Rock Of Offence--Introduction

"Then Jesus said unto them...Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you...Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day...From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." (Paraphrased from John 6:53-69 KJV)

My name is Fred and I'm the author of "Rock of Offence."

The Scripture from John 6:53-69 above reveals a crisis that occurs in the life of anyone who seeks to discover the root meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Some Christians refer to it as, "the offense of the cross". Many of Jesus' disciples stopped following him because of the words he used to describe the principles relating to eternal life. He used the terms "eat my flesh" and "drink my blood" which were highly offensive to the average Jewish person living at that time. Jesus did not use these words by accident. He knew they would offend. I've learned that God uses offense as a method to filter out those who put their own beliefs above His ways. While many of Jesus' disciples refused to follow him any longer--the original twelve disciples choose to stay because they knew that Jesus "had the words of eternal life." These twelve men were also offended by Jesus' words. However, they didn't allow the offense to dominate their life. They made the right decision. If you are a follower of Christ, or thinking about becoming one, offense will be an obstacle to overcome.

In John chapter 6, Jesus was not suggesting that his followers actually eat his flesh and drink his blood. He was using "covenant" terminology. Jesus used some of the strongest covenant language found in the Bible. Just as this language offended many of his followers, we will discover that the role of covenant in the Christian faith will offend religious people today. One major objective of this website is to introduce people to the New Covenant (commonly understood as the New Testament) of Jesus Christ. The covenant of Jesus Christ is the most powerful truth in the Bible. Christ's covenant is THE foundation for faith and salvation. Yet, it is rarely taught. One reason--it destroys the lies on which religion is based. Religious thinking rules the modern church world. When I discovered this subject 26 years ago, I didn't have much information. However, you will find enough instruction on this website to help start you on a journey into the Bible concept of the blood covenant. Once you understand some basics, many teachings in the Bible that seemed confusing will become clear. You will be astounded with the depth of God's love, the price He paid and the rich blessings He purchased--FOR US. And, you'll understand why Jesus did what he did.

Jesus...The Only Doorway Into God's Salvation
If you've never considered Jesus Christ--He offers the greatest message of life, hope, purpose and joy that mankind has ever seen. The best news is--God has given everyone the opportunity to receive eternal life as a free gift! Obviously, there is more to Christianity than just receiving the promise of everlasting life--that's the first doorway we walk through. It's the first of many blessings we receive. I wish my overall goal was to focus only on the blessings of Christ. Yet, many fail to realize that receiving eternal life not only makes a person a citizen of God's Kingdom--and allows them to inherit all of Christ's blessings. . .but they also inherit a war with God's enemy. Ignoring this war and failing to learn about our enemy's tactics is spiritually disastrous. Many professing Christians are POW's and don't know it!

If you have questions about becoming a believer in Christ--information is provided on this website that will get you started. Yet, you may find other subjects difficult to understand. Please--don't allow these discussions to discourage you from seeking God's salvation. When you discover the facts--Jesus Christ is really the only choice. He's the only source of eternal life--you won't find it in anyone else. My primary goal is to discuss topics geared toward those who already profess to be Christian. Yet, anyone--both new and prospective Christians--can benefit from the information found here.

I have structured this website as a ministry resource. However, I'm not under any illusions about visitor interest. Maybe, only a few people will take the time to read this material. Why? Because we are bombarded with voices from every side about God--and about the nature of spiritual truth. Most of us are on "information over-load". Many people consider the information found here as just one more voice among many. For this reason, I decided to hold another purpose for this website--to provide a "testimony". Our testimony is a Godly call to "overcome" the devil and his works. Our testimony is speaking forth God's Word--allowing His thoughts and words to become ours. A person's testimony reflects the truths God has placed in them and the unique way He has changed their life. Faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and our testimony are characteristics of the end time "overcoming" Christian.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11 KJV)

Offence Is Unavoidable And Necessary
Some may wonder why I choose to share about Bible subjects that are offensive to certain religious beliefs. They may feel this invites unnecessary criticism. Frankly, I'm frightened at what I see in the modern church when I compare it to the teachings of Jesus--and He makes the final decision about our place in eternity. Biblical truth is always offensive to religion--which is why religious people crucified Christ. You can't be afraid to teach what the Bible says for fear that someone will be offended. Many times people are offended because they need to be. I'm frightened for millions of people who genuinely want to live for God, but are ensnared by "another gospel". Many will never be free from this trap. I carry a burden for those people who have never discovered God's salvation through Christ. Yet, I am more concerned for those fooled by "the way that seems right"--which is in reality the "way of death" (Proverbs 16:25, Matthew 7:13-14). Some of the spiritual hardship I've experienced brought me to a place where I started to see the world through God's eyes. As a young Christian, I prayed to have this privilege. If I had known the religious traditions that God would uproot in my life in order to bring me into this place--I might have asked for something else. Today, this prayer is being answered--and it's not the experience I thought it would be. It is something that He will gladly give to any of His children willing to make the sacrifices to get it! It depends on how willing we are to give up cherished religious preconceptions and replace them with the truth of His Word. Our heavenly Father wants ALL His children to see the world the way He sees it! It's normal for anyone in God's family. God tells us to call to him and ask...

