Righteously Offensive

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Psalm 112:9-10

They share freely and give generously to those in need.
    Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
    They will have influence and honor.
¹⁰ The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
    They will grind their teeth in anger;
    they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

(NLT)

Most of us remember what we were doing on September 11, 2001.  For me it was a day visiting family members in the hospital.  My wife was going to the hospital that morning for surgery and as such, we were busy getting her ready and had not been watching the news.  Upon arrival at the hospital I remember seeing the World Trade Towers on fire thinking it was some movie, only to find out it was real and our nation was under attack.  Fortunately, this did not stop my wife’s surgery and all went well.

After my wife’s surgery, I went across town, not a small task when you live in Phoenix Arizona, to visit my father who was in the hospital recovering from surgery.  My dad was a World War II veteran and as we might understand, was infuriated by what he saw on the TV.  Soon after arriving to visit my dad, one of the members of his church came in to visit and asked a question many reading this might have asked on that fateful day, why do they hate us so much?

After what seemed to me an eternity I answered the question.  Their extreme hatred was due to a disagreement with our beliefs and a belief that they must eradicate anyone not sharing that belief and that dying in the process of carrying this out leads to some reward in heaven.  Just as the psalmist wrote in Psalm 112:10, these wicked individuals were infuriated with the predominate belief of citizens in the United States and out of anger felt justified in killing massive numbers of these citizens even though it cost them their lives. 

One of the things that makes Christianity unique is its belief nothing we do earns our salvation but instead salvation is a free gift awarded to us by the substitutionary sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).  While I believe the only way to salvation is through belief in Jesus Christ as savior (John 14:6), the fact that my total salvation is based upon God’s grace means I earn no special favor from God by taking out someone not sharing my belief.  Therefore, when I encounter someone not sharing my belief, I pray for them trusting that the Holy Spirit will minister to them, placing them under conviction and lead them to their savior.  If that leads to an opportunity to share the Gospel with them, I am prepared to do so. 

While Christianity is not spread through violence, the fact that it stands in opposition to the beliefs of other religions and even atheists is a cause of infuriation for these individuals.  For this reason, non-violent Christians throughout church history, and in many parts of the world today suffer violent persecution at the hands of wicked individuals.  This leads to the question, why would anyone risk their lives sharing the Gospel with someone?

1)      There is a reward of eternity with God (John 3:16) – The fear of death stems from our fear of the unknown.  From our limited earthly perspective, death appears final with one ceasing to exist.  However, when we place our faith in Jesus as our savior, we have the promise of eternal life with Jesus as a reward.  Potential death for sharing the Gospel with someone so they too can have this reward is worth it for to be absent from this earthly body means living eternally in God’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8).

2)      Jesus commanded his followers to spread the Gospel (Mark 16:15) – In response to the tremendous sacrifice God and Jesus made to provide my salvation, it is my desire to live in obedience.  While I am not perfect, I do have total obedience to Christ as the goal of my life.  Jesus last words to His followers prior to going to be with His Father was to share the good news of the Gospel.  Total obedience is a willingness to do this even in the face of death or rejection by friends. 

3)      God does not want anyone to die without being saved (2 Peter 3:9) – For one to live a life of total obedience to God, one must desire what God desires.  The main reason for the delay in Christ’s second Coming is His desire that nobody die without receiving salvation.  While this will not occur since acceptance of the gift of salvation is our choice, we should take every opportunity God gives to us to share the Gospel for it is what God would want us to do.

4)      A firm unwavering belief based upon what God has done in our lives – Lack of a fear of the finality of death gives us courage to share the Gospel and our love for others drives us to share our gift with others.  While we may not wax eloquent in our theology, all of us that have accepted Jesus as savior have a story to share.  We therefore must allow our unwavering belief in the miraculous gift we have received from God drive us to share our story with others.

While the message of the Gospel may be offensive to some, we must not fear offending someone with its message for while it may be offensive, it is righteously offensive giving them an opportunity to be reconciled to God.  I cannot close this posting without giving anyone reading this that has not accepted Gods gracious free gift of eternal life an opportunity to do so now by praying with me.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You now have eternal life with God in your future.  Now do not fear sharing your story and even this post with others so they too can have an opportunity for eternal life with God in heaven.