Raw Christianity

"How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you won't let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and you won't go in yourselves. Yes, how terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn him into twice the son of hell as you yourselves are." And again, later in that same chapter. "In saying that, you are accusing yourselves of being the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead. Finish what they started. Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?" (Matthew 23:13-15, 31-33)
My word. If these words were said today, people would take high offense. This is not what people want to hear. But these words came from the mouth of Jesus. They were pointed straight at the hearts of the religious leaders of that period. These religious leaders led a life according to the law of Moses, but they lacked the one thing that would get them into heaven: a relationship with the living God. Read Matthew 21:12:
"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves"
Jesus was not your typical preacher. He exuded power and authority. He was real and raw. He told it like it was. He didn't beat around the bush or have seeker-sensitive or seeker-friendly messages. I hope you don't think Jesus was soft. Don't think that Jesus came to bring peace on Earth and good will towards men. No, in Jesus own words,
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."
This is not your momma's Christianity. This is real. This is raw. When you get down and dirty, into the nitty-gritty of what our walk with Christ should look like, people get uncomfortable. When you speak the truth and tell it like it is, people will get offended. They don't want to hear what you have to say. And that is okay. It isn't your job to convince anyone of anything. It's your job to present the truth, and then pray that the Holy Spirit will work on them. And it is your job to present the truth. You will not argue anybody into the kingdom. It doesn't work like that.
But if someone who wears the nametag "Christian" is blatantly sinning, it's your job to call them on it and hold them accountable. That is what Jesus was doing in the above verses. Now, you don't have to call anyone a "brood of vipers," and it isn't your job to condemn them to Hell. But if you're reading this, and you call yourself a Christian, I'm calling you out. Start living by Biblical principles(So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Luke 17:3). You want encouragement?
That will come later.