01 2025 In Review

December 29, 2025

Chris Freeman

[Slide 1] 2025 in Review 1.) [Slide 2] The challenges of 2025 a. Sickness i. Many sicknesses throughout the year are even still floating around. ii. Bouts of hand foot and mouth, the flu, fevers, sore throats, ear infections, and even some pesky allergies. iii. You need to be made of sterner stuff to live in MI I suppose. b. Physical issues i. Cancer battles are ongoing for some. ii. We had a couple broken bones iii. Weakness for some of our aging members iv. Back issues v. Sinus pressure vi. Tooth infections vii. Poison Ivy viii. Surgeries ix. Procedures x. And many doctor visits. c. Tragic Accidents i. We know of folks who have been involved in tragic accidents where people were injured. ii. Sometimes these accidents have changed people’s lives forever. iii. Sometimes these accidents have stretched the limits of what it means to forgive and to love one another. d. Wars and Rumors of Wars i. The Russia Ukraine conflict continues ii. And the middle east of course. e. House hunting i. Many have moved to new locations and even new states and have been searching for somewhere to call their own. ii. Some have found homes for themselves – others are still looking diligently. f. Long trials i. Several have heard the word cancer uttered in their diagnosis this year. ii. Many have come through radiation or chemo or both. iii. Some among us took in family members who need constant care. iv. Kathy LaForest and her ongoing battle with cancer. v. Eric Beuaman’s ongoing battle with congestive heart failure. vi. Joe and Sandy Henig moving into an assisted living facility and to be closer to family. vii. Jean Evans, with pancreatic cancer back and being put on hospice. viii. The Wingate family in general has endured quite a lot. With aging sisters and saying goodbye to nephews. g. Deaths of family and friends. i. Pat Dunsmore – Tania’s father, after a long battle with COPD, went home to be with the Lord. ii. Rick Ellis – Pat and Lyle’s Nephew, after yet another cancer battle, also passed on in peace. iii. Terri – Jean Evans’ late husband Carl’s daughter – promoted to glory after a short battle with cancer. iv. John MacArthur – a highly respected preacher and teacher of the Word passed away this year. h. Some Elders’ jobs i. Both CJ and Jerry have experienced work instability this year. ii. CJ is still looking for a job. Jerry had to say goodbye to some work relationships because he was changing jobs. i. Spiritual battles i. We have had some fairly large spiritual issues arise in the church this year. ii. We have had several disputes between neighbors and spouses. iii. We have seen the deceitfulness of sin draw away one of our members. iv. We have also seen others leave in dereliction of their membership covenant obligations. 2.) [Slide 3] The blessings of 2025 a. Weather i. Much closer to normal weather this year. ii. We didn’t have 1 single hurricane make landfall in the US. Which is somewhat astounding. iii. Although we didn’t have a white Christmas this year we have already had a couple snow storms and even had the snow stick around for quite a while. b. Numerical blessings i. Baby Jaspir Bogen ii. Baby Everett Wegner iii. Baby Leah McCue iv. Baby Loretta McCue is coming in a few short weeks. c. My Fellow American i. Chris Steary passed his test to become a US citizen this year. ii. Congrats to him. d. Audio Visual Upgrades i. We were able to upgrade our computer, projector, and soundboard for our worship services. ii. This was already in the works, and providentially the Lord saw to it that it became abundantly obvious that it was necessary after we experienced some significant technical difficulties during the service. iii. We even had to go old school with an overhead projector one week. e. Missionary blessings i. We had Eric and Cherie Daum with us at the beginning of this year for a couple months. 1. They have since gone back to Asia Pacific, purchased land, built a house, and have moved in. 2. They are still learning the local language and getting ready for a language check very soon. 3. Of course, Bernie and Sue are going back to help for an entire month. ii. We had the Lundquist’s join us this year for two weeks including our Lord’s Supper catered meal. iii. We also were able to help send Lucy to Senegal - which we heard about this morning. What an amazing ministry. iv. Jordan and Emily experienced heartache this year when Emilly was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After two surgeries it appears they have gotten all of the cancer out. They will test again in a few months. The blessing here is that we have had the opportunity to provide a home for them to live in as they struggle through this time. Praise the Lord. f. Spiritual Blessings i. 4 new professions of faith this year 1. Carrigan Golab 2. Sabreana Porter 3. Waylon McLeod 4. Amanda Jansen ii. 4 baptisms this year iii. 3 New Members were added iv. We began a new Jr. Church format this year, breaking into 3 groups instead of just two. Overall, the teachers have done an amazing job and it seems as though the kids are learning a good deal. v. We began a study bible distribution project last year with a goal of insuring that every father in the church had a LSB John MacArthur study bible. We are happy to announce that only 4 of those bibles remain and most of you are benefitting from one of them. vi. As a church we have also had the opportunity to be a blessing to other organizations. 