Repent
Repent
At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near.
Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:12-15
Following His temptation in the desert, Jesus returns victorious having overcome sin. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ formal ministry begins as He declares, “The time has come… the Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe…”
In light of recent events at Asbury University, there are moments where it seems that the Kingdom of God is breaking loose around us. The Celtics would say that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in these “thin places” the distance is even smaller. So how do we take hold of this nearness? The response from Jesus is simple: repent and believe.
The role of repentance (Greek: metanoia) literally means to have a change of heart that shows up in a change of behavior or lifestyle. It’s fascinating that John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus by preaching a baptism of repentance, and that it’s through repentance that Jesus invites us into His Kingdom.
William Willimon shares with us, “John is the one who gets us ready. How does one prepare for this new age? Repent, change your ways, and get washed. Like the prophets of old, John’s word strikes abrasively against the easy certainties of the religious Establishment. He will let us take no comfort in our rites, tradition, or ancestry. Everybody must submit to be made over. Everybody must descend into the waters, especially the religiously secure and the morally sophisticated.”
Put simply, we are all called to allow our thinking, our behavior, and our lifestyles to be radically reoriented by the way of Jesus. Nothing less will do. And, it’s in the gospel of John that we discover that it is The Holy Spirit who will convict us of those areas that are out of sync with His character: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). This is the godly sorrow that leads to repentance (a new way of living) that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 7:10.
It’s no surprise that every great movement of the Kingdom of God is accompanied by repentance. Alexandra Presto, editor of the student newspaper at Asbury University describes this truth, “During a call of confession, at least a hundred people fell to their knees and bowed at the altar… Hands rested on shoulders, linking individual people together to represent the Body of Christ truly. Cries of addiction, pride, fear, anger and bitterness sounded, each followed by a life-changing proclamation: ‘Christ forgives you.’”
Do you long to see the Kingdom of God break loose in your life? The pathway is prescribed by Jesus: Repent and believe. To acknowledge that there is a way that might seem right to us but leads to death requires great humility and a willingness to release our pride. The real question is are we are willing.
For Reflection:
Find a quiet place where you will be undisturbed.
Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” This is an invitation to repentance. Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart and ask Him to reveal any offensive way in you, writing out any areas that you sense He brings to mind:
How might God be inviting you to “have a change of heart” or “repent” around these areas? Are there steps you feel ready to take?
1 John 1:9-10 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” Take a moment to write a confession to the Lord, taking full confidence that you are forgiven and purified:
Forgiveness by Henri Nouwen
Dear Lord, your disciple Peter wanted to know who would betray you. You pointed to Judas but a little later also to him. Judas betrayed, Peter denied you. Judas hanged himself, Peter became the apostle whom you made the first among equals.
Lord, give me faith, faith in your endless mercy, your boundless forgiveness, your unfathomable goodness. Let me not be tempted to think that my sins are too great to be forgiven, too abominable to be touched by your mercy. Let me never run away from you but return to you again and again, asking you to be my Lord, my Shepherd, my Stronghold, and my Refuge. Take me under your wing, O Lord, and let me know that you do not reject me as long as I keep asking you to forgive me.
Perhaps my doubt in your forgiveness is a greater sin than the sins I consider too great to be forgiven. Perhaps I make myself too important, too great when I think that I cannot be embraced by you anymore. Lord, look at me, accept my prayer as you accepted Peter's prayer, and let me not run away from you in the night as Judas did.