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)
At a high school eye examination I tested as mildly color-blind. However, my type of color-blindness allowed me to see things that were camouflaged and hidden--an interesting characteristic. I was told that the military looks for people with this condition. Certain kinds of color-blindness allows a person to see hidden enemy positions from surveillance aircraft. Imagine my surprise. After learning this--I didn't feel so bad! Several summers ago a friend and I were hiking near the Potomac river. Suddenly, I saw a copperhead snake coiled on the path ahead--and my friend was about to step right on it! Copperheads are among the most poisonous vipers on the east coast. The snake's color allowed it to blend into the surrounding brush on the path--making it difficult to see--but somehow I could see it. I stopped my friend before he took another step and pointed at the snake. He was amazed at how well the snake was hidden--in plain sight--and how close he came to a disastrous situation! This experience illustrates a spiritual truth. In the modern church there are spiritual traps and snares everywhere. Some of God's people see the danger, avoid it and continue on to enjoy God's way of prosperity and success (Joshua 1:8-9). This is possible because they've been diligent to learn God's covenant ways. This is similar to what God told Joshua to commit himself to (There are some important differences under New Testament Christianity). Most Christians believe they're following God's way when actually they're following institutional church traditions and a counterfeit religious way. When you live with a covenant mentality--you see the spiritual path ahead totally different than others around you because you're "seeing" through God's eyes! Others who don't have this mentality will step right in the middle of a counterfeit gospel--and receive its religious tenants as spiritual truth. As a result, the remainder of their life is spent experiencing "the curse of the law" believing that it's God's discipline. They believe they're "suffering for Christ", but actually they're suffering because of wrong teaching. If anyone tries to teach that the blessings of Christ is God's will for the Christian today (Galatians 3:13-14) they're offended. I'm always amazed at a religious person's ability to take something the Bible calls a curse--like sickness, disease or poverty--and transform it into a blessing from God! This kind of belief is common in the modern church. It's one of the warning signs that you're hearing about a "Jesus" who is different than the Jesus of the Bible. People with this mindset have good intentions--but they allow themselves to be manipulated into a religious belief that the Bible condemns.

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20 KJV)
When I consider my own experience in dealing with spiritual counterfeits I understand how Christians get trapped in this kind of mindset. It's easy to do. I also know how difficult it is to get free. If you want to hear more about our position on this subject, click on Characteristics of the Counterfeit Gospel and Sin--The Secret Of Religion's Control.

The Bible--God's Standard For Judging Truth
Unfortunately, Christians have thousands of different theological viewpoints. Diversity of opinion and lack of agreement is rampant and are among the major problems facing the church today. Therefore, putting together a website that satisfies everyone is NOT one of my goals because it's not possible. I have always tried to follow the example of the Berean Christians in Acts 17:10-11 who,

"received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (KJV)

I encourage all visitors to this website to adopt the same attitude. My intention is not to reach everyone--only those who the Holy Spirit may lead here. Many Christians choose to adopt popular "systems" of Bible interpretation. I allow the Bible to interpret itself with the Holy Spirit as my teacher. This is a Scriptural method. Major truths in the Bible are supported with two or more references given from different prospectives. Every visitor to this site is at a different spiritual level. Some know little about Christianity, while others are more knowledgeable. Many may visit out of curiosity--and one of my goals is to offer you the opportunity to become a member of God's family. There is sufficient instruction on this site to bring you to this place. Becoming a believer in Jesus is the most important decision a person can make in life. It's a challenge to give information that meets the needs of everyone. On almost every Christian website there is a lot of information to read. Our website is no different. I wish there were a way around this task. One reason for these "lengthy" discussions is to backup everything with supporting evidence from the Bible. The Bible is God's Word and without His authority all discussion is personal opinion--and opinions can be wrong. Decisions about eternal life and your spiritual destiny are far too important to trust them to someone's opinion. What God says is the only thing that matters in the end. If you encounter something that's hard to understand, please don't throw everything out! Keep it for future reference. Years from now, it could be of great value.

