No More Mr. Nice Guy: Saying Goodbye to Doormat ChristianitySample

You Have the Right to Be Offensive

“And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?’” (Galatians 2:13-14 NKJV).

Contrary to popular opinion, Christ didn’t die to make you nice. Christ died to make you His.

If you look at much of the media, one gets the feeling that if Christians would just stay “in their place” (i.e., say prayers and sing hymns), they wouldn’t be bothered. For some reason, everybody has the right to proclaim views no matter how banal and silly, except Christians. Christians are supposed to smile, love everybody, and be nice.

Guilt causes many Christians to feel that because they are bad, they have to work hard at being liked. I believe that most Christians ought to, at least once a day, offend at least one person. That way we’d make sure that we haven’t sold our souls. We might have to ask forgiveness a lot; but, at least, we would get honest.

The thing is, truth almost always offends. Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26 NKJV).

Do you ever say what you really think? Most of us don’t and, as a result, in our effort to be nice and sweet, the church has become the most dishonest institution in our culture today.

On the authority of God’s Word, I give you permission to be offensive.