Is Jesus Intolerant?

I heard it put recently that if you take all the world religions and put them in one box and then put Christianity in a separate box, we'll see the one major difference between them. In your mind, put Hinduism, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, and any other religion into one box and then Christianity into the other one. Got your boxes filled? Okay, let's go:

Box #1: This box contains all religions except Christianity. They all say you have to do good to go to Heaven (or Paradise or to get your own world). Like what? Well, like do nice things for people, have a good attitude, read religious material, knock on doors to tell people about your religion, etc. These are pretty good things to do, actually. I mean, if you really believe there's going to be judgment after death, what more loving thing can you do than knock on someone's door to tell them how to get out of that deal? But if earning brownie points for doing good deeds (or the other side of the coin: not doing bad deeds) is the way to go, how can we know how many brownie points we need to earn in order to be right with God?

Mormons at my door say I have to have faith and also do the best I can and then when I die, I will go to one of the three heavens and become a god (well, only the men get to be gods; women get to be their servants for eternity).

Jehovah's Witnesses have knocked on my door and basically the result is that if I read the Watchtower's material, obey Jehovah, don't have a blood transfusion, don't talk to apostates (and much, much more!), I may get to be on the new earth, but if I'm not one of their 144,000, then I won't be with God.

With Islam, the Muslims have told me that if I do more good than bad, then I will enter Paradise, but it's up to Allah in the end anyway. So I can work all my life to try to please him, but I may end up in Hell anyway. And, if I were a male Muslim who did get to go to Paradise, then I could inherit 72 virgins! But again, I'm not a man, so I don't get the benefits of this.

There's quite a pattern in Box #1. All include a list of do's and dont's and none has to do with forgiveness. Okay, let's look into Box #2.

Box #2: In this box contains one thing: Christianity. It says we have all been bad and no matter how much good we do, we can't please a holy, perfect God. Not even if I do more good than bad? No. In fact, Jesus Christ even goes so far as to say, "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) Whoa! Let me do a mental checklist:

Have I always obeyed my parents? No. Ask my mom!
Have I always cared for people? Nope.
Have I always put God first in my life? No.
Have I kept my mouth from evil (gossipping, cuss words, etc.)? No.
Have I had pure thoughts all my life? Yeah right!
Have I always been sexually pure? No.

Alright, we've proven I'm not perfect, so according to Jesus, I'm not fit for Heaven. Yeah, so if the word "gospel" means "good news," I'm not smiling! Should I just toss the Bible then and go back to Box #1 since I've already blown it? No, I need to look at the claims of Jesus Christ first and his offer for imperfect people like me.

He goes onto say, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) A little intolerant sounding! And so it is. Jesus will tolerate no man made religion that says we need to better ourselves to be with God when we die. He says he is the only way to get to God. He says no one is good and that we need forgiveness. Ah! That's the missing key that is not in Box #1. In that box, good works is the way; in this box, Jesus Christ is the way. Good works vs. forgiveness. Can you imagine telling your kid who spills milk on the carpet, "son, you must pay for that by doing something good for me!" No! You offer forgiveness, not tell him to work it off in order to be right with you.

Talk to anyone in those other religions and you'll find you have to work your way up to God by doing a list of things that hopefully will please him. But what about forgiveness? No. It's not available in those religions. Only Jesus Christ can offer forgiveness of sin. That's what happened on the cross. Paul wrote a letter in the first century and said, "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) In other words, Jesus Christ who never sinned (knew no sin) took on sin on the cross where he was punished in place of sinners in order that we might be reconciled to God. Spilled milk can be forgiven if we agree with God that we have done wrong and turn to him for forgiveness. For "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:9-10) Jesus says to repent and believe the gospel, not repent, believe the gospel and do a laundry list of things to be reconciled to God. Quite a difference in the two boxes.

There is a third box. It's called Atheism. In other words, the person who is an atheist knows there is no God. Quite a claim to know there is no God, actually! It's still religion in that they have a set of beliefs and since atheists have minds and use their minds to form beliefs, they are in fact, religious, just not the "submit to my Creator" kind of religious. There's a great video of one of the leading atheists in the world who does what he can to rid the planet of the myth of God; he was interviewed about his beliefs in this 6-minute clip where he talks about a designer. Click here to see it.

Christianity is a relationship with the Creator. It's not a list of do's and dont's, but the story of a holy God looking down on his rebellious creation and instead of turning away from them, he stretched out his arms on a cross and said, "I love you" with his blood. Trust him for forgiveness or go on thinking you're good enough without him. There are no other options.

You can read more about the religions of Box #1 here.
And more about Christianity here.

