03.13.2016 How to Hold to Your Convictions and Views without being Offensive

03-13-2016 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Lord, we are so thankful that You are our God – and as we’ve turned our attention to You through song and praise, now speak to us through Your word. Challenge us – may we carry with us the things You speak. May we act that we may grow in our relationship with You – not remaining stagnant, but growing and drawing close to You.
Next week is Palm Sunday -
2 Cor. 6:3 giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited,
No occasion for offense in anything.
We live in a time – this is no surprise or revelation – but giving offense seems to be NECESSARY to be popular – and this has affected the church – and it can, at times, come across – if you are really committed to Jesus, you’ll be at least a little bit offensive. It is almost honored in our society to be offensive.
Now, there are times where the offense of the gospel and the offense of the cross are spoken of – the gospel is an aroma or fragrance of death to those who don’t believe – the gospel is scandalous – an offense to the Greeks and the Jews – and in our culture, the gospel is offensive in some ways. It seems intolerant and exclusive – and this is true and important – but Paul is not talking about that here.
Paul is not talking about that here. The word Paul uses is not even related to the earlier offense of the gospel. It is entirely different – and it really relates to our world. He could have written that today.
One Commentator says this: Paul is not speaking of the offensiveness of the gospel to the spiritually blind, but rather, of inappropriate actions, missteps, or misjudgments that offend cultural or moral sensibilities. He denies that through his actions or ministry he has given people a cause to be offended.
Are there times in our culture where people have a legitimate cause to be offended by the church or by Christians? I hope you answer yes, because it is the only answer you can answer. There are plenty of times where people can be legitimately offended by Christians or the Church. If we give an occasion for offense, whether in our words or deeds or attitudes, we discredit the ministry of the gospel in doing so.
This is huge today - just turn on the news – it is so important – it is critical for us to be different – to be lights shining in darkness
It is critical in this time for us to understand this. There are reasons for this.
Being offensive is not simply tolerated, but celebrated. The more offensive the show or the song, the more popular it is.
As Christians, we have an opportunity to demonstrate an alternative way of living. By learning – like Paul did – to not give offense in any way.
Second – the church and Christians are viewed as offensive by many in our world. People outside the church – half of the people in the country believe that religion is part of the problem. 56% believe that if you try to convert someone else to your faith, you are a radical extremist.
There are reasons for this. In some ways – for those outside the church – the approval rating for the church is about the same as Congress. That’s low.
Some segments of the media – of political society – and other influential institutions that are attacking Christianity. It is not happening with all, but those who do have a loud voice and significant influence. Our battle is not with them. Part of the problem – we get baited into engaging in it.
Blaming the media doesn’t help.
But on the other hand, some churches or Christians act and speak in ways that are offensive. They tend to be people who make it into the public eye, and we all get lumped in together – the Westboro Baptist church – with fewer than 50 people, tend to make the news, and this influences what the outside world thinks of Christians.
With this election cycle, it is so saddening that they mention the Evangelical voting bloc – the word means gospel – and those who started the term – had seen the church moving away from the gospel – and now it is known as a voting bloc.
Every now and then, some famous Christian will call a storm a judgment of God. And we get lumped in with it.
There is not a lot we can do – but there are real ways we can look at ourselves – because sometimes we offend because of our faith – not in a good way – but in a bad way – those we work with or in our community. I’d like to focus on that – to help us be the kind of light – that does not discredit the gospel through our words and deeds and attitudes.
1 way we do this – playing the Christian superiority card. I remember watching a video on relational evangelism – a woman was asked if she wanted a glass of wine – “I’m a Christian, I don’t drink” – and it comes across as superiority over others. There are ways to hold our convictions without offending.
Dick was at a work gig – and after the meeting – all the guys were going to go to these bars to listen to jazz… - Dick – you don’t drink – you probably won’t go – and Dick said – Designated driver?
Sometimes we have viewpoint superiority. We have certain convictions about what is true – and there is a way to express them with humility and grace and a way of doing it with superiority and looking down at others. We need to be careful to do it with humility and grace. We have completely lost the ability to have civil disagreements and discussions. It does not exist without arguing and putting down. As Christians, we join in.
If we are unable to have civil discussions and debates with others who disagree over deeply held views – those deeply held views are of little value. If it is deeply held – you are not challenged by others’ views. Those who are being persecuted for their faith are not intimidated – they are thrown to the lions with grace, because they deeply held their views.
Science vs. Creation – I believe God created the heavens and the earth by the word of His mouth – but – if I have a discussion with someone who disagrees, I don’t call them names. We think – they started it! But you don’t have a right to say that – you’re supposed to be the example and they are your ministry and mission – not your enemy.
Here is another one. When we condemn specific sins and aspects of our culture and world system but not others! There are certain ones we condemn – and we should be able to say that sin is sin – but our problem is we say certain sins are sin and not others. In America, we focus on sexual immorality – and sexual immorality is wrong – but how often do you hear greed and covetousness condemned? We don’t call it out, we celebrate it.
Let me give you something to do – it’ll be a lot of fun – look up verses of people who will not get into the kingdom of God – the list of sins – and those who think they are in the kingdom of God – and those who say – NOPE! And you might say – Yep, I agree with that one –and that one – but did you know if you fail to show hospitality to aliens and strangers – of fail to visit people in prison – you will THINK you will go but you will not! We need to be just when we condemn.
The other one – go to the Old Testament – and look up everything that is called an abomination – there are about 40 of them. You’ll be shocked.

