Homeward Bound

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 172

2012-01-28T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Gifts Part 77

Tongues continued...

1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

For now, we know in part, we see in part, we understand in part, we prophecy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, and we see Him face to face, we shall know just as also we are known.

For now we see in a mirror, we look into the word of God, but on that great day when He returns we will see the Word face to face. On that day our understanding will no longer be limited, our sight will no longer be dimmed, our knowledge will no longer be partial, we will know, just as we are known, and the word of God tells us that we are known fully, completely, to the farthest depth of our heart and soul.

These vessels of clay are too weak and fragile to carry the weight of all the treasures that wait beyond the veil. We cannot know, understand or see fully until we are transformed in the blink of an eye, without corruption, without limitations, without inadequacies.

No matter how trained in matters of the spiritual, our minds are too limited to grasp the limitlessness of the things of the Kingdom of God which is to come. Yes, I know, by some men’s estimation we are as little gods and as such can pierce, perceive and process the mysteries of eternity as readily as the one true God, but you and I both know that we are woefully ill equipped to even begin unraveling the mysteries of the Kingdom and all that it contains.

Just because we like to feed the flames of our foolish pride by thinking ourselves miniature deities, or little gods, thinking oneself a certain thing does not necessarily make them so. All the nonsensical clichés we’ve taken to like fish to water, from ‘if you can dream it, you can be it’ to ‘grow into your vision of yourself’ to ‘positive thoughts bring positive results’ comforting as they might be to the flesh, still have their limitations and save for a complete mental breakdown, none of us really believe we are little gods, even if ‘gods’ is spelled with a lower case ‘g’. We are the clay, He is the potter. We are creation, He is creator. We are the work of His hands.

Look into any mirror nowadays, and you will realize the reflection staring back at you is anything but dim. Looking at Paul’s words through the prism of an individual born of this generation one might consider that they are somehow out of place. We look into mirrors all the time and we don’t see dimly. Our reflections are crisp and clear, so much so that often times we would wish for something that would more kindly and less vividly reflect the wrinkles that appear as we age. When Paul wrote these words however, mirrors as we know them did not exist. During those days, men would use polished pieces of metal, whether bronze, silver or copper to look upon their reflections, and that which they saw in the polished piece of metal was indeed dim, unfocused, and unclear.

Taking into account what it was he referred to as a mirror, Paul’s analogy is spot on, and leaves nothing to be desired. We see dimly, we see in part, that which we see is often clouded and ill defined, and it is for this reason that we walk by faith, and not by sight.

Paul divides this verse into two distinct timelines, speaking of the present, the now, and speaking of a future time which he refers to as then. In order to see Him face to face then, we must now live in obedience of God and His word. It is often said that the future is the offspring of the present, and that which we do in the present determines the outcome of the future.

Even though in the present, in the now we see in a mirror, dimly, even though in the now we cannot perceive or process the realities waiting beyond the veil, we have a true and lasting promise that our race will not have been run in vain, that there is a prize waiting for us at the finish line, and that our Lord, our Savior, and our King is waiting for us with arms wide open.

Then, we will have our heavenly bodies, then, we will be able to carry the weight of all the heavenly treasures that await, then, we will know fully, and understand fully, and in so doing, fall at His feet and praise Him and glorify Him for all eternity.

I believe that even now we have but a rudimentary understanding of what it is that Jesus did for mankind. Even now we have a but a rudimentary understanding of what it is He sacrificed, and how much He suffered that you and I might be reconciled unto God. When we see Him face to face however, we will know fully and not just in part, we will understand completely and not just theoretically, and love Him all the more, and thank Him all the more, and praise Him all the more.

The day approaches when we will know Him just as we are known by Him, in the fullness of His majesty, in the fullness of His glory, in the fullness of His authority, in the fullness of His divinity. Until that blessed day however, we must remain ever faithful, ever obedient, being doers of the word of God and keeping our eyes firmly affixed upon the Christ who stands before us.

James 1:23-25, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 171

2012-01-27T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Gifts Part 76

Tongues continued...

1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

Although many within the house of God today insist that raising a hand, saying a prayer, throwing a few bucks in the offering plate, then getting on with the rest of your life is all that’s required of a child of God, in a roundabout way Paul is telling the church at Corinth, and by association every believer, that perpetual spiritual infancy is detrimental to one’s wellbeing.

We were all children, we all spoke as children, we all understood as children, we all thought as children, but as we grew, as we matured, as we became adults we put away childish things.

I see every area of my life differently today than I did thirty years ago, I understand things differently, I think about things on a whole different scale, because the way of things is that as we grow and mature we change and do away with those things that we once enjoyed out of immaturity and childishness.

Granted, society today is trending toward keeping people in the same infantile state in perpetuity, encouraging them to essentially play with the same toys as they did in their youth, only more expensive versions of them. Fully grown men, who should have by now put away childish things, are still spending hours on end playing video games, attempting to jump off homes using table cloths as makeshift parachutes, sticking fireworks in watermelons just to see them blow up, and scores of others things that should have been abandoned with the onset of facial hair.

I think the most attractive thing about remaining childlike in words, thoughts and understanding is the lack of accountability and responsibility that is implied. When you’re a child and think as a child there are no bills to pay, there is no grocery shopping to be done, there is no laundry to fold, life is good and absent responsibilities of any kind save for going to school. You know that someone will have made breakfast and packed you a lunch, you know that as evening approaches dinner will be ready, and you only begin to understand the struggles your parents went through to put that food on the table once you grow up, move out, get married, and have a family of your own.

Some people never want to grow up, some people never do, and refusing to mature is as debilitating spiritually as it is emotionally or physically. Although immaturity might not seem like such a bad thing to most people, when we dig down to the root of certain issues we see that immaturity or some version thereof was the cause of it. I have seen marriages fall apart due to immaturity, because either one or both of the individuals in question still thought as children, and understood as children.

On the one hand the wife thought she was a princess, that she was supposed to be put on a pedestal, and have every want catered to, and on the other hand the husband thought his wife was a substitute for his mother, who was only there to cook and clean and make sure he gets off to school on time. For someone stuck in an immature understanding, the notion of husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church, or of wives submitting to their husbands is as baffling, mystifying, and bewildering as calculus to a chimpanzee. This is just one of many examples that I can share whose root cause was a childish mentality, and a childish understanding of this present life.

When I was a child I spoke as a child; I didn’t have to weigh my words, I didn’t have to measure them, I didn’t have to guard my tongue, I didn’t have to wonder if I was hurting someone’s feelings with the words I was saying. You will never find a more brutally honest creature on the face of the earth than a child. My niece is seven going on forty, and she notices everything. If I let my beard grow out a few days and I happen to visit she’ll dutifully point out that I look homeless, If I gain a little winter weight she’ll dutifully point out that I’m getting fat again, and it’s not because she’s mean spirited or trying to hurt my feelings, she is a child, and speaks as such.

When it comes to lack of guile, innocence, ability to trust, or dependence on one’s parents, it is good to be childlike. When it comes to words and thoughts and understanding however, it is mandatory that we grow and mature as any child eventually does.

This was the essence of Paul’s issue with the church at Corinth. Like any children would, they wanted the new toys, they wanted to possess them, and play with them, and show them off to the other children in the hopes that the other children would be jealous. Because they lacked maturity, because they lacked understanding those of the church of Corinth had not learned to respect the work of God, go about it reverently, keep themselves away from sin, or even discern between good and evil. These were concepts that required maturity, and maturity was something that the Corinthians lacked.

Rather than be united in love and purpose, the Corinthian church had degraded to the point that they were all playing ‘the apostle I follow can beat up your apostle’ or ‘my gift’s better than your gift’, utterly dismissing the deeper things of God, or the standard to which God had called them.

Sin was running rampant, division was abundant, the work of God was being ignored and disdained, yet those of Corinth continued to cling to their childish thoughts, words and understandings.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 170

2012-01-26T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Gifts Part 75

Tongues continued...

1 Corinthians 13:10, “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”

For the proponents of cessation, this is most often the verse that is used to make their case. The reason this particular verse is so often quoted by those who believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no more, is due to the misidentification of ‘that which is perfect’, because they believe that Paul is referring to the canon of scripture, the Bible, as being ‘that which is perfect.’

Although the proponents of cessation defend their interpretation vociferously, there is no scripture that supports their interpretation as to the Bible being ‘that which is perfect’ that Paul was referring to.

So what is ‘that which is perfect’ that is yet to come? Jesus of course, and throughout this exegetical detour, I will prove this truth out biblically.

Once again, our duty as followers of Christ is to defer to the gospel, to defer to the word of God, and not make up doctrines that will fit our preconceived notions. Due to certain denominational guidelines, there are an untold number of souls that continually attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole, and though it doesn’t quite fit properly they force it, and pound it, and twist it in, until there is some semblance of cohesion.

In my younger days, shortly after I came to America, I was informed by a ruddy cheeked elementary school teacher with a lisp that it was unhealthy for a child not to have a hobby. At the time I did not realize that collecting aluminum cans and empty bottles to take to the recycling center so I could help put food on the table was sort of like a hobby, so wanting to fit in with my new adopted nation, I decided I would get myself a new pastime. Granted, I didn’t have time for leisure pursuits even though I was barely ten years old, because life was hard, and between school, homework, and scouring the neighborhood for cans and bottles, the day was spent.

Nevertheless, after saving up my nickels and dimes for what seemed like an eternity, I went down to the local store, found the hobby section, and proceeded to purchase a five hundred piece puzzle, which upon its completion would be an old fashioned sailing ship.

I ran home, found a place in the corner of the living room where I knew there wouldn’t be much foot traffic because seven people in a two bedroom apartment makes for a busy place, and got to work on my new hobby. A few hours went by and as I inspected the work of my hands I realized with horror that the half-finished puzzle before me looked nothing like the picture on the box. Pieces of the cannon were dispersed throughout the sail, the ship looked nothing like a ship, and it was because I was forcing pieces of the puzzle where they had no business being just because they seemed to fit if only I forced them in just a little. That was my first and last foray into puzzle building, as well as my singular attempt at getting a hobby, but the lesson I learned from those few frustrating hours is one that has stayed with me throughout the years.

Each piece of a puzzle has its own unique and appropriate place, and if you attempt to force a piece where it doesn’t belong, it will ruin the whole.

Sin brought corruption and darkness into the heart of man. Jesus, the Christ, came from His heavenly glory, took on a body of flesh, and paid for man’s redemption with His own precious blood. Through Christ and His sacrifice we were given the opportunity to be free from the bondage and shackles of sin.

With His first coming, Christ paid the price for our redemption and established His Church. With His second coming, He will forever do away with the reign of the enemy and of sin, and a new age will begin. This is what the apostle Paul is referring to when he says ‘but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with.’

Due to sin’s reign upon the land, while still in flesh, man will forever be limited in his knowledge, man will forever know in part. The human mind can never know completely, for by its very nature it is limited.

When Christ returns however all that which is in part will be done away with. Tongues will cease, partial knowledge will cease, the struggles of faith will cease, miracles will cease, as will all the means of grace which God employs in aiding mankind to come to the knowledge of Christ, for in the Kingdom of Holiness, all things will be complete. This is the goal toward which all the saints aspire, and having reached their goal, having laid claim to the prize, the race is complete.

There will come a day when the reality of the Kingdom will do away with shadows and symbols, when it will do away with partial knowledge and partial understanding. That day will be the day of our beloved Lord’s return, the day in which He will come to claim His Bride, that which is rightfully His. When that which is perfect is come, when the Son of Man returns, when Christ the King will appear, that which is in part will be done away with.

For now, we still need the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we still need the power of God, we still need all that God says we have at our disposal for the battle is not over, the race is not won, and that which is perfect has not come.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 169

2012-01-25T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Gifts Part 74

Tongues continued...

The church at Corinth had started to practice what is still being practiced by some today, they had started focusing exclusively on one or two gifts of the Holy Spirit, wielding them absent the love required of every servant of God. It is only when love is present within a congregation that it can be united as one body, with one purpose, and one goal. When love is lacking or altogether absent, there is an overwhelming tendency to separate the body into two classes. The ruling class, those who would lord over the fellowship and in their own eyes can do no wrong, and the rest, who are responsible for keeping the ruling class living the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.