1. Classical Conversations has entered its 7th year in using our church for its campus. 2. Michigan Karate for Christ began using our building at the beginning of this year to train its students in Kenpo Karate 3. The 4h Club Rustic Ramblers began using our building this year for its meetings as well. 4. We also had two non-member weddings. 5. These have all given us opportunities to be a light to our community. g. We as a church have received the blessing of teaching – LOTS of teaching praise the Lord! i. Basics class continued this year 1. First with the financial peace university, moderated by the Stearys. 2. Then with the Basics for the Christian life study led by both Nick Galante and myself. ii. Thursday Night Prayer Group 1. We meet at 6pm via the TEAMS app. 2. Most nights we pray over our congregation and our many needs and then discuss the sermon from the previous Sunday. iii. Youth Community. 1. We have been plodding along with Youth Community this year. 2. The families who attend find great benefit to the concentrated doses of spiritual truths our children are memorizing in the Baptist Catechism and comradery around other parents struggling to teach key doctrinal truths to their kids. iv. Foundations 1. We actually made quite a good deal of progress this past year in foundations. 2. We took what was originally a 4 year goal to study the entire bible and have crammed that into a 10 year (and counting) chronological study of the scriptures. 3. We have made it to King Josiah. 4. Still this year we have finished Isaiah, began Jeremiah, almost completed 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles and will finish up Nahum in the next few weeks. v. Preaching 1. We finally finished the book of Acts this year. 2. It only took us 2 and a half years and 100 sermons – but we made it. 3. We began our study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, of which we’ve made it to almost chapter 3. 4. I also preached a Puritan sermon for Thanksgiving from Thomas Manton. vi. BSF 1. Although not affiliated with our church directly, Bible Study Fellowship has a long history of being a great way for people to gather and study the bible together. 2. Many of our church members are either leading or participating in BSF this year in their study of Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, and Esther. vii. There were several more bible studies and gatherings – most of which are a couple or few people who gather regularly to study the scriptures. h. Church finances held i. Even though we had a slight decrease in giving – we still met budget by spending less than we brought in. ii. This is in addition to doing some minor repairs to the parking lot and replacing much of our audio-visual equipment. i. Elders have been challenged this year i. I put this in the blessing category because it is indeed a blessing to see the Lord work through the plurality of qualified leaders He has given you for this church. ii. We have wrestled with questions this year, that we did not expect. iii. We have been baffled, confused, grieved, overjoyed, and frustrated. iv. We have wept together, tears of grief and tears of joy. v. We have laughed together. vi. We have even begun laying plans for developing future Elders. vii. Although no one ever said being an Elder would be easy – this year it was abundantly clear. viii. Pray for your Elders. I would guess that about 75% of our job is held in confidence and is never presented in any way to any of you. ix. Give your Elders the benefit of the doubt too. Should they say or do something that seems egregious… it probably has another explanation. If someone comes to you suggesting that the Elders are doing something crazy – perhaps you should either dismiss what they said or call an Elder up and get it straight from them. x. This year especially – let me remind you – we have labored for your souls. xi. Even if it seems like we don’t get much done… know that you only see about 25% of what is happening around here. xii. Remember… we could always go slower. 😊 3.) [Slide 4] Personal challenges a. This year I had some physical issues that I did not foresee. b. I experienced my first, second, and third bout with kidney stones. Let me tell you something – that is enough to make you rethink your life choices. c. I also have tried to get on top of sinus pressure. Year over year the intensity seems to continue to ramp up around the fall. This year was no exception. I tried a couple other remedies with only marginal success. d. And after a 10-year hiatus, I suddenly succumbed to 6 migraines in the month of December… and counting. e. It is not lost on me that all this has happened in the same calendar year that I turned 40. f. Starting to feel a bit my age at this point I guess. 