Grace to Forgive

Grace to Forgive - Hebrews 12:15

By Kurai Chitima

In the journey of life, you will be offended deliberately or unknowingly. Someone will let you down, take advantage of you, sabotage you or something else. In the process, you will be hurt sometimes deeply. A major life responsibility is to guard against unforgiveness, which provides root for bitterness.     The text  (Hebrews 12:15) highlights three things we need to know about bitterness.

1.                  The Root of Bitterness (Germination) Heb 12:15b – ‘lest any root of bitterness’

The seed of bitterness is an offense or hurt you pick up and do not forgive. The heart is the soil on which the seed is sown. Bitterness will come from entertaining hurt and resentment against an offender.  When you do not forgive an offense, it germinates into bitterness. Bitterness is carrying and being preoccupied by the burden of concern and pain about what happened. In trying to imprison the offender in your heart, you effectively imprison yourself to them and the past. To avoid suffering this double jeopardy, you have to forgive and move on. Often the offender is free and may not even be aware you are hurting - like a bird that releases its droppings on a your face. You do not like it but you clean up anyway.

2                    The Result of Bitterness (Devastation) Heb12:15c –‘spring up trouble for you and others around you’. The root of bitterness will wreck your life, relationships and dreams.

 a) Harboring bitterness is like keeping a snake, in your heart, which bites the one carrying it. Doing so, consumes lots of energy and results in health problems and depression leading to suicidal tendencies.

b) Not only does it cause trouble for you but for others around you. Most social strife in families and communities is a result of unresolved issues. The roots are often not obvious and sometimes denied or disguised. Past rejection, abuse and pain that has festered and smoldered inside manifests as emotional outbursts, anger, insecurity, etc.

c) Not only does unforgiveness create trouble for you and those around you. It creates problems with God. It hinders prayer (Mark 11:25, 26).

3                    The Remedy to Bitterness (Eradication) – receive God’s grace. Heb 12:15a- ‘don’t fail of God’s grace’.

a) Know that it is possible to forgive, receive healing  and  move on.

b) Face the facts and honestly admit to God feelings like rejection, loneliness, fear, anger, shame, and depression. 

c) Give them over to God (1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 139:24) in prayer.  Let grace heal the pain.

d) Release the offender by pronouncing their release and your decision to let go of resentment. Relinquish the role of control, judge, jury, and executioner and pray for them (Proverbs 25:22).

e) Ultimate goal of forgiveness is reconciliation and restoration of broken relationship.  If helpful and possible confront the offender in love for reconciliation (Mathew 5:24). If you cannot say it to the person, say it to God, yourself and/or any other person.

f) Forgiveness is an act of faith.  The pronouncement is a decision/event but the healing is a process. Meditate on God’s promises and maintain supportive relationships. Pray as long as necessary for the welfare of the person and hold on to the pronouncement you made before God.  When healed the wounds become painless scars. You remember the offense but not with pain and resentment.

g)  Don’t allow what happened in the past to define who you are. You were victimized but you are not a victim. Take responsibility for your past, present and future. As long as you are hung up in blaming others you have not taken responsibility to move on.

h) You may choose the course of justice and restitution but you don’t have to do it carrying an extra burden of bitterness.

When Stephen was stoned unjustly, he prayed ‘… Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.’(Acts 7:60).   He emulated the example of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 23:34).  Both the Lord and Stephen demonstrate incredible grace to forgive. Even after horrendous things done against you, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ teaches and avails sufficient grace to forgive (Mathew 5:7; 6:12; 18:21-35; Mark 11:25-26; James 2:13).

Share If Good News

Why You Must Share Christ 

The season to bring in the harvest of souls (Mat 4:19) is with us. You need conviction that there is no business on earth as important as sharing the good news of Christ with non believers (Prov 11:30).  This business is also called evangelism. It is persuasively sharing Christ in words attested by deeds of power and love, trusting God for their salvation (Acts 1:8). It is giving a clear opportunity for someone to see, hear, experience and make a choice about the saving love of Christ. Ultimately, the risen Jesus is the only good news (Gal 1:8).

 Why is sharing Christ a must for every believer? 

Man without Christ is spiritually lost  and in danger of being separated from God forever (Luk 19:10). ‘… And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.’ (Rev 20:11-15)

 A human soul is valuable to God (Luke 15:11-24). From Genesis to Revelation, God’s heart and passion is the salvation of souls. Heaven celebrates at salvation of one sinner (Luke 15:7). A person is worth what God was willing to exchange for him/her (John 3:16).

 The harvest is ready (Mat 9:38; John 4:35). Man is hungry for God and cannot save himself. (Rom 10:13, 14). God is not sending people to hell. We do, if we neglect works that show and attract people to salvation in Christ.

Time is short (Eph 5:16, 17; Mat 24:14; Rom 13:11). The opportunity to reach non believers and for them to be reached is fast passing away. That is why the church needs to do the work of winning souls as a matter of urgency (John 9:4) and importancy.

Sharing the Gospel gives value to everything else we have and do in life (Acts 20:24). How they contribute to furthering the gospel.

The Gospel is the best treasure we have to share with others (1 John 5:11, 12).  Jesus is the best gift we can give to another person.