We see this in many churches today, regardless of denomination, wherein ‘the bishop, the elder, the prophet’, or whatever new titles they are claiming nowadays live lives Middle Eastern oil sheiks would be envious of, while their congregants, barely subsisting, are repeatedly warned that if they don’t continue to finance the mansions, and the jets and the ridiculously overpriced cars, God will punish them and remove His favor. Although shameless greed might be the symptom in such men, the underlying cause is absence of love for the brethren. If I truly love someone, I will not attempt to fleece them, I will not attempt to increase my net worth or the number of cars I own at their expense. If I truly love someone, I will sacrifice of myself, lay aside my own needs in order to see theirs met, and live my life in such a way wherein the world will know that we not only speak of the kingdom to come, but believe with all our hearts that it is on its way. It’s strange how some men preach on heaven, yet by their actions and conduct one concludes that they have no desire to go there any time soon.

Let’s face it, God never promised us vacation homes, second and third residences, or ski lodges when we get to heaven, He promised us one home with Him, so most evangelists and famous preachers would actually have to downsize drastically. Maybe that’s why so many are intent on focusing on this spinning rock with such laser like focus, maybe that’s why they’re preaching on the material world rather than the Kingdom so passionately. They’ve built their kingdoms here on earth, they’ve amassed and hoarded all that they could and now they are hesitant to leave it all behind.

Do I believe in giving to ministry and to the work of God? Yes, of course I do! It is love that compels us to give, it is love that compels us to reach out to the hungry and the hurting and hopeless, but don’t confuse helping an individual acquire a new private jet with the true and undefiled worship of caring for the widow and the orphan.

Since the word of God tells us that He is love, we are more readily able to perceive Paul’s meaning when he says that love never fails. All things pass away, all things fail but love cannot for God is love and He is eternal.

1 Corinthians 13:9, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.”

We know in part; a simple yet profound truth. Because we know in part we prophesy in part, and no matter how hard we try, no matter how exalted an opinion we might have of ourselves, while we are still in these bodies of flesh we will forever be limited in our understanding. Man in general would be a humbler creature if he would keep the knowledge that he is limited, or that he knows only in part, close to his heart.

Whenever we get the urge to glory in our knowledge, whenever we get the urge to glory in our understanding, may we remember that our knowledge and understanding, no matter how vast they might be, are still in part when compared with the knowledge and understanding of God.

The fact that we know in part does not mean that what we know is wrong or misleading, because that which we have been given to know was given by the Holy Spirit of God, and the Holy Spirit of God would never lead us astray, or direct us down a wrong path. God does not lead us to deception, for He has revealed the Christ to us, who is the way, the truth and the life. It is also God who promised us that when we see Him face to face, we will see Him as He is, for we will be like Him.

Although we know in part and prophesy in part, we have complete assurance in the truth of God’s holy word, we have complete assurance in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have complete assurance in the work of the Holy Spirit. The mind might attempt to lead us astray, as might the heart, the enemy of our souls even more so, but the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit will never lead us astray.

It is when we discount the words and teachings of Christ, and it is when we discount the urging of the Holy Spirit, giving heed to our own flesh and to our own hearts instead, that we are led astray and caused to wander in the spiritual desert. With partial knowledge we attempt to reason out the whole, with partial prophecy we attempt to ascertain and conclude that which was not given us to know. It is a dangerous thing to desire to know more than was given us to know, and in our frustration attempt to draw conclusions that God has not drawn. Some things will remain a mystery until we see Him face to face, and we must make our peace with this truth.

Trust Jesus completely, for He desires your sanctification, He desires your transformation and all that He does has this end in mind.

Though we may know only in part, by faith we have all of Jesus in us, and as such we have life. We live because He lives, for He is our life, and in Him we move and have our being.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 168

2012-01-24T07:00:00.004-06:00

The Gifts Part 73

Tongues

We have discussed at length seven of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, and as such today we begin our discussion of the eighth gift on the list that Paul outlines, the gift of different kinds of tongues. As with the gift of prophecy, there is much confusion within the congregation of God when it comes to the gift of tongues. The word of God clearly tells us that it is a viable gift, one of the nine gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows upon individual believers, and it was also the first gift that was received en masse on the day of Pentecost when the power fell, as all who were present in the upper room began to speak in other tongues.

We will discuss this gift as we have discussed all the other gifts thus far, not via the prism of personal interpretation, not via the prism of a given denomination, but via the prism of the word of God. It is only by understanding certain truths in the light of scripture that we can avoid confusion within the household of faith, and be certain of the foundation upon which we stand. The words of men are mere wind, moved to and fro upon the currents, ever changing direction ever changing meaning, but the word of God remains the same from age to age an generation to generation. When we come to an understanding or draw a conclusion based upon the word of God we are certain that it is right, and true, and lasting.

It is not my personal experience, or another’s personal experience that determines doctrine, it is not personal experience that determines dogma, but the word of God and its teachings. Our personal experiences only serve to confirm Biblical truth and the fact that we are living within the parameters of what the word of God has already delineated as such. If we are people of the Book, if we are followers of Christ and adherents to the teachings of the Bible, then our doctrine and our beliefs must be in harmony with it.

As such, the first thing I must point out, is the fact that nowhere within the annals of scripture does it say that the gifts, including the gift of different kind s of tongues, will cease before the day our Lord returns and we see Him face to face.

Even before we get into the specifics of what the gift of tongues is, how it is vital to the congregation of God, how it is that via this gift we speak to God and not to men, we must establish its availability and Biblically prove out that it is still among us.

Taken out of context, there is one verse in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that would intimate that tongues will cease, but in the selfsame verse it also says that knowledge will vanish away. Knowing that the earth itself will one day pass away, as per the word of God, the issue really isn’t if, but rather when this will occur.

Due to either inattentiveness, laziness, or a refusal to study the word of God for fear that it might contradict a previously held denominational edict, those who vociferously declare that tongues have ceased because Paul said so, are disingenuous in their declarations, because in the selfsame chapter in which Paul says tongues will cease, he also tells us when they will cease.

As such, before we get into our discussion of the gift of tongues itself, I want to exegetically go through the handful of verses in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that seem to be at the heart of the controversy concerning the cessation of the gift of tongues in particular and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in general.

1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”

Well, that settles it, it’s right there, black and white, tongues will cease! Not so fast. In the same verse Paul also says that prophecy, which we have come to know is the exhortation, edification and comfort of the brethren, as well as knowledge, which God Himself said His people perish for lack thereof, will also fail or vanish away.

As I said, I am not disputing that prophecy, tongues and knowledge will fail, cease or vanish away, it is after all in the Bible, the question of the hour is when will these things no longer be? In his God given wisdom, Paul continues, as we will see in subsequent teachings to tell us when these things will cease, and it is the answer to the question of ‘when’ that is the key to this mystery and fabricated controversy within the household of faith.

In order to understand what prompted Paul’s writing, we must understand the mindset of the individuals that made up the church of Corinth. Paul was, after all, writing this letter to them, and he was addressing issues that he knew existed within the congregation at Corinth.

Although Paul places the gift of different kinds of tongues next to last on the list of the gifts to which the children of God have access, the gift of tongues was one greatly desired within the church of Corinth, and it was a point of pride and accomplishment among them. Likewise, knowledge was greatly desired by those of the church of Corinth, and just as tongues was a point of pride, knowledge was also viewed as an accomplishment.

In his letter to the Corinthians Paul is attempting to correct them, and remind them that absent love, though they might speak in tongues, and have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, they are as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. Paul is neither negating or denying the existence of the gifts, he is not denying speaking in tongues, what he is doing is extoling the virtue of love, reminding them that it is a necessary component of a healthy and vibrant spiritual life.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 167

2012-01-23T07:00:00.008-06:00

The Gifts Part 72

Discerning of Spirits continued...

So why is it that after all this time we’re still discussing the gift of discerning of spirits? Why haven’t we moved on to the next gift on the list by now? Because as I said during the introduction of our discussion on the gift of discerning of spirits, given the times we are living in, knowing what the word of God says the spiritual climate will be like, it is one of the most necessary gifts for today.

Deception, apostasy, and individuals departing from the faith are repeatedly mentioned throughout the word of God within the context of these end times, and just because it is an uncomfortable topic, just because it puts us ill at ease it doesn’t mean we can ignore it, or bypass it. We have been forewarned of what we are seeing with our own eyes. Time and again, in His love and mercy God has revealed what is to come through His Holy Spirit, and if we hope to be among those still standing at battle’s end, we must possess the weapons of warfare which have been made available to all believers and children of God.

1 Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”

In his letter to Timothy, Paul is quick to make the distinction between what is his counsel, and what is of a divine, and prophetic nature. Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son, and the bond of brotherly love between these two men was undeniable. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, exhorting him, counseling him, but also including prophetic words and insight as the Lord led, as well as writing down that which the Spirit had shown him concerning the latter times.

Paul’s declaration concerning the fact that it is the Spirit, who explicitly speaks of the latter times, is forceful and absent of ambiguity.

What the Spirit was speaking concerning the latter times, is first, that some will depart from the faith. Now in order to depart or remove yourself from some place or some thing, you must have first and foremost been in it. The troubling thing about Paul’s prophetic utterance concerning the latter times is not that those of the world would give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, but rather those who were once in the faith will depart from it and give heed to such things.

To those who believe that once you come into the faith God keeps you in a chokehold so you could never wiggle away, it’s not me you have to contend with, it is the word of God. In the latter times, some will depart from the faith, and rather than follow the narrow path, rather than seek after righteousness and holiness, rather than humbly obey the Lord their God, they will give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. As a direct result of having given heed to these deceiving spirits, and these doctrines of demons, the aforementioned individuals who departed from the faith will speak lies in hypocrisy and have their conscience seared with a hot iron.

Just as fire destroys the nerve endings in skin deadening it, and rendering it unfeeling, sin destroys the nerve endings of the conscience, deadening it and rendering it unfeeling. When one’s conscience is seared, their moral compass has gone haywire, and the notion of sin is no longer a reality in their lives.

There are those who have departed from the faith, who have given heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, who have had their conscience seared with a hot iron, who practice that which the word of God forbids, yet because of their fallen state, because of the deception and delusion they are under they claim it is Christian liberty allowing them to live in sin and not the fact that they have been deceived.

The God who changes not is still as holy a God as He ever was, He is still as righteous a God as He ever was, and He is still as jealous a God as He ever was. Men change, God doesn’t, and as such His standard remains the same from generation to generation.

If the word of God forbids it, it’s not legalism; it’s obedience to the word of God. If the word of God calls it sin, abstaining from it is not self-righteousness, it is submission to the authority of scripture. In the Master’s house we must acquiesce to the Master’s rules, and follow them to the letter. The Body of Christ does not belong to a man, neither does a given congregation, it belongs to God for He is the head of the body, and as such we must do as He commands and not as we would will. The Body of Christ belongs to Christ, and we will give account for that which we do within His Body. We will not give account to the Board of Elders, we will not give account to the deacons, we will not give account to the denominational commission, we will give account to the King upon His return, and He will judge righteously all that we did in His name.

It is because discernment is lacking or in some cases wholly nonexistent that so many are swayed and turned away from the truth, and confusion concerning even the most basic tenets of the faith has reached an apex in our day and age.

Love the Body of Christ, love the brethren, love your soul enough to take the time and evaluate that which you receive as gospel truth in your heart.

Knowing that deception is prevalent, knowing that the days in which we live will be marked by an abundance of false doctrines, false teaches and false prophets, the gift of discerning of spirits is a paramount necessity in every congregation and every body of believers.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 166

2012-01-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

The Gifts Part 71

Discerning of Spirits continued...

We cannot approach the spiritual as we do every other area in our lives, wherein if we can swing it, we hire someone to mow our lawn, clean our home, fix the garbage disposal, or shovel our driveway in the winter. We cannot delegate our spiritual wellbeing to another, nor can we hire someone to watch, discern and evaluate that which we hear. It is our individual duty and responsibility to be on guard, to be watchful, and judge all things in accordance with the word of God.

Because we’re so used to delegating responsibility, because we’re so used to outsourcing other labor intensive areas of our lives, we’ve come to adopt the mentality that we can do the same when it comes to spiritual things.

‘Well, that’s what the pastor gets paid for, that’s why we have an elder board, that’s why I subscribe to the prophet vetting service for the low cost of $29.99 per month.’

We cannot be lazy, careless, or indifferent when it comes to the things of God, and to our spiritual wellbeing. It is to my benefit to take the time and analyze words of prophecy, it is to my benefit to use discernment and evaluate whether something is of God, because it will save me much heartache, much disillusionment and much disappointment in the long run.

No, I will not take someone else’s word for it, whether positive or negative, I will not acquiesce to someone else’s opinion regarding a certain word or a certain individual, until I have personally evaluated and judged, until I have personally inspected the spiritual fruits, because no matter how trustworthy the individual offering their opinion might be, they are still human, prone to error, as well as judging via the prism of their understanding or doctrinal upbringing.

