Prayer Letter - 30 May 2005

To: Prayer Partners
From: Pastor Lucenay

Sunday we once again considered the subject of forgiveness. We studied Ephesians 4:32. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. After one of our services a lady said, “The hardest part of forgiveness is forgiving Christians. They should know better.” Many people have tried to forgive some awful things done to them, or to those they love, by unbelievers as well as believers. However, I have to admit that in recent years several people have spoken to me about their difficulty in forgiving Christians.

Some years ago I preached in a church where many people held deep resentment and bitterness toward one man. The man had hurt them deeply. One week I visited with that man and talked with him about talking to my church about forgiving him. The next Sunday I told the congregation progress towards inner peace required forgiving the man who had hurt them and the church. I sought to be as kind as possible, yet clear and firm. One lady approached me after the service and said, “I forgive you.” I was stunned. To my knowledge I had not done anything or said anything offensive to her. Her words reminded me that all of us can cause hurt both knowingly and unknowingly.

How do you forgive Christians? Jesus said, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3) I am amazed at how easy it is to rationalize what I say and do while judging what others say and do. Our walk with Jesus Christ reminds us that the Savior alone is qualified to judge. He alone is objective. When He faced the denials of Peter, the betrayal of Judas, and the absence of His disciples in His crisis, He refused to condemn them. Jesus didn’t let His disappointment and hurt destroy His heart.

Today, as we pray, let us ask God to do a work in our hearts when Christians dump ugly on us. We don’t need to rationalize their behavior or excuse their words. We do need to allow the heart of Jesus Christ to live in us so that the ugly that is thrown our way doesn’t make us ugly. Our prayer is not the Pharisee’s self-righteous prayer of thanks that we are not as other sinners are (Luke 18: 9-14). Rather, our prayer is that God will heal the hurt in us and help us to act out of who we are in Christ Jesus, rather than react according to what has been done to us.

Yes, people will let us down, disappoint us, and hurt us. We are all sinners. In fact, no one can become a Christian without admitting he/she is a sinner. When we commit our lives to Jesus Christ we are forgiven but, no matter how hard we try not to sin, we will still sin until the day we are glorified with Jesus Christ in heaven. As Christians, we seek to resist temptation and cease sinning. As we grow in Christ we turn away from sin as God so leads us. As believers who experience the pain of sin from others, we seek to let go of resentment so the seeds of bitterness will not spring up within our hearts. As you pray about your heart, ask God to show you the areas where forgiveness is hard, resentment is strong, and bitterness is real. Then, lift these areas of your heart to the Savior in repentance. You cannot change what others have done. But you do not need to cultivate it. Allow God to work the soil of your heart and get rid of the weeds that destroy His seeds in you. Show Him the thorns that are hurting you. Turn them over to Him. Ask Him to show you verses from the Bible to help you to overcome.

God has blessed us with a sweet spirit in the church family of KIBC. However, in every church family there are people struggling with forgiveness. Sometimes there are old hurts from things that happened in the church. Sometimes there are difficulties between family members. Intentional and unintentional actions bring pain. Think about through the people you know. If you know someone who is hurting, pray for him/her/them. If you can help them, befriend them. If you need to apologize, do so.

We continue to pray for our Home Mission Offering and the work these gifts support. From the work with asylum seekers and drug addicts, to the work with senior citizens, to the work with domestic helpers, to the work with students, we have the opportunity to minister to many. Pray about what you will give to support these ministries, and then give.

Pray for our music ministry in this time of transition. Barton S. will lead the 11am music and choir this week. Kenneth Coates will then lead in the services in June and most of July. Pray for our decision regarding a minister of music and our search for a pianist.

Preparations for Vacation Bible School are underway. In the past few weeks many children have signed up to come to our school. People have been bringing supplies to help with the school. This week workers will meet. Pray for God to use this ministry to reach children and families for Christ.

Pray for your staff. Summer is a busy time. This Sunday night our summer youth worker, Kristen Seay will arrive. Pray for God’s work in and through her. Pray with us as we seek to find someone to put the power point pictures with the audio of the sermon on the web each week.

Pray for the people who are ill. This week V. remains in the hospital and S. continues his chemotherapy.

Pray for the people who need salvation including the parents of our kindergarten children and our Sunday School children.

This week we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Pray for the services. Come expecting to hear a word from the Lord. Invite a friend to join with you in the services.