Identifying the Antichrist by Joseph Mattera

Much has been made since the end of the nineteenth century regarding the “last days” and identifying the antichrist. During World War II a number of preachers even had scriptures to prove that Adolf Hitler was the antichrist and that they were the last generation. Numerous best-selling books have been written regarding the mark of the beast, the false prophet, and the identity of the antichrist and when he would appear. Every time there is an oil crisis or another war in the Middle East, you can count on preachers like John Hagee to come out with best-selling books regarding this as a sign that we are in the “last days.”

The following points will clearly establish the biblical definition of the antichrist:

I. In 1 John 2:18 the Apostle John said that he was living in the last days when the antichrist would appear.

1. Obviously, “last days” couldn’t refer to the end of the world over 2,000 years ago. Some try to get around this by saying that we are now living in the “last of the last days,” which amounts more to eisogesis than biblical exegesis.

2. Examining other passages dealing with the last days clearly shows that Peter, Paul, John, and others thought they were all living in the last days (Acts 2:16-17; 1 John 2:18; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Timothy 3:1; Jude 17-19; Revelation 1:1).

A. One can only conclude from this that “last days” was not referring to something thousands of years later but rather it was the “last days” for the Jewish Levitical system of animal sacrifices, and the “last days” for the Jewish nation that was to be destroyed in one generation from the crucifixion. This would then officially inaugurate the new “kingdom age.” (Read Matthew 24:34; Luke 9:27; Hebrews 12:27-28.) Remember: The apostles and the early church were all Jewish believers who were speaking of the judgment of God on the nation of Israel for rejecting Jesus as Messiah.

B. The last days of Israel came in A.D. 70 within one generation of the death of Christ, when the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem and desecrated the holy temple. The abomination of desolation is referred to in Luke 21:20.

II. The Apostle John identifies the antichrist as people who didn’t continue in the church, thus identifying it as the “last hour.” Read 1 John 2:18-19.

III. The Apostle John also identifies the spirit of antichrist loosed in the world as those who don’t confess that Jesus “has come in the flesh.” (Read 1 John 4:2-3.)

1. He was obviously referring to those attempting to bring platonic Gnosticism in the church. Gnosticism, which was a heretical cult that did much damage to the church in the first few centuries, believed that the flesh was evil and that only the spiritual world was good. They even taught that the god of the Old Testament was evil (the god of the flesh who created the natural world and needed animal sacrifices to be appeased), and that the god of the New Testament was good; that true Christianity was really about attempting to get free from the flesh and to live in the spirit.

IV. The antichrist is a false spirit that brings false doctrine into the church; it is not a single person.

1. Never once is the term “antichrist” used in the Book of Revelation or any of the other epistles besides 1 John and 2 John. Yet most writers never refer to the antichrist as a spirit of false doctrine that takes the power and relevancy of Jesus away from the flesh or natural realm.

V. A new kind of Gnosticism has crept into the church during the past 120 years.

1. The church has fled the cities to find a sort of paradise in the suburbs or countryside.

2. The church has just concentrated on spiritual things and abandoned cultural and societal reform, unlike their predecessors in America who started most of the Ivy League colleges and universities with the intent to develop Christians to lead the nation in every realm of life.

3. The Evangelical church has now espoused an escapist theology and is now focused on going to heaven and the rapture than the focus of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, in which Jesus told us to concentrate on His will “on earth as it is in heaven.”

VI. The ironic thing is, those preachers and authors focusing on the “last days,” identifying one man as the antichrist, the rapture, and the mark of the beast, have actually fallen prey to the spirit of antichrist because they take the practical application of the cross of Christ away from the realm of the flesh. That is to say, their escapist teaching is semi-Gnostic because the kingdom cannot be totally applied in the flesh or natural realm. It is almost like saying Jesus Christ has not come in the flesh like 1 John 4:2-4. That is to say, their teaching implies that the cross wasn’t for the reconciliation of the natural created order but just for our eternal spiritual life in heaven. Colossians 1:20 says that Jesus came to reconcile both things in heaven and on earth. Thus, redemption is for the natural realm of the flesh in the created order, not just the spiritual realm in heavenly places.

VII. Best-selling books like the Left Behind series by Tim Lahaye are taking kingdom focus off the earth and into the next world, something totally foreign to the teachings of the apostles and Jesus, who actually prayed in John 17:15: “I pray not that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.” Thus, praying against the rapture mentality!