One of the most difficult things I have to contend with as a minister of the gospel, is consoling and comforting fellow believers after they’ve suffered the disappointment and disenchantment of seeing their newly minted ‘prophet of the age’ come crashing back to earth. Because they did not guard their hearts, because they did not evaluate and discern the words they heard but readily received them because they sounded so good, their hearts are wounded and broken when it turns out the man was more hype than real, all wrapping and no substance.

A strange thing occurs when men fail us, even though the word of God tells us that they will, and even goes so far as to inform us that a man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength is cursed, we begin to blame God and feel bitter toward Him for having been betrayed.

It’s not God who failed you, it’s the man whom you elevated to the status of a god that failed you. It is not God who betrayed you, it is the one you lent your ear to in lieu of Him that betrayed you. It’s sad and tragic when we don’t do what God commands us to do, when we don’t guard our hearts, when we don’t judge the spirits to see if they are of Him, when we surrender our hearts to men who would speak soothing words to us, then turn around and blame God when these selfsame men fail us.

So just to clarify, it is we who walked in disobedience, some might even say rebellion, it is we who did what the word of God specifically warns us not to do, and yet somehow we lay the blame at God’s feet, and grow bitter toward Him because the man or woman we put our trust in, even when the Bible told us not to, turned out to be a flake, a con artist, or a habitual fornicator.

‘But brother Mike, she called them like she saw them, I mean she found fault in every minister to ever walk the earth, both living and dead, she was all fire and brimstone, cutting into flesh, who’d have thought she could turn out to be so deceitful and disingenuous.’

Bonus insight: Beware of any individual who would elevate themselves by climbing upon the corpses of everyone else! When everyone, everywhere, at any given time is a fake, a fraud, a liar a deceiver, a false teacher, a false prophet, a charlatan, an evildoer, or even the Antichrist in the flesh, and the only oasis of truth, the only place you will find succor is at that singular individual’s feet, it’s time to slowly back away and make for the exit.

Even when Elijah thought that he alone was left in Israel as a prophet of God, God revealed to him there were seven thousand others, all whose knees had not bowed to Baal, and whose mouths had not kissed him.

I am not the lone voice crying out in the wilderness, God has His people everywhere, yes even in churches, God has those He is even now preparing to take up the standard and preach righteousness and repentance when I will be no more, and when those of my generation who are currently laboring in the harvest field will go to their rest. God plans ahead, He is never taken by surprise, and He has His servants throughout, now as always.

There is nothing more dangerous than a pride fueled ego, wherein an individual comes to believe themselves singularly qualified to dispense truth, dismissing all others as mere pretenders to their imaginary throne.

The true sign of a servant is not whether they have a following, whether they could brow beat and tongue lash everyone into submission, or whether their word is the final authority, the true sign of a servant is that they serve, that they are humble as the Lord was humble, and meek as the Lord was meek.

Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 165

2012-01-21T07:00:00.005-06:00

The Gifts Part 70

Discerning of Spirits continued...

1 Corinthians 14:29, ‘Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.”

Once again we see that the word of God does not leave us in the dark, it does not leave us to wonder, or guess at how the work of the Holy Spirit should operate within the church. It does not fall on us to assume how the gifts ought to operate within the congregation of God, it does not fall on us to make up our own rules, and we must defer to the scriptures and find our answers therein.

There are two aspects of this verse that I want to flesh out, because they are important to the wellbeing of any fellowship. The first thing that struck me about this verse is the sheer abundance of spiritual gifts that Paul insinuates ought to be present within a congregation. If two or three prophets ought to speak, and the others judge their prophecies, by Paul’s very words we can deduce that within a given congregation there ought to be at least a handful of prophets. Usually those that judge outnumber those that would prophecy, so the insinuation that the gifts and callings of the Holy Spirit, both the calling of prophet, and the gift of discerning of spirits ought to be present within the Body of Christ, and abundantly so, is clear.

The second aspect of this verse I wanted to discuss was the use of the word ‘judge’. At this juncture I could readily go into the original Greek, make myself out to be more intelligent than I really am, and extrapolate the meaning of the word ‘judge’ that Paul used, but in essence the word Paul uses means to discern, evaluate, distinguish or determine. As such, another way in which the aforementioned verse can be read is ‘let two or three prophets speak, and let the others discern the spirit thereof.’

Once more, we see that the word of God is in stark contradiction to the practices of the modern day church establishment, because where the word tells us to judge, to evaluate, to discern or to distinguish, the current church establishment simply yells ‘touch not My anointed’ at the top of their lungs.

‘It doesn’t matter if an individual’s word of prophecy is not in harmony with scripture, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t glorify Christ, it doesn’t matter if it seeks to elevate man and exhorts us to desire the material, touch not God’s anointed.’

But if you are a false prophet, if you cause the hearts of the righteous to be sad, if by your ‘words’ you give license to sin, and cause others to look down upon those who would seek to walk humbly with their Lord, you really aren’t God’s anointed, you are used of a different spirit, therefore even if that’s what the verse you so often quote really meant, it doesn’t apply to you!

For too long we’ve allowed disingenuous men to play hide and seek with the word of God, and avoid accountability because we just couldn’t be bothered with the conflict. We can no longer afford to be indifferent toward the deception that’s stealthily creeping into the Body of Christ, because real hearts are being broken, real people are being deceived, and real lives are being shipwrecked.

So the next time ‘elder prophet Bob, duly licensed and approved by his extended family’ gives a ‘word’ that stands in contradiction to the word of God, do as the word of God commands, and evaluate the word, discern the spirit thereof, and be strong in your defense of the truth.

It makes one prudent and wise to judge prophecy, to evaluate its content, to discern the spirit from whence it came. Since we’ve already discussed the difference between biblically judging a word, and passing sentence on an individual, we will not revisit this topic, but biblically evaluating the prophetic does not make you a doubter of prophecy or of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I’ve lost count of the individuals who’ve attempted to browbeat me into silence when it came to confronting and denouncing ‘words of prophecy’ that originated from somewhere other than the Spirit of God. From being told that I was doing harm to the prophetic movement by publicly decrying the false words, to being labeled a secret plant of the enemy within the prophetic camp for taking an uncompromising stand when it came to such things, many would rather sweep the issue under the rug and pretend it doesn’t exist than deal with it head on.

The word of God tells us that there will be false prophets among us; it tells us that they will bring in destructive heresies, and it likewise tells us to test the spirits, to judge prophecy, and to determine whether or not it was of God.

I just want the truth! Everything takes a backseat to the truth, whether it’s an individual’s feelings, the loss of friends, or being maligned by brothers and sisters in Christ. It is truth that sets us free, but truth will never be able to set us free if we willingly continue to cling to lies because they made us feel good, and pacified our weary conscience.

I am still waiting for the household of faith to have that moment of epiphany, wherein they realize that by tolerating false teachers, and false prophets within the camp, by refusing to take a stand for the truth, they are only harming themselves and their fellow brothers in Christ.

Use the God given gifts at your disposal, stand for the truth of scripture, be founded and grounded in the word of God, and when you come across those who would pervert the gospel, when you come across those who would bring harm and shame and hurt to the Body of Christ, be valiant in your defense of that which is right and true and pure. It is not unloving to stand for truth, it is not unloving to war against the darkness, it is not unloving to expose deception within the house of God, rather it is love and the desire to see the Body of Christ strong and vital and empowered, that compels us to stand in the gap and cry out.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 164

2012-01-20T07:00:00.004-06:00

The Gifts Part 69

Discerning of Spirits continued...

Although in the aforementioned scripture passage it is clear when the Spirit of God was at work, as well as when the spirit of Satan was at work, some have queried where I saw the spirit of man at work in this entire exchange.

Other than Peter giving his opinion as to what ought to happen to Jesus rather than what Jesus said would happen, there was another point wherein the spirit of man intervened, seeing Christ with the limited understanding characteristic of mankind, presuming that He was perhaps John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Of all the varied opinions that the men of His time had concerning Jesus within the context of the aforementioned scripture, none had been that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, for only the Father could reveal this truth as He had done to Peter.

We have struggled for acceptance from the world for so long, that we are quick to accept any morsel they throw our way. Though the world by and large does not believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, we are more than content with the world thinking Him a good teacher, a prophet, a man of upright and moral character, a revolutionary, or a proponent of human rights. We believe that if we can convince the world that Jesus was a good man, then we will have some sort of common ground, a unifying principle of sorts, wherein we can agree to disagree about the larger issues such as Him being the Son of God.

Sadly, it is the household of faith that compromises time and again, it is the household of faith that gives up ground, it is we who act injuriously toward Christ by denying Him before men, and being silent as to His divinity for the sake of a feigned peace and cohesion.

When we acquiesce, and as children of God begin to echo the world and say that Jesus was a good man, a great teacher, a moral revolutionary but nothing more, when we cease to trumpet the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, it is not the Spirit of God leading us and guiding us, it is the spirit of man, for the spirit of man neither has eyes to see, nor ears to hear the mysteries of God.

Even in our day to day lives it is wise to use discernment, for not every thought that pops into our head is divinely inspired, and not every word that is on the tip of our tongue is a message from God. We must distinguish between thoughts and words that originate from the spirit of man, and thoughts and words that originate from the Spirit of God.

I once knew a man who believed that every morning God told him what to wear, essentially laying out his wardrobe, because the thought would pop into his mind that a certain shirt went well with a certain pair of pants. Throughout our conversation I couldn’t help but think that God would probably have a keener eye when it came to color palates and wardrobe selection, but in the end, when my patience started to run thin, I simply said, ‘you confuse the spirit of man, and the Spirit of God sir, and it is folly to do so.’

He then asked why I would say such a thing, and I proceeded to explain that if it’s cold outside, it’s not Spirit of God telling me to put on a warmer coat, it is human reason, it is logic, it is the intelligence with which we were born into this world. It is the selfsame reason and logic that leads some of the world to say that Jesus was a good man, a noble man, a good teacher, and a man of upstanding moral clarity because they cannot deny the life He lived while He walked the earth, nor the teachings He left behind from His three years of ministry.

When coming to believe that Jesus is Lord and King, that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the redeemer of mankind, the only way to salvation, the only truth, and the only life, it is no longer reason or logic that leads us to this conclusion but the Spirit of God working in us.

Although the spirit of man might conclude that Jesus was a good person, a good teacher, or even a prophet, the spirit of Satan or the spirit of Antichrist, makes no such concessions, its purpose being to undermine the work of God, to undermine the authority of Christ, and to sow chaos and confusion among the congregation of God.

You can know what spirit an individual is operating under, whether the spirit of man, or the spirit of Satan by the way in which they portray Christ. Those operating under the spirit of Satan will be vitriolic of their hatred of Christ, and by extension His followers, they will be vociferous in their proclamations, desiring to see the eradication of anything having to do with Jesus. One need only assess the current climate to realize that those operating under the spirit of Antichrist are growing in number, and their intentions are anything but veiled.

In order to stand, in order to endure to the end, in order for the children of God to remain as lights in the darkness, we must be firm in our convictions concerning the Christ, rejecting offhand those who have crept into the congregation of God attempting to play the ‘what if’ game when it comes to the divinity, identity, and singularity of Jesus.

‘What if Jesus isn’t the only way into the kingdom of God? What if Jesus isn’t the only begotten Son of God? What if Jesus was merely a good man, or a prophet? What if Jesus isn’t the only way? What if Jesus isn’t the only truth? What if Jesus isn’t the only life?’

Blood of Jesus! Rebuke the spirit of Satan, rebuke the spirit of Antichrist, and he will flee from you. There is no room for compromise on this issue. Either Jesus was everything He claimed to be, or He was the most ruthless, heartless, and deceptive man to ever walk the earth.

I write these words because the battle against Christ will only intensify, and those playing the ‘what if’ game within the household of faith will continue to multiply in number.

Be wise! Be vigilant! Be discerning!

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

Postscript: Kim, I fear you judge me harshly, and unjustly. I did post your comments, I did answer your questions, if you check you'll see. Since I get about thirty spam comments a day, I do have to monitor them, because I wouldn't want anyone thinking I was trying to sell them timeshares, investment opportunities, or other less savory things. Alas, farewell.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 163

2012-01-19T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Gifts Part 68

Discerning of Spirits continued...

