The Blindfolded Church

By Barry L. Nehls

Some are blind from birth, while others, like Helen Keller, are blinded by illness. Still others lose sight through accidents or progressive disease. I submit no one would choose to go through life without sight. And yet the church today is certainly blindfolded.

I do not believe the blindness of the church happened suddenly. There have been brilliant moves of God in the church since the Lord’s ascension. However, it has been a slow, methodical process whereby a blindfold has slipped over the eyes of discernment, and the church chooses to remain in the dark.

Why would anyone choose to remain blind? Think of it this way. A child born blind cannot describe the experience of seeing a beautiful rose, the glow of a sunset, the majesty of snowcapped mountains, or a crashing waterfall. There is no desire for sight, having never experienced the sensation. For those that see, we would never choose to be blind and remain so.

A blindfold suggests that something has willfully been placed over the eyes to prevent sight. The enemy has not only pulled the blindfold over the spiritual eyes of the church but deceived her into thinking she can still see.

Jesus Christ was sent to heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, and recover sight to the blind. May we, the church of the living God, remove the blindfold and once again charge forth with the gospel to a lost and dying world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638143802

Book preview

The Blindfolded Church

Barry L. Nehls

ISBN 978-1-63814-379-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63814-380-2 (Digital)

Copyright © 2021 Barry L. Nehls

All rights reserved

First Edition

All references to Scripture are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible (KJV) unless stated otherwise.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Hirelings in the Pulpit

One Commander and Chief

Distracted Witnesses

Unperceived Deception

Serving Mammon

Say Not, It Is Enough

Who’s Winking Now?

A Little Sleep, a Little Folding of the Hands

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

What Spot…What Wrinkle?

Too Little Too Late

This Is War!

Final Thoughts

To our grandchildren: Hayden, Jasmine, Sophia, Mason, Isaac, Liam, Tyler, and Cooper—

May they each come to know Him, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.

I pray each will press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The church’s one foundation

I Jesus Christ her Lord.

She is His new creation,

By water and the Word.

From heaven He came and sought her

To be His holy bride.

With His own blood He bought her,

And for her life He died.

—Samuel J. Stone (1866)

If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, we see;

therefore, your sin remains.

—John 9:41

Introduction

The statue of Lady Justice symbolizes the need for a moral force in the judicial system. Holding a balance in one hand and a sword in the other, she is blindfolded. The symbolism here is for the power of justice (a sword) to be meted out and balanced without prejudice. Blindfolded, the issues must be litigated based on merit and not appearance.

A recent popular television series is entitled The Voice. Contestants participate in blind auditions, singing and performing before a panel of judges who have their backs to the stage. The concept imitates the blindfold: the performance is judged on what is heard rather than the appearance of the artist.

Of the five major senses, the sensory input of sight would seem to greatly overwhelm the others. We purchase automobiles not based on performance but upon design and style. The sportier the look, the higher the price tag, even when comfort and perhaps safety have been compromised. We judge and set the price of our homes based on that elusive term curb appeal.

Our clothing is constructed based on the latest in fashion design. I believe that Solomon understood the whimsical nature of clothing fashions, writing the thing that has been it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Wide ties, bell-bottom jeans, and tie-dyed shirts will be back. Really.

We are told to dress for success. From early proverbs to Shakespeare and Mark Twain, many glib statements have been uttered proclaiming that clothes make the man. And I believe most would agree that a uniformed police officer sways more authority than an off-duty cop in street clothes. We quickly form opinions, right or wrong, about people and individuals we meet based on appearance.

Jesus Christ stated that He would build His church. Most think of a building or structure when referring to a church. It is estimated there are over 350,000 churches or congregations in America today. Nearly all meet on a regular basis, employ a pastoral staff, perhaps organize a choir, along with a food pantry and clothes closet to reach the poor. Services are set and scheduled. Know what to expect as you arrive, and likewise expect to leave the way you came.

When Jesus proclaimed that He would build His church, the master blueprint called for raising up an army for war, for spiritual battle. Jesus told Peter describing His church, the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). He then conferred spiritual power for going to war, something we shall push into further.

