There
be those who, though they be sincere in their professed faith, have no desire
to offend the unbelieving with its call to repentance in Christ who takes away
the sins of all who place their trust in Him alone for salvation but
Christianity is by nature offensive though it may not seek to offend, but what
makes Christianity offensive in its message is that, in its call for people to
turn away from their sins and wicked ways and call upon the name of Christ for
the forgiveness of sins, it rebukes pride and self-righteousness, challenges
everything we think to be true, good, and right, and exposes and condemns those
things wicked in the eyes of God.
1. Christianity rebukes pride and self-righteousness in that it does not take only into account the outward performance of men but also his inward condition as well, calling upon the lost to humbly examine themselves before God Almighty. It is only when they examine, not just their outward performance, but also their very thoughts, motives, and the attitude of their hearts that they begin to see and understand how it is that they fall short of that moral standard of perfection required by the Creator (Rom. 3:23) in order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is the most humbling experience that anyone may ever undergo yet also the most terrifying knowing that should they die in their sins, only an eternity of torment awaits them but it is only when they understand that sin is not defined by merely outward acts or even the words we speak, but also by the nature of our thoughts, motives, and the attitudes of our heart and that sin is the inherent corrupted condition of our nature which cannot be remedied by merely being morally upright person, though we all should be, due to our own goodness is ever tainted by sin present within us, that we then understand the need for redemption to be made on our behalf and why Jesus needed to come into the world to die for our sins and be raised from the dead; why the sinless Son of God (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) took upon Himself that demanded penalty for sin in order that any, with a repentant heart, placing their trust in Him alone for their salvation, will not have to face eternal damnation in the dark and fiery torments of Hell, but instead receive eternal salvation but those taking pride in their own goodness and may even at heart be upright persons become infuriated when told that they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that outward acts of righteousness, good deeds, and adherence to religious traditions are not enough to gain favor with the Almighty nor will they grant entry into His Kingdom because in their pride and in their self-righteousness, they are oblivious to their fallen state and therefore fail to see their need for the Savior who gave Himself for them.
2. Christianity declares everything contrary to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the inspired Word of God, (2 Tim. 3:16) by which the Gospel is delivered, to be a lie and therefore calls upon everyone to no longer walk in those traditions, philosophies, religions, and ideologies or in anything that stands in opposition to the Gospel, no matter how deeply held they may be as they are doctrines of men and devils designed to blind all to their fallen state in order to lead them into everlasting perdition and naturally hostilities will arise when those deeply held doctrines and traditions are challenged by those who preach the Gospel of repentance in Christ.
Whereas the religions and doctrines of evil and misguided men and devils look upon the outward performance, Christianity seeks not only a transformation in outward conduct, but commands an inward transformation of the repentant sinner made only possible when Christ, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, comes to indwell that person, instilling in them a new nature that no longer takes pleasure in the things of darkness, nor desires to do that which is evil and displeasing in the eyes of the Creator, nor wishes to adhere to those things contrary to the truth of God, but instead pursues after godliness, righteousness, holiness, and truth, seeks to honor God in all things, values the honor of God above that of men, fears God more than man, and sets their sites upon the treasures of Heaven rather than those of the world, placing its trust in God for their provision, to sustain them in difficult times, and to deliver them from evil, relying on the guidance and power of Christ in all things, and aligning itself only with the things of the Lord and they who are of the Lord; faithfully obeying and serving Christ, not for the sake of earning or buying their way into the Kingdom, which has already been done on their behalf by Christ Jesus, but out of love for the Savior and out of appreciation and gratitude for the salvation that they have received in Him.
3. Christianity exposes and condemns those things of darkness and which are evil in the sight of God because it is those very things that are evil in the sight of the Lord by which men are damned and kept out of the Kingdom of Heaven and for which this present world will face eventual judgment and which have been the ruin and demise of nations, kingdoms, and empires past and it is away from those very things by which the soul is damned that sinners are called away from because repentance requires that we turn away from those things that God has declared evil and to no longer walk in those things contrary to His truth, revelation, and instruction, and admonition, but those who have no love of the truth and who take pleasure in evil will do everything in their power to prevent the spread of the Gospel message. It is not enough for them to reject Christ’s offer of redemption, but they will also go so far as to prevent others, who might otherwise come to repentance, from embracing Jesus as their Savior and Lord and they so do by suppressing in their wickedness anything that might lead anyone to a saving faithing in Christ, attempting to discredit through cleverly devised challenging arguments and questions the authority of the scriptures by which the Gospel of salvation is delivered, and by spreading lies, misrepresentations, and misinformation about the Christian faith, and when that fails, they will resort to tactics of ridicule, shaming, and intimidation, and when threats are not enough, they will then resort to even more intense forms of persecution up to and including killing those who preach the good news and anyone who might embrace that Gospel of salvation.
