Isaiah 58
He stood up and declared in Spanish, “I’m tired of churches coming from the United States and telling us what to do. You think we are ignorant or need you to teach us.”
He said more than this, but I don’t remember the entire explosion of emotions. He was the elected president of the board for that year representing over 150 churches in Ensenada, Mexico.
Ensenada is 70 miles south of San Diego, California, and over the years thousands of church groups from the states have driven down to Ensenada to do some kind of ministry there.
The board was meeting because of us. Ileana had a burden for the women leaders of the churches in Ensenada and wanted to have a training conference for all of them. Back then the men always were the focus and rarely did the women receive training. How did we know this? All of the wives of the pastors told us this.
Well, Ileana and I prayed and felt we should just go for it. Who would be the best keynote speaker that they would want? At the time Alberto Mottesi was like Billy Graham to the Spanish speaking countries in Central and South America. For years the Ensenada pastors had been praying that he would come to Ensenada and hold a crusade.
Ileana called to ask his wife, Noemi Mottesi, if she would come and speak to the women. She said yes, and asked her husband to come with her.
Working for Azusa Pacific University at the time, we had been given permission and budget for a women’s conference. As soon as the pastors found out Alberto Mottesi was coming with his wife, they asked if he would speak at a crusade for that weekend too.
We sat in the meeting and explained that we represented the university only for a women’s training conference, but didn’t have a budget for the crusade. The board was discussing how they could pay for the crusade, the renting of the baseball stadium primarily. A representative from the Mottesi team was there and many additional pastors were there.
In the middle of the discussion, the president of the board had an emotional meltdown. I was praying and asking Jesus in my mind why he was venting his frustration. It seemed so out of context with our current conversation. But, he was speaking the truth. Many from the states had pridefully treated them as inferior Christians.
All of a sudden an intense feeling came over me and I heard in my thoughts, “Stand up and ask for forgiveness, on behalf of all those who have come from the states and offended him.”
It was so clear in my mind. I hesitated for a few seconds and the intensity in me increased. The Holy Spirit was causing my body to tremble. His presence was so tangible in that moment.
I stood up slowly and my legs were trembling as I stood. The president in mid-sentence looked at me and stopped speaking. He asked me why I was standing.
So I did exactly what Jesus told me to do. I said, “Jesus told me to stand, and ask for your forgiveness. Will you forgive me representing my people and the churches from the United States, for treating you and your churches as inferior to us?”
He was shocked and confused as he said, “Brother, you and your wife aren’t the ones who have offended me.”
Looking straight at him with a gentle smile on my face, I responded, “I’m representing all those who have come from the states and offended you. I am from the states too. Will you forgive us for offending you, and treating you as inferior Christians?”
It was so still in the room, I thought someone would notice my trembling body.
The president’s son was the secretary for the meeting and he was writing down all that was being said. He stopped writing and had lost his composure. He couldn’t hold it in, and was balling uncontrollably.
The pastors in the room were waiting for the president of the board to forgive us.
The president turned to look at his son, and then back at me. He asked his fellow pastors, “Can he do this? Can he ask on behalf of someone else?”
I knew the answer to the question, but the room was filled with wise Mexican pastors who also knew the answer. I felt that Jesus would defend me.
A pastor spoke out and said, “It’s in the book of Daniel. Daniel asked for forgiveness on behalf of his people and their sins.”
Another pastor spoke out and quoted another verse. There was a pause in the room.
The president looked at me and said something like this, “Bob, you have done nothing to offend me, but I forgive those who have come from the states and offended us.”
In conclusion. What just happened?
First, the Lord provided the opportunity by moving the pastor to vent his pain and frustration. The Holy Spirit brought out the offense into the light.
Second, the Lord touched me to ask Jesus what to do. Don’t rely on a formula to take the place of asking Jesus once more what to do in that moment.
Third, the Lord asked me to represent those who had offended him.
Fourth, the Lord put the idea in my mind to ask for forgiveness. Most likely those who had offended him didn’t know, and they never would return to ask for forgiveness.
Fifth, the pastor forgave those who had offended him. If he couldn’t in the moment, at least he would know what the Lord required of him.
Sixth, the Lord removed the burden of the offense against the pastor. Complaining and anger open doors to sickness and demonic oppression. These doors are shut when you forgive.
Seventh, the Lord removed the burden of not forgiving. Your own sin isn’t forgiven if you don’t forgive others. Things weren’t right with the Lord, but now there was peace.
Eighth, forgiveness can set them spiritually free, but also can remove many sicknesses and demonic oppression. The demons can be confronted without the person or witnesses noticing.