I don’t want to sound like the weird guy on the street corner holding up a sign that says the world is about to end, but I do want to say something about repentance. This is a very important biblical concept.
When John came to prepare the way for Jesus, the very first word he speaks in Matthew’s gospel is the word “Repent”. (3:1-2). Later in that same gospel, after Jesus began his preaching ministry, the very first word out of his mouth is “Repent”. (4:17). When the apostle Peter preached his famous sermon on the day the church was born, he didn’t start out his remarks by talking about repentance. But when people asked what they should do in response to his sermon, his very first word was—you guessed it—“Repent”. (Acts 2:38).
Although repentance is important in the pages of the Bible, it seems to have fallen out of favor with God’s people today. It isn’t preached from the pulpit, nor practiced from the pew, as much as it should be. Perhaps the reason we don’t see revival more than we do is that people refuse to believe that they have any need to change.
I have seen people do incredible harm to their church family and never express any remorse whatsoever. I have seen lukewarm church members try to live on the fringes of the kingdom and never see the need to get serious about the Lord and his church.
Jesus says, “…But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:3).
Let’s put that word “repent” back into the vocabulary of the church.
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