Unapologetically Offensive
Don't listen to the propaganda. Christianity is uncool. At least, it should be.
And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)
I've only seen a handful of churches in my life and currently I am part of a contemporary Christian church. They have live bands, have embraced technology and the digital age, and their houses of worship are void of religious imagery in favor of a more modern, branded-look. The messages are powerful, but in many instances, entertaining too. Best of all, they give back to the community generously.
Overall, I am not ashamed to tell anyone about my church. It doesn't feel weird or uncomfortable. In fact, I believe the church I attend is pretty cool. Growing up Catholic, it feels like night and day. Others I've invited have agreed with me that my church organization is different, in a good way. Atheists, Jews and Muslims alike don't seem to mind my "religion" at all.
But I'm not sure that I'm totally OK with that. That type of acceptance doesn't sit well with me knowing who Jesus is and how He described life would be like for His disciples. He didn't say to His followers, "Your friends will accept you but they may not accept me." No, He said that everyone is going to hate you because of me.
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. (John 15:18)
While everyone loves talking about Jesus' love and compassion for the sick and the poor, people tend to avoid the harder things He said. Let's start with the easiest one - the foundation for Christianity: Jesus not only claimed to be God, He claimed that if you don't believe He is God, you are going to end up in hell when you die. Hell is not described as a place you can escape or a place where second chances will be given. It's described as a place of torment and eternal consequence for sin (Luke 16:19-31).
Jesus commanded...I'll say that again...HE COMMANDED that His followers share this truth with others, out of love for them. He told His disciples to share the good news that this doesn't have to be a person's fate - that they can be reunited with God in Heaven by choosing to leave behind their old life of sin and follow Him.
Now, ask yourself...what am I sharing with others about Jesus? Am I sharing that how they respond to Christ determines their fate for eternity or am I sharing a more comfortable, tolerable message about grace, kindness, and generosity. Ask yourself - do you even believe that people not following Jesus will go to hell? Or do you believe God's grace cannot be stopped and everyone will eventually have their sins forgiven? It's more comforting sometimes to hope that God will extend grace to people that reject His Son, but still live "good" lives (we often think of being good as not murdering, stealing, abusing others, etc.). These are all tempting thoughts, but they are not biblical and they only offer our flesh an escape to ignore Jesus' command to preach the Gospel.
I know for me, it's difficult to look someone in the face and tell them they're going to hell unless they become His disciple (by the way, being a disciple isn't a hobby - it's your top priority). I find it hard to have conversations that could result in the other person not wanting to talk to me ever again. So trust me, I'm preaching to myself here as well.
That being said, what if we did what Jesus asked and shared the Gospel with everyone, without filters and without making it look cool and trendy? What would happen?
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)
In other words, there are only two natural responses to the Gospel - receiving it joyfully or rejecting it hatefully. You are either going to recognize the Gospel as your salvation or you are going to see it as your impending doom. What typically happens is that when people reject the Gospel, the conviction they feel in their heart is suppressed into hate and rebellion against God. Since they cannot do anything to God directly, they lash out against believers and the church. Here is where we get persecution.
The disciple John recorded several letters that Jesus revealed to Him and asked Him to deliver to various churches. Of the seven churches mentioned, five of them received a warning. The two that didn't receive a warning were applauded and encouraged by Jesus. Why? Because those two churches were encountering significant persecution. Here's what He said to the church at Smyrna...
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
Eek. I don't know, man. That doesn't sound like the Smyrna community was too thrilled with the church and their preaching. Meanwhile, the other churches that received a rebuke were called out by Jesus for compromising with the culture - mingling worldly traditions with Christ's teachings and softening their message. While most of the churches decided to become more tolerable and received harsh warnings from Christ, there were only two that chose to remain faithful to the Gospel and endure the hate, no matter what it cost them.
I want to tell you that receiving Christ and following Him will be cool. I want to tell you that you won't have to sacrifice relationships, careers, dreams, and more. But following Him will cost you. People will be offended by the Gospel if you preach it. If you share God's grace and truth, unfiltered and not watered down, the enemy Satan will put those you love against you. Jesus alerted us...
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. (Matthew 10:34-36)
You cannot deny the Bible is clear on this - you will make enemies and face persecution when you follow Jesus. I'm not telling you to go look for trouble, but what persecution do you see in your life because of Jesus? If you have yet to face opposition from others, you may want to examine yourself and how you are following Jesus. The best way to do that is to open your Bible and invite the Holy Spirit to guide and correct you.
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