THE TOLERANCE OF GOD

The study of God, which we call theology is the very backbone of the study of the scriptures. And the arrowhead of this study is to make us effective believers...both iin our conduct in this world, and our service to God. To put it simply, we study scriptures to know the truth about God, so that we can learn to behave like God in this world. This certainly drives home a salient point: spiritual growth will definitely influence human behavior!

That said.

A major fact of God's character revealed as we study through what we call the old and new testament books is the tolerance of God. It appears to me that God intentionally makes a very bold statement about himself in this regard. Dictionary-wise, tolerance is defined as the ability or willingness to tolerate existence or opinions or behaviors that one dislikes or disagrees with. 

The way God always "came down" to the level of the people He related with in the scriptures, working with them at their level of understanding, gives us much to ponder on. You will often see God working with things that He doesn't outrightly approve of, just because at that point in time, it was all that was available. The law of Moses, given to the Israelites, is a chief example in this regard. Amongst other things, God permitted all the ordinances and services of the earthly temple, even though He knows man would be His temple. Although God has always known that the sacrifices of bulls and goats would never take away sin, yet these ordinances were permitted in the law, because given the present circumstance, it was needful.

Come into the books of Acts.

When Jesus waylaid Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus, recall what how He introduced Himself? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. He identifies himself with the church that Saul was persecuting. Now, that doesn't seem like a big deal, after all Jesus is the head of the body. Right? But pause and think...this church that Jesus is boldly identifying with was a racist church, that's if we want to call a spade, a spade. This was a church who wouldn't eat from the same plate with the gentiles. When they dispersed abroad in Acts 8, they wouldn't even preach to the gentiles. It was that bad! Jesus BOLDLY IDENTIFIED with that church. Now, did Jesus approve of their disposition towards the gentiles? NO! Jesus is for the whole world! But did that make Jesus turn His back on them? Never! He tolerated them till they began to get it right in their understanding.

Let's bring it a little bit closer to home.

If you have watched videos of meetings that held during the "healing revival" of the '80's, you would bear witness that many things looked odd therein. Oral Roberts was often specially announced before he came to minister in his own meeting, just like a wrestler is announced before coming into the ring. Just imagine that in your own church service, you have an announcer who first takes the microphone and says...ladies and gentlemen, now, we are going to receive the ministry of our great man of God, the man of the hour, whom God has used to do mighty and terrible things, etc. Now, for me, that's not something that sits well. But hey, the miracles that happen in those meetings? Dear Lord! I bet satan himself would almost want to lift up his hands and shout gloooooory. God, yet works in their midst, doing mighty signs and wonders. You'd have thought He ought to have just checked out of the meeting very early. 

I've seen Kathryn Khulman's meetings. Her teachings were often interrupted with rounds of applause. You'd see the congregation clapping their hands intermittently in response to that teachings. When people shared testimonies, people were always clapping. Now, if I was there, I'd say, lift your hands in praise, don't clap it. We aren't clapping for God, neither are we to clap for men. We ought to lift our hands. I believe this to be true. In The Edification House, where I pastor, that's what we do. We lift our hands in praise to God. But Sister Khulman didn't do that in her meetings. But oh boy, could you feel the tangible effect of the glory of God in her meetings? Oh. Yes! God didn't run away because they were clapping. He did His work. Now, if you ask me today. Should we clap or lift our hands, I'd not hesitate to tell you, it's the latter. I firmly believe so. Yet, God tolerated all that and still worked in their midst.

Arguably, all of the Frontline healing evangelists of the healing revival believed that when Isaiah said..."by his stripes, we are healed", he was talking about bodily healing. That text was the bedrock and the arrowhead of their healing ministry. Now, proper study will show you they got it wrong. Isaiah wasn't talking about bodily healing, he was speaking of Christ's redemptive work and the healing here is concerning our spiritual infirmities. Bodily healing simply shows forth God's will to heal us of sickness and death. BUT, were thousands of people healed holding on to that text? My brother, it's a YES!

Now, let's bring this a little more closer to home.

