Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Forgiven and Accepted
In the story of the woman caught in adultery told in John 8, Jesus turned the accused into the accepted. Instead of rejecting the adulterous woman, whose life hung in the balance, he accepted her. He does the same for us today. He takes everyone pushed to the margins by their own sin and tells them, "You are mine. You're right in the center of the Father's love."
This gesture by Jesus was crucial for the adulterous woman. Why? Because she still had to live in her community with the reality of what she'd done. You see, while it's true that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, there are still real-life consequences to sin. Ask any addict who's gone through a recovery program. There are broken bonds to mend with family, friends, children, or coworkers. In the case of adultery, there can be unwanted pregnancies, broken love with a spouse, strained relationships with children, betrayals of trust within a community. These are matters that can take years to repair.
That's why there is very real mercy in Jesus's two distinct statements to the adulterous woman: "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more" (John 8:11, ESV). I would not be a faithful minister of God if I didn't say that while, yes, Jesus loves you, accepts you, and forgives you, there is very real fallout to sin. As a pastor, I have seen it all the time. That's why our sin is of great concern to God beyond the moral reasons of law-breaking. Paul says, "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18). This is all the more reason to bring any and every sin to Jesus. Only his powerful, redeeming grace can fully heal and restore.
There is a third group impacted by God's grace: the accusers. The Pharisees' heartless, accusing plan backfired on them. Ultimately, the sinful woman wasn't condemned but instead was rescued and healed.
When that kind of radical grace manifests, evil is forced to slink away in shame. "When they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him" (John 8:9).
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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
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