Whatever happened to repentance? You rarely hear the word mentioned in most churches today — even in Baptist, Pentecostal or evangelical circles. Pastors nowadays seldom call for their congregations to sorrow over sin — to mourn and grieve over wounding Christ by their wickedness.
Instead, the message we hear from many pulpits today is, "Just believe. Accept Christ, and you'll be saved." The text used to justify this message is Acts 16:30-31.
What I am about to say may shock you - but I believe it with all my heart: The hardest hearts in this world are not among the ungodly - but among God's people!
I want to talk to you about two very important aspects of repentance:
The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I am convinced repentance is not just for sinners, but also for believers. It is not simply a one-time thing, but something God's people are called to do until Jesus returns.
One of the most often-heard phrases in the church is, "God answers prayer!" Yet that is only half the truth. The whole truth is, "God overanswers prayer!"
I want to act now as a lawyer before you. I'm going to build a case that will prove to you that in every generation - all through the Bible and continuing to the present day - God always overanswers the prayers of His children. He continually gives much more than we ask for - and often things we wouldn't think to request!
I am learning something very wonderful about the Holy Spirit. He has a very unique characteristic: He does not like to talk about Himself. He does not make Himself the primary object of our attention.
A number of converted witches are going about the country today, warning that Satanists and practicing witches are infiltrating the church — especially charismatic churches. Some of these former witches have authored books telling of a diabolical plot by evil witches to enter congregations posing as super-spiritual Christians. Their purpose is to deceive and shipwreck pastors and to lead multitudes of naive believers into occult worship.
I can't read the Book of Acts without feeling very much ashamed! The apostles lived and ministered in the realm of the miraculous. Even the laymen like Stephen and Philip, men who served tables, were mighty in the Holy Ghost, working miracles and stirring entire cities. Who can read the Book of Acts without awe and wonder at the miracles God worked for them and among them? Angels appeared to them, unlocked their chains, and walked them out of high security prisons. They had mighty visions, clear and detailed.
"…glorify thou me with thine own self…" (John 17:5).
No man can rightly define glory, any more than he can define God. Glory is the fullness of God, and that is a subject too high for our finite minds. Yet, we do know in part.
When God gives His glory, He gives Himself. He cannot parcel Himself out in pieces — no man receives a portion, but all. The one who receives His love also gets His mercy, His holiness, and His strength. The one who receives His mercy also gets His love and all else that is the fullness of God.
The day of the fury of the Lord has not yet come, but it is fast approaching. The burning up of this earth and the passing away of the heavens, so clearly predicted in the Bible, are continually drawing nearer.
God has been warning mankind for centuries that the whole of universal nature will be turned into a heap of ruins. A mighty cosmic conflagration will cause the framework of creation to explode into fragments.
