It seems like the church in America has forgotten what it means to be a follower of Christ. In a sermon entitled "The First Word of the Gospel", evangelist J. Edwin Orr (see When God Walked On Campus by Gleason) talks about a word we have all together removed from our evangelism vocabulary.
He notes that the first words of John the Baptist was also the first word out of the mouth of Jesus, and the disciples, and the Apostle Peter in his sermon at Pentecost, and Paul throughout his ministry. The word: REPENT!
John the Baptist says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"(Matt 3:2) Jesus says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"(Matt 4:17) and "Repent and believe the gospel" (Mar 1:15). Then Peter follows suit in his first great sermon, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins"(Acts 2:38). Then again in his second great sermon, "Repent, and be converted, that you sins may be blotted out...."(Acts 3:19). And what is Paul's message? (Act 26:20) : "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance."
Thus a Christian is not someone who just adds Jesus to their life, but rather someone who does an about face, turns from themselves, repents of the evil person they are and puts their trust in Jesus Christ. Defined, repentance is "that mighty change in mind, heart, and life wrought by the Spirit of God." This is much more than remorse. This isn't just being sorry because you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Orr states that the essential sense of the word repent is to change (greek word metanoia, meta= change, noia= mind).
Lets make sure our evangelism lines up with the evangelism of Jesus, John the Baptist, Peter, and Paul. May we not give in to a defective message that give people false hope that they are a Christian, but rather preach the necessity of repentance in the Christian life, both at the point of conversion and every day thereafter. Lets preach the true gospel, that of repentance and belief.
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1 comment:
You Nailed the problem, Too many folks preach a soft and fluffy gosple, hey don't want to offend anyone,They have lost there savor. they forget how offensive the Name Jesus is to the world.I have even heard people saying they want to do friendship evangelisim. Make em your friend first then hit them with by the way your going to Hell. I turly believe in follwing the apostles method REPENT.
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