I once told our folks in church. There are churches today where they do anointing services, holy communion services, and feet washing services. Doctrinally, all are wrong! Jesus didn't wash the feet of His disciples to heal them of sickness, neither did He eat the passover (what we now call the holy communion) with them to cure then of diseases. He didn't have a special anointing oil to protect them from evil, neither did he tell anyone to tie handkerchiefs on the mirror of their car. But here's the catch: In these places where all these are done today, God doesn't withdraw His power because their knowledge is wrong. I personally heard of a woman who had been pregnant for almost two years who attended a feet-washing service. Just as her feet were dipped in water, labour commenced. She had to be rushed to the clinic and she delivered right there. Now, that couldn't have been satan. Right? It was God's power! But what communion does feet in a bowl of water have with what just happened? Nothing, actually. She could have put her legs in a plate of beans and the same thing would have happened. It is true that substances can be used to communicate God's power, but making a ritual out of it betrays proper apostolic doctrine and practice. But, did God tolerate all that doctrinal ignorance to get that woman delivered? YES, HE DID. 

There are many songs that we have rewritten today because they don't properly present the truth of scriptures, and we have done that rightly. However, these same songs were sung in meetings where the power of God moved greatly.

Come down, oh Lord, and manifest your power..

Let the power of the Lord come down...

Baba f'agbara re han

Etc.

If you are doctrinally in order, you will know that the songs need a lirru bit of tweaking here and there, but that notwithstanding, people sand that the power of the Lord should come down, and men and brethren, the power of the Lord "came down".

So, Brother Popo, where exactly are you going with all these?

Now, if you think that I'm writing this to advocate that knowledge doesn't matter as far as God's power is moving, then you are on a very looonng thing. 

If knowledge is not important, why do we have God's word written?

If knowledge is not important, why do we have the ministry of teachers in the body?

God wants us all to get it right, doctrinally. He wants us to know his truth properly. He wants our practices to reveal His truth. 

If God wasn't concerned about knowledge, the writer of Hebrews wouldn't tell us that the sacrifice of animals can't take away sin. Paul wouldn't later point to us as God's temple (in fact, all these facts were taught also in the old testament texts).

So while God was using men to reveal His truth more accurately and clearly, God tolerated those who didn't see it as clearly yet, and did what He could for and with them.

This, my dear brothers and sisters, is the tolerance of our God on open display.

God's tolerance is NOT compromise. God didn't bury His truth because there were those who didn't see it clearly.

God's tolerance is NOT silence. God didn't stop confronting men with His truth despite their ignorance.

God's tolerance is His love. 

He identifies with the unlearned, and continues to confront the unlearned with His truth till He gets it right.

And this tolerance is an example that we must follow.

I've often told our folks in church: if you go to a church (maybe your parent's), you have to be full of tolerance. Don't wear trousers to a church where they see it as a sin. Cover your hair if that's what they do. Remove your earrings if that's what they do. Do it gladly. If they are eating communion, drink two cups if it is allowed. Will you lose your salvation if you do it? Certainly NOT. 

If the pastor is preaching, take your note and pen and write. Don't go on WhatsApp and start chatting. It's tolerance in display. You already know the truth, they don't. You didn't know the truth from the womb too. Tomorrow, they may also know what you know today. 

Be full of tolerance!

Just look at our Dad.

At the end of the day, it is the same heaven you and that K&S lady is "going" to. When you have the opportunity, make them see the truth of God's word.

Be bold with the truth that you now know. Truth shouldn't be timid and apologetic. It must be bold. But being bold and being arrogant is not the same. God's Spirit fills our heart with compassion for the unlearned. That's the character of our Father. 

We all, Brother Popo inclusive,

must learn to continually behold the tolerance of our God and allow that supernatural behavior be expressed through us. 

In your interactions on social media, put this to work.

It's not everyone you'll be blocking because they have dissenting views even if they pass it across arrogantly. Quench their fire with love. Tolerate them. One day, love will win over their hearts, and it will open their hearts to see, and then the Spirit of God will have His way, and flood their minds with light.

Our Father is tolerant

and so should we.

Amen and Amen.

—Pastor Popoola Oluwatobi