- Tamara Slack

The Big Question

Video says it all. By the way, I was one of those religious people who went to church for years too! No one told me I was a hypocrite...

Forgiveness

NOTE: If you are a woman reading this and have ever done something you think might have been "immoral" or had something done to you that you didn't want done to you (keeping this as kid-friendly as possible), please do continue to read and then watch the video about the Rose. I care about you and hope you get much from it.

Friends, family or whoever is reading this, please watch this video I posted below if you get a moment. STOP! The answer to your question is "No, you can't skip all I wrote and skim down to the video." You have to read this first. I have a tracking system on this blog that tells me who has skipped down to the bottom first after you clicked on the blog from your email. Okay, I lied. But it was only a WHITE LIE! Oh yeah, there are no colors of lies. I suppose if I lie, I am a liar and need forgiveness. Will you forgive me? Okay, so the video made me stop and think for a long, long moment and prompted me to type this blog entry. Put on your "oh this is about Jesus again" filter on first. You don't think I'm going to write a whole blog entry without mentioning the one I love most in my life, do you? And please, if you end up reading this whole blog entry and watching that video, post something on my blog here or email me or SOMETHING! I hate silence. All complaints can go directly into my email box. If I get nothing, I'll just assume you didn't read this. (Either that or my tracking system will kick in...)

So moving on, why is it that it seems Christians judge so much? Could it be because of what this guy in the Rose video says he heard from a pastor years ago? The final part of the clip at the bottom is THE POINT of Christianity. Don't miss it, please. Maybe this is why when I talk to people who want nothing to do with their Creator and Lord of glory who died on the cross, they think I'm talking about: "clean yourself up first." That's a false gospel, my friend. How do you think you can clean yourself up for your Creator? What could you possibly do to look good in a perfectly holy God's eyes? Really, answer the question in your head. What could you do if you stood before Him if your heart gave out right now? What would you say?

"Oh, I gave money to the poor!" And He would say, "So?"

"I stopped this or that sin recenlty!" And He would say, "that's nice, but that's not what is required to go to Heaven."

"I went to church last week!" And He would say, "And the demons go to church too. Anyone can attend church, but a building doesn't get you to Heaven."

"I stopped yelling at my kid!" And He would say, "That is good! But when a rapist stops raping a woman and tell the judge so, is he less guilty after he stopped? No."

Come on, answer it. What will you say when He asks you why He should let you into Heaven? Your answer goes here: ___________________ .

(Hint: if the sentence starts with "I" then you probably won't get in.)

No, no, no, no, no! It's not about: "clean yourself up first." It's about: "we are all unclean, messed up sinners and need God's mercy, every one of us." If people would just understand that Christianity is not "religion," but a relationship with the Savior. That Christianity is not about being a "moral" and "good" person. That it's not about doing good or doing better than you were before or even better than your neighbor, co-worker of family member, but about being FORGIVEN. Here's what the Bible says in a nutshell:

• God is holy and just (in other words, He is without sin and keeps His word).
• God created all things.
• You are one of the things He created and loves.
• God has moral laws (i.e. you shall not steal, you shall not lie, you shall not look with lust, etc.).
• You broke those laws and that's called sin.
• God hates sin and will not tolerate it (and you thought I was being intolerant as a Christian? God detests sin and will refuse anyone who has sinned without forgiveness. Hey, not my message!).
• Because God is holy and just, it would be against His character to allow you to be with Him in Heaven. (for instance, if you stole something last week from a store and this week you went before a judge, that judge would be unjust and corrupt if he just let you go for no reason. Imagine if someone came in and raped your mom tonight. Would you want a judge to just let the guy go? NO! You want justice. God is thorough in His justice).
  
• Nothing unclean and tainted with sin can be in His presence because He is holy. That means you and I can't go to Heaven as we are.
  
• Because God is also love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law completely to suffer what you should suffer, that is, the full wrath of God on the cross.
• You did the crime, Jesus paid the fine (and to think how many times we have taken Jesus' name in vain and not given Him the honor due Him!).
  
• Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death (in other words, the resurrection... why Easter is celebrated).
• Jesus requires you to repent (turn to Him with a change of mind about your ways) and trust in His good works, not yours. Period.

That is how a person gets to Heaven, by Christ's good works, not yours. You need to ask His forgiveness. He extends grace to the humble and contrite. Is that you?

Stay with me... the video clip is coming up. If you got this far without hating Jesus or rolling your eyes at me as you read or wanting me to take you off my email list, I'm already in shock and quite pleased! Keep reading...

