When Teachings from the Bible Do Not Offend People
A few weeks ago, I was listening to Pastor Mark Driscoll preach, and something he said kind of struck me: “My job is to tell the Truth, your job is to get offended.” Some people responded saying that is not right, “we are not here to offend people” or “people should not be offended with what we are saying” or “if people are offended it is your problem.”
To be honest, these days, having any form of standard is offensive to people, because their first response often begins with, “who are you to tell me….” The Truth, which is the Christian Faith, is almost always offensive to people who are non-Christinas. These days, it will be offensive to some “Christians”. Actually, that’s not new.
“I am not trying to please people. I want to please God. Do you think I am trying to please people? If I were doing that, I would not be a servant of Christ.
My friends, I want you to know that no one made up the message I preach. It wasn’t given or taught to me by some mere human. My message came directly from Jesus Christ when he appeared to me.
You know how I used to live as a Jew. I was cruel to God’s church and even tried to destroy it. I was a much better Jew than anyone else my own age, and I obeyed every law that our ancestors had given us. But even before I was born, God had chosen me. He was kind and had decided to show me his Son, so that I would announce his message to the Gentiles. I didn’t talk this over with anyone. I didn’t say a word, not even to the men in Jerusalem who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went at once to Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.
Three years later I went to visit Peter in Jerusalem and stayed with him for fifteen days. The only other apostle I saw was James, the Lord’s brother. And in the presence of God I swear I am telling the truth.
Later, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. But no one who belonged to Christ’s churches in Judea had ever seen me in person. They had only heard that the one who had been cruel to them was now preaching the message that he had once tried to destroy. And because of me, they praised God.”
These are actually topics that are DIVIDING the church these days: extra-heterosexual rights, abortion rights, political stand (how can you be a Christians and support Republicans?), and “are you a Calvinist?”. The worst part is not that the church is being divided by these subjects, but the “how” of how the Church is being divided. One side will take a position of condemning “the other side”. They WILL go as far as condemning those holding opposite view to Hell.
How and Why? Because these people firmly believe they are on par with God and they can fully represent God in acting as the acting judge, jury, and executioner. They get more angry, the more those who oppose them further explained to them how the Bible’s teaching does not fit their narrative, and actually speak out against them in one, some, or all perspectives.
These are not the only opportunities people, even within the Church, get offended by the Truth. We cannot forget that we are human, and we often, if not always, offend God in what we do and think. When a pastor truly speak the Truth in building up God’s people, people WILL get offended. There is nothing wrong with that. Things go wrong if (1) you never got offended but you do not live like Enoch in the Bible that never recorded to have died; (2) you only got angry when you were offended AND your resolution is either to change church or campaign to get rid of the pastor.
So, are we more concerned to be at peace with people and forgot about God?
HOWEVER, I do need to note that go around telling people they will go to hell because they are “not Christian” is not what I am referring to as “offending people” because that’s not what it is. That is nothing more than picking a fight. When you do that, your heart is not to further God’s Kingdom, but to make yourself feel better about yourself….by fooling yourself.
