Men's Breakfast November 2011

November 2011 Men's Ministry

This month we had a good time of fellowship and as always, FOOD! I send a special thanks to those who were able to make it. To those who couldn't be there, we missed you and hope to see you next month! 

This month I spoke to the men in regards to the F WORD. Hollywood and the the media has been intent in recent times on saturating our minds and mouths with the F WORD.  Jesus Christ has been intent on saturating our hearts with his F WORD for over 2000 years.

FORGIVENESS.

Forgiveness is found in the bible 18 times in 18 verses. Forgive, 61 times in 54 verses. Webster’s Dictionary defines forgiveness this way: The act of granting relief from payment.

Webster also says - The word forgiveness was first noted around the 12 century.We know Jesus has been teaching about it for 2000 Years!

So what does the bible say about it? Let’s look at, what is forgiveness.....

1) What is forgiveness?

Forgiveness is our decision to accept God's grace to let go of the hurt due to wrong doings committed against us and to express this by acts of mercy and love toward the offender.

2) Are there any sins committed against me which I don't have to forgive?

No. The Lord calls us to forgive all sins — even rape, murder, abuse, adultery, etc. We never have the occasion to forgive others for their character, attitude, or motives. We are not to judge these things.

3) When I forgive, am I condoning sin?

No, the Lord forgives all our sins and condones none of them (see Jn 8:11).

4) Must I forgive if the person offending me isn't sorry?

Yes, for-giveness is before-giveness — to give pardon before asked forgiveness or even if never asked forgiveness.

5) Must I forgive if a person continues to hurt me?

Yes. While hanging on the cross, Jesus forgave His enemies even as they continued to spit at Him and blaspheme Him (see Lk 23:34).

6) How do I forgive?

None of us can forgive by our own power. "To err is human, to forgive divine," and we are not divine. However, the Lord promised us His divine power to forgive. Therefore, forgiveness is our decision to accept God's grace to forgive.

7) What if I don't want to forgive?

We should pray and ask the Lord to change our hearts.

8) What if I don't forgive?

1. We "give the devil a chance to work on" us (see Eph 4:27).

2. We are handed over to the torturers (Mt 18:34). These torturers are such things as fear, loneliness, depression, frustration, anxiety, and self-hatred.

3. We cut ourselves off from receiving forgiveness (Mt 6:12, 15), healing (Sir 28:3), prayer (Mk 11:25), worship (Mt 5:23-24), and Christian community.

4. We lose our appetite for prayer, the Scriptures, the Mass, and Christian fellowship. We become spiritually anorexic.

5. If we persist in unforgiveness, we cut ourselves off from God forever and thereby damn ourselves.

9) How do I know if I have forgiven?

Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision.

Forgiveness is not only praying for those who have hurt us or treating them better. We know if we have made the decision to forgive when we show it in acts of love and mercy to those who have offended us. For example, the father of the prodigal son threw his arms around his son, kissed him, gave him gifts, honored him, and celebrated his return (Lk 15:20-24). By God's grace, we must go and do likewise. Even if the persons we need to forgive have died, we should give love and mercy to their family members.

Right now, decide to accept God's grace to forgive all who have sinned against you in any way. Say: "By God's grace, I decide to forgive ___ for ___." Fill in the blanks and repeat this statement until you have forgiven everyone who has ever offended you. Then thank Jesus forever for the miracle of forgiveness.

During this months lesson, I used several different websites.... During our fellowship we got into a deep discussion about copyright laws. This in mind, lol. I forget which websites I used, but I did gather alot of information from several. So, there you go!

GOD BLESS

- Ken