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"Repentance"
Acts 26:19,20
Jesus said, except you repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke
13:1-5 there were present at that season some that told him of
the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these
Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they
suffered such things? I tell you, nay: but except you repent,
ye shall all likewise perish. Or these eighteen, upon whom the
tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, nay: but except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
John the Baptist came preaching repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus came preaching repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand Mark 1:15 - Matt. 4:17. Jesus
came to bring sinners to repentance Matt. 9:13. Matt. 3:1-12 in
those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of
Judaea, and saying, repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand. For this is he that was spoken of the prophet Esaias saying,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his path straight. And the same John
had his raiment of camels hair, and a leathern girdle about his
loins; and his meat was locust and wild honey. "Then went
out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round
about Jordan, confessing their sins." But
when he saw many of the Pharisees and Saducees come to his baptism,
he said unto them, o generation of vipers, who hath warned you
to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits,
meet for repentance : and think not to say within yourselves,
we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is
able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And
now also the ax is laid, unto the root of the trees: therefore
every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,
and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he
will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
We must have John the Baptist type of repentance,
before we are ready to go any further, when we have old fashioned
John the Baptist repentance, then and only then are we ready
for baptism. Repentance is asking God to forgive us of our
sins, baptism is for the remission of our sins. Then and only
then are we ready to receive the Holy Ghost, and until we have
completed all three steps, or all three trimesters of the birth
we are not in the kingdom of God. Some would say you must
get saved first. We use the word saved too loosely, because
we are not actually saved until we have endured until the end.
Matt. 24:13; Mark 13:13. He that endureth to the end the same
shall be saved. Either death or the rapture when we endure to
the end then we are saved. Until then we are in a saved condition.
Matt. 10:22. John 15:1 - if we abide in the vine we will be saved,
if we don't we will be a cast away. John 15:1-10; See Revelation
22:11, Revelation 21:27.
Ezekiel 3:17-21 Son of Man, I have made thee
a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at
my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked,
thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest
to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the
same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will
I require at thine hand.
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not
from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in
his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his
righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block
before him, he shall die; because thou hast not given him warning,
he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done
shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine
hand.
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that
the "righteous sin not" and he doth not sin,
he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered
thy soul.
We must keep our lives clean before God. It is
possible to fall away and be a castaway.
Paul said I fear lest when I preach to others,
that I myself should be a castaway. I Corin. 9:27. We must get
back to the book of Acts Plan of Salvation if we are to have the
power of God working with us. Old time repentance is a must.
Then after we repent, I mean truly repent, clean up the
temple, then it is imperative that we be filled with the Holy
Ghost like they did in Acts 2:1-4, because in Luke 11:24-26, Jesus
said, when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh
through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith,
I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh,
he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to
him, seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter
in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse
than the first. See also Matt. 12:43-45.
The Holy Ghost only fills empty vessels. A person
need not seek the Holy Ghost until the vessel is clean, empty
vessels. The Holy Ghost will not dwell in an unclean temple. I
Corin. 3:17, if any man defile the temple of God, him will God
destroy. So it is important to stay full of the Holy Ghost.
Matt. 9:16,17.
Once saved, always saved, is just not true,
Ezekiel 18:20-32. The soul that sinneth it shall die, see Ezekiel
33:1-20.
Acts 2:38 repent, and be baptized every
one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. Luke 24:47 And that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations
beginning at Jerusalem. This was obeyed in Acts 2:36-41. If we
had more old fashioned John the Baptist repentance, we would see
more book of Acts Holy Ghost Christians. Except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish - Luke 13:1-5. We need to put the old
mourners bench back in the churches. When we rebuild the altar
that was broken down, then we will see the fire of God fall and
consume the sacrifice. I Kings 18:30-39. The God that answers
by fire, let him be God. The American church needs to repent from
the pulpit to the pew. But until we do we will never see book
of Acts revival. We will just continue to dance around the altar
of Baal, and actually accomplish nothing.
We must get rid of pride, and weep between the
porch and the altar, and rend our hearts and not our garments,
and say spare thy people O Lord. Joel 2:12-17.
At a conference there
were five different speakers from foreign countries that were
having great revivals. They were all asked to speak on the subject
of why they were in such great revival, and what was needed in
this country for great revival.
Neither speaker knew the other, and they spoke
in different languages, and had to have interpreters, they all,
each one without fail, said, American Christians are full of pride
and needed to repent, from the preacher to the least member in
the pew.
Jesus said, if my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn
from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive
their sins, and heal their land.
If the preachers will preach repentance, the
people will repent. But if we always preach to make people feel
good all the time, it's not good. Sometimes preachers need to
show the people their sins. Isaiah 58:1 - God said, cry aloud,
spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people
their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
If the preachers will preach repentance, people
will repent. If they preach the Holy Ghost, people will receive
the Holy Ghost. If they preach baptism, people will be baptized.
If healing is preached, people will be healed, because God will
honor what part of his word that is preached. God is bound by
his word. He will always honor his word when it is preached under
the anointing of the Holy Ghost.
I never could understand why preachers wouldn't
preach the whole council of God, because the people love to be
told what they need to hear, because people want to be ready to
go in the rapture. People love to hear the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth. People want
to be saved.
The Dictionary
Definition Of Repentance
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To repent of.
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To cause to feel sorry.
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To feel penitence, sorrow, or regret for.
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To think of with penitence - to be sorry
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To wish one had not done, to repent ones sins.
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To repent the doing of the crime.
- To bitterly repent of what he did.
- Repent of former sins.
- To be penitent - to feel penitence, sorrow or regret for sins.
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Repent and be saved, unless you truly repent,
or repent of ones sins.
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Asking forgiveness for past sins.
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Regret felt for something done amiss, a state
of mind in which penitence is felt.
We must not go to the judgment with unrepented
sins, or we will be turned away from Gods presence. I Timothy
5:24; Ecclestiastes 12:13,14.
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