Family Update September

As we continue the revised use of our newsletter and King's Church App, you'll find below some important items, while the rest of the important details for King's is located elsewhere the App.  And with Fall around the corner, perhaps the "crispness" of our new format matches the season in a delightfully fitting way :)! Well, at least we hope so. So, as the temps decline, may your hope and faith arise as you continue give and receive yourselves as gifts to one another, for Christ's sake. Blessings!

Forgiveness is never free. We can see this in Ephesians 1:7, which reads, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,…”. The phrase “through his blood” is the give-away: it’s the means of redemption, and redemption is unpacked as forgiveness. The blood of Jesus is the means of my redemption, and I experience that redemption, in part, in being forgiven.

Yes, it is freely given, but, no, it was not free. Our forgiveness comes at a very steep price. Things that are absolutely free (meaning they cost nothing, and have no value) we call garbage. Forgiveness, however, is not garbage. Remember this, not only the next time you need forgiveness, but also the next time someone asks you to forgive them.

In the former case, your sin was nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14), and therefore no longer has any claim against you. None. Your forgiveness was costly. But in the latter case, your forgiveness of another’s sin was also secured at the cross. The moment in which a fellow sinner comes to you in repentance, seeking forgiveness and restoration with you, is precisely the moment Jesus had in mind when he hung on the tree. He bought forgiveness both for you, and for others’ by you. Forgiveness is both a gift we receive, and a gift we bestow, and both of them were costly.

Letting go of offenses that we have against others is not easy, but it is part of the delight and joy of being a Christian. There’s nothing quite so sweet that rolls off the tongue as a sincere apology, and there are precious few things in the world so lovely to the ear as a repentant heart seeking restoration.

When we forgive someone (a child whose chore has gone undone, a co-worker or spouse who failed to follow through), it’s often after we’ve had to deal with the consequences of their failure, and that “price” hurts. So we are reluctant to forgive. Ask yourself, what promises does my Father make to me for times when I forgive others? How can I use the promises of Scripture to get over my reluctance to forgive others? Believe those, and enjoy giving the blessing of forgiveness! 

Here is a schedule of who will be filling our pulpit for the next several weeks. Please consider praying for them as they prepare to minister to us in word and prayer.

Sept 7: Jeremiah Jasso
Sept 14: Ben Tate
Sept 21: Jeremiah Jasso
Sept 28: Samuel Davidson

Scripture Readers
Sept 7: Tim Ansett, Jer 23:23-40, Eph 4:25-5:7
Sept 14: Warren Lewis, 1 Chr 16:23-36, 1 Pet 1:3-16
Sept 21: Merrill Miller, Psalm 112, Luke 14:1-14
Sept 28: Ben Palpant, Gen 17:1-16, Gal 3:22-4:7

Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns...
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written,
'King of kings and Lord of lords'.
~ Revelation 19