The gospel is not:

• Come to Jesus and He will give you a nice life, nor
• Repent of your sin and live a sinless life, nor
• Clean up your life first and then come to Him, nor
• Do everything you can to be like Jesus, nor
• Come to Christ and then you can sin however you like.

Simply put, the gospel is GOOD NEWS, that Jesus Christ was punished in the place of sinners. If you're not a sinner, you're good to go and you don't need His forgiveness, just pass "GO," collect your $200 and enter Heaven on your own good works, but refer to Revelation 21:8 before deciding that's the way to go.

If you are a sinner, then you need a Savior. Which is it? Have you lied? Stolen? Looked with lust? Hated anyone, ever? Said a cuss word? Had sex outside of marriage? Used God's name in vain? Disobeyed your parents at any time? Gossiped about anyone, ever? Or done anything else that has offended God? If so, then you are just like the rest of us and qualify for grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Christ did not die so the self-righteous would inherit eternal life. The self-righteous need to repent of their pride. He died so that those who would confess that they need His righteousness, would inherit eternal life.

The BAD NEWS is that sinners should be punished (that's called Hell in God's court... hey, I didn't make up the idea of Hell; I don't even LIKE the idea of it. I'm just telling you what the Bible says), but the GOOD NEWS is no matter how much of a broken, beat up sinner you are, no matter how much bad or wrong you have done in comparison to the people you know, He will give eternal life to those who turn from their sin (repent) to Jesus Christ and believe the gospel. Now, with that said, please watch this four minute clip:



If you think you are going to Heaven, but aren't sure, instead of looking to me as someone who is judging you, just examine yourself. I'm not your judge. You have one Judge, that is your Creator. I'm just a sinner who has been forgiven and want you to know that forgiveness and freedom too. One who is just like you, who needs a Savior. You know better than me if you have kept the most important commandment. Jesus said, " you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30) Here are a few things to read in case you aren't absolutely sure when you die that you will have forgiveness of your sins. Just click on one blue link below or read them all:

How to Become a Christian

What if I'm Pretending?
My Life After Death
Need God

Answers for Seekers

Is Christianity the One True Religion?

Was Jesus Really God?

Blessings,
Tamara Slack

Eviction From Public Library No Bookmarks Allowed

Eviction Notice from Columbus Metropolitan Library
- Tamara Slack

Yep! I got my own personal Eviction Notice from my public library. (I think my taxes still go toward it, right?) Anyway, I want to be sure my motive is right in writing this blog entry and that I honor the Lord. A lot of emotions rose up in me the past few weeks, but I've come to the end of it and realize that I would like to go ahead and post this for informational purposes. Maybe it's just a bunch of blah, blah to you, but you may want to check with your local library too to be sure if you leave a bookmark in your book, you won't get an Eviction Notice too.

A lot has happened since I received the first letter warning me that I was in violation of our local library here in Columbus, Ohio. That was December 12, 2007. A written letter was delivered to me that said,

"This is in violation of the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Code of Conduct: "Distributing / posting unautorized materials (materials must be submitted for review and approval before posting and distributing."

I agree, I did wrong. I should not have put material talking about Jesus Christ and how to get to Heaven in books at the library. Okay, so I stopped doing that because:
1. I wanted to please the Lord,
2. I wanted to obey the laws of the land.

However, a new letter that came certified mail about a week ago (dated 2/3/09) stated that now I am evicted from our local library (Columbus Metropolitan Library) and that if I re-enter the property, it is considered "an act of Criminal Trespassing" and that charges may be brought against me. Wow, huh? I always thought it took a lot to get punished by your public library.

As I stated, I did not go into the library and put gospel tracts about Jesus Christ in their books since I received the warning in December, so why am I now being considered disruptive and need to be removed from their property?

Simple, silly! I left my bookmarks in the books which are gospel tracts. That's apparently a no-no, don't 'ya know? Now to be fair, it could be that they are angry about my blank paper bookmarks.

As I read the Eviction Notice (which is stated in its' entirety below except for my card number, address, etc.), I figured they are talking about the bookmarks I use that went through the returns. My friends and I do street ministry and I have thousands of gospel tracts here at the house. We use them when we go out witnessing for Christ or just pass along to a stranger on the street, a grocery clerk, etc. I also use them as bookmarks in any books I read (whether the book came from the library or not, that's what I use for bookmarks). My husband does too, so I'm not the only Jesus Freak in this house!

The Eviction Notice says they are evicting me because of "Prior Warning." What? I haven't committed the "crime" of "Distributing / posting unauthorized materials" since their initial letter. Now sometimes I will use a blank piece of paper in my book for a bookmark or even a receipt if it's laying around. I'm not terribly particular about bookmarks; whatever works! So, I don't know, do you think they might be upset that my blank pieces of paper or receipts were left in the books when I returned them? (Don't worry, it's a rhetorical question.)

