NOTICE: Coming Soon. Subscribers will soon be able to sign up for a weekly text message alert containing the active link to the newest Bible Bite – rather than relying solely on the arrival of the email in your inbox.
The Offence of the Cross vs. the Offence of the Preacher
Who could have believed it! There he was, sitting in the audience surrounded by just a handful of attendants. His Majesty, the King — so dignified and so gracious, ready to listen. Security had only given 30 minutes’ notice that he would be attending, and he wanted no special recognition. He simply wanted to listen to a message from the Bible.
After welcoming everyone, the speaker proceeded with his message.
“This may be your first night here, and we want you to know we won’t be pulling any punches or pandering to charlatans, celebrities, or kings. Here, we tell it like it is — the unvarnished truth. All have sinned, and all your righteousnesses are like filthy rags in God’s sight. What matters is not who sits on an earthly throne, but Who is on the throne of the Universe. You might pride yourself on plenty of good works — yes, I am talking to you. We bow to no one but God. Call us straight-shooters if you wish. We’ll take it as a compliment. But let me tell you on God’s behalf, if all you have are good works, you will suffer the eternal vengeance of God.”
At this point, it was more than the King who was squirming. Some of the believers who had loved him and prayed for him for years, even when he was still a prince — they were deeply troubled. The messenger’s style could potentially close his ears to hearing the message itself. Some felt the speaker wasn’t being respectful. He seemed caustic and aggressive. Even his facial expressions were less than warm and welcoming – without a smile or pleasant countenance. Rushing through the minds of other godly saints was the command that older Paul gave to younger Timothy: not to strive with people in communicating the truth, but rather to show gentleness, meekness, patience, and humility.
“And let me continue! You may feel I am roughing you up a bit — but some of you in this audience are so full of pride, you need to be awakened to your need. We’re not into political correctness here, and this is not a feel-good message. Yes, I am speaking to you with the crown on your head. Sinner, this is for eternity. Unless you repent, you will perish.” (1)
Afterwards, some of the older believers privately spoke to the brother about their concern over his brusque, un-Christlike approach, even though it may have been well-intentioned. But the aspiring young preacher deflected, saying he wanted a good conscience before God and that he didn’t preach a soft, frothy, wimpy come-to-Jesus Gospel.
“Yes,” they said, “God could still bless your message, but that certainly does not mean He condones or appreciates your approach. God is sovereign. He will bless when He sees fit — even despite us. He may choose to bless His Word despite the weaknesses, failures, and even wrong attitudes of the messenger. But we should never mistake God’s blessing for His approval of everything we do.“
“You are a young man—preach what befits your age. Don’t try to be like someone else you’ve heard or read about. Yes, the Apostle Paul talked about the “offence of the cross” in Galatians 5:11 and, in 1 Corinthians 1:18, said that the message of the Cross was foolish, distasteful, or offensive. Still, he never once hinted that the messenger had divine permission to be caustic or offensive. Young brother, whether it is a king or a neighbour, a business owner or a prodigal son or a homeless person, treat them with dignity and respect.”
The New Testament teaches that the message or the word of the Cross is offensive; it never teaches that the preacher should be.
The Messenger Matters Too
Yes, the story about the King was pure fiction. Perhaps you were shocked at the approach used to reach a king. Maybe you thought it was a bit far-fetched and somewhat exaggerated. To some degree, it was — to make the point. On the other hand, such approaches have been used — perhaps not with a king present, but others who should be treated with the very same respect afforded an “important” person.
For those who have the privilege of presenting the Gospel publicly, we should be just as concerned about reflecting the character of Christ as we are about proclaiming the message of Christ. Oh yes, still speak clearly the life-changing and destiny-determining message — but with the authoritativeness coming from the Word of God itself – not from the decibels of a voice, the sharpness of the tone or the stare of an eye.
A Lesson I Needed to Hear
Do we fail at times? Admittedly, yes, and after our confession to the Lord, our prayer is to be more Christlike in our demeanour, style, and approach, with a heart of love for every sinner.
One person asked the preachers afterward if they had ever experienced an abusive partner or parent? Obviously, an elevated male voice from a position of ‘pulpit’ power prompted unappreciated flashbacks.
Years ago, a Godly elderly sister in our local gathering of believers passed me a note. “Peter, your preaching would be much more effective if you didn’t shout so much.” She enclosed a $50 gift along with her helpful words.