4.) [Slide 5] Personal Blessings a. On the upside, physically, I have lost weight and toned up a bit. Paradoxically, I am in some of the best physical shape I have been in in quite some time. b. I again set a goal to read 24 books this year. And I actually ended up reading 25. Let my reading become your resource and take some recommendations on things you might wish to read this upcoming year. i. [Slide 6] For the last several years I have recommended the KNOW series. This series of books, two of which are on the resource table, provide a laymen level guide to church history and basics beliefs that one must confess if you are to be called a Christian. However, this year I read the most recent installment “Know the Theologians” and I came away somewhat disappointed. Perhaps in an effort to not show any biases or just relay information, the author noted several theologians in church history and their contributions to doctrine. However, in doing this, he highlighted a couple theologians whose contributions to theology have been less than beneficial to Christianity. And by not commenting or critiquing any theologians, he inadvertently communicates that the contributions of Augustine are on the same level as Gustavo Gutierrez (the originator of liberation theology). In my opinion these two men are on two very different levels when it comes to contributions to Christendom. Still, if you were to read this work with a critical eye, there are many helpful things you can find in its pages. And I still whole heartedly recommend the other books in the KNOW series: Know the Creeds and Councils; Know the Heretics; Know How We Got Our Bible; Know Why We Believe. ii. I also give a standing recommendation to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, both in its original and in modern English. Both of which are on the resource table and available to take and read. While the Elders may quibble over a few small details, for the most part, the teaching perspective from which we are leading the church is beautifully summarized in this historic confession. iii. [Slide 7] Another standing recommendation is to read the Puritans. This year I read John Owen’s work Indwelling Sin in Believers. The way I described it in my notes after reading it was: it was like reading a theologically sound, biblically based, and less entertaining version of C.S. Lewis’ work “Screwtape Letters.” John Owen takes you through the scriptures revealing all the ways that sin and the forces of darkness work to undo and destroy the Christian by means of sin. Because it is not written from the perspective of a Demon but from Scripture, it is less heavy and much more encouraging than Lewis’ work although each have their own strengths. iv. Another item in the standing recommendation list is RC Sproul’s Critical Questions booklets which are a great way to get solid answers to difficult questions in living the Christian life. Some of these resources you can find on the Resource table. They are available at no cost to you. The only cost is the time you will need to read them. v. [Slide 8] I am going to add to this another standing recommendation that I have found myself recommending over and over and over again this year. It is a book co-written by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop of 9 marks Ministries titled “The Compelling Community.” This book delivers a philosophy of church ministry, vision, and purpose that is wholly rooted in the text of scripture and guided on the principles of following what God says and not trying to do what works. The church is a spiritual entity. It is built, sustained, guided, and advanced by Jesus Christ who is its head. Therefore, it should function differently than any other human organization that exists. However, many churches have designed their ministries to function like other human institutions rather than functioning as the early church did. Because of this, they have created several micro-churches existing within a larger church. What is worse, is that those micro churches are gathered around shared earthly interests more than they are gathered around the common cause of Christ. The authors advocate for the need of the local church to be unfettered by any such earthly barriers and to be truly united around only 1 thing. Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord. It is only when this happens that you will have a church that is truly compelling and magnetic, because it is only then that God’s power is on display and not human ingenuity or charisma. If I could require you to read 1 book this year… it would be the bible. But if I could require you to read two books this year… This would be the second. This book may end up being a Basics study this year. We’ll see how it goes. vi. [Slide 9] That brings me to my recommendations from this year specifically. What have I read this year that I think you would benefit from, apart from those I have already mentioned? vii. First, given the climate of our culture today, and our obsession with all things gender ideology and all the permutations of perversion that implies – I would recommend a book called “Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age” by a woman named Rosaria Butterfield. Mrs. Butterfield writes with compassion but with clarity as she exposes the lies which have led to the state of our perceptions in this nation and around the world. She writes with clout having been in a long-term relationship for 10 years with a woman, before coming to Christ and slowly transitioning from being attracted to women to being attracted to men and finally marrying a pastor. She even exposed some areas that my thinking had been affected by the lies of our culture. I highly recommend that you give this book a read. viii. I also want to recommend a very little book called “forbid them not.” This is written as a cautionary book toward Baptists. We often become quite stingy with the waters of baptism, especially when it comes to children. Some of this is no doubt a reaction against our pedobaptist brothers – but some of it is borne from a desire not to give a young person false assurance of salvation by baptizing them too early. This book advocates for a wider brush and to allow more to be baptized as children, as long as there is a credible profession of faith. Honestly, I found this book to be… unconvincing. And you might be wondering… ok, so why are you recommending it? Great question. There are only 3 chapters in the book. And chapter 2 alone is worth the price of the book. Chapter 2 addresses several issues and problems related to baptizing children. Within those pages, the author gives around 30 diagnostic questions to ask a child to assess whether or not they have true faith in Jesus Christ. I have found these questions to be ABSOLUTELY INVALUALBLE in assessing my own children’s spiritual status and even adults. It is well worth the cost of the book for these diagnostic questions alone. ix. [Slide 10] Two other books I’ll mention quickly. I won’t spend a ton of time on them because you have to be particularly interested in the content to really enjoy them. The first is Augustine of Hippo’s work called “On Grace and Free Will.” Augustine is used by many people on both sides of this issue to support their view. However, I have found that when you don’t pull quotes from Augustine and actually read what he writes, Augustine consistently favors God’s sovereignty over human free will. Why is this significant? He writes in the late 4th and early 5th century. That is about 1000 years before the reformation and therefore well before John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius. His understanding of salvation and the role of grace and the tension that has with the free will of men, is illuminating and drives us toward a closer understanding of how the early church fathers understood these teachings. His writings are not inspired – but they inform us that the position held by most of the reformers was not a new position. It was one firmly established in the early writings of the church fathers. x. The second book that is, perhaps, even more niche, is a book called “Reading the Gospels Wisely” by Jonathan Pennington. The purpose of this book is to attempt to pendulum swing us back from the enlightenment era’s slavish interpretational principles concerning the Word of God. While it is egregious to hear preachers and interpreters allegorize the text without addressing the author’s original intent- it has become equally egregious for people to insist that there is ONLY ONE meaning in the text of scripture. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting and neither is the author that the meaning of the scripture is subjective. Quite the contrary. The meaning of a particular passage is certainly objective. There is an intended meaning. But the author believes, and I tend to agree, that the intended meaning in the text, especially in the gospels, but even in other places, is multifaceted and can communicate several layers of teaching. Like when Peter heals the man outside the temple in Acts. This certainly indicates that Peter took Jesus’ healing power to authenticate the message of the gospel. But it ALSO communicates how the gospel works. Just like the man was told to rise up and walk on legs he’d never been able to use, we too are commanded to repent from sin we love and believe on a God we have never known or wanted. And so which meaning is THE meaning of the text? Pennington would argue – both are intended by God. And I agree. Since the bible is a divine work using human agents – we might expect it to have several layers of teaching. Pennington then uses his book to give interpreters guides and guardrails in seeing the multiple facets of meaning, particularly in the gospels and Acts but even more broadly throughout the scriptures as a whole. If you are looking for a CHALLENGING read… This is for you. Especially if you are frequently tasked with studying and interpreting the scriptures. c. [Slide 11] Stepping away from books for a second, I want to put a recommendation out there that is