Forgiveness

 

“Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”   C. S. Lewis

 After getting married in Texas, a former Oklahoma resident recently learned she was a wanted woman. While attempting to update her driver’s license with her new name, Caron McBride had a government official tell her she had an outstanding warrant in Oklahoma. “The first thing she told me was felony embezzlement, so, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack,” McBride said. After investigating, she learned the felony warrant had been issued in 2000 when a video rental store claimed she didn’t return a VHS tape of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. McBride said she’s never watched the show but her former boyfriend may have forgotten to return the rental. The rental store in Norman, Oklahoma closed in 2008. After examining the file, the local district attorney dismissed the case in April. 

  Caron McBride said the embezzlement charge also explains why she’s been abruptly fired from multiple jobs over the past 20 years. “This is why… because when they ran my criminal background check, all they’re seeing is those two words: felony embezzlement.” 

  Ours is a world that knows little of forgiveness. Foolish antics or words from decades past can cost someone their career, even if they were done during the immaturity of adolescence. Periodically something as innocuous as an unreturned VHS tape or library book causes major issues. 

  The word “forgive” means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, to cancel a debt. When we wrong someone, we seek their forgiveness in order for the relationship to be restored. Forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. No one deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is an act of love, mercy, and grace. Forgiveness is a decision to not hold something against another person, despite what they have done to you. 

  Forgiveness distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. In Christianity according to the Bible sin is forgiven by the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through [the death of] Christ  Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1). According to the Bible, when one is saved through the blood of Jesus, all one’s sins are completely forgiven.  No good deed can possibly bring about this forgiveness. It’s an act of God based on the sacrifice of His Son and God’s forgiveness is complete and unconditional. 

  But not only do we all sin against God, we're all sinned against by other people. We aren’t just the perpetrators of sin—we are also the victims of it. Someone you thought that you could trust hurt you. Someone said cruel things about you to your face or worse, behind your back. Someone took advantage of you financially and they didn’t care what hardship it would bring to you or your family. A parent withheld the affection and love you desperately needed. A spouse left or betrayed you. A co-worker took credit for your work. The list is endless. 

  It’s why we all face the challenge of forgiving others.  Forgiving others is not easy.  It’s much easier to seek revenge or live in bitterness. Because God has forgiven us, Christians are called to forgive as they’ve been forgiven. Since we’ve been forgiven by God of a greater debt than anyone will ever owe us, we must forgive (Ephesians 4:31-21). Someone who refuses to forgive doesn’t know God and hasn’t experienced His grace. 

  Forgiveness doesn’t mean that we agree with another’s sin against us or that we dismiss it as unimportant. Nor are we to compromise our Christian convictions or become a codependent doormat, allowing people to walk all over us. Forgiveness does mean, however, that we will choose not to carry a grudge against someone for their having offended us.  

  Because Christians can forgive in the strength and power of the gospel, they have the ability to forgive anyone who sins against them. Jesus commands us to, “Love our enemies.” He says, “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). We must forgive and we must forgive continually. You may be asking, “How in the world is that possible? How can I forgive and not hold a grudge?” It’s only by God’s grace. His grace that forgave you enables you to forgive someone else. 

  The Grossmeyers went on a peace-making mission in Poland a few years after World War II. They were emissaries of Christians in Germany and went to Christians in Poland and asked, “Would you be willing to meet with some Christians from West Germany? They want to ask you for forgiveness for what Germany did during the war and begin a new relationship. Would you meet with them?” There was a long silence. Then one of the Polish Christians said, “What you ask is impossible. Every stone of Warsaw is soaked with Polish blood that they spilled. We cannot forgive.” And the Grossmeyers understood their emotional response. They knew what had happened. 

  They finished their visit and were about to leave but they asked if they could conclude their time together by gathering and praying The Lord’s Prayer in unison. These Polish Christians grudgingly agreed. So, these believers knelt down and prayed as Christians have in every country, through every century for 2,000 years: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread—and… They stopped. They couldn’t pray anymore. There was a long tense silence in the room and finally the one who said they couldn’t forgive said, “I must say ‘yes’ to your request because if I don’t forgive, I can no longer pray this prayer. I can no longer call myself God’s child if I don’t forgive. Humanly speaking, I can’t do it. But God will give me the strength.” So, they finished the prayer—and 18 months later, Polish Christians and West German Christians met in Vienna and established a friendship that lasts to this day. 

