Proverbs 18:19, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong
city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.”
Great care must be taken to prevent hindrance to the work of the Lord
in church families. We must sense the condition of each person and offer
the appropriate Biblical remedy. The key to ministry is sensitivity –
the right kind! Those needing to mature in the Lord, to become established
in loyalty and faithfulness, to be persuaded to fully embrace the cross,
all stand to suffer at the expense of the wrong kind of sensitivity. Contentions
make ministry difficult, if not impossible! They hinder spiritual progress
and overthrow the faith. There are steps we must all take to keep our
minds and hearts sensitive to God… Add some sense to your sensitivity!!
1. Occasions Of Offence Must Arrive.
Matthew 18:7, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs
be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”
Set your face heavenward and stand your guard! Do not become entangled
with needless sensitivities – especially your own!! Keep yourself in all
ways from becoming a barrier to ministry. With the right sensitivity,
all the problems in the world will not make you a failure. But, with the
wrong sensitivity, all the help in the world cannot make you a success…
Matthew 23:13, “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”
Luke 11:52, “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of
knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in
ye hindered.”
In being easily hurt, these particular types of people added to the burdens
of the ministry; they had no heart for helping carry the load! Instead
of helping others, they were harming them with their sensitivities. The
proud in heart keep themselves and others out of the work and close the
door to improvement. There is no Biblical sense in their sensitivity!!
Matthew 16:23, “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me,
Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things
that be of God, but those that be of men.”
Offences are satanic in nature and seek to silence the work of God! Peter’s
sensitivity to suffering caused him to argue with the Lord as seen in
vs. 21-22 prior to the text above. Like ours, his human tendency was to
avoid suffering and death rather than being sensitive to Christ’s mission
on earth. However, Jesus put wrong sensitivities away from Himself as
seen in the statement He made above. They held no place in His ministry.
“Sour godliness is the devil’s religion.”
2. Occasions Of Offence Are Forbidden.
1 Cor. 10:32, “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles,
nor to the church of God:”
As church family, we have the responsibility to build others in the faith
and seek their advantage. We are to glorify God in all things. How can
you do that if you are causing someone to stumble or be made weak by choosing
what is best for yourself in every situation?? We must never live to our
own benefit - to our own sensitivities! The way we exercise sensitivity
to relate to others shows whether we are mature in Christ.
2 Cor. 6:3, “Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not
blamed:”
One of the biggest obstacles to the progress of the gospel is the bad
example of those who profess to be Christians, and mature ones at that!
In holding the reputation of a servant of the Lord, we must act properly
to that character. Unsaved people and immature believers are prone to
using the behavior of the saints as reasons for rejecting Christ and Christ-like
conduct. The ministry is then discredited... How tragic for Christians
to receive the grace of God in vain! They are blessed with a good pastor
yet because of their wrong sensitivities, fail to benefit from the truth
he uncompromisingly preaches and end up blocking their own growth. They
are hard to be won...
3. Maltreatment , A Cause Of Offence
Matthew 13:21, “Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while:
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and
by he is offended.”
Our profiting by the Word of God is greatly hindered by our personal cares...
Having no root in ourselves (that being established in our personal relationship
with Christ), we become highly sensitive to every dealing that comes our
way. Without a solid root system in place inside us, it takes no time
at all to topple the tree!
In my studies, I came across a plant I did not know existed before. It
is called a "sensitive-plant". It’s leaves shrink, contract and fall on
being slightly touched. So too, do we! Our capacity for receiving impressions
is controlled by our senses of sight, sound, touch. Do you tend to disappear,
withdraw, or collapse over the faintest personal contact? How close can
others get to you without you coming unglued?
Matthew 24:10, “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one
another, and shall hate one another.”
The Bible says that in the last days, sensitivities among people will
increase; without effort, persons will be upset; tempers will flare. Those
who were once true to each other shall betray each other. Undoubtedly,
marriages, homes, and churches shall experience an excess of hatred and
become easily divided. Consequently, if we add sense to our sensitivity
now, no enemy shall be able to prevail against us!
Matthew 26:31, “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because
of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the
sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again,
I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though
all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”
When Peter argued again with the Lord, this was the beginning of greater
trouble for him. You see, he was unwilling to apply the word “all” to
himself, to place himself in the category labeled "sinner". However, the
Lord gave Peter a personal warning: He would deny Christ three times!
