Offense Continued

Betty Heimbach

December 14, 2005

Don't Take Offense, Don't Give Offense - Continued

John 16:1, “These things have I spoken unto you that ye should not be offended.”

This verse in the RV says: “… that you should not be made to stumble.”

The NLT says, “I have told you these things so that you won’t fall away.”

(While this is not part of the prophetic word I sent out in the last mailing, I do believe it to be Holy Spirit inspired. This is what I saw as I continued to read the Scriptures after receiving the prophecy.)

The verse in the RV seems to say that we are more likely to stumble and fall when offense comes. The NLT seems to say that we are likely to fall away because of offense. And Jesus knew that if we take offense often enough we are in danger of falling away. So I looked back to see what He had spoken previously that was to keep us from offense. I read chapters 13-15 to get all that seemed to be connected before He had spoken before he said, in Chapter 16:1, “I have spoken these things…”

What I found is that even though Jesus was fully aware of His authority in Heaven and earth, although He was The Anointed One, The Word of God Incarnate, He chose to take the role of servant. He washed the feet of the disciples (Ch. 13). He chose to lay down His power and authority to become a servant of mankind. He chose to live and die to reconcile man to God. He chose to lay down His live for us in order to demonstrate God’s great love for us.

Jesus asked the disciples if they understood what He was doing. And He instructed them to follow His example. (v. 12 Ch 15) Then in verse 34 he gave them a new commandment, “Love each other just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are MY disciples.” NLT

Earlier, in v. 21 Jesus said that He knew one of them would betray Him. He already knew He was doing to die. He knew how He would die. And He knew who would betray Him and who would deny Him. Yet He sat down at the table and ate with the one would betray Him and the one who would deny Him, and those who had not been willing or able to wait and pray with Him in the garden. They were all there at the table with Him. He knew all their faults and failures, He was aware of all their shortcomings.

They had disappointed Him at various times in different circumstances. Yet He continued to love, to lead, to teach. He did not reveal their identities or their sins to the others. He knew them well. He knew their hearts, their intents. He knew Peter would deny Him and Judas would betray Him. Yet He washed their feet and broke bread and shared a cup of wine with them. And He told them all to follow His example in love and service.

In chapter 14 Jesus told the disciples not to worry, but to trust God in everything. In v. 10 He told them that the words He spoke were the Father’s words. Then He said we are to do all He did and more. And in v. 13 He said we can ask for anything in His name. So we are to do even greater works of service, even greater acts of love, laying down our lives to love and to serve those God places in our lives. And we can ask Him to fill us with His love expecting to receive His love and be empowered by love and serve as He did. He promised us that Holy Spirit would come to guide us. In v.23 He said, “If you love Me you will do what I say.” And in v.27 He says for us to not be troubled or afraid.

In chapter 15 He teaches that He is the vine and we are the branches and we must draw from Him by staying connected to Him. In verse 12 of chapter 15 He repeats His command for us to love each other the same way He loves us. Then He tells us how to measure that love, “The greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.”

So I asked the Lord, the question, “How do we lay down our lives?” This is what I see. First we lay down our ‘rights’. We lay down our selfish desires, our desires for recognition, our desire for justice and fair play, and our right to be respected, or admired, or treated in a certain way. We lay down our right to be right, our desire to be right, our right to speak our opinion, our desire for praise of men, to have our egos built up. We lay down our right to sit in the best seat (or the one we are used to, the one we prefer). We lay down our desire to have others do or say only what we like. We give up our desire to have only the music we like, or to want only certain people to sing or play instruments, to only listen to the teachers we like, to only receive a word from the people we approve and accept.

We lay down our opinions in order to hear another’s opinion. We lay down doing things our way to allow another to express their creativity and gifting. We do it all in love for the sake of others. We look for what God has placed in people and try to help bring it out, help them develop the treasure God has placed within their earthen vessel. We become willing to sometimes not exercise our own gift in order to make room for another to do so.

We walk in love, live in love, respond in love to everyone and pray for everyone the way we want to be prayed for.

Betty Heimbach

bettyjay@bellsouth.net