Tell the spider it is a spider, but don't eat it.

This blog post is sure to make some people (Christians and non-Christians) furious.

First I want to point out that in this life no matter what you think, you have a choice to make. Who are you going to follow? In the end this choice will lead you in one of two directions-- Heaven or Hell. So you can choose to follow God who leads us to where He is by His son or not to follow Him and either intentionally or not follow Satan. So who do you follow, the God of this Universe or the prince of this world?

Interestingly enough, I have just been accused of being "intolerant in the name of God". Well, how many people believe our God is tolerant? A lot I bet. This is why when Christians quote the Bible or point out right from wrong we are considered intolerant. I suppose they think God was only joking on some of His Word. The stuff like do not murder, rape or lie-- well that they believe, but sex outside of marriage, abortion, homosexuality... these He is flexible on because everyone has different circumstances?

I am here to say, God may be tolerating this evil for a while, but in the end He promises no tolerance. Revelation 2: 20-23Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

And this is directed the church (body of Christ) that believes in tolerance. I will add a metaphor here-- in this tolerance it is calling a spider a fish and pretending/believing it really is, instead of calling a spider a spider. By allowing the immoral behavior and making it OK, then you are leading the person in the wrong direction and following him by trying to become a spider. Tell the spider it is a spider, but don't eat it. God can change a spider into a fish but only the fish can show the spider how wonderful it is to be a fish.

You know at the same time I was accused of being intolerant-- well, I suppose I am somewhat, but it doesn't mean I am intolerant of the person but I will not tolerate the sin and act like it is OK (kind of like myself; I hate my own sin too)-- I was told to get enlightened. I guess enlightened means that I decide God was wrong and act like sin is not sin? What must I learn to become enlightened? Is is some secret? Revelation 2: 24-29 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

So those of you in the church who feel enlightened by some secret that allows sexual immorality, abortion, materialism, idol worship of any kind... where do these secrets come from that tell you it is OK?

God is not tolerant of sin; He is tolerant of the person and patiently waiting for them to open their eyes and repent. He does not want anyone to perish, but in the end it will happen. 2 Peter 3:8-10 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

So now that I have established our God is not tolerant of sin, yet patient and forgiving of the sinner (which is what we should be), I want to hit on one more thing.

We are dubbed intolerant-- which is only half true. We are to "love the person and hate the sin" as my mama used to say. The definition of intolerance--

Not tolerant, especially:
a. Unwilling to tolerate differences in opinions, practices, or beliefs, especially religious beliefs.
b. Opposed to the inclusion or participation of those different from oneself, especially those of a different racial, ethnic, or social background.
c. Unable or unwilling to endure or support: intolerant of interruptions; a community intolerant of crime.

I say Christians are not supposed to be intolerant to the point where they despise or shun the person who is sinning. Jesus ate with sinners and in His time this was unheard of. We are not to condone the sin, but we are to love the person sinning. It is never our place to tell them they are going to Hell for this is judging them-- only God will do that in the end. We can tell them what God says, but they do not believe in God. We are to show them life can be so much better.

So what do we and do we not tolerate? I have friends who are gay, but I do not allow my children to spend time alone with them, I do not ever tell them it is OK, and I am sure they know I think it is wrong, but it doesn't change that they are my friends.Same thing goes with my firends who are living with their boyfriends. Let me give a less political example-- adultery. Many people engage in this, yet most people still think it is wrong.  Do you know someone who is committing adultery or has? Do you tell them t is OK? Do you shun them as a friend? Do you honestly and lovingly tell them they are wrong? Do you ignore the behavior altogether? These are touchy questions for people like me who do not like confrontation. What does the Bible say?  Well it says specifically if the sin is against you to confront that person (brother in Christ) in love and show them their wrongdoing. If this works, GREAT, but if not take someone with you and then if he repents GREAT, but if he still does not tell it to the church. If he still refuses to repent then treat him as an unbeliever (Matthew 18:15-19). What if the sin is not against you? Luke 6:41-43"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. I think this means that we must live what we beleive in order to show others what is right and wrong. Am I wrong?

Now how do we treat unbelievers or non-brothers? We love them. We do not pretend that they are Christians. You can not "Bible thump" because the Bible doesn't mean a hill of beans to a non-Christian. What we have is our actions and witness. We can share our stories of repentance and salvation, we can live a life that shows EVERYONE what we believe and that we are not ashamed and that we welcome persecution. If we can stand tall for our faith and prove to others it is worth dying for then they will witness something more powerful than a bunch of "old words" being hurled at them. Obviously the Word is important and you must explain what and why you believe what you do using the Bible, but trying to prove someone is wrong will be fruitless and just push them away especially if you are ostracizing them, defriending them, gossiping about them, fighting with them... I think telling a person one time what and why you beleive what you do is enough, then the rest of the time LIVE IT!!! Don't be afraid to answer questions and be prepared to do so. When people witness the true love of Christ in your lives, it is bound to call attention to you and cause questions.