The Face of Forgiveness

The Face of Forgiveness

Rev. Dr. Johannes Christian

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Face Of Forgiveness, An eight pound brick thrown off the bridge, almost killed me!

http://www.FaceOfForgiveness.com Visit www.MPoweringLives.org Free Mentoring Lessons

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that,while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

(Romans5:7b, Holy Bible)

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

(Matthew 6:12, Holy Bible)

"...freely you have received, freely give."

(Matthew 10:8b)

God commended His love and grace towards us in that while we were yet in sin Christ died for us. This is the single most awesome thing in the world. Just to know that you were not saved because you were perfect, instead it's because God so loved the whole world that" He gave His only begotten Son" so that anyone who believes in Him would not perish, but receive eternal life. (Ref. John 3:16, Holy Bible)

Every day offenses occur and people do things that are extremely hurtful, destructive, and insulting to others. In such cases, justice demands an appropriate response from those who understand that righteousness must prevail just as "Righteosness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

As we journey through life let our quest be to forgive in accordance with Matthew 6:12, which pertains to forsaking, letting go, to go away leaving something behind, not to rehearse, to expire and give up a debt. In short, forgiveness is a decision to confront the issue at hand, deal with it once and for all and release it in order to move forward in life.

I want to encourage us to always remember to approach the subject and demand for justice in a non-violent manner. Yet, expect and require that justice is served fully and comprehensively with dignity and honor.

Share your comments about this riveting & life-changing testimony on the subject of "Forgiveness" with us & "Share" our Community Blog with your friends by clicking the "Share" button below. Otpimum Blessings!!!

(Listen to my full length radio interview with Dr. Christian on the MPLI Radio Network page)

27 Comments to The Face of Forgiveness:

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Nikki N. Godbolt on Friday, April 06, 2012 6:46 PM

Wow, what an dynamic and powerful example and testimony! The love of God is so real and we see that through the life of Dr. Christian! I believe that forgiveness truly scripes the devil of his power and God is truly glorified! May we all learn to forgive others just as Christ has forgiven us! God bless you Dr. Christian and Apostle Williams! Optimum Blessings!

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	Apostle, Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:28 PM Elder Nikki, thank you for sharing your comments. I'm so glad that you have been blessed and ministered to through this incredible story of forgiveness.

Laquita Harmon on Friday, April 06, 2012 11:05 PM

I look at God and say wow because God is powerful and He used this might man of God to teach people that forgiveness is a must and thats what God wants us to do. Dr. Christian was the example to his family to forgive and pray for the person who did this awful thing and it shows that what the devil meant for bad God turns it around for good. Even thought Dr. Christian had a right to be mad and angry, he forgave because that is what God calls for us to do. Also, unforgiveness hurts you not the other person. I feel like how can we sit and say I cant forgive that person for whatever reason but fail to realize God forgave us with our messed up self, if He didnt forgive us where would we be right now. God wants us to forgive, when you forgive it frees your heart , mind and soul. Unforgiveness lead to bad health and bad attitude, it might be hard to forgive but we have to ask God to help us and free us from being unforgiving. If we cant remember anything else remember God forgives us who are we not to forgive our brother or sister.


	Apostle, Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:30 PM Laquita, thank you so much for sharing your comments on this months community blog. Forgiveness is as essential to our lives as Christians as salvation is to obtaining eternal life. Our ability to forgive validates the expression of love and testimony that we profess in Christ. Optimum Blessings!

Allen Wilson on Saturday, April 07, 2012 9:38 AM

Wow. Forgiving one another can definitely bring healing & deliverance to our physical body(ies) and soul(s). In addition, forgiving one another can definitely bring healing & deliverance to the person(s) who may have hurt us or done something we did not like. God's Word (the Bible) is like medicine to all our flesh.


	Apostle, Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:33 PM Elder Wilson, thank you for sharing your comments with us. You always have a tremendous grasp on the subjects that we share and discuss. Forgiveness is an important key to maintaining good health and receiving forgiveness from God. Without it we can't truly say that we know and love Christ. God bless you.