Unless we rid the church of this new Gnosticism, Christians will continue to live a dualistic life in which they just care about their inward piety and holiness, and leave the stewardship of the planet to the heathen. Dualism is causing the church to separate from the institutions of politics, law, education, economics, science, history, and philosophy, and is the major reason why the cultures in Western Europe and North America are continuing to erode. May the church fulfill its mission and become the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Thoughts on Killing Osama bin Laden by Dr. Greg Austin

For What It's Worth . . . 

My Thoughts on the Killing of Osama bin Laden

Seldom in a lifetime do we witness events that will remain fresh in our memories forever.  Most events, even most breath-taking events are pushed away as other concerns, obligations, priorities press for our full attention.

Yet there are those events that none experiencing them ever forget: For a generation slipping away from us, there are the painful recollections of the Great Depression of the 1930’s and World War II in the 1940’s. The next generation witnessed the assassination of John Kennedy in Texas on a warm, October day in 1963. The same generation experienced the Vietnam War and its turbulent aftermath. 

For many of the current generation, there are memories of the Space Shuttle Disaster, the attack on the World Trade Tower, the Pentagon and the crash of United 193 in the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Recently the world witnessed the cataclysmic events the shook Japan and touched the world with shock and sorrow. 

And now we add another Day that will remain in our collective memory for so long as we live. On Sunday, May 1, 2011 the headlines blazed around the world: “Osama bin Laden is dead,” prey to a flawlessly performed mission by American Special Operations forces. 

The military part of my brain understands and recognizes the need for mission success regarding the bringing of Osama Bin Laden to man’s court of justice. 

Regardless of speculation concerning bin Laden’s degree of responsibility for the events of September 11, 2001, there is ample evidence to warrant his being branded as a terrorist and as a threat to not only the United States, but to the free world, at large. There is no point in debating Osama’s level of culpability regarding any individual terrorist act. Indeed, there is general agreement in the U.S. and in other nations of the need for the United States and/or coalition forces to complete their long-stated and pursued mission of capturing or killing this man.

Of necessity, military members must unquestioningly follow every lawfully given order that is issued. The men and/or women under military authority do not have the luxury of investigating, quizzing their superior, and then deciding whether they feel justified in following orders received. The entire structure of the military institution is built upon unhesitating obedience to those in command, so long as those commanders provide orders that are lawful in their spirit and substance. If a commanding officer were to order his troops to invade a location and to rape women and murder children, such an order would not be considered “lawful.” In this case, troops would not be bound by military orders to comply, regardless of who issued those orders. But when the order received is legal – as defined by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is the Congressional Code of Military Criminal Law to which every service member is obligated by oath and by law, these orders must be carried out with complete obedience. Without this kind of fidelity, no war could be effectively prosecuted, and no victory could ever be won.

There is strategic advantage to the U.S. and our allies in killing Osama bin Laden. While the public at large may not recognize the immediate benefit brought by the death of the terror leader, and while bin Laden may not even have been actively plotting the next terror attack to be launched, as the Founder and Leader of Al Qaeda, his perceived and symbolic position as the man in charge has now been concluded. The message sent and received among the enemies of the free world is this: No one is immune, no one can forever escape the reach of a nation provoked and angry.

How Should We Then Respond?

The question of our response to the news of bin Laden’s death is one that must be considered by those who claim to be followers of Christ. Specifically, what is the proper attitude of believers in Jesus to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden? How should the “Christian” demeanor and attitude differ from those outside of Christ?

As a former member of two branches of the U.S. military, I am supportive of our nation and of its military institutions. I am not a died-in-the-wool “Peacenik.”

But I am a washed-in-the-blood believer in Jesus Christ. And for what it’s worth, my redeemed mind abhors even the necessity of taking any human life. I understand that need, but I don’t like it. 

I do not, I cannot rejoice over the death of any human being, regardless of the crimes committed. Despite the heinous, monstrous character that causes a person to commit unthinkable atrocities, there is no joy in bringing such a one to justice. Indeed, I can find no reason to rejoice in the killing of a rabid dog, for whom there is no other potential remedy than death. I can recognize necessity without experiencing jubilation over the act or the result of a death. 

How Can Two, Opposite Reactions be Reconciled? 

On the one hand, I agree with the military and political decision to take the life of Osama bin Laden, while on the other hand I am did not rejoice when the mission was accomplished.

