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[CatieladyB]

Offended...

That's something that many Christians go to great lengths to avoid doing to the people of the world.  We often times curtail the message of the Gospel in order to not offend the world.  We can't call sin, sin, these days, right?  You're being offensive and unloving! Unfortunately, the mention of the word sin in relation to the world is almost shunned, yes, even by Christians these days for fear of offending people. We think that if we just show the people of the world 'love' then some how God will use that to bring salvation to them; and that is true.  If we show them the love of God, God will bring salvation to those who love Him.  However, we really need to define what 'true love' is.  Ponder this...   Let's say you were on a path in life that ultimately lead to destruction and death, and...

• Person A - Knows you are very happy with the path you're on and yet knows that it will destroy you. Person A also knows that if he/she tells you that your current path is wrong and you need to turn to a new and better path, it may offend you and cost them your friendship and/or relationship. However, because they 'love' you, they tell you the truth of your situation at the risk of losing their friendship and/or relationship with you.

• Person B - Knows you are very happy with the path you're on and yet knows that it will destroy you. Person B also knows that if he/she tells you that your current path is wrong and you need to turn to a new and better path, it may offend you and cost them your friendship and/or relationship. So, because they 'love' you, they decide NOT to tell you the truth of your situation for fear of offending you and losing their friendship and/or relationship with you.

Person A - 'loved' you and was concerned enough about your life to save you from destruction and death. From their 'love', you were given the opportunity to hear about a new and better path that ends in life.

Person B - 'loved' you and was concerned about your feelings. From their 'love', you were never warned and continued on your path of destruction which ultimately took your life.

Which Person actually showed you 'true love'?

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, please hear and understand. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not called the "Good News" for some trivial reason! It is Good News that God became flesh for the sole purpose of taking the punishment for, yes OUR sins upon Himself on the cross; so that we may have life in Him! That's the Good News! We were condemned sinners and God the Father 'loved' us so much that He sent His Son in the form of human flesh in order that He would pay for our sins on the cross!
 
John 3: 16-18 -
16) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Romans 8 -
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

THIS IS TRUE LOVE!
 
If the world is not conscious of their path of destruction and death (sin) then they will never see the great value of God's love, as is demonstrated by Christ Jesus giving His life for us. If for fear of offending the world, we Christians omit or lessen the problem of sin in our demonstration of love, then we are not demonstrating the 'true love' of God and have made the Gospel powerless.

Romans 1:16 - "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. "

Brothers and Sisters, it is not a time to shrink back for fear of offending the world.  It is time to honor God and show the world the True Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Their lives depends on it.

(Shared by a friend on Facebook)

[Tom Johns]

 

[rickyz]

Amen, Hate the sin, Love the sinner!

[CatieladyB]

I just thought this was so relevant for these times that I had to share it!