Newsletter Feb 1, 2020

What do you think of when I say the word REPENT? Do imagine a man on a street corner shouting, waving his arms? Maybe, he is pointing his finger at you? That is one image, but what if you are a Christian, do you believe the message to repent is not for you? Sinners are not the only ones who need to turn back to God. Christians must also obey the call to repent.

Nominal Christians like to use grace as a free pass. They do what they want and will simply chalk up their bad behavior to simply being human.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Instead of Jesus shrugging his shoulders after stating the obvious, that we are weak, he gives a remedy: watch and pray.

The writer of Hebrews see grace differently,

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? Hebrew 10:29

Jesus’ sacrifice was not small thing and should not be treated as a small thing in the lives of believers.

God used prophets to call Israel, a nation who believed in God, to repentance. What are Christians to repent of? The same things Israel did. Here are three things Christians need to repent of.

Stop chasing worthless things

What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? Jeremiah 2:5

Christians spend equal amount of time binge watching their favorite shows as unbelievers. Watching your favorite shows are not sin in themselves, but constantly pursuing pleasure and entertainment is a pathway to becoming worthless to God and the work he has prepare for us to do.

Remember what God has saved you from .

They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt,

who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits,

in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’ Jeremiah 2:6

Believer need to remember what God has done for them. To not remember God’s grace an goodness, the horrible pit of sin God has brought us out of, and the new life He has given us is roadmap back to where we started. If you do not believe your sin was so bad, then your gratefulness will be muted. Repent and remember, often, what God as done for you.

And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. Jeremiah 2:7

God has given us so much He has put breath in our lungs, the ability to work, to love, to care, to serve and believers squander all these resources. If we, as followers of Jesus, are serious about seeing the world change we must first get serious about seeing ourselves change.

If you are serious about change, then repent. Yes repent of any sin, but more so, repent of squandering God’s grace and the time he has given you to make an impact upon a world that desperately needs Him.

There is a prayer we have prayed in our church, read it over, think it through, pray it out loud and then live like you believed that prayer with all your heart.

Be the King of my life. May my whole life be yours to rule. Be the King of every distracted and destructive part of me, every lustful thought, every ounce of hate and fear until your kingdom fills me. I surrender every well of evil inside of me, and I pray your kingdom will fill their place.

I pray your will to be done, your plan, your timing, and your way. Your will is better than mine and better than anyone’s. I am not just submitting to your will; I cry for it in my life. May your will be done in the earth of me!

V Rapture Christ Newsletter Feb 1, 2020

Repentance		Bereans
What do you think of when I say the word REPENT? Do imagine a man on a street corner shouting, waving his arms? Maybe, he is pointing his finger at you? That is one image, but what if you are a Christian, do you believe the message to repent is not for you? Sinners are not the only ones who need to turn back to God. Christians must also obey the call to repent. Nominal Christians like to use grace as a free pass. They do what they want and will simply chalk up their bad behavior to simply being human. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 Instead of Jesus shrugging his shoulders after stating the obvious, that we are weak, he gives a remedy: watch and pray. The writer of Hebrews see grace differently, How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? Hebrew 10:29 Jesus’ sacrifice was not small thing and should not be treated as a small thing in the lives of believers. God used prophets to call Israel, a nation who believed in God, to repentance. What are Christians to repent of? The same things Israel did. Here are three things Christians need to repent of. Stop chasing worthless things What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? Jeremiah 2:5 Christians spend equal amount of time binge watching their favorite shows as unbelievers. Watching your favorite shows are not sin in themselves, but constantly pursuing pleasure and entertainment is a pathway to becoming worthless to God and the work he has prepare for us to do. Remember what God has saved you from . They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’ Jeremiah 2:6 Believer need to remember what God has done for them. To not remember God’s grace an goodness, the horrible pit of sin God has brought us out of, and the new life He has given us is roadmap back to where we started. If you do not believe your sin was so bad, then your gratefulness will be muted. Repent and remember, often, what God as done for you. Remember what God has saved you to And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. Jeremiah 2:7 God has given us so much He has put breath in our lungs, the ability to work, to love, to care, to serve and believers squander all these resources. If we, as followers of Jesus, are serious about seeing the world change we must first get serious about seeing ourselves change. If you are serious about change, then repent. Yes repent of any sin, but more so, repent of squandering God’s grace and the time he has given you to make an impact upon a world that desperately needs Him. There is a prayer we have prayed in our church, read it over, think it through, pray it out loud and then live like you believed that prayer with all your heart. Father, Be the King of my life. May my whole life be yours to rule. Be the King of every distracted and destructive part of me, every lustful thought, every ounce of hate and fear until your kingdom fills me. I surrender every well of evil inside of me, and I pray your kingdom will fill their place. I pray your will to be done, your plan, your timing, and your way. Your will is better than mine and better than anyone’s. I am not just submitting to your will; I cry for it in my life. May your will be done in the earth of me!		Christ wants us to do what He tells us. However, a lot of what preachers say is wrong. How can we be sure? Bereans would search out the scriptures to see what the truth really is. They serve as an example for us. I believe that we should do like wise. Let us search for all the truth and hold on to what is good for us.