I do notice some bookmarks coming through to me that are in public library books. Question: have you ever noticed that you get a bookmark sometimes when you picked up a library book? Some things just get passed on like as if the person who had the book prior to you getting it was using a bookmark, right? I wonder if the people who leave their bookmarks in their return books (besides me, that is) are warned against such acts "that disrupt intended use of the library?" That's what my Eviction Notice says I did, "disruption." And I wonder if we should be calling our libraries when we get an unwanted bookmark? No, I don't think so. They wouldn't want to be bombarded with stupid, intolerant calls like that.

The question now is intent. Speaking of intent, I am laughing on the inside remembering one time when an Easton Mall officer told me that I could not come to the mall with the intent of talking with anyone; that I am to come to the mall to purchase things from stores. He said that I would be removed if I have the intent of conversing with people in my head as I came to the mall. Okay, you figure that one out! I told him there is no law that says if I go to the mall with the intent of having a conversation about Jesus Christ that I could be removed. He totally agreed, but went on and on about intent (kind of making it up as he went along). It just so happens I was talking to an pastor's kid who was an atheist at the time (I had no idea he was a pastor's kid) and the pastor / father walked up and told me to continue talking to his son about the gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of what the officer said. Hmmm! Obey God, man? Hard call, but I went for it and showed the young man that our default destination is Hell because we have all broken God's Commandments and need a Savior. Interesting, 'eh? I think the pastor had eternity on his mind and his son's soul. What did the officer have in mind? Oh yeah, that's right, he wanted to banish Jesus Christ from the mall, making up his own laws about "intent." Remember that if you let your teenager go to the mall... they better not have intentions of meeting up with another teenager and "hanging out." They should be shopping only! (end of sarcasm here)

Anyway, back to my intent about the bookmarks. Yes, I surely did not remove my bookmarks when I returned my books. I didn't see that as disobeying their rules because I was not going inside the library and "placing business card size materials related to the Providence Baptist Church" in their books. That's what the initial warning said.

I'm a Christian (soon you'll find out I don't want to be called that any longer - totally different blog post) and I want people to know their Creator. I don't want them to stand before a holy God one day and have to give an account and be cast into Hell. If you are a Christian, you understand. If you are not, go to the link I'm providing called "My Life After Death" and get that figured out soon about the state of your soul. I care about you no matter how much you don't like me or Jesus Christ. You don't know when you will die, so visit: MY LIFE AFTER DEATH

I want you to be knowledgeable if you happen to leave bookmarks in your library books on return that you too may receive an Eviction Notice and threat of going to jail if you enter your library. I don't know if this is just because my public library:

1. Doesn't like bookmarks,
2. Doesn't like bookmarks that have to do with Jesus Christ, or
3. Doesn't like me (okay, I just threw that one in! ;)

They do have anti-Christian meetings there, so #2 is a possibility. If #1 is true, I hope they crack down on those good-for-nothing-bookmark-leaving people! I'll tell you, there's nothing more intolerant than leaving a blank peice of paper in your book when you bring it back! Or one that mentions Jesus' Name...

I think of Mark Cahill at this point. You can visit his website for a wonderful book called, "One Heartbeat Away." He goes through stores and puts gospel tracts all throughout including inside the boxes of beer cans and says that if Cracker Jacks can leave a surprise for people, why can't he? I wonder if Mark Cahill has been evicted from his library yet.

So, you might want to check with your local public library to see if you would be warned if leaving a bookmark in your books. I don't care about your intent. I know they are trying to pass hate crime laws where if a Chrsitian tells a homosexual what the Bible says and helps them see they are sinners like the rest of us that we'll be thrown in jail, but I don't think bookmarks are in that arena... yet.

I haven't called the Whetstone Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library to see why I'm now considered "disruptive," but I don't see any use, really. If they did let me back onto the property to read their books, I would have to be extra careful making sure to walk on eggshells and not leave any type of paper in my returns. I don't think I need that kind of stress in my life.

This is how the EVICTION NOTICE reads (note: if you see words in all caps, that's how my Eviction Notice reads):

Columbus Metropolitan Library Security Division
96 S. Grant St.
Columbus, OH 43215
614-849-1270

YOU ARE HEREBY EVICTED FROM ALL PROPERTIES OF THE COLUMBUS METROPOLITAN LIBRARY FOR THE FOLLOWING CODE OF CONDUCT VIOLATION:

Engaging in act that disrupts intended use of the library.

