Do Not Resist an Evil Person (Mt. 5:38-42)
Let us bless one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” The title of today’s message is, “Do Not Resist an Evil Person.” For the last week, I went to the state of Utah which is filled with Mormons. Now that I was able to go there, see them and speak with them, I realized they are very strong in a legalistic way, to the point where they are very clean on the outside and they don’t even have public drug use because of strict laws. The Mormon religion is run by 12 leaders who are appointed as the “12 Apostles,” and they supposedly receive revelations from the angels to rule all the religion. Mormons are conquering all the culture, the economy, the politics, and the society, and they control 27% of the businesses in America. On the outside, they have to appear very clean and legalistic and very pure, especially in the laws as well, so a lot of them watch pornography in their homes, and it’s the second highest rate of pornography, second only to San Francisco. In terms of the economy, they are running with these large conglomerates, such as Pepsi Cola, Nuskin, and one of the airlines, I think United. From the age of 18-25, every Mormon is sent out on missions. So, the actual laws of the state are controlled by the Mormon religion.
For those people, they acknowledge the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon. The creator of the Mormon religion, Joseph Smith, received a revelation from an angel and wrote the Book of Mormon, and the Mormons also believe that, during the time of Jesus Christ’s life that is not written in the New Testament, He was in America, proclaiming the gospel here. There are countless religions that live with the legalistic idea, trying to implement the laws of the Old Testament, exactly into their lives today, including the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, the Jewish people, the Seventh Day Adventists, and Muslims, and all these other heretical groups like the ones who believe in God the Mother and the Shin Chun Jee cult, so all these heretics are trying to control people by following the laws of the Old Testament, so all the heretics try to control people with the laws of the Old Testament. Because they have the Bible but they’re unable to see the gospel, they’re being stuck in the law.
The legalism of the Jewish people did not come from out of nowhere, but they are following the laws of the Word of God in the Old Testament and they thought, “We have to follow these laws in order to live a walk of faith,” and that’s how they were stuck in legalism. If people go to church for a long time but do not know the gospel, they are bound to be oppressed by the law. They were not able to understand the original intention with which God gave them the Word to begin with, but they are receiving the Word of God, so they are oppressed by the Word. The newcomers come into the church and see the believers who have gone to church for a long time are not able to follow the law themselves, and yet, they are shouting with such loud voices, even without faith, so they leave the church. It’s because the accurate Word of God is not being relayed.
1. Retaliation
1) Same retaliation
(1) Eye for eye, Tooth for tooth (Mt. 5:38)
That is why, as soon as Jesus Christ called His 12 Disciples, He gave them this Word in the Sermon on the Mount. Among that Sermon on the Mount, He is saying today, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’” meaning Jesus Christ is teaching something different. This was also the law that was put into place in the Code of Hammurabi, and they also used this kind of code of conduct among gangsters or mobs, “Chop off your arm or I will retaliate against what you’ve done to me.”
(2) Life for life (Ex. 21:23; Dt. 19:21)
(3) Bruise for bruise (Ex. 21:25, Dt. 19:21)
What do you think this is? They create these codes so people don’t do something bad. Exodus 21:23 says, “If there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,” if someone hits you, then you can hit them back. These are just the laws of the Old Testament, and this is the Word of God, so we have to live according to God’s Word, right?
2) Meaning of the Old Testament
(1) To prevent excessive retaliation
But the reason why God gave us this Word is to prevent excessive retaliation. Already, when you have a heart of seeking revenge, you want to seek revenge multiple fold of what they’ve done to you. The words may say, “tooth for tooth,” but it doesn’t stop there, you want to bash their whole head in, that’s the wrath we have in our hearts.
(2) A law that began at one’s own expense
The law God has given to us was given because of His mercy, but if you don’t know the reason why God gave us the law, you come across strongly, legalistically, saying, “You have to follow this law,” but even before we received the law, Cain was murdering. It doesn’t matter how many lines we draw in the law, if someone has anger in their heart, they have no choice but to act out like this, then what is the law God gave us? God gave us the law so that through the law, we kneel before God and say, “I cannot do this,” and we ask for God’s grace.
(3) Scar, Hurt – Murder (Mt. 4:23)
The descendants of Cain said, “I have been scarred or hurt, so I killed someone else.” When you kill someone else, you don’t do it for no reason; if someone retaliates or seeks revenge, they don’t do it for no reason. They received something, and it would be better if they would repay it evenly, but they don’t because they have anger in their hearts, and anger already means murder, so they are trying to seek revenge multiple times, more severely.
