Approximately 80 members attended this GCFUK Gujarati Church’s Good Friday service at the Ealing Road Methodist church hall - led by Davidson Solanki and the message ‘forgive others as God forgives you’ brought by Rev Immanuel Christian.

The meeting began with reading from John 8:1-11

Initially, the choir led the congregation in a Spirit moving time of songs and worship. Rev Immanuel brought the message and encouraged the congregation to reflect on our lives and see as to what group of people we would associate ourselves when we would put ourselves in the midst of the scene of the woman caught in act of adultery and brought to Jesus for justice.

The three groups were: The accused, the accusing group and the forgiving.

The accused was the woman caught in adultery and waiting to be persecuted in a cruel way.

The accusing group was the crowd of people inclusive of religious leaders proclaiming religion void of mercy.

The forgiving group was Jesus Himself who hated sin but loved (forgive and accept) the sinner.

Are today’s churches open to welcoming the sinners and the helpless or are we as a church just a religious organisation resembling the accusing - void of Jesus Who in reality came to save the forsaken and the poor reminding ourselves we who pass judgment on others do the same things!

The second group – the accused and the third group Jesus-the forgiving. The Word says ‘.., because all sinned-‘ and all have fallen short of God standards. When God sees, He sees us as humans all who have missed the mark, hence the only justifying standard that God sets for humanity is to put our trust in Jesus and nothing more nothing less. The Word precisely puts this as ‘.. it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God’ i.e. the church of Jesus is a church-group of people who acknowledge they have missed the mark and desperately need God’s favour and mercy - utterly helpless without Him.

Hence Jesus beckons all who have fallen short to come just as they are and simply put their trust in Him alone, for He not only pays for the sins of the sinners, to justify them but washes their consciences of guilt of their actions as well -- same as He did for this woman caught in adultery. He did this for He considered us precious! Do we as a church of Jesus resemble Him forgiving each other, receiving forgiveness and practice Jesus or do otherwise!?