Repentance Toward Restoration
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19)
To many living in Israel, Jesus was seemingly a dead man and a false messiah. But the the disciples who knew the truth of the resurrection believed that this same risen Jesus, through faith in His Name, could still heal and save lives.
Peter and John had already seen 3000 new converts and were led by God to the temple gate where a certain lame man was begging for money. When they acted in faith and were used by God to heal this man, two immediate responses happened. This man started leaping and praising God and the people who witnessed this miracle were now confronted with the truth as to whether they would believe as well.
Ever since the Fall, mankind does not naturally think rightly about the things concerning God. The world has been under the sway of the evil one and thus we all can be easily deceived by false information, distracted with some form of false worship, or disillusioned with a false sense of identity. It is no wonder why both John the Baptist and Jesus both began to preach about the kingdom of God with the call to first repent.
Repentance is about changing one's mind and turning away from anything that leads our hearts astray so that we might turn toward our holy God in faith. When we truly repent, we move from a crooked path to a straight path, from darkness to light, and begin to see and hear things rightly. This is why there must always be the clear testimony of truth and a faithful witness concerning Christ.
When Christ rose from the dead, it changed the lives of His disciples forever. They forsook all and became living witnesses of the living Christ. Christ was continuing His mighty acts and His ministry through them. This first miracle of healing a lame man at the gate Beautiful was an undeniable act of God through the power of Christ. The religious people of the Jews had to deal with this supernatural event and Peter took the time to explain their ignorance in rejecting Jesus as their Messiah.
Peter boldly points out to these Jews that they were guilty of rejecting the truth and missing their Messiah when he says that: - YOU “delivered up and denied”. - YOU “denied the Holy One and the Just” - [YOU] “asked for a murderer to be granted to you” - [YOU] “killed the Prince of Life”
Even though they missed their Messiah at first, they could still believe in the testimony that was now being presented to them. Truth is 'what is' and when something is truly true people can still come to the realization of it even after they missed it the first time.
However, Satan is a deceiver. The devil doesn't just deliver us falsehood but takes "what is" and "what is not" and mixes them together to create the perfect recipe for deception. Many times people don't realize when they are being deceived. Ignorance is a moral blindness that still leaves a person guilty and responsible for sin even though they did not intend to miss the truth. Paul describes this spiritual condition this way, "having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart (Eph. 4:18).
Let us always remember that a first-time rejection DOES NOT MEAN a life-time rejection of Christ!
Anyone can come to Christ if they will humbly respond to God when they hear the truth and His Spirit begins to open their eyes. This is why God sent prophets throughout history and why Jesus is still sending His Church out today to be His faithful witnesses.
When people come to believe, these THREE TRUTHS will follow REPENTANCE: 1. Full Forgiveness - All your sins will be washed away! 2. Spiritual Refreshment - Your spirit will be revived! 3. True Restoration - Your fellowship will be restored! “so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” Acts 3:17
Since only the truth can set a person free, we must be willing to speak the truth in love to anyone who is deceived as we call them toward repentance and faith. We must never lose sight of our liberty in Christ and the high call to make Him known to the world.
But let us always start with our own hearts each day...
Are you in need to repentance in your life?
Are you missing being in close fellowship with the Lord?
ACTS IN ACTION" CHALLENGE POINT:
Ask God to show you where you need to repent of sin Believe that you can be set free from its bondage Confess God’s truth over this area of your life