June 23rd, 2013

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Offended

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013

I’m kind of curious what your thoughts were when you saw the title.

Who said something to Bill?

Did something inadvertently happen that either offended Bill or (more likely) he offended someone?

Is this a continuance of his Toxic:Danger post on Words?

Actually…none of the above.  For one, I don’t offend easily.  Well, I do, but it is much more likely I will do the offending. 🙂  And two, it really isn’t about offending anyone at all.  At least not as we might think.

I mentioned once before that I have been reading Frank Viola’s new book, God’s Favorite Place on Earth.   In his chapter, Awakened in Bethany, Mr. Viola refers to what he calls “The Forgotten Beatitude.”   In Matthew 11:6 it says, “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”   To be offended here means to stumble or trip.  There is something that  sticks out in Martha’s statement to Jesus when she sees Him: “Lord, if only…”   How many times have you I used those same words?  I know someone right now who is struggling with having any faith:  “How there be agape love,” he says, “when there is so much chaos.”  That leads to the inevitable “If only God.”

In that regard, I am no different than Martha.  I cannot even begin to count how many times I have questioned God’s sovereignty.  How many times I have questioned His love.  How many times I have questioned His control.   In that way I reckon I am no different from my friend.  He seems to be honest enough to state his doubts.   Meanwhile,  I quietly question.  The one big difference is I eventually come to the place of faith in the complete sovereignty of God is all things.  (No, I am not a Calvinist).

However, I am intrigued by these words of Jesus, or as Frank calls them “the forgotten beatitude.”  His cousin, John the Baptizer, was taken captive and before he was beheaded (obviously) sent his disciples to Jesus to ask a simple question: “Are you the One who was to come? Or should we expect another?”  Jesus didn’t visit John, but He sent word to tell him what they have seen and heard.  (See that reference here)

You know people who have been offended by Jesus.  They used to follow Him and now they want nothing to do with Him.  They have gone so far as to renounce Him.  I recently read of a lead singer of a group who wrote his wife to say he was divorcing her and he no longer believed in God.  What  happened?  My next three posts will be three reasons why Christians become offended by God, with those three reasons coming from Frank’s book.   I hope you will look forward to them, but also do some searching with me.

Have you ever found yourself offended by Jesus?  Do you know someone who is/has been and has now drifted far from God?