Healing the Wounds of Trauma

• Repentancemay involve paying backwhat was taken (Nu 5.5–7).

B. How can the church help people repent? ❂❂ SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION As a church, how do we deal with members when they sin? Has this helped them to repent? Church leaders are charged to watch over the spiritual life of their members (1 P 5.1b–3). If a member is sinning, and will not listen to those who talk to him about his sin, the church leaders should talk to him (Mt 18.15–17; Ga 6.1). If the person refuses to repent even after repeated efforts, hemust be excluded from the church (1 Co 5.4–5, 11). This is a very painful process. It is done to protect the church’s purity (1 Co 5.6–7) and to bring the person to repentance. Even after he is excluded from the group, the leaders should continue to try to help him come to repentance.

CLOSING EXERCISES

Omit these exercises if the groupwill be going on to theForgivenessCeremony. 1. Have one person read each of the following verses aloud and give the main point.

Ephesians 4.32 Matthew 18.35

Matthew 18.21–22 Romans 12.14

2. Take five minutes in silence to ask God to show you any sins of which you need to repent. Confess those sins to God and receive his forgiveness. At the end of the time, read 1 John 1.9 aloud. 3. Take another five minutes to reflect on any people that you need to forgive. Ask God to help you forgive them. 4. Share together what God has shown you about forgiveness. 5. Praise God, in words and in song, that he forgives us and enables us to forgive others.

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How Can We Forgive Others?