In the middle of teaching these messages to our church my wife found herself in Israel as the USA and Israel attacked Iran. Missiles started flying, airports shut down and we were in the middle of a crisis. From there, this book title was finalized.
I have noticed that whenever I begin to teach on faith, the room shifts. Some find their hearts catching fire. Others find themselves increasingly uncomfortable. There is something about genuine faith — the faith Jesus actually taught — that confronts the way most of us have been living, including the way many believers have been living. It does not always go down easy. Some could call it offensive.
There are two senses of the word offensive. The first is the kind we associate with sports and warfare: a posture of taking ground rather than only defending it. Believers are called to that kind of faith. We are not in this for damage control. We are in this for the advance of the kingdom of God in our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, and our generations. That is offensive faith in the first sense — on the offense, moving forward, taking territory the Lord has offered us.
The second sense is more uncomfortable. The faith Jesus taught was offensive to the religious people of His own day, and it is still offensive to a great deal of contemporary religious thinking. It cuts across our excuses. It refuses to let us trade the substance for a polite imitation. It calls us to obey when obedience is costly. It exposes the unbelief we have been quietly tolerating. The believer who reads through these pages and walks away vaguely irritated has, in many cases, simply met faith on its actual terms. The Bible does not soften the demands of faith for our comfort. It calls us higher. Offensive faith in this way is faith that confronts us honestly. It radically challenges any hint of unbelief.
— From the Introduction, Battle Ready Faith