3) Bible
(1) Dinah’s situation – Revenge (Gen. 34:25-27)
In the Bible, there was the situation where Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped in Shechem. When her older brothers heard about what happened to her, the way they sought retaliation was by making all the men of Shechem receive circumcision, and while they were too hurt to move, they went in and killed all the men. When Jacob heard about what they had done, he was filled with fear because he was afraid that an even larger retaliation was coming against them, and God gave the Word to go to Bethel.
Some kids say, “When I grow up, I’m going to kill my father.” Mothers and fathers have their children out of love, but why is it that children grow up with a heart of wanting to kill them? Why is it that there is such a relationship of animosity within the family that is even worse than those outside in the world? There are people who just shut themselves up in the room and never look at each other because there is something else inside their hearts.
With their business partner, they want to have a good relationship with benefits, so they’re respectful to their parents, but they’re even neglectful of their own parents. In fact, if that person says they’re a Christian, how do you think an unbeliever will look at them? Whether someone is Christian or not, if they have a scar inside of them, these things have no choice but to happen.
(2) Joseph’s brother – Joseph (Gen. 50:20)
There are people who are able to overcome this in the Old Testament. Joseph’s older brothers tried to kill him by putting him in a well and later on, selling him as a slave for money. Most people in this situation would then find a reason to live by finding revenge against their older brothers. And they even think about seeking revenge against their father because “If my father hadn’t gotten married four times, I wouldn’t have to go through things like this.” So the reason for their whole life is this. The idea of revenge is very romanticized in Chinese movies, and they say, “This is for your good.”
However, Joseph later on becomes the governor, and what does he tell his older brothers in Gen. 50:20? “You intended to harm me but God intended it for good,” it doesn’t mean Joseph intended it for good, but God has changed Joseph’s heart into this good. We are not beings who have strength to follow the law of God. Only when God’s grace comes upon us are we able to forgive and reconcile with those who were once our enemies and receive God’s grace.
(3) King Saul – David (1Sam. 24:10-11)
In 1 Sam. 24, the king is chasing after his son-in-law, David, to kill him for over 10 years. One day, when David sees King Saul sleeping, he goes and cuts the corner of Saul’s robe, and presents it as evidence, saying, “I could have killed you in your sleep, but I didn’t,’ but why did David not seek revenge? “Because you’re someone who is anointed by God, God must take care of you.” David didn’t do it because he had a great personality, but it’s because he received God’s grace. Only when the grace of the gospel comes upon you will the law be fulfilled in you. Without that grace, if you’re trying to listen to and follow the laws of God yourself, you will be oppressed and die.
People who come to church for the first time will listen to the Words of God and look at the people in the church, and see that their actions are completely misaligned from the Word, so they’ll think, “So there’s no reason to come to this church,” and then they leave. That is why you must absolutely listen to the Words of God’s gospel very accurately for the scars inside of you to be healed. You will come into a state where you’re able to forgive people you’ve never been able to forgive before.
There are even some people who live their walk of faith in a very strange manner, “I was powerless on this earth, but I will volunteer in the church a lot, and in heaven, I will be living a grand, rich life.” There are some people who live a walk of faith, and they hear that “If I serve the church, there will be rewards for us in heaven, so I’m disrespected and trampled on earth, but when I ghetto heaven, I’ll step on you,” that’s not the gospel. There are a lot of people who live their walk of faith saying, “I lived my entire life being disrespected, but I’m going to use my faith to raise my future generations so they’ll trample on you,” but that’s not the gospel, either.
2. Jesus Christ
Once the gospel goes into you, all this will be resolved, then what exactly is the gospel? Even though I go to church, my problems are still not resolved, so what is this gospel? What is this gospel that can resolve my scars and my problems? How is it that I can forgive the people who oppressed me and harmed me so much? The Bible tells me to do it, but I cannot; then people say, “I guess I was never meant to follow the Word of God.” There are people who think that way. There are many people who say, “Those are just the Words of the Bible; it’s not aligned with reality.” it’s because the gospel hasn’t gone into them, then what is the gospel Jesus Christ spoke of?