Besides the use of certain criterion in God’s word in order to discern the spirit of an individual, there is also the supernatural gift of discerning of spirits. In order to discuss the gift of discerning of spirits, we must first discuss both the activity and identity of the three kinds of spirits that exist. First, is the Holy Spirit of God, second, the spirit of man and third the spirit of the devil or of the Antichrist. When discussing the spiritual in general, or spirits in particular, these are the three kinds of spirits to which we can refer, discuss, and discern.

Any message, sermon, insight, prophetic utterance or dogma will have their origin in one of these three spirits. Either a word is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, brought forth by the spirit of man, or made up by the spirit of the devil.

As I’ve said before, most often we can know the origin of a message by its content. Whether it gives glory to God and Christ exhorting believers to righteousness and holiness unto Him, praising a certain individual and fueling their pride, or attempting to draw the hearts of God’s people away from Him, we can know the origin by the content of the message in most cases.

Throughout my study of scripture, I have found one passage wherein the working or manifestation of all three spirits was evident in one individual within a very short amount of time.

Although the following is an extreme example, I have on occasion been witness to the manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God by way of a prophetic word, and at the very end, the spirit of man inserting himself attempting to ‘clarify’ or ‘complete’ that which God had spoken.

Shortly after my grandfather’s passing, the Lord had started to speak to me by way of various vessels that I should continue in ministry. Knowing that I could never hope to fill the shoes of the one who came before me, feeling as inadequate and ill equipped then as I do now, I began trying to find loopholes or ways by which I could disregard the words I was receiving.

Since I was still in mourning, and it is a custom among the men of my nation, I had let my beard grow out, and one day I went to yet another prayer meeting far from the city in which I lived.

We began to pray, and I received a word, that reiterated almost verbatim what God had already spoken to me even though this individual did not know who I was or where I was from, but at the end, after delivering the word they had received for me, the individual said, ‘you should also shave your beard.’

At that moment I discerned what had come from the Holy Spirit of God, and also what had been added by the spirit of man, as an addendum or addition to what God had said. Since I’m a stickler when it comes to words of prophecy, and I want to make certain that words received from God are classified as such, and the opinions of men are likewise classified, I asked the vessel if that last part was from the Lord, and blushing slightly she said, ‘no, that was just my personal opinion.’

By being in possession of the gift of discerning of spirits, we can rightly ascertain the origin of a word, and know what was inspired of God, and what was inspired by the spirit of man.

Matthew 16:13-17, “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples saying, ‘who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said to him, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

Matthew 16:21-23, “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things form the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘far be it from You Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’”

Within the span of ten verses, we see Jesus commending Peter, telling him that it was God the Father who had revealed the fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God and not flesh and blood, to Peter offering his personal opinion as to what should happen to Jesus, to Jesus rebuking him, identifying the spirit of Satan speaking through him.

As I said, this is an extreme example, singular within the annals of scripture, yet one that we must take into account because if one such as Peter was given to personal opinion and allowed himself to be used of the enemy to be an offense to Jesus, it can happen to any of us if we are not continually mindful of the things of God.

Searching our hearts, making certain that we are in concert with the gospel, keeping ourselves humble, and walking in obedience, are not things that we do once in our lives, then check them off the list forever, these are virtues we must practice daily, and by doing so be certain that it is the Holy Spirit of God guiding us in all righteousness.

In many ways, our spiritual walk can be likened to driving a car, wherein a moment’s worth inattentiveness can have dire consequences. Be vigilant in all things pertaining to the spiritual, be mindful of the things of God, and let nothing distract you on your journey.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 162

2012-01-18T07:00:00.005-06:00

The Gifts Part 67

Discerning of Spirits continued...

Galatians 1:6-8, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”

We’ve been told that we’re special and unique for so long that we’ve started to believe it. Since we’ve started to believe that we are special and unique, we’ve extrapolated this to every area of our lives, and so have come to believe that our difficulties, our struggles, and the issues we must confront within the congregation of God are likewise new and unprecedented.

We have come to believe that no other generation in the history of the church has faced the struggles with which we are confronted, no other generation in the history of the church has had to deal with deception and with those who want to pervert the gospel of Christ, yet the more we read the word of God, we come away with the realization that Solomon was right after all, and there really is nothing new under the sun.

Ever since the church began, the enemy has been there attempting to turn believers away to a different gospel. Whether with subtlety or brute force, whether with veiled deception or lies so outrageous even a spiritual infant could readily spot them, the enemy has been tireless in his mission to blur the lines, pervert the gospel of Christ, and recapture those who by the grace of God had shaken off the shackles of sin and darkness.

The only difference between our generation, and the generation Paul is addressing in his letter to the church at Galatia, is that in our day and age the enemy is apparently more successful in troubling the children of God, and causing an almost general uncertainty as to what we ought to believe and what we ought to reject.

In his attempt to simplify the methodology of choosing what we ought to believe, and what we ought not to believe, Paul simply says, that no matter who it is that comes to you with a different gospel than that of the gospel of Christ, whether it be a well-known preacher, an evangelist, a miracle worker, or even an angel, not only should you not believe it, but let them be accursed for doing it.

Since much of the church has given in to political correctness, and a backbone is harder to find than dinosaur eggs in some congregations, in many an instance even when gifts such as the gift of discerning of spirits were present in the church, and the vessel had the constitution and wherewithal to boldly proclaim that which God had shown them, they would summarily be silenced by either the pastor or the elder board for fear of hurting someone’s feelings.

Perhaps if we understood the enemy’s intent, we wouldn’t be so quick to protect, tolerate, insulate, and overlook those who would pervert the gospel of Christ. Perhaps if we understood that those who would preach a different gospel are not our friends, they are not misunderstood, nor are they well intentioned, but are the minions of the enemy, we would not be so quick to mock, ridicule, assault and shun those who would warn us of their presence within the church.

The more we look at today’s church, the more we come to the realization that everything’s upside down, and inside out. We reject and scold and tongue lash those who out of love warn us, we distance and disavow ourselves of those who would attempt to draw our attention back to Christ and the cross, yet we embrace and honor those who pervert the gospel of Christ, and exhort us to focus all our attention on the things of this earth and the trappings thereof.

Paul doesn’t mince words, he doesn’t attempt to soften the blow, to pacify or placate those who would come teaching a different gospel, or who would pervert the gospel of Christ, he simply says, ‘let them be accursed.’ To be accursed, is to be, by definition, damned, condemned, ruined, doomed or undone. It is not a lighthearted word, it is serious in its meaning, yet we take it upon ourselves to overlook it, as we do so much of scripture for the sake of keeping the peace, of being non-confrontational, and showing the world that we can be just as tolerant and all-embracing as they are.

We love our spineless, compromising, character lacking spiritual leaders, because in some sort of morbid way we feel it gives us license to be just as spineless, just as compromising, and just as lacking in character and spiritual fruits. What we conveniently choose to forget however, is that God doesn’t grade on a curve, He doesn’t judge us as a collective, nor will He judge my life based on the lives of others. God judges based on the standard that He has established in His word, God judges in holiness and righteousness, and God judges us individually.

So what was the point of today’s post? What did it have to do with discerning of spirits? Simply put, today’s post was just another biblical way to discern the spirit of a man, without the specific gift of discerning of spirits. God is wise enough not to use a hatchet when a scalpel will do, and as such there are ways and means by which we can discern the easily discernible as individuals not endowed with the gift of discerning of spirits that are biblically established. When something is uncertain, when we go through the biblical steps of discerning the spirit of a man and still come to no conclusion, be certain God will intervene, He will step in, He will send the gift of discerning of spirits, and reveal the truth to us.

We must do our part, we must be diligent, and we must know the word of God, that when men teach something contrary to the word, when they attempt to pervert the gospel of Christ, we will know it and shield our hearts from their poisons.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 161

2012-01-17T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Gifts Part 66

Discerning of Spirits continued...

Another way for us to discern the spirit of an individual without expressly possessing the gift of discerning of spirits, is to pay close attention to whether they give praise and glory to God, or if they attempt to place these things upon themselves. A true man of God, a true servant will never attempt to take that which rightly belongs to God, and appropriate it for themselves. A true servant of God knows from whence his power comes, a true servant of God knows from whence his authority comes, and a true servant of God knows from whence the gifts of the Holy Spirit come. A true servant does not see himself as having done something for which he is now entitled to the gifts, he sees himself as one who was chosen, one who was called with a holy calling, and is now accountable to God for walking in that calling.

What most of us might readily consider an oversight kept Moses from entering the Promised Land. Whenever I want to bring to remembrance the standard to which God holds those which He calls to ministry, whenever I want to bring to remembrance the fact that though God might love an individual, so much so that He would even grant him the desire to see Him, He will still not compromise, I return to the life of Moses.

Just to contextualize the life of this great prophet Moses, we must go to the word of God and see what it has to say about him. As we all know by now, the scriptures do not praise those unworthy of praise, nor do they elevate those undeserving of honor.

Deuteronomy 34:10-12, “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of Israel.”

Knowing that the word of God employs praise sparingly, when we read that there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, we must afford these words the gravitas and significance rightly due them.

The Bible goes one step further, and even reveals to us why it is that Moses was considered the greatest prophet to arise in Israel, knowing the Lord face to face, and doing sings and wonders in the land of Egypt and before Pharaoh, topping the list.

With all the accolades that Moses collected over the years however, with all the things that God did through him, even with being one of a handful of people to have seen God, God still did not allow him to enter the Promised Land. So what horrible thing did Moses do to deserve being forbidden by God to cross over into the Promised Land?

Numbers 20:7-12, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.’ So Moses took the rod from the Lord as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock; and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.’”

There are many worthwhile lessons in this scripture passage that we would do well to heed and learn from, because if God was uncompromising concerning one such as Moses, He will be no less uncompromising toward us.

In the beginning Moses did as the Lord commanded, he took the rod from the Lord, but as he gathered the people together, his frustration got the better of him, and Moses went off script. He started saying and doing things that God never commanded him to say or do, and what’s worse he did not believe God, or hallow Him in the eyes of the people.

To hallow, is to respect or honor greatly, and when Moses said, ‘must we bring water for you out of this rock?’ he did not hallow God, but rather honored himself by intimating that indeed he had within himself the ability to bring water from the rock. Moses did not ask ‘must God bring water for you out of this rock?’ he made it about himself and Aaron, he made it about something other than the God he served, and for this God was greatly angered.

Moses took that which was rightfully God’s, the honor and respect due Him and attempted to subvert it. Even if it may have been unintentional, even if the words were spoken in a moment of frustration, God still saw it as Moses not hallowing His name in the eyes of the children of Israel, and as punishment for this Moses would not bring the people into the land which God had given them.

Give God the honor, give God the glory, give God the praise, and be wary of any man who would presume to take these things upon himself, for the Spirit of God would never do such a thing. As subtle as our enemy might be, there are still inconsistencies in his character, such as pride, and the desire for unwarranted glory that he can’t help but attempt to subvert, and if we are wise in our understanding, and on guard against such things we can know truth from deception, and we can discern between one walking in the Spirit of God, and one walking in the spirit of this world and of the Antichrist.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 160

2012-01-16T07:00:00.005-06:00

The Gifts Part 65

Discerning of Spirits continued...

The gift of discerning of spirits is a supernatural glimpse into the spiritual world which allows us to precisely identify the nature, the origin, and the intention of every spirit manifesting itself within the congregation of God.

Although the gift of discerning of spirits might not be as flashy or exciting to some as the gift of the working of miracles, or the gift of prophecy, it is nevertheless a powerful and necessary gift within the Body of Christ, for various reasons.

Granted, for those that have not had any experiences with the spiritual world, for those that as yet do not understand the great battle that is taking place all around us, for those that do not perceive that light and darkness are in a constant struggle for dominance of men’s hearts, the gift of discerning of spirits might not seem thrilling enough. For those however who know, and see and perceive that the spiritual is all around us, and that the spiritual world is as real as our tangible material world is, the true value and worth of the gift of discerning of spirits is readily known.

Since we’ve established what the gift of discerning of spirits is, it is only fitting that we spend a little time and discuss how this gift manifests itself, and the means it employs to determine that which is of God from that which isn’t, even though on the surface, and by employing human logic one would be hard pressed to differentiate and make the distinction.

There are of course ways and means for us to discern whether something is of God even before we get into the area of the gift of discerning of spirits, by employing the biblical acid tests that it prescribes, namely whether a spirit confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and that Jesus is Lord.

