Blaming the Ministry

2 Corinthians 6:3 "Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:"

As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. Many of the people we meet will potentially never experience His love apart from their interaction with us. That is why Paul exhorts the church to not give offence in any thing. It's not so that you get along well with others, it's so that the ministry (reconciliation with God, the Gospel) is not blamed for our poor behavior.

Think of a super fancy restaurant, one where a tie is required and there's more silverware than you know what to do with. The waiters and waitresses are all dressed a certain way that identifies them with that restaurant. They all act a certain way. If they fail to act in the expected way (say they're rude, obnoxious, or inattentive), they could get fired. Why? Because their behavior reflected poorly on the restaurant. If you have a bad experience with a waiter or waitress, there's a good chance you won't come back.

How much more important is this concept in our Christian lives! Paul goes on for 6 verses giving examples of problems and hardships we might encounter. His point is regardless of what we experience, we are "dressed" in a certain way that identifies us with Christ. Therefore, it is imperative that our actions line up with Who we serve and show His love and grace to the world.

Is my life being lived "giving no offense" today?

NOTE: Some may take this to mean that we should never offend anyone. That is not our job at all and it is not what Paul means here. Jesus offended people. A lot. The Truth offends the sinner as it should. We must never compromise the Truth in order to attempt to not offend someone. The word "offense" here means, "an occasion of stumbling, to do something which causes others to stumble. i.e. leads them into error or sin." In other words, a Christian's behavior in all the circumstances Paul lists ought to be such that points the world to Christ and does not create a stumbling block that will lead them to sin.