Post details: Offended - 101

04/04/08

Permalink 02:01:55 am, Categories: GraceHead teaching, By Trent, 764 words   English (US)

Offended - 101

by Trent - from June 09, 2006

Are you so easily offended?

The ease of which I am offended registers how carnally bloated I am and to what extent I have pushed the expanse of my own precious rights.

I place boundaries of decency and when they are trespassed, I FEEL offended. If I expand them far enough then people can innocently trespass on accident or while minding their own business. But is it my RIGHT to DEMAND that others not trespass my boundaries that I made up? Does spiritual maturity make us easier to offend or harder to offend?

It is certainly not my RIGHT to DEMAND that others not trespass my boundaries that I made up.

1 Corinthians 9:12
If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

If Love endures all things and bears all things, then it is not love when I get put-off, and when I get offended. (see 1 Corinthians 13:7)

People that really know me, know that I do not seek to offend others. I seek to share the gospel and the revelation of the Lord Jesus, and His radical love for the weakest and the least among us ... but those that are strong on their own, and do not need the Lord are the LawHeads ... so easily offended because of the expanse of their rights that they demand. They even murdered the Lord for only speaking what is true. One does not need to seek to be controversial to be offensive to others. Just shed light where it is not welcome and watch who picks up stones.

When I am carnal and materialistic or lawheadedness wells up in me, then I do not endure anything ... I do not bear anything. Rather I get offended at others, when I have no right to demand that they behave in any manner different then they are behaving.

Wisdom is knowing that those boundaries of trespass is not legitimate, and that I have no justification for ever being offended. We turn the other cheek as the Lord did on the way to His death.

When others rob us even of rights that we have, we still refuse to be offended on the spiritual path. Rather we see that those that rob us and harm us are held together by the Living Lord, and He would not permit them to steal and take these things from us had not it served His greater purpose. We yield to the acknowledgement that the Lord Jesus has everything under control. To complain against this, would be to complain against the Lord, who permitted it to happen.

... and so it is written that as Paul was imprisoned unjustly - there was not a Roman that Paul saw at the other end of his chain.

Ephesians 3:1
"... I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus..."

Ephesians 4:1
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you ."

Philemon 1:9
". I then, as Paul–an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus"

And so on.

Where others saw a roman guard at the end of the chain, Paul saw Someone different. Paul saw Jesus as the One imprisoning him, and he was happy to be wherever Jesus had him, whether on the open sea or in a dungeon - violating his Roman citizenship.

So trouble comes your way, as it does for all. That trouble reveals something about the others that have neglected decency, but our reaction reveals us, and God is not interested in dealing with us about anyone else. He deals with us about only ourselves.

Why try to change the circumstance by griping and shaming the offenders?
Why not be changed by the circumstance and soften the heart by running to the Lord?

Griping and grumbling is a false idol that I use to evoke a change or control those that make me uncomfortable. You can justify it all you want, but don't ask me to join you. There is no justification for me (or anyone else) to complain or be offended, for to do so is a complaint against the Lord Jesus, Who holds the cosmos together with His might, and Who permits whatever circumstance that we might wish He would have prevented.

Philippians 2:5-7
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

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Comments, Trackbacks, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Pam [Member]
What a day, hey kid? This made tears come to my eyes. None of us has resisted sin unto death as yet have we.

Pam
Permalink 06/09/06 @ 02:50
Comment from: Sumner Koch [Visitor]
Trent,
Any man who offends not in word or deed is a just and perfect man or person... I do not fit that catagory but I would like to, and will when we are with and like Christ as He really is...That has not happened as of yet...
So-It-goes!
Sumner
Permalink 06/14/06 @ 21:11
Comment from: Trent [Member] · http://www.GraceHead.com
S Koch,

It is written ... "they took offense at [Jesus]"

Caution not to live to please only men ... for to be like Christ, then no smile or frown on a human face is of any consequence to your actions.

John 8:29
The One who sent me is with me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.

Ripening for the harvest,

Trent
Permalink 06/20/06 @ 11:34
Comment from: pam [Visitor]
I guess I've changed a lot in two years or more likely, my circumstances are greatly changed. Either way, I have a very different response to this article than I did when you originally posted it.

I think this is good advice for the small offenses that come everyday but not so good for the big ones. In the later, I think it best to do as the Bible says and go directly to our brother or sister and try to work things out. If that doesn't work, we should then go before the church. Ideally, we should settle such matters before the sun sets on that day and not allow it to fester. Most of the time, people tend to harbor their hurt and let it fester. Over the lifetime of a relationship, we can accumulate many festering offenses from another and eventually, they will emmerge. When they emmerge in all their festering pussiness, the problems are much worse than they ever needed to be. This destroys relationships.

We like to think we have done a good thing when we keep our mouth shut whenever we are hurt and act in opposition to our true feelings. I don't think God is impressed with us. He wants us to truly love one another not just pretende we do because we know we should. It is in honestly working through problems that relationships are strengthened.

Sometimes, it is easier to turn our backs than to confront. That really isn't Biblical and I am not aware of shunning as being the proper response except in cases of sexual immorality, criminal activity, or causing division between brothers or sisters. Even in those instances, confrontation must first take place to make sure that the situation is as it appears.

Pam
Permalink 04/04/08 @ 12:07
Comment from: Judah [Visitor] · http://judahgabriel.blogspot.com
Thanks for this, Trent. I posted a link to this article on my blog.

I agree with Pam that a false peace or a fake sense of "we're all getting along" is worse than conflict.

The goal isn't to avoid inevitable conflict, but to resolve it righteously.

Trent asked a very profound question that deserves consideration: "Does spiritual maturity make us easier to offend or harder to offend?"

Sometimes when I see so many arguments and offend-ings in the body of Messiah, sometimes causing other people to stumble, it seems like the more ingrained your are in a theology, the more likely you'll be offended by attacks on that theology. In the end, however, I've noticed a theme among righteous and truly spiritual mature folks: they do it all in love motivation.

That doesn't mean the word spoken must be peaceful or conflict-avoiding. It doesn't mean it'll be a soft word of encouragement; it could be a harsh word. But the difference is the motivation. When it's done in love for the other person, that's where I see real maturity.
Permalink 04/04/08 @ 12:25

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