HOW YOU CAN DO NFW FOR YOUR CHURCH

  • Interpersonal forgiveness is essential to nurture love within a church congregation.
  • Forgiveness is a gift we can give to the unworthy. We forgive our Christian brethren, family, friends and enemies; those in the church and those outside.
  • Jesus told the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) teaching us to forgive others as He has forgiven us.

Too many Christians have ignored this important aspect of their faith, and continue to hold grudges without considering the admonition of Jesus …

“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will you Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15).

The implications are far from trivial. In fact, the church is the ideal place to speak about forgiveness and launch NFW.

  • Churches can introduce NFW into their annual calendars, to teach the importance of practising relational forgiveness.
  • The local church is the primary means of spreading the message of one-on-one forgiveness into their surrounding communities. They can only carry heartfelt forgiveness effectively as they themselves have been impacted.
  • NFW is to be launched on the first Sunday in churches, closing on the ensuing Sunday. On this final Sunday, churches are encouraged to hold closing celebrations in their services, praising God for the outcomes of NFW.
  • The most effective way to convey the message of forgiveness is through personal testimonies. Stories have a strong impact on the hearts of listeners. This is an effective means of encouraging the practice of forgiveness.
  • During the week, Christians are encouraged to search their hearts to forgive those who have offended or hurt them, and to seek forgiveness from those they have offended, hurt, selfishly abused, ignored or overlooked.
  • The effect of teaching and practising forgiveness can have widespread beneficial impact because everyone has been hurt and offended; and everyone has hurt and offended others. Everyone can easily identify with the freedom that forgiveness offers because they are both victims and offenders.

READ MORE…

The Glorious Impact of Forgiveness in Churches
I Forgive You (poem)