At a strategic level, the death of bin Laden does not end or mitigate the violent hatred focused on America by radical groups, nor do I think it resolves much beyond accomplishing Mission Success and the freeing of valuable assets to pursue other targets for our military. There always will be a “The King is dead; long live the King” system of succession so long as core issues of disagreement are ignored or denied. Bin Laden is dead; enter the “new” Bin Laden, ad infinitum. 

As stated, I cannot rejoice, shout, wave a flag, or become terribly excited over this death. I hope last week’s events mark the end of some degree of evil operating in our world, and that the day will hasten when we can see the conclusion of the wars that continue to result in the loss of good American lives, and the attending grief brought to family and friends through their deaths and injuries. 

Don’t Bother Me With the Details, I Just Wanna Be Happy

Americans are obsessed with the quick "fix." We’ve got instant glue and instant coffee and we want our disagreements with nations or cultures to be likewise instantaneously fixed without our getting caught up in any kind of soul-searching, value-determining, heart-wrenching and compassionate reasoning.

We love to identify a problem, focus on an appropriate and specifically un-messy cure, (no pictures of blood, please) and then simply forget about the whole matter, act as though it never happened, and move on with the next version of iPhone or iMac or iSomebody and iDeserve it. 

If only killing the problems facing society were as simple as killing bin Laden was. Beyond administering human justice, I'm not sure his death cures the much of our overall problems. I don't think that bin Laden was the Arab version of General David Petraeus. I don't think Usama was the "on-ground" military genius of Al Qaeda or the Guerrilla Extraordinaire of the Taliban. Figurehead? Indeed. Inspiration? Definitely. But the excited throngs jumping and shouting in front of the White House need to understand what bin Laden's death has given us tactically and strategically - and that's not much, in my humble and admittedly limited opinion.

I am currently reading a very fine history of the winning of the West in America. The book is titled “Blood and Thunder” and contains the heartbreaking story of the conquest of the Navajo people of the Southwest. Colonel Kit Carson, along with nearly 500 soldiers entered the mystical Canyon Chelly in what is now the State of Arizona in order to complete the subjugation of this blatantly murderous and thieving people.

On a frigid February morning in 1864, a group of haggard looking Navajos entered Carson’s camp under a flag of truce. Their intention was to finally and fully surrender to the United States Army. 

Carson was shocked by what these cold and starving people told him. “We would have come in long ago, but we believed this was a war of extermination,” they said.

Carson explained to them why the United States Army was rounding them up. “The government wants to promote your welfare. The point is not to destroy you but to save you, if you want to be saved.”

According to news reports, Bin Laden was to have been given opportunity to surrender, to “save him” if he wanted to be saved. The ground commander of the assault team had full authority to kill on sight. We have been told that Bin Laden declined the invitation to surrender. A few days later, we learned that, in point of fact, there was no “capture if possible” order given: It was a “kill order” from the beginning. And then we learned that, well, perhaps the SEALS of Team 6 could have decided to save or slay, depending on the situation. I personally have difficulty with the offered scenarios except for the second one: The commander of this operation is himself a U.S. Navy SEAL. No operational SEAL, Delta member or any other member of the U.S. Special Operations Command would ever burden a ground commander with the responsibility of deciding, in the heat of battle to capture or to kill. Events happen too quickly in combat for the luxury of running through a “what if” laundry list of choices. The men who stormed the compound in Abbatobad had enough on their minds as they cleared courtyards and stairways and halls and rooms without having to think about what they would do when they came face to face with their objective. This kind of operation is the ultimate “point and shoot” mission.

The point with bin Laden, I think, was not the point of Kit Carson and the American government in their desire for the Navajo nation. This was a “we are here to destroy you, not to save you” mission.

And by every account, in May of 2011, Osama’s efforts to hide from the long arm of American justice came to a sudden and permanent end. 

Patriotism in America this week is at high tide. Celebrations have swept through cities, American flags have been brought out of closets and basements and have swept the freshly purified air of the stench of the recently deceased Terrorist-in-Chief.

And a question lingers in the wake of the carnival-like atmosphere that attended the announcement: “Got him!”

The question looms, largely unheard and certainly unanswered: “What, in fact have we got?”

And will we ever learn? As a race, as the human family, are we learning? Will we learn that ignorance breeds hatred, and hatred gives birth to death, and death is the scourge, the curse, the fruit of all that is wrong around, and within us? Evil, at its essence is not something that attends the way of the criminal and the maniac and the sorcerer, but evil is that dark thing that pulsates in our own breasts, that feeds and grows in our blindedness and that will not come out, will not die, save by the entrance of the True Light that gives light to every man that comes into the world.  

