Intolerance

I was speaking on the subject of faith and I said, “It’s time to be intolerant…”

Everything I spoke after those five words was irrelevant for a young man who literally got up and walked out.

What did I have to say? What did I mean by using that word? None of that mattered.

The fact was I offended this person by using that word. In his mind, no matter what I said, what he heard me say was the word “Hate”. He heard me telling people to hate others.

Now, this couldn’t be further from the truth, but let me just say, that for those who heard me use the word “Intolerance” or “Intolerant” and thought I was teaching people to “hate”, I truly apologize and want to make clear that is not what I was saying at all.

Tolerance is a buzz word in our society, especially in the politically correct arena and in that arena “Intolerant” is equal to “hate”, so anyone from that background would’ve heard me say “hate”, and I am sorry.

I won’t change the that culture or their view of that word, but for clarification, the use of the word that I was trying to communicate is as follows…

Intolerant - Not enduring
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

There are other usages of the word that are very negative, but what I was trying to communicate was that we as Christians should not passively endure and accept the worlds influences and opinions that would lead us to compromise on the message or practice of Christian beliefs, nor should we embrace said contradicting behaviors or philosophies, nor should we sit by passively doing nothing while special interest groups and anti-Christian people groups strip away our American rights to free speech and freedom of religion.

I was speaking to the fact that this non-Christian world is not a supporter of our faith and it’s teachings and in fact will try to influence us away from them. The world’s philosophies and lifestyles undermine and smack against our Christian faith.

I don’t apologize for the truth of God’s word that there is a right and there is a wrong and we should not confuse the two, and woe to those who do, but I do apologize for coming across as communicating something that is not a part of my faith or the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t teach the hatred of anyone. He teaches the hatred of sin, not the sinner, but the sin, and not just because it’s wrong morally, but because it is destructive both to the ones committing the sin and to those who are connected to the perpetrator. There is always a ripple effect that causes the destructive forces of sin to overflow from the life of the perpetrator into the lives of those around him/her.

As Christians we should not sit by enduring passively letting these behaviors go on without a word being said, not just because they are wrong, but because they are destructive.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, God loves us all and Jesus died for us all and I know this for a fact personally because I am a receiver of this great Grace, not because of me, but in spite of me. By God’s great love, He has forgiven this wretch and made me an object of His forgiveness, mercy, and favor.

God doesn’t love me more than anyone else. He doesn’t love the Christian more than the non-Christian. He can just do more in the life of the faithful Christian because the faithful Christian is cooperating with Him instead of engaging in destructive behaviors working against God (note: I said “Faithful” Christian).

God loves all people in this world and just like the woman caught in the act of adultery Jesus speaks to us the same words, “…neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11

And just as Jesus came into the world to “destroy the works of the devil” (1John 3:8) so too have we been sent on this same mission (John 20:21)

Drawing The Line

One of the hardest things in the world to do is “be in the world, but not of it”.

As a follower of Jesus for the last 19 years it’s been a constant struggle to find balance with the role of all that this world has to offer while living faithfully and whole-heartedly for Jesus.

It’s easy to see why so many people turn to legalism to combat compromise, because it’s so easy to settle with the extremes. It’s so easy to just say, “abstain” instead of exercise discipline and live in balance or moderation.

All this said the real thing weighing on my heart is the fact that as Christians, sooner or later we will have to draw the line. We will have to choose what, where, how, how far, and so on. We’ll have to take a stand on what is acceptable, right, pure, enough, honoring to the Lord, and true to Biblical standards and we’ll have to take a stand on what is unacceptable, wrong, impure, not-enough, dishonoring to God, and compromising to Biblical Standards.

As a Christian who deeply loves Jesus and passionately desires to live for and please Him I am finding myself in a battle.

I see this world constantly trying to woo me, constantly trying to win my attention and affection. I feel it’s pull and hear it’s rational behind every argument to justify compromise, but in my heart I can not accept. I must draw the line.

I know there will be many who don’t see eye to eye with where I draw my line. I know that many think of me as quite liberal because I tend to be pretty flexible about personal convictions that do not directly/clearly contradict or disobey scripture. I tend to have a “Redemptive” approach to the things of this world, taking that which was meant for evil and using it for good, but even that we must be careful with. There are obvious things that are beyond redemption, just like the devil.

I’m regularly challenged by Psalm 106:35-39 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. 36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. 39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

I want to break it down a little.

35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
How have we mingled? Mingling can’t be wrong, because how else are we to reach them, but it’s the next part that gets us, “Adopted”. How have we adopted their customs? What customs have we adopted that contradict scripture (regarding family, relationships, pleasure, wealth, entertainment, morality, speech, attitudes, church, spiritual disciplines, etc.)?

36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
What idols of the culture/world have we worshiped? Remember, worship isn’t singing songs to the idol or bowing down to a statue. True worship is a life lived to pursue or gain; it’s a lifestyle. If we look at our calendar or checkbook we may be surprised to see what our lifestyle proves that we truly live for, what we pursue most, spend our lives on.

37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
How many Christians have joined the world in sacrificing their children/family for personal gain or gratification. No, we may not be shedding blood, but we are still contributing to the harm of our children’s spiritual, behavioral, social, and other developments.

38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
Regardless of the fact that we’ve not killed our children physically, many are certainly contributing to their spiritual death and the negative ripple effects from that child’s life into the lives of others as they engage in unhealthy behaviors and attitudes.

While each child will ultimately grow up and be held accountable by God and man for their personal choices, the scripture is clear that God will hold us parents responsible too.

39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
Our misbehaviors are not seen as okay in the eyes of God, they defile us.

Defile is a word we don’t use much. It means to be ruined, spoiled, violated, tainted, made unclean, impure, or polluted.

We make our lives spoiled (unusable) by engaging in compromise. Imagine pitcher of lemonade with one drop of dog pee in it. Would you drink it? How many drops of dog pee are too many? Where do you draw the line on when the lemonade is polluted and undrinkable?

Where do you draw the line? I don’t have the answer for everything, but I do know that for a long time as a baby Christian I was always asking the question: “How close to sin can I get before I actually sin?” but I never found the answer. Then one day God convicted me and told me I was asking the wrong question. The question is not, “How close can I get to sin before I actually sin?” but rather, “How close can I get to God in this and every area of my life?”

Because we are in a constant state of transformation with the final goal being like Jesus, I believe the line is constantly moving, not back and forth (that means we are floundering and sometimes pulling away from God) but rather constantly and consistently toward Jesus.

I believe there is a clear right and wrong on many things and there are other issues that are more gray, but in it all the key issue is our heart.

Is our heart open to God bringing the change He wants to bring into our life? Is our hearts desire to please, love, honor, and pursue God? Is He my number one ambition and pursuit? Do I worship (live for) Him or do I say “I believe/love Jesus”, but really still chase after the things of this world?

I don’t want to be a prostitute in the eyes of God. Prostitution is not just sex for hire; it is the selling of ones self for anything that is immoral, base, unworthy, lowly, or ungodly.

I don’t want to sell my soul, my family, or my family’s souls for material gain, physical gratification, or anything else that this temporary world has to offer.