There will be a great reward. Daniel 12:3 says that soul winners will shine like stars. Blessed are the feet of him that brings good news. The only treasure you can take with you to heaven is yourself and people you win to Christ.

It is the reason Jesus came. To reach a lost and dying world (Luk 19:10). Jesus said, ‘As the Father has sent Me, so I now send you’ (John 20:21; Mat 28:18-20; Eph 1:9-10; 2 Cor 5:18-20)

It is a question of obedience (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Ezek 3:16-21). Jesus commanded us to go. Evangelism is not work for a few special people. More gifted people are there to train the other saints (Eph 4:11). We are God’s only method of reaching the world (2 Cor 5:16-2; Rom 1:14-17; 2 Tim 4:5b; Jonah 2). The gospel message may not be accepted but the task of evangelism is to make sure the message is heard and understood. May revival fire fall on us? Go tell the story and show the glory in the power of the Holy Spirit.

LINK: http://spform.blogspot.com/2012/10/sharing-christ-witnessing-evangelism.html

Who Shall I Send?

Who Shall I Send?

 By Kurai Chitima 

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? - Isaiah 6:8

When the Master's mission becomes your mission spiritual growth and blessing are inevitable. Sharing Christ begins with not being ashamed of the gospel because you are aware of it's power (Romans 1:14-16). God's design of salvation is for every believer to participate in the work of the Lord by bringing people to Christ and helping people to grow in Christ (Matthew 4:19).

MOTIVATION for sharing Christ

A combination of the knowledge of God's holiness, Man's sinfulness and God's love motivated Isaiah. He saw a vision in Isaiah 6 that changed his life even though he had already been in the ministry for the previous five chapters.

Gods holiness.  In the year that king Uzziah he saw the Lord sitting on a highly elevated throne with a train that filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1-4). The six winged Seraphims cried to each other the marvel of God's glorious holiness. God is light and in him there is no darkness.

Man's sinfulness. On seeing God's holiness Isaiah confessed, 'Woe is me! for I am undone' (Isaiah 6:5). Coming face to face with God's holiness is the only mirror experience that reflects your sinfulness as a human being. You can not truly understand the fate of the unbeliever until you become aware of God's holiness. To the sinner the holiness of God is His is wrath, woe and judgement.  Man without Christ is lost (Luke 19:10). 'And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire’ (Revelation 20:11-15).

Gods love. The holiness of God also mirrors to us the depth of his love to sinful humanity. Immediately when Isaiah confessed his inadequacy before God his sin was taken away (Isaiah 6:6-8) and God shared his heart 's need for someone to go and tell others that God was waiting with arms open to forgive and receive those who confess and are reoendan of their sin.  'Then I said, Here am I; send me.' Through his experience with God he caught the reason why he needed to go and invite others back to God.

If you understand and confess that you are undone in sin and understand the woefulness of being undone, God qualifies you and commissions you to be a part of his harvest force.  Jesus commanded us to go/ step out in faith and share. It is a question of obedience Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Mathew 28:18-20. A going believer is a growing believer and a going church is a growing church. You should have commitment to go until the work is done and everyone has heard and seen the gospel clearly (Isaiah 6:11).

METHOD for sharing Christ

•Air Cover.  PRAY. Ask the blessing and knowledge of Christ to rest on people and places you come across in life. Its warfare. Pray and have faith for the answer (2 Corinthians 4:4). Maintain a list of unbelievers you are praying for and be amazed at what God will do.

•Build Bridges.  Maintain CONTACT with people who do not know Christ. Create proximity spaces or opportunities to show the magnetic love and power of Christ (Mathew 5:16).

•Have a hook. A clear gospel MESSAGE. Be prepared to answer questions about your faith, life style and good works. He that wins souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30). Communicate in a language of the audience. Take note of factors suh as generation, profession, and culture. In fishing the fish dictates the terms - where to fish, what time, what to use as bait, etc.

Ø      Share the gospel message simply

All have sinned and deserve eternal separation from God (Romans 3:23; 6:23). But God so loved all by giving his son so that whoever believes will be saved (John 3:16). Today is the day to believe (2 Corinthians 6:2). Mastering such a simple gospel message outline for use to lead someone to Christ helps in building confidence and enhancing clarity. You can share to individuals or groups.

Ø      Share your salvation testimony

The testimony of how you became a Christian is a natural tool to use often. Acts 22 - Paul, John 4 - The Samaritan woman. 

Ø      Use personal invitation. Deliberately invite non believers to a place where Christ is shown and shared. People come to church when personally invited.  Andrew is the one who invited Peter to Jesus. Jesus Christ has made an invitation to all of us to come (Mark 11: 28).

Ø      Give literature/media – Gospel tracts, books, tapes, radio, satellite, music, web links, etc.

•A Road Map. Growth PATH.  Help new believers find a community of believers to be a part of and grow. The ultimate goal of sharing Christ is to make discipleship. Clearly show the step neccessary fo spiritual growth.

God is asking, who shall I send?  I say yes today. Will you also?

(For the basic notes on this topic refer to the Faith Dynamics notes at http://spform.blogspot.com/2012/10/sharing-christ-witnessing-evangelism.html). 
Also LINK: http://wordoers.blogspot.com/2012/10/share-it-if-good-news.html