Don’t Let Offense Derail Your Journey – Sunday Service

This summary explores the critical spiritual principles of generosity and, primarily, how to handle offense so it does not obstruct the flow of God’s plan and blessing in a believer’s life. The core message emphasizes that while offenses are inevitable, choosing forgiveness and aligning with grace secures redemption and spiritual freedom.

The Power of Generous Giving

The sources highlight that giving is fundamentally a matter of the heart, driven by love and devotion, not duty or obligation.

Biblical Foundation for Giving Jesus observed giving and determined that a poor widow who gave two small coins gave more than all the rich contributors combined. This is because the rich gave amounts they would never miss, while the widow “gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford and she gave her all”. God looks for giving motivated by the heart and not by the measure placed in the collection bucket.

The Flow of Generosity Generosity is linked directly to success and prosperity. Proverbs 11:25 states that “The generous will prosper,” and “those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed”. When individuals are generous to others (through providing groceries, quality clothing, or spontaneous acts of kindness like large tips), they enter the flow of God’s generosity, reflecting the divine DNA of being a giver. The speaker asserts that giving in church should feel trivial when compared to practicing generosity outside of the church. Giving should come from a heart of generosity, love, and appreciation, honoring God, rather than obligation or duty. The blessing received is ultimately rooted in Jesus Christ, and generous giving opens eyes to the generosity flow already available in Christ.

Offense: The Primary Weapon of the Enemy

The main focus of the message is a series titled, “Don’t Let Offense Derail Your Journey”. Offense is defined as a feeling of resentment or hurt caused by a perceived insult, disrespect, or wrongdoing, meaning literally “to stumble over”.

The Inevitability and Danger of Offense Jesus made it clear that offenses will come. They happened to Jesus and all biblical heroes. However, the response to offense is crucial.

Offense is described as the number one weapon of the enemy in the last days because it is invisible and resides in a person’s heart. The devil uses offense to derail lives and relationships.

The ultimate objective of Satan is to use offense to get believers to leave God’s word and God’s presence. The progression of accepting offense results in:

• Betrayal.
• Cold love.
• Abandonment of daily contact with God, leading to the inability to hear or be directed by the Holy Spirit.
• Being turned into a “tool in the toolbox of your enemy”.

Offense can drag a person out of God’s will (“your there”), out of peace, and out of provision. It is a “bait” used to knock people off track, especially those who are excited about God and making a “dent in the kingdom of darkness”.

The Progression of Offense (The Death Cycle) Once offense is taken, it progresses like a seed that is planted. This progression, if unchecked, hardens the heart and leads to a death cycle:

1. Hurt: The initial external pain.
2. Bitterness: When hurt ferments, it troubles the individual and contaminates relationships. Bitterness is capable of committing “murder”.
3. Resentment: Leads to division and betrayal.
4. Cold Love: Signifies a hardened heart.
5. Enemy’s Foothold/Spiritual Attack.
6. Abandonment: Beginning to abandon God’s words and nearness, resulting in being derailed and out of God’s will.

Offense is a Choice No one can truly offend you; you have to receive offense. Offense is something you choose to take, and likewise, freedom from it is a choice, requiring a decision to quickly forgive and avoid excuses. Keeping offense keeps the hurt and allows it to bake and boil.

Biblical Examples of Choosing Forgiveness Over Offense

The sources use the examples of five Bible figures to illustrate the consequences of yielding to offense versus the power of choosing forgiveness. When believers “walk in forgiveness and when you walk in love,” they “remain unshaken”.

1. Joseph: Offense over being sold into slavery, betrayed by brothers, imprisoned, and lied about by Potiphar’s wife would have led to bitterness. Instead, Joseph’s forgiveness positioned him for promotion and allowed God to use the evil plans for good (Genesis 50:20).
2. David: Offense against Saul would have made him take the throne prematurely. However, honor kept David in God’s timing, preventing him from laying his hand on Saul despite having the opportunity (1 Samuel 24:12).
3. Jesus: Offense over being whipped with the “cat of nine tails,” being nailed to the cross, and being rejected by the people He came to save would have derailed the entire work of the cross. Instead, Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them they don’t know what they’re doing,” securing our redemption through forgiveness (Luke 23:34).
4. Stephen: While being stoned to death, offense would have caused him to curse his killers. Love kept him Christlike in the face of death.
5. Apostle Paul: Despite enduring extreme hardships—being beaten five times with the infamous 40 lashes less one, beaten with sticks three times, once stoned, shipwrecked three times, constantly facing danger and betrayal even among fellow Christians (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)—offense would have silenced his ministry. Joy kept him unstoppable; he and Silas prayed and sang praises while in the inner prison, chained in stocks (Acts 16:22, 25, 26).