A Question of Tolerance
DAY 1:
Satan's primary tool in defeating the Christians is the TOOL OF
TOLERANCE. In other words, Satan persuades us to compromise just a
little bit with the world. Compromising our conviction a little bit
makes us a little bit less effective. Then, the next compromise is
offered. Finally, slowly and surely, Satan manages to NEUTRALISED us,
and makes us completely USELESS for the kingdom of God.
James Dobson talks about two kinds of TOLERANCE:
a. The RIGHT kind of tolerance is the TRADITIONAL tolerance. This is
the tolerance as Webster's dictionary defines it : "to recognize and
respect others beliefs, practices without sharing them." This means
that we recognize that there is various beliefs and they are not the
same. We have the right to choose our belief and we respect people with
different beliefs. In respecting other beliefs, we don't have to share
or compromise our belief.
b. The WRONG kind of tolerance is the NEW tolerance. The NEW
definition of tolerance introduces one basic difference than the
traditional tolerance, that is ALL beliefs are the same. After all,
there are many roads to Rome. Those are just different options to go
and achieve the same goal. Every value is the same, every opinion is
the same and every belief is the same.
Billy Graham addresses the same issue on the NEW definition of tolerance
by saying that once we COMPROMISE our CONVICTION, we have become
TOLERANT to practically anything. The "world" now has become tolerant
to divorce, tolerant to immorality, tolerant to crime, tolerant to
alcohol and finally TOLERANT to GODLESSNESS.
How tolerant are we? Have we slowly but surely become tolerant to
practically anything? Maybe about the only thing that we can not
tolerate is intolerance. Have we compromise our conviction? Is
believing in Christ simply one of the OPTION that is available, or are
we convicted that Christ is the only way, the truth and the life? After
all, not all roads in downtown New York leads to Fifth Avenue.
DAY 2:
How many times have we been tempted by the following thoughts that are
planted by Satan?
Why do you have to go to church every Sunday. Just go on Easter and
Christmas, it is enough. Anyway, did not the bible say that you can
worship God anywhere at anytime? You can go to the lake on Sunday and
worship him there, or you can worship God by watching movies with a bag
of popcorn and finally you can definitely worship God in the golf course
as well. Yes, it is true that we can worship God anywhere and anytime,
but God does ask to worship Him with ALL of our HEARTS, and ALL of our
MINDS and ALL of our SOUL. Can we worship Him with all of our hearts,
minds and soul while we are watching movies or playing golf?
Yes, slowly and surely, we started to TOLERATE our worship to God. When
we start tolerating our worship to God, that's when we start opening the
door for compromising our convictions. We need to worship God and be
close to Him so that we can understand and be strong in our the
convictions.
Moses delivered God's message to Pharaoh: "Let my (God's) people go and
leave Egypt, so that THEY MAY WORSHIP ME." The Israelites had been
living in Egypt and God wanted to take them out of bondage and came into
a loving relationship with Him and they could spend their lives
worshipping God. Do we want to leave our "Egypt" (i.e., the pleasures
and the treasures of the "world") and come to worship Him with all our
hearts, minds and soul? Or are we still going to be living in bondage?
There is only sadness, emptiness and insignificance in bondage.
DAY 3:
Moses delivered God's message to Pharaoh more than ten times to "Let my
people go, so that THEY MAY WORSHIP ME." Each time, Pharaoh rejected
God's command by saying, "Who is this God that I SHOULD OBEY HIM?" For
each time Pharaoh rejected God, God rebuked him by bringing misery
(i.e., plague, "tulah") to his life. God wanted him to come to
repentance, but Pharaoh kept hardening his heart.
Pharaoh himself was given more than ten times to repent to God, but he
keeps hardening his heart. Finally, he came to the point of no return.
He had hardened his heart so much, that he could no longer repent and
belief in God. Friends, be very careful when we start hardening our
hearts and starts rejecting God.
Well, now we can say that, "Wel,, I'm not going to completely reject
God's command. It is one thing to reject God's command, it is another
thing to COMPROMISE God's command. Let's see if we can work this out."
We are not the first one to conduct this negotiation. Pharaoh had done
it long time ago. Let's see how Pharaoh tried to compromise God's
command.
Negotiation #1: "Go, worship your God HERE ON THE LAND (EGYPT)."
(Exodus 8:25)
Yes, we can try to say, "God, let's see if I can have both lives. I can
live in this land with the pleasures and treasures of the "world" and at
the same time I will worship you. We have seen and discuss this two
weeks ago (Seri #2/6). I can have days when I am godly, and there are
days when I have to come a little bit less of being godly because I have
to follow my friends in this world, otherwise they're going to reject me
and I can not socialize with them anymore." This is a very miserable
life, it is not fulfilling/satisfying and it is confusing.
Day 4:
Negotiation #2: "I will let you go to worship the Lord your God in the
desert, BUT YOU MUST NOT GO VERY FAR." (Exodus 8:28)
Wow, we are getting smarter here. OK, we'll leave the "world", but not
very far. In other words, Lord, I will obey your commands, but I don't
want to be too extreme. The people may not accept me anymore if I am
too different than them, so let me follow you, but I don't have to be
completely following you, just enough to keep the "world" within my
reach.
Negotiation #3: "Have only the men go, the CHILDREN and the WOMEN
SHOULD STAY HERE in EGYPT." (Exodus 10:10-11)
Here, we are saying that we are going to worship the Lord, but I will
leave my children and wife in the "world". By all means, if you love
your children and wife, do not leave them in the "world", in "Egypt", in
the land of bondage. Bring them with you to worship the Lord. The
"world" is a very confusing place to be, and we know that full well.
But, somehow, Satan can find his way in deceiving us by saying that,
"Let the children figure it out themselves. Give them all of the
choices. Sure you have made your decision, that is to follow Christ,
but let your children explore all of the options and why do you want to
influence them? You should respect them." Yes, it is right that the
children have to make their own decision and they have to be convicted
themselves, but if you know that certain roads leads to destruction
aren't you going to guide them in the road that leads to happiness?
Look at this example, if you know that drug is bad for your kid, aren't
you as a parent try to teach them that they should not use drug? If you
know that drunk driving is very dangerous, aren't you as a parent try to
teach them that they should not be driving and drinking? So, why are we
afraid of teaching our kid about Jesus' love and forgiveness? If we
know that the other roads lead to destruction, aren't we as parents try
to teach them the road that leads to eternal, successful and joyful
life?
Negotiation #4:: "Go, worship the Lord. Even the women and children may
go with you, ONLY LEAVE
YOUR FLOCKS and HERDS BEHIND." (Exodus 10: 24)
Finally, all of the treasures that we have belong to God. When we come
to worship the Lord, all of our money is managed and distributed in such
a way that it is glorying and pleasing the Lord. We should not spend
our treasures in things that benefit the sin of the "world."
Friends, yes it is "a question on tolerance". Where are we in this
tolerance level:
* Complete rejection: Who are You that I should obey You?
* I will worship You, BUT let me also love the pleasures, treasures and
sins of the "world"
* I will worship You, BUT not too extreme, otherwise my friends, my
social life here in the "world" will reject me.
* I will worship You, BUT I will leave my children in the "world"
* I will worship You, BUT my belongings, my treasures ...
* Or finally, I will worship You with all of my heart, all of my mind
and all of my soul
Which one is your choice?
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Disclaimer
This material is a summary of the message that was preached by Pastor
Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church. The writer of this EBS
(Electronic Bible Study) made some changes and added some personal notes
that is necessary to customize this material into an electronic media, a
daily reading material and to better fit the audience.
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