Good morning. The rains have returned here in the Carman, MB area. It feels like we get a tiny glimpse of what it was like for the family of Noah as they watched the flood waters rise. Thankfully we know God will never send a worldwide flood again, but those who are affected by this water in MB are really struggling, wondering what they will do next. Faith is definitely being tested and we pray that all God's children may find the strength to continue to trust, obey, imitate and acknowledge God in all this.
In this post I would like to look at the last group of questions people brought forward at our Women's League Day back in May.
1. Is one of the largest challenges with being an attachment church our size? We can't know everyone or be truly connected with each family. Should we have a close personal relationship with everyone, or should we work with a smaller circle and watch our for the ones who are left out? Is standing in a circle after church a good ritual, or are we showing that it is tight and no one can come in?
Having a large church can be a challenge in building connections but building connections is something we need to do as part of our thankfulness, using the fruit of the Spirit. Starting with a small group is good, making solid connections with a few but then don't be afraid to invite a family over for coffee or tea, someone you have never visited with before. Begin by practicing each Sunday to say a few words to the person walking out of church beside you, then picking up the phone and inviting them for coffee. Circles after church are good rituals but try to make your circles open, flowing, moving so that the people in them change or use your circle to envelop someone who is outside. Look for the people who leave church immediately after the worship service. This is where ushers could be useful in noticing and slowing these people down so that others get a chance to catch them. If you're a "shy" person, start small but try to force yourself to say a few words to one person each Sunday. God will be with us when we reach out to others in love.
2. Is forgiveness required even when it is not asked for or the person is NOT repentant of their actions?
I am going to quote from The Peacemaker by Ken Sande, pages 210-211:
Ideally repentance should precede forgiveness, Luke 17:3. Minor offenses can be overlooked but if the offense is too serious to overlook you may need to approach forgiveness as a 2-stage process. 1. Having an attitude of forgiveness - an unconditional commitment you make to God (see Mark 11:25; Luke 6:28; Acts 7:60). By His grace, you seek to maintain a loving and merciful attitude toward someone who has offended you. This requires making and living out the first promise of forgiveness, which means you will not dwell on the hurtful incident or seek vengeance or retribution in thought, word, or action. Instead, you pray for the other person and stand ready at any moment to pursue complete reconciliation as soon as he or she repents. This attitude will protect you from bitterness and resentment, even if the other person takes a long time to repent. 2. Granting forgiveness - conditional on the repentance of the offender and takes place between you and that person (Luke 17:3-4). It is a commitment to make the other 3 promises of forgiveness to the offender. Where there has been a serious offense, it would not be appropriate to make these promises until the offender has repented. Until then, you may need to talk with the offender about his sin or seek the involvement of others to resolve the matter. You could not do this if you had already made the last 3 promises. But once the other person repents, you can make these promises, closing the matter forever, the same way God forgives you.
Living a life of love for others and knowing the right thing to do at the right time is very difficult and we must remember we cannot do any of this in our own strength. We need God's help and guidance to come in and change our hearts so that we may truly forgive others. To Hm be the Glory!!
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