Repent

February 22, 2023

I’ve done some of my best sermons at revivals. As the guest preacher, I knew it was my duty to do my very best. I wish more had responded to the ‘altar call’. What makes a good revival sermon, one that will inspire changed lives?

As we listen to news of a dramatic revival going on at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, it seems the message was simple, “Repent.” It had little to do with the speaker’s eloquent speech; all seem to agree this was God’s doing. It seems students and visitors were ready for that message and were eager to repent of the ways they had slipped in their relationship with God.

Wasn’t that the same message brought by John the Baptist many centuries ago, that had the same dramatic results? People came from long distances, responding to John’s message by stepping forward for baptism. Jesus also preached that same simple message as he began his ministry, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

To repent, in a religious sense, means to turn around, to head exactly in God’s direction, to get aligned with God. For some this means a complete turnaround from the direction they are heading. For others it’s less dramatic but nonetheless a serious realignment of priorities.

When we carefully consider how well we’re aligned with the direction God wants us to go, we all need to repent. It can be heartbreaking to realize how we’ve misused God’s mercy. Our lives long to be in right-standing with God.

Don’t wait for a Revival church service to change your life dramatically. Try a bit of self-examination. Repentance is a giant step forward.

“From that time Jesus began to preach this message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Matthew 4:17