Offend Intentionally
Photo by Андрей Гаврилюк
If you’re going to offend people, do it intentionally for the right reasons.
Truth is inherently offensive.
When we present the truth to people we will offend them. It does not matter what culture they are apart of or what values they hold, the Gospel will offend them.
With this in mind, it’s important that we offend people for the right reasons: We don’t need to offend them because we are being a jerk.
We don’t need to offend them because we have some needless quibble with some unimportant way that they live their life. Let people put pineapple on pizza. Let people like candy corn. Let people like things.
Be disagreeable for the right reasons.
The Gospel. Proper doctrine. The true definition of sin. These are things we cannot comprise on. We must be as graciously disagreeable as humanly possible.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading the book of Ezekiel. He was living in a culture that, much like ours, truly hated God. And God knew this. Yet He sent Ezekiel to tell them the truth anyways so that they would have no excuse. So that even in the midst of their rebellion, some would hear the truth and leave their sin and turn towards righteousness.
And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 2:7
Our motivation for offending people cannot be anger towards them, it must be broken-hearted for their rebellion against God and desperation for the eternal agony that they will experience if they continue in that rebellion.
Our motivation must be love.
And we must remember, that their response does not determine the value of our actions. God tells Ezekiel that He is calling him to speak His words. He never makes Ezekiel responsible for them listening.
We must remember this when we feel their scorn.
We must remember this when we are excluded socially.
We must remember this when they say all manner of nasty, slanderous things about us.
We are not responsible for their response, only for speaking the truth as kindly and gently and as boldly as we know how.
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