I am not a simpleton. I know that there are complicated issues that defy human answers. But I also know there is a God Who promises us, day by each new dawning day to lead us higher, to show us peace of greater value, to lift us above the condition of lower life-forms, and to fill us with His love, His grace, His mercy.

And so, Osama bin Laden joins the ranks of Idi Amin and Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini and Ghengis Khan and Caligula and Nero and, I suppose another tyrant here or a monster there.

And when the dancing crowds return to their routine lives again, when they get back to their jobs, their schools, their pastimes, when the world has washed itself of the memory of the latest to die, will we have a better world than we knew a week ago? Will we have learned anything worthwhile in the process? 

Will anybody next week remember a young sergeant or captain or a seasoned Colonel, watching a distant valley or a steep ridgeline in Afghanistan? 

Will we know ourselves any better after our emotional display of either giddy celebration or of somber contemplation this week? 

Will we hunger for greater answers, for better ways to bring heaven’s peace to planet earth?

Will we understand the heart of the Father any better? Will we, who claim to be followers of the Father’s Christ find a way to better mirror His character to an out-of-sync world around us? 

As the next week dawns and the calendar moves forward, will we be those who have joined hearts to witness, in our own day the fulfillment of heaven’s desire, articulated when Jesus taught His friends to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven?” 

I hope that we will.

www.gregaustin.org

Poke The Box by Seth Godin

Edited Review by C.E.
This is another good read by Seth Godin in his new book, Poke the Box..

Not too long ago, I read Seth Godin's "Tribes." It was very thought-provoking and filled with an incredible array of truth and ideas around the concept of Tribes and how it relates to our daily lives in the marketplace. 

So I ordered "Poke the Box" and Seth overwhelmed me with his passion and force. I read the book and listened carefully for all the take-aways from the book that I could grab.

If "Poke the Box" communicates nothing else, it presents this one message with a megaphone voice: "Go!" "Start now." "The worst thing you can do is nothing."

You've got to be out there trying and risking failure, or you'll be irrelevant. There are too many people out there and too many tribes so that if you do nothing or are too cautious, thinking that you can control the whole process, the chances are you'll end up marginalizing yourself. The important thing is to be out there, thinking, inventing, trying, and experiencing, for that is how we learn and create.

Poking the box, therefore, means being willing to poke, to get things started, and to stir things up. And that's something that I personally need to hear, for my tendency is to caution and fearfulness. "Poking the Box" is the culmination of many other books I've read that have also convinced me to begin now and take the initiative. One of the most important times I did that was when I dared to write a daily Bible devotional for every passage of the New Testament. I had a lot of reasons why I couldn't or shouldn't do this or why I'd never complete it. But God told me to start one day, and so I did.

Poking the Box is about recapturing all of the moments in your life when you started something new and were jazzed about it and the world seemed wonderful and mysterious again. Poking the Box is about recapturing that feeling by taking real action in something you've already been thinking about but haven't had the guts or inspiration to carry out. Read "Poking the Box" for yourself, and see if it doesn't re-energize you to find old dreams or execute new ones!

When should you poke the box? When the cost of poking the box is less than the cost of doing nothing. It also means working hard and committing to finishing.

"The market is waiting for people to step forward," Seth says. And so are the tribes that we lead and that each of us are a part of. If you're a religious leader as I am, then so are the people of God, who all too often have become fearful and weak.

Thank you, Seth, for giving me a little more courage to "Poke the Box" in my chosen field! Who knows what you, yes YOU, may come up with if you too "Poke the Box"!

I'll close with some quotes from "Poke the Box." Like me, you may not completely buy into them, but they are certain to "poke" you:

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth. Not going all the way and not starting." (Siddhartha Gautama)

"Please stop waiting for a map. We reward those who draw maps, not those who follow them."

"Poking doesn't mean right. It means action."

"This might not work" isn't merely something to be tolerated; it's something you should seek out.

"Risk is avoided because we've been trained to avoid failure."

"Reject the tyranny of picked. Pick yourself."

"Where did curiosity go? Initiative is a little like creativity in that both require curiosity. The difference is that the creative person is satisfied once he sees how it's done. The initiator won't rest until he does it."