1) Do not resist an evil person (Mt. 5:39)
It says specifically here, “Do not resist an evil person.” That means, if someone is doing evil to me, “Do not retaliate or seek revenge against them.”
(1) Be careful to do what is right (Rom. 12:17)
In Rom. 12:17, it says to do what is right in the eyes of everybody, and do not repay anyone evil for evil, then what is “right in the eyes of everybody”? If there is anger inside your heart, does that mean you have to force yourself to smile and be nice to them? “I want to kill this person but I’m a Christian so I have to do what is right, and I’m forcing myself to smile at them? I even made it to America; this person swindled me out of all my money and I’m filled with rage every time I think of them; what shall I do?” There may be many things that are good in the eyes of people, but there is only one thing that is good in the eyes of God, and that’s only the cross of Jesus Christ. The One Who has no sin, forgiving and saving those who have sin, is good in the eyes of God.
(2) Entrust to God (Rom. 12:19)
So, do what is right in God’s eyes and entrust the judgment of evil to God. It means, “Do not seek revenge in your own hands for the evil done to you,” that is in God’s sovereignty.
(3) Overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21)
Rom. 12:21 says, “overcome evil with good, and do not be overcome by evil.” Satan is the source of evil, do not lose in your fight against Satan. Overcome that evil with the gospel of the cross. You do not overcome with your own good nature, but you overcome with the gospel of Christ. But what if there is someone who you really hate in the church, and you think, “How am I going to live my walk of faith when I don’t even want to look at them? This person took all my money and they still haven’t paid me back, should I kill them or what? What should I do? Do I have to endure this? What should I do?”
2) Resist evil
(1) Resist the devil (James 4:7)
It does say to fight against evil. James 4:7 says to resist the devil, so resist the devil but forgive the person.
(2) Blocked sin of doing business in temple (Jn. 2:14-16)
In the New Testament, there was the Temple of Herod that had a very large courtyard for the Gentiles to come and worship, but they turned that courtyard for the Gentiles into a marketplace to sell and buy animals, and Jesus Christ was outraged, and he brought a whip down onto the tables. He didn’t bring a whip down upon the people, but upon the evil actions. So, yes, we do have anger against the evil sin, but we do not have that anger against the people.
(3) One who commits a sin – Point out their fault (Mt. 18:15-17)
If we’re not able to give the gospel, then we start thinking incorrectly, thinking, “This person hurt me, how could I leave them alone?” As these kids grow up facing alcoholism, rage, and abuse from their father’s scars, they themselves have anger, and it’s natural for a person. That father is only abusing his family because of the scars he had received, and his children will do the same thing. It doesn’t matter how much you put your child into an ivy league school, that doesn’t change. Only when the gospel goes in will they be able to forgive their father.
It doesn’t matter what you put inside your child, even if it’s from the Old Testament; the things inside of them will not change. What happens if you’re treated so unfairly? The stronger your pride is, the more you cannot forget that. Then, you start to point your blame upon one person, and you have the heart and desire to kill them. That’s actually the way that Satan conquers both sides. However, Jesus Christ tells us to hate the evil but to forgive that person, because Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, He has forgiven me and He has saved me.
If there’s someone inside the church using the name of Jesus Christ to sin in an evil way, then go to that person and point out their fault, why? It’s because, as this person was maturing and developing, something incorrect was rooted inside of them, it’s not because that person is bad. Pray for them and point out the incorrect things that Satan has rooted inside of them, in order to save and to change them; don’t judge them. If talking to them as one person is not enough, gather two or three people, and talk to them together, meaning that two or three people pray for this person, and if they still do not change, then kick them out of the church, why? In order to save that person. Later on, when they realize they were in the wrong, bring them back to the church.
3) Do not retaliate
You need to listen to the Word of God very carefully because Jesus Christ never attacked the people, but he was talking about the sin, the evil imprints and roots that Satan has placed into them, in order to save them. The greatest elites of society are the politicians, but what they do is they retaliate. The greatest thing America does is retaliate. Because China is getting more powerful, they are attacking China. “If one nation attacks even a little bit, then I have to attack them two or three times more harshly so they will never have a chance to speak up against me again.” That’s how the world teaches us to survive, completely trample that person so they can never look down on you again.
What kind of answer will there be in that kind of world? That’s the work the greatest elites and educated people are doing in this world, so humans have no choice unless they receive the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the cross.