If the Church is ever to succeed in its mission and to carry out its divine purpose and duties to the fullest, then it must risk offending those it seeks to reach for Christ and that means it must risk offending all religions and ideologies that stand contrary and in opposition to but it is this fear of “offending” for the sake of Christ that renders the Church ineffective in its ability to win souls for Christ and the avoidance of such matters as the sinful fallen nature of man, how man came to be in his present condition, the danger of the judgment they who persist in their unrepentance face, and refraining from admonishing professors of the faith to pursue righteousness and live godly lives and to honor God in everything they do, excusing the misconduct of those unruly members among us, and refusing to address matters deemed controversial may very well fill a church building from front to back and wall to wall, but yet leave the multitude who fill it in an unsaved and unconverted state. Men may not object to a God of love and mercy or a God who instills purpose and meaning in one’s life. But what they do object to is a God who calls for all people to repent of their sin and wicked ways lest they find themselves eternally damned and yet that is the very message that must be preached and every bit as often as the message of a God of love and mercy in whom there is unfailing hope must be preached and though a message warning of the dangers of eternal hellfire from which there is no escape apart from full trust in Christ alone for salvation may not fill a church or gain many followers on your SM platforms, it will no doubt more likely lead to the winning over of souls to Christ who are persuaded of their need for Jesus and of their need for salvation and redemption than any message that lulls them into a false sense of peace and security and makes them comfortable and affirmed in the sin that they enjoy, the darkness with which they have aligned, and the falsehoods and lies that they hold to.
God does not measure the success of the Christian in quantity, but rather in faithful obedience in any and all given circumstances for it is that faithful obedience to Christ for which we will be rewarded and upon which the wealth that we are destined to receive is built even though we may not win a single soul regardless of our best efforts to persuade as many as we can of the truth of the Gospel, how diligently we may be about the business of the Father of Lights, how vigilantly we preserve the soundness of doctrine within our ranks and uphold the authority of scripture within our congregations, how careful we may be to leave no place for sinful living and falsehood within the body of Christ, or how well we may understand the spiritual nature of every conflict we may be faced with, or how well-prepared we may be for the various attacks and devices of our adversaries being both evil men and demons.
But if there is to be any hope of a Great Awakening, then we must risk offending our friends, co-workers, employers, acquaintances, patrons, customers, parents, spouses, and yes even our children with those uncomfortable and inconvenient truths that we have largely avoided in order to not cause offense; those inconvenient truths being that we are inherently sinful beings beginning with Adam when he and his wife Eve, from whom all of mankind descend, had broken the very one command that caused sin to enter into them when they had eaten the fruit of a certain tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they were told not to eat from lest they should die. (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3)
Their disobedience brought upon them the penalty of death and the sin that entered into them was passed down to all of mankind (Rom. 5:12) which is why all sin and therefore all die (Rom. 6:23) but worse, all who die in their sins are forever cut off from the presence of their Maker and subject to an eternity of torment as is the required punishment for all sin and they who die in unrepentance and unbelief and due to the fact that sin is always present within us, our own goodness will never be enough to gain us entry into Heaven but it is only when it is understood as to how and why it is impossible to attain to God’s standard of moral perfection, that is then understood as to why it was necessary for Christ to die upon the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead.
But those who are able to bear the most inconvenient of truths will then be better able to appreciate the good news which follows in that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9) for in His love for man whom He created, He offers redemption in Christ Jesus to any willing to call upon His name for salvation.
But what risks are we as Christians willing to take and what price are we willing to pay in order for this longed-for Great Awakening to take place within our nation?
Are we willing, for the sake of the Gospel, to risk the loss of a job or career, ostracization by family and friends, or abandonment by spouse, children or even both?
Are Pastors willing to see the sizes of their congregation dwindle down on account of congregants unable to put up with biblically sound teaching and the preaching of the Gospel in an unadulterated fashion?
Are various ministries and other religious organizations willing to risk losing supporters in order to remain true to the mission they were raised up for?