What did Jesus have in mind when building His church? What was the purpose? What sort of impact would it have on society and mankind? Could it affect governments? In America we continually hear the mantra of the separation of church and state. I believe the Lord does not agree. Certainly, I do not. Fundamentally the separation of the state from the church was intended, but the separation of the church from the state was never the desire. The goal of the founding fathers was to put an end to government intrusion in the affairs of the church, but never to remove God from governmental duties to society.

To declare the church today blindfolded is perhaps understated. When the church looks directly into the face of sin, into the face of total disregard for the Word of God and His statutes, too often the church either looks the other way or closes its eyes altogether. Blind indeed. Refuse to see; offend no one; not even guard and mature their own. And the earth is groaning.

How important is the church? Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Ephesus that Jesus gave His very life for the church. Your sins and my sins placed Him on the cross, but His mission was to build a church, a perfect church without blemish, made up of imperfect people. And He paid a tremendous price. Never forget the humanity of Jesus Christ! He was not God in a human suit; He is the God of love who paid the price for all.

What has happened to the church? Why the blindfold? Does the church simply not want to see, or is it unable to see? Perhaps a little of both. Under the guise of progress and enlightenment, the church has placed the Word of God on the shelf and relegated humanistic thought to the altar. And still, like the Pharisees in Jesus’s day, the church proclaims to see, indifferent to the blindness that exists, as sin parades both inside and outside the doors of the cathedral.

In our high school varsity locker room, we experimented with the sensations of blindness. Located in the basement with no windows was the actual locker room where we hung our uniforms and football equipment. There was also an additional meeting room, sort of a room within a room. When the coaches were not around, several of us boys would go back into that inner room. We would all spin until dizzy, and then kill the lights.

The winner would be the first to exit the locker room. The darkness could be cut with a knife. We would be crawling on the floor, bumping into each other, laughing as we felt along the walls for the first opening. If you were the least bit afraid of the dark, it was not where you wanted to be. We quickly discovered blindness leaves you greatly impaired!

In John 9:40, the Pharisees asked Jesus if they were blind. His answer has stirred my spirit to pen this book concerning the twenty-first century church: If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, we see, therefore your sin remains (John 9:41). Their refusal to recognize their blindness caused the condition to remain. So it is with the church today.

God will not allow it; He paid too big a price to see the world glaze over the eyes of His church and render the gospel fruitless. As such, we will continue to see the whole creation groaning for the blindfold to be removed, for the eyes of the church to discern the times and seasons. She must prepare as a bride adorned for the bridegroom, rushing out to meet Jesus as He returns for His glorious church.

From global health pandemics to financial meltdowns, the shaking will continue for this last great revival of God’s people. If we are bold enough to admit our own blindfolds, our own blindness, the church’s sight can once again be restored. The church can move into a new boldness to push back sin and darkness, and once again restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and mobility to the lame.

Chapter 1

Hirelings in the Pulpit

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

—John 10:12

It starts at the top. Harry S. Truman, thirty-third president of the US, recognized the responsibility that accompanied his authority as president when he famously remarked, The buck stops here! President Truman served from 1945 to 1953, succeeding upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt after serving as his vice president. Following the end of WWII, he implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, established the Truman Doctrine and NATO. Not bad for a president with only a high school diploma (a fact our Harvard political professor continually reminded the class).

President Truman also made the decision for the first use of nuclear weapons. Hiroshima, Japan, was bombed on August 6, 1945, and the city of Nagasaki three days later, leaving over 105,000 dead. According to his memoirs, it was a prayerful decision that he believed was justified by bringing a swift end to the war with Japan. Though controversial to this day, Truman clearly believed his duty as commander and chief of the United States military obligated him to shoulder the responsibility of that grave decision.

Clearly the presidency of the United States is a powerful office with great and grave responsibilities for the outcome of decisions made each day. Likewise, corporations, both large and small, are structured with executive officers that implement policy and operating decisions. For small companies, these positions are generally held by owners, while larger corporations have a board of directors and elect operating officers.

To pull back the blindfold on the church, we must understand the origins and developments that led to the slipping of the covering over her spiritual eyes. It has been a slow process. The enemy of your soul and mine, Satan, although operating on borrowed time, craftily and subtly has moved both government and business to press into the church, especially when it comes to leadership. After all, every organization needs someone to be in charge, right? There must be a person responsible for the oversight of the activities and business dealings of the congregation. Marketing strategies, branding, messaging, and image building are essential. And the church must become and remain relevant.

