Become A Victorious Christian
Don't Get Offended By Anything Or Anyone
Don't get offended by anything. Don't get offended by anyone. This is a blessed secret to having victory in your life. Proverbs 18:19 tells us what happens to offended people saying A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. In other words, offended people sentence themselves to a self imposed imprisonment where nobody can approach or help them behind the bars of a castle.
Offended people isolate themselves behind a castle prison like the one pictured above. These castles are impenetrable that are surrounded by huge brick walls and moats of water for protection. Every night a drawbridge is pulled up by a chain so no one can enter the castle. Offended people always pull up their drawbridge with a chain and allow contentions to place bars on all the windows of their prison castle. These contentions are called pride where people for years remain stubborn and refuse to forgive anyone. Proverbs 13:10 calls these bars of contentions pride saying Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
Let down your drawbridge and come out from your isolated castles; Obey Jesus and forgive everyone seven times seventy and always attend church, allowing people to bless you because you are friendly and humble. Proverbs 18:24 says A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother (named Jesus). Instead of being offended, decide to bless and be kind to everyone around you. Pray for offended people that they leave their castle prisons and allow people to approach and bless them.
Today make a decision to refuse to be offended by anyone or anything by daily reading and memorizing the Word of God. You can live a victorious life and never get offended by daily remembering the Word of God because Psalm 119:165 says Great peace have they which love thy law (the Word of God): and nothing shall offend them. In other words, you won't be offended and receive great peace if you daily read and memorize the Word of God.
And Matthew 5:12 says to rejoice and be exceeding glad instead of feeling offended when you are persecuted and reviled for believing our Lord Jesus. Jesus said at Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
It's sad that most people remember one fault of anyone and forget the thousands of blessings they received from that person. People forget what they ought to remember and remember what they ought to forget. Most people read a bible verse and forget 3/4 of the verse in 3 minutes. But if they hear something bad about a preacher, they'll remember the bad gossip for 50 years. But Hallelujah Jesus never remembers our faults and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Jesus said at Hebrews 10:17: And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Jesus told us in these last days at Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. This is true because today many people are so thin skinned and get easily offended; When you're around most people today, it's like walking on egg shells where you constantly have to be careful what you say to avoid offending anyone.
Many people get offended at church when the pastor doesn't shake their hand or look at them. And some people get offended at church saying the pastor was staring at me. But the pastor has to look somewhere and most try to move their heads and look everywhere when they preach. Then people get offended when you don't visit them, call them on the phone, or talk to them at church.
Instead of always being offended and expecting people to bless you, become humble and see who you can pray for and help at your church and in your neighborhood. Say I'm going to church today to hear the Word of God and sing the blessed songs; I'm gonna bless everyone and I don't care if no one speaks to me. And if someone happens to say brother I'm praying for you, that's icing on the cake.
Don't try to find a perfect church; it doesn't exist. Only Jesus is perfect. Therefore, overlook people's faults in your church and keep attending church every week. If your pastor is preaching the KJV bible and praying for everyone, it is a blessed church. Don't let the minor faults of anyone at your church make you offended and place you into an isolated prison castle. Just go to church and be blessed. You receive ten times more power against the devil by always going to church with your fellow believers. One will chase 1000 devils, but two puts 10000 devils to flight. Deuteronomy 32:30 says How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their rock (the devil) had sold them (the enemies of the Lord forsaken unto death), and the Lord had shut them up? For their rock (the devil) is not as our Rock (Jesus stated at 1 Corinthians 10:4), even our enemies themselves being judges.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Be Like Jesus And Keep Attending Church
Refusing To Be Offended By Anything Or Anyone
Jesus Always Attended Three Churches At
Nazareth, Capernaum, And Jerusalem
Jesus refused to be offended by anything or anyone and kept attending church all His life. First, Jesus always attended a small synagogue that only seated 100 people every sabbath for 28 years at Nazareth. Jesus refused to be offended and was willing to die on the cross for the people at Nazareth who tried to throw him headlong off the edge of a brow cliff. No one could kill Jesus because Jesus is God and nothing could stop Him from dying on the cross to save lost sinners.
And then Jesus refused to be offended for three years and kept attending a medium sized synagogue church at Capernaum after many (and not few) of his 70 disciples went back and walked no more with him. These disciples left Jesus because He preached a hard saying that they did not want to follow. Wow, be like Jesus and keep going to church even when people persecute you and get offended by your preaching or testimony for the Lord Jesus.
John 6:59 tells us how many abandoned Jesus and became offended at His preaching at Capernaum. It says These things said He (Jesus) in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; Who can hear it? When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, Doth this offend you? John 6:66 (666 being a number of rebellion) says From that time many (not few) of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.
Think about this: When we get to heaven we will meet many people that lived when Jesus walked on this earth. And we'll say wow what was that like? And they'll reply, To be honest with you, I got offended one day in the church of Capernaum when Jesus preached a hard saying and I quit and walked no more with Jesus. And we'll say; YOU DID WHAT? and they'll say Yeah, we were in Capernaum and Jesus said a hard saying; Then we started debating and murmuring about these hard sayings and because Jesus' words hurt our feelings, we quit and walked with Him no more.
Instead of being offended by preaching like many at Capernaum, allow Jesus to correct and chasten you from the Word of God preached by anointed ministers of God. It's a blessing to be corrected by the Word of God and become a better christian. Hebrews 12:5 tells us And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
Instead of being offended by preaching, suffer (endure) the word of exhortation and rejoice when a preacher corrects our sinful flesh by the Word of God. Take heed to Paul's advice from Hebrews 13:22: And I beseech you, brethren, suffer (endure) the Word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. And according to 1 Thessalonians 5:20 Despise not prophesyings. In other words, don't despise and become offended at blessed preachers that speak the true Word of God that corrects our sinful flesh. Get happy, rejoice, and endure sound preaching that will make us become better christians with more peace and strength.
Finally, Jesus refused to be offended and kept attending the synagogue church at Jerusalem. Jesus had to drive out of the huge temple at Jerusalem many moneychangers by tipping over their tables. Jesus told the people of Jerusalem at Matthew 21:13 My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Note that Jesus could get angry at the moneychangers because Jesus is perfect without sin. Ephesians 4:26 says Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. In other words you can get angry if you are not a sinner. Therefore people who are sinners should not be angry because Romans 3:23 says For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. But Jesus is perfect without sin and can get angry. Hebrews 4:15 says For we have not an high priest (Jesus) which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let's all take Paul's advice pictured above and refuse to be offended by God or anyone. In the name of Jesus let everyone reading this obey the blessed advice of Acts 24:16 saying And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. In other words, I'm not gonna get offended by anyone or anything. I'm gonna rejoice and not get offended when I'm persecuted because I live for Jesus.
Don't get offended when preachers tell you to stop gambling, fornicating, drinking wine and beer, and preach against homosexuality and lesbianism. These preachers are trying to bless you and help you stop sinning. Remember the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus. Right now get saved, repent, decide to stop sinning, confess that Jesus is God, and believe the gospel that Jesus died for you on the cross, was buried, and rose again.
Instead of being offended, stay with Jesus and your brothers and sisters in the church. Like Peter, tell Jesus at John 6:68 Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Remember, it is a blessing when the Word of God preached by a minister corrects a fault of our flesh making us a better christian with more peace and joy. Proverbs 27:5 says Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy (like a Judas kiss) are deceitful.
I pray in Jesus name that this bible study blesses multitudes everywhere with great joy, peace, and strength. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.
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