Pursue Forgiveness

Weekly Update – September 10th, 2026 

One of the hardest aspects about life together in the church is pursuing forgiveness. If someone says a wrong word against us, goes behind our back or tells others something untrue and it hurts us, on many occasions the advice given to us might be to avoid the person who has wronged us, never trust them again, sit on the opposite side of the church and “warn” others about their sin. But, as we saw on Sunday in Luke 17:3, we quickly notice that we can’t live like that. We must pursue forgiveness with the one who has wronged us. The part that might still be confusing is: what does forgiveness within the church look like?

Paul writing to the Ephesian church is clear in 4:32. As members of the church we are to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  Colossians 3:12-13 is just as clear, “…as God’s chosen ones….bearing with one another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.”  Then if you continue looking in the New Testament, this issue of forgiveness is to be dealt with privately between the two individuals at odds with one another (Matt 18:15). But if the issue is not fully dealt with, it becomes a public issue within the church (Matt 18:17; Phil. 4:2).  The bottom line is, forgiveness is a necessary component in life together with God’s people.

The Scriptures may be clear on our need to forgive, but how do we actually do it? Do we simply say in our hearts, “I forgive everyone who has every wronged me” and then move on? Or do we refuse to forgive anyone because the pain caused to us is too great? The helpful phrase used in the above Scriptures on forgiveness tells us that we are to “forgive as God has forgiven us.” How has God forgiven us?  He has forgiven us fully, completely and forever. God’s forgiveness then provides us with an example of how we are to forgive, as well as the motivation behind our own forgiveness of others.

Here then is what our forgiveness of others looks like based upon God’s forgiveness of us. As Ken Sande put it in his book titled The Peacemaker there are four necessary steps involved. First, when we forgive we promise to no longer consciously dwell or think about the wrong that happened. Second, we promise to no longer bring the incident up again and use it against the person who wronged us. Third, we promise not to talk to others about what happened anymore. Then lastly, we promise to no longer allow the incident to stand between us or hinder us in our personal relationship with the one who wronged us. 

The key point in the forgiveness process that we must remember is that forgiveness is meant to lead to a restored relationship. Again, consider God’s forgiveness of us. We don’t merely want forgiveness from our sins to say that we are forgiven.  We want forgiveness because we want a relationship with God. In a similar vein, we ask for forgiveness or we grant forgiveness because we want a relationship that was once hindered and broken to be restored. That means, on a very practical note, that we must be active in asking others for forgiveness when we wrong them and we should be prepared to grant forgiveness with others come and ask us for it. 

Forgiveness is a difficult topic to work through in our hearts. There are some who have hurt us deeply in the past. Hurtful words may live on in our hearts, just like actions committed against us may be hard to forget. But in all of this, we must remember that we were wretched sinners who had infinitely offended the holy God of the universe. Though this was the case, as Romans 5:8 says, even while “we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God initiated the process of forgiveness with us. He stands willing to forgive. We must simply receive it. This is our focus, but also our motivation. Let us go and do likewise. 

Serving Him with You,

Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Announcements:

All Church Picnic: Due to the extreme heat, our end of summer church picnic will be rescheduled for 5pm on Sunday, September 27th, at Mapleview Park. Truw Oquendo will still be smoking brisket for us. Bring a side or dessert to share.

Discipleship Training: There will be a new adult study on Wednesdays from 6:45-8:00pm. The study will be over the topic of Christian Ethics. Join us, starting on September 9th.

Missouri Missions Offering: Every year, along with nearly 1,800 other churches, our church partners to pray and give concerning the Lord’s work in our state. The statewide goal is $825,000 this year. Our church goal is $1500. I hope that you will consider praying and giving to this effort throughout this month. As with your normal offering, you can give in person, by mail or online. Just mark MMO when you do give. Check out more information about this effort HERE.

Ladies’ Night: On September 29th, from 5:00-9:00pm the ladies will be having dinner and attending Beholding Christ, with Nancy Guthrie at Ascend Church in Olathe, KS. Tickets are $10. See the bulletin board in the hall to sign up.

Ladies’ Bible Study: This will be a 9-week study of Romans by Courtney Doctor. Morning and evening sessions will be held on Tuesdays, beginning on September 8th. Details are on the bulletin board.

Family Discipleship Guides: These guides are designed to help equip parents further engage with what our children and youth are learning. You can find a guide for AWANA, HERE and for our Youth, HERE.

Men’s Study: Our Men’s study meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights at 8:00-9:15pm. The book for this study will be The Case for Christ. See Matthew Klika for more information.

Building Remodel: If you would like to give to our remodel fund, there are commitment cards available in the welcome center. Feel free to pick up one and return it to one an available basket. If you would like to give a one time or a reoccurring gift, you can do so HERE and select “building remodel.” You can also give through one of the offering boxes at church. Be sure to mark your envelop, “building remodel.” Check out a video highlighting the work done so far.

Food Pantry: The food pantry is currently in need of some food items. For a complete list of food pantry needs, click HERE.

Awana Bible Club

Awana Clubs are held on Wednesdays throughout the school year. Dinner is at 6:00pm with Awana Clubs starting at 6:30pm. Children can be registered HERE.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “A Survey in Church History” meets in the Sanctuary, a study in Isaiah in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament meets in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE.

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE. 

Wednesday Evening Activities

Awana, Youth Group, and Discipleship Training are on Wednesday evenings. We will share a meal in the Faith Center Gym at 6:00pm before heading to classes at 6:30pm.