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Repent (metanoeo) means to
think differently.
When Jesus tells us to "repent", He is saying that we need another
way of thinking. There are various ways we need to think differently
from the way the world has taught us to think:
- We cannot earn our way into heaven by leading a good life. The
only way we can be saved, is by accepting that Jesus paid for our
sins.
- We cannot obtain a lot of money by gathering as much of it as we
can. We obtain a lot of money by rendering our tithe to God
- We do not lead a life acceptable to God in order to please Him
or force Him to do something back to us, but to show our
thankfulness for being born again
- We do not wait for something to be visible to our natural senses
before we believe it has happened. We believe it has happened based
on God's Word. We first believe and then we see.
Repent is also one of the conditions of entering into the kingdom of
God:
ACT 3:19 Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when
the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Converted (epistrepho) means to revert, that is, to return to the
Lord God who has been the God of Israel since the beginning.
Therefore in order for our sins to be blotted out, we need to repent
and we need to be converted, I.e. we need to get another way of thinking
(Jesus paid for our sins and we did not deserve this mercy gift) and we
need to turn back to the God who made us.
In the next Scripture, Jesus was talking to His disciples about
people who really suffered, I.e. the Galileans and the people in the
tower of Siloam. He is asking His disciples whether these people were
bigger sinners than those who did not suffer like this.
LUK 13:1 There were present at that
season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with
their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were
sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye
that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
Then Jesus says something interesting: If you do not repent, the same
things will happen to you.
Here He was speaking to His disciples. In other words, they already
believed in Jesus Christ. So what repentance (thinking differently) was
Jesus talking about? Let us have a look at Daniel's three friends. Why
were his friends protected?
DAN 3:15 Now if ye be ready
that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall
down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye
worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you
out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O
king.
Look at these words: "Our God who we serve is able to deliver us from
the furnace". They said that their God was able to deliver them, and
even if He decided not to deliver them, they would still not worship
other gods. God saw their faith and protected them.
Just look what effect this had on the king:
DAN 3:26 Then
Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace,
and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of
the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
When our God protects us, the world sees this and they are
astonished. The same thing happened to Daniel, but just look at the way
the king acts now:
DAN 6:16 Then the king
commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of
lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou
servest continually, he will deliver thee.
The world learns quicker than the children of God. Here the
king already knew that God would protect Daniel, because he has seen the
same thing happening before (with Daniel's friends).
We need to think differently, otherwise we will perish just like the
people of the world, although we are Christians. Of course we will go to
heaven when we die, but the way we die is up to us. Think differently
and know that the God we serve will protect us - and He will.
This is not positive thinking, it is the God way of thinking (and I
have not seen Him think negative yet).
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