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CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Luke 5:18–20 NIV
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
CONSIDER THIS . . .
We begin today’s entry with a difficult but powerful story that illustrates the transformative effect of forgiveness.
You may remember the story of the small Amish community in Pennsylvania, who experienced unspeakable suffering after a disturbed assailant took many young lives in an Amish community (the movie Amish Grace is based on this story). The most remarkable part of the story is how the Amish community, very soon after the incident, went to the widow and family of the man who had committed the act (he had also taken his own life) to extend forgiveness and to care for them in their grief.
The world was stunned and had mixed reactions to this way of life that the Amish believed to be the way of Jesus. Who lives this way? Forgiveness was the topic of the national news for an extended period of time. That is the miracle of the Jesus Way, the Kingdom Way, silencing and confronting the ways of the world.
In the all-the-things ministry of Jesus we see in motion in Luke 5:18–20, we see our Rabbi choosing to express forgiveness to a man who had been brought to him for healing.
Jesus understood that forgiveness, leading to inner freedom, is the greatest miracle of all.
I heard about this story of radical forgiveness many years ago on the news, and it struck a deep chord because it happened not far from my hometown in Pennsylvania. My wife and I have been stuck in traffic behind many buggies in that part of the country!
The ability to forgive is a sign that the kingdom of God is here.
Across the ages of the church, there has been a practice called “confession” carried on by average Christians and spiritual leaders of virtually every tradition. In confession, we reveal our need for forgiveness to another, who then says to us, in one form or another, “You are forgiven.” In banded discipleship, the confessional community becomes the foundation on which great love and mutual support can be shared in the group.
Jesus forgave. It is part of all the things that Jesus did and taught. As the Son of God, he could forgive as only God can forgive, as he has the “authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6). Forgiveness unburdens the offender from the weight of external and internal condemnation. We are told to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32) and to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16) that we may be healed.
Here’s the real kicker: Jesus embeds the theme of forgiveness and shines a light on it as a true kingdom practice in his rabbinical prayer: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4).
I’m a big fan of God moving miraculously through a word of knowledge, a prophetic word, or a physical healing. But I’ve also become very fond of the power of forgiveness.
As we consider all the things that Jesus did and taught, and that we as those who practice the way of Jesus are commissioned to do, forgiveness must be in the lead as we minister to others.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I am open to forgiving and to being forgiven, knowing that is the only way to true freedom. Teach me forgiveness as a kingdom practice, and where my heart is far from you in forgiving someone near me, soften me and bring me near to your heart. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
Write down all the ways that Jesus has forgiven you. Then, write down the ways you have forgiven others. Next, write down the ways others have forgiven you. What patterns do you see, and what have been the results of forgiveness in your life and the lives of others?
ACTIVATION
Today, is there someone you need to forgive, someone toward whom you have been harboring unforgiveness? Take some time with a trusted mentor to share how you desire to forgive and how hard it is for you. Then, ask the Lord what an appropriate next step would be to forgive as you have been forgiven.
SING
Today, we will sing “Cornerstone,” (hymn 103) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.
For the Awakening,
Dan Wilt
Dan Wilt is an author, communicator, pastor, and practitioner. With roots in the Vineyard stream of churches, Dan has served the development of followers of Jesus internationally and is part of the Seedbed Farm Team.
4 Responses
Thank you, Dan, for training us and showing us practical ways to be faithful disciples of Christ.
Jesus made forgiveness a requirement for discipleship. He said: “If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14)
Jesus made disciples. Then He told His disciples to make disciples by training people to obey everything that He had originally trained them to do. This was supposed to be an ongoing process that repeated itself throughout history. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Then somehow along the way the process of training people to be disciples halted and Christians evolved from being self-denying, daily cross bearing, obedient followers of the risen Jesus, (Luke 9L23) into being mostly lukewarm in their faith. (Revelation 3:14-17) Perhaps it is time for Christians to rediscover and begin to wholeheartedly apply the lost art of disciple making throughout each day.
Before a Christian can make disciples he or she must become a disciple. But how can we become one? Jesus gave three requirements for being His disciple. You must do three things: 1) deny yourself, 2) take up your personal cross daily, and 3) follow and Him.
Self-denial is extremely painful. It requires that you lay down your own desires for Christ’s desires — that you give up your will for His will. To deny yourself is to completely set aside self-focus.
Deny yourself, but don’t deny your cross — don’t deny or run from the situations in life that cause you trouble, pain, heartbreak, and great difficulty. Those situations are your cross. Allow them to humble you and train you to continually and desperately cry out to, draw near to, and stay near to the risen Jesus.
Follow Jesus. To follow Christ is to listen to Him speak within you (John 10:27) and to faithfully say and do what he tells you to. It is to keep His commandments. (John 14:15) It is to be a doer of His word, not merely a passive hearer. (James 1:22-25)
So, what is discipleship? Discipleship is to follow and obey the risen Jesus throughout each day as you let Him lead and guide you from within by the Holy Spirit, moment-by-moment.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” Refuse to settle for less than genuine faith.
I am imagining a wave of forgiveness washing over all who enter into this teaching; forgiveness extended, forgiveness received, setting captives free, binding-up wounds, bringing the kingdom. All praise and glory to you Lord God!
Thanks for your additions. Steve. I added a whole extra page into my journal today with these points to remember.
Today’s hymn is 103 in Great Redeemer’s Praise