  I wonder how many marriages might have been transformed or how many friendships, families or churches might have been similarly healed if when the Lord’s Prayer was prayed believers just stopped at that line as those Polish Christians did and let the Spirit work. 

  Friend, you’ll never have to forgive someone more than God forgave you. Let God use that reality to begin to thaw your heart toward that person. Whenever we forgive—whenever a relationship is healed it’s a wonderful thing—a powerful thing—a miraculous thing! It’s a God thing because only God truly knows, teaches, and can enable us to forgive.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Investing Generationally

 

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” 

                                                                                Isaac Newton

 

In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, famed Greek soldier Odysseus is off battling in the Trojan War. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus is left with the warrior’s trusted friend, Mentor. For 20 years, Odysseus’ military campaign kept him away from home. Upon his return, he found his son a grown and mature man—thanks to Mentor’s wise and careful tutelage. 

  Over the years, Homer’s mentor has become synonymous with teaching and leading. It’s a badge given to those who serve as role models and human standards. 

  At Grace, we talk a lot about that the Bible teaches that as believers we’re a family. It must be more than rhetoric. It means that in our church we must be spiritual brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. If there was ever a time when a generation needed more family, more Dads, and Moms, it’s today. 

  Yet, you can’t speak into the next generation’s lives if you’re arrogant or insulting. The term “snowflake” is an offensive addition to the cultural vernacular. It’s used as an insulting way to refer to a young person who is easily offended, especially by opinions different from their own. Calling someone names won’t help build bridges or speak helpfully into the lives of the next generation. No one likes to be lectured or chewed out. 

  When I was a boy, the worst hour of my week was having my Dad take me to the barbershop. For the entire drive, there and back, he’d lecture me on what a terrible person I was and that I’d never amount to anything. Unfortunately, it was a common approach for his generation, particularly with their children. Archie Bunker was symbolic of a generation. 

  Christians must be different. We must live out 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” If we want to make a difference in young lives, we must be kind, respectful, and listen. Perhaps if we did, a younger generation would be less inclined to tune us out. 

  The Christian life is one of investing in the lives of others. Jesus did it. Moses did it. Solomon did it. Paul did it…and so must we. It’s homework that’s spread over a lifetime. It’s the assignment that counts most in the classroom of spiritual growth and leadership. Mentoring should begin early. There are always those coming behind us who could use our help. 

  Personally, I’m continually amazed at the thoughtful insights of a younger generation within our own church. We’re blessed with several young leaders who have a heart for the Lord and blessed with wisdom beyond their years. Yet, many of them are looking for a father or mother figure as they navigate marriage, child-rearing, career, etc. 

  Recently, I shared with my small group that one of my great burdens at Grace is our lack of intergenerational interaction. We have been given an opportunity to mentor, to speak into the lives of others from other generations, yet seem to be missing this opportunity. 

  There are various reasons this has developed. First, we’re most comfortable with those who are like us – chronologically, economically, maritally, even number or age of our children. It’s also how our culture typically divides. 

  Secondly, God has blessed us and we’re a growing church. As a result, we have many, many new people at our church. Very few though grew up in our church. Some churches are a “family church” where multiple generations from the same family grew up in the same church. That’s rarely the case at Grace. Instead, many are either new to Grace or even new to the area. Age is rarely a factor. We have young and old who have uprooted and transplanted to our community and our church. 

  This lack of roots makes a need for “family” much greater. Many of those who are younger in our church do not have parents, grandparents, or even siblings close by. Older adults often don’t have children or lifelong friends close by. There’s a sense of uprootedness, feeling disconnected and lonely. 

  Making new friends or connections is risky. Some, unfortunately, play it safe. Church is little more than a weekly event without being a relational family. They put their hour in and scoot quickly out the door. There’s a big problem with that. It’s not a biblical model and it’s not our DNA at Grace.