somewhat… controversial. I want to recommend an app called Suno. Suno, is a music AI generator. You can write a prompt and even cut and paste text into a box to control the lyrics. I have found this to be an interesting blend of entertainment and worship. I have dropped large sections of the bible into the lyrics and generated all kinds of music in styles I like with words I love. AI is controversial in itself, so if you are personally convicted against using any AI – I understand and please disregard. But I have found it to be quite interesting. Along with this app, I’d also like to recommend, at the risk of embarrassing him, that you chat with Charles who has made several of these songs and done a wide variety of things with AI to make catchy tunes with wonderful lyrics. Maybe ask him for a few – I’m sure he’d love to let you listen. He generously shares his content free of charge. d. [Slide 12] Another blessing this year is that I have earned my first degree Black Belt in Christian Kenpo Karate and also in another related family called Kajukenbo. I have been granted the title of Junior instructor and have begun teaching fairly consistently on Monday nights. If you are interested in learning our style of self-defense (which focuses on self-defense and not just on sport fighting) it is almost no cost and we meet on Monday nights at 4:30. We go to 5:45. e. [Slide 13] Although it doesn’t come without a tinge of sadness, a true blessing I have observed this year above many other previous years, is that my girls are growing up. i. They are leaving the little girl phase and starting to become young women. ii. This is terrifying but it is also encouraging. iii. I hope and trust the Lord will give me and Kadie grace to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. iv. For that is all that matters in the long run. v. Not whether they have fun, experience their childhood fully, have few regrets, or experience a full life. vi. For if they had all of this but did not have the nurture and admonition of the Lord – they would be poor indeed. vii. This has always been and continues to be our goal in raising them. May God grace us to do this. f. [Slide 14] Another blessing that is probably my greatest stability besides the Lord Himself, is Kadie. i. After over 15 years of marriage, we are praising the Lord for how deep the well of marriage is, and to know that we haven’t come close to the bottom yet. ii. God has graced us greatly to keep this part of our lives relatively free of disruption. iii. We have reached a level of dependency and oneness that I can’t fathom a day without her. There isn’t a thing I can’t tell her. iv. She’s seen me at my worst and I’ve seen her at hers. And we don’t allow each other to get away with it either. v. Aside from Christ, Kadie is my greatest ally, asset, and confidant. vi. A blessing is what she is. g. [Slide 15] You – A blessing to our family! i. I want to thank you for the countless calls, prayers, emails, Facebook messages, cards, and well wishes throughout the year. ii. Thank you so much for all the Christmas gifts. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the church in the monetary Christmas gifts. iii. My wife and I are constantly overwhelmed by your care and generosity. I can tell you that having been in ministry for 16 years, and comparing our church to others around us – it is NOT common for a church to care for their pastor as you all care for us. Thank you! 5.) [Slide 16] Personal Lessons Learned a. As a general statement before I get into these lessons, let me say that all these lessons have been drawn from various experiences or examples throughout the year. If you think you know the one thing I am referencing – you are wrong. Because none of these lessons are drawn from just one example. b. Now I’ll not pretend that some of these examples are quite close to us. Even drawn from our church. But know that none of these are drawn exclusively from our church. c. [Slide 17] The Danger of isolation i. I have observed in recent years the general shift in our culture to individualism or when we do think of each other collectively it tends to be around one key feature that differentiates us from others. Forming a paradoxical individualistic collective. ii. These tendencies have led to people choosing to isolate themselves. We saw this rear its ugly head during COVID as people across the US willingly and gladly shut themselves indoors and separated themselves from others. iii. But what I have observed is a danger far closer to home. iv. In our church we emphasize fathers and family. It is actually one of our core principles in the mission of CBC. But I’ve observed what seems like an overcorrection of this truth. v. While our church would certainly emphasize the core unit of the church being the cellular family where Fathers lead their families like pastors… that is not to say, and indeed, cannot say, that a single family makes the church. Because it doesn’t. vi. You cannot expect to spend all your time with your immediate family, or even your extended family and somehow fulfill the mission and