Give No Offence.

1Co 10:25  Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: 

1Co 10:26  For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. 

1Co 10:27  If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 

1Co 10:28  But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: 

1Co 10:29  Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? 

1Co 10:30  For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

1Co 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 

1Co 10:33  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 

Give no offence to Jews, to Gentiles (non-Jews), or to the Followers of Jesus. Give no offence…

What a concept.

We live in a world filled with beliefs too numerous to count. Religious beliefs of so many kinds truly the world has stopped being categorized into set groups. However, we know the Jewish religion still exists (apostatized from God). And we know that all non-Jews are considered Gentiles. We also know that Christians fall into the category of Gentiles to the Jewish people. Jew, Gentile, Christian- these group sum up EVERYBODY regardless of their individual stance on what religion they follow, what their particular beliefs are from satan worship to the worship of a spaghetti monster (true thing), to belief in sun worship, to any idol worship, to self-worship - the list is endless.  Everyone falls under the category of Gentile who is not Jewish.

Therefore, with EVERYONE included in these groups we are NOT to give offence to anyone.

What is meant by offence?  Where is the line between holding fast to your particular belief and giving offence to another who believes differently? With so many real life occurrences concerning offence to the point people are taken to court and sued because of offending another person, where do we draw the line?

If we are told to give no offence- does that mean we are to take part in satan worship, spaghetti monster worship, the worship of idol, so on and so forth all of which clearly go against the worshipping of God - and Him only? No.

Absolutely not, we are not to engage in the worship of any of the false religions. What denotes worship? Giving honor, praise, glory, heart service, self-sacrifice, thanksgiving to God. In worship we surrender ourselves to God, recognizing He alone is our Creator, that Christ Jesus is our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit guides us.

Ask yourself if you are required to do something you aren't sure about whether it means you are giving your honor, your praise, your glory, your heart service, your sacrifice, your thanksgiving to that thing.

We can give NO offence as long as it is clearly comprehended that what we do is not in any way taking our worship from God.

We shouldn't partake in another's religious service honoring their false God, giving the appearance that WE TOO are honoring their false God. I can eat from their table as long as the food I'm eating is NOT the food offered to their idols.  I can sit with them, talk with them, laugh with them, work with them, live with them if need be without WORSHIPING their gods whatever they may be. As long as I am free to worship God and serve Him only from my heart, through the Spirit.

If I am called to do something for someone who is not a Christ follower with my own particular belief in the truth revealed to me, I should do it and give NO offence to that person, as long as it is not offensive to my worshipping God.

I need to ask myself if my beliefs are well known and it is known that I will interact with all others with the LOVE that Christ revealed to all others. He sat down with sinners, He interacted with non-Jewish people- REMEMBER He was considered Jewish because He was Jewish and expected to behave as such and shun all others. Christ did not shun the non-Jewish and this infuriated the Jewish people. However, it wasn't until Christ gave the truth that He was God's Son, that He in His own right was a God, that the Jewish leaders could accuse Him of blasphemy. They couldn't have Him crucified for talking with Gentiles.

If my beliefs are well known or available to be well known if asked, and I give a service to a non-believer- I am NOT partaking in their beliefs. I can love all without exception without approving, or partaking in their beliefs. It's when I am told I need to worship as they worship, that I must partake in their beliefs- their ceremonies, their ways that I must stand firm and deny going to that extent even if it means giving offence.

If I proclaim my beliefs and they are against your beliefs, it will NOT mean I despise you.

I am allowed to despise your beliefs, but not you.

People have confused the two - and so many today believe that if you despise their beliefs you are despising them. That their beliefs are them and I can't love them if I don't love what they love.

Give no offence.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

1Co 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 

1Co 10:33  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 

1Co 9:19  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 

1Co 9:20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 

1Co 9:21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 

1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 

1Co 9:23  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 

Paul put on no airs whatsoever and remained true to the Lord Jesus Christ in all He did. Paul did not tell the Jewish people he hated them and couldn't associate with them any longer now that he was a Christ follower. Paul did not tell the Gentiles that he couldn't associate with them. He did not tell those weak in their beliefs that because He was strong in his beliefs he could not associate with them.  He associated with them all, never compromising his truth but was able to reveal the love of his truth to them because he did associate with those who did not believe as he did.

We can reveal our LOVE to others, the love of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior but only if we are loving.  As soon as we stop loving, we are revealing only a false god to them.  As long as others know that we hold fast to our worship of our Lord in all things and do not worship anything as they do against our worship of the LORD, we can love them as our neighbors.  We must leave the heart convictions of others to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will do His work, while we do ours. We mustn't try to do the work of the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord bless us in all our interactions with all people no matter who they are. May we reveal the love of God, the love of His only begotten Son, and the love of the Holy Spirit to all.

All through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!!  Amen.