This page was exported from Shelburne Free Press [ https://shelburnefreepress.ca ] Export date:Thu Jul 4 17:19:05 2024 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Christian Perspectives: the power of repentance --------------------------------------------------- What is Repentance? Why do we need to repent? Maybe you haven't paid close attention in how you act or respond to people in your life lately. Are you truly happy with your attitude and how you act towards others? Have you seen what people are doing to each other all over the world today? The ethics and morals of this world are very troubling don't you think? The things that once were bad are now good and the good things are now bad! Selfishness, greed & corruption motivate big business, governments only look out for themselves and their positions; not working for the people they are to serve. People groups around the world pushing humanism and other ideologies which are not the heart of God. Things need to change! What about us in the Body of Christ, His Church! The church is supposed to help people to be transformed into the image of Christ, but we have made church into a social club! Excusing our sinful behaviour, under the guise of grace. How many churches teach on repentance anymore? I know some do! But, it seems to me repentance is now a bad word in Church along with Hell. It is hard for me to think some people in the Church don't believe in Hell anymore! I agree, God does not send people there, he does not want to see anyone perish! But we all have free will and a choice. Can I ask then! “What is the Church all about?” What is the purpose of church if it is not to bring back people to God from their independence and selfishness that has lead them away from God which leads to death and not life? Why did Jesus have to die, if there is no Hell? If that is the case, there is no need of the cross, no need to change our heart attitudes. But, I truly believe God loves us, that is why he sent his Son to die for us, to save us from ourselves! To give us life, not death. It is our own independent nature that leads us to death and separation from God. Please, if you have never opened a Bible, read Romans 1:19-21. All mankind is without excuse of not knowing the God who created you. He longs to have a relationship with you! To find this God and have a relationship with him, we must agree we need his help! That process is called Repentance! Repentance comes from a Greek word, “Metanoia” which is really two words put together, meta meaning “after or change” noia meaning “to think” to change the way one thinks! Translated “a change of mind”. Repentance is turning from your old independent, selfish, lustful, greedy ways. Sorry! There is no pleasant way to express it better than that. “That is sin!” Repentance is doing a 180 degree turn, like from darkness to light. Repentance is a lot more than just feelings of conviction, or regret of doing something wrong and feeling sorry for it. It is following through with the conviction of the Lord, or the pricking of your conscience and turning around. It is changing your mind and heart about your own morals and ethics of life, changing to God's grand design to give you and other people life and life abundantly, not only for this life on earth, but for eternity. Repentance leads to forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord, which leads to a relationship with Father God, and Holy Spirit is given to us to live in us, Holy Spirit empowers us to change and be transformed into the image of Christ, also producing in us His morals and ethics, and most importantly His love and mercy. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6,7). For everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23). But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9). If you think you are not good enough for God! no one is! Only through confession and repentance, can you be forgiven, through Christ our Lord, there is no other way. Check this story out! in 2 Kings 21:1-17 and 2 Chronicles 33:13 There once was a King who had a very godly father, but did not follow his ways, he gave in to his own fleshly desires. His name was Manasseh and he did great evil in the Lords sight, even to the point of killing God's spokesman at the time, Isaiah the prophet who was sent by God to warn Manasseh of his ways and to change. He had Isaiah put in a hollowed out log and sawed him in half. His own family life was even worse; he also sacrificed his children to Idols. His moral and ethical actions affected his whole country; which also came under God's discipline. Yet, in the end, through great hardship and pain, he came to understand that God and God alone was the true giver of life, and repented and turned from his wicked ways and found peace and life. If this man received forgiveness of his sins, when he repented I am very sure the Lord will forgive you too. God longs for people to repent and confess their sins, and come to him with a broken and contrite heart. This breaks down the barrier between man and God, only then can God our Father have relationship with us. Please pastors, let us not leave out the word repentance from our vocabulary as we speak for God! It is the essence of why we are called to serve the Lord, to help people have a relationship with God. Only through repentance can that truly happen. Blessings, Rev. Gord Horsley, Abiding Place Fellowship --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2015-12-04 18:30:11 Post date GMT: 2015-12-04 23:30:11 Post modified date: 2015-12-14 13:47:40 Post modified date GMT: 2015-12-14 18:47:40 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com