What is Repentance?

In the New Testament, John the Baptist began his public ministry, as did Jesus, with a call to repentance (Matthew 3:1-2; Matthew 4:17). When Jesus sent forth messengers to proclaim his gospel, he commanded them to preach repentance (Luke 24:47; Mark 6:12). Teachings on repentance are found in the New Testament in Peter, (Acts 2:38); Paul, (Acts 20:21). God wants everyone to repent (2 Pet. 3:9; Acts 17:30). Indeed, failure on the part of man to heed God's call to repentance means that he shall utterly perish (Luke 13:3).

So what is repentance? What does it mean to repent? Let us see from the example of little 5-year old Jason. One day, he broke his older sister’s art work while playing with it. Atsi was very angry and frustrated because she still has to submit that work to be graded at school. Jason was told earlier not to touch Atsi’s things. So Jason was clearly in the wrong. But he was truly sorry for what he did. How do we know he is repentant? Repentance involves the following:

Recognition of one’s own sin as sin. Jason knew that it was wrong to play with Atsi’s things. He knew and acknowledged that he broke the artwork. Even if he claimed that it was an accident, he knew it could have prevented it if he did not touch it in the first place.

Remorse. He was sorry for it. He apologized to Atsi several times. He was also sad.

Desisting from sin. He promised not to do it again. And for several days, he really stayed away from Atsi’s things.

Restitution. He tried to help Atsi do her artwork again. At first they tried to repair the damage to the original work, but the results were not nice so they started all over again. Jason helped by fetching things needed for the work.

Confession. He did not try to hide his mistake. He did not wait for Atsi to tell mommy. He told mommy about it when she came home. And he also said sorry to God during their family bedtime prayer.

Vital Signs of a Healthy Church

1. Presence of unity and harmony. Though the church is composed of many members, everyone can settle differences in a peaceful manner and work together as one body toward our common goal of glorifying our God.(1Cor 12:12, John 17:20-23, Eph 4:1-6)

2. Absence of favoritism, status and prejudice. There should be no ‘second class’ citizens nor ‘preferred customers’ in the church. Each one is treated the same way, regardless of appearance, race, gender, career or financial status.(Gal 3:26-28)

3. Emphasis on individual dignity and mutual variety. Each person possesses unique talents & gifts which could be different from another person in the church. Therefore each member of the church is special and can contribute differently, complementing each other to build up the body of Christ. (1Cor 12:14-20)

4. De-emphasis on independence and self-sufficiency. Each member of the body cannot function alone. Each person cannot attain spiritual maturity alone. We need the help of God firstly, and then, the fellowship of other Christian brothers and sisters, as accountability partners, as small group partners, etc. (1 Cor 12: 21-23)

5. Supportive members. When a member is hurt, other members can empathize and provide support. When a member triumphs, other members rejoice with him. (1Cor 12:25-26)

6. Exaltation of Christ as Head and Supreme Authority. The church – the Body has only one head – Jesus Christ. The church therefore should be doing what He commissioned us to do. (1 Cor 12:27)



Reference: Growing Deep in the Christian Life by Charles Swindoll, Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

What is a Church?

A church is a creation of Christ. He builds His church (Matt 16:18) using Spirit-directed pastors and leaders (Eph 4:11-13) and arranges members in it according to His will (1Cor 12:18). Therefore spiritual leaders and members should have respect for the pastor and every member God has placed in their church.

A church is a living body of Christ with many members (1Cor 12:27). The church is not a building or an organization. It is a group of people built up into a body.

A church is uniquely related to Christ as Head of the body (Eph 1:22; 4:15-16). All matters in a church are to come under His lordship.

Members of a church are uniquely related to every other member of the church (Eph 4:11-16; 1 Cor 12). All members are interdependent on one another. All members need each other.

A church is on mission with Christ in our world carrying out the Father’s redemptive purpose. (Matt 28:18-20; 2Cor 5:17-20) “We are God’s fellow workers.” (1 Cor 3:9)

Throughout the New Testament, God expresses some of His desires for the church.

1. God wants His people to be holy and pure.

“Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Pet 1:14-16

2. God wants His people to display unity.

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Eph 4:3)

3. God wants His people to love each other.

“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another…Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth…This is His command: to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.” 1 John 3:11, 18, 23)



Excerpted from: Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby & Claude King, 1990. pp.163, 164.

At Your Service!

Imagine yourself as the manager of your office, or the mistress of your house. If your factory worker or your housemaids are not doing their jobs, What would you say to them? What would you do? At the end of your life here on earth, you will stand before God. He will evaluate how you have lived your life, how you have served Him. Will He say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant?” and reward you with many crowns; or will you be full of excuses? “I was too busy…”

What is holding us back from serving God?

God has already given you talents and abilities – which we call gifts - and everything else you need in order to do His work. You just have to discover them.

How?

Listen to your heart. What is your passion? What is it you love to do? What do you enjoy doing? Is it singing? You can volunteer in the choir. Do you love being around children? Volunteer to teach in the children’s ministry.

Use your abilities. What is it you’re able to do? What are your talents? Do people naturally tell you their problems? Be a counselor. Are you a good encourager? Volunteer to do house visits. If you are not sure, you can experiment with different areas of service. You’re not going to know what you’re good at unless you try it first. So go ahead and volunteer. You will discover many things about yourself in the process.

Consider your personality. Get feedbacks from people close to you. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you like routine or variety? Do you like working with people or by yourself? After you’ve evaluated yourself, you can choose which ministry will fit your personality.

Examine your experiences. God gave you different experiences of joy and pleasure, pain and disappointments for you to learn from them and for you to use them for His glory. Consider how God would want you to use those experiences to serve others.

Pay attention to needs. When the pastor announces the need for people in this or that ministry, volunteer! Opportunities to serve never last long. Many people never serve because they fear that they may make mistakes or that they are not ‘good enough’ to serve. But you see, God does not expect perfect work. He does expect faithful work though. Go ahead and talk with our church pastors. Tell them you are available to do whatever work that needs to be done.

Serve the Lord with gladness. Serve the Lord with a grateful heart. Serving the Lord, our God and Savior is the highest use of our lives. Know that God has promised honor and reward for those who serve Him.