Offended

By the world, or by God?

   The Pernicious culture programming our world has gone through has taught us to insulate ourselves not only from various groups but also from patterns of realities we do not like. Unchecked, these things continue to fracture us until we become fully unstable in all things in life. This is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, manifested as double-mindedness in our modern world.

  Unfortunately, the flipside of this is a thinking some groups have embraced to include everything. Embrace all things like a big hug until your life means nothing. You stand for nothing because nothing is wrong and everything is now truth.

  Learning to draw boundaries in life is a good thing. This is learning to judge correctly as Jesus commanded us to do. This often means your actions will offend others, especially within the Body of Christ. The Polly Anna attitude of hyper-grace teaching can not comprehend that you will not participate in their drinking and Halloween parties masked under the name “harvest parties.”

  To such people, you are under a religious spirit. But when the true legalist observes your behavior, you are declared to be a lawless child in danger of the gates of hell.

  Living a life of holiness by the Holy Spirit will offend all people. But what about offense when it happens to you? This is when we must not cast it to the side but examine it carefully. For in that moment could possibly be a pearl of truth hidden under the gunk of our soul.

  The quick question to ask is this something that is offending your flesh, or is it offending the Holy Spirit within you? The answer to that question will determine your next steps.

  If you have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ then you are no longer alone. There are now two of you living in one body of flesh. There is the old you and now there is the new you and they are at war with each other. One pulls left, the other right. One seeks the old ways while the other whispers hope from a world we have not seen yet. This is the mystery of the ages Paul spoke of.

  This is the drop of Holy Royalty now living in you. As a result, the new within desires a home, not of this world. That part of you is never satisfied with the things of this world because, on some level, you can not define… you know there is something better waiting for you. It is that “tug” you feel in your spirit that moves you forward and creates a trickle of hope in your life for the people around you who are yet to wake up. So, if the offense is offending the Holy Spirit within you, then let me be blunt… what is your Royal responsibility at this moment? (1)

  Does the moment require a word or an action? I am saying, do not make a whip and drive people away if the moment requires you to speak with care to the broken heart before you. And don’t use words when you need to break something and let people (and the spiritual realm) know you will not participate.

But if the offense offends you, well… then you have a decision to make. Is your sense of culture, life, or personal value in need of correction? I have lived in several areas of the United States now; I can tell you every culture has its good and bad aspects. I have also seen certain people's internal sense of value get in the way of spiritual things, especially in pastors. If you need an example, click here to read one I have already written about.

Words of Life

  At the end of all things, we want to walk and act like Jesus. Yes, I know many interpret that to look like healing and prophesy, but those are the flashy things. Flashy things are signs that draw, but they don’t always keep the people. In the book of John, Jesus had just offended everyone when he asked, “Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?” John 6:61

  After a little talking, Peter responded back, “Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of Adonai.” John 6:68-69 That kind of stuff does not come from spiritual degrees you can hang on a wall or endless bible studies. It comes from hanging out in the presence of God (Adonai)

  The presence brings a slow, steady change within our souls, laying the groundwork for a sound mind. This is the steady work of the Holy Spirit that brings the evidence of a sound mind. With a sound mind, things are traded out, and offenses of the world start to mean little to us. It becomes a gift, a jewel of great price, to those who recognize what they now have.

  What starts as an offense for us can lead us to greater depths of a sound mind if we allow the Holy Spirit to walk us through the process of going deeper in him. I know that may sound like an alien concept if you think your job is to use a whip and expose the darkness so that Justice may happen. But have you considered that by being faithful to God at this moment, he will bless you with a greater degree of Him?

There is an old saying, “ It is better to fall on the Rock and be broken than to have the rock fall on you and be crushed to powder.” The truth of Jesus offends all, and sometimes, he uses you to flip all the tables.

Next Week, “The Prophetic Ministry.”