otherwise.

Once more, as is often the case, we come to the crossroads of choosing whose report to believe, and which voice to lend our ear to.

Do we believe the words of men, or do we believe the Word of God?
Yes, the words of men will always be easier on the flesh, they will always require less self-renunciation, but just because something is easier it doesn’t make it better, or the right course of action for that matter.

As followers of Christ and as His representatives here on earth, we must add virtue to our faith and pursue it, even when it’s to our own detriment.

There are times when having less than a high moral standard benefits you. That’s just the reality of the times we live in. You cut a few corners, tell a few half-truths, and voila, things are much smoother than they would otherwise have been.

When we add virtue to our faith, even when we know something would work out in our favor far better if we chose to blur the lines, because we are who we are, and are mandated to be as He was, we hold to our standard, we retain our virtue, even if by doing so we lose out on some material thing.

As the saying goes, it’s easy on paper, but much harder to be consistently virtuous in everyday life. Situations arise, and temptations are ever present wherein if only we lowered the standard a smidge, we would exponentially benefit in the natural.

You know the virtue of an individual not when being virtuous is easy and pain free, but when being virtuous costs them something at best, and at worst everything.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 7

2013-06-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Although doctrines insisting that as children of God we need not repent, break ties with sin, or escape the corruption that is in the world through lust are increasingly popular, there is nothing Biblical about them.

These are doctrines fashioned by men, for the flesh of men, and have nothing whatsoever to do with the God of the Bible or the clear separation He demands of those who are called, saved, and sanctified.

As I was pondering Peter’s introduction to his second epistle, I was struck by his word choice when it came to discussing the corruption that is in the world.

‘Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The one word that I underlined then circled in my Bible as I contemplated this handful of words is ‘escaped’.

To escape is to break free from confinement or control. There is no possible way the word escaped can be used in a positive manner, or seen in a positive light.

When we broke ties with the corruption that is in the world through lust, when we endeavored to surrender our hearts to Christ, we broke free – we escaped.

The corruption that is in the world is not the vacation destination the devil makes it out to be. Sin is not fun but for an instant, then the consequences of the sins we willfully commit haunt us for the rest of our lives.

With the help of God, and through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we escaped, we got free, we broke loose, and only when we forget the prison that sin is do we begin to entertain the idea of returning to it again.

I’ve counseled individuals battling drug addiction, alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction, addiction to pornography and a score of other addictions that kept them ensnared, hopeless, and joyless.

With God’s help they were able to break free, to escape, but not all who escaped remained free, for they returned, and willingly so, to the prison they once inhabited, and freely took upon themselves the shackles which had once ensnared them.

Some of them would call after a few months and ask for prayer or counsel again, and when I’d ask why they had returned to the mire, why they had taken up the thing they had so desperately ought to escape once more, the unanimous answer was, ‘because I forgot how bad it was. I kept remembering the highs, but never remembered the lows.’

It’s a good thing to remember from whence we escaped. It is a good thing to keep at the forefront of our minds just how destructive, debilitating, and hopeless sin truly is, that once we have been freed, we would not return to the shackles.

‘But also for this very reason’

What is this reason Peter is referring to? The reason is the fact that we’ve been freed, and that we have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

What Peter is saying that because you have escaped corruption, because you have escaped the prison of sin, you must automatically seek to grow in God, the knowledge of Him, and the will of Him.

Before he begins to outline what are essentially the building blocks of ongoing spiritual maturity, Peter admonishes to give all diligence in pursuing these things.

Since the word diligence means careful and persistent work or effort, we understand giving all diligence to mean that we spare no effort in our pursuit of amassing these building blocks of spiritual growth which Peter goes on to outline.

There was an urgency, and an admonition to press in and be tenacious in seeing these things out in Peter’s phrasing. He didn’t say if we had the time, if nothing was pressing, if we weren’t too tired, or if we just needed a change of pace we should seek after these things. He said we must give all diligence in adding to our faith which is the foundation of our spiritual house, and the first prerequisite when attempting to add on anything else.

It is common knowledge that when attempting to build a house you begin with the foundation. You make certain the foundation is stable and sure, you make certain it is strong enough to bear the load of the rest of the edifice, then you begin to build, brick by brick, stone by stone, until your house is done.

Faith is that foundation, and if our faith is strong, then we can proceed to build upon it and add to it, maturing our spiritual man and growing in Christ with each thing we subsequently add to the foundation of faith we’ve established.

Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

That is both the most succinct and the most revelatory definition for faith in the entire Bible, and it is the one thing that serves as load bearing foundation for the rest of our spiritual construct.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Absolute Power!

2013-06-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

During medieval times, if you were unfortunate enough to be a sibling to one who had recently ascended to the throne, the best you could hope for was a short life in a dark dungeon away from prying eyes.

It is well known that men who ascended to power did everything they could to cling to the power to which they’d ascended for as long as humanly possible.

To this end, men butchered their own kin, their own siblings, poisoned their own fathers and mothers, and ordered the genocidal extermination of millions without a second thought or the loss of a single night’s sleep.

What most have forgotten and few still realize is that once they attain power, individuals will do all they can to retain the power they’ve attained.

First you attain, then you retain.

To think that men have evolved and now seek higher office for the good of their fellow man is laughable on its face, and those who believe such trifle are infantile in their thinking beyond description.

You don’t spend a billion dollars because you really, really want to take pictures holding other people’s babies while plastering a fake smile on your face.

Men seek power for power’s sake, and once they attain the power they sought even good men are corrupted and transformed, never mind men of less than noble character and intent.

Although the situation itself isn’t funny by half, the reaction of some individuals is quite amusing – especially their disbelief at the reality that they’re being spied on in the most egregious manner by their government.

The mask has come off, and now we see what has become of the noble notion of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

As tyrannical governments have proven out time and again, first you gain control of the majority, and then do away with the dissidents, nonconformists, and those who oppose you in any way.

We are still in the control phase of the operation, but as control is acquired more thoroughly the silencing and containment of outspoken opponents will begin.

There has been an overflow of information as to what has transpired in this nation over the past few years, from the active targeting of certain citizens and groups, to the open favoritism of what ought to be an impartial government body.

What we knew as freedom is now in the rearview, and I fear we’ve only scratched the surface of what has been going on behind closed doors. We’ve gotten the first whiff of decomposition, and though we think to ourselves this is bad enough, it will get worse.

Although as believers we are no longer of the world, we are still in it, and what happens in it affects us whether directly or indirectly. When pressure is first applied it is always gentle – perhaps a persuasion or an implied consequence for not going along – but soon enough it will turn to threats and the carrying out of said threats.

I guess the whole point of today’s post is this: you can see what’s happening; it’s clear now, and whether or not you will compromise and walk away from your principles and convictions is something you will have to determine now rather than when you are forced to choose on the spot.