Unfortunately, some believers may encourage just the opposite by telling the brother at the end of the service, “Wow, the Lord really gave you help. That should shake a few people up. I think I could see a few people squirming tonight.” Endorsements like that only perpetuate the problem.
Yes, most of us have failed (but that should be the exception – never the norm), and we all have room for improvement — plenty of it. But let us be reminded from Scripture that we have absolutely no Biblical justification for an approach that is not marked by humility, meekness and gentleness.
Regardless of the Gospel subject taken up, it should be handled with dignity and gentle respect for every person in the audience. Treat every person in your audience with the respect and meekness you would afford a prospective employer sitting in your audience who you hope will offer you employment soon.
What Does the Bible Say About Our Style?
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6 NET
Gracious simply means pleasant, attractive, courteous speech. Salt implies preserving truth, conviction, substance, while elevating the flavour of the rich message of the Gospel. Paul does not say “gracious” or “salty.” No — always both together.
The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. 2 Timothy 2:24-25 CSB
Be … ready at any time to give a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience… 1 Peter 3:15-16 CSB
Avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:2 ESV
Real Scenarios to Think Through
Imagine after three years of praying to get your wonderful employer out to a Gospel service — or your very kind neighbour, or your adult unsaved daughter… think about how you would like to present the Gospel that night personally? Would you wag your index finger at your employer and try to rough him up by confronting him with what you think his pet sin might be? Would you single out your unsaved daughter, with her children sitting beside her, to the point where she feels uncomfortable with your glare, stare and scare approach?
If I would not treat my own loved one that way, how much less should I ever treat anyone else’s loved ones that way! If my loved one attended, I would want them to be able to listen to the message without the distraction of feeling conspicuous, either from the speaker constantly trying to catch their eye or from words that were too obviously directed at them.
The Architect Test
After listening to what I considered a very brusque, harshly delivered Gospel message at a raised volume, several older believers said they really enjoyed it. “It reminded me of the way we used to hear it preached.” I asked: “Would it be a message you would invite your retired architect colleague out to hear?” “Oh, no, was the response. I guess I never thought of it that way.” Another Christian said he was flooded with nostalgia and found it entertaining to hear the Gospel just as the old preachers preached it when he was growing up. I then asked whether it would have been a service he wished his sister-in-law and husband had been present for. He threw his head back, laughed, and said, “Definitely not!”
If it’s not suitable for my loved ones and acquaintances, why would I think it’s suitable for anyone? If I wouldn’t invite people important to me to such a service, why would I think anyone else should invite their loved ones out to hear such a speaker?
The offence of the Cross is unavoidable. The offence of the messenger is avoidable.
The Unspoken Barrier to Inviting People
Sometimes Christians themselves are blamed for being cold because they are not inviting people to hear the Gospel, when the real issue is more aligned with the subject of this Bible Bite. The Christians themselves may have burning hearts of love to see others “won“—emphasizing the “won to Christ” — but are reluctant to extend an invitation due to the unpredictability of what their loved one or neighbour might experience. The blame lies elsewhere.
Jesus certainly handled difficult topics and spoke the truth. Yet sinners were remarkably willing to approach Him.
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. Luke 15:1 NLT
The people most attracted to Christ were often the very people most aware of their sinfulness. That suggests there was something deeply attractive and warm and winning in His manner, style and countenance even when His message was uncompromising. Parents even brought their children to see and hear Him.
CLICK HERE to receive your easy-to-install heaven4sure.com license plate holder
The Bottom Line for Messengers
If you are young and have opportunities to preach the Gospel, ask the Lord to help you present it in a Christlike way — respecting everyone in the audience as sensitively as you would treat royalty, your employer, your neighbour or your own prodigal daughter. That respect and dignity should be no different for the mayor of your city if she showed up than for a person whose life is spiralling downwards.
Those of us who are older, with deeply ingrained practices and styles, need to ask the Lord for wisdom and grace to intentionally modify our approach so that we better reflect the character of Christ when presenting the message of Christ. They definitely go together.
Every person (regardless of their status in society, their lifestyle, morality or beliefs) who attends a Gospel service is someone deeply valued and loved by God, someone for whom Christ died, someone made in God’s image, and someone who deserves to hear the truth of the Gospel presented with Christlike kindness, tenderness and grace.
Footnote:
(1) The writer is unaware of King Charles III’s spiritual status and is in no way implying he is not already a Christian. The story is entirely fictional.
Read this Gospel Story based on the popular Word Game: Wordle and Life’s Greatest Five-Letter Word