The opening worship song was The Creed by Hillsong. It was 8:00 AM service and as I followed the lyrics on the screen, I asked the Lord to minister to my soul. He knows me better than I know myself and so I asked him to comfort or confront anything in me that required his attention. I prayed also for those worshiping by me and as I sang the lyrics, “I believe in the resurrection; that we will rise again”, I stopped singing. I repeated the words to myself, “I believe in the resurrection. I believe we will rise again.” I continued to worship and each time we sang those lyrics, my soul said, “Yes, it’s true. We will rise again… and we are rising today.” My thoughts quickly went to Romans 6 and I experienced the sensation of fulfilled hope. The feeling you get when something you’ve longed for has come to pass. We finished worshiping and as I sat down I thanked the Lord for strengthening my soul.

Yes, I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and in his complete victory over the destructive and corrupting consequences of sin in this world and in our lives. Yes, I believe not only has Jesus, himself, overcome the power and authority of sin, but that he has granted that same victory to those who truly believe in him. I believe that “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life” (Romans 6:4). I believe that our sinful tendencies and habits were “crucified with Jesus in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing”! In other words, that sin’s authority and power over our daily thoughts, actions, desires and feelings were overthrown and that we were freed from being enslaved to sinful ways of being and doing (Romans 6:6). And I believe that this resurrection begins today. Jesus can put to death our old dark ways and raise his divine character within us. He can resurrect his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control in us today. No matter how dead our hearts may be: No matter how cynical, judgmental, angry, impatient, hateful, bitter, anxious, lazy or lustful they may be; Jesus can take our hard, dead hearts and raise them to new life.

So today, be encouraged and encourage another brother or sister in Christ! Battle to believe what is true. Don’t dwell on past sins or perseverance over confessed wrongdoing. And don’t cause a brother or sister in Christ to dwell on their sin by bringing it up in an argument or in some outburst of anger. Dwell on the power of Jesus’ resurrection in you or in a fellow believer. Fully trust in Jesus resurrection of you today.

Once the process of forgiveness is undertaken, there are degrees of forgiveness that can be achieved. Let me reiterate what I wrote earlier from Lewis Smedes.

“For the follower of Christ, the ultimate purpose of forgiveness is to create an environment for reconciliation hence; forgiveness is not an end unto itself. Without reconciliation, forgiveness, although beneficial to the one who forgives, is unfulfilled. Without the goal of eventual reconciliation, forgiveness can become another medium of self-help in an already narcissistic world.

If we are to imitate God, then the goal of forgiveness is reconciliation while the benefit of forgiveness is release of vengeance. However, since reconciliation is bilateral from a human perspective, even if there is no cooperation from the “other party”, forgiveness still has virtue and merit by itself.”

Therefore, there can be degrees of forgiveness. Beverly Flanigan, in her book, Exploring Forgiveness, puts forth three degrees of forgiveness.

First, there can be detached forgiveness where there is a reduction in negative feelings toward the offender, but no reconciliation has taken place. This often happens when there is geographical distance or death separating the parties.

Second, there is limited forgiveness where there is a reduction in negative feelings toward the offender, and partial relationship is restored with the offender and a decrease in the emotional investment in the relationship. This is a step in the right direction and often times it depends on the offending party.

Finally, there is full forgiveness where there is a total cessation of negative feelings toward the offender, and the relationship is restored and grows. This is the degree of forgiveness that we should hope and pray for as we pursue God’s desire for us.

Our example for all this is the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. In 1 John 1:3, John wrote that the reader of his letter can fellowship with him based on the fellowship he has with the Father and His Son Jesus. In verse 9, John then revealed how this fellowship can occur. He wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Upon confession of sin, we can receive full forgiveness from God and total cessation of negative feelings toward us and a relationship that is restored and grows. Have you experienced this kind of full forgiveness from God?

Something to think about…

Forgiveness can be a daunting process. It is filled with emotional responses and mental gymnastics even when being led by the Holy Spirit who will eventually bring healing from the inside-out. Even though sanctification belongs to the Holy Spirit, He requires effort and cooperation on our part. We have a definitive role in the matter of forgiveness.

Robert D. Enright, in his book, “The Forgiveness Factor” lays out the process of forgiveness in a detailed manner. It’s not a precise step by step formula, but it can be helpful understanding that forgiveness is a complex issue.

Here is his process of forgiveness.

1. Concede feelings of hurt, anger or shame.
2. Challenge yourself to doing something about them.
3. Confirm the specific offensive behavior rather than focus on the person who has harmed you.
4. Conclude to forgive rather than seek revenge or nurse a grudge.
5. Contemplate a rationale for forgiving.
6. Commit to think differently about the offender.
7. Contend with the pain without passing it off to others.
8. Choose to extend goodwill and mercy toward the offender.
9. Conceive of how it feels to be released from the burden of revenge.
10. Consider the emotional relief that is available.
11. Check for meaning in the suffering.
12. Comprehend the paradox of forgiveness: as you let go and forgive the offender, you experience release and healing.

Adapted from Robert D. Enright, “The Forgiveness Factor”, Christianity Today (January 10, 2000)

As you process forgiveness, remember that it is God’s desire for us to forgive those who trespass against us and that He will give us the strength, endurance and ability to forgive if we allow Him to do so.

