Reconciliation and Justice Conference 2018
The Reconciliation and Justice Conference 2018 at New City Fellowship Church in St. Louis focused on the themes of forgiveness and healing. Participants explored the importance of acknowledging offenses and the transformative power of true forgiveness. Guided by scripture and exercises for reflection, the conference emphasized the necessity of identifying injustices and the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of reconciliation. Engaging speakers like Suzanne Bates contributed to a deeper understanding of personal and communal healing.
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Reconciliation and Justice Conference 2018 New City Fellowship Church St. Louis Suzanne Bates, MA, LPC
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Exercise On Note Pages or on a sheet of paper, write across the top of the page, Father, in Jesus name, help me to Forgive _____________, for (as I share, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what needs to be forgiven. On the other side of the page write at the top of the page Father, in Jesus name, reveal to my heart the ways that I have offended __________________. Make a list of what the Holy Spirit brings to your heart even as I am speaking.
Romans 3:23; Matthew 6:14-15 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
What is Forgiveness? Webster: To Forgive to give up resentment against or desire to punish; to give up all claim to punish or exact penalty for; to pardon; to cancel or remit; syn: absolve, pardon, excuse Forgiveness is giving up your right to be right! It is refusing to ask others to pay a penalty for their wrongdoing and in fact to forgive means you will take up the cost/penalty for the wrong done. True forgiveness is always a form of suffering. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (1937). The Cost of Discipleship Forgiveness is the Christlike suffering which it is the Christian s duty to bear. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1937). The Cost of Discipleship
What is Forgiveness? But, In order to truly forgive we must name that which needs forgiveness. We must look at the sin, the injustice, the brokenness and name the offense. We like Blanket Forgiveness. We want to just say, I m sorry! ; If I have done something to offend you, I m sorry. but edo not name the offense.
The Face of Injustice In the World Naming the Injustice Power and Control; often driven by fear, greed and pride Racism, sexism, and other isms ; Racial Profiling Slavery Genocide Femicide [destroying females: trafficking, rape, domestic violence, sexual abuse, etc.] Leads to death of minds, hearts and souls (Langberg, 2014. p.138) Exploitation of Others the Sake of Self [i.e. pornography] Abuse: Emotional, Physical, Sexual, Spiritual Murder
The Face of Injustice In the Church Naming the Injustice Slander/Anger/Malice Racism, sexism, and other isms Failure to Embrace God s Gifting Women and other Minorities Femicide Self-righteousness Abuse: Emotional, Physical, Sexual, Spiritual Exploitation of Others for the Sake of Self Manipulation Power and Control driven by fear and pride. Slaves and Dungeons Diane Langberg, 2013.
The Face of Injustice Slave Dungeons of Cape Coast Dungeons of our own hearts hearts not like God Cain said to Abel Your life for mine and we say the same. Jesus says I will give my life for yours I entered into your violence, abuse, and poverty and pride. We call that love. Diane Langberg, 2013. As He is, So Are We In This World
The Face of Forgiveness On both a theological and practical level, forgiveness is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. True forgiveness comes at a cost and is pursued within a community of believers. Timothy Keller, (2005). Serving Each Other Through Forgiveness and Reconciliation .
The Face of Forgiveness THE FACE OF GOD! Love and Forgiveness begins with God! God Himself initiated this great act: Nehemiah 9:17 A God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Micah 7:18-20 Who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depth of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago. God Forgives All Psalm 86:5-6 Those who believe and those who do not believe Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Luke 23:34
The Face of Forgiveness LOVE - 1 John 4:7-12 Dear friends let us love one another for loves comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The Face of Forgiveness Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (2010). Strength to Love How do we love our enemies? First, we must maintain and develop the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love (p. 44) .The degree to which we are able to forgive, determines the degree to which we are ale to love our enemies. (p.45).
