Offenses

Luke 17:1-4 - Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Oh, offenses. There are so many things that offend today. Some are just trivial but some truly do bring offense. It saddens me that evil is considered good and good evil and that evil abounds in greater measure every time we watch the news.

During discussion on offending it was brought up that even if we speak in love if the receiver doesn't want to believe it, it will be an offense...no matter how loving our words might be. It was pointed out that even another believer might be offended if they do not want to believe what they have said or done is wrong (whether it be a great wrong or a small one.) Later it was firmly said that one who does not repent is not of God. All these are hard words! I can learn from them myself. 

But above, Jesus says it best, and if we are a follower of Christ, we have to believe His words. Even if they offend someone else. Offenses will be part of our lives if we truly call ourselves Christians. And we have to just turn the other cheek...and keep on preaching, sista or brother!! 

Listen to this man's words from a long article I read. They are not only for believers but those who believe they are but might be on the fence and those who just are not and might even think they are. This is why I blog. I cannot back down because someone is going to be offended. I can't worry what someone else thinks. Even if those who say they read the blogs quit, someone somewhere might read it. We don't know how God works behind the scenes. As we will see, Jesus never quit! Neither are we to.

There are many accounts in Scripture where Jesus delivers a controversial message that is hard for people to accept, and many of his followers abandon Him altogether because of it. You’ll notice that Jesus never backtracks and apologizes. He never chases them down as they walk away and explains that He didn’t really mean all that stuff and really they were just taking it out of context.

In John 6, after Christ proclaims Himself the bread of life, many of his disciples are upset and threaten to leave. He does not beg them to turn around. He just continues right along speaking the Truth. He does not change His Word to cater to those who choose not to accept it. They are alienated by their sin, not by Him. - Matt Walsh, from an article titled, No, Christianity Should Not ‘Welcome’ or ‘Include’ Your Sinful Lifestyle

Jesus had been talking to the Jews, His own people. But they struggled with the idea that He called Himself the bread of life. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (John 6:33) The people He was addressing now asked for this bread. His response was: I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Whoa, what a difficult word. How could He be bread that brings life? They wanted something they could hold in their hands and ingest. He was offering Himself. And what about today? People like knowing who God/Jesus is but they are keeping Him at a distance because this personal, intimate relationship, really knowing God, thing, is too hard to understand, or desired to be done. Eat this bread from heaven?? Take Him into my heart?? Take in His words of life?? Digest them?? Whaaaat? It's symbolic, yet it's real. It happens by faith! It happens when one just believes. But it takes one to choose to do this.

Oh how wonderful the results are when we just do it, when we quit kicking against the goads, let our pride or insecurity go, and submit to God. Only good comes from that. Then He can bring blessings beyond our imagination...not material things but spiritual. Assurance for all our fears, doubts. Minds focused on Him and not the world. Letting go to receive more! Hallelujah!!

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. (Psalm 119:103)

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalms 34:8)

So, I guess I took off on a rabbit trail. The trail we should follow is Him, the Way. He leads to life. He has a lot to say about today's lifestyles, some of which He is offended by. Yet when the truth is spoken, it is an offense to others who do not want to change, who do not want to know the truth, who don't want to believe He would be such an unwilling God. And, another truth be told, when I think I may have offended someone with this truth, it really is God who is being rejected...not me.

I will not turn away from the truth. I will not stop spreading the truth of the life saving gospel of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, the Living Water that causes one to never thirst, the solid Rock, our Redeemer, Savior, Comforter, Prince of Peace, all in all, First and Last, Beginning and End. Almighty God.

Forget denominational lines. Christ is for all people, Jew first, then the Gentile. He has hard words but if they are believed, taken in, pondered, obeyed, they are life. Don't turn away because His words are hard.

John 6:60-66 - Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.