The Sleep of Death

Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? Matthew 23.17

I had never realized this glorious revelation. I thought to myself, the Lord rebuked those hypocritical priests because they disregarded the importance of the Altar. In the same proportion that their spiritual eyes were blocked, their physical eyes were open, but not focused on what was presented on the Altar. This has been the greatest reason for the majority of evangelical Christians, especially pastors, to be stuck in their sins and, worse, turn a blind eye to the sins of their members.

This is not solely about the focus on the offering, but the consideration for the Lord and Savior.

Those who consider the gold more important than the Altar have their eyes set on the offering and neglect the offering giver;

Those who consider the gold more important than the Altar were never born of the Spirit! Or, they turned away from Him by prioritizing the material and neglecting the spiritual;

Those who consider the gold more important than the Altar are worried about how many members they have and care very little about the number of souls that are saved.

The pastor that “falls” because of the glitter of the gold (offering) is similar to Lucifer, who walked among the fiery stones (Ezekiel 28).

God knew Abraham very well. Yet He still tested him. The same is true for each one of us. He knows us very well, inside and out. However, He still allows us to be tested so that we come to know ourselves better. Know the real state of our faith, which is our relationship channel with the Lord.

While King David was lost in the delusions of sin, his soul was agonizing in sadness from being apart from salvation.

I am not judging anyone, my intentions are to warn pastors regarding the deplorable state of their sheep because they are focused on the gold and disregarding the Altar.

May the Spirit of the Most High awaken the sincere from the sleep of death and revive His Church.

Bishop Macedo