Hey there.

THE CALL TO FORGIVE

October 12 | Discipleship Guide

Be Real Together:

Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DG, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DG share their story.

Read Together: Matthew 18:21-35 CSB

This week, Pastor Sean unpacked Jesus’ parable about the unforgiving servant—a story that shows both the radical mercy of God and the danger of withholding forgiveness from others. Peter asks how often he should forgive, and Jesus’ answer—“seventy times seven”—reveals that forgiveness in God’s kingdom has no limit. The forgiven servant, however, refuses to forgive a smaller debt, showing how easily we forget the mercy we’ve received. Jesus’ teaching reminds us that forgiven people forgive people. Forgiveness doesn’t ignore pain, but it releases the right to get even and entrusts justice to God.

The One Question:
Ask this question at your family meal or Discipleship Group.

What helps you take a step toward forgiveness when someone has hurt you deeply?

Grow Together:
Use these questions to go deeper with your DG or for personal study.

  1. When you think about your own story, how has God’s forgiveness changed the way you view yourself and others?
  2. Forgiveness means releasing the “debt” someone owes us. What does that look like in practical terms this week?
  3. How can we forgive someone without excusing or enabling harmful behavior?
  4. How does the story of the unforgiving servant challenge the way we handle offense and bitterness?
  5. What might it look like for Bright City to be known as a community marked by grace and forgiveness?

Pray Together:

  • Thank God for forgiving you more times than you can count.
  • Confess any areas where bitterness, anger, or resentment have taken root.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit for strength to forgive others as freely as God has forgiven you.
  • Pray for relationships that need healing and for the courage to take the first step toward peace.

Next Steps:

Pick one way to practice forgiveness this week:
  • Write down the name of someone you need to forgive and pray for them daily.
  • Apologize to someone you’ve hurt and ask for forgiveness.
  • Read and reflect on Colossians 3:12–14 as a daily reminder of God’s grace.
  • Currently struggling with forgiving someone? Pick up "Forgiving What You Can't Forget" by Lysa Terkeurst.