Those who purpose in their hearts today not to defile themselves tomorrow stand a far better chance of following through than those who are clueless and thinking to themselves that they won’t be here for when it does get really bad.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s getting really bad, and it’s only going to get worse. Get under the covering of God’s protection now, know that you are tethered in truth now, live for Him wholly and completely now, so that tomorrow you would not bend and break as so many will.

Again, not under the covering of a man, a ministry, a denomination, or a doctrine, but under God’s covering is where we ought to be, and where we ought to reside.

Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Speaking in Dallas

2013-06-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

This coming weekend I will be speaking in Dallas. The Prophecy Club is hosting this set of meetings, and it is one of the few times I have a pre-determined topic I will be speaking on.

This also happens to be the last place I'm scheduled to speak in before returning to Romania for a little while.

It will be a marathon weekend to say the least.

Saturday June 8, 2013 2-5 p.m.

The Person of the Holy Spirit

Saturday June 8, 2013 7-10:30 p.m.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Sunday June 9, 2013 9:30 a.m. – Noon

When Ye Pray

Spirit of Prophecy Church

2540 Avenue K, Suite 100

Plano Texas

If you cannot attend I would nevertheless ask for your prayers as I've been having some pain in my knee of late, and I would prefer not to suffer the indignity of being wheeled to the plane.

If you can attend, just a head's up, I do believe there is a door fee for the Saturday meetings, but there is no door fee for the Sunday meetings.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

What God Hates Part 4

2013-06-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Part four of this series is up, and since I'm tired of being disappointed by not being able to insert a video, I will just post the link further down. Thank you all for watching, and may God bless you.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

What God Hates Part 4

A Telling Dream

2013-06-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

The following is a dream I had three times over Memorial Day weekend. It is as it will appear in the next issue of the Hand of Help newsletter. It was a sobering dream in many ways.

Dear Brethren,

Over Memorial Day weekend I was scheduled to speak in Lake Havasu Arizona. Since Las Vegas was the closest major airport and by far the cheapest ticket, Gene and I flew there having planned to spend the first night upon our arrival somewhere in the area, then make the drive to the meeting the next day.

After a four hour flight, some misunderstandings with the car rental agent, and a couple hours to get acclimated to the heat, we checked into our room without further incident.

That night I had a dream.

I dreamt I was standing beside a path leading into a forest, and although snow blanketed the ground, the path was still visible, clear, and well defined. Although I wasn’t cold in my dream, I could seem my breath and as I looked around trying to understand what I was seeing and why I was seeing it a beautiful buck made its way up the path toward me.

Although I can’t say I’ve seen many bucks up close this seemed like a fine specimen, regal in its bearing, almost prancing up the path with its head held high.

I stood beside the path unmoving, not wanting to spook the animal in any way. If it saw me it did not let it show as it passed by and continued trotting down the path.

I continued to watch it follow the path toward the forest until suddenly it veered off and began to make its way through the packed snow. Although its pace slowed and it was having a difficult time making headway once it veered off the path, the buck seemed stubborn in its insistence, and though progress was slow, it continued its march.

I started to look around for something else, not really understanding what I was seeing or why I was seeing it when a sharp crack drew my attention back to the buck. Although the animal was a good distance from me, I could see what had happened with great clarity.

The buck had stepped into a hole which had been masked by the snow, and had snapped its front left leg.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I just stood and watched as it forced itself up, and though evidently in great pain, it began to continue on its journey away from the path.

Its progress was slow, and I could hear the echoes of its bleating, but wounded as it was the animal was insistent in its purpose.

After some time the buck stopped suddenly and began to sniff at the air. An instant later the mournful sound of howling wolves reached my ears, and I understood what the buck had smelled.

With renewed vigor the buck tried to run, but hampered by its wound, its progress was slow.

I was so focused on the buck that at first I did not acknowledge the movement in my peripheral vision, but as they drew closer I shifted my focus and I could see the source of the howls approaching swiftly. At first it was one wolf, then two, then five, then an entire pack, all in a semi-circle chasing down the wounded buck as it tried to flee.

I was anxious to see what would happen, I strained to see every detail, but as the wolf pack drew closer and closer to the buck, I woke up.

Troubled by the dream I’d had, I prayed a prayer and tried to go back to sleep but no sleep would come.

The next morning we made our way to Lake Havasu, and after having our evening meeting, and a late night dinner, I went to sleep only to dream the exact same dream again. Everything was the same, from the path and the snow, to the buck and its broken leg, to the howls and the wolves, and to waking up fully alert just as the wolves were closing in on the buck.

Once again I prayed and tried to go back to sleep, and once again sleep would not come.

The next morning we had church, then drove a couple hours to a place called Aguila Arizona where we had some wonderful fellowship, then drove back to Las Vegas where we would catch our flight home the next morning.

It was already past midnight when we got in, and having preached twice and driven for about seven hours that day, I was as exhausted as a man can get.

I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and once again the same dream began to play out. Just as the wolves were ready to attack and take down the buck I was awoken by a loud noise coming from the pullout sofa in the room. It was Gene. He was snoring.

I was halfway to throwing a pillow at Gene and telling him to roll over, when I saw the man standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed over his chest, and a half smile on his face.

‘Ask your question,’ he said.

‘Why can’t I see what happens? Why can’t I see the end of the dream?’ I asked.

‘Because it is inconsequential,’ he answered.

‘The instant the animal wandered off the path and wounded itself, its end was a certain and foregone conclusion. It matters not which wolf fells it. Once it is felled, they will all feast. The same can be said of this nation with one exception. The animal had no one to help it, this nation rejected the help offered it believing it could heal its own self of the wounds it had inflicted upon itself. The wolves have gathered. They sense the weakness, they smell the blood, and they are confident in the outcome of their endeavor.’

In an instant the man was gone, and I found myself standing halfway out of bed with a pillow in my hand pondering what I had just heard.

We reject repentance at our own peril. We reject righteousness, sanctification and the pursuit of holiness to our own detriment. Though there is safety on the narrow path we’ve taken it upon ourselves to blaze our own trail, indifferent to the untold perils and dangers awaiting those who stray.

I wish with all my heart I could write happy things in my letter to you today, I wish I could tell you the sun will come out tomorrow and the storm clouds will pass, but our refusal to accept God’s help, our refusal to submit and humble ourselves before Him only hastens judgment.

The wolves have gathered, the hunt begins, and this weakened nation is the prey.

I will now repeat what I preached on during one of the aforementioned meetings because I believe it is relevant, timely, and apropos. The level of your relationship with Christ today, will determine whether you stand or fall by the wayside tomorrow. Know that you are resting in Him, know that you draw your strength from Him, and know that you have placed your hope and trust in Him.

On Christ the solid rock we stand, for truly, all other ground is sinking sand.

Psalm 124:6-8, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

What God Hates Part 3

2013-05-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since the newest installment of this teaching series has been uploaded, and since I've heard positive things in regards to the series itself, below you will find a link to the third of ten parts. Thank you for your encouraging words, and your prayers.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

What God Hates Part 3

Growing in Christ Part 6

2013-05-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

First we were given all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, then the selfsame One who called us went on to give us exceedingly great and precious promises.