  Others find a few friends and latch on to them. It was a risk to find new friends and now that they’ve found them, they’re comfortable. Without meaning too, they become a closed circle (it’s a nice word for clique, sorry). While most of us find that we’re more comfortable with a certain circle of friends, it’s wrong to close our circle. 

  How can we fulfill the Great Commission when our circle is closed? And we easily reach a spiritual saturation point where our friends are no longer challenging us to grow spiritually and we aren’t challenging them.

  The Christian life is not to plateau. God has called us as He did the Children of Israel to possess “a land of mountains and valleys” (Deut. 11:11). If we’re not taking new ground or gaining new relationships, we’re stagnating spiritually and relationally. The Bible continually compares the Christian life to a walk. Walking requires continual forward progress.

  Some will rationalize that others aren’t friendly to them so they don’t reach out. It’s a sinful selfie perspective. Jesus commands us to serve not to be served, that includes “serving” by reaching out to make new friends.

  We need each other to grow spiritually. Each of us can mentor and be mentored. Yet, while it’s vital for our spiritual health, it pushes our comfort zones. The Christian life is not about being comfortable.

  So, let me challenge you to reach out to those you’ve not reached out to within our church. You’ll be shocked at how wonderful and interesting they are. You’ll find that you’re stretched spiritually which we constantly need.

  Here’s a simple way to start – move! Sit in a different area of the church. If you sit in the back, sit in the front. If you sit on the right, sit on the left. 

  Then, commit to having a meal once a month or once a quarter with someone outside of your normal friend circle. If you’re nervous, go to a restaurant so it will be time-limited. Just do it. Cross-generational lines. It’s an opportunity to mentor and be mentored. All of us can grow in this area. 

  One of our best models that we have at Grace of this is Montez Thompson. Though in her nineties Montez is flexible and growing. Periodically, she’ll go out with a group of ladies from Grace, all from different generations. (Subtle hint…if you want in on this, Montez loves Red Lobster). If someone in their nineties still has that kind of flexibility and vision, what’s wrong with the rest of us? Let’s do it! Please start today! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

 

“Criticism is an indirect form of self-boasting.” Emmet Fox

 

  No doubt we embarrass our children, but when certain songs are played, we step back in time and start acting like giddy teenagers. All of us have “our” music. There were those we sang or danced to during our youth that has a special place in our memories. 

  I loved the music of B.J. Thomas. When I learned that he passed away at the end of May, immediately one of his top songs, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, starting playing on the jukebox of my mind. 

  Thomas married singer-songwriter Gloria Richardson in December 1968 and they had three daughters. But shortly after his career began, he became dependent on drugs and alcohol, which led to his marriage nearly ending. 

  Wonderfully, on January 28, 1976, B.J. committed his life to Jesus Christ. A month later his wife, Gloria did, too. Because of his newfound faith, he began recording gospel albums. His was the first Christian album to go platinum and he became the biggest contemporary Christian musician of that time. He put out a massively successful album of Christian music yet found himself confronted by an evangelical culture eager for stars but instantly, angrily critical of them. His biggest critics were fellow believers. Hailed as a new evangelical icon but then heckled, booed, and berated by born-again fans who didn’t think he was performing his Christianity right. 

  “I think it’s a really sad commentary when people who want to refer to themselves as quote-Christians-unquote would want to come out and hear someone just to boo them,” he said in a 2019 interview. “That to me was always tough to deal with, and I just stopped making 100 percent gospel records.” 

  His most public clash came in 1982 after he’d won his 5^th Gospel Grammy. He sang a string of his secular hits to an Oklahoma audience and a woman started shouting at him to talk about Jesus. He told her he wished Jesus would make her be quiet and then said, “I’m not going to put up with this” and walked off stage. Someone shouted, “You’re losing your witness, B.J.,” and there were scattered boos. He returned to the stage and continued the show, but not before critiquing the fans. “You people love to get together with your gospel singers and talk about how you lead all the pop singers to the Lord. But when you get them in front of you, you can't love them, can you? I've got Jesus, but you can't love me.” He complained that Christians “can’t seem to hear somebody sing. It’s always got to be some kind of Christian cliché or Bible song, or they feel it’s their right before God to reject and judge and scoff.” 

