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Offenses
By Bobbie Jean Merck
What shall be the sign of the end-times and
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? The quickest response to this question
would be earthquakes, famine, unusual weather, plagues, wars, and rumours of
wars. And yes, these are included in Jesus' answer to this question. However, He
tells us, "all these are the beginning of sorrows." Deception and hatred will
also be at work. The Lord then begins to address what are perhaps the greatest
signs and threats of all.
Several years ago revelation came to me about the steps and
progression of one of the most (if not the most) dangerous signs of all:
Offense. This work of the enemy against the Body of Christ, especially in the
Church of America, is on a vicious rampage. Its goal is to steal, to kill, and
to destroy. If it is allowed or given any place, it will do just that. Paul
warns us that we should not be ignorant of Satan's devices, strategies and
intentions.
Every person alive today has been offended and has been the one who
has offended others, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Jesus said, "it must
needs be that offenses come" (Matthew 18:6). In other words, offenses have come,
are coming, and will come. Knowing this, we must have understanding, give them
no place, and walk in the spirit of love and forgiveness.
It only takes one person to be offended in a local church, or in
any other relationship in order for the seed of discord, strife, and division to
be sown which results in chaos, a "rude, unformed mass." We cannot afford
offense.
The second progressive step of offense is betrayal. In the spring
of 1993 God revealed to me the terribleness of betrayal. All betrayal is rooted
in an unclean spirit. It doesn't matter if it is a juicy tidbit of gossip,
judging another, sexual abuse, or adultery, or whatever negative behavior that
is unleashed against another. It is the working of an unclean spirit, for
betrayal and an unclean spirit are one and the same.
Regardless the actions of one against another, it is the breaking
of covenant and the yielding to the unclean spirit. When a person does that,
they are not in their right mind. And, they are really an enemy to themselves.
Mark Five illustrates the working of such an adversary. In Ben Campbell
Johnson's Matthew and Mark A Relational Paraphrase, the understanding is
graphic.
When Jesus got out of the boat, he was
immediately accosted by a demented man who was living in the cavelike tombs
common in that area. He came dashing up to Jesus ~ he was so fierce that no
person had been able to control him, not even with chains. His countrymen had
repeatedly tied him with chains and shackles, but each time he got loose.
Nothing could restrain him. Night and day he was in the mountains or inside the
caves, screaming and cutting himself with stones.
When this tortured man saw Jesus at a distance, he ran to him and
worshiped him. Then he cried out at Jesus, "How am I related to you, Jesus, Son
of the Most High God? In the name of God, please don't torture me any more."
Jesus responded, "Come out of this man, alien destructive spirit." Then he said
to that separated part of the man, "What is your name?" That part of him
answered, " 'Many'- because my personality is split into many parts."
Mark 5:2-9
Indeed, the unclean betrayal spirit is an alien destructive spirit.
The hope, freedom, and victory over and against it is in love and forgiveness.
Victory also comes as you draw boundaries in your life and determine no one will
be able to offend you. They will come and they will try. But if you draw the
boundary line and refuse offense by loving, praying, and forgiving, offense will
never take root in you.
Remember, betrayal is the fruit of offense. People begin to see and
talk negative things about their offender. The imagination runs wild. The
"accuser of the brethren" has an open door. Lies begin to look like the truth.
Knit-picking increases. Nothing the offender says or does seems good or right to
the one offended. "Walking on eggshells," as we say, becomes the manner in which
the offended one must be dealt with. The offended one develops a fragmented
personality. But Jesus, as Ben Campbell Johnson says, can reunite a fragmented
personality.
It is dangerous to be around an offended person. Proverbs gives us
warning and wisdom. "A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to
a malicious tongue.... He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high
gate invites destruction" (Proverbs 17:4,19 The New International Version).
These verses put the fear of God in me. We are responsible for what we listen to
and pay attention to.
Perhaps it would be good and beneficial if we check up on ourselves
and see what "tickles our ears." Hopefully, we'll be alert and not participate
in the unclean. We can counter-attack the subtle work of the enemy by hearing
and by obeying the Word.
Proverbs 17:14,9 says, "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out..... He who covers over an
offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends" (New
International Version).
The third progressive step of offense is, "and shall hate one
another." It goes like this. Before the offense, I like you and I love
you; I will be with you all the days of my life or until Jesus comes. But then
the offense comes, often bred by familiarity. So now the emotions and mind begin
to work unchecked. Little things become major. Dislike begins to set in and if
not stopped, will become hate.
Never mind that Jesus said, "...What therefore God hath
joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6), so they begin to
think. Dislike and hate founded in the root of unresolved offenses take
over, rooting out fellowship, covenant-relationship, love and commitment. "My
way and what I want" takes priority over everyone and everything else. Such an
one has lost their "right mind." They can't think straight and right. The false
begins to look like the real. The "angel of light" is setting up dominion based
on a foundation of offense.
The fourth progressive step in offense entails the false prophet
and the false spirit of prophecy. Ninety-nine percent of the time the false
prophet doesn't come dressed in a white, rough robe prophesying "off the wall"
things. That would be too obvious and recognizable. Yes, I have seen such a
person come into a meeting. It is strange and almost unreal to witness what can
so smoothly take place.
At one of Brother Hagin's meetings a man dressed in a white, rough
robe walked slowly past every excellent minister of helps and had gotten to the
third step to the platform before the ushers ran up and grabbed him.
On one of my trips to Sweden an amazing event of this kind happened
as well. I was sitting on the front row, caught up in the spirit of worship.
They have an unbreachable, excellent ministry of helps team. But suddenly, a
young man dressed in white pants and shirt approached me and began to bend over
me.
As I innocently looked up into his face and eyes, Stephan ~ their
youth evangelist ~ quickly came between me and this young man. Other ushers also
ran to him and grabbed him, and then they took him out of the service. I did not
see it, but others around me saw a knife in his hand. He was ready to kill me.
Just a man "passing through," but God and his anointed vessels saved my life!
Five years before this event, Stephan had a vision of this
happening to Apostle Ulf. For five years he had practiced executing moves to
interrupt such an attack in the exact manner that he then did to this young man.
It pays to see and hear what the Holy Ghost shows and tells you!
False prophets and false prophecy are dangerous. Offenses
must go so they can't overtake the Body of Christ. With false prophets and the
false spirit of prophecy, the fifth step is set into motion, which is deception:
"and shall deceive many." James 1:22 encourages us to be doers of the Word and
not hearers only so that we do not deceive ourselves. But! The Amplified Bible
reveals the meaning of this verse in very strong words which once again link
lack of obedience to the Word, betrayal, and deception together: "But be doers
of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying
yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]."
Deception can come in many forms. It can come as error, as
part Truth, as false prophecy ~ the list goes on. One almost hidden manner in
which this spirit works is this. The offended person prays, seeks God, and then
begins to hear and see things that are absolutely untrue. They are so convinced
that "God has told and shown them" to do this or that, no suggestions or counsel
can turn them away from it. They are convinced by an alien spirit of deception
because they have refused to forgive, love, pray for, and bless their offender.
Satan has succeeded in his assignment.
The words "offend" and "offenses" have this meaning: to commit that
which leads to the fall or ruin of someone; to throw someone unawares into ruin.
(This is happening in the Body of Christ because people do not understand the
evil design behind offenses and being offended. They are almost looked upon as
"my right ~ I can be offended and remain so if I want to." How dreadful the
results!) "Offend" and "offenses" also mean: to craftily entice or lead to ruin,
allowing someone to adopt a course in which he will unknowingly come to mischief
and ruin. To be caught or affected by a trap. We must teach, help, and be
patient with one another in this area of offense. The Truth will make us free
from being trapped and controlled by others through offenses.
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that
oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the
acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the
snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
2 Timothy 2:24-26
Jesus tells us how to open up blocked relationships. Matthew
18:15,16,18,21,22 in the Ben Campbell Johnson paraphrase says this:
"Let me talk with you about opening up blocked
relationships. Suppose a brother of yours functions in a manner that creates
negative feelings in you. Go to your brother and tell him how you feel. If he
hears you and is sensitive to your pain, you have deepened your relationship
with your brother. If he does not hear what you say, invite a friend or two to
sit together with you to mediate the relationship. Both of you will get a
clearer picture when there are other viewpoints.