1 John 4:1-3, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

John not only tells us that we ought not to believe every spirit, but he also goes on to tell us why it is that we ought not to believe every spirit, but rather test the spirits. The reason that we ought to test the spirits and not automatically believe every spirit, even if it comes in power, even if it shows great signs and wonders, is because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Once again, it’s the word ‘many’ that we should be particularly aware of, because there is not a single word in the entire Bible that is out of place, or irrelevant. If the word ‘many’ was included within the context of this scripture passage, than we must give it the requisite attention and understand that those who would deceive, those who would attempt to turn the hearts of believers away from God, are not few in number, but rather many.

These false prophets are led by a spirit, which the Bible tells us is the spirit of the Antichrist, which is now already in the world.

Once again we see the paramount importance of Jesus in everything relating to the work of God, for if Jesus is not the foundation, if Jesus is not the purpose, if Jesus is not confessed and glorified, we can dismiss the work, the word, the sign or the wonder offhand as being of the enemy.

We know the Spirit of God, because the Spirit of God confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, we know the Spirit of God because the Spirit of God confesses that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man can go to the Father but by Him.

The false prophets that have been laying siege to the congregation of God are not harmless, they are not inoffensive, theirs is not just another opinion that we must take into account and validate, for these men work under the influence of the spirit of the Antichrist, and their mission is the nullification and invalidation of Jesus as Lord and King of all.

The standard by which we must evaluate both individuals and ministries alike is not whether they are likable, or have a winning smile, are well dressed, or are eloquent in their presentations, the standard by which we must evaluate anyone that comes in the name of the Lord, is if they confess Christ Jesus as Lord, as the One who came in the flesh to redeem mankind from death and eternal judgment.

Rather than ask the all-important question of whether or not an individual is preaching the truth, or if they are glorifying the Christ, we’ve been distracted into asking a plethora of irrelevant and juvenile questions instead.

‘Are they soft spoken, do they make me laugh, do they dress well, do they possess a commanding presence?’

These are the questions being asked in lieu of whether or not someone is preaching the truth, these are the question being bandied about by grown men and women who ought to have attained a certain level of spiritual maturity by now.

We are no longer troubled or perturbed when spiritual leaders, and famous pastors call Jesus a liar to His face, we are no longer troubled or perturbed when they ‘disagree’ with their Lord and King on the most fundamental of issues, yet we’re still hopeful that things will turn around and that the church will awaken from its self-imposed spiritual slumber.

Until we have the strength of character to stand for truth, deception will continue to spread like the wildfire that it is.

1 Corinthians 12:3, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 159

2012-01-15T07:00:00.007-06:00

The Gifts Part 64

Discerning of Spirits continued...

When we know with certitude that it is God leading a work or a congregation, those called upon to serve, walk in the authority of this profound knowledge. When we are humble in our walk with the Lord, when we defer to Him in all things, we know that He will not leave us in the dark, and He will shed light upon every situation that seems to be in the shadows.

A great example of God intervening by way of the gifts the Holy Spirit to bring light to a situation that would have otherwise remained hidden is the example of Ananias and Sapphira as they came before the apostles with a part of the proceeds they received for the possession they had sold.

On the surface, their act seemed a selfless and charitable one, as they came and gave of their own goods to the work of God. Any one not endowed with the gift of discerning of spirits would have looked upon their actions and commended them; they would have lauded their noble intent, and perhaps even praised them before the congregation as has become customary in our day and age when someone is exceedingly generous. To the naked eye there was no wrongdoing in their actions, and to human reason they were just a very generous couple who came and laid the proceeds from their piece of land at the feet of the apostles.

Only the Spirit of God could have known the deceit of their heart, and only the Spirit of God could have revealed such a thing to Peter.

What I’ve always found intriguing about Ananias and Sapphira, is that no one compelled or asked them to give the entirety of their proceeds to the work of God, no one compelled them to offer a certain percentage, yet they felt they needed to lie and say that what they had brought before the apostles’ feet was the entire sum that they received from their transaction.

Acts 5:3-4, “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in our own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’”

Peter makes it clear to Ananias that it was his land, it was his money, and while it was in his control he could do with it as he saw fit. Yet Satan had filled his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, for no other reason than to seem more generous and giving than he truly was before the brethren. We know of the punishment both Ananias and Sapphira received for their deceit, we know by way of Scripture that they were both carried out dead, and buried side by side, and for some it is difficult to reconcile a loving and merciful God, with what took place on that day, because they attempt to omit the justice and righteousness of God from His nature.

Two people knew of the attempted deception, namely Ananias and Sapphira, yet the Holy Spirit knew their hearts, knew their actions, and by way of the gift of discerning of spirits revealed to Peter what they had colluded and agreed to do.

This is the beauty of the gift of discerning of spirits that try as one might, they cannot hide anything from the sight of God, for He sees all, and knows all, and searches the depths of men’s hearts. For this reason, the gift of discerning of spirits is a very practical and necessary gift within the household of faith, because it brings light to the darkness, and reveals the intent of men’s hearts which are often in stark contradiction with their actions.

God knows not only what we do, but why we do what we do, and it is an amalgam of action and intent that He judges justly and righteously. The action of Ananias and Sapphira was a noble one. They came, and gave of the proceeds of a land sale to the work of God, yet the intent of their heart was to deceive God, and hold back part of what they claimed they had given to God. It was theirs to begin with, theirs to do with as they saw fit, yet because they attempted to deceive, because they attempted to lie to God, they were punished and severely so.

Whenever we see the manifestation of any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit within the household of faith, we are encouraged and edified, and we are reminded that God is with us, that He is ever present, and that He is still working among His children. I could not think of a more discouraging and disheartening mindset, than that of God no longer working among His children, than that of the power of God no longer being evident within the fellowship of the saints.

For decades men have attempted to redefine the purpose of fellowship, they have attempted to redefine the purpose of the church, wherein it is no longer the place where you go to feel the presence of God, wherein it is no longer the place where you go to see the power of God, but rather the place where one goes to be entertained, made to feel at ease, pacified, and appeased.

The house of God is not a social club; the fellowship of the saints is not a social gathering. We do not gather in fellowship to be entertained, we gather in fellowship to be as one body, with the singular desire to feel the presence of God, and witness His miracle working power.

Do not be content with merely being entertained, do not be content with merely being made to feel comfortable, desire to see the power and presence of God, desire to see the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating within the church. I’m not asking anyone to take a leap of faith; all I’m asking is that you believe God at His word.

Acts 1:8, “And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 158

2012-01-14T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Gifts Part 63

Discerning of Spirits

Recently I was in the midst of a theological discussion with a pastor friend of mine, when out of nowhere he asked, ‘if you could pray for any of the nine gifts, which would you pray for knowing the hour in which we are living?’ Since he’s always been an introverted person,( I think that’s one of the reasons we get along so well), I didn’t bother asking what had brought on this line of questioning, but after thinking about it for a few seconds I gave him an honest and forthright answer. Although I would heed Paul’s counsel and desire to prophesy, with all requisite honesty, the gift that I would most earnestly desire in today’s day and age would be the gift of discerning of spirits. It is the one gift of the Holy Spirit that is the perfect, never fail, always accurate counterfeit and deception detector.

The gift of discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability given by God to certain believers that makes them able to know with certainty the source of a certain message. This gift goes beyond what we are all able to do as far as checking whether or not a message or an activity is in harmony with the Bible, or if it glorifies Christ, by searching out the source of the word even when to human reason it seems as though its origins are divine.

The purpose of this gift is an obvious one; it is God’s way of protecting His work from error, and from things that are done in His name that bring no glory to Him. God’s desire is that His work is pure, and toward this end He pours out the gift of discerning of spirits to protect the spiritual work within the household of faith from error, and deception. Through the manifestation of the gift of discerning of spirits, God also discourages false spiritual works, deceiving spirits, and false manifestations. If the gift of discerning of spirits, or as it is more readily known today the gift of discernment is operating and active within a congregation, than deception has no hope of worming its way in, no matter how disguised it is. This gift goes to the heart of the matter, to the source of the message, and roots out whether it truly came from God, or if it came from another source.

Acts 16:16-18, “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”

To me, this is one of the greatest examples of the gift of discerning of spirits anywhere within the word of God. Here was a girl that on the surface was saying nothing wrong. In fact, she followed Paul and the rest of the Disciples of Christ, and only had glowing words to speak on their behalf. This girl already had an established reputation in her city, for she had brought her masters much profit by the fortune-telling she performed due to the spirit of divination that possessed her. The people knew her, knew of her abilities, and here she was praising Paul and the others saying that they were the servants of the Most High God, who proclaimed the way of salvation.

As I said, there was not a thing wrong with the words that she spoke, they were even true, but the gift of discernment that operated in Paul, knew the origin of these words, and knew that there was a hidden agenda in this girl’s praise of them.

There is so much practical truth to glean from this exchange between Paul and the slave girl, but there is also the undeniable truth that the gift of discerning of spirits is indispensable within the congregation of God.

The first practical truth that we glean from this scripture passage is that not everyone who praises you is your friend, nor is everyone who challenges you, your enemy. If you are easily swayed by the words of men, if your heart swells with pride each time someone praises you, or your efforts, or your words, be certain that the enemy already knows of this weakness, and will readily attempt to exploit it to his nefarious ends. Honeyed words, words of flattery, words of praise, are all easy to come by, easy to speak, even easier to hear, but when someone begins to praise you take a moment and think about why it is that they’re doing it.

By praising Paul and those who were with him, by associating itself with them, the spirit of divination within the girl knew that it would eventually be given credibility among believers if all went according to plan. If Paul had not rebuked the spirit, if Paul had simply tolerated it because it was good press, and there’s no praise like the praise of a seemingly neutral third party, the believers in Philippi would have associated the slave girl with Paul, determining that if he, the Apostle of Christ had given her a pass, and had received her praise and adulation, they should likewise receive her and hear what she has to say.

By rebuking the slave girl, and commanding the spirit to come out of her, Paul spared the church at Philippi much heartache, much disillusionment, and much deception. This would not have occurred if the gift of discerning of spirits were not operating in Paul because by her words alone, the slave girl was just another who testified positively of the men who had come to preach Christ to the Philippians.

Beware the praise of the godless, beware the fawning and adulation of those who hate your Master, for if they hate Jesus yet love you, only one of two scenarios can be true: Either the world sees itself in you, and is drawn to their own likeness, or they despise and hate you in secret for having the likeness of Christ, and feign love only to set a snare so that once you have fallen in, they might point and laugh and mock.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 157

2012-01-13T07:00:00.004-06:00

The Gifts Part 62

Prophecy continued...

Another issue I wanted to discuss concerning prophecy for which I found no other place than in the loose ends column, is the timeliness of a word. Prophecy is never initiated by circumstances or external motivators; it is always initiated by the Holy Spirit. This is one of the reasons I have a difficult time with meetings or crusades that guarantee a word of prophecy for everyone who attends, who promise all who would come to a certain meeting on a certain date that they will receive prophetic utterance from a ‘licensed prophet’. Although the notion of a licensed prophet seems farcical to me because a piece of paper does not a prophet make, what is more worrisome than this idea that one can be a licensed practitioner of something divine and wholly controlled of God, is that we can be ignorant enough to outright promise a manifestation of the gift of prophecy to as many as would attend a service. No man can make such a guarantee, because it is the Holy Spirit that initiates a prophetic word, and He chooses if and when to speak a word to a certain individual.

Prophets prophesy when the Holy Spirit gives them utterance, not when people ask it of them, or when they are constrained by contractual obligations to give a word to everyone in attendance.

Circumstantial prophecies are dubious because when a word is given based on visible circumstances it is no longer of a revelatory nature but a mere extrapolation or deduction of available information. If I see dark ominous clouds on the horizon, if I can spot lightning from afar off and I say ‘it is going to rain’ it’s not a prophecy, it is simply a deduction based on the information available to me. A true word of prophecy, especially one of a revelatory or foretelling nature, will always come far enough in advance wherein the signs leading up to its fulfillment are not even visible. A true word from God that is revelatory in nature will speak of things to come that seem unlikely, improbable, and even impossible to human reason in the present.

I have read and heard far too many ‘words from the Lord’ that were nothing more than logical deductions and extrapolations of certain events, yet which were readily received because their fulfillment was almost instantaneous, and there’s nothing a modern day believer likes more than instant gratification.

On occasion I meet with people who ask me what I think will happen in the near future, and for the past few years, simply by using deduction, and fitting certain pieces of the global puzzle together, I’ve been able to predict the global crisis, currency fluctuations, spikes in the price of gold, and other things. Those close to me can attest to this, and I have friends and family members alike that to this day continue to thank me for insisting that they get out of real estate five years ago before the first tremors of the great shaking were visible. My predictions however were not prophecies, and they were not of a prophetic nature. I was simply using the information currently available to me, processing it analytically and void of the rose tinted glasses of optimism, to reach a logical conclusion.

