Don’t Fertilize Weeds ~ Forgive

Following Jesus is difficult! Have you ever been mad at someone and just wanted to wallow in the madness? I have. People wronged me and I was furious…. but I couldn’t stay mad…. because of Jesus.

If we truly know and believe what God did for us, then it is impossible, to stay mad at another person. Instead of being mad, we MUST forgive.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. – Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)

God gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us while we were still sinners. That means BEFORE we asked for forgiveness! If God can forgive us, and we accept that, then we need to forgive others. If we do not, or cannot, forgive others, then the Father will not forgive our sins. That’s a promise that not many people talk about because it is painful. We don’t want to forgive, we want the other person to come crawling back to us in shame admitting they were wrong before we even consider forgiving them. It is a choice we have.

After a meeting, I left knowing that there was either a personal attack against me, or a concerned individual seeking honest answers. I chose the latter. If I would have seen it as a personal attack, whether it was or not, then I would have allowed a seed of discord – of anger – to gain root and grow. I knew that nothing good would come from that. Instead, I chose to see it as a concerned individual, and if it was a personal attack, I knew that God would deal with them and their heart. I in essence opted to forgive a possible offense, giving it to God to handle.

Have people planted a seed of a weed in you? Are you ripping that out before it takes root and grows, or are you watering it and allowing it to grow? When we forgive others, it gives us a freedom, and a peace, that can only come from God.

As you think about these things, take a few moments and watch this video…


 

Dwindling Attendance in Churches – III

In this series, we’ve already looked at a couple reasons why churches decline:

There is a positive side to the decline of churches as the article notes, “The drop in membership is pushing the churches to do more direct outreach. It starts in the surrounding streets, …..“. As membership declines, they need to go out and seek more people to join the church. They begin to have a greater outward focus. Sadly, the focus become getting “giving units” to meet expenses and not people committed to living for Jesus.

I find it interesting tha the article says, “We do know the neighborhoods are very interested in preserving all of the churches in their neighborhoods,” ….. “It makes a very definite difference in the neighborhood when they disappear. It makes for an empty shell.” It seems that people see the need for churches, maybe God, in their communities, but they are not a part of the faith community. Again, could this be the result of nostalgia in people, wanting to hold on to memories of what once was in their lives?

The first part of this final quote from the article I’m going to share is true, but has a twist at then end.

“The problems of these downtown churches are in such a state that they are not going to be able to solve them by themselves,” she said. “I think the city needs to be engaged too.”

Yes, the churches will not be able to solve the problems  by themselves, they’ll need God and to focus on Him. But that’s if you look at the spiritual aspect of the church and their need.

The article and so many others look at the material side of the church. How to save the building, how to pay the bills. The main reason for the decline in the churches the article talked about is the decline of the city itself as people move out. It is happening in cities across the United States. The government can help rehab the facilities, but they can’t help the heart of the church.

Are city churches declining in attendance because we’ve abandoned the cities themselves?

May we focus on God, not facilities and may we reach into the cities, not to save buildings, but to save people.

 

Dwindling Attendance in Churches – I

I recently attended a denominational state convention meeting where during the address they noted that membership was declining and that obviously what there were doing was wrong. Then there was an article in the local paper about the stress that one denomination was experiencing in the city and the decline it was seeing. There seems to be a theme of decline in Christianity. I want to look at it through comments in this article over the next few posts Continue reading