He shared it with joy, “I repented in the church in 2012, and that’s when God began to change my life.”
Never mind that he was the worst man in his village–and God changed his heart so much that his wife asked, “What did you do with my husband!?” Forget the fact that his family has now repented and that there are now seven born-again believers in their village.
Forget the rest, it was that one word that hit me so hard–repent.
Over and over I heard it throughout the week, “That was the day I repented”, “When I repented”, “God called me to repentance by….” This was coming from the mouths of people who once were militant against the Gospel.
Why was it so shocking to hear this word?
Has our American Christian culture diminished its meaning and even its existence over the years out of fear? Are we running from repentance?
Repentance can easily be received as a negative term. Maybe the word repent has been used to inflict shame or guilt. Maybe it has been used in vain to simply cut corners and count conversions.
I began to think of all the scriptures that mention repent.
“Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
“Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
“Bear fruits by keeping with repentance.”
“Repent and be baptized.”
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…”
(In order: Mark 1:15, Matthew 3:2, Matthew 3:8, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19-21.)
When the Gospel was presented, repentance was present.
Could it be that I have lost one of the fundamental elements of my salvation? Could it be that my simple, heartless prayer of “God, forgive me of my sins” isn’t quite what He desires most (Psalms 51:16-17)? Could it be that there’s a reason why my life isn’t producing much fruit?
What if John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul said, “Bear fruits by keeping with repentance” for a purpose greater than my current view of it?
Maybe it is more than the shallow, action-less cry of my heart, “God, forgive me of my sins.” What if repenting requires a point of action from my heart? Maybe it actually can bear long-lasting fruit that ends with a joyous overflowing–not just for my taking. Could continual repentance be the key to growing from a child to a true heir with humble authority in the Kingdom of God? Maybe, just maybe, my twisted view of repentance has been created to avoid my fear of being found out.
After a few weeks of mulling over it I finally asked, “God, what are you saying to me?”
I’ll leave you with the same question He presented to me…
What have you repented of lately?
