Taking A Pause, Part 3 of 4

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2: 37,38

When most people who have been around and associated with a New Testament church hear the term “repent,” the above referenced verse comes to mind when thinking about the experience of salvation. Repentance is not a foreign term in the Bible. John the Baptist was synonymous with ushering in the ministry of repentance as a foreshadow of the ministry of Christ. John also does an excellent job of explaining what the “fruits” or attributes of repentance are in Luke 3: 7-14.

This series is about taking a pause in life. It counters the common thought of a New Years resolution. Resolutions, by contrast, can be fleeting due to circumstances and oftentimes the lack of real commitment to the resolution. However, taking a pause or “Selah” is a time for one to reflect, reassess and if need be repent. The repentance that we are about to discuss here is not necessarily a repentance from sinful situations or a life filled with sin (That is absolutely necessary to enter into the kingdom of God). However, what about if you are already in the kingdom? Do we still need to repent?

Repent

One of the most familiar scripture passages in the Bible can be found in Luke 15: 11-32. It is a passage commonly referred to as the story of the prodigal son. Embedded in this account is a passage that vividly explains the repentance that we are talking about in this blog post.

And when he came to himself …

Luke 15: 17

The real essence of repentance is coming to ourselves. In a church service, we often think of this time during an alter call service. Oftentimes the emotions are high and there is a pulling at the “heartstrings” of those that tend to be emotionally sensitive. It is those individuals that “work their way” to an alter of prayer to “get their needs met.” This is. very acceptable and right in maintaining a sensitivity to God and his drawing. However, if that individual who goes to the alter does not “come to his or herself” then it is an emotional move only with no real change and therefore no real repentance. It takes God’s Spirit to effectively draw and to effectively help us to come to ourselves.

We are three-fold beings; having body, soul and spirit. The thought of coming to ourselves needs to engage our entire being. An emotional service may appeal to our spirit or emotions but may have no effect on our body and soul. When the prodigal came to himself, his whole being was affected. He was physically, spiritually and emotional hungry or better yet famished. It took that condition in his life to completely yearn for a to return to his father’s house.

The only effective form of repentance is when we entirely come to ourselves. Whether that is repentance unto salvation or it is during our time of pause. When we reflect and reassess (as discussed in Taking A Pause, Part 1 of 4 and Taking A Pause, Part 2 of 4), and if we are honest, this will lead to a time of “coming to ourselves.” There may not be sin. However, if we want to see growth and maturity within our lives, a honest coming to ourselves is necessary. Again, it may not be sin, but how are we treating other’s? How are the relationships that we have with family, friends and/or co-workers? Do we easily “fly off the handle” when things don’t go our way? Do we always have to control every situation that we are in? Are we always right?

These may not be sinful attributes warring against our character. However, in our Selah, what do we see? More importantly what is God showing us? Do we even want to see or take the time to see? The pause can be a difficult thing to do in our busy lives. Taking time to reassess, reflect and come to ourselves, can take much effort; especially if we are not inclined to do so. Oftentimes we need to drown out the noise. Sometimes, we find comfort in the noise because we do not want to really come to ourselves and see what God may be wanting to show us.

The prodigal, at first, did not want to see and partake in what his father truly had for him. He clearly did not want his father’s lifestyle. However, it took for him to become completely void of his whole being before he was willing to repent. He came to himself, wholly, and he turned back to his father’s house. In our lives, the same thing must happen. Whether it’s unto salvation or even during a time of pause, we not only need to come to ourselves but we need to turn back to our Father’s house. That might mean mending relationships. That might mean asking the Father for help with a bad temper or moodiness. That might mean submitting our will to God’s will. That might mean an acknowledgement that we are not the smartest person “in the room.” These are all fruits or attributes of coming to ourselves and turning.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5: 17

Paul speaks of the christian life as being a present and up-to-date life in this passage. Once we truly repent and accept Christ as our lives, we are new creatures, in the present. The old things, including our old lives, are no longer in the present. All things in our lives are become new. In other words, it’s still a present-day experience but it is also progressive. “Are become new” speaks to lives that continue to reflect, reassess and completely come to ourselves, on a continual basis. And yes, when necessary, lives that turn away from those things that hinder a true relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. By this definition of repentance, there is an initial state of repentance unto salvation and there is a continual “repentance” that keeps us cleansed from those things that would try to get us to turn back: not a repentance of dead works or sins but a turning away from hindrances that keep us from living to our fullest potential.

Coming to ourselves takes an honest heart. Turning takes a willing and committed heart! … Selah.

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash