REPENTANCE ESSENTIAL FOR JESUS COMING KINGDOM

Posted on by

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:1-2

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15

“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3,5

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38

“Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,“ Acts 3:19

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this, he has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31

We are called to live holy lives that honor God. Our decisions either fuel the fires of revival or quench the Spirit— we either rejoice in God and walk in His Word or grieve the Spirit by disobeying. The choice is ours.

TIME FOR REPENTANCE SONGS

Posted on by

Keith Green’s voice was silenced in 1982 when he and two of his children perished in an aviation accident.

Green employed a lyrical technique that used to be common in Christian music but is virtually absent today: the Call To Repentance.

Call To Repentance (CTR) songs are designed to convict the listener of his own sin. Here is an example of CTR lyrics, from Keith Green’s Asleep in the Light (1978):

“Oh, bless me, Lord! Bless me, Lord!” You know, it’s all I ever hear! No one aches. No one hurts. No one even sheds one tear. But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, and He cares for your needs, and you just lay back, and keep soaking it in. Oh, can’t you see such sin?! ‘Cause He brings people to your door and you turn them away, as you smile and say: “God bless you! Be at peace!” And all Heaven just weeps ’cause Jesus came to your door, You left Him out on the streets.

 Here are two reasons CTR songs sound so out of place today:

  1. While most contemporary worship songs focus on comfort and assurance, CTR songs point out our shortcomings.
  2. While most of today’s praise songs are sung from the perspective of the disciple, CTR songs are sung from the perspective of God. In praise and worship, we are the speaker, telling God how we feel about him. With CTR, God is the speaker, telling us how he feels about us.

CTR songs are sometimes hard to listen to but there is no question as to their effectiveness. Keith Green’s songs are the slap in the face we all need from time to time. We need to be spurred on toward greater obedience and his songs certainly achieve that purpose,

“I repent of ever having recorded one single song and ever having performed one concert if my music, and more importantly —  my life — has not provoked you into godly jealousy, or to sell out more completely to Jesus!” Keith Green

He made audiences squirm by saying, “If you praise and worship Jesus with your mouth, and your life does not praise and worship him, there’s something wrong!”

 CTR songs focus on our actions, not our emotions. They demand change. And they challenge rather than comfort.

A decade ago, researcher Christian Smith at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined the religious beliefs of teenagers and coined a new phrase to describe the faith held by many: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, or MTD. Albert Mohler writes:

As described by Smith and his team, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of beliefs like these:

  1. “A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.”
  2. “God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.”
  3. “The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.”
  4. “God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.”
  5. “Good people go to heaven when they die.”

With beliefs like these, it’s easy to see why CRT songs seem so out of place in churches today. It’s easy to tell God how wonderful he is. It’s hard to hear how depraved we are.

CALL TO REPENTANCE

Posted on by

Call To Repentance (CTR) songs are designed to convict the listener of his own sin. Here is an example of CTR lyrics, from Keith Green’s Asleep in the Light (1978). Where are the CTR songs today?

“Oh, bless me, Lord! Bless me, Lord!” You know, it’s all I ever hear!
No one aches, No one hurts, No one even sheds one tear
But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back, And keep soaking it in. Oh, can’t you see such sin?!
‘Cause He brings people to your door and you turn them away as you smile and say:
“God bless you! Be at peace!” And all Heaven just weeps ’cause Jesus came to your door
You left Him out on the streets

Most contemporary worship songs today focus on comfort and assurance whereas CTR songs point out our shortcomings. CTR songs are anything but positive and encouraging.

Most of today’s praise songs are sung from the perspective of the disciple, CTR songs are sung from the perspective of God. In praise and worship, we are the speaker, telling God how we feel about him. With CTR, God is the speaker, telling us how he feels about us.

 it’s easy to see why CRT songs seem so out of place in church today. It’s easy to tell God how wonderful he is. It’s hard to hear how depraved we are.

I believe Keith Green’s songs are the slap in the face we need today to spur us on to greater obedience. They focus on our actions, not our emotions. They demand change. And they challenge rather than comfort.

