Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is at hand; repent" (Mark 1:15). This phrase summarizes Christ's inaugural sermon as He invited all of those who would listen to a new way of life in/through Him. Through His teaching on the kingdom Jesus made it clear that the opportunity to live under the present reign and rule of God is worth pursuing above everything else in life.
So 2000 years later what do those words "The kingdom of God is at hand; repeat" mean to a western church? I fear that most of us would not grasp the radical meaning or the far-reaching implications which Christ infers. Repentance for many means simply confession of sin and the kingdom of God pertains to something that happens after we die or when Christ returns. Most think this life is a warm up exercise for the real drama that is to take place later.
This mindset is not consistent however with Christ's teachings and example. He said it was something to be embraced and practiced now. He challenged listeners to enter into a new way of life with God and people. He invited them to participate with Him in kingdom business.
Through the programming of the sin nature it is natural for people live for self and ignore God and the needs of others. The call to repentance is to do just the opposite, however. The very word "repent" in the original language of scripture means "to turn and go in the opposite direction." Christ's call to repentance and kingdom living means to turn from living for self, embrace the life and ways of Jesus, and elevate the needs of others to its rightful place of importance and priority.
This is the way of cross. This is the sign of a true and full transformation of life to God. It is what the world needs to experience from the Church in America. So have you truly repented?
Thanks for stopping by!
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Adrian
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Most of us want to simply add Jesus to our lives. Forsaking the "old man", laying down our lives for Jesus, being His disciples, is a path few abandon themselves to. Yet this is the narrow road He calls us to walk.
ReplyDeleteIf sin rules in us the life of God will die, if God rules in us, sin will die.
Until and unless sin no longer rules over us, our attempts in living from a servants heart will be futile.
Jesus gives us His heart when He has absolute sovereignty over our being.
A pure servants heart is the fruit of a disciples life, not a standard to be reached or a goal to strive for.
Who rules, sin or God? This is the question that true repentance is grounded in.
It's simple, really. Jesus tells us that our hearts, minds and lives will be ruled by one of two entities, the sin nature or Himself. It's all or nothing, one or the other.
We must choose which.
Carry on!
For me, the lowest foundation of repentance is the turning from the selfishness of judging, and the selfishness of my own independence. The single most significant moment in my life is when I turned form my futile desire and effort to be acceptable to God. It’s easy to be forgiven and stay ongoingly in need of forgiveness. The discipline required to then become worthy of it, and the discipline needed to become less in need of it, can become the most selfish act yet. The energy wasted in assuming the responsibility is deadening.
ReplyDeleteRepent, turn to Him in all your humanity. Engage Him in complete naked relationship. Allow Him to lead, make changes, impart His heart, and reveal Himself when and as He sees fit, not in some selfish notion of becoming the exemplification of someone else’s testimony.
He’ll give you your own testimony and it (you) will look like, and be, the Jesus He wants you to be; and that is Kingdom living.
Narrow ... Good Stuff ... exactly what I need to hear right now !! Monkey .. seems to me that if I am less in need of forgiveness it is because the power of sin in my life is being lessened, formerly enemy territory being recovered for the Kingdom .. not sure how that is selfish or deadening .. please elaborate.
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteI’m not saying to be forgiven is selfish (unless it feeds some sense of personal need, it does feel good after all).
I’m not saying that to recognize reclaimed territory is selfish, (unless it is to say what a great job “I” have done).
What I am saying is I found that when I mastered some concept, discipline, service or behavior (or absence thereof), I would raise the bar, increasing expectations (the emphasis on “I”). The more I worked to perform, the more tired (dead) I became. I would see and hear other Christians and try to assimilate their testimony as mine, again leading to a responsibility for comparison, measurement and judgment (self-ness) that I am not supposed to carry.
I failed to recognize that service (action, discipline) as a response in love... is love, service as a responsibility leaves the measuring up to us (not what I think Jesus intended). I do not think Jesus requires us to perform; rather our performance is a natural outpouring of Him living through us.