Imagine being a Christian in your late teens or early twenties. Your parents and/or other family members were brutally killed by evil individuals for no other reason than their tribal identity. Tonight, as I preached in Rwanda, this was the story for many in the audience, and the message the Lord led me to share: forgive just as you have been forgiven.
I’ve preached on biblical forgiveness from Ephesians 4:26-5:2 a number of times this year, but there was nothing like sharing that message tonight here in Rwanda. Nothing in my realm of experience comes remotely close to the evil committed against these people. Only the Lord Jesus can understand. Only His Spirit, bringing the truth of His word alive in their hearts, can make a difference. The people were glued to every word. Their emotions were stretched from laughter to tears. The Spirit of God convicted them of their own sin – returning evil with evil rather than evil with good.
One young lady came to me after the service and shared with me that her parents and all of her family were killed during the genocide. She said, “when I think about those people (the killers), I have been very angry and bitter with them. But, tonight, I have chosen to forgive them.”
May many more in Rwanda find hope and peace in Christ by His way of forgiveness.
What a challenge to live JUST as Christ has commanded — no matter my circumstances, to simply obey Him.