Jesus: The Rock of Offense

My intent with the posts I make in this blog are never to intentionally seek to offend anyone.  It is not my job to convict, it is only my job to share what I believe the Lord asks me to share with other believers and non believers alike.  I do not consider myself a bible teacher, but I do consider myself a seeker of the Truth.  Sometimes it does not matter what we say or do when preaching or teaching the Word of God, we will offend someone.  I cannot apologize for an offense brought about by speaking the truth.

1 Peter 2:7,8

7 - Therefore to you who believe is the honor.  But to those who are disobedient, He is the Stone which builders rejected; this One came to be the Head of the corner,
8 - and a Stone - of - stumbling and a Rock - of - offense to those disobeying, who stumble at the Word, to which they also were appointed. 

The Word of God is about balance.  Nothing can or should be taken to extremes in one direction or the other.  We cannot continue in sin just for grace to abound (See Romans 6:1).  We are to grow and mature in ALL TRUTH provided by the Holy Spirit.





John 16:13

13 - However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.  For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak.  And He will announce to you things to come.

The Word of God does not say He will reveal some of the truth or half the truth, but ALL truth.  What happens when we know we have received truth from the Holy Spirit and we seek to share with our fellow Christians?  We are responsible for what we do with that truth. Oftentimes we end up offending someone because it violates their pastor's teachings, their beliefs.  But the offense is not intentional..it just is the way of the Word. 

Matthew 10:34-35

34 - Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to send peace, but a sword.
35 - For I have come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

The gospel is full of grace and love and mercy.  There is no arguing that.  But it cannot stop there.  Jesus Himself said in Matthew He did not come to bring peace.  He came to bring a sword.  He came to divide truth from lies; light from dark; sin from righteousness. The truth is designed to convict.  There is no debating the truth.  It is just....Truth.  It exists whether a lie is told or not.  It requires no support.  It requires no justification.  It is what it is...Truth. 

Above in 1 Peter, it states that Jesus is a rock-of-offense to those disobeying.  When confronted with truth people often recoil because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Not everyone will want to hear the truth.  We have an enemy that only seeks to steal, to kill, and to destroy.  He wanders to and fro on this earth seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8,9

8 - Be sensible and vigilant, because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone he may devour;
9 -  whom firmly resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions in the world are being completed in your brotherhood.

This scripture, in my opinion, does not refer to the lost soul in the world, it refers to Christians...those that are "in the faith."   We must resist so we are not found to be caught in the same afflictions that are in the world.  We see those same afflictions in our traditional churches every day.  We see greed, lust, pride of life, a pharisee attitude that says "Look at me and how righteous I am."   We see homosexuality being recognized as acceptable in some denominations.  We see pastors that divorce continuing in the pulpit.  The list can go on, I am very sure.  But we must be seeking Truth everyday.  We must not allow deception of the enemy to seep into our minds and hearts as Truth.

In my post, Equipping the Saints, I stated we need our older women in Christ teaching our younger women in Christ.  We need our older men in Christ teaching our younger men in Christ.  We need to be sharing with each other the importance of seeking the truth and actively pursuing the face of God and not just taking the bottle handed to us from a pulpit.  The younger generations seem to be easily offended and we must be digilant and sensible with teaching them how to stand firm in the faith and how to cultivate and grow the fruit necessary to provide life and light to this world. 

Jesus is our rock. Jesus is our firm, sure foundation.  Jesus is the Cornerstone men rejected.  When we preach and teach His commandments, we too will face rejection.  We will be persecuted because of the Truth and the conviction it brings.

Jesus is the Rock-of-Offense.  Don't be the one to reject truth.  Test the spirits.  Make the Bible your means of measuring what you hear.  Does it line up correctly?  Does it speak ALL truth...or is it just a small portion that forsakes the properties for growth?  and do not be offended when the Holy Spirit convicts and shakes the very core of what you might believe. 

We must remember that Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.  There is nothing else outside of Him.  We are nothing without Him.