4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
We must first view ourselves as servants of God. The servant does not own it – the ministry belongs to God. It is not ours. We think WE own it. I know we need to give people ownership – but we really give servantship over a ministry. Because once we think it is ours, then we will begin to offend – and as long as we think – I am just a servant – then we are safe.
Then he says – the way he commends himself – it is in the difficult things – in distresses, beatings, in imprisonments…
You know when you are offended, you want to offend back – to wound with words – but Paul is saying – he demonstrated grace and civility through the most difficult things. When he talks about how wonderful his ministry is – he never mentions the vast network of radio and TV shows – but more in his difficulties and distress and persecutions and beatings. He seems to be saying – if you do not have struggles – your ministry may be corrupt – just sayin’. When we are in difficult situations – and as the church is attacked more and more, we have opportunity to shine – to demonstrate what it is to be a Christ-follower.
Some of the most important qualities of a follower of Christ can only be demonstrated in difficulty. Love your enemies – pray for those who persecute you – bless those who revile you – you can’t do those things

6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
These are fruits of the spirit – you can tell because we respond with kindness and love and patience – those inner qualities of our character that demonstrate what our ministry is really like. Our lives and character being transformed by the way we deal with others. Are you more loving, patient, kind – not necessarily can you speak well – but the focus is on the inner character.
We must not respond in kind – we must not see our weapons as the ones used by the world – we have different weapons – they are God’s weapons – like 2 Cor. 10:4 – strong for pulling down strongholds – mighty through the spirit.
We are voting on Tuesday – and I will vote as a responsible citizen – but it is not my weapon. It is not a weapon at all

8 by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9 as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
We just want the glory and praise – the true, the know, and the live – but Paul is making it clear that is not the Christian life or ministry – but Christian ministry is a paradox of both sides – it is not popular to say that – it is true though. When we only look at one side of the equation – we have a problem.
To know joy, you must know sorrow.
As poor but making rich – today they say – it takes money to make money – but that is not the Biblical standard.
We have nothing – nothing is ours – but if God wants us to use something for His kingdom – we have everything. If we need something for his service – He will provide – but once that thing becomes mine – it is removed from God’s service – and we lose it.
I am going to close there –
Lord, these are hard words from Paul – help us to look at the hard words in our own lives – let it speak to me – there are things I don’t like – I don’t want the Christian life to be this way – let it speak to me – let me hear what You have to say through it.