Words of prophecy, dreams or visions concerning future things are completely different than using analytical deduction because when they are given, that which is spoken most often seems illogical to human reason, and improbable to the analytical mind.

If God speaks, then speak with boldness and authority because He has spoken. If God is silent, then be silent for as long as He is silent. So many vessels give in to the pressure of ‘having a fresh word from the Lord’ every few weeks or so, that if God doesn’t speak in that allotted time they take it upon themselves to deduce and extrapolate, then pass their conclusions off as prophetic utterance.

It is during the times when God is silent that vessels must be all the more on guard and watchful, especially of their own hearts. It is during those times wherein God does not give a fresh word, wherein there is no new revelation that the enemy seeks to tempt vessels into committing the foolish and punishable offense of presuming to know the mind of God, or presuming to speak a word when He has not spoken it.

If God chooses to use you in this area, be wise, and do not give in to such pressures, because God will judge every word uttered in His name that did not originate from Him, and He will likewise judge very individual that presumes to speak in His name when He has not spoken.

We cannot trifle with the things of God, we cannot trifle with the Holy Spirit, we cannot think speaking when God has not spoken inconsequential or trivial, because God does not see it is inconsequential or trivial.

‘But you don’t understand brother my intentions were good and noble. The individual needed an encouraging word from the Lord, they were going through a hard time, and I offered them comfort and encouragement.’

Good intentions are irrelevant when it comes to such matters. If God has not spoken, then do not speak. You can encourage and comfort and exhort an individual if this is what they need, but do it as a fellow brother or sister in the Lord, not as one who has received a message from God if no message was received.

Although I am certain they will be misconstrued by some, I write these words out of love, and a burning desire to see the household of faith walk in the calling to which it was called. We are all, everyone, to the last, accountable before God for what we say in His name, and knowing that He is a just and holy God, it is far better to be silent for the rest of my days, than to presume to speak something that the Lord has not spoken.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 156

2012-01-12T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Gifts Part 61

Prophecy continued...

As we are wrapping up our discussion on the gift of prophecy, there are a few loose ends I would like to tie up, and touch upon certain practices that I’ve seen within the household of faith throughout the years that do more harm than good, and make the hearts of the righteous sad.

One of the more dangerous practices that I’ve seen when it comes to words of prophecy is taking a word that was intended for an individual, and attempting to apply it to an entire body of believers. Know whom God is addressing, whether an individual, a group of individuals, or an entire body, and do not attempt to broaden the scope of the prophecy!

If God tells one individual that He has healed them, and therefore they no longer need to take their heart medication, that word of prophecy was for that individual, and not a mandate that everyone in the congregation taking heart medication should stop taking it. What happens when we attempt to pluralize a prophetic word intended for one individual is that the word will be true and come to pass for the individual for whom it was intended, yet fail for the rest of the group that were talked into receiving it.

‘The Lord has told me that I must do such and such a thing, so we must all do it.’

No, the Lord has told you, that you must do it, therefore it is incumbent upon you to follow through and obey, but it is not incumbent upon the household of faith to do what you as an individual was asked to do.

I have counseled enough distraught individuals who felt as though God had failed them, and were bitter because the words of prophecy they presumed they had received didn’t come to pass, to know that this is a real issue within the congregation of God. Upon further investigation however, when we got to discussing the context of the prophecy, and if they received it personally, the truth of the situation would come out, and inevitably they would confess that it was a word that was given to another, but they thought it could readily apply to their own lives as well.

We cannot grow bitter toward God for not fulfilling a word of prophecy that was never intended for us. We cannot fault God for not following through with a promise He made to someone else, and not to us.

God is not the postal service; He never delivers a message to the wrong address or the wrong recipient, nor does He label prophecies ‘to current tenant’. When words are given, they are clear, direct, and there is no ambiguity concerning whom they were for.

The beauty of the God we serve is that He does not see us as a collective. We are not just faceless names or nameless faces to God, for He knows every one of His children personally, intimately, completely, aware of a single strand of hair falling from our heads. When He gives a word, He is certain of the recipient, as well as all the intricacies of their personal situation, and as such we cannot presume to appropriate for ourselves a word intended for another.

By the same token there are those who receive a word for their family, or a certain individual and attempt to make it law throughout the household of faith, imposing certain practices on believers of which the Bible never spoke, and which the Bible never imposed.

For instance, if an individual feels as though the Lord has told him he should abstain from eating meat, it does not make everyone within the household of faith that still eats meat rebellious or disobedient toward God, because the word was for that individual, and not a new commandment for the entire Body of Christ. When we attempt to impose personal convictions, or personal words of prophecy upon the entire household of faith, and look down upon those that do not fall in line, or that do not have the same convictions, we are no better than the Pharisees of old who took it upon themselves to add to the law and make up their own laws.

It is of the utmost importance that we delineate between personal convictions, and scriptural standards, making the distinction between the two. When it comes to scriptural standards, the word of God is the word of God, and there is no debating it. What the Bible calls sin is sin, no matter how many fools with titles attempt to find loopholes or justifications. Concerning those topics on which the Bible is clear, I am not allowed an opinion, I must simply submit to the word of God, for if my opinion is different than that of the word, then I am in rebellion and my opinion shouldn’t count for much anyway.

When it comes to personal convictions however, just because my personal conviction on wearing a wedding band for example might be different than yours is, it does not make you a sinner for having a different opinion than mine, nor does it make me more righteous for having a different opinion than yours.

When something falls under the personal conviction category, if it is something that God has asked of you that you refuse to submit to it is counted as disobedience toward you, but because He has not asked me to do likewise, it does not count as disobedience toward me.

In the end it’s all about obedience, for obedience is better than sacrifice, so if God asks you to abstain from meat, or sweets, or driving your car, then do as He asks of you, for in your obedience you will have your just reward. Because God has asked it of you however, it does not automatically mean He has asked it of the entire church, and so it is not right to attempt and impose that personal sacrifice that He has commanded of you upon the rest of the congregation.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 155

2012-01-11T07:00:00.005-06:00

The Gifts Part 60

Prophecy continued...

As we continue discussing the ways by which we can biblically judge prophecy and ways by which we can evaluate prophetic utterances, we come upon a modality that is more subjective than it is objective because it has to do with us as individuals. The reason that this particular way of judging prophecy is more subjective than the others is because it has to do with a word bearing witness. Yes, one of the ways by which we can judge, assess, and evaluate a prophecy is whether it bears witness with our spirit as children of God.

Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together.”

Because this modality of judging prophecy is so subjective, because often times especially when we receive a word of rebuke or correction our pride will flare up and attempt to dismiss the word because it attempts to humble the prideful heart, the bearing witness of a prophecy cannot override all the other ways by which we judge it. What I mean by this statement is that if the word is in harmony with the Bible, if it glorifies God, if its ultimate goal is your sanctification, if it draws you closer to God, if it encourages righteousness and repentance yet you say to yourself ‘I will not receive it because it doesn’t bear witness’, search your heart diligently to see if it is the spirit not bearing witness, or the flesh attempting to find a means by which to dismiss and ignore a message from God.

I have known, on occasion, individuals who have wandered from the path of righteousness, individuals who returned to the sins and vices they had been freed from, and when God attempted to correct them, when a word of prophecy came lovingly warning them that the road they were on led to ruination, they balked at the word saying that it didn’t bear witness with their spirit. In such an instance, when an individual is no longer walking in the fear of the Lord, this subjective means of judging a word becomes nullified because only those walking in the fear of the Lord and possessing His Spirit can accurately assess whether or not a word bears witness with their spirit because the selfsame Spirit that is communicating the word is the Spirit living inside them.

For some, judging a word of prophecy based on whether or not it bears witness with their spirit has become the mother of all loopholes when it comes to rejecting prophecies with which they do not agree, or prophecies that seek to correct or rebuke. To such individuals it matters not that the word is in harmony with Scripture, that it seeks to draw them closer to God, that it exhorts them to holiness and righteous living, because the only criterion they choose to use when disagreeing with a prophetic utterance is whether or not it bears witness.

If we choose to use only this singular criterion of judging a prophetic word in lieu of all the others we are able to biblically employ, one, that as I’ve already mentioned is exceedingly subjective, may I submit to you that we are acting in bad faith, being Pharisaical in our actions, not operating in the fear of the Lord or out of a true and sincere desire to know whether or not He has spoken.

When it comes to judging prophecy by whether or not it bears witness with our spirit, so much of it has to do with the heart, where we are in our walk with God, and what our true intentions are for judging the word in question.

Shortly after my grandfather’s passing I began receiving words of prophecy wherein I was instructed to continue the work, and was repeatedly told that I had been called to preach the gospel. Although I loved God with all my heart, I knew the sacrifice required of a servant, I knew the toll it took on one’s family, and being newly married I began to tell myself that the words I was receiving didn’t bear witness with my spirit.

It was never my dream to be a minister or a preacher, to this day I still consider myself unworthy and ill equipped for such a calling, and in my immaturity I attempted to superimpose my own feelings on my spirit and conclude that the words I was receiving bore no witness to it.

In retrospect, my justifications were purely subjective, having more to do with my emotions than with the words of prophecy not bearing witness with my spirit. It took a good while for me to be honest with myself and admit that I was judging the prophesies selfishly rather than out of a true desire to determine their origin, and I had to repent before God for attempting to shrug off the calling that He had placed on my life. I share this only to highlight the pitfalls and dangers of judging a word of prophecy solely on whether or not it bears witness with our spirit, because well all know that the heart is deceitful above all things.

Last but certainly not least when it comes to judging prophecy, is determining whether it brings glory to Christ, and points the way to Him.

John 16:13-14, “However, when He the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

A true word of prophecy will not glorify man, it will not glorify a denomination, it will not attempt to place the spotlight on anyone or anything other than Christ. Whether an edification, an exhortation, or a comfort, whether a word of forewarning, a correction, a rebuke or a revelation of things to come, in the end all words of a prophetic nature will lead back to Christ, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 154

2012-01-10T07:00:00.008-06:00

The Gifts Part 59

Prophecy continued...

What many who stubbornly deny the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the power thereof fail to understand is that the gifs as well as the Comforter were sent so that the children of God might be thoroughly equipped, that they might have the strength to stand against the enemy, and fight the good fight of faith.

Few things are more pitiable in this life than a weaponless soldier on a battlefield, especially one who had the opportunity to fortify himself, and arm himself, and learn the weapons of warfare, who had the allotted time to practice and become proficient, yet somehow allowed himself to be convinced that these weapons are unnecessary and unavailable.

If we find ourselves on the battlefield weaponless and defenseless, if we are subsequently vanquished by the enemy and overrun, it’s nobody’s fault but our own for refusing to adequately arm ourselves and learn how to wield the weapons we were given.

We have grown comfortable, indifferent, possessing an unrealistic sense of casualness, because although the household of faith is under siege, although the enemy encircles us on every side, for long and long our spiritual betters have not bothered to remind us that we are at war, that we face a relentless and brutal enemy, and that being a neutral third party or a spectator is not an option.

We have made a doctrine of frivolity, and in so doing we’ve checked out spiritually but our enemy has not.

As limited as I am in my ability to express myself, I keep trying as often as I can to impress upon you the seriousness of the hour we are living in, and our need to be ready when the battle commences for on that day it will be all out war wherein no quarter will be given and no prisoners will be taken. Dramatic as it might sound, it will be a life or death battle, and the household of faith is woefully unprepared.

It is the enemy’s good pleasure to see the congregation of God docile, distracted, disjointed and divided, focused on the things of this earth and fleeting trivialities, because as long as our attention is elsewhere, as long as we are not united and aware of a common enemy, as long as we squabble and bicker and keep from seeking the greater things of God it will be that much easier for the enemy to decimate us.

The enemy we face does not fear opulence, he does not fear cathedrals, he does not fear grand conventions and obscene compensation packages for preachers, what the enemy fears is what he has been trying to keep believers from doing for a very long time. The enemy fears a humble, sanctified, praying Christian endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit, who knows the authority he has in God, and stands on all of His promises.

If God warns it is for our own good, if God rebukes, corrects or chastises us, it is likewise for our own good. If God exhorts us to maturity and soberness, it is so that we might be ready to stand, and if He admonishes us to righteousness and holiness and sanctification is so that we might be welcomed into His eternal kingdom.

