Is God Tolerant?
I have a few things to say about what I stand for, and I’ll be doggoned if I’m not gonna to say them.
What is tolerance? I have been told so many times in the past days/months/years that I’m ‘intolerant’. But I am here to tell you that if you strike out against me for my beliefs, you are as intolerant as you claim I am. And by the way – I am not tolerant. I am told not to be! In 2 John 10 it says “if anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not recieve him into your house or even greet him.” ((Ooooh, that’s not tolerance for other beliefs!)) And that came from the Apostle John, so that means he’s intolerant, too. And he was the most beloved of Christ! And speaking of Christ, He was intolerant too – see Matt. 21:12, where He opened a can of whoop-tee on the merchants in temple. He was intolerant of their dealings in His Father’s house!
Neither is my God tolerant. He is a jealous god, who does not put up with a whole heck of a lot of crap from us humans. He’s destroyed whole cities full of people. (Genesis 19:13). He’s been known set fire to people (Numbers 11:1, Leviticus 10:2). He’s flooded the entire planet (Genesis 6:7). He sent a bear out of the woods to rip children to shreds (2 Kings 2:24). And that ain’t nuthin’ compared to what He’s gonna do in the future. He’s NOT tolerant. He does not call us to be tolerant. He calls us to love, but He also calls us to be wise, to cling to His commandments, and to steer clear of those preaching another gospel, and to reprove wrong. Because He’s NOT tolerant of sin.
What do I follow? I follow the scriptures. Proverbs 30:5-6 says “Every word of God is flawless… Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” I follow the the Word, as given by God to all people. And His word says that some are “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women. It also says, “ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:5-6, 16)
What about Paul? I believe EVERYTHING in the Bible is God-breathed, including the letters written by the apostle Paul. Heck, the Lord Himself appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and called Paul personally to serve Him! And Luke, a disciple of Christ and gospel writer, wrote that the Lord said of Paul in Acts 9:15-16, He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Isreal. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name. (And boy, did Paul suffer!) I follow the Word as it is given – taking nothing away and adding nothing to it. For who am I to alter God’s Word? If we toss out the letters by Paul, we must also toss out the Proverbs by Solomon, for they are just wise sayings of a king. And the Psalms, for they are just the songs of a shepherd. And suddenly the Bible is not the inspired word, it’s simply fables and prose… and then God isn’t God at all. See how quickly this thinking slips us from the Lord’s side?
Who am I? I’m one of those housewifes – only far from gullible. I simply do my best to obey His word. And it says to “Prove what is acceptable unto the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:10-11) I am just a girl with a cheap-y computer and a Bible, who wants to get the truth out there, and adheres to the words God set before me. I have been painted as a stout, unyeilding Pharisee, who delights in hell/fire/brimstone preaching and passing judgment on others. I do not pass judgment on anyone – but I do reprove wrong doctrines, teach from the scriptures, and expose false teachings with the Word and in the Spirit, as I have been instructed to do. (Matt 28:18, “The Great Commission”)
What about other religions? Yikes. Y’ain’t gonna like this, but it’s right out of the Lord’s mouth. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow way, for broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the way and difficult the path which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Religions are a dime a dozen. All you have to do is claim to have a revelation, and somebody will buy it. But Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life – no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6) That means that there’s no other religion that will suffice. Not Zen, not Wicca, not anything. Sorry. Now I’m not gonna get into denominational differences. I’ve been Baptist, United Brethren, Christian Reformed, Undenom., Methodist, Assembly of God, C&MA, and Plymouth Brethren. There is a BIG difference between denominational differences and false religions. I have the background experience to assure you of that. I’m the Christian equivalent of vegetable soup. There is still one way to eternal life.
Why this post? Lately I haven’t known how to deal with what I’m seeing being spread around here on Xanga. It’s a ton of opinion, and a lot of it is dismissing Truth. I’ve also noticed hypocrisy – people coming to me and saying I’m doing right, and then going to other sites that preach a TOTALLY different message and say the same thing to them. And I got discouraged. In fact, I was going to shut down this site. I thought, “T’heck with it – nobody’s listening, anyhow! What’s the point of it? It’d save me a ton of heartache to just keep my beliefs to myself and serve the Lord in my own home alone.” But that’s not what we’re called to do. And if I make a difference to even one person, then I’ve done something for the Lord. 2 Timothy 4:2-5 says “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but according to their desires, because they have itching ears, they will turn their ears away from truth and be turned aside to fables. But be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, and fullfil your ministry.” That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. And what I’m going to continue to do. Right here. ((grins!))
What is a true Believer? How do I know if I’m on the right track? John 15:18 says “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” A true believer is warned that it’s not gonna be peaches n’ cream. It’s going to be a struggle to make it to the end. There will be people watering down truth, denying truth, making us look like spiritual goodie-goodies… it’s gonna be painful. ((Amen…!)) In Matthew 10:16, Jesus says “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be shewd as snakes and innocent at doves.” ((notice it doesn’t say meek as mice?)) He continues saying, “All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)
Who prompted this? I have several people to thank for holding me firm. Prufrock – who posted yesterday “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4) Which spurred me to think about why I let people get in the way of the Lord’s agenda for me. And my pastor, who responded to my e-mail regarding the Paul issue with sound scripture and a hearty “Hogwash!” ((He grew up on a pig farm.)) And Maj – who wrote “Sing praises to the Lord, all people, Let your voices proclaim His glory.” and lifted my spirits. And Evelyn – who wrote via e-mail, “If you never fall or falter, you will never learn how strong you can be. If you want to witness, you have to do it because it’s important to you. It’s fine to write about something you care a lot about because you want to share with the world and hope to show the world some knowledge or truth.” Yeah… that! That’s what I needed. Amazing how He sends just what you need at just the right time, isnt it?
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