God is not stingy when it comes to what He gives His children, and when we realize the utter uselessness of material things when compared with the eternal things He has promised us, we come close to understanding just how charitable and giving God is.

It is because men who ought never to have been allowed behind a pulpit kept insisting that the way to gauge God’s blessing upon your life is to see how much money you had in your bank account that so many believers began feeling underwhelmed by all of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises.

‘Well, yeah, I feel the presence of God in my life, and I know what it is to know Jesus in the fullness of all that He is, but the guy on television says I need a yacht and a private jet in order to know the full measure of God’s blessing.’

Once again it comes down to whom we are going to believe, and seeing what we see either through eyes of flesh, or the eyes of the Spirit.

When we perceive the promises of God through the eyes of the Spirit we acknowledge offhand that these promises have nothing to do with the material.

Why would God make exceedingly great and precious promises for the material toward us, when the selfsame God said that the earth and everything in it would pass away?

Would God not rather promise something of the eternal variety? Would God not rather make exceedingly great and precious promises for those things that human ingenuity, human drive, or human intellect could never attain but could only be attained by being numbered among His children?

When we lower God to our level, when we demand He think the way we think and act the way we act, we are demeaning the eternal God of all creation, the One who spoke the universe into being, and the One who already forewarned us that His ways are not as our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

“that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

It is here, in the tail end of verse four that we are told why we were given all things that pertain to life and godliness, as well as why exceedingly great and precious promises were given us. It was so through these things we might be partakers of the divine nature.

All of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises are encapsulated and likewise fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Absent Christ, we could never have been partakers of the divine nature, absent Christ we would never have been reconciled unto the Father, and Peter knew this better than most men.

There is another truth the end of this verse reveals to us, and that is one cannot be a partaker of the divine nature, all the while practicing the corruption that is in the world through lust.

It is an either or proposition with God. Either we become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world, or we remain mired in the corruption that is in the world, never fully experiencing what it is to be a partaker of the divine nature.

Any man who tells you that it is possible to do both simultaneously, to be a partaker of the divine nature and still be shackled by the corruption of the world is lying to your face for no other reason than the money you will gladly be willing to part with because your conscience was soothed and appeased.

It is only when we have become partakers of the divine nature that we have been set free, and are become free indeed. Anything before that is just an illusion of freedom, something perhaps akin to the real thing but not the real thing itself.

Only Christ can set us free, only Christ can take off the shackles that bind us and bring us to that place wherein we have truly escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Some may be reading this wondering what lust has to do with the corruption that is in the world, and the answer to that question is everything.

Although in our modern age we equate lust with a sexual desire of some sort, lust is defined as a craving, a longing, or a desire. One can lust after power, one can lust after prestige, one can lust after possessions, because what we desire, long for and crave is what we pursue.

Lust fuels men’s drive to sink deeper into the corruption that is in the world, thinking that by doing so they will achieve their heart’s desire, realizing belatedly that what they wanted wasn’t really what they wanted all along.

In their lust for the things of the world, in their desire and craving for something they do not possess, men neglect those things they do possess and often take for granted, and end up sacrificing them on the altar of the selfsame lust that is consuming them.

This is why so many marriages fail, this is why so many children refuse to speak to their parents, this is why so many people are downright miserable and the hopelessness they are feeling is etched upon their brow. Because they did not escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, and it consumed them.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 5

2013-05-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Because we know God’s divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, the next logical question is why?

Why would God give us these things? Is it just so we might retain knowledge of them without living them out? Is it just so we can say we know all things that pertain to life and godliness?

To hear some men tell the tale, there is no reason God has granted us this knowledge but for the knowledge itself.

They insist, and ardently so that we have no need of applying the knowledge granted us to our daily lives, that we have no need to live out our faith and pursue righteousness with all tenacity, because such things are works, and works are the last thing any believer ought to be doing.

If this is the case, then why pray tell would God, by His divine power, give us all things that pertain to life and godliness?

If He had not intended for us to live out our faith, and live godly lives amidst the godless of this world, what would have been the point of God granting us such knowledge?

‘through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises’

The amazing truth about these things that we were given is that they were given to us through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. It was not through some special incantation, it was not through some ceremony, it was not through some denominational edict, we were given all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

Thus the importance of truly knowing the Christ, thus the importance of focusing all of our energy and desire in growing in Him, for without the knowledge of Jesus, we known neither the things that pertain to life, nor the things that pertain to godliness.

Once again we see the interconnectedness between the wisdom God gives, and the knowledge of God Himself. One cannot possess a true knowledge of life and godliness without possessing a true knowledge of God.

Yes, men claim they possess this knowledge absent the knowledge of God, but they are liars and the Word of God proves them liars.

So often we get distracted by worthless ideologies and empty doctrines, and these serve to take our eyes and our focus off Christ, thereby keeping us from knowing the fullness of Him.

The enemy is shrewd when it comes to keeping believers from knowing all of Jesus, because not only does He need to keep men from the full knowledge of Jesus, he also needs to keep men from the full knowledge of what it means to know the fullness of Jesus.

If men knew the key to unlocking all things that pertain to life and godliness resided in the knowledge of Jesus, and not in esoteric knowledge, or extra-biblical knowledge, then they would lay aside those useless things which rob them of their time, and focus their energies on discovering Christ.

Because the enemy has done such a masterful job of separating knowledge of the things pertaining to life and godliness from the knowledge of Christ, men dismiss the knowledge of Christ in lieu of other avenues to the things pertaining to life, all the while missing out on what they’ve been seeking all along because they’ve chosen to deprioritize growing in Christ in their lives.

It is through the knowledge of Jesus that we obtain the knowledge of all things that pertain to life and godliness. One avenue to these truths, one avenue to this wisdom, one avenue to this knowledge, and that is Christ Jesus the Lamb of God.

In this passage we are told that Jesus called us by glory, and by virtue.

It is a strange phrase, one that seems oddly out of place if glossed over quickly, but one that reveals the beauty of Christ to us once we begin to perceive the full meaning thereof.

Since we know the word ‘glory’ to mean ‘high renown won by notable achievements,’ we can understand what it means to be called by glory.

By virtue of his renown, by virtue of His notable achievements, by virtue of who He is, Jesus called us, and not only that but also gave us exceedingly great and precious promises if we answered His call.

Because of whom Jesus is, He is worthy of being answered when He calls. By virtue of what He did on the cross, it is within His ability to redeem, save and sanctify those who come humbly before Him and repent of their ways.

Jesus didn’t call men unto Himself just for the sake of calling them, but that they might be transformed by the knowledge they received once they came to know Him, and walk in the godliness revealed to them.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Speaking in Arizona

2013-05-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

It has been at least seven years since I've spoken in Arizona, and this coming weekend, to make up for the long absence, I will be speaking no less than three times.

