Encore: Becoming Unoffendable
Seems like there’s plenty to be upset about in our world. We can even get personally offended by the actions and comments of others around us. Here’s a radical, relational idea: What if you can become unoffendable? That’s right—unoffendable. It’s rare but possible. Through Jesus working in us, it’s possible to deflect hurt over offenses. It’s possible to find power over anger and bitterness. It’s possible to enjoy the freedom of becoming unoffendable!
Discussion Questions
Describe the thoughts and feelings you experience when you’re offended by someone (by some action or offensive words spoken against you).
When offended, we might feel hurt, anger or revenge. Describe the destructive nature of each of these responses.
Jesus gives a specific description and warning to the disciples regarding the end of the age. Read Matthew 24:10-12. What do you notice about this progression that begins with being offended?
Jesus was the perfect example of one who was unoffendable. How do Jesus’ words in Luke 23:34 illustrate His unoffendable nature?
Read Proverbs 19:11. In what sense is glory found in overlooking an offense? Can you recall a situation in which you overlooked an offense?
Pick a particular circumstance and describe your journey from being offended to offering forgiveness. Were there discernable steps in that process? How do empathy and forgiveness help you become unoffendable?
How might becoming unoffendable produce freedom within you? What other benefits might you realize by becoming unoffendable?
Further Reading
Discovering and Doing the Will of God
Finding the will of God is both a mystery and an adventure. Certainly, we would be short-sighted if we didn’t curiously and diligently pursue the path God wants us to walk. If Jesus is our Lord, it makes sense for us to do what He wants us to do. Can we know what He...
Where You Do Not Want to Go
Saying that Jesus is Lord, implies surrendering to His will over ours. No matter how you frame it, surrender is frightening. When we surrender, we are vulnerable. When we surrender someone else determines our path and can take us where we do not want to go. Jesus...
Aware of the Dangers
Temptation is real. And so is the danger of making sinful choices that displease the Lord of our lives. Fortunately for our sakes, others before us have made unfortunate choices that we can learn from. While the Bible is filled with examples of success, it is just as...
Upside Down Authority
When you think of the word authority, what comes to mind? You might think of someone who used their authority to control or manipulate you. If that's the case, the word authority may cause a negative reaction. But as Jesus used the authority given to him by God the...
The New You
If we grudgingly view Christ’s lordship in our lives as a threat to our freedom, we don’t understand the real freedom we’ve been given through Him. Jesus has come to make us new, literally! Through the new birth, we’ve been given a new nature and the cord to sin and...