Of course they said things that upset people outside their communities, but who’s to decide whether the dominant culture gets upset or not - or what it gets upset about. The primary question is whether we are allowed to live consistently under the lordship of Christ. If we are allowed to, why not just enjoy doing it and not get worried about not being persecuted. We don’t have to be in conflict with the world: we do have to be faithful to the covenant commitment that we have made and which sets us apart as a community.

Your hypothetical question about Paul and the apostles being postmodern is anachonistic - modernism hadn’t happened yet. Perhaps in the Graeco-Roman world they were post-pagan or post-imperialist or post-Augustan.