I will leave the dates, times, and locations up for the next few days because only the good Lord knows when I will be back in Arizona. Chances are, it won't be any time soon.

Saturday May 25, 2013 6:30 pm
Stonebridge Christian Fellowship
2700 Jamaica Blvd.
Lake Havasu City AZ 86406

Sunday May 26, 2013 11:00 am
Inspire the Church
510 N Acoma Blvd
Lake Havasu City AZ

Sunday May 26, 2013 6:00 pm
Community Bible Church Aguila
50650 N First Avenue
Aguila AZ 85320

Please keep Gene and myself in your prayers as we travel.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

What God Hates Part 2

2013-05-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since part two of this teaching series has already been uploaded, here it is. We will get back to our own series shortly, but first I get to go to Arizona, see the sun, and perhaps, even feel warmth on my skin after this unending Wisconsin winter.

I will post the dates and times of the Arizona meetings sometime this week, as I know I don't get out that way much. God bless, and thank you for watching these teachings.

Yep, technology hates me. So here's the link:

What God Hates Part 2

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

P.S. Keep the people of Oklahoma in your prayers. Looks like there will be much heartache and heartbreak when all is said and done.

What God Hates Part 1

2013-05-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since we've been filming more of the 'Truth in a Nutshell' videos I wanted to start sharing the new series we just finished filming entitled 'What God Hates' or 'The Things God Hates' since I believe it is a timely and relevant word for the body of Christ.

I will interrupt the current teachings on growing in Christ periodically and share these videos as well. Hopefully they will be edifying and eye opening as to the nature of our God and the fact that He does hate certain things and practices.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

P.S. Since I'm either to inept or my computer hates me, I can't put up the video itself, so here is the link. God bless.

What God Hates Part 1

Speaking in Wisconsin

2013-05-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

If nothing changes, this coming Sunday will be the last time I speak in Wisconsin on this trip. I am due to return to Romania in June, and I am fully booked until my departure.

As such, this is the last speaking engagement in Wisconsin.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind encouragements. Yes, we've been busy, but is been a good busy since the preaching of the Gospel is going forth, and the truth is heard by more ears than ever before.

Sunday May 19, 2013 at 10:45 am
Morgan Assembly of God Church
N8091 Morgan Road
Gresham WI 54128

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 4

2013-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

2 Peter 1:2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

I wanted to include all three verses for the sake of continuity, and now that we’ve done that, we can proceed to digging deeper and taking the passage piece by piece to see the truths it holds and the lessons it would teach us.

‘Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord’

One of the first things I noticed as I read through this passage is what it was Peter wished upon the brethren, and those who shared in like faith. It was not health, wealth, prosperity, or blessing, but rather grace and peace.

If we presume that Peter desired the very best for his brothers and sisters in Christ, if we presume that the blessing he spoke upon the brethren was the pinnacle of what he could wish for them, then we realize that grace and peace ought to be prized more than material possessions and other things which we tend to wish for ourselves and others.

The other thing worthy of notice in this handful of words is Peter implies that the way to multiplied grace and peace is through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

It is God who is the giver of grace, it is God who is the giver of peace, and as we grow in the knowledge of Him, as we grow in Christ, we likewise grow in grace and peace.

Multiplied grace and peace are inseparable from the knowledge of God. We cannot grow in one without growing in the other.

Any grace or peace which does not have the knowledge of God and Jesus as their foundation, are counterfeit, no matter how close to the real thing they might seem to be.
This is the danger of pseudo-doctrines which minimize or altogether do away with the need for Christ and the need for the knowledge of Him. There can be no grace or peace without Christ being at the center of our faith, our worship, and our faith.

‘As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness’

If some are having difficulty with understanding godliness or coming in possession of fullness of life, it is not because God did not make it available, or because He made it purposefully difficult for us to perceive. Peter reminds us that God’s divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

We’re not talking about a handful of things, most things, some things, or a few things, but all things that pertain to life and godliness were given to us by His divine power.

If what Peter says is true and we know it is because it is in the Word, then I find it strange that so many individuals today fall for newfangled doctrines and modernized teachings that contradict the tenets of Scripture, all the while talking themselves into believing that they’ve finally come to understand the things pertaining to life and godliness.

How can we have godliness absent God? How can we have life absent the source of all life?

Once again, it is only through God and in God that we can come to understand the deeper things, the profound things, the things pertaining to the fundamental questions of our existence, as well as define what godliness truly is.

Peter tells us that all things that pertain to life and godliness were given to us by God’s divine power, and so, if we have as yet not attained these things, we must be diligent in our searching, and tireless in our pursuit of them.

We know they are there. We know they exist. We know that in God and by His divine power they were made known to us.

God did His part. God gave us all things pertaining to life and godliness, but He will not force these things upon us. They are there for the taking, they are there for the understanding, not for the wise or learned among us, but for everyone who seeks after them with diligence.

If we are ignorant of these things it is not God’s fault. If we fall short in our knowledge of godliness or life, it is not because these things were not revealed and made known to us.

Yes, I know taking responsibility is a difficult and often times derided practice, but eventually, when we run out of individuals to blame, we come around to the man or woman in the mirror and are forced to own up to the reality that perhaps it is we who did not knock, and as such the door was never opened. It is we who did not ask, and as such the knowledge of life and godliness were not made known to us. It is we who were too busy with other things to press in, and desire a deeper fellowship, and as such we make do with the superficial, trivial, and ceremonial.

It’s not too late. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened. Ask and it will be given to you.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 3

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Before we get started with today’s teaching, I seem to have stirred up some controversy over a scripture passage I quoted in my previous post.

The passage is out of the gospel according to Matthew, and it says this:

Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

So we can all agree that Jesus did speak these words. Yes? With that consensus, I will say that I never meant to insinuate that Peter was The Rock, but just a rock, because Peter does mean rock when interpreted.

No, I did not convert to Catholicism, nor did I adopt a new doctrinal belief system, but by the same token I will not attempt to do mental acrobatics to make the verse say something it doesn’t say just for the fun of it.

We all know Jesus is the foundation, the cornerstone, The Rock upon which the church is built, but He did speak those words, and if He did, then perhaps Peter is a small pebble there somewhere in the great construct known as the household of faith.

With that matter hopefully settled, we continue with our exegesis on the first chapter of second Peter, to see what more we can glean from it.

2 Peter 1:1, ‘Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Since during the last post we discussed whom this letter was from, today we will begin to discuss who it was addressed to.

We know Simon Peter wrote it, introducing himself as a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, but who did he write this letter to?

Peter’s letter was not penned for the rebellious, nor was it penned for the godless, it was penned for those who had obtained like precious faith, those who had been redeemed and sanctified by Christ Jesus.

It is important to make the distinction as to whom Peter was writing, because I’ve often heard it said that the whole growth in Christ thing is not for Christians, and every time I hear this it sounds ludicrous on its face and causes me great concern for the mental wellbeing of those peddling this pablum.