"The people arguing on behalf of accepting the status quo are the ones who, years ago, set out to change it. As disillusionment sets in, people stop poking."

Carrots, Eggs, and Coffee by Brian Klemmer

--Leaders change the situation instead of being changed by the situation 

What are you most like: a carrot, an egg, or coffee?

A carrot starts out firm, but when you put a carrot in boiling water it becomes limp. An egg starts out with a hard shell and is soft in the middle, but place it in boiling water and the inside becomes hard. And when you put coffee in boiling water, it changes the water completely.
What challenges have you been experiencing in your career, family life, physically or spiritually? Think of any of those situations as the boiling water.

Some people are like carrots. Oh, they act tough enough, but the challenges of life soften them, they wilt and won’t stand up for themselves any more.

Other people are like eggs. As they confront challenges they get hard on the inside. They’re calloused, they become unable or unwilling to feel and do not allow themselves to connect and relate with other people.

Leaders are like coffee. When thrust into the challenges of life they actually change the situation.
Have you been a carrot, egg, or coffee? Buy some coffee, even if you don’t normally drink it, and put it in a bowl on your desk. Let that “trigger” you to be a leader who, like coffee, changes the situation you are in for the better.

As a child, I saw people as one of two types: There were the nice caring compassionate people. They didn’t seem to make much happen, didn’t date the nicest girls or guys, and weren’t movers and shakers. Then there were the people that made things happen, but they were often arrogant, hard, and self-centered.

It didn’t seem fair. I wanted to be compassionate and caring and yet able to change the world. I wanted to be what I now call a “Compassionate Samurai:” a warrior with a heart for service and contribution.
That’s what it will take to change things, like the fact that one out of every eight children drops out of school in the USA, rampant illiteracy in the world, a marriage that is not working, or a satisfying career in an uncertain economy.

Carrots and eggs won’t do it. This week, be like coffee. Be a Compassionate Samurai, a warrior with a heart for service and contribution who alters the world you live in.

TAKEAWAY!
Leaders change the situation, so even after they leave, things are different than when they arrived.

Action Step #1
Buy a bag of coffee and put it on your desk as a trigger device.

Action Step #2
Write a brief paragraph describing the biggest challenge you face in your life right now. Then, write another short paragraph on exactly how you’d like your life to be in that area right now. And finally, write a sentence that describes one specific action you will take this week--no matter how big or small it seems to you--to change your life to being exactly how you’d like it to be.

An Example
Early in my career in the seminar business, my mentor sent me to San Diego to save the failing market there. The seminars were so poorly attended they were considering closing down our San Diego office.
When I arrived, I noticed that a lot of teenagers were hanging around the office. The environment and feeling created by all those kids was driving away the more conservative, successful business people we also wanted to bring into our seminars.

Like attracts like.

The teenagers were good people who deserved to be supported and served, but it was hurting our bigger market. So I created another place for the kids to hangout and made it clear they were not to be around our office.

It was not an especially popular action for many of our seminar graduates, but it changed how the rest of us thought about the organization and who we attracted. Within a short period of time, San Diego was a thriving market for our seminars.

That is what coffee is all about!

“What we are depends mainly on what we look for”
--John Lubbock

Treading Upon Lions and Serpents by James Ryle

“You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot” (Psalm 91:13).
 
The symbolism of this language must not be dismissed; not should we pass too quickly from pondering its weighty significance for our lives today. For the language used in this verse is consistent with a recurring theme found throughout the entire Bible.

In the Garden of Eden we first see Satan in the guise of a serpent. Then moving forward to the writings of Peter in the latter pages of the New Testament, we are told that our adversary, the devil, “goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).

Lions and Serpents. These are two of the devils favorite disguises. He also likes bats, hornets, spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, and all sorts of creeping things. He likes buzzards, but not eagles; ravens, but not doves; flies, but not honey bees.

He is a nasty sort of being, and associates himself exclusively with those earthly creatures that provide him a suitable cover for his onerous presence. However, deceitful to the core, he also dresses himself up as “an angel of light” from time to time, and thereby dupes countless souls who are too gullible to see through his costumes.

But may it never be said of us! May we walk the crimson path in the footsteps of our triumphant King, following closely all the way and seeing His victory become our own. May we walk by faith and tread upon lions and serpents. May the confession of the first disciples now find life upon our lips in these days so close to the End – “Lord, even the devils are subject to us in Your Name!” (Luke 10:17).

