We need to remember we do offend when we preach the cross and when we stop offending we have strayed from The Truth!
The message Jesus preached was not popular with religious folks then and is not popular today!
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” Mark 10:21 KJV
Jesus loved him enough to tell him what he lacked!
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.”
Matthew 10:24 KJV
“But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:” Mark 10:43 KJV
Becoming a true follower of Christ means giving up everything and sacrificing all we hold dear in this life, just as He did for us! The young ruler walked away sad but today's' church just changed the message to suit themselves!
No longer do you hear messages of repentance and turning away from sin as Jesus preached!
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17 KJV
“She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:11 KJV
The sugar-coated message of a "God of Love" does not even remotely resemble The God - Jesus obeyed even unto death on the cross!
Jesus knew the penalty we faced for our sin and was willing to pay the cost, redeeming us to The Father! And we are deceived into believing we can live like the world, in our sins of unforgiveness, unbelief, bitterness, fear, worry and judgments and still spend our eternity with Him wearing our crowns of gold! Our audacity knows no bounds!
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1 KJV
None read past "the cloud of witnesses" to see "lay aside every weight" and "the sin which easily ensnares us"! This life is a race for which we train; its outcome dependent on our overcoming! It's not about how much we accumulate or how popular we become!
“But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.”
Luke 6:24 KJV
“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
Luke 6:26 KJV
Wake up sleeper!!! If the message you heard yesterday didn't offend you, but in fact made you feel good, find another church!
Yes, God loves us! He loves us so much as to not leave us where he found us! It's up to us though to get up and start running the race He's called us to run! If you want to see the end of the course, climb up on The Cross for a better advantage!
May "the offense of the cross" never cease in our message!
Even so - MARANATHA!
From 6/1/15
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