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Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Gatekeepers by Nathanael Wolf

The Gatekeepers by Nathanael WolfI have read The Gatekeepers by Nathanael Wolf  a number of times because I believe we can never know enough about God's purpose for our lives and because this book centers specifically upon the subject of priests and kings, a subject I wanted to know more about. In actuality the subject or Biblical term "priests" is only a secondary issue used only to describe the difference between the two and the purpose of the two. I had read other books on the subject, but I wanted more knowledge and insight.
  
I also read the book multiple times because I couldn't quite see the author's point that the the kings, who are designated by God to earn large sums of money for His kingdom to bring to the priests (which are the pastors or leaders of our Christian churches) are only a specific group of people in high-finance.

While I believe that God has created "priests" and "Kings" within the church, Nathanael's title of his book centers upon "The Gatekeepers" which are the men and women God has designated to make the Kingdom wealthy for the sake of the Gospel.  I believe this to be true, but I also believe that any Christian who isn't a part of church leadership can be a priest or "gatekeeper." 

While many of the men and women Nathanael is speaking about are people who are highly astute and experienced in business and finance, God's Word teaches that anyone can become a financial giant through their obedience and consistency in giving.  God can and will give financial opportunities through our faith and desire to grow in the distinct place or calling God has given each of us that is outside the realm of church leadership.  

In conclusion, I believe the book is accurate in it's teachings, however I don't believe that it's idea of a "king" or "gatekeeper" is broad enough.  I believe that we can all be "gatekeepers" if we are obedient to the Word and sincerely desire to gain wealth for the sake of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a dying world. 

Perhaps I missed the point that God has put special talents and abilities into specific persons to have a natural talent for earning large sums of money without their even practicing faith for it.  If this is true, I still believe that we can all become Gatekeepers at various levels to help support our churches.  

Read: The Gatekeepers: Whatever God Can Get Through You, He Will Get to You.