Subject: The NEW Jesus...and tolerance Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 08:51:43 -0400 To: webmaster@jesus-is-lord.com > THE NEW JESUS > > AND A LOVE CALLED TOLERANCE > > > By Paul Proctor > > May 25, 2002 > > NewsWithViews.com > > Have you heard? There's a new Jesus in town and he brings with him a NEW > gospel message. It is a message that teaches a permissive kind of love...a > love called "tolerance"...a love that hears no evil, sees no evil and > frankly never brings evil up for discussion lest the offenders become the > offended. Discussing the evil in our world, that is the sinful nature of > man, is a risky venture nowadays, especially for any Christian or church > seeking to be loved and accepted BY that world. But then that's not really > the great commission, is it...that you and I go out into the world and seek > its love and acceptance in the name of Jesus? No, the bible assures us that > because of Christ the world will hate us. > > John 15:19 says: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but > because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, > therefore the world hateth you." > > We cannot pursue both the love and acceptance of the world and be the > "living sacrifice" God calls us to be. That's two entirely different > agendas. If we try to carry out both simultaneously the two will eventually > conflict forcing us to choose between them. Today's seeker-sensitive church > growth movement is, in my estimation, the unfortunate result of such > choices. A healthy church simply preaches repentance and faith in Christ and > trusts God for the outcome. > > "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to > every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he > that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:15) > > You see the great commission involves a good news/bad news kind of message. > To preach repentance we have to make perfectly clear what it is God expects > man to repent of. We can no longer assume that the lost know they are > sinners, especially among today's adolescents who are growing up in an > increasingly scripture-free environment. Yet, more often than not, that is > exactly what we do. We forget that today's young are coming of age in a much > different world than most of us did...a country where biblical instruction > like the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount have been > strategically replaced with a multicultural value system. Multiculturalism > basically means almost anything and everything is permissible. > > So, how can one repent of sin if he or she is never taught what sin is? This > is the bad news part of the message we are called to proclaim and more often > than not what makes being a faithful witness for Christ in this day and time > such a challenge. After all, there's really nothing that dangerous or > difficult about telling someone "Jesus loves you", especially if you're > talking about the NEW Jesus. But, those who endeavor faithfully to present > the bad news concerning "the wages of sin", as well as the good news about > "The Way the Truth and the Life", will likely be marked and marginalized as > narrow-minded extremists who "promote negativity" and intolerance. > Unfortunately, these accusations come not just from secular society but from > those who embrace the new Jesus and preach the gospel of tolerance. This, I > believe is why the church is in such a decline today, because we don't want > our relationships, our reputations and our rosters to suffer over an ugly > little three letter word called "sin", even for the cause of Christ. > > Unfortunately, without the bad news the good news has little or no effect. > That is the primary reason for the Law and the prophets and men like John > the Baptist who preceded our Lord's coming with stern and intolerant > warnings like, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of God is at hand!" Those > warnings and commandments from God were given to prepare a lost world to > receive the Lamb of God and must continue to prepare His way in our sermons, > our Sunday schools, our bible studies and our personal witnessing so that > the Good News of God's forgiveness in Christ Jesus will be recognized for > the Amazing Grace that it is. Like my pastor says, "you can't know you're > saved until you know that you're lost" and it is those intolerant > commandments that have become increasingly ignored over the last half of the > 20th century that show the lost just how lost they really are. These divine > precepts were specifically designed by God to prick the conscience of fallen > man and inform him of his sinful condition under the power and influence of > the Holy Spirit so that somewhere down the road of life he might turn to > Jesus Christ for a salvation he could not earn. We already know as believers > that trying to keep those laws as a means of salvation is erroneous and > impossible. That's legalism...the failed religion of the Scribes and > Pharisees. However, if the lost are never confronted with God's absolutes > how can they know they've erred? How can they understand their separation > from Him? It is an exercise in futility to offer forgiveness to someone who > is ignorant of his or her own guilt. One cannot begin a relationship with > Christ under an assumption of innocence. > > This is why we have such insanity in our schools today and why Jesus is > mocked by the MTV generation. Young men who commit heinous crimes like those > of Littleton, Colorado have no fear of God because the world around them has > no fear of God even though the bible clearly teaches that "The fear of the > Lord is the beginning of knowledge" and "the beginning of wisdom." So, they > act on the values or lack of values that the WORLD has taught them. In most > cases, commandments