Once again, it is what is being taught from many a pulpit that’s to blame for the reticence of some believers to receive harsh words from God, because all they’ve heard for years on end is that God will encourage you, and tell you He’s proud of you, and be more like an endearing old coach or an overly excited cheerleader, than the omniscient, omnipotent, everlasting God, and creator of all that is seen and unseen that He is.

God chastens those He loves, God corrects those He holds near, as any parent would correct a wayward child, and chasten an offspring that is headed toward destruction.

Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Psalm 141:5, “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as an excellent oil; let my head not refuse it.”

The reason I started out in this vein today is due to a comment I received wherein the ever present ‘anonymous’ wrote that another way by which he or she judges prophecy is if it isn’t positive, uplifting, and encouraging.

‘If it’s not positive, I know it’s not from God. If it’s not uplifting and encouraging I know it’s of the enemy.’

Whether or not a word is positive uplifting or encouraging is not a biblical criterion by which we can judge prophecy!

We need to stop acting like overly pampered and overly indulged adolescents who’ve always gotten their way by stomping their feet and balling their fists, and come to the realization that we are servants in service to the King of Kings, honor bound and obliged to be about His business and obey His commands.

The fact that we are special, and esteemed in the sight of God has already been established. God sent His Son to die for one such as me, and by so doing proved His love beyond doubt. The fact that God sent Jesus however, does not mean that we will never be chastened, that we will never be rebuked, that we will never be called upon to sacrifice or obey. Jesus came that we might have life everlasting in Him, and if we desire to follow after Him we must do as He commanded, and deny ourselves, daily pick up our crosses, and walk the path that He has set before us.

Hebrews 12:7-8, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 153

2012-01-09T07:00:00.005-06:00

The Gifts Part 58

Prophecy continued...

Determining the ultimate goal of a word of prophecy is yet another biblical means by which we can judge prophecy. If a prophetic word exhorts you to repentance, holiness, righteousness, obedience and humility, if it points the way to Christ and the cross honoring God and not man, then it is very likely that the word is from the Lord. When a word of prophecy is of the Lord, its ultimate goal will be your sanctification, your preparedness, and your spiritual maturity. Even when God gives a word of forewarning concerning things to come, in His goodness and mercy He addresses His beloved in such a way that they are comforted by the knowledge of His protection and the reassurance that He will keep them safe and unharmed under the shadow of His wing.

If however, a word exhorts you to licentiousness, rebellion, and disobedience urging idolatry rather than subservience to God, if man is honored rather than Jesus, if a word’s singular purpose is to spark fear in the heart and gives no hope to the faithful, then give that word a wide berth and do not let it worm its way into your heart.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3, “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

So let’s unpack this passage for a while just so we get a better understanding of certain essential facts. First a prophet or a dreamer of dreams does not merely prophecy as this passage points out, but they may even give a sign or a wonder, and that sign or wonder might even come to pass. As exciting as the notion of being given a sign or a wonder then seeing it come to pass might be what we must be aware of is that false prophets and those who would deceive us into straying from the path of righteousness are likewise endowed with power. A sign or a wonder in and of itself is not evidence that an individual is of God or divinely inspired!

Even though a sign or a wonder might come to pass, one that was foretold by a certain individual, we must still be wise in determining the ultimate goal, and seeing whether they point the way to Jesus, or to an idol or false god.

By what this passage implies, we realize that God allows such men to exist, and uses them to test us, to see whether we love Him with all our heart and all our soul. Are we worshiping God out of love, or a vested interest? Do we love Him with all our heart and soul or do we feign love in order to get material possessions? Is it the true God that we worship or the idols of our own making, those things which have supplanted Him, and those things to which we have surrendered our hearts in lieu of Him?

To those who would insist that we have nothing to worry about, that we can dismiss this scripture passage offhand because false gods are not as numerous as they once were, and believers are in no danger of following those that still remain, I would submit to you that false gods are as plentiful today as they’ve ever been. A false god need not have an altar, a temple, an image fashioned of bronze or gold or steel. A false god is anything that takes the rightful place of the one true God in our hearts, and the church today is filled to bursting with false gods and idols of every shape and size. If anything in your life robs you of the time that could have otherwise been spent with God, if anything in your life robs you of the resources that could have otherwise been given to God, then that thing is an idol, a false god.

So why is it important to determine the ultimate goal of a prophecy? Why is it important not to be mesmerized by signs or wonders but dig deeper to see if they point the way to Jesus or another? Because the day is coming when one will come performing great signs, deceiving those who dwell on the earth, telling them to worship something other than God, and many will follow after him because of the signs he performs.

Revelation 13:13-15, “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he has granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

If all we are concerned with are signs, not bothering to inspect the fruit, not bothering to determine the ultimate goal, but being content with seeing something that suspends natural law, like fire coming down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, then we will be among those who will bend and bow to something other than the one true God. Will there be those that will not worship? Yes, the Bible tells us there will be, but they will be those girded with truth, those for whom the lateness of the hour is not reason to slumber but to be all the more alert and awake.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 152

2012-01-08T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Gifts Part 57

Prophecy continued...

Contrary to what some vociferously claim, God will neither strike you down, disinherit you, give you ulcers, blow up your car, or burn your house for evaluating or judging a prophecy, for being awake and on guard, and separating truth from deception.

It is the word of God that admonishes us to be watchful, it is the word of God that admonishes us to be on guard, it is the word of God that admonishes us to inspect the fruits of men and see whether they are good or bad, and in so doing we will keep ourselves from being hurt, wounded, shipwrecked and disillusioned.

Since the nine fruit of the Spirit have the same author and derive from the same place as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, one cannot possess gifts without possessing fruit. One can claim offices, titles and gifts, yet if love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are not evident in their daily character it is a warning sign that the individual might not be all that they claim to be.

One can still deliver a harsh word, even a word of rebuke, warning and reprimand and do it in love, one can have the burden of knowing what the future holds upon his shoulders and still possess joy and peace, one can be maligned and spoken evil of and still possess longsuffering, kindness and goodness, one can go through countless trials yet still have faithfulness, one can be tempted and still retain self-control. The fruit of the Spirit, just like the gifts of the Spirit reside in us, and work through us, defining our character, our nature, our conduct and our actions. A true believer, especially one that claims to be gifted spiritually, must always possess evident and undeniable spiritual fruit.

1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Another way, by which we can judge prophecy, especially when it comes to the gift of the word of wisdom, or the foretelling of things to come, is if they indeed come to pass. Although it sounds simple enough, there are certain aspects of prophecy concerning future events that must be taken into account in order for us to evaluate them properly.

Unless a specific timeframe is given for the fulfillment of a certain word, just because a few weeks, a few months, a few years, or even a few decades have passed, it does not nullify the word, or make it false. In our up to the minute hyper speed existence, we expect a word that was given today to come to pass tomorrow, but God’s time is not as our time, for to Him a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day.

Most often, when a word is uttered concerning something yet to transpire, God delivers it far enough in advance wherein there can be no shadow of doubt as to its origin when it does come to pass. Often times words of prophecy concerning future events, at the time they are uttered, are seemingly improbable or even impossible to human reason, because that which is prophesied goes against the grain of what men are currently seeing with their own eyes.

God does this for two reasons, first is that His children have time to prepare, and second that when the word eventually comes to pass the children of God will know that He has spoken it.

David prophesied of the Messiah one thousand years before His birth, Hosea seven hundred years before His birth, Isaiah six hundred and fifty years before His birth, Jeremiah six hundred years before His birth, and Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple which came to pass forty years after His death and resurrection.

There are even certain prophecies uttered by Jeremiah and Ezekiel that are yet to be fulfilled, or which we are just now seeing being fulfilled.

The point is that God is not on our time clock, and unless a specific date is given for a certain event, time will tell the tale as to whether or not a word was true and from the Lord.

As a side note, something that is more of a pet peeve of mine and although not included in scripture is nevertheless reasonable and logical, is to make certain that a word attributed to a certain person was really spoken by that person. Our ministry being a prophetic one, and my grandfather having operated in the gifts or prophecy, word of wisdom and word of knowledge, this is one of those things that hits close to home, and something that I’ve had to deal with consistently throughout the life of our ministry.

If someone tells you that someone else gave a certain word, especially if it a foretelling of some future event, please do your due diligence and inquire of the individual in question whether or not they truly spoke the word that was attributed to them.

I have heard of countless things attributed to both my grandfather and myself that we have never said, and words attributed to us that we have never given. I will stand by any dream or vision that God has given me as I know they were from Him, but I cannot defend something that I never wrote or intimated.

Another thing to be cautious of is delineating between someone’s personal opinion, and a word from the Lord. Not everything that comes out of a vessel’s mouth is prophetic, some things are personal opinion, and it is a dangerous thing to confuse between the two. If someone precedes their words with ‘I received this from the Lord’ then judge it and evaluate it as something that they received from God, as a prophetic word that must be evaluated via Scripture. If however they say ‘I think, I believe’ then take it for what it is, their personal opinion and not divine revelation.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 151

2012-01-07T07:00:00.009-06:00

The Gifts Part 56

Prophecy continued...

Another criterion by which we can judge prophecy has more to do with the individual delivering the prophecy than it does with the word itself. Yes, I am well aware of the scripture passage that says, ‘judge not, that you be not judged’ but I am also aware of the words of Christ in the selfsame chapter warning us to beware of false prophets who come to us in sheep’s clothing.

Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

No, it’s not enough for someone to have a winning smile, it’s not enough for someone to be polished, primed and immaculately dressed, it’s not enough for someone to seemingly say the right things, they must also possess fruit.

It is none other than Jesus who warns us, and admonishes us to beware of false prophets, because they do not come to us like the ravenous wolves they truly are but they come disguised in sheep’s clothing. The only way you will be able to penetrate the disguise, the only way you will be able to see beyond the sheep’s clothing they have fashioned for themselves is to observe, inspect their fruits and see if the fruit is good.

It is because we have grown careless, outright lazy, or thought ourselves too wise to heed Christ’s counsel, that there is no shortage of horror stories and cautionary tales concerning the damage such false prophets can do, and the sort of carnage they leave behind.

From those gullible souls who every few years give away everything they possess, put on white robes, climb on some high hill and wait for the return of Jesus because their ‘prophet’ told them the day He would be returning, to the easily swayed women who are coerced to leave their husbands and children behind to follow after ‘the man of God’ as his spiritual wife, the damage wrought when we do not heed the words of Christ, and inspect the fruits of those who come in the name of the Lord, is astronomical and far ranging.

When it comes to believing prophecy, it’s good to be thorough, it’s good to take the time and follow the steps that Christ and the word of God laid out, that when we believe something we will know it is the truth, and not a mere shadow of the truth.

Notice that Jesus called these false prophets who would present themselves in sheep’s clothing ravenous wolves. One can neither expect mercy, understanding, pity or quarter from a ravenous wolf, one cannot expect to be spared by a ravenous wolf, one cannot be neutral toward the advances of a ravenous wolf, because it is understood that the wolf’s purpose is to kill you, and your duty is to do your utmost to remain alive.

When confronting a ravenous wolf one of two things will happen: either the wolf will fell you and devour you, or you will defend yourself in such a way that the wolf will either be felled or be caused to retreat. If the wolf goes unnoticed long enough, and gets close enough, wounds and bites are inevitable, this is why it is wise and prudent to be wise and prudent and see the wolf approaching from afar off by being vigilant in inspecting the fruit of those who would claim to be men of God.

God’s standard remains the same in perpetuity. God does not differ in His standard by geography or region, He will not require more of those that are being persecuted and beaten and tortured for His name’s sake than He would of those living in freedom and comfort. It is we who have twisted the standard, it is we who have allowed for this erroneous and dangerous conclusion that although God might require a certain standard of some, He will let us slide by and not demand as much of us, because we give more to missions than those who are suffering do by way of the material.

‘Well, we know we’re supposed to inspect fruit, but we can’t expect our teachers and our preachers and our evangelists and those among us endowed with spiritual gifts to be as strict and uncompromising and Christ centered as those living in third world countries being persecuted. Yes, there were a few scandals and a few affairs, and a few compromising photographs, but he’s just too great an asset to the denomination to do away with, plus he’s been restored in three easy steps and a weeklong retreat wherein he contemplated his sins. We can’t expect someone leading a congregation of ten thousand to be as humble and self-sacrificing as someone leading a congregation of a hundred, it’s just not done, there has to be a little leeway, a little variance.’

The excuses are plentiful, wide ranging, some even inventive, but in the ends the words of Christ drown out all the justifications made on certain men’s behalf, ‘by their fruits you will know them.’