The Face of Forgiveness Moving Towards Forgiveness Recognize Sin: Committed Against Us and Sin We Commit Isa. 55:6-7 Let the wicked forsake his way Psalm 139:23-24 Freedom to ask God to reveal the heart 1 John 1:8; Prov. 38:13 Do not hide sin Confess and Repent of Sin - Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:8-9*; Prov 28:13-14; Psalm 51 Receive Forgiveness - Psalm - 32:1,2; Ephesians 1:7-8 God s forgiveness reaches far and wide 1 Cor. 6:9-11 Ephesians 1:7-8 Experience Joy - Psalm - 32:1-2; Psalm 103:8-12
The Face of Forgiveness Choosing to Forgive Praise God for the forgiveness he has offered. Remember God s grace to you. Pray for God s help to forgive. Matt 6:12 Plan to look honestly at the offenses. Forgiveness is not an event. Forgiveness is not forgetting. To forgive another is always an ongoing, deepening, quickening process, rather than a once and for all event. Allender, 1992. Bold Love Matt. 18:15-17; John 4:4-26; Jesus acknowledges sin..and forgives
The Face of Forgiveness Put away bitterness, anger and wrath. Eph. 4:31-32 Pray for your enemies and bless those who persecute you. 1 Cor 13:5 Love keeps no record of wrongs; 1 Peter 4:8 Love covers sin Place it at the foot of The Cross where the debt has been paid and do not pick it up again. Jesus Paid the Debt!
The Face of Forgiveness Keller s List of what it looks like when you forgive when you pay the debt yourself Refuse to hurt and do harm to someone directly; also refuse to get vengeance and make them pay for the wrong Become aware of times and places where you are trying to make them pay: i.e. using cutting remarks, being more demanding with them than others, holding onto and bringing up past issues, punishing them by trying to make them feel guilty or small; avoiding/being cold towards them Refuse to speak against them with gossip and/or slander Refuse to indulge in ill will in your heart. Commit to pray for those who caused harmed.
The Face of Forgiveness Fruit of Forgiveness Resist Satan s Schemes 2 Cor. 2:10-11, 2 Cor. 10:4-5 -take every thought captive Freedom to Love 1 Cor. 13:5; 1 Pet 4:8; Gal. 6:1; 2 Cor. 2:7-8 Freedom to serve 2 Cor 2:5-11; Gen 45 Joseph treats his brothers with kindness Spiritual Maturity 2 Cor. 5:18-21; 1 Cor. 1:21-27 Peace and Joy Psalm 86:4-7; Luke 7:36-50; 1 John 1:7; Isa. 44:22-23 Christ-likeness! Eph. 5:1-2
Defeating Injustice Choose to Forgive! Speak Truth! Unforgiveness: Poison to the Soul; A Rotten Soul 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent now instead you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.
Defeating Injustice Take Back the Territory: It Is Warfare! 2 Corinthians 2:9- Another reason I wrote you to was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven-if there was anything to forgive-I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. Fight the Right Battle! We wrestle not against flesh and blood Setting Captives Free - See One In Another the Hope of Glory!
Defeating Injustice Emulating Christ Should it surprise us, then, that when God determined to forgive us rather than punish us for all the ways we have wronged him and one another, that he went to the Cross in the person of Jesus Christ and died there? As Bonhoeffer says, everyone who forgives someone bears the other s sins. On the Cross we see God doing visibly and cosmically what every human being must do to forgive someone, though on an infinitely greater scale. I would argue, of course, that human forgiveness works this way because we unavoidably reflect the image of our Creator. That is why we should not be surprised that if we sense that the only way to triumph over evil is to go through the suffering of forgiveness, that this would be far more true of God, whose just passion to defeat evil and loving desire to forgive others are both infinitely greater than ours. Tim Keller, The Reason for God
Defeating Injustice Only when you have lost the need to see the other person hurt will you have any chance of actually bringing about change, reconciliation, and healing. - Keller, 2005 Christians in community are to never give up on one another, never give up on a relationship, and never write off another believer. Timothy Keller, Serving Each Other Through Forgiveness and Reconciliation Why did Jesus have to die? A debt had to be paid Jesus paid it all! The Exchanged Life
Defeating Injustice DIANE LANGBERG, 2013. He calls us to be in this world as He was and His love goes to the dungeon, first to the one in our souls; and then, filled with his love and light, we descend into the dungeons in the world And there, in the world, in the church, and in our families, we defeat injustice
