Steadfast Or Intolerant

Steadfast Or Intolerant?

As Christians, we often hear the world talk about intolerance and how that word applies to us as Christians. We have talked about the words tolerance and intolerance before and how the politically correct people in this country have hijacked these words and have used them against people like us, Christians, in particular for quite some time.

The main reason in my mind for the disconnect between the world and Christians like us as it relates to tolerance and intolerance is that the world doesn’t understand why we believe what we believe and why we find it so important to hold onto what we believe so strongly.

The Word of God is very plain when it tells us that we have to own what we believe and live what we believe all of the time. We as Christians believe that every word in the Bible is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

The Bible is not something that we can pick and choose what we believe. When we became Christians, belief in the Word of God was not optional nor were we given the prerogative to read through it and say “I don’t like that passage of Scripture” or give God suggestions about how if He would have asked me about this topic then I think that I could have done that better. That’s not up to us, is it?

If we believe that the Bible is 100% true then we have to hold steadfastly to the truths found in it. This is where there is a huge difference in what we believe versus what the world believes. We are to be steadfast in all that we believe as Christians but the world bases what they believe a lot of times on emotion or flat out falsehoods, shifting morals and ethics.

In 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 Paul wrote this to us: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

There has been a story that has been circulating in one form or another since 1931 and many people have told this story as true but as your Pastor it’s my job to tell yall the truth and the truth of the matter is that the following illustration is completely false! And while this tale is false, the message that it conveys is very relevant to what I’m trying to get across to all of us today. The name of the ship involved has changed many times over the years but in today’s version the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier and its battle group is being used.

The USS Abraham Lincoln was patrolling off the coast of Newfoundland in a gale that was blowing and whipping the waves into frenzy. This great ship, commanded the seas wherever she would sail. Every ship that would approach her would quickly give way for no one would dare to challenge her.

One night the ocean the ocean swells began to rise and fall as full gale winds blew. When suddenly, dead ahead a light broke through the darkness. The alarm was sounded and the captain was called to the bridge. Surely this was just a passing freighter on its way to a safe harbor.

For some time the captain tracked the movement of the light but it seemed to be heading straight for the Lincoln, not moving even 1 degree to the left or right to avoid collision and getting ever closer in the darkness. Perhaps their radar had jammed, or perhaps they just simply had not seen the lights of the Abraham Lincoln dead ahead.

The captain decided that it was prudent to send out a warning call to the approaching ship. “Approaching ship, turn 15 degrees south. You are on a collision course with USS Abraham Lincoln.” The call was answered with this message. “USS Abraham Lincoln, you are ordered to turn 45 degrees north. You are on a collision course.”

The captain of the Lincoln became very angry. The very idea that anyone would challenge his right-of-way on the open seas was appalling to him. He sent out a second message, “Approaching vessel, this is the captain of Navy Vessel, USS Abraham Lincoln. You are ordered to turn 15 degrees south and yield right of way.”

The answer came back, “US Navy vessel USS Abraham Lincoln, this is a lighthouse, your call!

The point I’m trying to get across to all of us is that there is only one steadfast and unmovable reference point for life and that is the Word of God. We must also remember that we are to be steadfast and immovable in our commitment to obeying the Word of God. The Word of God is the rock upon which we can build our beliefs on and know with certainty that it will never ever change.