The reason men insist that growth in Christ is not for believers is because the notion of continually growing – adding to that which we already possess so we might become more like the One we serve – can be misconstrued as work, as labor, as striving, and they refuse to believe we have to do anything more than lift a limp hand at a crusade for Jesus.

Anything more than allowing the inertia and energy of the moment to overtake you and compel you to raise your hand would be just a tad too much for God to ask of you for the eternity He is offering in return.

Another thing we would do well to heed is the wording of Peter’s address to those who have obtained like precious faith.

Not all faith is the same, and not everyone who has faith has the same kind of faith you have. Peter is writing to those who have obtained like precious faith, meaning of the same nature, in the same God, and with the same passion.

Often wonder why even though someone says they have the same faith as you do for some reason you just can’t get into fellowship with them?

Ever wonder why even though someone professes a thing when it comes to living the thing they profess they are lacking?

It is because they do not have like precious faith; they have faith in the idol of their own imagining, the god of their own creation, who requires nothing of them, who demands no surrender, no faithfulness, no obedience, and no worship.

Peter was writing to those who knew they had obtained like precious faith, and who likewise knew who it was that made it possible for them to obtain it.

When we read quickly or haphazardly we often miss the beautiful nuances in the word of God, and this first verse of second Peter has one such nuance.

As he writes to those who have obtained like precious faith he is likewise quick to remind them that it was not by their own merit, it was no by their own work, but rather by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is by the righteousness of Christ Jesus, and only by the righteousness of Christ Jesus that we obtain like precious faith with the saints. Because it is in His righteousness that we stand, we walk boldly toward eternity, having His authority just as we have His righteousness and knowing that through Him and by Him we are more than conquerors.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 2

2013-05-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since this is a very rich text I thought it best to tackle it in an exegetical fashion, going through verse by verse, line by line, and word by word, to see what the Lord would teach us through Peter the man known as the rock upon which Christ said He would build His church.

Yes, Jesus could have picked someone more erudite, sophisticated, educated, refined and cultured, but instead He picked Peter, a fisherman who wasn’t always the bravest of souls, and with a temper to boot seeing as he lobbed off a guy’s ear without giving it a second thought.

Imperfect as Peter might have been, plagued by weakness and fear in the early part of his ministry, God worked mightily through him, and gave him a wisdom that transcended his own education, understanding, and intellect.

It is always awesome to see God take someone and in using them, make them capable of greater intellectual feats than reasonably expected of the person in question. That’s when you know God had a hand in it, when you see a person you’ve known all your life, who never struck you as a genius by any stretch of the imagination, yet who simply transcends himself as the power of God begins to work through him.

I’ve known a few such brothers throughout my life – I even consider myself one of those people – and each time it is an amazing thing to witness and behold.

As we begin to read the first few lines of Peter’s second epistle it is obvious he did not pen these words of his own volition, or dependent upon his own intellect. These words are much too glorious, too profound, and too insightful to have been thought up by the minds of men, giving credence to the notion of divine inspiration.

God spoke it, and Peter wrote it. God inspired it, and Peter reiterated the inspired words so we might all benefit from them and grow in Christ together.

2 Peter 2:1, “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”

‘Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.’

I stared at these nine words for the better part of thirty minutes because something had caught my eye, something had clicked, but I didn’t know what it was. I kept going back to Peter’s introduction of himself, trying to make the conscious connection that I’d made subconsciously, and as it finally broke the surface I began to write haphazardly on a piece of paper.

1. Peter thought of himself as a servant first, then an apostle of Jesus Christ.

2. It was more important for Peter to speak of his servanthood than his apostleship.

3. One cannot be a true apostle of Jesus Christ without first being a servant.

4. Servanthood is a choice, apostleship is a calling.

5. Both being a servant and an apostle require obedience and perpetual dependency upon Christ Jesus.

God’s desire is for us to be His servants, but we cannot be if our hearts are not filled with steadfast obedience toward Him. We obey not only when it suits our interests, we obey not only when what we are commanded to do comes easily to us, we obey not only when the sacrifice for our obedience is small, but even when it means losing everything, when it’s the most difficult thing we will ever have to do, and when it goes against what men perceive as our self-interest.
Peter didn’t say he was an ‘occasional servant’ or ‘sometime apostle’ of Christ. He didn’t quantify his position regarding these two things as having been anything other than perpetual.

Peter was a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.

This is how he identified himself, this is how he defined himself, and this is how he saw himself. Nowadays most preachers and evangelists want to shy away from such titles, and instead be called life coaches, inspirational speakers, or motivators.

When did it become a shameful thing to be associated with Jesus? When did it become an embarrassment to say ‘I am a servant of Christ Jesus?’

It’s obvious that even if we kowtow to the world their intent is still to do away with us altogether, and wipe away the very name of Jesus from the hearts and minds of future generations.

If it’s not obvious to you, then perhaps it’s time to pull your head out of the sand, and sneak a peek at what’s been happening in this nation of late.

Men who once called me mad to my face for insinuating that persecution against believers might come to the United States are now calling and repenting of their actions because they are seeing now what I admonished them to look out for three and four years ago.

Peter was a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, and he was no longer ashamed of this fact. He did not try to introduce himself as anything other than what he was, no longer concerned with the repercussions or negative effects being associated with the Christ might have.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Growing in Christ Part 1

2013-05-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Some time ago a comment was left for me asking if I would consider doing a study on the first chapter of second Peter. Although it has been some time since the comment was left I have not forgotten about the request, and even went one step further and have started to outline a few teachings anchored in the first fifteen verses of Second Peter, which I’ve entitled ‘Growing in Christ’.

Everybody wants to grow up before their time. They want to mature at an accelerated pace, only to realize later on in life that the growing and maturing process is an enjoyable thing in and of itself, and even a necessary component of a healthy and well-balanced adulthood.

There is a marked difference between growing physically, and growing emotionally and intellectually…between building up our physical man, and maturing one’s knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the world we live in, the God we serve, and our duty to this awe inspiring God.

Because men often focus on maturing the physical while dismissing the intellectual aspect of their growth, we see many an adult acting like children, unwilling to take responsibility for their actions, or worse, still living in their mother’s basement at thirty five, playing video games and waiting on the next blockbuster motion picture to come out, with no direction in their life or any motivation to do anything about their situation.

Just as we must grow physically, intellectually, and emotionally, we must likewise grow spiritually, and the way we grow spiritually is by growing in Christ.

It is a process, one which has different stages, and as it begins to unfold in our lives it requires patience, humility, and a willingness to submit ourselves in totality to the will of God.

Even though the blueprint of how we can grow in Christ is clearly outlined within the Word, many still fail to do so for various reasons. The most common reason men fail to grow in Christ is because they are unwilling to surrender their all in order to obtain all of Him.

In order for us to grow in Christ and for Christ to grow in us, we must decrease. There is no way around this truth, yet many still attempt to find a middle ground when none exists.

