The Twentieth Century, a time of unprecedented progress and development, is also the time of greatest division and disintegration between families. Many children have been so deeply injured that they are not equipped to function as adults ... much less as parents!
The challenge for the church is to find ways and means to help people and at the same time be within the norms established by the Scriptures.
In our desire to help those in need, we have offered many solutions, ranging from wise counsel, to the simple exhortation to "read your Bible and pray," to unbiblical and humanistic responses.
It took me a while to recognize the need to heal the wounds of life and to perceive that it is truly biblical. I thought that people were saying that the work of Christ was not complete and that more "work" was still needed after salvation.
Now I realize that inner healing is an ongoing part of the process of sanctification where repentance and forgiveness apply to the deep needs of the heart to receive liberation from the wounds of life.
I learned a lot through my own fear of intimacy. My question - "Why do I always keep people at a distance?" It made me recognize that, in response to a life of wounds, I had placed walls to protect myself from the pain that comes after intimacy and trust. By repenting and asking God and others to forgive me, I found a new and great freedom in my interpersonal relationships, both with my family and with others.
Our congregation has spent a lot of time trying to help people resolve the hurts of life through repentance and forgiveness. Imagine my great emotion to witness the Holy Spirit, in the context of the times of refreshment, to come sovereignly over the people and in a few minutes to heal them of the wounds that could have taken them weeks and months of counseling to overcome! By healing hearts, you are also healing homes, marriages, and other interpersonal relationships.
I see a biblical example of inner healing in the life of Peter. In his extreme self-confidence, he said: "Lord, although everyone denies you, I will not." Jesus correctly prophesied that he would deny it three times before the morning came. And indeed, Peter worked like this, and later, remembering the words of Jesus, he wept bitterly. How unsuccessful he felt!
After the resurrection, Jesus confronted him and asked him three times: "Peter, do you love me?" Peter answered: "Yes, Lord, I love you." After affirming him for the third time, Jesus said to him: "Then feed (feed) to my sheep. "It is doubtful that without this direct commission from the Lord, Peter would have had the confidence to call new converts to a faith that demands fidelity and sacrifice, but after Jesus restored him three times, telling him to" come back " in the ministry, "Pedro could say with courage:" Yes, I failed. But by the grace of God I have been restored and again called to serve the Lord. "
This is where many of us are now. People say, "I feel that God will never forgive me." But these days the Lord is preparing a bride for Himself without spot or wrinkle. As the Spirit disturbs our hearts, we are more than ever ready to say, "Yes, Lord, I surrender everything, not just my own sins-but the sins of others against me."
When I make altar calls, I try to guide people to want to participate in a prayer that guides them to give those who have sinned against them a "free gift" they do not deserve - forgiveness; just as our Heavenly Father has given us a free gift that we do not deserve - forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus, our Lord. We must cry from the bottom of our hearts, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing."