Being an offensive Christian is often seen in a negative light by the world that we live in. In fact, a large part of the weak and non-confrontational Christian base does not want you to be offensive in any way. They pride themselves as love and go to every extreme that they can to avoid conflict of any sort. This type of Christian is not a Christ follower. A Christ follower would naturally be an offensive Christian. Don’t believe me? Look no farther than the example that Jesus gave us.
Matthew 15:10-20 New American Standard Bible
10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! 11 It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.”
12 Then the disciples came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leave them alone; they are blind guides of blind people. And if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.”
Jesus often offended people, particularly the pharisees and other religious leaders. By nature, speaking the truth is going to be offensive to people who seek to live counter to the truth. Doing the opposite of a know-it-all person is going to cause friction and offend the other person. Most people are not open minded when you tell them things that do not align with their way of thinking. Sometimes disagreements happen because of different perspectives. Other times disagreements happen because one party feels threatened by the other person’s way of thinking.
If we want to be like Jesus, we should offend people with the truth.
Our number one priority as a Christ follower should be to live and act in a way that parallels Christ’s behavior. We are called to speak truth. Truth in itself will be offensive if someone is living a lie. Our goal should not be to create confrontation for the sake of creating confrontation. When we align our words and actions with the example that Jesus showed us in the Bible, we will automatically turn into an offensive Christian.
For the Christians that want to tip toe through life and avoid confrontation, wake up. Grow a spine and quit hiding from the world and people’s emotions. What is the point in being a Christian if you are not willing to take up your cross as well? If you are not actively offending people by speaking the truth in love, then you are part of the problem. You become a stumbling block for the Gospel. It is time to go back and read your Bible. You should particularly focus on the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John for many examples of Jesus being truth, light and offensive.
Did I offend you with my words today? If so, ask yourself why. Can you honestly say that your life parallels what Christ showed us an example while he was here on earth?