If we do not decrease, Christ cannot increase in us. If we are not emptied out of all we need to be emptied of, Christ cannot fill us with His presence, with His power, and with His Spirit.

As we continue to grow in Christ, as we begin to mature, we likewise begin to see certain things differently than when we were in spiritual infancy.

It’s amazing how one can look back on their childhood, on their adolescence and teenage years, and shake their head as to how utterly foolish they were.

Just recently I was thinking back to when I was around thirteen, and someone had given us some old lawn darts, and a few spare smaller darts as toys. Since my parents didn’t have money to buy us toys, we made the best of what people gave us, and the darts seemed like endless fun.

My brother Sergiu and I began by throwing the lawn darts around, but as that got boring quick, we decided to play dart chicken with the smaller darts.

The way we played dart chicken was by taking off our shoes, standing in the grass, and having one person either pretend to throw the dart at the other, or actually throw it. If you moved your foot, you lost.

Since there is no redeeming quality to the rest of this story as it ends with my brother Sergiu walking into the apartment bleeding all over the shag carpeting with a dart in his foot, I will simply say that looking back at our decision to play dart chicken, I realize it was a very foolish idea that could have ended far worse than it actually did.

Having been only thirteen at the time, the consequences of my brother not moving when I threw the dart never crossed my mind, and being the stubborn soul that he is, my brother never once thought of moving his foot either.

The point is that as we mature our perspective changes, and the way we see and perceive things changes as well. As we grow in Christ our perspective and perception likewise changes, and the closer we draw to Him, the more we become like Him, the more we are refined and perfected.

The passage we will be discussing is the blueprint as to how this refinement takes place, and what we can expect as we add to our faith virtue, to our virtue knowledge, to our knowledge self-control, to our self-control perseverance, to our perseverance godliness, to our godliness brotherly kindness, and to our brotherly kindness love.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

When God Laughs! Part 6

2013-05-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since during the last post I began discussing the negative aspects of knowledge absent wisdom, some have written in and asked the question, ‘then what about the passage where it says My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge? If knowledge in and of itself were not beneficial without wisdom, then what about that verse?’

Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from being priests for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

In order to establish whether or not I misspoke when I suggested that knowledge absent wisdom is a dangerous thing, we must first understand the ‘knowledge’ to which God was referring to in Hosea.

As you may have grasped, the knowledge I was referring to was not the knowledge of God, or knowledge of the things of God, but general knowledge about everything from the mating habits of dung beetles, to the cyclical nature of the planet’s warming and cooling mechanism.

It is that kind of knowledge that is dangerous when not coupled with wisdom.

The knowledge Hosea is speaking of is knowledge of God, the will of God, the plan of God, the law of God, and the Word of God.

God is speaking exclusively about His people, and not the world or the godless, or those who do not know Him.

It is His people He takes issue with for not having knowledge of Him and therefore being destroyed, and having forgotten His law, and therefore having to suffer the consequences of having their children likewise forgotten by God.

The best way I can explain what I was referring to, is to take any popular, modern day Pastor, and dissect their ‘sermon’ on any given Sunday. What you will discover, and quickly so, is that there is more psychology, human behavior analysis, and self-help rhetoric, than there is mention of God, Christ, the Gospel, or the cross.

That is the definition of knowledge absent wisdom, for if wisdom were present, their message would be to serve the Lord with fear, rejoice with trembling, and put their trust in Him.

The knowledge of God transcends knowledge of the mundane and day to day, and one who seeks, desires, and hungers for the knowledge of God will inevitably have a foundation of wisdom upon which they can build.

After making his first plea to the intellect, the Holy Spirit’s second plea is to the will of man.

Psalm 2:11, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

It is within man’s ability to either continue in his rebellion, or serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Man chooses submission to the Word and will of God, or submission to his own flesh and desires.

The Holy Spirit pleads with the will of man, instructing us to choose the right path, the narrow path, the path that leads to the Kingdom.

Every man servers one of two kingdoms! We either serve the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of this world. We either submit ourselves to the light of Christ, or the darkness of sin. Though some might think themselves self-governing, independent masters of their destinies, in reality they too serve one of these two kingdoms.

The end result of submission to the will of God is joy. I know this flies in the face of all the nonsense men have been spewing the past few decades, but it is nevertheless true. The end result of submission to the will of God is joy!

While we’re at it, there’s also joy and fulfillment in the fear of the Lord. Yes, I dared to use the word ‘fear’ and ‘Lord’ in the same sentence.

It is because we do not know the Lord as we ought that the notion of possessing the fear of the Lord is so anathema to us. If we saw God not as a tyrant but a good, loving, and merciful Father, we would understand that the fear of the Lord is a beneficial thing for us.

Once again we come to one of those hard and fast rules that seems to be of the universal variety, and that is liberty without authority becomes anarchy.

This is why the fear of the Lord is necessary for us. God created man in such a way wherein we function optimally not when we rebel but when we submit. So technically, if you want to have your best life now and become a better you, you have no choice but to submit to the authority of God.

Having made his appeal to the intellect of man and to the will of man, the third appeal the Holy Spirit makes is to the heart of man.

Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”

God’s desire is for us to be reconciled unto Him through His Son Jesus. It is the only way by which man can be reconciled unto God, and no other way exists.

If another way existed, God would have employed it, but because no other existed Jesus had to die upon the cross for your sins and mine.

To ‘kiss the Son’ is to honor, and give reverence to Christ, a reverence He is worthy of and rightly deserves. It is also a demonstration of love and adoration for the One who birthed us through His death and resurrection.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

When God Laughs! Part 5

2013-05-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Thus far we’ve mentioned three of the four voices we see speaking in this Psalm. They are: the voice of the multitudes, the kings and rulers of nations, the voice of God the Father, and the voice of God the Son.

The fourth voice we see speaking clearly and precisely, is the voice of God the Holy Spirit, and He does so as a means of warning and admonition.

Psalm 2:10-12, ‘Now therefore, be wise O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”

As we begin to search out these three verses we see, and clearly so, that whomever is speaking is speaking of both the Lord, and the Son. It is neither the Son speaking, nor is it the Father, but a third voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Although for long and long the person of the Holy Spirit has been marginalized and mistreated, abused by those calling themselves children of God and exploited for selfish gain, He remains an integral part, a necessary part, and an indispensable part of the Godhead.

Though man has strayed from the study of the Holy Spirit and pneumatology has fallen out of favor with the scholarly and the learned, the Bible never once spoke less of Him. Throughout the Old and New Testament we see glimpses of the Holy Spirit, and especially in the Acts of the Apostles, the Person of the Holy Spirit is highlighted and focused upon.

If there is a more straightforward, explicit utterance of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, I have yet to find it, as this speaks directly and emphatically to the kings and judges of the earth admonishing them to be wise.

So what does wisdom consist of? What makes a man wise and what can a man do to be counted as one who has attained wisdom?