I love the Lord’s response to those early disciples – “I know,” He said, “I was watching as you went forth in My Name, and I saw Satan fall from heaven like a bolt of lightning!”

Then He added these words, “See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God, but what God does for you — that’s the agenda for rejoicing.” (Luke 10:18-20 The Message).

Whether it be bold opponents who come against us straightway like roaring lions, or treacherous adversaries who, like serpents, work their schemes against us with charm and subtlety – both alike shall be trodden down by the man and woman whom God protects.

May YOU be such a person!

Un Corazón que No se Ofende by Francis Frangipane

Os daré corazón nuevo, y pondré espíritu nuevo dentro de vosotros; y quitaré de vuestra carne el corazón de piedra, y os daré un corazón de carne. (Ezequiel 36:26)

Dios tiene un nuevo corazón para nosotros que no se puede ofender, un corazón “inatendible.” Amados, poseer un corazón que no se ofende no es una opción o un lujo; no es una cosa pequeña. Un corazón ofendido está en peligro de tornarse en un “corazón de piedra.”

Considerad: Jesús nos advierte que, a medida que nos acerquemos al final de los tiempos, la mayoría de las personas se ofenderán de tal manera que se apartarán de la fe. Escuchad con atención su advertencia:

“Muchos tropezarán entonces, y se entregarán unos a otros, y unos a otros se aborrecerán... y por haberse multiplicado la maldad, el amor de muchos se enfriará” (Mateo 24:10-12).

“Muchos… se ofenderán.” ¿El resultado? El amor de “muchos” se enfriará. Mi oración es que escuchemos Sus palabras con temor santo.

Cuando permitimos que una ofensa permanezca en nuestros corazones, provoca consecuencias espirituales graves. En el versículo antes citado, Jesús nombró tres resultados peligrosos: traición, odio y amor frío. Cuando alguien nos ha ofendido, incluso alguien que nos importa, debemos acudir a ellos. Si no hablamos con ellos, comenzaremos a hablar sobre ellos. Traicionamos esa relación, hablando con malicia a sus espaldas, descubriendo sus debilidades y sus pecados.

Tal vez enmascaramos nuestra traición diciendo que estamos solamente buscando consejo, pero cuando volvemos la vista atrás vemos que hemos hablado de forma negativa a demasiada gente. Nuestro verdadero objetivo no era buscar la ayuda espiritual para nosotros mismos, sino buscar la venganza hacia aquel que nos ofendió. ¿De qué manera tal acción no es una manifestación de odio? Para un alma ofendida, el amor frío, la traición y el odio son un camino hacia las tinieblas.

La mayoría de las personas no se tropiezan con las rocas; tropiezan con piedras, cosas relativamente pequeñas. Tal vez la personalidad de alguien en autoridad nos molesta y muy pronto nos ofendemos. O, un amigo o un familiar no cubre nuestras expectativas, y la ofensa entra en nuestra alma. Amado, si queremos “perseverar hasta el fin”, tenemos que confrontar las cosas que nos molestan.

Cuando Jesús nos advierte que nos hace falta perseverancia, nos está diciendo que es más fácil comenzar la carrera que terminarla. Entre ahora y el día en que usted muera, habrá muchas ocasiones para que se ofenda, y necesitara vencerlas. Tal vez este usted en un momento así ahora mismo. ¡No subestime el peligro de guardar una ofensa!

Nadie planifica apartarse; nadie dice, “Creo que hoy voy a desarrollar un corazón duro y frío.” Tales cosas entran en nuestras almas sigilosamente y es ingenuo suponer que nunca nos puede ocurrir a nosotros. Conozco muchas personas que se han ofendido de forma constante acerca de esto y aquello. En lugar de tratar con las ofensas, orar sobre ellas y entregárselas a Dios, las llevan consigo hasta que su peso imposibilita su caminar con Dios. Quizás hoy va bien, pero puedo garantizarle que mañana ocurrirá algo que, inevitablemente, le decepcionará o dañara; le golpeará alguna injusticia, exigiendo que reaccione en la carne. ¿Va a encontrar más amor, y por tanto, continuara su crecimiento hacia la semejanza a Cristo? ¿O va a permitir que esa ofensa consuma su vida espiritual?

