Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Offended

There is a growing trend in our culture toward offensiveness. By that, I mean that it seems that people are more easily offended now than at any point in my lifetime.

It's almost like we're walking around, looking for some opportunity to be offended. Being offended by something has seemingly become a badge of honor.

What a waste of time and energy. Especially for Christ-followers. And yet we can be the worst of "offenders" in this regard.

So many Christian people are so hyper-sensitive that they are offended by nearly everything and anything. Their "righteous radar" runs so hot that anything that might be even the slightest bit sinful or impure sends them into a "Holy Spirit hissyfit." (If the previous statement offends you, you might have just made my point for me.)

It looks like this…I am so offended by this person's behavior that I can't be around them. Never mind the fact that they're lost. Never mind they fact that they just need someone to tell them about Jesus. They offend my religious sensibilities, so I'm outta here.

Ummm…that doesn't sound like something Jesus would do, does it? I hate the term "religious," but I'll use it here just for the sake of my point. Jesus was the most religious guy to ever walk the earth…and he surrounded himself with the most irreligious people he could find.

Did he approve of their lifestyle? No. And he never left any ambiguity there. He called sin…sin.

But he didn't let their sinfulness drive him away. In fact, it seemed like the more messed up they were, the more he wanted to be around them. He had the hope that they needed. He had the peace that they sought. He had the love that they craved.

Sadly, Jesus' followers today seem a lot more content to condemn people to hell rather than point them to heaven. They are so easily offended by these "sinners" that they quickly retreat back to the safety of their holy huddle.

If we want to talk about the Great Commission , we can do it the safe confines of our church or our small group or our Christian circle of friends.

But if we actually want to do the Great Commission, we've got to be around sinners. We can't be afraid to get our hands dirty. We've got to allow ourselves to be offended…and still refuse to leave them.

If you really want to be offended, then you should be offended by this…people all around you will go to hell if nothing changes.

That is the truth…and it should offend you.