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

I never noticed this glorious revelation before. I thought the Lord disapproved of those deceitful priests because they did not care about the importance of the Altar. In the same proportion that their spiritual eyes were closed, their physical eyes were open and focused on what was being placed on the Altar. This has been a major reason why most Christians, especially pastors, have been stuck in their sins and, even worse, turning a blind eye to their member’s sins.

It is not only about having their focus on the offering, but also the lack of consideration for the Lord and Savior.

Those who consider the gold more important than the Altar have their eyes on the offering and ignore the person placing the offering on the Altar.

Whoever considers the gold more important than the Altar was never born of the Spirit! Or, at the very least, has let Him die out by prioritizing material goods and ignoring the spiritual ones.

A pastor that has “fallen” because of the shine of the gold (offering) is like Lucifer when he walked in the midst of fiery stones (Ezekiel 28).

In Abraham’s case, God knew him very well, but he was still put to the test. The same goes for each one of us. He knows us very well, inside and out, but He still allows us to be tested so that we can get to know ourselves. So we can get to know the true state of our faith, which is the channel of our communion with our Lord.

May the Spirit of the Most High awaken those who are sincere from the sleep of death. When King David was lost in the delusions of sin, his soul agonized in sorrow for being far from Salvation.

I am not judging anyone; instead, I am warning pastors about the deplorable state of their sheep because their focus has been on the gold and not the Altar.

Unfortunately, a vast majority of Christians have lost their spiritual sight and have buried themselves on the physical things. And there is no better way to evaluate and put our soul to the test than filling the Altar with the purest gold. This is where we weigh our goals, intentions and the purposes of our heart.

Every decision we make in our Christian life puts our heart to the test! This lets us see whether we are focusing on the gold or the Altar. Our heart is tested on the Altar. God puts our heart to the test just as he did with Abraham: On Mount Moriah or Calvary.

This is why dating, getting engaged and marriage are the most delicate moments in which our heart is put to the test. The Altar and the gold are always present in our daily choices whether it is in the Work of God or not.