Worship
“Forgiven” by Passion, featuring Crowder
Scripture
“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.” -Luke 23:34, ESV
“‘And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.'” -Mark 11:25, ESV
“Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ” -2 Corinthians 2:10, ESV
“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.” -Acts 7:59-60, ESV
A Modern Testament to Forgiveness’s Power
On this last trip to South Asia, I was graced with a translator named Jacob (name changed for security reasons) who was courageous, fearless, and full of faith. His mother was a Buddhist and his father was a radical Hindu when he was a young boy. In fact, his father used to boldly persecute Christians. One day, his father contracted a disease that left him entirely paralyzed for three years. During that time, Jacob’s mother left, never to return. A Christian man in the village came and anointed Jacob’s father and prayed for his healing. Within two months, his father was entirely healed and gave his life to Jesus. In fact, his whole purpose for living changed, and he determined he would preach the gospel everywhere he went. The Lord gave him three and a half years before he was martyred by radical Hindus. Jacob was 11 at the time and was then raised in an orphanage. But Jacob determined that for his whole life, he too would share the gospel everywhere he went. His story gripped my spirit.
I just got word that Jacob had visited a village we were not able to get to last week and shared the gospel with 13 people. It was up much higher and covered in leeches, snakes, and foxes. I left my backpack and tent with him so he could reach that village. Several gave their lives to Jesus, but there is more work to do. The focus of Jacob’s life started with one invitation from Jesus: forgiveness.
The Ripple Effect of Forgiveness
What was the catalytic force that set Stephen and Jacob and you and me on a different trajectory? It was the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the foundation of our life with Christ and the walking out of our destinies. Without forgiveness, we are stuck, trapped, and destitute.
I have been thinking about the power of Stephen’s forgiveness as it relates to Paul. Saul was standing in approval at the stoning of Stephen. Many suffered and were imprisoned because of Saul. But this one declarative word shifted something in Heaven over Saul’s life. In just the next chapter, Saul encountered Jesus and was transformed forever. In fact, it was this moment of forgiveness that God answered Stephen’s prayer on behalf of Paul, which brought forth the ministry of this pillar of Christianity.
Augustine said, “If Stephen had not prayed, the church would not have had Paul.” That’s the profound power that we hold because of Christ. Forgiveness sets you free and sets the offender free. Destinies are at stake when there is unforgiveness.
As John Bevere writes in “The Bait of Satan”: “The way we forgive, release, and restore another person is the way we will be forgiven.”
“I wonder how many Christians would want God to forgive them in the same way they have forgiven those who have offended them. Yet this is exactly the way in which they will be forgiven. Because unforgiveness is so rampant in our churches, we do not want to take these words of Jesus so seriously. Rampant or not, truth does not change. The way we forgive, release, and restore another person is the way we will be forgiven.” -John Bevere, “The Bait of Satan”
We rejoice at the free gift of forgiveness through Christ. Our lives and our eternities are forever changed because of this gift, and we praise God for the outrageous cost of forgiveness that Jesus lavished on us. But when it comes to those who have caused us great pain, persecution, or suffering, it’s a tricky dance. It’s not easy to enter into the forgiveness of Christ in those moments. We stand justified in our own minds of our hurt, bound by the pain of offense. And yet, Saul, the soldiers who nailed Jesus on the cross, and the woman caught in adultery all were dependent on the forgiveness of Jesus, which they would one day realize. But for those of us in Christ, we carry the power of the cross and the blood of Jesus to set people free by our forgiveness. What if Stephen had not declared his forgiveness to Saul? What if Jesus had not forgiven us? The story stops there. Destinies are held up there. Intimacy with Christ stands still, and I would have nothing to write you except feel-good ideology and human reasoning.
Forgiveness changes everything from the moment we receive it and the moment we release it. Freedom comes like a flood to wash us clean.
Steps Toward Forgiveness
Since I have four daughters, there have been ample conversations with them based on my own hurts and roads of forgiveness. I learned in my 30s the power of forgiveness in my own heart when I set another free. I can forgive and bless my offenders regardless if they receive it or even know. And the more I pray blessings, the more my heart soars in freedom. I’m not saying this is easy, but I will tell you that it’s mandatory so that I am not tied in offense to my offender. When we understand all that we were given in forgiveness and grace, it moves us a little bit closer to being able to give it away. I don’t want to hold someone back from fulfilling his or her destiny because of my unforgiveness, nor do I want my own heart held in captivity with another. Forgiveness breaks those ties!
The Ongoing Journey of Forgiveness
What we are drawn to in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, we are able to exude to the lost, to the loved, and to our enemies. The gift of forgiveness that we bathe ourselves in daily is also a gift to be given! It’s only possible to give freely what we have been given freely. The same response of grace and mercy that has marked our lives and released us to run in freedom can possibly flow from our lives to others. It’s not a work of the flesh but a manifestation of Christ in you. Jesus, will You manifest Your life in us in this area of forgiveness just like You did in Jacob, Stephen before he fell asleep, or the countless others in Scripture? May we be bound to no one through unforgiveness so that we can run unhindered to our finish line.
“We seek to be reconciled with such urgency, not for our own sakes alone, but for our brother’s sake. We can become a catalyst to help him out of the offense. The love of God does not permit us to allow him to remain angry without attempting to reach out to him in restoration. We may have done nothing wrong. Right or wrong doesn’t matter. It is more important for us to help this stumbling brother than to prove ourselves correct.” -John Bevere, “Bait of Satan”
Moving Forward in Freedom
You hold in your hands a great gift and a great power: forgiveness. Will you ask the Lord whom He would have you release it to today so that you may walk in freedom and wholeness? Ask the Lord to return to you any parts of yourself that are bound to another because of a wound, transgression, offense, or hurt. Ask Him to blow His breath of life on all these parts so that they may live again and bear great fruit. This is all a part of becoming more and more like Jesus, and I know it isn’t easy. Trust me, I know. But the work of forgiveness in and through your life will impact generations and leave a legacy of life to so many.
I bless you today with walking in and walking out this powerful and life-changing gift. As you have freely received, freely give.