Whom do you need to forgive?

Something to think about…

by Pastor Victor Chen

When I tell others how I spent extended time with Jesus during my sabbatical, I’m typically met with a courteous smile accompanied by a blank stare.

What does it mean to spend extended time with the Lord ? What does that look like?

It’s not as simple as reading the Bible. It’s easy to study the Bible to gain knowledge about God and not spend time with Him.

It’s not as simple as praying. It’s possible to pray as a religious activity and not spend time with God.

It’s not as simple as serving God. We can do a lot of ministry activity and not spend time with God.

What is it then?

I found it helpful to start at the beginning and see how life with God was meant to be. I then looked at the end when we spend eternity with God to see how life with God will be. Hopefully, then we can discover what life with God now is supposed to be like.

In the beginning when God created Adam and Eve, there was no need for Bible study or prayer. They communicated directly with God. There was no such thing as “serving God” because their whole life was spent with God and everything they did involved Him. (Genesis 1)

At the end, there will be no Bible study or prayer because we will be with God forever. There will be no serving God because our life will revolve around Him. Our lives will continually sing his praises in that eternal world of love. “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8)

Our lives now in this fallen world should resemble the life we were meant to live with God at the beginning and at the end.

So we dive into the word of God to hear from Him. We pray to speak with HIm. We serve to work with Him the work of His kingdom.

Extended time spent with the Lord then becomes withdrawing and talking to God through prayer and journaling while listening to Him through studying His word and reflecting on it. It’s doing this while walking amongst his creation “for the heavens are declaring his glory.” It’s recognizing God in all things.

And as I transitioned from spending these hours, days and months with God during my sabbatical, I realize there is no difference now that I’ve returned. Yes, my times alone with God are dramatically reduced and I have to fight for these times to withdraw to the Father.

But my entire day, waking or sleeping, working or resting, at home or at the office, can be spent with Him - sharing my heart, reflecting on His word and inviting Him to join and live life together.

And really, that’s how life with God was always meant to be.

Team Bethel

by Amy Miyahara

If I’m completely honest with myself, when I look back on my first Mexicali trip my freshman year, I didn’t really want to go. I had reservations about the mosquitos, the dust, the spit pits, the port-a-potties, the language barrier, the scary upperclassmen on my team. The list goes on. Yet that week, God taught me so much about who He is and how powerful His love is, and He has continued to reveal more and more of Himself to me in each trip since.

This was my third year serving as a part of Team Bethel. Our team is always so blessed by the amazing amounts of love and hospitality that the Church of Bethel shows us each year. Bethel’s pastor, Pastor Jaime, and his family are constantly working to build relationships with us and make sure that we are comfortable and well-fed: Pastor Jaime’s wife Marisol and other women of the church can often be found in the kitchen for hours at a time preparing tasty tacos and tostadas for our consumption.

Our first day at the church was Easter Sunday, which started off with a service in which we got to witness Pastor Jaime baptize his son, Jimmy. After this, our team got to help Bethel with their weekly ministry in which they serve lunch to the homeless. On this particular Sunday, Pastor Jaime asked if any of the homeless visitors wanted to accept Christ. About seven or eight were saved that day, which was a beautiful thing to witness.

Later that afternoon, some of the members of Bethel set up an obstacle course competition as a time of fellowship. Tasks included crawling under tables and jumping through inflatable pools of water, and though our team did not survive without minor injuries, it was still a fun way to bond with the people of the church. It’s amazing that even through the language barrier, our churches can always find ways to connect.

The rest of the week was spent running a VBS program for local kids. One thing that was different this year was that we had the opportunity to have several foster kids attend our VBS, as opposed to just hosting the kids of families in the church. These foster kids were a little bit rowdy, but it was still a blessing to be able to love on kids who might not get much love from other people. Seeing their joy when we played games or did skits was priceless, and I pray that God continues to work in their lives and grow their faith.

While this was the first time that we got to work with foster kids, there were also some returning kids that attended our VBS in previous years. One group of siblings has shown up to our VBS for the past several years. The oldest of these siblings, Kevin, is now fifteen, which is older than some of the members of our team. It has been cool to see how he’s grown both physically and in terms of his faith: some of the members of our team first met Kevin when he was only 11. He is now taller than many of us and apparently has a girlfriend. 

One of Kevin’s younger sisters, Ruby, was a girl who I connected with my freshman year. She was always so eager to play with me even though back then, I spoke even less Spanish than I do now. This year, we exchanged friendship bracelets and handshakes, and I was reminded of how amazing it is that we can have brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t speak the same language as us.

Something that really blessed our team this week was our translator, Felix. He is truly a man of faith and love. Some of us got the chance to hear him share his testimony, and we were brought to tears to hear all that he has gone through. Yet, through losing his family, and many other things, his testimony remains that God is good. To hear him thank the Lord for everything that he has, despite everything that he’s lost, was inspiring and serves as a model for our own walks with Christ.

One thing that God showed me this week was how much more willing I am to serve when I have a selfless mindset. Often, when I’m tired or hungry or dehydrated, I lose my will to do things simply because I don’t feel like doing them. Yet, God showed me when I put others before myself and am really focused on how I can bless those around me, I have so much more energy to serve His kingdom. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to serve this year and was once again blown away by the love that the Church of Bethel showed me and my teammates.