Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (I Corinthians 5:6-8) ZERO TOLERANCE: RE-EXAMINED One of the things that I am truly enjoying about being connected to people on facebook now, is having regular (almost daily sometimes) interaction and feedback from friends and family members who inspire, encourage and, even occasionally, challenge me in my Christian walk, and in the way that I THINK about my faith. (Even when they dont always realize that theyre doing it!) ;-) Why do we, as Christians, believe some of the things that we believe? Oftentimes, in my case, when Ive thought about something a certain way all my life, I can very easily forget WHY I believe it, and instead just instinctively go on mental auto-pilot. God is constant, and does not change, (Thankfully!) so its not that HE has suddenly changed His mind on a particular topic, or idea. But over the course of our lives, we (hopefully) grow and learn as people, and I firmly believe that when we honestly seek Gods direction and guidance with an open mind, and an open heart, He will speak to us and show us insights on a certain way of looking at something, that maybe we saw differently before. As any of you out there who are connected to me might know, Ive been on a bit of a REFUGE kick as of late, posting old songs and pictures, and what-have-you, from the glory-days of my being in a Christian Rock Band with a bunch of my friends from High-School. (I am NOTHING, after all, if not nostalgic.) ;-) Anyway, one of my FAVORITE original songs of ours, was a song called Zero Tolerance. During one of the brief reminiscences of that song, (that took place over on our REFUGE facebook page) my beloved brother (and famed REFUGE Drummer and Songwriter, Jeremy Conn) and I were discussing the idea of whether or not the actual message of that song may have been just a tad too harsh, or judgmental. (Ive always enjoyed debating things with Jeremy over the years...ANY things, really...because of the fact that he is a genuinely intelligent, thoughtful individual, who doesnt ever seem to arrive at a conclusion on a topic without a great deal of soul-searching, and earnest investigation.) Well, our short conversation got me thinking...a LOT. Now, honestly, Id never really even THOUGHT about the idea of Zero Tolerance being too rigid, or dogmatic before, until my brother broached the subject. Ive gotta tell you though...personally? Ive always absolutely LOVED that song! Why? Well, truthfully, it was mostly due to the fact that, at the time, I got to show-off as a keyboard-player, and feel like a big deal, in a Band where I didnt always feel like I was the strongest-contributing member, musically speaking. For ME, Zero Tolerance just rocked. The lyrics? I dont seem to recall anything about the lyrics ever being especially controversial at the time, or remember anyone in our Church ever being opposed to the song at all. In fact, nobody in Leadership (or anywhere else, to my knowledge) ever seemed to question the scriptural validity of the lyrics, either. Really, I didnt focus that heavily on the lyrics simply because it was safer for me NOT to focus on them. Safer for me to not have to honestly examine my OWN Christian walk (or lack thereof.) Safer for the continuation of any bad-habits or sin-issues that I may have been dealing with. I was also safe from the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit. And safe from the fear of the very REAL possibility that I...Adam Conn, (a life-long Born-Again, Spirit-filled, Blood-bought Christian...someone who had asked Jesus into his heart...to come and save me & cleanse me from my sins)...could go to Hell. What Im about to say to anyone reading this, I say in Love. I have researched the Bible, (in my own, admittedly limited, understanding) sought God fervently in prayer, examined my own heart, and drawn on my OWN recent experiences to come to some of the conclusions that Im about to share. I havent arrived at these conclusions lightly, and am always open to constructive, Biblical criticisms, that might challenge my views. So, here it goes... At many times in my life Ive felt like someone who was traveling in an airplane with (what they THOUGHT was) a parachute strapped to their back, unafraid of what might occur in the event of engine-failure, because they believed that they were safe...only to find out after landing that their so-called parachute was really just a back-pack full of dirty laundry. Oops. (Ignorance IS bliss, after all. Right?) Personally, Ive always kept Gods Grace in my back-pocket, all my life, as my very own get out of jail free card. My own mental insurance-policy that told me that, no matter WHAT I did, or WHO I hurt, or HOW far into sin I would let myself get mired...that at the very LEAST...I would go to Heaven. Let me state for the record, emphatically, and in no uncertain terms...I now believe differently. I realize that opinions vary greatly (and to different degrees) on this subject, but please hear me out. It could be a matter of life and death for you. If you are reading all of this right now, and so far youre cool with most everything that Ive said...then obviously, YOURE not the one(s) that God is concerned about speaking to, through this. If you are TRULY peaceful when you go to bed at night, and are not even a tiny-bit worried in the SLIGHTEST about where you are going to end-up when you die...then youre probably on the right-track in your walk with the Lord. (It feels good, doesnt it?) If, on the other hand, you are getting mad at me in your heart right now, for even SUGGESTING that you consider the idea that you might be in danger of going to hell, (when youve already accepted Jesus as your Savior long ago) then my question to you is simply this...What are you hiding? What area of sin in your life are you presently wrestling with, in private? Im NOT saying any of this out of some overly inflated sense of moral-superiority, or self-righteousness. Im simply saying it because in MY personal life, Ive recently had my plane make a VERY bumpy landing, coasting in on fumes, with one wing almost falling off, only to realize, I wasnt packin the parachute that Id always believed I was. I was deceived. By Satan. By the world. And MOSTLY...by myself. You remember how the Apostle Paul said that he was the chief of sinners? (I Timothy 1:15) Well...that may be...but let me you, Im ashamed to say that Ive certainty given him a run for his money in my lifetime. So, getting back to what started me thinking about all of this. In the song Zero Tolerance, the lyrics basically challenge us to maintain constant vigilance, and to allow NO sin(s) to go on un-checked in our lives. Does that sound harsh? Does that sound too difficult, or even impossible? What about Gods Grace for us as sinners (or BELIEVERS for that matter?!) Alright, so think about this for a minute...