Tracie Fields on Saturday, April 07, 2012 10:13 PM

Forgiving others as we want God to forgive us. We all have fallen short of the glory of God at some time or another. In that time of falling short many of us have hurt others whether it is by word or deed or both. We want to be forgiven and if we want to be forgiven we must forgive. No matter what someone has done to us we must free ourselves from the unforgiving spirit and release them with forgiveness. Forgiveness is not for the person that has hurt us but it is freedom for us to allow us to walk in the calling and in the life God has for us with a forgiving heart. Unforgiveness can wreak havoc in our lives it affects so many other areas in our lives. As a child I was molested by family members and I held deep hatred for what they had done to me. Before I was able to forgive them it caused me to mistrust every man in my life. It caused me problems with intimacy and loving others. Forgiving them set me free to begin to realize my worth and knowing that surviving what had been done to me is a testimony to others. Nothing has been done to any of us that is greater than what was done to Christ who had never done anything wrong. Yet he died for us while we were yet sinners.


	Apostle, Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:39 PM Forgiveness not only sets the offender free, but it also releases us into greater dimensions of healing and restoration so that we can experience the joy of the Lord in our lives. When you forgive someone else, you are essentially releasing yourself to be forgiven by God. Forgiveness is the path to inner peace, healing and wholeness. Thank you for sharing your comments faithfully on our community blog.

JD Smith on Sunday, April 08, 2012 10:05 PM

Powerful! With a Big Pow! I am Reminded of Apostle Dr Larry Carnes' comment during a broadcast on Apostle Beth's radio show when he said "Forgiveness is memory without vengeance" and to remember we must forgive ourselves too as well as others. I had to learn to forgive me. Unforgiveness is the devil's playground and the breeding ground for anger, malice, hate and murder...remember Cain? As for others, we should understand Romans 12 where it says we should live our lives in peace toward others and leave room for God's wrath - He'll whoop their behinds for you - as you forgive them. If you give tithe & offering remember a quote by Pastor Jack Hayford " There is a 'Give' in forGive", so if you are at the altar giving and you remember an offense go & fix it as Jesus commanded...it wasn't a suggestion or recommendation! The harvest of forgiveness is than worth far more than the pain and price of grudges, bitterness and stress of un-forgiveness. By the way If you & I don't/won't forgive, then God won't, wouldn't, couldn't & shouldn't forgive me nor you.OOps!


	Apostle, Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:46 PM Elder J.D. Thank you for sharing such tremendous and insightful comments with us on this month's blog. They are equally as in depth as you are as a personal, and I appreciate you for sharing the importance of having a heart that is giving, forgiving and merciful. Optimum Blessings!

Marsha Wilson on Monday, April 09, 2012 11:36 PM

Dr. Johannes Christian's testimony is a tremendous example of forgiveness! Only God can bring an individual to a place of truly forgiving someone for the wrong that was perpetrated against them. I believe when the decision to forgive is made it's the first step to healing. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy, it's a process, but it's necessary.


	Apostle, Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:49 PM Marsha, thank you for sharing your comments with us. You're right about Rev. Dr. Johannes' testimony. It has the most powerful message in regrads to our ability to forgive others inspite of deep wrongs committed. It is when we can forgive in this manner that Christ is truly being formed in us, and only then can we reflect His love genuinely and authentically.

Travis Mimms on Thursday, April 12, 2012 5:47 PM

Whew..Jesus.. By myself I would not have been able to to forgive that young man for his actions, but glory to God I read in Matt 19:26 that with God all things are possible! So no matter what the trespass may be, if we lean on Him, we will be able to forgive others as He forgives us. Optimum Blessings!


	Dr. Bethtina Williams on Friday, April 13, 2012 3:39 PM Travis, thank you for sharing so genuinely on the topic of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not always an easy task, and some times to be quite honest, we must fight in order to release someone from the offense committed against us. The true focus, however, should be on pleasing the Lord and doing what He would have us do so that our relationship with Him is in proper alignment. When we forgive others it is so that we can receive forgiveness ourselves.

Dr. Stanley D. Williams on Friday, April 13, 2012 11:17 AM

This is one of the most beautiful statements "Forgiveness means forsaking, letting go, to go away leaving something behind, not to rehearse, to expire and give up a debt. In short, forgiveness is a decision to confront the issue at hand, deal with it once and for all and release it in order to move forward in life." The passage spoken of here is Matthew 6:12 which reads as follows: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." The jest of the matter is from God's perspective if we don't forgive He will not forgive us. When we forgive we have to do it from the perspective of Agape which means that love keeps no record of wrongs done to it. I would to God that we would all master this concept, what a different world this would be. Once again Apostle Bethtina along with her marvelous guest has done an exceptional job of bringing the essence out of a subject.