"I remind you again that decisions which you make have far-reaching
consequences whether you are blocking relationships in your life or whether you
are opening them up. The result of your efforts reverberates throughout the
Spirit dimension.... After that Peter asked Jesus, "How many times am I to
forgive my brother when he acts unloving toward me? Seven?" Jesus responded,
"Yes, forgive him seven times, then seventy times seven, or until you lose
count."
Faith is linked and connected directly with the major
Body-of-Christ-purpose to have fellowship with one another. Our revelation of
mustard seed faith is rooted in the teachings of Jesus on offenses and
forgiveness. Living love and forgiveness releases even tiny mustard seed faith
to work with the desired results.
Jesus warned his understudies,
"Certainly you will experience rejection and other disadvantages,
but the person who creates obstacles better watch out. Moreover, the person who
offends little children would be better if he did away with himself instead.
"Also pay attention to your relationships and the barriers that may
exist between you. For example, if a brother offends you, tell him clearly how
you feel. If he says that he is sorry, forgive him. Even if he offends you seven
times in a single day and seven times that day says to you, 'I'm sorry,'
forgive him." His understudies were shocked and requested, "Sir, enable us to
have enough faith to do that."
"You don't need a great deal of faith," Jesus said. "If you just
had faith the size of a tiny mustard seed, you could say to that tree standing
over there, 'Be pulled up by the roots and dumped into the sea,' and it would do
it."
Luke 17:1-6 Ben Campbell Johnson An Interpretive Paraphrase
Offenses and being offended also are the trigger in the trap on
which the bait is placed and that springs the trap when it is touched, causing
the trap to close. In other words, if we refuse to be offended, Satan cannot
catch us in his trap! These words involve the conduct of the person who is
"injured." It denotes the enticement or occasion leading to conduct which brings
with it the ruin of the person offended.
You can easily see that resentments largely result from offense.
Resentment and unhappiness are twins that cannot be separated. Resentment is
poison to us spirit, soul, and body. Resentment breeds emptiness and
discontentment. It reduces one's potential and usefulness. Not only does
resentment produce unhappiness, it produces fear, inadequacy, insecurity,
restlessness, and uneasiness.
Resentment will cause you to say and to do things outwardly that
seemingly give respectability to your actions. This is pretense, fake, and
unreal. Resentment is inside a person. Some medical doctors say all disease is
from stress. Second Timothy 3:1-5 lists 19 inner weaknesses that create a life
of stress. None of these 19 conditions are because of what is said or done to
you, or the circumstances around you (outside of you). They are in you. They are
a part of the last days in which perilous times exist. We must draw the line and
live as well as say, "I cannot and I will not be offended."
Yes, iniquity abounds in the dung of offense. Yes, the love of many
waxes cold for God, self and others. This word "cold" is derived from a word
meaning to compress, condense; concrete, which is the property of coldness. It
exists in the soul area. Think on this. But, praise God! In Him and in His grace
there is hope, freedom, and victory over all these negative, alien, evil, and
destructive forces. And because of willing and obedient servants of the Lord for
the Cause, many shall endure to the end and shall be saved! "And this gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14). Hallelujah! Philippians 4:13 says,
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
We refuse to give offense any place. We choose Agape! We will grow
into the maturity of Christ. As an older gentleman said, "Love's greatest glory
lies in the fact that it alone provides the strength, the protection, and the
encouragement without which full growth is impossible." Love within us is the
great force that joins all parts together. It is the organizing element in our
structure of spirit, soul, and body. It is the energy that nourishes, matures,
and preserves. Love is life.
Lovelessness is the antagonistic force of aggression striving
constantly to separate and to divide. It destroys by conquering and dissolving
that which is good. It is death at work. Lovelessness puts the brakes on and
stops everything good, inside and outside. Knowledge without love is doomed to
failure. Love supersedes selfishness and causes you to compassionately
understand others (even their unreasonableness). Christianity has succeeded and
will succeed because it is love. All else fails ~ but God's Agape never fails!
Christianity is distinguished by our God Who expresses Himself in Agape, and
true Christians are distinguished by God being expressed through their lives in
Agape. All else fails!
Practice love on everyone! For love is
your freedom
and your freedom is love! Amen.
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