Because people asked, here’s a very brief synopsis of part 3:

Truth, BY ITSELF, is a hard stone that hurts and kills. The Lord never “stones” anyone for their mistakes, because he is Mercy itself, and is present in Good, and ONLY in Truth so far as it is wed to Good. If the Lord doesn’t stone people, we shouldn’t, either. Now, when we feel resentment, or feel owed apologies or reparations, or feel anything negative toward someone who has truly wronged us, it is really hard to let go, because we have no direct control over our feelings or our affections. They are too deep. What we CAN at least partially control are our thoughts. So while it’s hard to let go of a feeling, we can instead focus on letting go of an idea that is attached to that feeling, in this case letting go of the truth we are carrying around like a stone: that truth that the person really did hurt us. And forgiving is all about letting go. The Latin “remittere” means both to forgive and to let go.

Recap of the series so far:

1) “Know When Not to Forgive” – ALWAYS forgive. Forgiveness has three parts: a) you let go of your feelings of resentment and/or of being “owed”; b) the other person repents of any evil they’ve done; c) the Lord works to slowly change them from the inside. You and I cannot repent for someone else, nor can we change them, so all that is left to us is letting go and forgiving.

2) “Follow the Rules of Forgiveness” – There are processes, both internal and external, to help you with forgiveness. Internal process goes like this: a) check to see if you are correct; b) consider what other truths are relevant; and c) look at the situation in light of the big picture and of the general teachings of the Word. If after all that you STILL can’t forgive, then tell yourself that they either don’t know any better, or at the least that they are weak (as we all are), and then you STILL have to forgive.… Read More

This week, part 3 is all about monks, stones, poison and luggage.

Part two, “Follow the Rules of Forgiveness” will be the following Sunday. The series wraps up with part 3, “Let Go”, on July 26.

I’m extremely excited about this message series! I’ve had a lot of people say they wanted to hear about how to forgive, and I’ve found a pile of stuff in the Word on the topic. I could talk all year on the topic, but this time around I’m zeroing in on just three things Jesus said, along with the deeper truths hidden behind his words.

But I haven’t decided which. On the one hand, there’s lots of great stuff in the Word to help with the process of forgiving. On the other hand, the Bryn Athyn Family Contemporary worship service is in serious need of a renewed vision and focus. (And this series will be happening at that service July 12, 19, and 26.)

I’m looking for help in figuring out which way to go. Forgiveness is a great general subject that lots of people want help with. A vision series for the contemporary worship service is a critical need, though.

Right now I’m leaning toward forgiveness, but can easily be swayed. Either way, both subjects need to be covered in the coming few months.