How to Offend like a Christian

There is no way around it; there is no shortcut to escape it unless you want to forsake it, but the Gospel offends (I Pet.2:7-8). You must drink it straight. For the Christian, the alternative to living out a Gospel that offends is to live as if the Gospel does not matter.

We can move through our workday cavalierly playing the nominal Christian game, remaining quiet when you should have stood firm; you can let Uncle Joe splurt his vitriol against the church and be a good girl, not causing offense anywhere, and masking our way through the next crisis. Yes, we can gain the world’s approval, but we lose our souls.

Is it or is it not the power of God unto salvation and foolishness to the world (Rom. 1; I Cor. 1)? The way you live determines one of these two choices.

So, how do we intentionally live a Gospel that touches the core of anthropology? That hits the center of human pride? That strikes at the root of secular practice? The first way to live a Gospel that is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; to practice those Christian rituals that birthed the Christ-community in the first century. And they were the “foolish” rituals of hospitality, friendship, and sacraments.

The Early Church had many failures, but they hosted each other, they loved each other, they suffered well, and they broke communion bread amid famine, peril and sword. These practices toppled an empire, turned the world upside down, gave Nero nightmares, and kept Pilate and his wife awake at night. How is that for a Gospel offense?!

Suppose the cultural forces continue to move away from the authentic values of the Church. In that case, members of this royal offense-saturated community must see the Church of our Lord as the headquarters of counter-cultural measures.

This is no time to rest or to play nice with anti-Christian politicians and lawmakers. We must restore our sense of the good by loving one another and surrounding ourselves with a Creed that cannot be torn by the mobs but is embraced by a genuine community of believers. We must return to those principles that formed us into the unstoppable empire that grew from 12 to billions. We need to declare these things loud and clear.

“We believe in God the Father Almighty!” but they will say, “How dare you!”
“Maker of Heaven of Earth!” but they will say, “That’s not science!”
“And in Jesus Christ our Lord!” and they will say, “That’s not diversity.”
“Who shall come to judge the living and the dead!” and they will retort, “Nobody can judge!”

Every time we get together for coffee, eat with our neighbor, talk about the goodness of God, and practice holy habits, we live the Gospel in word and deed. We are embracing a different creed and causing offense to the worldly dogma.

No, there is no way around it. The Gospel offends! It afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted. Any other message is false and has no power or salvation.