Good fruit, bad fruit! No leeway, no variance, no leniency, no excuses for geography or size of ministry, either the fruit is good, or it isn’t! Either they are true men of God who obey the voice of God and preach the word of God, or they are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing whose only interest is their next meal, their next house, or their next yacht.

We make excuses for the wolves until it’s our own wool stained with blood, until it’s our own heart that’s broken and bruised, until it is we who have suffered the deception of seeing them for what they truly are.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

P.S. To Scott, Becca, Holly, Rob, and all others who inquired about this extended series, a brother has offered to publish it, and it is being edited as I go. I will have all the information on the book both on here, and on the hand of help website when it is available. This series is a work in progress, I write each morning, so I know not when it will be complete. Thank you all for your kind words, your encouragements, your prayers, and your interest in this series. Mike

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 150

2012-01-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Gifts Part 55

Prophecy continued...

Whatsoever is not anchored and grounded in the Word of God, whatsoever is not in harmony with scripture, will eventually crumble into the dust. Most often these lofty words, these words that the Lord has not spoken but men presumed to speak nevertheless, will fail individuals when they rely and lean on them most. Words that do not originate from God, prophecies that are not in harmony with scripture cannot and will not hold up to applied pressure, failing at the most inconvenient of times.

Isaiah 8:20-22, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. And they will pass through it had pressed and hungry; and it shall happen when they are hungry that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom and anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.”

Most people today would rather hear a comfortable lie than a difficult truth. One need only give what is known as the church a passing glance, to realize the truth of this tragedy. No longer is our standard the word of God, no longer are we firm in our conviction that if one does not speak according to the word it is because there is no light in them, but we gravitate toward those who would promise us the earth and the stars and everything in between, we gravitate toward those who would encourage us in our indifference toward Christ, and those who would purport that God would put no demands upon us save for a tenth of our monthly earnings.

‘You shall neither see sword nor famine, your life will be one of merriment and bliss, the angels themselves will pamper you and carry you on puffy white clouds so you won’t even have to break a sweat, your faith will never be tested, you will never be called upon to sacrifice for the sake of Christ, you will have, you will possess, you will be happy. God’s singular desire is that you have your best life now, and the only reason He sent His Son to die hanging between two thieves is so that you might prosper in this life, and have an abundance of self-esteem.’

Did I miss anything? No, that pretty much covers the clichéd generalities that throngs and throngs of people are being fed day in and day out to their utter delight. Although what they are hearing and receiving is a lie, it is a comfortable lie, one that does not challenge, does not warn, does not prepare, one that insists ‘everything’s going to be alright’ even though those of the world who have no relationship with God are starting to see that things really aren’t going to be alright after all.

‘Well, so what brother Mike? So what if we preach a watered down, diluted, unscriptural message as long as it makes people optimistic about tomorrow, and happy about today, and causes them to feel better about themselves overall? What’s the harm in that?’

The harm in speaking a word that is not according to scripture, the harm in speaking a word that is contrary to what the Bible says is coming upon the earth, is that when these selfsame individuals who reveled in the cotton candy, bubble gum doctrines will be faced with hunger, and lack and need, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God.

They will so be enraged, because they are not receiving what was promised them by those who claimed to be ambassadors of the Kingdom. They will so be enraged, because rather than prosperity and opulence and excess, they will be faced with persecution, and hunger, and need, and no one ever prepared them for such things, no one ever told them such things were on the horizon, no one ever encouraged them to steel their constitution, and grow in the grace of God that they might stand in such times.

For now, those who preach a watered down gospel, those who encourage people to bury their heads in the sand and not take note of what is happening all around them because, well, ‘they won’t be here for the bad stuff anyway’, seem loving and tolerant, at least on the surface. Those who would warn, those who would stand in the gap and cry out for the children of God to prepare, for the children of God to live with the expectation of difficult times ahead, for the children of God to shrug off the remnants of the flesh and be wholly sanctified unto God however, are looked upon as mean, apocalyptic, unloving, lacking grace, fear mongers, and I could think of a few other choice names I’ve been called over the years that are not deserving of repetition.

What those calling men who would speak a difficult word names fail to understand is that love compels us to speak that for which we know we will be hated and despised; love, and obedience to God and the word of God.

True men of God have no choice in the words they are commissioned to deliver. True men of God do not have polls to determine what people would like to hear, they do not have polls to determine which biblical topics people would find offensive if discussed during a church service, they obey the voice of God, and preach the word of God regardless of blowback, or backlash.

I realize to some it may seem that I’ve strayed off topic, but in essence I haven’t, because the point I wanted to make today is this: if God calls you and endows you with a gift such as the gift of prophecy, the gift of discerning of spirits, the gift of the word of knowledge or the gift of the word of wisdom, be prepared to be despised, hated, maligned, spoken evil of, shunned and ostracized. If you desire spiritual gifts because you believe you will be lauded, praised, and embraced by men, what will follow will be a rude awakening indeed.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 149

2012-01-05T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Gifts Part 54

Prophecy continued...

Now that we’ve established who it is that can judge prophecy, we must likewise establish how it is that we judge prophecy, or more appropriately by what criterion. The first criterion which we must use in order to judge prophecy is that it be in harmony with the word of God. I cannot stress this enough, even though I’ve repeated it often, if a certain word of prophecy contradicts the scriptures, it is not of God no matter who might have uttered it.

God will not contradict His own word through prophecy, He will not tell us to do through prophecy something that He has told us not to do in the Bible. Although this truth is simple enough to grasp, although it is evident and self-explanatory I have seen individuals throughout my years in ministry, who out of a desire to circumvent the word of God sought out soothsayers that gave them license to do that which the word would not. When confronted with their sin, they would point to the soothsayer and say, ‘but such and such gave me a word that I could divorce my wife and marry my secretary, so it was divinely ordained.’

What it was, was a lie, a deception, a false word of prophecy that contradicted the Bible, and therefore was untruthful with no foundation in God. When we come upon certain scriptures that require a certain sacrifice of us, when we come upon certain scriptures that demand of us certain things that the flesh is reluctant to part with, our only option, the only course of action afforded to us is to submit the word of God even though the flesh might bristle. The worst thing we can do is attempt to find a loophole, or an understanding ‘prophet’ who will give us license wherein no license can be had.

Men who would give license to sin, men who would strengthen the hand of the wicked, men who would encourage others to continue in their sin and not turn back from their wickedness have always been present, and somehow have always wormed their way within the congregation of God. It is something that God plainly saw during the days of Jeremiah, as well as the days of Ezekiel, and in both instances God’s pronounced judgment was strict and absent ambiguity.

Jeremiah 23:14-15, “Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; they also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants lie Gomorrah. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ‘Behold I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem profaneness has gone out into all the land.’”

If God’s people would be unaffected by these false prophets, if God’s people would recognize these words for what they are and reject them offhand, it would be one thing, and we would not need to spend so much time on this particular topic. The fact that many receive these false words however, the fact that many prefer them over the truth of scripture necessitates that we flesh this topic out and come to a right and true understanding of it.

Jeremiah 5:30-31, “An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?”

This is the reason we can’t afford not to judge prophecy, this is the reason why we can’t afford not to know the word of God, because human nature gravitates toward those things which are pleasing to the flesh, it gravitates toward those things which widen the narrow path of faith, and if we grow indifferent, apathetic, or lose our focus concerning these matters, we will likewise fall into the snare of receiving and even loving those words that outright contradict the scriptures.

Although many today revel in unscriptural liberties, although many today honor those who would discount the word of God and proclaim that the path is wide, that God has changed, that repentance is no longer required and holiness was something practiced only by those living in biblical times, the question still remains, what will they do in the end?

What will they do when they stand before the eternal God of all? What will they do when they are confronted with their own rebellion and disobedience? What will they do when they will stand accused of trampling upon the blood of the only begotten Son of God?

For now they can continue deceiving and being deceived, for now they can continue soothing their burdened conscience with yet another ‘word’ that winks at their sin, and scoffs at those who would walk in righteousness and holiness unto God, but what will they do in the end?

This is the question that should be keeping many an individual up at night, this is the question that should be causing many an individual to reassess what they believe, who they believe, and why they believe it, because although we can have endless back and forth debates about whether or not God still require repentance, although we can have endless back and forth debates on whether or not God still demands sanctification of His children and that they live different than those of the world, one day all the squabbling will cease, and we will stand before an omniscient God who will not allow the twisting of His word, or the juvenile excuse of ‘this is just how I understood it, I did what was right in my own eyes.’

Today we might be able to get away with marginalizing Christ, with dismissing the word of God, with doubting God’s promises to His children, with living halfhearted and hypocritical lives, but what will we do in the end?

Proverbs 21:2, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.”

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.

The Holy Spirit: Power Presence and Purpose Part 148

2012-01-04T07:00:00.006-06:00

The Gifts Part 53

Prophecy continued...

Although we are no longer under law, and have entered the age of grace, God is still a God of order, and in His goodness has outlined how spiritual gifts ought to be used within a fellowship. Order neither quenches the Spirit, nor does it despise spiritual gifts, order simply keeps the children of God from sliding into confusion. Order is good, order is God ordained, and anyone who says they do not enforce order in their meetings because they don’t want to quench the Spirit is just excusing the absence of a backbone and a crippling fear of confrontation.

1 Corinthians 14:29-33, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let him first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

By Paul’s account those best equipped to judge prophecy, and those that have the authority to do so, are other prophets. Paul makes it clear, and we can’t twist the passage to mean something that it does not. Yes, those best equipped to judge prophecy, are other prophets. It makes logical sense in a very basic way, because who better to judge a certain thing than another who specializes or is educated concerning the selfsame thing? My little brother Daniel is a dentist, and so every time I get work done, whenever I run into him, I ask him to take a look and see if the man who did the work did a decent job. Because he is well educated on the topic, my brother can take a look and tell me if the work was done right, or if I’ll be needing a root canal sometime in the future.

As we’ve already discussed, there is a difference between one who possesses the gift of prophecy, and one who holds the office of a prophet, and those to which Paul is referring, are those holding the office of prophet, those endowed with a combination of spiritual gifts as opposed to a single one.

Paul is by no means the only one to encourage the household of faith to judge and test the spirits, he is not the only one to exhort us to evaluate that which we hear and receive to make certain that it is of God, and throughout all the exhortations to be cautious and test all things we see that the preeminent reason is because false prophets and false teachers have also gone out, men whose purpose is to deceive the congregation of God.

1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Just to make everything crystal clear, those whom both John and Christ called false prophets, those of whom we were warned would not only prophesy, but they would also show great signs and wonders.

Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Notice that by Christ’s own definition, prophets, even false prophets, don’t just prophesy, they show great signs and wonders as well, attempting to deceive if possible even the elect. I wanted to reiterate this truth just because there is so much confusion concerning prophets and prophecy, and such great misunderstanding concerning the office of a prophet within the church today.

If another prophet is not present to judge a certain prophecy, those who have been called as leaders of a body, those who occupy the office of elder, deacon, or pastor can likewise judge a word, as mandated by the Scriptures. There is also a third group of individuals who can biblically judge prophecy if another prophet, an elder or a pastor are not present, and that group is made of up believers who know the word of God.

All three, prophets, elders and individual believers must judge prophecy via the prism of God’s holy word, and not their preconceived notions, or denominational guidelines. When we judge a prophetic word by anything other than the word of God, we will have to answer to God for unjustly judging that word.

It goes without saying that in order to judge or evaluate a prophecy via the prism of the word of God, one must first and foremost know the word of God. We cannot have a tangential relationship with scripture; we cannot have a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible, yet still consider ourselves authorities on evaluating prophecy. Sadly there are far too many believers that overestimate their knowledge of God’s word, believers who are neither seasoned nor mature who take it upon themselves to judge one and all. Such individuals by and large are spurned on not by something as noble as a calling on their lives or a mandate from God but rather by their own pride and the overriding need to feel superior or have authority over their fellow brothers in Christ.

When we assume or presume to walk in a calling to which we have not been called, when we take it upon ourselves to perform a certain task within the household of faith without ever being appointed to it by God, we are treading dangerous ground, and sooner or later we will find ourselves slipping and falling along the way.

One of the greatest virtues we can possess as believers in Christ is being content and doing our utmost in the calling in which we have been called. When we come to the realization that no member in the Body of Christ is superior to another and that in doing our part individually the entire body works as it ought to, we will reach that point of contentment wherein even if those around us look upon our calling as insignificant, we will know that we are in the place God desires us to be, doing what God commanded us to do.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.