Happy Sunday afternoon,
If you are a Browns fan, you must be delighted today that football is back. Unfortunately, there are mostly echoes in the stadiums across the land, but at least helmets are smashing together again.
As The Return draws closer I believe this needs to be one of our major focal points for the rest of this month. The Return is calling for a focus on the November election as well as a call to the Lord for a season of repentance that will lead to spiritual renewal.
First, I want to offer you some thoughts on repentance, both for ourselves as well as for the direction our nation is currently headed in.
The most common translation of “repent” is “turn” or “return”. Two requisites of repentance are “to turn from evil, and to turn to the good.” When one is guilty of sinful behavior, he must confess specifically in what way he has sinned in order to receive atonement and forgiveness. Thus, confession is an aspect of repentance, and is needed for divine forgiveness.
In the New Testament, the key term for repentance is metanoia. It has two usual senses: a “change of mind” and “regret and remorse.” In both Mark and Matthew, Jesus began his public ministry with the call to “Repent.” In addition, Paul preached to both Jews and Gentiles to “turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”
Repentance is an open, regretful acknowledgement of sin with a commitment to change. It leads us to cultivate godliness while eradicating habits that lead into sin.
What follows are some suggested passages for you to use in calling out to the Lord:
and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.—Luke 24:46-48 (ESV)
- “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”—Matthew 3:8 (ESV)
- “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”—Acts 3:19-20a (ESV)
- “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”—Romans 2:4 (ESV)
- “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.”—Rev. 3:3 (ESV)
The Lord Jesus bless you this week as you go for it!
Paul Laursen,
On behalf of the leadership teams of Advent Church and The Praise Community