purposes of the church. vii. It is a delicate balance we must strike and one that was pointed out to me last year in a book I read concerning the philosophy of youth ministry. viii. In Matthew 22:30, Jesus teaches that in the New Kingdom we will no longer marry or be given in marriage. This suggests to us that the blood relationships that we have in this existence, will take a permeant back seat to the greater relationships we have formed in Christ. So much so that marriage will no longer exist. ix. How can God in one breath say that a husband is to leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife – but in another breath say that in the New Kingdom he won’t be married to her any more? x. This conveys the concept of relational priority. xi. The church… the bride of Christ… must have a HIGHER priority than that of your actual blood relatives. xii. The world knows we are His disciples, not when we love our families… because even wicked fathers know how to give good gifts to their children. Instead, the world knows we are the Lord’s disciples because we love one another. xiii. You cannot possibly obey all that the Lord has commanded you, and be the church He wants you to be, and isolate yourself to your own family. xiv. You must put priority on the family of God… on the church. xv. This can be abused… and indeed many pastors have neglected their own children to focus on the church. But we cannot pendulum swing too far. xvi. So, analyze your choices over the last year. Have you put the church, and particularly this church, in its proper place? Or is the church constantly losing to other priorities? xvii. This leads quite naturally into the next lesson I learned this year. d. [Slide 18] The Quagmire of “using” the church i. Another aspect of our culture is that we are a consumer minded culture. ii. We tend to view everything through the lens of dollars and cents, and getting what we pay for. We shop deals and look for opportunities to get a lot without investing a lot. iii. Unfortunately, this has crept into how we perceive the church. iv. Church is seen as an event, or an experience we go to and get something out of. v. Some of the things we are purchasing when we come to church are close friendships, teaching, care, support, love, comradery, or connection. vi. The church is perceived this way so pervasively that the number 1 reason people leave one church to go to another one is… you guessed it… “I don’t feel connected and/or I don’t feel like my needs are being met at this church.” vii. Of course, we don’t see this problem in the early church. In their time, there weren’t 17 churches in the area that you could attend. There was 1 church for an entire city. Hundreds of thousands of people and there was 1 church. viii. When there is one church, you can’t really leave because your needs aren’t getting met. Because the choices would be – no needs met vs. some needs met. ix. And even if the apostles were still alive today, I don’ think they would speak favorably to people who had this reason for leaving a church. Do you know why? x. Because literally EVERYTHING written in the New Testament with regard to the church fulfilling needs… is YOU fulfilling the needs of others. xi. Even in James 5, when the Elders come and pray over the sick… do you realize that James actually commands the sick person to call the Elders to them. It isn’t the Elders’ job to intuit that you have a need. You call them and they come. And they don’t just come to pray with you. James even advises the Elders to come prepared to rebuke you for the possibility that your sin is the cause of your sickness. You aren’t the customer… You are the project. xii. This consumer mindset is virtually absent from the scriptures. It just isn’t there. xiii. The church is not a place where you come to get your needs met. It is a group of people with whom you gather to worship God and serve. xiv. In short, church isn’t… and never has been… about you. xv. And I find it quite ironic that in almost every case when someone leaves because they feel disconnected or are not getting their relational needs met, they are also the family who tend to be quite isolated to themselves and do very little with other people in the church. xvi. This isn’t rocket science. When you spend most of your time NOT with a group of people – you probably WON’T feel that connected to them. xvii. I can see how you might convince yourself that if you are not feeling connected with someone, you should spend less time with them… But most of the time our gut feeling on a matter is WRONG. Especially when our feelings are hurt. xviii. Which leads to my next lesson e. [Slide 19] The destructive potential of following your feelings i. We are creatures who have been completely and totally corrupted by sin. ii. To the extent that even after salvation we are still in the process of killing off our sin habits. iii. Reactions are not thought out, deliberated responses. They are knee jerk, natural responses. iv. Therefore, it isn’t difficult to see that most of the time the reactions we have to difficult and painful