Proclaiming Repentance--Dying to Sin to Serve God in Holiness of Life
Our Lord Jesus Christ requires His followers to turn from their sins and follow Him.
A. Urge People to Repent, Believe and Receive the Holy Spirit
B. Require What Jesus Said for Salvation, to Repent and Believe
03A. Help your People to See How Importance Christ and His Apostles Considered Repentance to Be.
Cited from Church Multiplication Guide, Patterson and Scoggins, William Carey Library, Pasadena, chapter 3.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said. "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15 (NIV)
The purpose of this chapter is to show the importance that God's Word gives to repentance. Jesus requires His followers to have a change of heart--to turn from their sins and follow Him. This means to die to sin and serve God in holiness of life. You will learn why Jesus commands it and how people do it with God's help.
Mr. 'Traditionalist' does not like the word repentance. He complains, "Repentance is for people who want to save themselves by their own good works. Don’t make it hard for seekers. A simple decision is enough!"
Mr. 'Foresight' answers, "Then why does the New Testament not mention decisions? And why does Jesus, in Luke 24:46-48, command us to call people of all nations to repent in order to receive His forgiveness?"
The time has come," Jesus said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15 (NIV).
He told them, "This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." Luke 24:46-48 (NIV). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)
"Receive the Holy Spirit." John 20:22 (NIV)
Find in Luke 24:45-51, which parallels Jesus’ great commission in Matthew 28:18-20, answers to these two questions:
What two central historical facts are we to proclaim as we evangelize?
What requirement for forgiveness are we to proclaim to all nations?
He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." When He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up his hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Luke 24:45-54 (NIV)
Jesus’ resurrection, his return from death to life, is an essential part of the gospel proclamation, as is the need to repent. It is a mistake to omit any of these vital elements from a gospel presentation. Jesus explained His Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations in different words at different times before He ascended to glory. Find other vital elements of our witness for Him in John chapter 20 and Acts chapter 1: Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." and with that He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." John 20:21-23 (NIV)
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)
Take a moment now to consider how you will help your people to understand the importance of repentance.
03B. Require What Jesus Said for Salvation, to Repent and Believe
Cited from Church Multiplication Guide, Patterson and Scoggins, William Carey Library, Pasadena, chapter 3
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Mr. 'Traditionalist' is whispering in your ear, "All you need to do to be saved is make a decision.""Is it?" Mr. 'Foresight' replies. "If so, then something so eternally important would be mentioned at least once in Scripture. But it is not. Jesus and the apostles emphasized in many ways for new believers of all nations, that they must repent. It is very specific in Luke 24:46-48 and Acts 11:18."
Some modern theologians weaken God’s command to repent. They say that repentance is no longer required for salvation, that this would be salvation by works. We all agree that we are not saved by works. But we certainly are saved for works, as taught in Ephesians 2:8-10. Those theologians claim that where the Bible calls sinners to repent to be saved, it was for Jews in a "transitional age" shifting from the Old Testament to the New. But Jesus, in His Great Commission in Luke 24:46-48, commanded His followers to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations. In Acts 11:18, Peter also said clearly that Gentiles must repent to be saved. He still taught this years later, in 2 Peter 3:9. Paul likewise required Gentiles to repent to be saved Acts 20:21; 26:20). He wrote to Gentiles, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation" (2 Corinthians 7:10).
One part of repentance is that we "die with Jesus to sin". Another part of repentance is that we participate in his new resurrection life by faith (Romans 6:1-14). Only to die to sin, even to arrive at becoming completely free of sin, would only bring us up to the level of a material object or an irrational animal, as a rock or toad is sinless! We would still need God’s love and an ongoing transformation into the image of Christ.
Christian workers sometimes use traditional methods that are not taught in Scripture when doing personal evangelism or leading evangelistic campaigns with mass meetings. They report that it easy to get people to make decisions but hard to find them afterwards. Evangelists cannot help churches to multiply after using such evangelism methods. They must rethink what conversion really is. In some cases they must ask their coworkers not to report as new believers those who had merely made a decision or raised a hand to "accept" Jesus. Such decisions seldom embrace real repentance.
According to the Bible, God forgives and saves people only when they obey the Lord’s commands to repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit, as in Mark 1:15; John 20:22; Acts 2:38. These three things happen together:
Pastors are to mobilize their people to witness for Christ with the power that Jesus promised (Acts 1:8). Upon receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the apostles witnessed with power. They called the people in Jerusalem to repent, to believe and to confirm it with baptism. Obedient missionaries and their disciples witness in a way that brings repentance and faith to those who have not yet believed the Good News. New believers must soon learn about the value of Jesus’ death and resurrection for them and their families, as we see in Luke 24:44-48; John 11:25-26 and Acts 16:31.
What are the essential parts of our witness for Christ? What must a gospel message proclaim? What Good News brought faith and repentance by the power of the Spirit in the apostolic church? The apostle Peter proclaimed, as Jesus commanded in Luke 24:44-48, the following truths, when he witnessed for Christ in Acts chapter 2:
Please take a moment now to plan how you and your coworkers will call unbelievers and people who are Christians in name only to repent--to die to sin and let the Holy Spirit bring Jesus into their hearts.