Wisdom is to serve the Lord with fear, and to rejoice with trembling. Wisdom is to put one’s trust in the Lord, and know that He is ever present, always there, unflinching in His faithfulness toward us.

A fool puts his trust in himself, in the things he has amassed, in the position he has acquired, and in the people he knows.

A wise man puts his trust in the Lord, and rests in the knowledge of His presence throughout this life and the life to come.

What greater hope can we have than the knowledge that God has never once failed anyone who has trusted in Him?

He has a proven track record and no one on this earth comes close to Him.

The plea the Holy Spirit makes to one and all tugs at the heart, for His singular desire is to instruct mankind and admonish us to cease and desist from our rebellion, and submit to the authority of the Son whom the Father has appointed as ruler over the nations.

Herein we discover what we must do in order to keep from kindling the wrath of the Son, and not perish in the way.

As we delve deeper into these last three verses of the second Psalm we see the Holy Spirit making a plea to every area of the human being. First, His plea is directed toward the intellect, toward the reason and logic center of our minds, by admonishing us to be wise, and be instructed.

Granted, given the depths to which we’ve descended as a society, one might not see wisdom as a necessary attribute, or even one worthy of pursuit. We seem to reward the most inane, mindless, foolhardy and downright idiotic among us, while we look down upon those who desire to grow in wisdom.

All that notwithstanding, the Bible does put a high price on wisdom, instructing us to seek it if we don’t have it, and to ask God if perchance we feel as though we don’t have enough of it.

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him.”

We live in a world where there is an abundance of knowledge but very little wisdom. There has never been a time in our human history when more knowledge has been so readily available, yet there has never been a time when so few individuals exhibited practical wisdom.

Knowledge absent wisdom is a dangerous thing. It transforms a man into the epitome of arrogance without an ounce of substance to back up his arrogance. Because pride fuels his arrogance, the man sees himself as infallible, above reproach, and concludes that no one on the face of the earth is equal to his knowledge. Therefore, no one is qualified to rebuke or correct him in any manner.

A world, in which knowledge rules absent wisdom, is a world of tyrants and victims. If you don’t believe me, just look around.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Speaking in Houston

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's not really Houston, but it's Houston adjacent. Given the size of Texas, what's a few hour's drive give or take? At least as far as the Corpus Christi meeting is concerned, it's not really in Houston but I didn't want to make the title of this post any longer than it had to be. If memory serves, Magnolia is very close to Houston. Dare I say, a stone's throw away.

It's been almost five years since I've been to the Houston area, and much has changed since that time. I've grown a little older, perhaps a little wiser, and the world seems to be spinning out of control faster than we thought possible.

As such, I don't know where we'll be in five years' time this being when I would likely return to Houston if I kept to the pattern. I'm letting everyone know early enough so you don't have to wait another five years.

I will leave this up until Sunday morning, because my going to Texas is a rare occurrence at best, and I don't want anyone accusing me of not letting people know where I'll be speaking.

Saturday May 4, 2013 at 6:30 pm
Corpus Christi
2801 Elk Street
Corpus Christi Texas 78410

Sunday May 5, 2013 at 10:30 am
Aliento De Vida International Ministries
19015 Jeter Dr.
Magnolia Texas 77355

Hope to see those who live in the area there. Please keep Geno and myself in your prayers as we travel. May God bless and keep you.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

When God Laughs! Part 4

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Psalm 2:7-8, “I will declare the decree: ‘The Lord has said to Me, You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.’”

In between teachings I began looking at this Psalm a little differently, not really through a different prism, but merely from a different angle. If we analyze this Psalm we realize there are a lot of parties doing a lot of talking, and just from a rudimentary reading we can discern four distinct voices trying to get our attention, trying to teach us something, or trying to distract us.

As we've already discussed, the first voice is the voice of the nations who rage, the nations who counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed One.

One thing that I found interesting and even pertinent to our current situation as a nation is that it was the leaders and the men of authority in these nations who were encouraging the people to ‘break the bonds and cast away the cords’.

It was the leaders of the nations encouraging the people to lawlessness, and rebellion. It was those in authority who shook their fist at God and incited others to do likewise.

The voices rage to this day, the voices of kings and princes and presidents and judges, and all manner of men who have some sort of authority or wield some sort of power.

If we give these voices half the chance, it is very probable we will grow discouraged and dour in our outlook, rather than retain the joy of the Lord which is our strength. As a side note, you know that you have the joy of the Lord when everyone else around you is on the edge of despair, yet you still have an unexplained yet very real and tangible joy in your heart.

It’s one thing to have joy when everyone else has it; it’s another to have joy when few others do.

The second voice we saw as the Psalm continues to progress was the voice of the Father who declared that He had set His King on His Holy hill of Zion. We saw the Father declaring the immutability of His Son’s place, and though the nations raged and the kings plotted, Jesus is still upon the throne the Father has given Him.

The third voice we begin to hear now is the voice of the Son.

It is the Son declaring the decree of the Father, who promised Him the nations for His inheritance and the ends of the earth for His possession if He so desired and asked.

The one profound thing we must understand from this Psalm above all others is how much God the Father loves His Son!

The nations and the ends of the earth were His if He so asked, yet God so loved the world, that He sent this Son He loved so much to die upon a tree so His rebellious, disobedient, duplicitous and indifferent creation might be reconciled unto Him.

In order to fully understand the love God has for His creation, for you and me and all who breathe and walk this earth, we must understand the love God has for His Son first.

If God the Father and the Son were at odds, if they'd been arguing or they didn't see eye to eye, then perhaps we could reason that having sent Jesus was not such a monumental thing.

But this was not the case. God loved His Son to the point of offering Him everything if He so desired it, and it would not have seemed burdensome or extravagant to Him.

It’s as though Jesus was saying, ‘this is what My Father promised me, even offered if I so desired it.’

By the same token we can also understand why God grows wrathful and shows His deep displeasure when the Son He so loves is mocked and ridiculed and belittled and ignored and marginalized by both the world and the church.

Imagine having a son whom you loved with all your heart, whom you would do anything for, then seeing that selfsame son being maligned and spat upon and vilified though there was no evil in him.

Would you get angry? Would you grow wrathful?

Even if we got angry and grew wrathful there isn't much we could do about it, but God can, and yet He tarries. Perhaps longer than some of us think He ought.

It’s in the layered complexity of God’s emotions and attributes that we begin to realize the depth of the multidimensional God we serve, a God who loves, a God who forgives, a God who restores and receives, but also a God who is capable of exhibiting wrath, and bringing forth justice.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

When God Laughs! Part 3

2013-04-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Psalm 2:5-6, “Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: ‘Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.’”

Even though God holds those who plot against Him in derision, it does not mean He does not grow angry when men repeatedly attempt to circumvent His will and authority. God’s displeasure is deep, and He even grows wrathful when rebellion is the order of the day, and those who ought to humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways and seek His face, instead choose to rebel against Him all the more, and incite others to similar action.

