The term "offend" means "to displease; to make angry; to wound the feelings of; to cause displeasure…" No one understands this concept better than the preacher of the gospel. Gospel preachers, who love the souls of men, will never go out of their way to offend their hearers. However, those who choose to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ know that when "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) is preached, there will be those who will be offended. The old cliché holds true many times; "Truth hurts!" Why even Jesus, the most loving preacher ever, at times offended people with the truth He spoke (Lk. 11:45).

    When a person is offended by the preaching of the truth, many times he identifies the messenger as an enemy. Evidently some in the churches of Galatia looked at Paul in this manner due to his strong stand for the gospel. Paul asks an important question in the fourth chapter of his letter to the Galatian Christians, "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16). Again, some believed Paul had become a persecutor due to what He said to them. But was Paul an enemy? No! Paul was a friend because he was willing to say the things that were necessary to right the lives of some in the Galatian churches. What did Paul say that caused them to count him as an enemy? Consider…

1. Paul Preached Against Things Poisonous. False teaching is a deadly cancer (cf. 2 Timothy 2:17). Paul spoke out against those who would preach another gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). He, in very clear terms, described the condition of those who would teach such when he said to them, "…you have fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). When a man is willing to stand against ungodly teaching, many times, even by his own brethren, he will be considered an enemy, when in fact he is a friend.
2. Paul Preached Against Things Publicly. The letter to the Galatians, as was the case for all the epistles, was for public consumption (cf. 1 Thess. 5:27). In the letter to the Galatians, Paul spoke out against false doctrine and those who would teach it (Gal. 1:6-9; 4:17; 5:12; 6:12,13). Paul spoke out against false living (Gal. 5:19-21). When a preacher of the gospel stands firm against sin of every sort from the pulpit, publicly condemning the sin many are ensnared by (social drinking, fornication, dancing, revelry, unlawful marriages, etc.), some will count him as an enemy.

3.  Paul Preached Against Things Personal. It takes courage to point out sin publicly, yet, we must admit that it can be just as difficult, if not more so, to point out, in a one on one way, personal sin in an individual’s life. This is what Paul did when Peter played the hypocrite (Gal. 2:11,12). To seek to restore the erring can be difficult, yet it must be done (Gal. 6:1,2). However, one should understand that not everyone will take it kindly. Rather than being thankful for the one who sought to turn them from the error of their ways, some will count him as an enemy.

    Preaching the gospel is a daunting task. It is an endeavor filled with joy and happiness. However, even when the truth is preached in love (Eph. 4:15), there will be those who are going to be offended, who count the messenger as an enemy. Even though this may be the case, we all must be willing to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2) despite the consequences. When we do so, we are not enemies but friends to those to whom we preach no matter how we are perceived.

~ Bill Burk