Many oppose the pursuit of Love because they are afraid to give up control. They resist any attempt to expose this insecurity by using any means possible to discount the revelation. They may betray you in an attempt to uncover a weakness in your belief or they may use some past failure to compromise you. As you mature in your Love walk, expect opposition and resistance for it comes with the territory.
An offense is any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall, (a stumbling block, occasion of stumbling), i.e., a rock which is a cause of stumbling. Resistance is the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument. One who resists the Divine Intent of FATHER is an offense.
Jesus is our pattern to follow, and He dealt with much resistance from the Pharisees and Sadducees who were primarily interested in retaining control and status. Jesus had just completed His Sermon on the Mount and made it quite clear that all men needed to walk in mercy and forgiveness. He told the multitudes that murder and adultery were issues with the heart, not just externally keeping the Law. He urged the multitudes to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who spitefully use them and persecute them.
The Pharisees could not hear the Truth and instead wanted to maintain the traditions of man as they looked for reasons to criticize Jesus and His disciples:
Matthew 9:10-11 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, “He (Jesus) casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
Matthew 12:1-2 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
The Pharisees had no interest in the content or intent of His words; they were only interest in maintaining the status quo. They posed questions to Jesus and the disciples in an attempt to cast a shadow on the message of Love and restoration. Do you do the same to people with a different understanding than your own? Do you try to protect a revelation you received years ago without considering that it no longer applies to you in your current state?
The Jewish leaders were at one time the bridge between FATHER and the tribes of Israel but their time had passed long ago. FATHER’S plan of redemption progressed from the external acts to the internal change of heart. The leaders were afraid of this new teaching and opposed it out of fear and ignorance. Love evokes and promotes change, but people tend to resist change.
While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they were warned about building permanent dwellings. FATHER wanted them to follow HIS Presence wherever it took them. In like manner, we should always be prepared to challenge our own doctrine when presented with a potentially greater revelation and be prepared to move away from the doctrine that may have simply become a tradition without power.
Jesus’ own disciples opposed Love’s intent. Jesus knew the path FATHER had Him on, and it was necessary for Him to suffer yet when He spoke of what was about to happen, Peter opposed Him. In Mathew chapter 16:
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
It is important for us to understand that we can be an offense to FATHER’S plan and Will. We must focus on keeping on the narrow path of Love and be sensitive to FATHER’S Voice. HE may tell us to do something contrary to our current doctrine and we must not oppose or resist HIS instructions. As we open ourselves up to correction and change, HE can share deeper Truths for us to embrace and walk in.
In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus gave us a stern warning:
6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!"
8 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."
This is a rather ominous warning for all of us to take seriously. We must be careful and make sure that our actions do not facilitate lawlessness in others. When we argue and debate with others concerning some view of the Scripture that isn’t a matter of salvation, we can impair their walk. This is especially true for those who are in positions of authority and responsibility. When the immature look to you for instruction, you must be careful to qualify your position and understanding thus allowing them to hear FATHER for themselves. We must always direct those who are less mature to seek FATHER’S Voice rather than functioning as an intermediary between them and FATHER. Their tutoring should not become a perpetual task, but at some point, they need to graduate to hearing HIS Voice directly. Let us not be an offense to a "little" one.
In Acts chapter 6, Stephen was walking out his calling and producing good fruit:
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
You would think that everyone observing Stephen’s fruit would be excited and supportive of his calling. Not so. They not only opposed him but they incited others to become false witnesses:
9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;
It is obvious that the church leaders rationalized away the wonders and sign among the people. They were focused on Moses and the Law rather than the blessings at hand. When men attempt to compel everyone to align themselves with the leadership rather than FATHER, opposition and resistance will result. Love came to restore and heal not perpetuate the customs and traditions of the Law. Throughout church history we find that a revelation from FATHER created dominations and later after the revelation was diluted by men’s opinions and interpretation, a tradition replaced it. No wonder the churches can’t seem to agree to the point of being in unity.
Stephen was empowered to challenge the leadership of the day and all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel. The glory inside of him overflowed to the external. He then began to give the leadership a Bible lesson they would never forget and ended it with the following found in chapter 7:
51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Stephen was speaking under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. His boldness came from Above, and the leadership was now being exposed. I can attest that when THE SPIRIT moves upon me, there is a boldness to speak without reservation, knowing FATHER wants something exposed and/or resolved. The Truth does not apologize to those in error but seeks to correct, cleanse, and restore if possible. Otherwise, judgment will arrive at the door.
We don’t need to defend Love and FATHER will take care of any corrective interviews which need to take place. If we will speak those words, HE gives us to speak and neither add nor subtract, the opposition and resistance will become a non-issue. On the other hand, if we see no opposition or resistance from the world, we may need to assess where we stand. In the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of John:
19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Your walk motivated by the Divine Intent of Love is a light unto the world, but those who practice evil hate the light so they will hate you. As an enemy, they become the focus of your Love which in turn will cause their deeds to be exposed by FATHER. This begins the cleansing process unto repentance. The Truth in Love you walk in brightens the surroundings, and both the opposition and resistance will dissipate before your eyes. Hallelujah!