Are we willing to brave possible civic punishment on behalf of the name of Christ and are we willing for His sake to even lay down our very lives?
And are we willing to trust that the sacrifices required of us, no matter how great they may be, will be honored by God in Heaven and that the reward, vindication, and recompense for those sacrifices will supersede the pain and inconvenience we may suffer?
How many elected leaders and officials are willing to suffer the displeasure of their constituents for the sake of Christ?
Until enough of us are willing to make whatever sacrifices required of us on behalf of the Gospel and until we are willing to trust God enough to honor that which we relinquish for the sake of the name of Christ, and until we are willing to endure any persecution that should come our way on account of our faith in Christ and obedience to Him and are willing to trust in God to reimburse us for what we may be called upon to relinquish for His sake, sustain us in the suffering inflicted upon us because of Christ, provide for our very need, and unless we favor the praise of God above that of man, and fear Him above any person, and set our sights upon the treasures and rewards that come from Heaven, rather than the temporal honors, wealth, and prestige that can be taken and lost to us, and even if they are not taken away or lost to us, will not follow us into the next life and which will also pass away with this present world to make way for a new and better world in which death itself is no more, where no sin or evil dwell, in which there is no curse, no despair, grief, sorrow, or darkness, but only goodness, light, blessings, peace, happiness, and joy, (Rev. 21-22) then there can be no hope for any Great Awakening for if there be anything preventing the Great Awakening that we pray and long for other than the hardness of heart of those to whom the Gospel is preached, it is due to the fact that we remain too attached to the things of this world and too caught up in the worries and cares of this life, value too much the favor of our fellow man, and do not fear or adore our Savior enough but instead concern ourselves more with the displeasure of man, including even those closest to us, rather than the displeasure of our Lord before whom all men will stand and from whose hand every reward and honor to the righteous will be received and every sentence, judgment, and punishment to the wicked and unbelieving.
A Great Awakening does not require us to commit offenses needless but it does require that we risk offending those we point to Christ Jesus for it is better that we should risk offending some with the Gospel message in its purity with the hope of them later coming to repentance than for the lost to be eternally offended at us for not having told them the way by which they can be saved out of their sins that they might inherit the Kingdom of God.
Scripture references:
1. Romans 3:23
2. 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. Hebrews 4:15
4. 2 Timothy 3:16
5. Genesis 2:16-17
6. Genesis 3:3
7. Romans 5:12
8. Romans 6:23
9. 2 Peter 3:9
10. Revelation 21-22
1. Christianity rebukes pride and self-righteousness in that it does not take only into account the outward performance of men but also his inward condition as well, calling upon the lost to humbly examine themselves before God Almighty. It is only when they examine, not just their outward performance, but also their very thoughts, motives, and the attitude of their hearts that they begin to see and understand how it is that they fall short of that moral standard of perfection required by the Creator (Rom. 3:23) in order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is the most humbling experience that anyone may ever undergo yet also the most terrifying knowing that should they die in their sins, only an eternity of torment awaits them but it is only when they understand that sin is not defined by merely outward acts or even the words we speak, but also by the nature of our thoughts, motives, and the attitudes of our heart and that sin is the inherent corrupted condition of our nature which cannot be remedied by merely being morally upright person, though we all should be, due to our own goodness is ever tainted by sin present within us, that we then understand the need for redemption to be made on our behalf and why Jesus needed to come into the world to die for our sins and be raised from the dead; why the sinless Son of God (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) took upon Himself that demanded penalty for sin in order that any, with a repentant heart, placing their trust in Him alone for their salvation, will not have to face eternal damnation in the dark and fiery torments of Hell, but instead receive eternal salvation but those taking pride in their own goodness and may even at heart be upright persons become infuriated when told that they have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that outward acts of righteousness, good deeds, and adherence to religious traditions are not enough to gain favor with the Almighty nor will they grant entry into His Kingdom because in their pride and in their self-righteousness, they are oblivious to their fallen state and therefore fail to see their need for the Savior who gave Himself for them.
2. Christianity declares everything contrary to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the inspired Word of God, (2 Tim. 3:16) by which the Gospel is delivered, to be a lie and therefore calls upon everyone to no longer walk in those traditions, philosophies, religions, and ideologies or in anything that stands in opposition to the Gospel, no matter how deeply held they may be as they are doctrines of men and devils designed to blind all to their fallen state in order to lead them into everlasting perdition and naturally hostilities will arise when those deeply held doctrines and traditions are challenged by those who preach the Gospel of repentance in Christ.
