Forgive Us As We Forgive Others

So what should we do when God requires us to do something beyond or ability to do? Yesterday we talked about forgiveness and we discovered a couple of things about being a Christian and forgiveness.

First, for the Christian forgiveness is mandatory. Second, for the Christian forgiveness is restoration. According to the example that God gave us, restoration is the completion of the process of forgiveness. God created forgiveness before the world was created. We know this because the Bible says that our righteousness was planned before the foundation of the world. And the whole point of God’s forgiveness is to restore the broken relationship that existed between God and ourselves. As Christians, the forgiveness we receive from God is connected to our forgiving others. And through God’s act of forgiveness we are restored to fellowship with Him. So what God wants from us is to forgive and then to restore broken relationships.

Now as I was putting last week’s message together I realized that I do not want to be restored to some of the people who have offended or hurt me in my past. I think this happens with a lot of us. Because we in the church have tried to redefine forgiveness as something that we can do to feel better about being hurt or offended. We even say things like if we forgive, then the person who benefits is ourselves. (I cannot find that backed up anywhere in scripture) So we forgive but don’t do anything to restore or repair the broken relationship, because even though we forgive them, we still don’t want to deal with them. Why? Because what we don’t want to accept, and what we don’t want to experience is the part of forgiveness that no one and I mean no one ever talks about – pain.

Yes, the forgiveness that God extends to you and to me caused Him pain. There is no way around it. If God were to forgive the way we do, He would feel better but not offer us restoration. God doesn’t forgive so that He feels better or to benefit Himself, but to restore us to Him and that caused Him great pain.

So here is where I struggle – restoration is going to mean pain, embarrassment, humiliation, and vulnerability. Exactly the things Jesus endured when He forgave me!

I’m looking forward to hearing your stories of forgiveness over the next few weeks!

Don’t Be Drunk: Be Filled

Yesterday, we concluded a series of messages on the Holy Spirit. The last message was all about living in the Spirit. There are three areas that I want to address from that message.

First, the gifts of the Spirit are essential for believers in today’s world. 2,000 years ago the gift of tongues was controversial and misunderstood and it still is today! I am asked quite often if speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation and the answer is no, but with this caveat. When I answer that question I feel like I am really telling that person that tongues is not necessary at all. And that is not the case. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary! Let me write that again – The baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary! And the evidence of the baptism is speaking in other tongues (I’ll tackle this subject in another message). Being a Christian in today’s world is hard and you and I need all the help we can get to be successful. God has provided us with the help we need; it is through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, the gifts of the Spirit are specific abilities for specific circumstances, while the fruit of the Spirit are God’s expectation for us. One of the things I find very interesting is that one of the most famous chapters in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13 (The “Love Chapter”). But notice its location. 1 Corinthians 12 is where we find the gifts of the Spirit; chapter 14 is the instruction manual for using the gifts, and right in between is a chapter totally devoted to the definition of love. Think of it a chapter of love right in the middle of the most Pentecostal section of the Bible! Pentecost and love are connected.

Lastly, I bet a lot of you were surprised when the conclusion of my message about living in the Spirit addressed the issue of alcohol! Be here is why I did it. In order to live in the Spirit we must be yielded to Him. We say the things the Spirit enables us to say, we think according to the Spirit, (the mind of Christ), and we act according to the conviction of the Spirit. The scripture draws the comparison between being drunk and being filled, why because both involved yielding and influence. When you are drunk you are under the influence of alcohol, when you are filled you are under the influence of the Spirit. What or who’s influence are you under? To what or who are you yielded?