Forgive

Luke 6: 37

...”forgive, and you will be forgiven”...

I have many friends in multiple churches, and it seems that people leaving churches is at epidemic proportions.

Someone recently visited our church just a few weeks ago, that I knew left their home church recently.

I asked them one simple question following our service: “Did you leave your church the right way?” They didn’t return the following week.

What was I trying to accomplish? I was trying to encourage forgiveness, and send these people back to where they could get things right.

Our Winneconne church’s Adult Sunday School group has been studying a book entitled... “From Forgiven to Forgiving”, by Jay E. Adams.

Adams writes... “...because forgiveness is so thorough and deals definitively with transgressions, reconciliation is possible.

A solid foundation for reconciliation is laid, embarrassing matters are never raised again, and the forgiven and the forgiving are free

to go on together as if the sin never occurred.”      Wouldn’t it be great if it worked that way in your home church?

Do we have forgiveness all messed up? Is it possible that if we don’t forgive, Jesus won’t either?

That seems to be the implication in today’s verse, but not many people see it that way...or want to see it that way.

Do people really have good reasons for leaving churches?

Actually, the one’s I have heard lately are frankly, pretty bogus.

Most people communicate their decision to leave, with everyone except the leadership of the church.

I wonder how many people tell the real truth about why they’re leaving?

Let’s be sure we understand the implications. All this is going to be sorted out one day, and those refusing to forgive will have to explain they’re actions.

Whatever happened to... “speaking the truth in love?” (Eph. 4:15)?