Whereas the religions and doctrines of evil and misguided men and devils look upon the outward performance, Christianity seeks not only a transformation in outward conduct, but commands an inward transformation of the repentant sinner made only possible when Christ, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, comes to indwell that person, instilling in them a new nature that no longer takes pleasure in the things of darkness, nor desires to do that which is evil and displeasing in the eyes of the Creator, nor wishes to adhere to those things contrary to the truth of God, but instead pursues after godliness, righteousness, holiness, and truth, seeks to honor God in all things, values the honor of God above that of men, fears God more than man, and sets their sites upon the treasures of Heaven rather than those of the world, placing its trust in God for their provision, to sustain them in difficult times, and to deliver them from evil, relying on the guidance and power of Christ in all things, and aligning itself only with the things of the Lord and they who are of the Lord; faithfully obeying and serving Christ, not for the sake of earning or buying their way into the Kingdom, which has already been done on their behalf by Christ Jesus, but out of love for the Savior and out of appreciation and gratitude for the salvation that they have received in Him.
3. Christianity exposes and condemns those things of darkness and which are evil in the sight of God because it is those very things that are evil in the sight of the Lord by which men are damned and kept out of the Kingdom of Heaven and for which this present world will face eventual judgment and which have been the ruin and demise of nations, kingdoms, and empires past and it is away from those very things by which the soul is damned that sinners are called away from because repentance requires that we turn away from those things that God has declared evil and to no longer walk in those things contrary to His truth, revelation, and instruction, and admonition, but those who have no love of the truth and who take pleasure in evil will do everything in their power to prevent the spread of the Gospel message. It is not enough for them to reject Christ’s offer of redemption, but they will also go so far as to prevent others, who might otherwise come to repentance, from embracing Jesus as their Savior and Lord and they so do by suppressing in their wickedness anything that might lead anyone to a saving faithing in Christ, attempting to discredit through cleverly devised challenging arguments and questions the authority of the scriptures by which the Gospel of salvation is delivered, and by spreading lies, misrepresentations, and misinformation about the Christian faith, and when that fails, they will resort to tactics of ridicule, shaming, and intimidation, and when threats are not enough, they will then resort to even more intense forms of persecution up to and including killing those who preach the good news and anyone who might embrace that Gospel of salvation.
If the Church is ever to succeed in its mission and to carry out its divine purpose and duties to the fullest, then it must risk offending those it seeks to reach for Christ and that means it must risk offending all religions and ideologies that stand contrary and in opposition to but it is this fear of “offending” for the sake of Christ that renders the Church ineffective in its ability to win souls for Christ and the avoidance of such matters as the sinful fallen nature of man, how man came to be in his present condition, the danger of the judgment they who persist in their unrepentance face, and refraining from admonishing professors of the faith to pursue righteousness and live godly lives and to honor God in everything they do, excusing the misconduct of those unruly members among us, and refusing to address matters deemed controversial may very well fill a church building from front to back and wall to wall, but yet leave the multitude who fill it in an unsaved and unconverted state. Men may not object to a God of love and mercy or a God who instills purpose and meaning in one’s life. But what they do object to is a God who calls for all people to repent of their sin and wicked ways lest they find themselves eternally damned and yet that is the very message that must be preached and every bit as often as the message of a God of love and mercy in whom there is unfailing hope must be preached and though a message warning of the dangers of eternal hellfire from which there is no escape apart from full trust in Christ alone for salvation may not fill a church or gain many followers on your SM platforms, it will no doubt more likely lead to the winning over of souls to Christ who are persuaded of their need for Jesus and of their need for salvation and redemption than any message that lulls them into a false sense of peace and security and makes them comfortable and affirmed in the sin that they enjoy, the darkness with which they have aligned, and the falsehoods and lies that they hold to.
God does not measure the success of the Christian in quantity, but rather in faithful obedience in any and all given circumstances for it is that faithful obedience to Christ for which we will be rewarded and upon which the wealth that we are destined to receive is built even though we may not win a single soul regardless of our best efforts to persuade as many as we can of the truth of the Gospel, how diligently we may be about the business of the Father of Lights, how vigilantly we preserve the soundness of doctrine within our ranks and uphold the authority of scripture within our congregations, how careful we may be to leave no place for sinful living and falsehood within the body of Christ, or how well we may understand the spiritual nature of every conflict we may be faced with, or how well-prepared we may be for the various attacks and devices of our adversaries being both evil men and demons.