The apostle Luke wrote of the early development of church in the Acts of the Apostles. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus gave instructions to His disciples for starting the process of building His church:

Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me: for John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (Acts 1:2–5)

So important was this first step in organizing and building His church that Jesus gave these specific instructions to His disciples. These are men who followed Him for over three years. They heard messages like the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) firsthand; they saw miracles of healing, powerful displays of Jesus’s authority over wickedness and even death. Matthew chapter 10 records they were sent two by two into villages and communities, witnessing power and authority as they preached the kingdom of God and the gospel. Regardless, they were commanded to wait until they received the power to launch the church of the Lord Jesus Christ:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The apostles, along with several women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, waited in prayer for this promise of power, understanding, and direction. Gathered were approximately one hundred twenty devoted followers of Christ. Recorded in Acts chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost the baptism of fire swept over them as promised. Originally, Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early wheat harvest, sometime during the middle of the month of May or early June. For the Jewish community, it was celebrated fifty days after the feast of the Passover. Today it is a celebration held seven Sundays following Easter.

After this enduement of power, the apostle Peter preached a sermon to all those gathered in Jerusalem that day. The Bible records that nearly three thousand souls were saved as the emergence of the church began. In the second chapter of Acts, we can read about the formation of this first church:

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:43–47)

The church was born. While they used the temple for corporate gatherings, there was no building or meeting place constructed; rather, they simply went house to house for meals, fellowship, and study. The activities even sound a bit communal with one exception. These people’s primary focus was not on each other but on the Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. Repentance and sharing God’s plan for salvation were the focus and goal of their meeting together.

Soon, this first church grew to very large numbers. Organization and leadership would prove to be just as demanding for the apostles as it was for Moses as he led the children of Israel out of Egypt’s bondage. Jesus had essentially placed the apostle Peter in charge of building His church:

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jo`na: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:13–19)

Because of this declaration by Jesus, Peter’s authority to lead the church became widely accepted. The Roman Catholic Church believes these scriptures reveal that Jesus appointed Peter the head or first pope, establishing his authority to make decisions for the church. The pope (Latin papa from Greek πάππας [pappas], father) is also known as the supreme pontiff (pontifex maximus), or the Roman pontiff (Romanus pontifex), the Bishop of Rome, and head of state or sovereign of the Vatican City State. From this Cephas (Peter) authority, all successor popes are thus infallible in decisions and policies regarding the practice of faith as the chief pastor of the worldwide Catholic Church.

As the disciples continued to teach daily in the temple and in believers’ houses, the church grew. As with any large, repetitive gathering, there arose a need for leadership and organization. In Acts chapter 6, we find the appointment of elders to oversee some of these daily needs:

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. (Acts 6:1–8, emphasis mine)

While Peter and the other apostles remained in Jerusalem, God called upon Saul of Tarsus to minister to the Gentile nations of the day. His miraculous encounter with the Lord is recorded in Acts chapter 9. The balance of the book of Acts is filled with numerous accounts of the growth of the church in Jerusalem as well as the spread of the gospel to Macedonia, Greece, Galatia, and numerous Gentile nations. Paul, original name Saul of Tarsus, became the father of church planting.

As Paul traveled with Silas, Timothy, Barnabas, John Mark, and others, he started numerous churches on each of his three missionary journeys. It was important for these fledgling churches that the apostle Paul was able to leave these works in the hands of called, able leaders. Most of the epistles Paul went on to pen were letters of instruction and correction to these new Christian congregations. He recognized that without serious commitment to the truth of the gospel, these newly formed churches could easily fall into apostasy or false teachings.

Written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, from his house arrest he wrote to the church in Ephesus in the year 62 AD. In this critical letter of instruction, Paul emphasized the truth that the church is the body of Christ for believers, both Jew and Gentile. The letter placed special emphasis on the fact that Jesus Christ is the head of His church.