Date: Until you contact Branch Manager or you contact the Assistant Manager or Manager of Security for further information.

Failure to abide by this eviction and re-entering our property while the stated eviction period is in effect will be considered an act of Criminial Tresppassing. Legal charges may be filed against you. Please comply with the terms of your eviction.

Eviction occrred at:
Date: 2-1-09
Time: 3:30pm
Branch: Whetstone
Specific Location (optional): Returns

Customer Information:
My name, card number, etc. is here.

Remarks: Prior Warning

Customers may appeal an eviction by contacting the Assistant Manager or Manger of Security at the above listed telephone number within 24 hours of receiving their eviction notices.

How not to grow a church

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Should we do biblical evangelism or any way we are comfortable doing it?

Before answering, remember:

• Jesus wasn't all that comfortable on the cross.
• Paul probably wasn't having his "best life now" when being beaten and jailed.
• Stephen probably didn't like being stoned to death.
• Jan Hus would have preferred not being burned at the stake.
  
• John Bunyan wouldn't shut up and stop preaching which led to much prison time.
  
• Corrie ten Boom may have been more comfortable with life outside a Nazi camp.

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." - Jesus Christ (John 15:18,19)

"Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets." - Jesus Christ (Luke 6:26)

Woe means: deep distress, misery, despair. The opposite would be "happy."

It costs something to follow Jesus Christ. We should not expect to be comfortable, especially doing biblical evangelism. If the world is for you, be afraid. See also Jeremiah 5:31, Matthew 7:15, John 7:7, 1 John 3:13, 1 John 4:5.

I think the following two videos say it all. Please take a few moments to watch them. In total, it will take 14 minutes out of your life:

John MacArthur on church growth and how to build a church with tares (try to listen to his words instead of the music):



Pastor Steve's nightmare:

- Tamara Slack

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Atheist Penn of Penn & Teller tells Christians what to do

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According to Wikipedia, Penn often writes down, "there is no God" with his signature." Should we avoid him then? Here's one quote from the video below:

"And I've always said that I don't respect people who don't proselytize. I don't respect that at all. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever and you think it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward; how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them about it?" - Penn Jillette

Watch what he says in this five minute clip then read below:

Christians, if we really believe

• that God is holy and a just Judge and will punish people in hell for eternity if they die in their sins,
• that He has commanded us to go to those who do not know Christ,
• that salvation and eternal life is a gift from God

...then why don't we go? Even a well-known atheist says he doesn't have respect for us if we don't tell people about the way to heaven. If you think you'll be seeing a human being this week, how about giving them a gospel tract? Not because Penn told us to do so, but because God has told us to do so:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19,20

"And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." -Mark 16:15

"And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.'" - Luke 14:23

- Tamara Slack

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HOPE

HOPE

The world is changing and crisis plagues the nations; hunger, homelessness,
political uprisings, economic uncertainty, wars… and the ever present threat of terrorism. Where can we find hope in these uncertain times?

Daily news reports focus our attention on global events which indicate a world in turmoil. But as distressing as all these events are, there is a crisis that is even more urgent: the fact that death awaits us all. When we die and leave the earth, we must all stand before God.

It is appointed for men to die once and then the judgment. Why judgment? God is holy and just. But man is sinful and morally bankrupt. So our sin makes us guilty before God. Have you disregarded God and worshiped other things such as people, things, and pleasure? Have you dishonored parents, hated others (this is murder in the heart), looked with lust or engaged in immoral sex (both which are adultery) or lied? How about stealing, envy, greed, blaspheming God’s name, selfishness, unthankfufness, self righteousness or pride? This willful sin is the breaking of God’s Law. It will hopelessly condemn men on Judgment Day. Where will your hope be then?

But in His loving kindness, God Himself provides the true hope for us through the death and resurrection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike ordinary men, Jesus Christ is God. His death on the cross was the judgment and wrath of God that we deserve. He paid our debt in His blood. Justice for sin has been satisfied through Him. He rose from the dead, defeating death! The whole world stands hopeless and condemned in sin. But Jesus said, “He who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life.” Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Repent of your sin and trust in Him. He is our only hope.

Some websites that might be helpful to you:

My Life After Death

Pretend Christians

Answers for Atheists and Skeptics

If you are a Christian and would like to order gospel tracts with the HOPE message, go to Custom Tract Source.

You may email me at NoneAreGood@gmail.com if you have questions.

Message of HOPE is from Loretta Heiden. You may visit her blog, Grace and Truth for more wonderful truths from God's Word.

- Tamara Slack