La Raíz de la Ofensa

Una ofensa puede atacar nuestras virtudes o nuestros pecados, nuestros valores o nuestro orgullo. Puede penetrar y herir cualquier dimensión del alma, tanto el bien como el mal. Una vez prediqué una serie de sermones acerca del chisme. La mayoría de las personas vieron su pecado y se arrepintieron, pero un núcleo de chismosos se ofendieron mucho y, finalmente, dejaron la iglesia. Cuando el Espíritu Santo expone el pecado en el alma de alguien, si rechazamos la oportunidad de arrepentirnos, a menudo nos ofendemos con la persona que trajo la enseñanza. Para decir la verdad, la mayoría de las veces, no tengo ni idea de quien, específicamente, necesita escuchar lo que estoy enseñando, pero Dios sí lo sabe.

Pablo insta a Timoteo a “redargüir, reprender; exhortar” (2ª Timoteo 4:2). El no dijo “exhorta, exhorta, exhorta,” pero en la mayoría de las iglesias lo único que recibimos es exhortación. Por supuesto, necesitamos que se nos anime, pero también hay momentos en los que necesitamos ser redargüidos y reprendidos. Hoy en día hay predicadores que tienen miedo de predicar la verdad por temor a la reacción de la gente, y que dejen la iglesia. El resultado final es una iglesia de personas que se ofenden fácilmente y no pueden crecer más allá de su incapacidad de recibir corrección.

Las personas no cambian únicamente por medio de la exhortación. En todos nosotros hay áreas que necesitan ser confrontadas y disciplinadas. El pastor que se niega a disciplinar y corregir a los que están en pecado, está desobedeciendo a Dios. Es incapaz de llevar a las personas hacia cambios en sus vidas que realmente los transformarán; no van a “perseverar hasta el fin” si no se les puede corregir (Mateo 24).

Necesitamos convertirnos en un pueblo que dice, “Señor, muéstrame donde necesito cambiar.” Estoy hablando de madurar. El necio menosprecia el consejo de su padre: Un hombre sabio recibirá una reprimenda y prosperará. “Mas el que guarda la corrección vendrá a ser prudente.”(Prov. 15:5).

La Ofensa Personal

Con frecuencia es nuestro orgullo el que sufre ofensas más fácilmente. El orgullo nos lleva a esperar más de lo que merecemos. El orgullo es una forma de auto-adoración. Dios debe destruir nuestro orgullo, y para hacerlo, permitirá que las ofensas expongan lo que nos falta en humildad. No está mal esperar aliento por nuestras buenas obras, pero no podemos ofendernos cuando no ocurre así en el tiempo que esperamos.

Años atrás, cuando era un pastor novato, participe de una conferencia donde el líder principal decidió saludar personalmente a cada ministro y su esposa. Saludó a la pareja que estaba a nuestra derecha y luego giró hacia un miembro de su equipo para hacerle una pregunta.  Un momento después volvió la mirada, pero nos pasó de largo y se dirigió a la pareja a nuestra izquierda. Todos los que estaban a nuestro alrededor vieron que fuimos salteados. Nos sentimos avergonzados y ofendidos. Pero mi mujer, sabiamente, observó que podíamos permitir que esta situación nos dañara, o lo podríamos utilizar como una inversión para aprender a ser sensibles a los sentimientos de otros. Esta ofensa nos enseñó como otros se sienten cuando son ignorados. ¿Pueden ver esto? Usted debe hacer que la ofensa se convierta en una oportunidad para ser más como Cristo.

Las ocasiones para sentirnos ofendidos son casi interminables. De hecho, a diario se nos brinda la oportunidad de ser ofendidos o de poseer un inofendible corazón. La promesa del Señor es que nos ha dado un corazón nuevo: un corazón blando, vulnerable que se puede ser lleno de Su Espíritu y abundar en Su amor.

Señor, perdóname por sentirme ofendido con tanta facilidad y por cargar ofensas. Padre, mi corazón es necio y débil. Concédeme el corazón de Jesús que no se ofende. Amén.

Unoffendable by Francis Frangipane

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26).

God has a new heart for us that cannot be offended, an "unoffendable" heart. Beloved, possessing an unoffendable heart is not an option or a luxury; it's not a little thing. An offended heart is endanger of becoming a "heart of stone."

Consider: Jesus warns that, as we near the end of the age, a majority of people will be offended to such a degree that they fall away from the faith. Listen carefully to His warning:

"Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another . . . and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matt. 24:10-12 KJV).

"Many" will "be offended." The result? The love of "many" will grow cold. My prayer is that we will hear His words with holy fear.

