My Grace-Full Life

The Offensiveness of the Gospel

BY DENISE HEIDEL

As our world continues to fight amongst ourselves – arguing about who is wrong, who is right. Who is offensive and who has been offended. While we weigh pros and cons of various sides, trying to make it through the minutia of conflicting information, it becomes hard to know right from wrong. And nothing has escaped the microscope of offense. A few months ago, a series of brands announced their plans to change their image, including Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Mrs. Butterworth’s, Cream of Wheat and Land ‘O Lakes. This article isn’t about whether this is the right or wrong move. I’ve seen both support and outrage over this. And, as I’ve thought about it, I can’t help but think of how we as Christians have been doing this same thing for years…trying to re-brand and re-package Christianity, so we don’t come across as judgmental, insensitive or offensive.

But, the Bible IS offensive. There are verses upon verses that speak of it, including 1 Peter 2:7-8 which says, “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and ‘A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” But, let’s table that…

Here’s the thing – we want to win souls for Jesus, but we don’t want to tell people they are sinners. That would offend them. So, we focus on the love of Jesus. I don’t disagree that Jesus’ love is worthy of discussion and a valuable tool in evangelism… After all, it was the love of Jesus that kept Him nailed to a cross to die a horrific, grotesque and agonizing death – for us. And, there are some who, unquestionably, will come to faith in Christ solely based on His love. And, that’s wonderful! Amazing! We need to celebrate them! But, I want to show you today why we can’t re-brand Christianity entirely and we can’t worry about offending others with it. As previously stated, the Bible already says people will be offended, so we can’t solely focus on “God is love.” We can’t leave out important details like these:

• We are all sinners who deserve death. • We can’t earn our way to heaven. • We are all in desperate need of a Savior.

Those are things we don’t want to talk about. After all, no one likes to be told they are wrong…that they aren’t enough…or that they can’t rely on themselves. Yet, I think of the words of Alice Cooper – yes, that Alice Cooper. He is a devout Christian, and he said in an interview once, “I needed the hell scared out of me – literally.”

Here are the problems we face when we sanitize our evangelism too much:

• Pride can’t be humbled into humility when people aren’t made to understand how much they need Jesus.

It’s not enough to simply WANT Him – we have to understand that we also

NEED Him.

• Sinners can’t repent when we don’t fully appreciate our wrongdoings and how disdainful our sin is to a

Holy God. And repentance isn’t just saying, “I’m sorry.” Repentance is about changing behaviors and turning away from sin. How can we change if we don’t understand the magnitude of our offense?

• People can’t become fully dependent on God for everything if we don’t realize our desperate need for Him.

• People can’t fully appreciate God’s love until we understand His mercy and grace. There are some who need to understand the depravity of their sin before they can truly appreciate the magnitude of God’s love. The Apostle Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament and while he wrote often of God’s love, he never skirted the issue of this truth: We are all sinners who need saving and that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 are my favorite verses and are the verses that inspired the name of my blog. They say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Paul also wrote, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b). He met people where they were. He didn’t try to present Jesus in a way so others wouldn’t be offended. Given how many times the man was beaten, flogged, stoned and even the way he was executed by beheading – I think we can all agree that plenty were offended by his words. But, he focused on speaking truth. And, the truth of the Gospel, includes both God’s love as well as His demand for justice. Usually, when we refer to “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” we stop. But, let’s look at the verses that follow in Romans 3:23-26: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

It’s not about our goodness, it’s about God’s. Our sin caused a chasm that God Himself, in His love, rectified. And, to fully understand that, we have to understand that His love isn’t because we deserve it… We don’t. But, because God is good and loving and merciful, He gives it.

As we continue in our efforts for evangelism, and try to brand Christianity, let us remember that it’s more than “God is love.” It’s about “God is merciful,” too.

MINUTE from your Minister

Have you ever been wounded? Not the physical wounds that break bones and cut your skin…I’m talking about the deep wounds that penetrate to the inner parts of your heart and soul.