I became a Christian at 17. One week before Christmas in 1969 I prayed and asked God to make me part of his family. I had no understanding of the course being set for my life. No one warned me about the spiritual dangers I would face. I received some of my early Bible instruction from a young man who worked with the Navigator's--a Christian youth ministry that met on my college campus. Between 1969 and 1979, I found myself in a revival that was sweeping the United States. My experience during that revival would forever affect my life. As I was growing up, my family attended the Methodist church. About the time I was learning about Jesus, my dad decided to change his denominational affiliation and join the Baptist church. Yet, my salvation did not come from Baptist doctrine or influence. It was a unique and sovereign act of God apart from the influence of any church at that time. While I attended church during my Christian life, I never viewed God as identifying Himself with any particular one. He always remained separate and distinct from anything we attribute Him to on earth. And, I've never really understood the importance of that truth until now. Around 1973 I met Linda Sue, my wife, and we were married four years later. As of this writing, we've been together for 23 wonderful years. Since the marriage covenant is similar to the relationship believers have with Jesus; God has used my wife to broaden my understanding of the New Covenant.

God's Grace And The "Narrow" Way
Those who know me understand that I am committed to the message of grace found in the Gospel. I believe it is one of the most important salvation topics in the New Testament. Early in my Christian life, I witnessed the misuse of spiritual authority in a church I attended. This abuse was justified by twisting scripture and removing it from its context. I witnessed God's authority usurped and redirected by self-appointed men to manipulate God's people with devastating results. This experience dramatically affected my Christian worldview. I meet people today whose lives have been damaged by these same practices occurring in many other churches across our land. The misuse of authority is at an epidemic stage in today's institutional church. Most Christians don't know when authority is misused. The majority of people receive it as part of God's program because that's what they're told by those who exercise the authority. These experiences forced me to lay hold on God's grace in order to survive--and it forced me to re-evaluate things that are commonly labeled as "Christian". God's grace is an oasis of comfort in troubled times because it imparts encouragement, forgiveness and acceptance to the oppressed. Grace is defined as "God's unmerited favor". Grace declares you righteous when you deserve condemnation. Grace declares you loved and forgiven when you deserve God's anger. Grace makes you a child of God when you deserve to be rejected. Grace is desperately needed in the modern church. But, we need to see those things that are blocking God's Grace before we can experience its blessings. I prayed about the name for this website. I felt the Lord wanted it named "Rock of Offence". My nature is to be non-confrontational in my relationships. Yet, the very title "Rock of Offence" carries confrontation with it! My initial reason for setting up this site was to support my book "Mystery of the Faith". However, I believe the Lord wants it to be more than just a book review.

A friend once told me, "God teaches you what His kingdom is--by first letting you experience what it ain't". He also told me that most people never make it out of the "what it ain't" stage. So much of our experience in spiritual matters prepares us to help people later who go through the same things. As I write to you, I am reminded about how good Jesus has been to me over my life. He's always been there--even when things were dark and hopeless. My needs have always been met and I have been protected from many of the things that could have destroyed my spiritual life. I have found that Jesus has been a faithful friend to me even when my faith was the weakest.

We live in a world where the Gospel has been distorted in countless ways. This causes honest people to ask, "What is truth and where do I find it?" As we see the institutional church losing its power and influence, a lot of Christians and non-Christians alike are starting to ask these questions. In today's culture, intellectualism and relativism has taught us that only "open minded" people are truly "enlightened". When evaluating this philosophy we find that the intellectual's definition of an "open mind" is the rejection of absolutes such as right and wrong. To a modern day intellectual absolute right and wrong doesn't exist. The movies coming out of Hollywood are replete with this demonic philosophy. Our public school system has decayed into nothing more than government reprogramming centers that educate our children on a constant diet of godless humanism. A recent Supreme Court ruling just decided that prayer does not belong in public school programs. Relativism destroys the idea of personal responsibility for one's own life and validates any belief or lifestyle no matter how twisted or evil. Anyone, including God, who declares that there is a standard of "right" which society should follow is branded as a bigot or a narrow-minded fool. Yet, Jesus said the way into life is a "narrow way" that few people find. At the judgement when we stand before God only His way counts.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ addresses the subject of freedom from spiritual bondage. Yet, offense is one of freedom's doorways. Most Christians tend to believe that forgiveness of sins and the hope of heaven one day is the sum total of what salvation provides. However, these benefits are only the beginning. The full Gospel rarely gets taught--tradition and wrong teaching have watered it down. I cannot go into a detailed description of all the benefits provided to the Christian in this article. This is not your average Christian website. Anyone can benefit from the information found here because the truths presented are eternal.

If you're interested in learning more about the basics of Salvation, the danger of spiritual counterfeits in the institutional Christian Church or other articles of interest--click on the appropriate links below.