like "Thou shall not kill" are nowhere to be found > anymore for young people like these to refer to. The bottom line is; they're > simply not exposed to anyone or anything that provides moral boundaries and > statutes for them to follow and learn right from wrong, which probably > explains why we see so little grief or remorse on their faces when they turn > schoolyards into killing fields. Life is just meaningless entertainment to > them...an interactive game of mock survival where right and wrong simply > doesn't exist. > > As most of you know a concerted effort was made decades ago to remove the > Ten Commandments from every schoolhouse and courthouse in America? There was > an agenda at work. It wasn't to stop legalism or uphold the separation of > Church and state. That was merely a front. It was to undermine the gospel > and make the grace of God IRRELEVANT so that one day when generation X Y & Z > came along and someone from your church walked up to them and said God loves > you and wants to forgive you, they'd respond by saying "FORGIVE ME...FOR > WHAT? I didn't do anything wrong. I'm no worse than anyone else! You're just > being intolerant! > > You see, the workers of iniquity who planned this culture of death we now > find ourselves in didn't busy themselves trying to rid the world of Jesus > back there in the 60's although they did manage to re-fashion him into > something of a flower child. They concentrated on getting rid of the word > "sin", making it a socially unacceptable word so that eventually our society > as a whole would see no real value in the forgiveness that comes through > Christ. After all, who needs grace when there is no sin? And if there is no > sin, then there must be no Hell. So, if there is no Hell then why should we > fear God? As a result, being the "salt of the Earth" is now viewed as a > threat to the unity and diversity of our culture...a culture that is > drowning in an artificially manufactured self-esteem based on moral > relativism. To be intolerant of another's sin is now considered to be the > greatest sin of all...if not the ONLY sin. But you see, that's just what the > NEW Jesus is all about...tolerance...a tolerance that embraces almost any > behavior and lifestyle...that celebrates a diversity of beliefs for the > purpose of promoting a convoluted unity that brings anyone and everyone > together under a universal god...a god that recognizes EQUALLY, Jesus, > Allah, Buddha, Krishna, Isis, Lucifer and even the god of self...whatever > might stimulate the senses or stir one's emotions in some meaningful way. > Sound good? It does to the carnal man...the man whose passion is peace and > prosperity. This is the NEW Jesus and the new gospel called "tolerance". The > "old" Jesus...the TRUE Son of God, said, "If ye love me keep my > commandments". > > We see the new Jesus everywhere. He's on our television set manifesting > himself through the feelings, imaginations, experiences and emotions of > celebrities, psychologists, talk-show hosts, authors, musicians, spirit > guides and psychic readers. He's in the movies sensualizing the faith of > Christians with a narcissistic philosophy that re-interprets scriptures > like: "I can do all things through Christ" so that it means, "I can do > anything that makes me feel good in Jesus' name". This NEW Jesus teaches > that the end justifies the means...that whatever we say or do that attracts > people to us or our church MUST be God's will...because what's good for the > numbers is good for God. So we end up telling the lost what they WANT to > hear instead of what they NEED to hear and then call THAT "love". > > But, Proverbs 14:12 reminds us: > "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the > ways of death." > > Here's what the Apostle Paul had to say about the NEW Jesus in 2nd > Corinthians 11:2-4: > > "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to > one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I > fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, > so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." > For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or > if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, > which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." > > You see...Paul was telling them that he was concerned that this NEW Jesus, > this NEW spirit, this NEW gospel that some were preaching might actually > carry them away. Why would he be concerned? They knew better. Paul taught > them better. He was concerned because they tolerated it. They held their > peace, listened to the lie, voiced no opposition and took no stand against > it. And it is a proven fact that if you lie about something long enough > people will eventually believe it, no matter how absurd that lie is. And, I > submit to you that many Christians in America today, in our own life and > times, are themselves being carried away by a NEW Jesus preaching tolerance. > > "...If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, > let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:9) > > © Paul Proctor, All Rights Reserved > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---- > > > > Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state and seasoned veteran > of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the late 1990's to > dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a distinctly > biblical perspective. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for Ether > Zone (http://etherzone.com) he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture > through commentary and insight on current events. > > Paul's articles can be found on various news and opinion sites across the > internet. He can be reached by email at watchman@usa.com > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > --- > > Home >