TerryLema

Repent! Gk: Metanoeo:  It means “to perceive afterwards, implying to change.” Think of it as making a “Spiritual U-Turn.”

If you read Jesus’ messages to the seven churches in Revelation Chapters 2 & 3, you will see the word “repent” used eight times. The only churches not called upon to repent are Smyrna and Philadelphia.  Poor Ephesus and Thyatira are each told twice to “repent!”

Whether we recognize it or not, the call to repent is still very much alive today.  It is a call for repentance of both personal and corporate sin. As seekers for God’s presence to awaken the church, there must be a strong recognition of sin.

While the sin of our nation may not be mine personally, it is mine by association. I am a Christian and I am a citizen.  Just as Nehemiah, Samuel, Daniel, Moses, and other intercessors identified with their nation in their day – and interceded in repentance – so must we if we want to see a spiritual awakening.

Repentance, as I said, requires a convicting awareness of sin. Unfortunately, we do not talk much about sin anymore. We talk about personal choices and discuss gray areas of behavior and attitudes. Sin and obedience are words that are disappearing from our vocabulary – even in the church!

It’s time to resurrect them, beloved. If we don’t have an awareness of what it means to obey God, or a conviction about the consequences of disobeying God (sin), we will not have a spiritual awakening.  Honestly, I’m tired of slumbering through life.

To my own heart I say, Awaken! Repent!

Every now and again I see a verse that simply reminds me of what we have in Christ Jesus – all those benefits for which Psalm 103 tells us to “Bless the Lord, O My Soul and do not forget!”  One such verse was part of my daily reading this week.

“He Himself [Jesus] bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” [1 Peter 2:24-25 HCSB]

Jesus bore the punishment for our sins.  We have been healed by His wounds.  The Great Shepherd has found us and brought us into His flock.  He now guards our souls.

Just those four benefits alone should be enough to bless the Lord down through the ages.  I especially love the one that “guards my soul.” Heaven knows I tend to expose it so often to things that would damage it without that protection.

Too often, beloved, we approach God constantly demanding to be blessed. There is no doubt that we are blessed by God abundantly, but instead of grateful thanksgiving and blessing God for all He’s done, we act like little children in a toy store focused on getting the next toy.

Maybe it’s time we bless (praise and worship) our Shepherd and Guardian of our souls more abundantly.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.”  [Ps 103:1-2 NKJV]

My son became a head football coach at a high school in California a year ago. He is rebuilding a program.  Recently he posted a recruitment call for young men who want to be a part of that team rebuilding. He wrote the following:

“Plenty of people want to join something, and less have the resolve to set out to build something.  We are building, brick by brick. It won’t happen overnight, and it won’t be easy. But at the end of the day, building men who understand character and resolve is what it’s about.”

When I read that I thought about our church, Christian Faith Center (CFC) Middleton. We are having our Grand Opening next Sunday. I thought about all the wonderful people who arrive early and gather in the lobby before services to re-commit themselves once again to being part of “building” that church in Middleton, Idaho. They are excited to be there. You can tell by all the laughter, love, and hugs!

When I pastored The Way on that site, there were always people who came for the first time “looking” for what we had to offer them. They wanted to “join” a church that had all the resources and programs to meet their needs. We didn’t, so they often went elsewhere.

Then there were the other ones who came and wanted to know how they could be part of the church and help it grow. There was always a place for them.

Builders or Joiners? Where’s your heart?

“Their (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers) responsibility is to equip GOD’S PEOPLE TO DO HIS WORK AND BUILD UP THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST.” [Ephesians 4:12 NLT Emphasis mine]

The stone is STILL rolled away!

The tomb is STILL empty!

The LORD Christ Jesus is STILL resurrected!

Jesus STILL sits at the Right Hand of the Father!

Jesus STILL holds the keys of death and the grave!

Nothing has changed from that first Resurrection Morning!

Nothing will ever change from that first Resurrection Morning!

 Jesus STILL has the victory!

I am a saved, forgiven, child of God! Every day is resurrection day now!

Amen & Amen

I always think of this day as Silent Saturday. Jesus’ body is in the tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers. The disciples are huddled in the Upper Room for fear that they will be next to be arrested and crucified.

The women are silently preparing the anointing spices so that when the Passover is completed, they can anoint the body of their friend.

I think Mary must have been stunned as she witnessed her son die, the one who was prophesied would save His people.

Peter must have been in agony knowing that he had, just as Jesus said he would, denied Him three times.

Silent Saturday. A day without hope.

A day when shock probably drove the remembrance of Jesus words from their thoughts. “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.”

Silent Saturday. All those who loved Jesus must have thought Silent Saturday would go on forever … but it would not!

Tomorrow, everything in all creation will change forever. Resurrection Life is only hours away.

I was reminded about the groups of people gathered around the cross. There were the ones who loved Jesus and stood weeping. Scripture tells us of John, the beloved disciple, Jesus’ mother, and a few other women who had gathered.

Then there were those who hated Jesus and who mocked and cursed, shouting hateful things to a man who had done nothing but good – just because He didn’t fit their idea of what the Messiah should be.

There was also a third group, the Romans Soldiers. For them, this was just a job to get finished, they couldn’t care less about the men on those crosses, they were just indifferent.

But as I thought about those groups a few years ago, I heard the LORD say something that stopped me short.  He said, “don’t be so sure you would have been among the weepers.”

Those words pierced my soul. If I had been there, would my heart have been tender, or would it have been hardened or indifferent?

Of course, NOW my heart has been softened by God, and if I saw this happening today, I would weep. But I know that my heart was hard and desperately wicked before Christ changed me. I have come to accept that I just may have been among those who cursed.  That is an extremely humbling thought.

Today I am so grateful for the salvation Christ purchased that gave me a new heart, soft and tender before God. I am so much more in love with my Savior than I have ever been. Today, I am standing among the weepers.

Thank you, Lord.