scott stonehouse

The New Testament talks about Christians suffering and being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. This should not be a surprise. If Jesus was persecuted, his followers should expect the same.

My concern is that there are some people who think they are being persecuted for their faith, when people are actually reacting to their attitude and behavior. They aren’t being snubbed, sidelined, ridiculed, or marginalized because of their beliefs about Jesus or the Bible, but because of their rude, aggressive, abrasive, or argumentative personality. It isn’t the WHAT. It is the HOW. They are being a Jerk for Jesus.

Greg Koukl, President and Founder of Stand To Reason, once said, “The Gospel is offensive enough.” There are aspects of the Gospel that are offensive to people. For example: Sin. Judgement. Jesus’ exclusive claim to be the only way to God. If you remove any of those elements, it is no longer the Gospel. We cannot avoid the offense that comes from the WHAT.

However, there is no need to add offense to the Gospel by HOW we communicate it to others. We can watch our attitude. We can be careful with our tone. We can be humble and patient and gracious.

If we are going to suffer or be persecuted in any way, let it be for WHAT we believe and not for HOW we communicate it. Let’s not be Jerks for Jesus.