Part 1: What is Offence?
To overcome offence, one first has to determine what offence is. This is important because offence is the number one killer of Christian life in the Church today. Offence is like a cancer, it can attack you at any time. If it is caught early enough it can be treated but if left too long it is fatal. Thanks be to God that there are precautionary measures that can be taken to reduce the risk factor but first we need to discover what this killer is and how it really works.
Matthew 24:1-13 (MKJV)
Matthew 24:10 (MKJV) And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another.
Offended: G4624 skandalizō (skan-dal-id’-zo) To “scandalize”; from G4625; to entrap, that is, trip up (figuratively stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure): – (make to) offend.
Matthew 24:10 (BBE) And numbers of people will be turned from the right way, and will give one another up and have hate for one another.
(CEV) Many will give up and will betray and hate each other.
(CJB) At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other,
(GNB) Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another. (GW) Then many will lose faith. They will betray and hate each other.
(NASB) “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
(NLT) And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other.
(WNT) Then WILL MANY STUMBLE AND FALL, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
Part 2: Letting Go
Matthew 6:12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Forgive: to release, to let go, to let alone
Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT)
What we do to others, we will have done to us. Do you not realize that you are one with your brother? He and you are from the same body. If your foot stumbles and hurts itself, does it not bring hurt to the rest of your body? So what should you the rest of your body do? Should you be offended because of the pain you are feeling or should you take care of the foot until it is healed? The problem here is that we do not believe that our brother is one with us because we are living on the low road of life in self-outside of the Christ. Beloved we are confused about what our rights are. The only rights that we have are in the grace of God, we have NO rights in ourselves. We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to Christ. We have no right to hold something against another. Choose to let it go, take the high road of the Spirit and be free! Let it go!
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