circumstances, generally come from our own sinful and fleshly habits. v. When we face a hard situation, where emotions are high, we are highly susceptible to responding in ungodly ways. vi. But we’ve been trained by our culture to “trust your feelings” to “follow your heart” and warned not to “bottle your emotions up.” vii. Can I submit to you that these are TERRIBLE pieces of advice. And not only are they terrible… They are ungodly. viii. Can I just say this to you…. ix. Your feelings do not matter. They just don’t. x. Now feelings are natural, and in themselves are not inherently sinful. Emotions are part of being human. God has given them as gifts to us and Jesus felt them too. Jesu wept over Lazarus and even mourned the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was stressed about bearing the wrath of God and plead with the Father asking that if there was another way, that it would be done. But Jesus was not RULED by His emotions. He prayed, nevertheless, Your will be done. xi. Oftentimes though, we ARE ruled by our emotions. But what do we expect when our culture puts a premium on feelings too? xii. Have you noticed we’ve replaced the word think for feel. xiii. People say, “I just feel like…” And then they go on to state something they’ve thought about and formed an opinion on. xiv. This is indictive of a problem we have. We put too much stock in our feelings. xv. But our thoughts and opinions aren’t really any better. xvi. The primary thing we ought to ask is… What does GOD Think. xvii. So, when emotions are running high. When someone cuts you off on the highway. When that person was rude to you. When she said that to you. When he did that to you. xviii. We need to realize that our first reaction… is almost NEVER a godly one. xix. Don’t follow your feelings. Don’t be a slave to your feelings. Do what God tells you to do – in spite of how you feel. xx. Someone hurt you… should you hurt them back? Is there no scripture to teach us what we do when someone hurts us? xxi. But they are a Christian they should know better! Yes. So are you. You should know better than to react in ungodly anger… and yet here we are. xxii. Christian doesn’t mean perfect. And remember a soft answer turns away wrath. xxiii. Someone hurts you… the most galling thing you can do, is to love them and be kind to them. It just takes the wind out of their sails. xxiv. You don’t need to vent. You don’t need to make sure they know how you feel. You don’t even need o talk through how you feel. You just need to be like Christ. xxv. Don’t be ruled by what you feel or even what you think. Be ruled by the Spirit of God and what He has revealed in His Word. xxvi. And this leads to yet another lesson… f. [Slide 20 (end)] The Cancer of bitterness i. You see when we ARE ruled by our feelings, we allow them to dominate us. ii. One particular dominating feeling is that of feeling hurt. iii. When others hurt us, and we are ruled by our emotions, we react in one of two ways. iv. We either hold those hurts and offenses inside and instead of forgiving, we allow them to fester into bile inducing bitterness, or we let it explode in words of hate and anger that are intended to hurt right back. v. But my friends, you have not learned Christ in this way. vi. First of all, if someone has hurt you – go and show them their fault. vii. There is a really good chance they have no idea that they hurt you or that they hurt you as badly as you have felt it. Go and let them know. And when they ask for forgiveness… grant it to them. viii. But I fear we need some instruction on what true forgiveness looks like… ix. Forgiveness is not once granted and forever applied. Our forgiveness is not like God’s. Why? Because we are not perfect as He is perfect. x. Instead, our forgiveness is once granted and continually applied. Meaning what? Meaning once you grant forgiveness, your work truly begins. Every time your flesh or the devil brings to your mind what that person did to you – you must continue to forgive. You must remind yourself that you released them of that offense. xi. Furthermore, if they hurt you again in a similar way, especially after making attempts to not do so, it is incumbent upon you to go to them again and grant forgiveness again. xii. And saying you forgive but never working to reestablish a relationship or forever living with a more distant relationship because of what they did to you… IS NOT FORGIVENESS. You can call it that if you want – but you are lying to yourself and you have an unbiblical definition of forgiveness. Imagine if Christ forgave you in this way? He says He forgives you, but then cuts off the relationship or forever stands at a distance from you. Wow. What a horrible thought. xiii. The wisdom of our world says that when someone hurts you several times, it is time to cut them out of your life. xiv. But Jesus says to forgive 7 times 70. xv. So, who are you going to believe? xvi. If you are a child of God – there is only one choice. Taking these lessons to heart allow me to close out the year by seeking the Lord to help us apply these to ourselves.