(1) Turn your left cheek (Mt. 5:39)
Today, it says, “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” If someone is slapping you on the right cheek, it means they are backhanding you with their right hand, and that’s very insulting, so does it mean, when someone slaps you on the right cheek at work, you should say, “Slap this cheek, too!”? I haven’t seen anything like that. If anything, I’ve seen people say, if they’re hit, “Kill me! Kill me!” If you incorrectly understand the Bible, you understand it legalistically, saying, “Hey, if you’re a Christian, I slapped you on the right cheek, give me the left cheek too.”
(2) Hand over your coat (Mt. 5:40)
If anyone tries to sue you and take your tunic, hand them your coat as well. Especially in the desert, the coat is very important because it’s both their outerwear and their garments at night, and it covers all of their improper areas. So does that mean, if anyone tries to take your possessions, you should give them everything to take as well? Does that mean, if someone is trying to steal your house from you, should you say, “Take my factory as well, take more”? If you don’t understand the Word of God, you don’t want to do this, but you’re so oppressed that you force yourself to do things like this.
(3) Go with them two miles (Mt. 5:41)
If someone forces you to go with them for one mile, go with them two miles. “I’m so busy right now, I have an important meeting, but someone is asking me for directions, and I remember the Word of the Bible, so I have to cancel my meeting and walk with them in this direction?” It is the law in the Roman society that Roman soldiers could force the Israelite colonies to work and labor for the. Then you have to work for them twice as much.
(4) Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you (Mt. 5:42)
Finally, it says, “Do not turn away from someone who wants to borrow from you.” I’ve seen so many people who’ve received scars from this. The Bible tells them not to turn away anyone who wants to borrow from them, so they lend their money to someone, but they don’t pay them back. The Bible also tells you, if you lend someone money, understand that you won’t receive it back. If you understand the Word of God haphazardly, you will only be left with scars. It would be better off if the Word of God never came into you at all, but if the Word of God comes into you like this, the Devil will use that to oppress you with the law. That’s why people actually just cut off all relationships with the church and they go out completely into the world because they feel so oppressed by the Word.
3. Jesus Christ
Are these words we are able to keep? That’s not how God gave them to us. Every law in the Old Testament was given to us to show us that we cannot do it, therefore, surrender to God and ask for His grace. So, people say they have to follow the Law of God, and on the outside, they pretend to be like that, but on the inside, they’re completely rotting and destroyed. Satan is deceiving you, not with nothing, but with the Word of God so you’re not able to find this gospel.
1) Cross (Jn. 19:30)
(1) Offered my back to those who beat me (Is. 50:6)
In today’s scripture, it says, “If someone slaps you on the left cheek, then turn your other cheek as well,” this is talking about Isaiah 50:6, where Jesus turned His back to those who beat Him, and He did not hide his face from mocking and spitting.
(2) Divided up his clothes (Mt. 27:35)
Then, after Jesus Christ got the death sentence from the court of Pontius Pilate, all of His clothes were sold and gambled off, so when it says here to “Give them all of your outer garments,” these are Words that Jesus Christ Himself fulfilled.
(3) Forced Simon to carry the cross (Mt. 27:32)
When Jesus Christ was carrying the cross, He lacked strength and fell over, so one of the Roman soldiers asked Simon to carry the cross of Jesus.
(4) Judah – Handed Jesus over for 30 pieces of silver (Mt. 27:3-5)
When it says, “Do not turn away anyone who borrows money,” one of Jesus’ disciples, Judah, hands Jesus over for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus Christ already knew he would do that, he even warned ahead of time, “One of you will betray me and sell me for money,” Even though He knew that Judah would sell Him and give Him over for money, He just gave Himself over to Him, so the words we are hearing today are the words Jesus Christ fulfilled on the cross. That is why Jesus Christ is the Savior Who has no sin, then why do you think Jesus Christ wrote these words for us?
2) Holy Spirit
It’s because Jesus Christ died on the cross and resurrected, and now He lives in us as the Holy Spirit, and in Jeremiah 31, it says He will give us a new covenant where He will fulfill the Word through us. Because only Jesus Christ can fulfill the law, that Jesus Christ will live inside of us as the Holy Spirit, and by the grace and the movement of the Holy Spirit, He will fulfill the law through us.
