Acts 26:20 but declared ... that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
We are very glad that you are able to join us today! The Lord is at work in your life to do something wonderful. He will change your life like no one and nothing else can. We are thrilled at the prospects of what can be as you give your life to the Lord continually. The Lord is a perfect God. His laws and his ways are perfect. When we humans conduct our lives in ways that conform to God’s perfect will, we experience to that same degree the beauty of his love & presence, his favor & protection, his abundance & his peace. But to the extent that we refuse to honor his authority in our lives and choose lifestyles that are contrary to God’s perfect laws & ways, we suffer the loss of the experience of the abundant life that God has always wanted us to enjoy. Our theme today is True Repentance. This is not in any way a minor topic, but is, in fact, a major theme of Scripture. Repentance is so important because we all tend to go in wrong directions, away from God, and seeking what we think will make us happy. We end up disappointed, lonely, broken, empty, or wounded. Where things seem to be going as we planned, it is wise to realize that we are just living on borrowed time because of the mercy of God, but the judgment of God on sin will catch up with us, and it may be sooner than we think. The devil has somehow succeeded in bringing confusion as to the meaning and implications of true repentance. Our sinful nature and unrenewed souls (mind, emotions, will) conspire to get us to run away from a true surrender to the Lord. So today we ask the Lord to enlighten us and change us through a clear revelation of what repentance really is. Some people think they are repenting, but they are not as far as the true definition of repentance is concerned. Other people feel that they have made peace with God or people, but their motives/attitudes or actions show that they have merely been pursuing selfish personal agenda. May the Lord change you and me today as we understand what true repentance is and act according to the words of God that we will hear! There is true peace and genuine happiness for those who truly honor the Lord and submit to his authority. Lathur Badoy