The Word of God is soooo good! It is always teaching and showing us 'Truth.' Over the years people have been confused with what to believe and what as Christians we are to teach and preach. I want to share and important truth today that the gospel is built on and what Jesus ministry was established from.
In Matthew 4:17 is says "From this time on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." The apostle John gives a glimpse by writing these words "Jesus did many other things as well. If everyone of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." Isn't it amazing that we read through scripture, listen to stories and read blogs without seeing the hidden truths about Jesus and His ministry. I do not by any means desire to attempt to take away from any scripture at all, but I do want us to focus on the heart of Jesus ministry, "Repentance."
Matthew wrote "From this time on", and we need to take a close look at this. What was Matthew saying that we need to focus on. Yes, we have all of the gospels which share their accounting of Jesus life when they were with Him. Now, wrap your arms around this truth that Jesus never 'Preached' or 'Shared' a message without 'Repentance.' Today this word 'Repentance' is not preached, or taught everytime we share the gospel, teach others, or preach sermons except in 'Occassional' Situations. Is this what Jesus would have done. Obviously not according to Matthew. Without the message of turning from self and sin, and then turning to God, the gospel is merely a story that carries no weight. If their is no repentance then there is no salvation. No one can have salvation without repentance.
If Jesus preached repent then why don't we. Many will say that Jesus did not preach the same thing over and over, but according to Matthew repentance was the main theme of every message and parable.
I might ask that this time "Do you always present the gospel and truth with those you come in contact with by sharing the truth that there is a need to repent before anyone can go any further?" If Jesus preached and taught the importance repentance then we need to also. When? All the time. This is how Jesus ministered and so should we. The glorious result of repentance is that one will be right with God, and can now move forward into a marvelous relationship with Him. As Jesus did, we must also......