Similar to our tendencies, Peter thought he was better than the other
men and above being offended. Jesus told him straight out he would be
even more susceptible than the others! While observing the vain sensitivities
of various individuals, beware that you are not caught off guard with
your own! Improper self-confidence is the first step to a fall... Godly
character builds slowly, but it can be torn down with incredible swiftness
through the wrong kind of sensitivity!
4. Saints Warned Against Taking Offence
John 16:1, “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be
offended.”
How does the Holy Spirit encourage believers when they are experiencing
the hatred and opposition of the world or when they are tempted to become
sensitive to those who are hostile toward them even within the church?
It is primarily through the Word of God, through the things the Lord has
spoken to us. (Ps. 119:165) Ladies, our love to the Word of God must subdue
our lusts! If you are intimate with Him, personal issues will not crush
you!
5. Saints Educated Through Offence
Philip. 4:11-13, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned,
in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to
be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am
instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
We all know the apostle Paul faced several uniquely sensitive situations
in his lifetime! Sometimes he was treated properly; oftentimes he was
not. Yet, he was never a victim of his circumstances; he didn’t stumble
over every little thing that happened to him. Paul learned by experience
the secret of peace and a stable mind - regardless of how much he went
without. Are you that flexible, dear lady, or does everything have to
go your way?? If we depend on our own power, we will fail, but if we depend
upon Christ, we can face our sufferings and allow them to give birth to
new and right sensitivities!
Acts 24:16, “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience
void of offence toward God, and toward men.”
This was a daily practice of Paul – to be empty of all wrong sensitivities.
Ladies, this is vital preparation for ministry and spiritual warfare.
How can we battle the devil successfully when we are entangled mentally
with the affairs of this life? Clear your conscience (the real battleground!)
of cumbersome issues and fight free! You can’t add peace and good will
to the world if you fail to create an atmosphere of harmony and love right
where you live!
6. Must Cut Off Causes To Offence
Matthew 5:30, “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast
it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should
perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
Don’t feed wrong sensitivities; keep all senses away from that which leads
to sin. Sever them from your heart, discipline the actions of your body
and the avenues of your mind! Put away those personal disputes that you
have pampered your flesh with and think about what matters to the LORD
for a change!
7. Use Self Denial
Romans 14:21, “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor
any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”
Mark 8:34, “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples
also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.”
1 John 2:10, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there
is none occasion of stumbling in him.”
As we look back at our opening verse, God’s Word clearly proves that we
cannot be a Christian alone. You cannot live a complete and developing
Christian life unless you are in fellowship with God’s people. The Christian
life has two relationships: Godward and Manward. How are these relationships
going for you, dear lady? Have you cut yourself off from both and been
living behind an impenetrable barrier you've built up with your many offenses?
If so, I can guarantee you are not an easy person to minister to...
We become disciples of Jesus Christ by surrendering our all (sensitivities)
to Him, taking up our cross, and following Him. If we live for ourselves,
we lose our lives… Discipleship saves us from the tragedy of a wasted
life! Our relationships are to consist of love, one for the other. It
is when we carry out true Christian love that life gets brighter and brighter!
It is important that Christians exercise love in their local church -
the right kind of sensitivity toward one another - or else there will
always be problems and disunity. If you live in a castle filled with your
contentions, it is a cold, lonely existence; hatred will darken your life.
Then, when we are divided against each other, we will never become a truly
happy, spiritual family.
1 Cor. 13:4-7, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, [5] Doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
[6] Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; [7] Beareth
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
In closing, when we have reacted to something in an overly sensitive manner
and become easily provoked, we should not wait for the one who has upset
us to come to us; we should go to him. If we do not, Jesus warns us that
we will end up in a prison of spiritual judgment (behind the bars of a
castle!) where we will have to pay the price for refusing to deal with
our problems scripturally. In other words, when we harbor an unforgiving,
unloving spirit, we harm ourselves most! YOU are the one who holds the
key to your own heart – that key is Christ! Will you obey God and become
sensitive to Him, or stay locked up inside forever behind the sensitivities
that are centered around yourself?
John 12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit.”
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello
