A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Tuesday, January
22, 2019
"Offended
By Truth"
Message
summary: Truth
is hate to those who
hate the truth!
Listen to our
message on your audio
player.
"We must
speak the truth in
love" (Ephesians
4:15).
I see a nation
on the brink
I see a people prone to think
That truth is like an ocean wave
Changing with the tide.
I see a people prone to think
That truth is like an ocean wave
Changing with the tide.
But for me
there has to be
An absolute, a center line
And it's the Word of God eternal
The cornerstone of Christ
An absolute, a center line
And it's the Word of God eternal
The cornerstone of Christ
Several weeks
ago a church in rural
California used their
changeable message sign
to post a truthful but
very culturally
unpopular message. It
hit the social media
circus, many were
offended by it and the
pastor lost his position
as pastor. The sign's
message was blunt but
true and just 25 years
ago wouldn't have caused
much attention. Some
would have agreed with
it, other would have
disagreed but would have
accepted, perhaps even
respected, the church's
right to express its
beliefs.
But we now live in the age of the easily offended and day after day we read of someone causing a stir because they are offended about something. With social media this can quickly become "viral" and mob-like. This works especially well for those offended by conservative views.
In the nineties I pastored a church in Massachusetts that had a changeable message sign at the entrance to our parking lot. We placed up Scripture verses and short truths expressed in catchy phrases and changed it weekly. Our church was located on US Route 44, the busy east/west highway passing through the city, so we had lots of traffic. Through the years we would occasionally get a positive comment about a message posted. But my most informative feedback memory was not positive.
But we now live in the age of the easily offended and day after day we read of someone causing a stir because they are offended about something. With social media this can quickly become "viral" and mob-like. This works especially well for those offended by conservative views.
In the nineties I pastored a church in Massachusetts that had a changeable message sign at the entrance to our parking lot. We placed up Scripture verses and short truths expressed in catchy phrases and changed it weekly. Our church was located on US Route 44, the busy east/west highway passing through the city, so we had lots of traffic. Through the years we would occasionally get a positive comment about a message posted. But my most informative feedback memory was not positive.
One year
during a "Sanctity of
Life Sunday" we posted
this simple,
unambiguous, irrefutable
message: "Abortion
Stops A Beating Heart".
A few days later a lady
called our church office
and told me she had seen
the sign and was deeply
offended and extremely
upset about it. She
thought there should be
a law against posting
such a message and
threatened that she was
going to check into it.
She said her children
were so upset they
cried. Well, the truth
really hurts and in this
case illustrates the
awful blindness that sin
causes. However, that
was it and it blew over
and we left the message
up without further
incident till it was
time to put up a new
message.
When reading about the California church sign I considered how different things might be today for posting "Abortion stops a beating heart" and similar type messages. With social media as a catalyst someone would have twittered out a photo and in no time an offended group would have probably gathered around the sign at the entrance of our church in angry protest. They might have yelled at our church people as they entered the parking lot and no telling what else!
Today, whatever Biblical issue is being assaulted in your corner of the world, keep standing for the truth. A lie: no matter how it is packaged, no matter who repeats it or how often, whether or not a majority holds to it, it is still a lie! Let us commit to being proclaimers and examples of truth in the midst of a world that redefines or "modernizes" what is perceived as truth to promote its own truth-denying agenda.
Today's text is a phrase from a verse that we purposely quote to make us think. In its initial application it was directed to the church in Ephesus and addressed their interpersonal relationships. But we feel the principle applies to the church's stand in the world as well. "We must speak the truth in love." Unfortunately the concept of love and hate has been so muddied that this is very hard. Truth is hate to those who hate the truth!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
When reading about the California church sign I considered how different things might be today for posting "Abortion stops a beating heart" and similar type messages. With social media as a catalyst someone would have twittered out a photo and in no time an offended group would have probably gathered around the sign at the entrance of our church in angry protest. They might have yelled at our church people as they entered the parking lot and no telling what else!
