Forgiveness

I have been on a mini-Sabatical for the last two weeks and I am looking forward to reconnecting with my fellow CrossPointers this weekend.

While I was away, I got to spend some time with people and in places that had significant meaning to me. The last spot I was in was Little Rock, Arkansas. My good friend and seminary buddy lives and ministers there.

While I was visiting, he asked me to speak on the issue of forgiveness at his church (Little Rock’s First Baptist Church). I was happy to do it… great people there in Arkansas.

Thought I’d share that teaching. Thanks for checking it out.

Forgiveness from Andy Addis on Vimeo.

Osama Bin Laden

Osama Bin Laden is dead.

That’s not really meant to be a statement of fact, because by now it’s extremely old news. It’s really more of a measuring rod.

When you hear that phrase, what does it do inside of you?

I’ve been watching Facebook,Twitter, reading other blogs, and have stayed dialed into major network news for the last 24 hours.

It appears the responses to the worldwide obituary run the gamut of human emotion:

  • Predominately there’s an expression of glee, in exuberance and celebration.
  • To a lesser degree there is an expression of relief, with cautious optimism.
  • Yet others, in a much smaller minority from what I can tell, are actually conflicted.

By conflicted I do not mean there is an outpouring of sympathy toward Osama Bin Laden. Far from it!

But, in several expressions I have read and heard, there is a difficulty in reconciling the spontaneous joy over the news of another man’s death (undoubtedly evil though he was), and the “Christian” call to be a person of grace and mercy.

The emotions on both sides of the fence are very real, but seem to be contradictory. The only normal response is frustration, confusion, hurt and… well, being conflicted.

I have no desire to be a global psychologist, but I must admit I find myself in that minority of the conflicted.

Here is why:

  1. I believe the world is a better place without the leadership of a mass murderer who cloaks his “mission” under the veil of God. I believe he and his actions were evil, reprehensible and totally deserving of punishment afforded by the authorities that are over us (Romans 13). I do not weep for the life of this terrorist at all.
  2. I believe God cares, loves and pursues even the worst of us. I’ve preached it before, so I better stand on it today, that no one’s sin is worse than anyone else’s sin in the eyes of God. In our human economy it does not seem to make sense that my gluttony at the buffet after church on Sunday was just as much a sin as acts of terror and murder. But in God’s economy, sin is sin.
  3. I believe that justice should be carried out, future lives protected, and the world made safer by the absence of one of evil’s chief architects for the current generation.
  4. I believe God’s people should take on the character of Christ (Philippians 2:5), who was willing to empty Himself and make Himself nothing becoming obedient even to the point of death, offering forgiveness even to those who were crucifying Him in the moment.

My problem… everything I believe doesn’t seem to hold hands. So, I’m conflicted.

I’m sure I will wrestle with Continue reading “Osama Bin Laden”

Forgive

I wrote this article for the Hutch News and was published today. They usually provide a web copy on their site, so, I don’t double post.

But, it looks like there is no web version this time, so…

Enjoy and let me know what you think:

IT’S TIME TO FORGIVE

When is the hardest thing in the world to do, the best choice to make?

When it’s forgiveness.

You don’t have to be a church attendee to have this pounded into you; Dr Phil or Oprah get the job done there. Forgiveness restores relationships, brings peace amid conflict and changes the face of everything from family to politics.

While forgiveness is hard, it is exponentially amplified when you, the victim, had little to no part in the initial hurt:

  • I mean he’s the one who walked away, right?
  • She’s the one stabbed me in the back, remember?
  • After what he did to me, he doesn’t deserve forgiveness!

That’s what makes verses like this so very hard: Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13).

Forgiving as Christ forgave means unconditional, undeserved, unrestrained forgiveness of those who hurt us most. There’s no call for confession, no sign of regret. Christ forgave us while we were still sinners, and He asks us to do the same.

I believe this particular theological principle is called “NoWayishJoseish” in most of our personal doctrines.

Friends and family won’t let us forget the hurt, little things like songs and calendar dates stir up the pain, and we’ve become so comfortable with the misery we really wouldn’t know what to do without it.

So, we just live with the turmoil and convince ourselves its just the way it is. We continue to make regular visits to the temples and shrines of our distress where we worship what we hate.

But, what if God gave us this incredibly difficult command to forgive, not only to fix others, but to restore the forgiver?

Imagine walking a hiking trail with some friends and you suddenly feel a stinging on your calf and hear the terrifying sound of a rattle rustling back into the bushes.

Your friends sprint into emergency mode, “We have to get you to a hospital!”

But, you refuse.

“I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was on the path, right where I should be. I have been wronged! That snake was way out of line, and I am completely right. I refuse to leave this spot until that snake comes back and apologizes!”

Really?

You may be logical. You may be convincing. You may be 100% right.

You’re still going to die.

That snake is not coming back. And, you have to get the poison out of your system.

One of the benefits of forgiveness is that it releases you from the pain, the anger, the past and the poison.

It’s the hardest work you’ve ever done, but sometimes it’s the only way. Don’t forget, when you forgive the deepest wounds, it’s never one and done.

That kind of forgiveness requires multiple applications, but it’s worth it. This is your life we’re talking about!

That snake is not coming back, but we still have to get the poison out of your system.

It’s time to forgive.

Restoration

One of the most difficult, but necessary teachings in Scripture is on the How-To’s of restoring someone who has fallen. Everybody will slip up, fall down and blow it from time to time.

What is the process, biblically, for helping that person up. It would be really good to know, especially when that person is you.

Restoration from Andy Addis on Vimeo.

Galatians 6:1Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Sticks and Stones

Last week at our midweek Bible study called SURGE, we deviated from our normal study of the book of Acts. I took us on a journey of dealing with conflicts and attacks in an Old Testament story.

I’ve been asked more than a dozen times since then if we had that teaching on video. Sorry, we haven’t been recording that midweek service. But, I will do my best to report the essential elements from that teaching in today’s blog. I hope it’s a blessing to you, like it has been to me.

Dealing with conflict and difficult people are part of everyone’s life, but the problem is everyone thinks in their situation or line of work that they have it the worst!

And, unless you’re a pastor, that’s just not true… did you sense the sarcasm?

Every experience in every situation is different, and the truth is that no matter where you come from or who you are dealing with conflict and conflicting people and one of the toughest things in life. Continue reading “Sticks and Stones”

Getting degunkified

Cleaning out the muck and mire of our lives, we need to remove the junk that flowed into, but never flowed out of our lives.

It’s a process called confession that comes with a promise from God: He is faithful, He will forgive, He will heal.

Don’t miss out on the incredible Christian discipline called confession. It’s how we get degunkified!

Untitled from Andy Addis on Vimeo.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Symptoms aren’t the disease

We often get caught up in the trap of the immediate, but when it comes to our spiritual condition we need to look further than the surface.

In this video we can explore the possibility that we are spending too much time of the symptoms and not enough on the disease.

Matthew 15:19

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

 

Continue reading “Symptoms aren’t the disease”