Ever notice how the godless attempt to convince others that godlessness is a good and noble and desired ideal? Ever notice how they attempt to belittle anyone who believes in God, or make them out to seem unbalanced and odd?

It’s because they are not content with having become reprobate themselves, they are not content with having surrendered to godlessness and walking in rebellion, they desire others to follow suit and do as they have done.

Within these two verses we also discover why nations are distressed, why things are going from bad to worse, and why every remedy seems to backfire and make the situation even direr than it was before.

Once again, it is an issue of causality…of cause and effect. Because the nations rage and the people plot against the Lord, the Lord grows wrathful and in His deep displeasure distresses the selfsame nations and kings which were plotting against Him.

Depending on the prism through which one sees the world, it would be easy to grow despondent if not outright terrified of what is happening and what is likely to happen based on the pieces which have moved into place on the global chessboard.

Just seeing the world as it is through natural eyes, seeing how the nations plot and scheme and with each bluster and threat come closer to actual, literal war, it would be easy for someone to conclude that we are spinning out of control, and eventually we’re going to come to that culminant point wherein even if we wanted to walk back the rhetoric and be a little less dire in our wording, it will be too late.

As children of God however, we do not see through the prism of the natural. We do not see through natural eyes, but through the prism of the Word of God, and His promises to His children.

No matter how dark the times, no matter how dire the days, we must remember the words of God, and not be swayed or caused to tremble.

“Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

These are not the words of any mere man; they are the words of God. Though you might see distress of nations, though you might see wars and rumors of wars, though you might see trials and famines and all manner of things, remember, God has set His King on His holy hill of Zion, and no matter what the world might go through, Jesus is still upon the throne.

God made a declaration. He declared something He had done – not something He would do – and there was no shadow of doubt as to His having done it. God never hinted he would ‘try to set His King upon His holy hill,’ or ‘if everything worked as it should He would set His King upon His holy hill,’ He had already done it. It was a declaration in the past tense of something which had already come to pass, and this knowledge ought to enliven our wearied souls and give us a new and fresh hope. Jesus is on the throne!

Although God laughs at the lawless and rebellious, and distresses them, He has long made provision for His sons and daughters. He has long prepared their place of safety upon His holy hill of Zion with His beloved Son Jesus. He is the place of refuge and safety. He is the place where all worry melts away and fear for tomorrow fades into nonexistence.

We can either be among those whom God laughs at, mocks, and distresses, or among those whom God protects, comforts, and keeps. We can either be true sons and daughters of the Kingdom, submitting to the will of our Father, or rebellious, ungrateful, illegitimate sons and daughters who have somehow grown tired of the Father’s love and mercy.

Depending upon our choice, we reap either God’s goodwill and abundant blessing or His derision and distress.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

When God Laughs! Part 2

2013-04-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

What more can be learned from these first handful of verses of the second Psalm?

It is clear upon reading the first four verses of Psalm 2 that the kings and rulers of the earth raged and plotted and conspired because they no longer wanted to be accountable to God, and desired to declare their independence from Him. Whether consciously or unconsciously many an individual is guilty of the selfsame plotting and scheming against God as the rulers of the earth are.

Just look around, and you’ll see this spirit taking hold not only of nations, but of churches, and individuals, wherein they no longer want to be associated with the Christ, they no longer want to declare their loyalty to Him, they just want to be free to do as they desire.

In the end, this is what declaring one’s independence from God really means. It means that the decision was consciously made to remove oneself from beneath God’s covering and protection, just so they could do as they please, live as they please, and act as they please without that nagging feeling of God’s eye upon them.

Seeing as this pertains to those who desire independence from God, I wanted to look at this verse from a different angle to see how it might pertain to those of us who will choose faithfulness, and obedience, and devotion to God no matter how many choose to attempt to do away with Him.

It is inevitable and logical that life for those of us desiring to live for truth will grow harder and harder, because the more men hate God and turn their hearts against Him, the more they will persecute His true servants and do what they can to do away with them as well.

The world cannot hate God and love us. If God’s nature is in us, if the Spirit of God is indwelling in our hearts and as servants of the most High we strive to be more like Jesus, the world will inevitably associate us with the God they hate and hate us just as passionately as it hates Him.

This is why I find it troublesome when the world falls in love with one or another of our preachers and embraces him and elevates him and praises him as an oasis of reason amidst a sea of irrationality.

Men today will try anything except for submitting to God and obeying Him. Even the most outlandish plans are tried by those desperate enough to resort to desperate measures, but when someone has the insight to say that perhaps the remedy for what ails us lies in turning back toward the God we abandoned, the reaction is swift and violent.

What the world today fails to understand is that true freedom is achieved through submission and not through rebellion.

Other than seeing that God hears, is engaged, and is neither indifferent nor too busy to care, what more can we perceive and understand of His nature and His glorious attributes?

Even though God laughs, it is not because someone told a funny joke, or because He saw something amusing, his laugh is not one of mirth, but one of derision and irony as He beholds the rulers of the earth attempting to counsel together against Him.

God is not perturbed by the noises of the squeaky wheels, or by their exaggerated fist shaking at His expense. Seeing how animated some people get protesting the notion of God, or trying to convince others of God’s nonexistence, you’d think they thought they were hurting God’s feelings by how angry they are.

God laughs when kings and rulers plot against him, never mind some infinitesimally less relevant twenty something who thinks they are edgy because they hold up some sign or another. They scream and wave and shake their fists, and God laughs holding them in derision.

In his rebellion man desires to make God in his own image, and in a vivid show of madness begins to demand that the one true God act and react in accordance with the image they created. Many do the same with the Word of God, not seeing what it says, but seeing what they want it to say, and when you hear some men try to explain a simple, straightforward Biblical passage that they've reinterpreted through the prism of their own understanding, you can’t help but stand there and scratch your head wondering just how they were able to get to where they got based on the verses they’d just quoted.

Have you ever, perchance heard an individual say ‘I don’t feel that’s really a sin,’ even though the Bible clearly says it is? If you have, then you've just witnessed someone declaring their independence from God.

We submit to God in all things not just some things. We obey His Word not only when it suits our interests or when it is in harmony with how we’d like God to act in a certain instance, but even when it’s detrimental to our flesh or we might suffer loss because of it.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Who Do You Love?

2013-04-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I preached the following message earlier this month in Michigan, and since the church put it on the internet, I thought I'd share it with you.

It's not a long message, but I believe it is a timely one.

We will continue with the teaching on Psalm 2 sometime later this week, as I have to film some new programs, as well as do some radio interviews during the next couple days.

Thank you, to all those who came to the meetings. It was lovely meeting everyone of you, and thank you as well for your prayers. Yep, we drove 1600 miles in 2 days. I guess if God ever releases me from ministry I could always become a truck driver.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

P.S. Since I can't seem to get the video imbedded onto the post, you'll just have to click on the link and a new page will pop up. God bless.

Who Do You Love? Sermon