I didn’t mean to offend…
Believe it or not - I don’t want to offend you. Honestly. In fact, I hate offending people. When I see a tear come to the corner of an eye, or a look that says ‘I really didn’t think you’d say that - that’s crushed me’, I feel sick in my stomach. Yet, when I preach I can end up offending people without trying.
This Sunday was a classic case in point. I was preaching on Boaz and Ruth getting together and noted that they were both believers, and so took the opportunity to show the bigger Biblical picture on the need to marry fellow believers (as this is a persistent problem in the local church). Although this is one of the simplest and clearest Biblical doctrines it is very unpopular in a church (and I mean the church in the West) where the majority of believers are women, and the majority of men are wet. In teaching the Bible faithfully on this matter I am saying two things to women in mixed relationships:
- The relationship you are in is wrong and to marry them would be to rebel against God.
- You may never find a husband.
That is more crushing and paralyzing that most of what I preach on a Sunday.
And so at the end of the sermon I felt like an assassin. I felt weak, harsh and low. In fact it was a prefect opportunity for Satan to do his post sermon attack.
And then came the blow, a lady came to me and said ‘YOU really offended so and so’. As I listened and tried not to react, a simple thought came to me, ‘I didn’t offend - the Bible offended.’
It would be so easy to give up teaching hard doctrines and give people what their itching ears want to hear. But if I did that I would be unfaithful to God, mishandle the Word, be an ashamed workman, and lead my people into sin.
Pray that I, others and you may stay true to the Word of God and never waver as we hold out the Word of truth in a crooked and depraved generation.
Nailed it. Both in the sermon and this post. If YOU did offend someone then shame on you, you’re a scum bag. But if what caused offence was the gospel (and by that I mean the good news and all the implications that has on our lives) then tough boobs. After all, a man with a far bigger nose than me once said, “the gospel is the stumbling block”
If we compromise our message so that people like us, but don’t love Jesus, then we are in for a big tanning!
Good on you JT! There is a real lack of offence in what passes for preaching in Wales today. There should be more offence because there is so little holiness. Psalm 12v1 - Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men