Today, whatever Biblical issue is being assaulted in your corner of the world, keep standing for the truth. A lie: no matter how it is packaged, no matter who repeats it or how often, whether or not a majority holds to it, it is still a lie! Let us commit to being proclaimers and examples of truth in the midst of a world that redefines or "modernizes" what is perceived as truth to promote its own truth-denying agenda.
Today's text is a phrase from a verse that we purposely quote to make us think. In its initial application it was directed to the church in Ephesus and addressed their interpersonal relationships. But we feel the principle applies to the church's stand in the world as well. "We must speak the truth in love." Unfortunately the concept of love and hate has been so muddied that this is very hard. Truth is hate to those who hate the truth!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
we learn from
Scripture and we see
by Jesus' example that
we are to speak the
truth in love, even
when it is easier to
go along with the
crowd or the trends of
our society including
the post modern
thinking that doesn't
rely on facts as much
as one's personal
experience, emotions,
and ideology. Help us
to be courageous
believers who live the
truth and speak the
truth. Give us
strength not to
apologize or shrink
back when we're
attacked as
ambassadors of Your
unchanging truths as
presented in
Scripture. In Jesus'
name we pray. Amen.Several
additional
considerations on
offending and being
offended:
1) Of course this message should not be construed as an excuse to bully or intentionally offend others.
2) All through life I have been insulted and/or offended. I think this has been virtually everyone’s experience. Sometimes the insults are intentional and mean, but most of the times unintentional, a misunderstanding.
3) And I have also insulted and/or offended others. I also think this has been virtually everyone’s experience. Most of the time these insults and offenses to others have been unintentional, or likely a misunderstanding. But frankly, especially in my pre-conversion days, I look back at my insensitivity and immaturity and admit that I was intentionally mean at times, such as getting a laugh at someone else's expense. In some cases I have sought forgiveness from those I hurt, in other cases such as a lost contact I must leave it in the Lord's hands.
4) Now "being offended" can be used to silence those with whom one disagrees and if lawyers get involved can be a potential source of big money.
1) Of course this message should not be construed as an excuse to bully or intentionally offend others.
2) All through life I have been insulted and/or offended. I think this has been virtually everyone’s experience. Sometimes the insults are intentional and mean, but most of the times unintentional, a misunderstanding.
3) And I have also insulted and/or offended others. I also think this has been virtually everyone’s experience. Most of the time these insults and offenses to others have been unintentional, or likely a misunderstanding. But frankly, especially in my pre-conversion days, I look back at my insensitivity and immaturity and admit that I was intentionally mean at times, such as getting a laugh at someone else's expense. In some cases I have sought forgiveness from those I hurt, in other cases such as a lost contact I must leave it in the Lord's hands.
4) Now "being offended" can be used to silence those with whom one disagrees and if lawyers get involved can be a potential source of big money.
Several
years ago I recall
when Daniel Riley, a
singer with the Gospel
group "Gold City"
shared how that in his
small town in Alabama,
they had, as long as
he could remember, a
nativity scene on
display. One person
was "offended" by it
and an outside group
called the "Freedom
From Religion
Foundation" demanded
its removal. Like so
many small towns they
complied rather than
pay the legal fees to
fight such an
outrageous demand.
He shared
that the same evil,
Satan-inspired group
demanded a town remove
a sign often seen in
smaller towns all
across America. "The
Churches Of ______
Welcome You". Now how
in the world could
that be offensive to
anybody? When we drive
by a sign or billboard
with a message
offensive to our faith
(which we see a lot)
we either disregard it
or at times it prompts
us to pray.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Here's another example
of the sheer evil and twisted
thinking of the religious left "Nadia
Bolz-Weber Asserts Life Begins
at Breath" in regard to the
pro-life viewpoint. (Note:
I am not related to this Weber!)
Observations.
- I believe the
sign message expresses the
truth, but am not sure that was
the best place.
- We don't have the full story about the pastor's dismissal. Maybe there were other issues and the sign message was used to egg someone on, which it sure did!
- Interesting when
looking at reviews of the church
on Google maps, the amount of
negative reviews the last couple
of weeks almost certainly by
people that never heard of this
church prior to this. You sure
don't want to get the social
media mob coming against you!
- The church web site now states "forbidden".
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