In referring to the church as the body of Christ, Paul used the metaphor to emphasize that the church operates throughout the world, with each part working together, controlled by the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Broken down are the divisions between God and man, between Jew and Greek, male and female, slave and free, as all are made free in Christ. This headship is clearly shown in the equipping gifts or offices Paul sets out in the fourth chapter. Stressing the significance and importance of unity in the church, Paul begins by discussing the vocational callings of God for the purpose of ensuring unity in the body of Christ.

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:1–6)

Paul recognized critical need for unity in the church. Division sown in the body of Christ would bring these new churches into chaos. As Paul closed this letter to the church in Ephesus, he stressed the spiritual battle being waged against Christianity, providing instructions to each believer on taking up spiritual weapons and armor to engage in the battle (see Ephesians chapter 6). We will discuss this in more detail in the last chapter.

Since these church plantings by the apostle Paul, we have seen the numerous divisions and fractures to the body of Christ that have weakened the message of salvation to a dying humanity. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations and organizations in the world today. Jesus warned of the enemy’s strategy to separate and divide His church:

Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. (Matthew 13:31–32)

In this parable of the mustard seed, Jesus describes the church as the kingdom of God on the earth. Starting as one of the smallest seeds, it would grow up to become a mighty tree. The parable is often used to emphasize the importance of the smallest amount of faith that can produce great results. Jesus knew the church would have humble beginnings and experience explosive growth but not remain pure. Over time, it grows large and becomes a source of food, rest, and shelter, for both believers and falsely professing individuals, those seeking to consume or take advantage of its benefits. Jesus referred to these as tares or weeds growing together with the wheat (see Matthew 13:25–30).

The parable is found in all three of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), but in Matthew we find it is preceded and followed by additional parables that emphasize the potential evil that would infiltrate the church. Jesus likens the church to a field of wheat wherein an enemy sowed tares or weeds within the wheat. Nearly indistinguishable, Jesus instructs to allow both to flourish, lest the wheat is torn up with the attempted removal of the weeds. However, in the end, there would be a final separation of believers and nonbelievers.

Following the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as three measures of meal into which a woman hides a small portion of leaven. The Bible often refers to sin as leaven, and in this case all three loaves of bread are infiltrated with the leaven.

Since the beginning of time as recorded in the events in the garden of Eden, the enemy of God, Satan, has worked to undermine the Word of God and resist the advance of His kingdom. It is a spiritual war that began with the Satan’s rebellion in the heavens:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? (Isaiah 14:12–17, emphasis mine)

Judgment of the treason resulted in the expulsion of Satan and one-third of the angels from heaven. Following the sin of man in the garden, a spiritual battle has raged throughout the ages. The devil’s tactics have not changed since the very beginning. First, he seeks to discredit God’s word. Next, he sows discord among the body of Christ to convince them of their failure. And lastly, he incites a rejection of the leadership of the church.

Recognizing these tactics, in Ephesians chapter 4 Paul calls for unity to be maintained within and throughout the churches, stressing the oneness of the body of Christ, the faith and baptism of every believer. There is but one God, one Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, over all the church. I have often declared that today, if we could simply focus on who we believe in (Jesus) instead of arguing over what we believe in (doctrine), we would find the power in oneness and unity that the Holy Spirit desires and that Jesus prayed for often.

Recognizing the importance of leadership in the church, Paul emphasizes that the Lord bestows gifts on certain individuals for His church. I have always referred to these as the equipping gifts God gives to the church for

the perfecting or maturing of the believers,

for the work of the ministry, and

for the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

We clearly see these five gifts or offices the Holy Spirit establishes:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11–13)

These are specific callings that God places on chosen individuals to lead the church and spread the gospel throughout the world. Apostle simply means sent one, the missionaries sent by God around the world to fulfill the Great Commission. Prophets are called to be the voice or mouthpiece of God. Those who walk in that office are mightily used by God to direct the church by communications from the throne room of God. They provide warning and direction for future events before they occur. Pastor David Wilkerson, founder of the Time Square Church in New York City, was one such recent prophet used to reveal God’s plans to this generation.

Evangelists are those called to preach salvation. Their sole focus is presenting the gospel to the lost, sharing the good news of salvation to all who repent. The best-known evangelist of this past century was the late Rev. Billy Graham. His call was to preach repentance from sin and lead others to Christ.

Pastors and teachers are often thought of as