Skip to main content

Offensive Ministry?


Does it bother you and make you feel uncomfortable to be around someone who is known for being verbally aggressive, offensively opinionated, and outwardly negative and critical on "hot topic" subjects such as race, sexual orientation, and the government? When they express their opinions, they are not only blunt and animated, but their language and demeanor is a bit course and rough around the edges.

Does it also bother you to know that people, like this, are also claiming to be a Christian? I've come into contact with several throughout my life and it definitely leaves me wondering, if not disappointed.

As Christians, the Bible is clear that we are not to behave in this way. A critical spirit and quick tempered personality that is harsh and toxic is not an attribute we should display. Christians are different. We are “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13-16) and we are to be advocates for gentleness and respect (2 Timothy 3:15). We are God’s children and should live like we truly belong to Him.

Search the Scriptures and you will never find authorization to be judgmental, to threaten, make offensive remarks, make off-colored statements, or even attempt to verbally "corner" a "sinner" to get them to change. Nothing we do should be below the standard God set for us. People should not find fault with us…but, rather, see Christ Jesus in us.

If we look at 2 Corinthians 6:3 we will find a powerful verse because Paul says, "We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed." Paul says we should not be “the reason” (a stumbling block) as to why someone chooses to refuse God’s grace and the Gospel message. Our actions, reactions and interactions should not be such that it “discredits God of the Gospel.” We shouldn’t be the reason someone walks away unchanged or why they reject the Gospel.

Yes, I know sin is sin. Yes, I know we all sin...some more than others. But, I also know it is not my calling (nor anyone's) to purposely go around singling out people in order to confront them for no other purpose than to get some sort of satisfaction with pointing out to them "how sinful" their sin is "according to the Bible."

Please reconsider the long-term damage you could inflict upon someone when the urge hits to confront someone over their sin. Yes, the ugliness of sin is offensive, crude, vulgar, irritating, and swirls up countless negative emotions and feelings. But, remember who you are….Whoes you are….and Who (God) and what (The Gospel) you represent.

Besides, I can safely assume most people are already fully aware of their struggles, short-comings, and habits....and more than likely they could be at the critical point of making a change to correct those deficiencies.

What is 2 Corinthians 6:3 trying to say? Well….three words: DON'T BLOW IT! Don’t mess it all up by interfering with how the Holy Spirit may be working in the person's life by making an ill-timed, unwarranted critical statement to them. 

Work on loving them and reaching out to them. Don't be guilty of hating both the sinner and the sin....don't create an “offensive ministry.” God’s love, in us, “bears all things…and endures all things…and love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8).

Popular posts from this blog

Learn from Lydia

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only perso...

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in  John 19:28  and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now  completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”   Did you know that the word  tetelestai  was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

Cross of St. Peter

One of the strongest defenses of investigating any situation is making sure that we gather as many facts, witnesses, and information on the subject at hand. We don’t want to jump to any rash decisions or conclusions and find out, later, that we were wrong. The Bible has a very strong passage to support taking the time to gather facts to make a truth-filled decision. Proverbs 18:15 , “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” We cannot afford to jump to conclusions on unfounded rumors or quickly repeated gossip. I have witnessed one incident of such false information that has spread like a raging forest fire due to individuals not doing their homework on the subject matter. I am talking about some recent “observances” during the funeral of Pope Francis. During his funeral, several individuals noticed that there were “upside-down crosses” displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Many took to social media in a wild frenzy to associa...