These Sayings of Mine – Forgive Their Trespasses

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

This may be the most direct, easily understood and often taught saying of Jesus. So, why is the church so divided over the trespasses of others? How many Christian friendships have been broken and how many churches split apart over unforgiveness?

It is tragically ironic that such a saying – and the consequences of not doing it – has had so little response in the church. We have become too much like the world: quickly offended and slow to forgive.

Perhaps the easy “once saved, always saved” gospel has turned this saying of Jesus into an option. Ongoing forgiveness from our heavenly Father is no longer a matter of concern for many church leaders and their congregants, so why worry about forgiving others (or seeking another’s forgiveness).

So, let me ask you: What does it mean if the Father does not forgive someone’s trespasses? Will He allow such a person into His presence? Does the blood of Jesus somehow make this saying of His null and void? If so, then we would have to surmise that this saying is only for the lost. That is the only way it would make sense, but it doesn’t. The bad fruit is readily apparent.

Pride is not the only sin that our enemies leverage to divide the body of Christ. Unforgiveness has been used to drive wedges between and within fellowships for millennia. What seems like a slight offense often metastasizes into a deadly cancer: division in the church.

Is God for us? Is He with us?

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?

And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?

These questions are from the chorus of Our God, a song made popular by Chris Tomlin in 2010. It is one of the most popular worship songs ever produced. The official video has over 41 million views on YouTube; several other versions have a combined 23 million more views. That’s amazing.

Our God was used in a worship set for an event I attended just the other day (in 2020). Most in attendance knew the words by heart. It is a great and much-loved song… with two very good questions; indeed, questions we should more seriously consider.

In the song, these questions seem to be asked rhetorically, as if the answer is obvious: nothing can stop us, nor stand against us. The shift in meter and tone during this part of the song emphasizes the point, sounding something like a war cry: Our God is greater, stronger, higher, and awesome in power; therefore, we are unstoppable and irrepressible.

So, why is the Western church not only being stopped, but floundering in decline and retreat?

If one desires to worship God in Spirit and in truth, he must consider the truth of his words, in the light of the Spirit’s revelation. Sung inquiringly, these questions should cause every Christian to pause; a little bit of self-reflection is in order.

inLight Adventure Guide – The Holy Spirit and Storytelling

I have two matters to bring to your attention in this edition. First, as I mentioned in the 2016 Mission Report, God is using me to write another book: The Lost Foundations. To help keep myself on track, I am presenting each foundation on a bi-weekly basis, via an online video conference.

The recordings of those meetings can be found on our YouTube channel , and on the inLight Consulting resource site. The website also has a handout for each of the lessons. The newest lesson – number eleven in the series – is on “The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit”. I believe this is one of the best lessons I have been used to teach. I strongly encourage you to watch it.

Second, there is the matter of storytelling. I plan to post a couple of articles on the subject in the next couple of weeks: A related Workplace Ministry Tip; and an encouragement regarding the power of storytelling in our overcoming the division that exists in both the world and church. Be on the lookout for those. In the meantime, here is the crux of the matter:

Sharing stories is the way civilized people have been bonding for millennium. It continues today as a way of life in cultures more relational than America. When we invite someone to share their story, we are saying that we care.

We are also inviting God to create something. That something is relationship – The Father’s response to Jesus’ prayer for our unity (John 17:21-23). Furthermore, hearing someone else’s story creates an opportunity to share our own – to be ambassadors of reconciliation.

The Holy Spirit has stirred a desire in my heart for the story of others. I must say, this is a challenge for me. Some might call me a “loner” – perhaps a nice way of saying impersonal, even self-centered. I am “in process”.

The prospects of this discovery are exciting. I hope and pray that you will join me in tearing down the walls that separate us from one another.

Humbly yours and forever His,