When we allow an offense to remain in our hearts, it causes serious spiritual consequences. In the above verse Jesus named three dangerous results: betrayal, hatred and cold love. When we are offended with someone, even someone we care for, we must go to them. If we do not talk to them, we will begin to talk about them. We betray that relationship, whispering maliciously behind their back to others, exposing their weaknesses and sins. We may mask our betrayal by saying we are just looking for advice or counsel, but when we look back, we see we have spoken negatively to far too many people. Our real goal was not to get spiritual help for ourselves but to seek revenge toward the one who offended us. How is such action not a manifestation of hatred? For an offended soul, cold love, betrayal and hatred are a walk into darkness.

People don't stumble over boulders; they stumble over stones, relatively small things. It may be that the personality of someone in authority bothers us, and soon we are offended. Or, a friend or family member fails to meet our expectations, and we take an offense into our soul. Beloved, if we will "endure to the end," we will have to confront the things that bother us.

When Jesus warns that we need endurance, He is saying that it is easier to begin the race than finish it. Between now and the day you die, there will be major times of offense that you will need to overcome. You might be in such a time right now. Do not minimize the danger of harboring an offense!

No one plans on falling away; no one ever says, "Today, I think I'll try to develop a hardened heart of stone." Such things enter our souls through stealth. It is only naiveté that assumes it couldn't happen to us. I know many people who consistently become offended about one thing or another. Instead of dealing with the offenses, praying about them and turning the issue over to God, they carry the offense in their soul until its weight disables their walk with God. You may be doing fine today, but I guarantee you, tomorrow something will happen that will inevitably disappoint or wound you; some injustice will strike you, demanding you retaliate in the flesh. Will you find more love, and hence, continue your growth toward Christlikeness? Or will you allow that offense to consume your spiritual life?

The Root Of Offense
An offense can strike at our virtues or sins, our values or our pride. It can penetrate and wound any dimension of the soul, both good and evil. I once brought a series of messages about gossip. Most people saw their sin and repented, but a core group of gossips were greatly offended and ultimately left the church. When the Holy Spirit exposes sin in someone's soul, if we refuse the opportunity to repent, we often become offended at the person who brought the teaching. Instead of humbling our hearts, we are outraged at the person who exposed us. Truthfully, most of the time, I have no idea who specifically needs to hear what I'm teaching, but God knows.

Paul told Timothy to "reprove, rebuke, exhort" (see 2 Tim. 4:2). He didn't say, "exhort, exhort, exhort," but exhortation is what we receive in most churches. Certainly, we need to be encouraged, but there are also times, beloved, when we need to be reproved and rebuked. Today, there are preachers who are afraid to preach truth for fear people will react and leave the church. The end result is a church of easily offended people who cannot grow beyond their inability to accept correction.

People don't change by exhortation alone. There are areas in all of us that need to be confronted and disciplined. The pastor who refuses to discipline and correct those in sin is in disobedience to God. He is unable to lead people into any truly transforming changes in their lives; they will not "endure to the end" if they cannot be corrected (see Matt. 24).

We need to become a people who say, "Lord, show me what needs to change in me." I'm talking about growing up. A wise man will receive a rebuke and he will prosper. But a fool rejects his father's discipline (see Prov. 15:5).

Personal Offense
It is often our pride that suffers offense most easily. Pride leads us to expect more than we deserve. Pride is a form of self-worship. God must destroy our pride, and to do so, He will allow offenses to expose what we lack in humility. It is not wrong to expect encouragement for our good works, but we cannot be offended when it doesn't happen in the timing we are expecting.

Years ago when I was a young pastor, I attended a conference where the main leader decided to personally greet each minister and spouse. He greeted the couple on our right and then turned to his staff to ask a question. A moment later he returned, but passed us by and went to the couple on our left. Everyone around us saw we were bypassed. We were embarrassed and offended. But my wife wisely observed that we could allow this thing to hurt us or we could see it as an investment in sensitivity toward other people's feelings. The offense taught us how others feel when they are ignored. Do you see this? You must make that offense become an opportunity to become more Christlike.

The occasions for taking offense are practically endless. Indeed, we are daily given the opportunity to either be offended by something or to possess an unoffendable heart. The Lord's promise is that He's given us a new heart - a soft, entreatable heart that can be filled with His Spirit and abound with His love.

Lord, forgive me for being so easily offended and for carrying offenses. Father, my heart is foolish and weak. Grant me the unoffendable heart of Jesus Christ. Amen.