“The preached gospel is offensive in all places of the world, rejected and condemned.

If the gospel did not offend and anger citizen or countryman, prince or bishop, then it would be a fine and acceptable preaching, and might well be tolerated, and people would willingly hear and receive it.  But seeing it is a kind of preaching which makes people angry, especially the great and powerful, and deep learned ones of the world, great courage is necessary, and the Holy Ghost, to those that intend to preach it.

It was, indeed, undaunted courage in the poor fishers, the apostles, to stand up and preach so that the whole council at Jerusalem were offended, to bring upon themselves the wrath of the whole government, spiritual and temporal – yea of the Roman emperor himself.  Truly this could not have been done without the Holy Ghost.”  Martin Luther, Tabletalk, pg 88, http://www.ccel.org (pdf edition)