	Dr. Bethtina Williams on Friday, April 13, 2012 3:50 PM Apostle, Dr. Stanley, that you for sharing your wisdom and comments with us on this month's community blog. It is always a joy to hear what you have to say. In essense, we are released and forgiven by the same measure in which we forgive and release others who have hurt, disappointed or offended us. Another way to say it, it's almost impossible to receive that which you are unwilling to give. If you have a tight fist you can release anything, but you also cannot receive anything either. Forgiveness is a major key to maintaining healthy relationships on both the vertical dimension with God, and the horizontal plain with people. Optimum Blessings!!!

Candice Mimms on Monday, April 16, 2012 8:32 PM

Wow! This is definitely a life changing testimony! It is truly an unselfish act when a person can forgive others despite them experiencing cruel and damaging acts. I can see how it could be typical and easy for a person in this day and age to become self-centered in a situation that brings so much hurt and pain, especially when they’ve been violated in such a way that causes them to question the reasoning behind their very existence. I love how Dr. Christian stated that by him forgiving the young man, he was able to heal rapidly. As a people, there‘s so much negativity we can hold onto. By doing this, we’re literally holding onto things that God never intended for us to hold onto. God desires for us to be set free. God desires for us to be healed completely. Once we’re set free and healed, others will begin to be set free and healed as well. Optimum Blessings!!!


	Apostle Bethtina Williams on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 11:36 AM Candice, thank you for sharing your wonderful comments on forgiveness with us. Yes, your insight is correct. In addition, when we forgive others not only does it release us to recover more rapidly, but it also enables and allows us to move forward in life. Unforgiveness binds, ties down and hinders a person from moving forward into the fullness of God plan for their lives.

Toiya Moffatt on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 3:54 AM

"Forgiveness", the one most powerful of the tools that God has given us, yet seemingly the most difficult to utilize,is truly demonstrated in Dr.Johannes's testimony. It is amazing how when we release our offender, God in return cleanses us and brings us closer into seeing who he is, and because this can only happen with the love of Christ, it draws us closer into becoming the image that God intended for us. I believe that is why there is a beauty of Glory that falls on a person who forgives, especially one who forgives an offense of high stakes, such as that mentioned in Dr.Christian's testimony. I know of the healing, cleansing, growth and patients that forgiveness brings as well as the compassion for others that it brings out of you, because it is when you forgive that you truly understand how much you have been forgiven. Optimum Blessings to you Apostle Williams and Dr. Christian.


	Apostle Dr. Bethtina Williams on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 11:58 AM Toiya, thank you for sharing on our community blog. You're absolutely correct in stating that forgiveness truly brings us closer to the character and image of Father God. It also enables us to see how merciful He is in forgiving us of our trespasses and sins. If we don't forgive others, why should we expect to be forgiven. God has made it so clear to us that we can miss it by a mile, "..if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15 In essence, forgiveness breeds forgiveness. If you want to receive it, you must first give it. Optimum Blessings!

Laquita Harmon on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 1:20 PM

God wants to heal you is what I got out of prayer, mentally, physically, emotionally, and whatever you need healing from He wants to do it. Healing lets you be a testimony to someone in need and healing in any area can make you better for God so He can use you. God is in the Healing business all we have to do is believe in faith that its done.


	Dr. Bethtina Williams on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 12:14 PM Laquita, thank you for being an active participant in our blog community. Healing is a very important part of our lives. We need it, and God desires for us to abide in His healing virtue and power as recipients of His covenant of grace and mercy. When we are healed we can thrive and fulfill our purpose. First of all, salvation is the greatest form of healing. When a person become an heir of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ, then they are entitled to certain benefits based upon God's Word. One of those benefits is healing. In fact, healing affects every aspect of our lives when we understand and embrace it fully. It transcends physical healing and recovery to mental, emotional, relational, financial, and societal healing as well. God want us well, made whole and entirely healing in every facet of life so that we can experience the Optimum Return in our relationship with Him. God bless you.

laquita harmon on Thursday, April 26, 2012 11:20 PM

Always speak life into your children and know their gifts. We should never label our children but know whats in them and pull it out, the devil is after our children and we must keep them in our prayer and anoit them and speak life into their lives and never give up on them.


	Apostle Dr. Bethtina Williams on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 5:38 PM LaQuita, thank you for sharing your comments on our community blog. You're faithful participation is truly appreciated. We look forward to reading your comments each time. Optimum Blessings!