(1) Law of Spirit and life (Rom. 8:2)
Rom. 8:2 says, through Jesus Christ, we have been set free from the law of sin and death into the law of the Spirit Who gives life. We have been saved from the law of sin and death, meaning the law, which reveals our sin, and the price of sin is death, and the one who has authority over death is Satan. We have been saved from that, not by our own diligence but by the grace of Jesus Christ. Now, no one can condemn you or say anything about you not being able to fulfill the law. Simply because I believe in the Word Jesus Christ does, God regards me as righteous and I’m living within the law of the Spirit of Life.
(2) Guidance of the Holy Spirit – Requirement of the law fully met (Rom. 8:4)
Does that mean, if we cannot keep the law, we should give up on it? There are some people who think that. They are relentlessly centered on themselves, they try to keep the Word of God, but they hear the Word, “You can’t do it,” so they think, “Thank goodness,” and they give up. Because we can’t do it, Jesus Christ has come into us.
Rom. 8:4 says, in order for the righteous requirements the law might be fully met in us,” we live according to the Spirit. We do not live by our sinful nature, meaning we do not live anymore by our thoughts and experiences, but we live according to the Holy Spirit inside of us. That is what it means to remain within the law of the Spirit of life. Your scars will begin to be resolved, and you will start to forgive the people you’ve hated so much. Even then it’s so much, you’ve lived your whole life so oppressed by that, and then you’re liberated. It’s not enough just to tell people to get along, it’s not enough to tell people, “Just go to church,” the gospel must go into them; they must receive God’s grace.
(3) Filling of the Holy Spirit – Authority (Ac. 1:8)
This is not something you can do by your own abilities. Then, “Shall we not do it at all?” That’s a heretic. You need to do it by the Holy Spirit. You need to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit is completely controlling all your thoughts and heart, that Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. When that Holy Spirit completely controls your thoughts, heart, and all your emotions, then we, too, will fulfill the law. Then our whole life changes. That’s what we call, “healing.”
3) Work Jesus did – In my life
There was someone who said they are getting surgery for cancer on Tuesday and they asked me to pray for them. I told one of the senior deaconesses, “For cancer, we can just cut it out, and because American medicine is so advanced, the surgery will probably go well. But the real problem is the inner state of the person that is programmed so they have no choice but to get cancer. That is not something that can be changed by human ability. The doctor has enough skill to cut out the tumor, but the doctor can’t do what happens after that.”
When the cancer cells grow within us, we must have the spiritual strength to overcome that, and God has a plan for every single member of the family just through this one person. Nowadays, people are getting cancer even in their 30s, regardless of how young they are. My daughter is only 13 but she already has gray hair. She brought one to me the other day, and I said, “It’s because you’re always so angry, you’re getting gray hairs. You’re getting older at an accelerated rate. You have to use your body for your whole life, but you’re already getting gray hairs at the age of 13. If you keep getting angry like this, you’re going to be diseased from the inside out.”
Why do you think she’s so angry? Because she doesn’t get what she wants, so even though she listens to the gospel of Jesus Christ constantly, she’s always so angry because she listens, but it hasn’t melted into her yet. There are a lot of you who are like that too, you listen to the Word but it hasn’t melted into your heart and your spirit yet. If it does go into you, there’s no reason for you to get angry, you just pray. You don’t pray to fulfill your own will, but you pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. God has already determined His will in heaven; you are praying to discover that will. Pray so that you can discover God’s will for why you were born on this earth and living in America now.
You’re the center of your own life, but you ask God to do this or to do that, but it’s already been predetermined. Pray to simply discover that will, and if our prayer topic changes like that, we always receive answers. “God, why am I sitting here right now?” God has a will for that, too, and then you will receive answers. But if you’re so full of your own will, then even as you’re sitting here, you’re thinking about your business and what you need to do next, and that means you’re fulfilling your own will.
I’ll tell your future for you, your will will not be fulfilled, so I hope you will break it down fast, and I pray for what is God’s will in heaven, then you will discover that God is already fulfilling His will, and that’s why Jesus told us to pray this way in Matthew 6. We’ve lived our walk of faith for so long, but we still cannot pray. “Oh, do this for my kid,” don’t do that, but seek God’s will. If God has allowed this problem, then it means God has a will for that problem, so find God’s purpose. Stop asking for Him to change your failures into success, but seek God’s will in this failure.
(1) Sin – Died on the cross without forgiving sins
You must receive the gospel in the words Jesus Christ gave us in order for you to come to life. “Why does my life have to be like this? I have cancer at such a young age,” you have to find God’s will. God has allowed this in order to give you blessings. However, if you start to think, “Why am I like this? I’m so young,” that’s when Satan begins to work.
Do you have scars you’ve received from your family or parents? Or, are there people who have cheated you in your business, and you’re filled with rage every time you think about them? Or, do you have a heart where you want to succeed so you can trample over these people? Do any of you live your life with this heart of ”Just wait and see, I’m going to succeed and then trample over you,” that’s what Satan likes, so do not lose to that evil; you need to overcome that evil with good.
(2) Sinner – Forgiven (Healing)
Forgive people and resist the evil. Pray for the incorrect things that have been imprinted in that person. But if we don’t see this correctly and the gospel doesn’t go in, then even the pastor and the members of the church will sue and fight each other, and it’s always about who’s right and who’s wrong, but no one is right. The person who loses the argument is right because they entrust it to God. They are able to yield because they acknowledge God as their Lord, that is the will of God. But if you try not to be at a loss and you try to fight for yourself, that’s not aligned with the Bible.
Jesus Christ did this Himself; He had no sin Himself, however, He turned His back so people could beat Him, He had His beard plucked out, He had his garments gambled away, even though He had no sin, so that’s why we pray for the Spirit of Christ to fully fill and control me. We must pray like that, otherwise, the older we get, the more evil we have left in us. That’s just life. It seems like we’ve experienced so much, but ultimately it’s all of the earth. Everyone is just saying, “Get revenge! Avenge me against this person!” People end their lives saying, “You must succeed so you can trample on that household.”
(3) Save people
Jesus Christ did not just leave “sin” to be, without a doubt, He trampled over the enemy on the cross. However, He saved and forgave the sinner. That is why, when the gospel goes within me, the things within you will change and you yourself will come to life, and that’s why in the church, the people are revived. It doesn’t matter how strange a person is inside the world or inside the church, it’s because of the things inside of them, so you must pray for them to change them. You must forgive them, and you must acknowledge or respect them, but the world will not do that. In the world, you have to step on others in order to live; you have to win over others in order to live.
But the church isn’t like that, the Christians don’t do that. Even when you run your business, you must run your business to save other people; that’s the business God desires, and that’s the reason God gave you your business. But if you kill other people in order to raise your business, that’s not aligned with the Bible. That is why, every other department or section of the government creates laws to prevent this from happening, but that’s not going to cut it. It doesn’t matter what kind of laws you create, people will always find a loophole to benefit themselves by stepping on others.
Conclusion
1. Experience the power of the Gospel
Only when the gospel goes into someone, by God’s grace, will a person genuinely change. The fastest way is to completely surrender to God saying, “I cannot do this,” then you receive the filling of God’s Holy Spirit and His grace. Then God will give this person the business, the ministry, and the education that saves lives.
2. Forgive people
I hope that every single person here, without any exception, if there is an enemy you want to seek revenge against, forgive that person and instead, resist the evil inside of them, and pray for that evil. I hope you will pray for that grace to be upon you first, as well. One day, you will change and you will stand as a witness. Everyone else will know. “That guy only knew about himself, but one day, he was changed. I know how that guy used to run his business, but now he’s different,” otherwise, you cannot change.
3. Save myself, church, field
Only when the gospel of Jesus Christ goes into you can you change, and that’s when the light goes in. God has given us the mystery to overcome evil and the world with this. May you have the blessed week where you receive God’s grace and save many others.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together, holding onto the Word we have received..
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Prayer
God, we thank You. We give our praise and thanks to the grace of God through Jesus Christ who has fulfilled all the law on the cross and is living within us through the Holy Spirit to fulfill the law within us. We pray that, inside these people, you will give us the grace to love the person and to resist the evil inside of them. We pray that, by the forgiveness of the gospel, the works of reconciliation will happen between these people and those who scarred them, those with whom they are enemies. By proclaiming this gospel to the world, we pray we will have reconciliation between God and others.
We have returned our material blessings as offering. We pray that wherever this offering is used, forgiveness and reconciliation will take place. We pray it will be used to save families, society, the nation, and the whole world. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the people of God, the multiethnic people, and the remnants who desire to resist evil, but forgive the person, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.