A Season of Rebuilding: Lessons from the Book of Acts - Part 4
By Kam Cook
Stephen Ministry Coordinator
The Book of Acts is an account of the spread of the Christian Church, the result of the work of the risen Lord and the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. Acts is a major guide for Christians because these same principles continue to be applicable for us today.
4th Lesson – Forgiveness
Out of despair Judas became his own judge and executioner by hanging himself. Judas had no understanding of the mercy of God in Christ; he concluded that his iniquity was greater than could be forgiven. Some contend that Judas sinned more in despairing of the mercy of God, than in betraying his Master. An Acts Commentary wondered if a different outcome would have occurred if Judas had the faith and understanding of mercy and forgiveness and confessed his betrayal to God and to the other Apostles. His betrayal was foreknown by both God and Jesus. In Luke it is recorded that Jesus prayed all night and the next morning he selected his 12 Apostles, including Judas. He knew the heart of every man he chose, He knew part of his path was to be betrayed, and he knew that Judas would be the one to betray him.
Meaning of this Lesson– We need to forgive the transgressions of others and forgive ourselves. We should not despair and be ready to throw in the towel here at HHBC. Scott Nash helped us heal from the wounds incurred in recent days and Greg DeLoach’s sermons are helping us rebuild. God is not through with HHBC yet – He has great plans for us. Like Elisha, we need to pick up the mantle of our past service and forge ahead towards what the future holds. But before His Plan can be revealed, we need to have faith in and understanding of God’s mercy and forgiveness, then confess our sin of judging others before God.
Through His grace and mercy, God forgives us of our sins. Many of us are harboring anger towards our fellow members. We need to lay this down to work towards fulfilling God’s Plan for HHBC in the coming days, months, and years, both here inside the walls of the church and outside in the community. We need to become a beacon of what God can do with His people who work together to serve Him.
Perhaps, the ultimate test of the understanding of our faith is to truly experience and receive the forgiveness we do not deserve but which is promised to us through Christ, the only condition being to wholeheartedly acknowledge and proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ is our Savior who paid the price and covered the cost for the sins of us all.
In the face of adversity, it is often hard to forgive those we perceive as having sinned against us and, even more difficult, to forgive ourselves for the sins we have committed. If you are hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually, our highly trained Stephen Ministers are available to provide confidential one-to-one lay pastoral care. For more information on how Stephen Ministry might serve you, contact Referrals Coordinator Peggy Williams at (478) 719-3340 or by email.
Recognizing that God is the ultimate Cure Giver, the Mission of the Highland Hills Baptist Church Stephen Ministry is to serve God and bring Christ’s healing love to individuals who are experiencing life’s challenges through confidential, non-judgmental, one-on-one Christian care.