TIME TO REPENT TO STAY JUDGEMENT

Posted on by

“Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the Lord….Now therefore, says the LORD, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’  So rend your hearts and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him… Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.” Joel 1:14, 2:12-14, 18-19

More good advice from Pastor Jeff Daly of http://www.repentday.com

“Do you want to be an overcomer?  Today is the day to decide and begin to follow God’s instructions.   If we repent, we have hope that He may relent from the judgement we deserve as a nation—continuing to murder children in the womb, sanctifying same sex marriage, taking the Word away from our children, replacing it with lies about their gender.  (That is  just the beginning of a long list you and I could add to). It’s time to repent, personally and corporately— as a local church, a community, a state, a nation.  Our forefathers knew how to do this.  Where is the call for this spiritual solution for a pandemic that has spiritual roots?  Even as we wait for national leaders in the church and government to call for repentance, join me in using this time to continue to repent, to pursue His purity. 
He calls us to be ZEALOUS to repent. (Revelation 3:19).

As you dine with Him, His Holy Spirit will support you to examine old sin patterns.  Just ask Him where to begin. At any point you can exercise your free will to discard that pattern, that false filter, that stronghold, change your thinking, replace it with  His Word. As you submit to His love and authority He will lead you as the Good Shepherd beside still waters, restoring your soul, leading you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. He calls you and me to be holy just as He is holy.”

As we begin to repent,  JOY will surface. This JOY will be a great witness to bring others into the Kingdom, those currently afraid and lost given the pandemic. . The joyful light in our eyes and in our voice will be a beacon: 
Proverbs 17: 22: ” A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”
Proverbs 12: 25 ” Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.”  Proverbs 15: 13: ” A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

REPENT IS THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Posted on by

Extract from National Day of repentance http://www.dayofrepentance.org.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“Repent” was the first word Jesus preached (Matthew 4:17). It’s the key to come into His Kingdom. Thereafter repentance is a gift from God, a privilege and a vital spiritual discipline to purify as “a member of His royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9). The Risen Christ calls each of us daily to be zealous to repent so that we can overcome and sit on His throne as He overcame and sits on His Father’s throne. (Revelation 3:19-21).
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10
Image result for picture of Scripture on repentance
Repentance, by His people called by His name, is the final step by which the Living God will hear from heaven, forgive sin and heal a nation.
The need for personal and national repentance has never been more obvious. The Lord’s Hand is needed to resolve extreme problems in every nation.  His strategy needs to be followed: IF His people called by His name humble themselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN He will hear from heaven, forgive sin, and heal a land. (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Since 2012 in the United States, April 30th has been proclaimed by a growing number of believers as a “National Day of Repentance”. This day was selected for several reasons:  it was the day George Washington (“so help me God”) was inaugurated in 1789; it was the day set aside by Congress and President Lincoln in 1863 for a “National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer”; it was the day picked by Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield for the same purpose in 1973 to address spiritually the national crisis over Watergate; and it precedes, and thus supports, the National Day of Prayer to be held this year on May 2nd.  Placing repentance before prayer adds to the power of the prayers, as iniquity is removed (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2; James 5:16).
Across denominations and boundaries, believers from other nations such as Australia, New Zealand, India and Malawi will join us on April 30th, interceding for us in their own repentance time and prayers that day.
Pray the currently sleeping Body of Christ, His Bride, will be activated.  When anyone repents, ALL BOATS RISE.  Many will experience the Truth and the JOY that follows repentance. The Lord may relent from the judgements we deserve. Proverbs 10:24 tells us: “the desire of the righteous WILL be granted.”  The repentance remnant will grow.  More preachers of repentance will surface.
A National Day of Repentance at the grassroots level on April 30th may also act as a preemptive step to avoid any division in Israel’s boundaries. The Living God states in Joel 3:2 that He will enter into judgement “on account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.”
May “repentance” be spoken among us more than ever before.  Please pass the word.  Ask your pastor to have a National Day of Repentance Service or organise a Bible Study of believers.  Join many of us, and in other nations, on Tuesday, April 30th, to take time to follow the Lord’s call to refocus on Him.