Repentance - What It Really Means!

Another great inspirational word this week from Pastor Andy Elmes, who spoke about repentance. He pointed out that that word can have a negative and judgmental aspect but that our loving and gentle Father only wants good for us. He just wants us to turn away from the purgatory, pain and anguish that the devil has in store and to bring us into forgiveness, mercy and grace.

While Pastor Andy was speaking about repentance and ultimate forgiveness, he said that when God has foriven our sins and we accept Him as our Lord we turn from our old ways, but we don't always do a full 180° turn. For some just turning away is enough, you've seen the error of your ways but carry on your life in much the same way, aware of the sins of your past and resisting them but still not giving yourself over, surrendering 100% to the Lord's will. 

That's all well and good for some of us but others, like me, want more than that for their lives. To experience the fullness of God's plan for us we have to turn fully towards Him, follow His plans, do His bidding, knowing that this is the way to truly honour Jesus's sacrifice. A half-turn won't do! We need to seek God's countenance and His guidance and experience His great love for us all.

We need to see that repentance isn't a negative; it's a positive start to our journey in Christ. When we fully repent, we are saying that we realise that we were living for our own selfish wants and desires but that now we see how empty and meaningless those desires were and want something richer and more fulfilling. By turning from our old lives and turning towards God we are seeking a new life in Him. A life in abundance!

And when we have repented, turned and have seen the light we start to think and feel differently. Ezekiel 36:26 says "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." We start to see that while we live here on this world we are no longer a part of it, that we are now part of God's Kingdom. Romans 12:2 says "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

We will find ourselves re-evaluating everithing and every one around us, but we must not judge others. That is not our responsibility and not what God wants. Jesus has instructed us to love not only ourselves and our neighbours but also our enemies. Those that have harmed us or given offence in some way. We are called to forgive them, pray for them, love them.

I speak from experience when I say that this is not an easy thing to do, but when you do, it will lift a tremendous weight from your heart. I have had cause to forgive others that have caused me pain and anxiety, and when I did, I felt so much better and happier! However there is one enemy that it is the hardest of all to forgive - ourselves! This is probably because we are very often our own worst enemy! Take heart people! Remember that when we came to Christ we said a prayer of redemption and salvation - so if He can forgive us, then we definitely need to do so, too. Micah 7:18-19 "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." 

Our sins, the chains that bound us and held us captive, are gone. Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Repentance, therefore, is giving yourself a chance for something much better for your mind, your heart and your soul! I think we can all give that a huge...

AMEN!

No Middle Ground!

I have just heard a great message from our Senior Pastor's daughter, Olivia Elmes! The question she posed today is "What do we believe about the Gospel?" She was asking what we truly believe - not what we think, or what we may have heard or been told, but what we believe in our hearts and souls to be the truth! 

To understand the question we first need to understand the meaning of belief! The dictionary gives this description:

1. 1.

   an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.
2. 2.

   trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something).

It's something that comes from the very core of your being and is not just a passing thought. Thoughts and feelings can be easily changed but belief is not so easily persuaded. It comes from knowing the truth which starts in your head and then travels to your heart and deep into your very soul.

I BELIEVE THAT GOD LOVES ME, CHERISHES ME AND WANTS ME AS A COMPANION AND FRIEND!

I remember when I finally came to see the light of God's truth, that Sunday morning when I raised my hand in response to the prayer of salvation. It hit me like a lightning bolt! Suddenly my heart had hope and an immense weight was lifted from my soul! I cried tears of pure joy that day!

Before that day I had thought I would go to Heaven just because I was a good person, kind to children and animals, and involved in charitable works. I had thought myself a believer - but now I see that I really didn't know God and His heart for me! I didn't truly believe!

Now I see that there is no middle ground. You are either all in or all out! Olivia said that she pictured a great chasm opening up in the ground and I really like this image. You have to be on one side of it or the other because if you are straddling that chasm you are going to fall into the pit! There is literally no middle ground!

Come on people! Open your eyes! Look at what's happening in the world around you. It's collapsing in on itself and spiralling out of control. There is so much negativity along with wars, persecution, prejudice, sickness, famine, floods. droughts, starvation and death all over this world. You see it everywhere you turn!

The good news is that the Gospel is true! You can find salvation, peace and eternal life, but only in Jesus Christ, our Saviour! He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

In the Old Testament people would need to offer up a sacrifice to have their sins forgiven, but would have to do that over and over again because this was only a temporary measure - rather like sticking a plaster on a gaping wound that will never heal - all because of the fall of Adam which had given mankind a nature of sin. 

Then Jesus came to Earth, lived alongside us as a mortal man and eventually died on the cross, as the Final Sacrifice, to wash away all sin and shame, and to defeat death through His resurrection. Because of Him we now have the Holy Spirit living inside us and all our sins are not just temporarily covered over but completely obliterated as though they never happened.

We are healed from that sinful nature we once had and have been resurrected along with Jesus. He has brought us out of the darkness of sin and shame into His glorious light and we need Him now more than ever. So I declare this in His mighty name:

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (gentile).

Believe this! Repent of your sins and turn to the only one who truly loves you with an all-consuming passion - without question, unconditionally and eternally! Experience God's agapē love for yourself!

If you want to know more about our church please go to the website at www.family.church or to the Family Church page on Facebook where you can also find and download our app. Check it out! It turned my life around and it could do the same for you!

God bless you all!