  Isn’t that heartbreaking? We who are brothers and sisters in Christ are often the most critical and even vicious with each other over non-essentials. We’re rightly appalled by “cancel culture,” yet Christians have their own version of “cancel culture.” Frequently, it’s because we’re ignorant of Scripture. The Bible teaches soul liberty over non-essentials and non-biblical issues (Romans 14 & 1 Corinthians 9). At Grace Church, we’re committed to the great quote by Augustine: In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity. While we dare not compromise where the Bible is clear, i.e., doctrine or what are referred to as the fundamentals of the faith, many want to criticize and divide over personal preferences. Why can Christians be so critical? 

  We’re so focused on the negatives of sin, we overlook the positives of salvation. When God repeated the Law for Israel, He gave them both blessings and cursings. We tend to focus on the one prohibited tree in the Garden overlooking the countless ones God encouraged and freely gave. The fourth chapter of Ephesians is a wonderful example of sinful behaviors to abandon, yet godly, fulfilling ones to replace them with. We foolishly tend to look for what’s wrong in God’s world rather than all that’s right. 

  Our thinking is contaminated by a lost world rather than transformed by the gospel. This world is negative, critical, and hopeless. Take a 24 hour period and mark down how many negative or critical things you see, hear, or are told. Tabulate that against how many encouraging or positive ones. Believers are commanded to be in the world but not of it. Even our thinking which will bear fruit in our behavior is to be encouragingly different. Philippians 4:8 commands us: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

  Pride and pettiness are enticing. The Pharisees who crucified Jesus believed they were more spiritual because they had the highest standards and the longest list of “don’ts.” That was brought home to me recently as I read criticism of The Chosen, the new multi-season TV show about the life of Christ. It’s truly seeking to honor God’s Word and the Lord Jesus. But if you Google it, you’ll find Christians who object to it because the series invents dialogue and backstories for Bible characters. Others are offended by on-screen depictions of Jesus based on the 2^nd Commandment. 

  Pride tempts us to judge things as wrong where Scripture is at best very vague. This habit of censuring other’s preferences is found in every sphere of life from entertainment to music to career to diet choices to vaccines to political affiliation to dress, ad nauseum. While there are clear biblical boundaries, yet what’s frequently labeled biblically wrong is usually a personal preference. When we have “higher standards” we easily succumb to the repugnant sin of pride, becoming petty and critical. God’s Word is clear that those who are truly righteous are humble and gracious. 

  As much as possible, Christians are to be the Yes People. Our focus and mental diet must be on what’s right in God’s creation and His countless blessings. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you…was not Yes and No, but in Him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.” While we must not close our eyes to sin and evil, that is not where we are to mentally dwell. Instead, we’re to think and live as Heaven’s citizens now. As we do, a pessimistic world is attracted to the grace and goodness of our Heavenly Father! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Don't let summer melt away

 

“The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the Creator.” 

                                               Louis Pasteur

  There are some people who can eat ice cream 365 days a year. Not me. To me, ice cream should only be eaten when it’s hot outside (in Wisconsin, we may have to settle for warm). There’s nothing more delightful than an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. You have to lick at a decent pace or it drips away. The tongue has to get in gear to stay ahead. It’s a dilemma of when to stop licking and when to start nibbling at the cone. Take a bite too soon and you’re self-sabotaged with a disintegrating, gooey mess. Wait too long and it’s flowing over the sides and dripping on the ground. 

  Though I love all of the fancy flavors that you find in ice cream shops, to me there’s nothing better than homemade. Maybe it’s because hardly anyone makes it and nostalgia has set in. Homemade was simple. Usually, it’s vanilla, though I do remember having homemade peach once. 

