Repentance

REPENTANCE WHO NEEDS IT?

Capt Ben Marler

This may shock you and I hope it does as this may save your life. I am not speaking of this life on Earth but the one to come. It is surprising to me how many people call themselves Christians but have little idea what the word means. I suspect the cause is a lack of repentance before they claimed a faith in Jesus Christ. I praise God for the Passion of the Christ movie because it is so helpful in bringing true salvation to the masses as they see in graphic scenes what crucifixion meant.

Repentance is a word that means more than "I’m sorry." It is a word that means to turn around and go the other way. It also should reveal a deep feeling of remorse due to the fact we have all sinned against Almighty God and there is a price to pay for it. Did you know very few people speak of hell today unless they are angry and say to someone, "Go to hell." If they knew what the Bible says about this horrible place they wouldn’t want their worse enemy to go there. There will never be a jail break from hell and there is never a time of pardon to those who will suffer for ever with the devil and his unholy angels for which it was made.

Jesus spoke of this place when he told a story about a man named Lazarus. This poor fellow was sickly with open sores on his body. He hung out at a rich mans door hoping to get table scraps to keep himself alive. When he died an angel of God took him into Father Abraham’s bosom where he was comforted. Then the rich man, who lived a wanton life of carelessness towards his fellow man, died. Jesus said he awoke in flames that did not consume him. In his agony he spotted Lazarus and Abraham far away. When he cried out for Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in some cold water and come cool his parched lips he was told it was impossible for him to go there and for him to come where he and Lazarus stood.

I will not put the full account here in hopes you will go to your Bible and read it for yourself. You will find the words in the Gospel of Luke 16: 19-31. As you will see the rich man was sorry but it was too late. He also wanted his brothers to repent so they too wouldn’t spend eternity in hell. This was an admirable desire but it didn’t do him any good.

In my opinion, it is impossible to repent without viewing the suffering of Christ in your spirit. Only God can allow this and I am praying that you have been brought to the place where you realize how each blow from the fists of the Roman soldiers, each brutal lash from the scourge which removed bits of flesh from Jesus along with the nails and crown of thorns were payment for your sins. Yes, they were for mine too and I have repented and shed many tears over the thousands of times I disobeyed God. I am so ashamed of my past and now, I don’t look back at them except to glance. He said those who look back are not worthy of the Kingdom of God.

He wants us to embrace His Son Jesus each morning rejoicing over the fact that Jesus has paid our way into a permanent relationship with Almighty God. My repentance and the acceptance of Jesus’ atoning working on the cross as my own allowed Him to accept me as an adopted son.

When I asked Jesus to come and live in my heart in May of 1971 He came, because my heart had been washed and prepared for Him. His Blood shed at Calvary had washed away my sins but my tears of repentance were necessary to wash the throne chair upon which I had been sitting.

Jesus does not come within us to compete with our will. If He did, the Father could not use us. The Bible tells us, "The sons of God are those who follow the Spirit of God." When we accept Christ, it is His Spirit that indwells us. Do you remember the words, "Greater is He that is within you than he [the devil] who is in the world?" Do you think we can walk with God and follow our own desires for this world too?

If you do, I would kindly suggest you know about God but may still not know Him. I am an expert in this area as I was a "christian" for 33 years before God brought me to a place of repentance. Trust me in this please, I had so much to repent for that my tears were enough to wash my face. I did not know that there were that many within me. When I asked Jesus to come within me I had an experience, Glory! I would bet that most who read this can not say the same thing. Today, many are making numbers to swell their rolls instead of making disciples.

Disciples follow their Master Jesus wherever He leads. We stay ready to obey Him and can hear Him because He, the Holy Spirit, is within us. I find that He uses me almost daily and each time I am thrilled. It doesn’t matter what the cost I am ready to do it because Jesus died for me. I deserve hell and its "eternal hellishness". I am so grateful for God’s mercy and grace and I want others to know it too. How can I sit back and watch the lost trudge on towards hell?

When he sent me to minister in the county jail back in the 1970s I know I must have inoculated many who said they wanted to become a Christian. I saw very few tears and did not understand at the time what I know now. These criminals just wanted a "pass". All of them wanted to escape the coming judgment; not only by the State of Florida but God’s judgment too. At least they understood there was one. But I know I didn’t preach the cross as I should have and I deeply regret it. "The cross is the power of God unto repentance." Jesus died in such a horrible way so we could understand how seriously God looks at our sins. Had He chosen a less brutal way to sacrifice His Son how many of us would truly be sorry for them?

Are you willing to meditate upon the suffering of Jesus? It doesn’t matter what you call yourself. Some call themselves, Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics etc. That really doesn’t count in the end. What does God call you? Does He call you His own adopted son, born again of the Holy Spirit of Jesus? If He does, I know two things about you without meeting you. First you are serious about your relationship with Him. Two, you are not a religious person. Instead you are a caring, loving, sensitive, gentle, generous person who prays constantly and seeks fellowship with those who are like you, always on call to Jesus.

If you read the Bible daily you will grow in your faith. If you have even as much as a mustard seed of faith nothing is impossible for you because, Faith is really knowing Jesus. He told me that one day when I asked for another definition of faith. I didn’t like Hebrews 11:1 and He honored me with one I could understand and share. Your faith is the lifeline to God. He will amply supply you with more as you use up what you have. I bet you never thought about it that way but faith is like money. When we spend ours we need more constantly. Or, at least I do.

Today I trust you will repent if you haven’t already and join me and millions of others who are reaching out to those perishing within our sight. Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest that He might send forth workers like us into the fields white for harvest. With the Passion movie showing could the fields be more white? I am praying that at least one billion people will see it.