But if there is to be any hope of a Great Awakening, then we must risk offending our friends, co-workers, employers, acquaintances, patrons, customers, parents, spouses, and yes even our children with those uncomfortable and inconvenient truths that we have largely avoided in order to not cause offense; those inconvenient truths being that we are inherently sinful beings beginning with Adam when he and his wife Eve, from whom all of mankind descend, had broken the very one command that caused sin to enter into them when they had eaten the fruit of a certain tree called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they were told not to eat from lest they should die. (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3)
Their disobedience brought upon them the penalty of death and the sin that entered into them was passed down to all of mankind (Rom. 5:12) which is why all sin and therefore all die (Rom. 6:23) but worse, all who die in their sins are forever cut off from the presence of their Maker and subject to an eternity of torment as is the required punishment for all sin and they who die in unrepentance and unbelief and due to the fact that sin is always present within us, our own goodness will never be enough to gain us entry into Heaven but it is only when it is understood as to how and why it is impossible to attain to God’s standard of moral perfection, that is then understood as to why it was necessary for Christ to die upon the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead.
But those who are able to bear the most inconvenient of truths will then be better able to appreciate the good news which follows in that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9) for in His love for man whom He created, He offers redemption in Christ Jesus to any willing to call upon His name for salvation.
But what risks are we as Christians willing to take and what price are we willing to pay in order for this longed-for Great Awakening to take place within our nation?
Are we willing, for the sake of the Gospel, to risk the loss of a job or career, ostracization by family and friends, or abandonment by spouse, children or even both?
Are Pastors willing to see the sizes of their congregation dwindle down on account of congregants unable to put up with biblically sound teaching and the preaching of the Gospel in an unadulterated fashion?
Are various ministries and other religious organizations willing to risk losing supporters in order to remain true to the mission they were raised up for?
Are we willing to brave possible civic punishment on behalf of the name of Christ and are we willing for His sake to even lay down our very lives?
And are we willing to trust that the sacrifices required of us, no matter how great they may be, will be honored by God in Heaven and that the reward, vindication, and recompense for those sacrifices will supersede the pain and inconvenience we may suffer?
How many elected leaders and officials are willing to suffer the displeasure of their constituents for the sake of Christ?
Until enough of us are willing to make whatever sacrifices required of us on behalf of the Gospel and until we are willing to trust God enough to honor that which we relinquish for the sake of the name of Christ, and until we are willing to endure any persecution that should come our way on account of our faith in Christ and obedience to Him and are willing to trust in God to reimburse us for what we may be called upon to relinquish for His sake, sustain us in the suffering inflicted upon us because of Christ, provide for our very need, and unless we favor the praise of God above that of man, and fear Him above any person, and set our sights upon the treasures and rewards that come from Heaven, rather than the temporal honors, wealth, and prestige that can be taken and lost to us, and even if they are not taken away or lost to us, will not follow us into the next life and which will also pass away with this present world to make way for a new and better world in which death itself is no more, where no sin or evil dwell, in which there is no curse, no despair, grief, sorrow, or darkness, but only goodness, light, blessings, peace, happiness, and joy, (Rev. 21-22) then there can be no hope for any Great Awakening for if there be anything preventing the Great Awakening that we pray and long for other than the hardness of heart of those to whom the Gospel is preached, it is due to the fact that we remain too attached to the things of this world and too caught up in the worries and cares of this life, value too much the favor of our fellow man, and do not fear or adore our Savior enough but instead concern ourselves more with the displeasure of man, including even those closest to us, rather than the displeasure of our Lord before whom all men will stand and from whose hand every reward and honor to the righteous will be received and every sentence, judgment, and punishment to the wicked and unbelieving.
A Great Awakening does not require us to commit offenses needless but it does require that we risk offending those we point to Christ Jesus for it is better that we should risk offending some with the Gospel message in its purity with the hope of them later coming to repentance than for the lost to be eternally offended at us for not having told them the way by which they can be saved out of their sins that they might inherit the Kingdom of God.
Scripture references:
1. Romans 3:23
2. 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. Hebrews 4:15
4. 2 Timothy 3:16
5. Genesis 2:16-17
6. Genesis 3:3
7. Romans 5:12
8. Romans 6:23
9. 2 Peter 3:9
10. Revelation 21-22
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