  If I buy ice cream to take home, I usually opt for butter pecan. But if I’m buying a cone, it’s hard to make a decision. And just when I was already overwhelmed with far too many options, they begin offering multiple options on the type of cones. Who can go back to an old plain one when the waffle ones seek to seduce your taste buds. 

  Summer is a lot like an ice cream cone on a hot day. Before you know it, it’s all melted away. While I love the four seasons that God has given us, summer is the one where we can relish and enjoy all of God’s wonderful creation. You don’t have to scurry back inside for warmth. God’s natural warmth is out there for all to delight in with the beauties of His creation.  Summer is when all of our senses are nearly overwhelmed. If it’s not the scent of flowers, it’s the dank smell of evergreens. Rainbows follow thunderstorms filling our eyes with beauty and the reminder of God’s promise during the day. Star-filled skies wink at us at night. 

  Summer is a time to turn off, shut down and unplug. The nature outside is so wonderful it’s not comparable to the artificial screens inside. Man’s technology can’t begin to compete with the Creator’s artistry. God never has to worry about a power outage or poor WIFI reception for His gallery display. Do you realize how many times you’ve actually looked at luscious lollipop-colored tulips in your lifetime? If you’re my age, maybe a couple of hundred measly days out of 22,000? Summer never seems to last long enough. It blows by like an afternoon shower. 

  And God generously gives the gifts of His creation to everyone. You don’t have to be part of the jet-set to enjoy a chorus of birds greeting a new morning. A big bank account isn’t needed to smell fresh flowers. God’s creation declares His glory. The heavens speak forth the praises of God and reveal the knowledge of God to mankind. God’s testimony to Himself in creation is unmistakable. His creation declares His glory. 

  The psalmist reminds us that God’s creation speaks to all people everywhere. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Ps. 19:3-4). Creation is a universal blessing for everyone everywhere. 

  God’s creation has no language barrier. It’s understood by all. This revelation of God is understood by all. One of the biggest barriers missionaries face in bringing the gospel to other peoples is a language barrier. The knowledge of God that comes from creation transcends every language. It’s like a giant universal translator from Star Trek. It can be understood by all. 

  God’s creation has no volume barrier. It’s heard by all. Imagine if you were broadcasting the gospel into a country in the people’s own language, but none of them had their radios turned on, or the signal was so faint they couldn’t pick it up. You’d have broken the language barrier, but would still have a volume barrier. It doesn’t do any good to speak the language if the people can’t hear you. But the psalmist points out, there is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. The knowledge of God in creation comes through loud and clear. You may choose to ignore it, but you can’t escape it. Everyone hears the revelation of God that comes through creation. No one can miss hearing it. There’s no volume barrier with this revelation. It’s heard by all. 

  God’s creation has no distance barrier. It’s given to all. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” Going back to the radio analogy, imagine you’re broadcasting the gospel using special universal translator technology. Everyone who hears your transmission can understand it. Not only that, everywhere you broadcast, people have their radios on and turned up. They can hear what you’re saying. But how far does your transmission go? What if your transmitter only broadcasts to a fifty-mile or hundred-mile range? There would still be a lot of people missing out. 

  God’s testimony in creation has no distance barrier. It’s universal. The voice of creation goes out into all the earth, the words to the ends of the world. There’s not a place in all the earth from the Arctic to the Amazon where you’re not faced with God’s testimony of Himself in creation.  

  Though Albert Einstein was not a Christian, yet as he looked at the wonders of the universe, he knew that there must be a God. When asked by an interviewer if he was an atheist, he replied, “No,” and explained his answer. “I’m not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.” 

  Einstein understood the eternal power and divine nature of God from what had been made. Why? Because creation reveals knowledge of God to us. 

  Yes, we need to read His book, the Bible, in order to know God and His dealings with us, His will for us and provision for our salvation. Creation is natural revelation. God’s Book is Special Revelation. It’s only as we learn of God from His Book that we can truly begin to read His book of creation as He intended. Let’s make sure we spend sufficient time in the Bible. 

  But we must also take time to read and enjoy His “book” of creation. For we can also know, love, and worship our great God through His amazing creation that speaks forth His praises to everyone, everywhere, every day.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.