(stick with me, here.) Youve said the sinners prayer, (and MEANT it!) and asked Jesus to become your Lord and Savior, and to cleanse you from all your sins, and to reside in your heart...forever and ever, Amen. (Okay, so far, so good. Were off to a great start.) Time passes by, (weeks, months, years...it doesnt really matter) and youre doing INCREDIBLY well in your personal Christian walk! Youre talking to the Lord, (as WELL as hearing from Him!) youre reading your Bible, fellowshipping with other Believers, going to Church, Tithing (cheerfully!!!), being a good witness to others, blah, blah, blah...the whole nine-yards. Everything is copacetic. THEN! You let just one tiny little no big deal type of sin into your life. (Entertaining an impure thought, telling a lie, knowingly holding an offense against someone, kicking a dog...whatever.) What youve done is, (regardless of the size of it)..mit a S•I•N. Are you then, at that moment, going to hell if you should suddenly and unexpectedly die? No. Absolutely not. THAT is where Gods magnificent, loving, merciful Grace comes in! HOWEVER, what youve done, is cause a small rift or separation in your previously close relationship with God. Youve smudged yourself with sin. Admit it. When youve got a sin weighing on your conscience, you dont pray the same way, (if at all!) or worship, or fellowship with the same openness, zeal or intensity. Why? Because even if other people arent immediately aware of what youve done...YOU are aware of it. And God is aware of it too. He still loves you, and wants to have relationship with you, BUT, if its not taken care of, that sin WILL begin to drive a wedge between the two of you. God HATES sin, but LOVES the sinner, (US!) But I already asked God to cleanse me of my sins when I was Born-Again!, you might say. Yes, that is true. Im not saying that you have to perpetually ask Jesus into your heart, over and over again, HOWEVER, you MUST constantly REPENT of recent (NEW!) sins as you go. That doesnt just mean saying Im sorry, but it ALSO means acknowledging that it was wrong, being truthful with yourself about WHY you stumbled in this particular area, and then TURNING away from it! Not easy things to do...which is generally why its easier for us to just go on, ignore them, and try to forget about them, and overcome them on our own strength. That is truly what Zero Tolerance of sin in our lives means. Its not to say that were being naive, and sticking our heads in the sand, and admonishing you to, dont EVER sin! Were imperfect human-brings. Its IMPOSSIBLE for us to even go a DAY without sinning! THAT is why we need Jesus. He is the only one that take away our sin, and we CANT be close to God while we are tainted by sin. Period. You might be thinking, This is over-kill. I was forgiven of my sins ONCE when I was Born-Again. Im going to do my best, try to be the best Christian that I can be...and if I have a few short-comings in my life along the way? Hey! Gods Grace has got me covered! No biggie! Nobodys PERFECT, right? With that attitude, your playing with fire. Believe me. I know. Imagine that you go out to eat at a fancy restaurant. You sit down and begin to look at the menu. After the server pours you a glass of water, you notice that it has got finger-prints and lipstick smears all over it. Is this a mistake?, you ask. Did you bring me a dirty glass accidentally? No., the server replies. Theres no mistake. Its not dirty. We washed it just last week. If we have sinned SINCE becoming a Christian and asking Jesus into our hearts, dont assume that youre automatically white-washed just because He lives in you! Another danger is thinking that if you are given Grace for any small sins, they wont amount to anything substantial if they go un-repented of, or un-checked. That is profoundly W•R•O•N•G thinking. Would you use a brand-new toothbrush, after accidentally dropping it (even for a SECOND!) on the bathroom floor? No? Why not? It was clean just a minute ago? It doesnt LOOK any different, does it? No. You wouldnt use it because its TAINTED! And YOU know it, even if nobody else does! Sin is the exact, same way. It MUST be cleaned up as soon as possible. Dont wallow in Grace or abuse the privilege of it. Any sin left unchecked WILL fester, and grow, and will eventually have the potential to lead to a hardening of your heart, and searing of your conscience, that could slowly take you away from caring at all about God. That IS what happened to me. I am speaking from experience. I got lucky. Through Gods TRUE Grace, (and because of the prayers of many faithful people praying for me) I, like the prodigal son, have found my way back to Him before it was too late. The realization of how very blinded I was still makes me shudder when I think about it. If this speaks at ALL to you...PLEASE...dont wait. Make your life right with God right now. He adores you, and wants true closeness with you. So, are the lyrics to Zero Tolerance too harsh? No. Not from where Ive been over the last several years. They are dead-on. ----------- ZERO TOLERANCE -------- I know its hard, makin it every day, Struggles and pain, how can I get away? Ive tried and tried, to make it on my own. Now theres a choice, that we all have to make, And Im not sure, just what its gonna take, One thing I know, for sure, is I hate my present state. Zero Tolerance. Theres no in-between. Zero Tolerance. Youve gotta keep your heart clean. Zero Tolerance. Its either God, or man. Zero Tolerance. Cause sin is not in His plan. Every day, temptation chases me. And I know, that I might have to flee. Theres nowhere to run, and I feel, oh so alone. Ive got to stop, and think of a better way. No, I cant wait. I have to choose, today. I have to change my life, so I can live it right, and say...
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 05:34:30 +0000
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