The Bible warns us that in this world we will have trials and trouble. We expect that from the world and really aren’t surprised when those things happen. But what happens when it’s the church, the body of Christ that has caused your pain? Those wounds have a way of cutting to the deepest parts of our souls and often take the longest time to heal, sometimes leaving permanent scars that last a lifetime.

In my (pastor’s) family, these wounds caused some of our worst suffering because they came from sources we were not expecting. These wounds, not inflicted by the world or our enemy, instead were inflicted by the very ones we have shepherded, cared for, wept with, and rejoiced with. These hurts cut the deepest. These wounds, inflicted by the Body of Christ, our very own brothers and sisters, felt like betrayals that ran deep- and often came when we were already weary and struggling. It’s like being on the front lines of battle and being shot by friendly fire.

Can we do better? Can we be the one that shows love and encouragement as we care for the hurting? Look for an opportunity to speak life into your pastor’s family and let’s not give Satan the satisfaction of seeing the Church take aim at our own.

Faith & Family CALENDAR

YOUNG LIFE GOLF CLASSIC SEPT 2, 1pm Location: Bermuda Run West (Bermuda Run) Proceeds: Greater Forsyth County Young Life 336.934.2948 HOPE DU JOUR SEPT 8 Over 100 participating restaurants encourage you to eat out or take out breakfast, lunch and dinner with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Crisis Control of Forsyth County For a complete list of participating restaurants: hopedujour.org 336.724.7875 x1040 FREE (LIVE STREAM) BIBLE SEMINAR SEPT 12, 8am – 1pm Topic: “The Seven Churches of Revelation” Vintage Bible College (WinstonSalem) is an inter-denominational college offering Associate through Doctorate Degree Programs in Biblical Studies, Theology, Ministry & Christian Education. 336.759.0591 FARM TO FOURTH SEPT 13, order pick-up 4 - 7pm Location: Canteen Market & Bistro; 411 W 4th Street, WS Proceeds: Second Harvest Food Bank Farm-to-Table To-Go. A fundraiser to feed neighbors in need. Reservations are required. Social distancing and mask requirements will be enforced. Farm2Fourth.org GOLF TOURNAMENT SEPT 23, 9am Location: Bermuda Run West (Bermuda Run) Proceeds: Winston-Salem Rescue Mission 336.842.5308 SALEM PREGNANCY CARE CENTER “LAUGH FOR LIFE” FUNDRAISER SEPT 24, 5pm & 7pm Location: Salem Chapel (WS) Special Guest: Mike G. Williams (Christian Comedian) Proceeds: Salem Pregnancy Care Center (WS) Tickets are FREE, however registration is required: 336.760.3680

MICHAEL W. SMITH / STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN / MAC POWELL OCT 5, 6:30pm Location: Eden Drive-In (Eden) Bring up to 6 people with lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening with Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman & Mac Powell live in concert! Tickets: driveintheatertour.com MICHAEL W. SMITH / STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN / MAC POWELL OCT 6, 6:30pm Location: Badin Road Drive-In (Albemarle) Bring up to 6 people with lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening with Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman & Mac Powell live in concert! Tickets: driveintheatertour.com “LIVE 2 LEAD” (SIMULCAST) VIRTUAL CONFERENCE OCT 9, 9am – 1pm Conference Speakers: John Maxwell, Steve Harvey, Kat Cole & Alan Mulally The conference will be held live in Atlanta, Georgia, and simulcast at various locations L2Lwinston.com or 336.793.8399 to purchase tickets TOUR DE LLAMA OCT 17, 7:30am Location: Divine Llama Vineyards (East Bend) Three tour options: 21, 38, and 61 mile bicycle rides Proceeds: Samaritan Ministries of Forsyth County 336.448.2668 BIG DADDY WEAVE / ZACH WILLIAMS OCT 28, 6:30pm Location: Eden Drive-In (Eden) Bring up to 6 people with lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening with Big Daddy Weave and Zach Williams live in concert! Tickets: driveintheatertour.com BIG DADDY WEAVE / ZACH WILLIAMS OCT 29, 6:30pm Location: Badin Road Drive-In (Albemarle) Bring up to 6 people with lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening with Big Daddy Weave and Zach Williams live in concert! Tickets: driveintheatertour.com