Barry L Nehls

The Blindfolded Church 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.