Seeing Things Differently
Change. Not exactly the defining characteristic of evangelical Christians. “We’ve never done it that way before” are the seven last words of all too many churches. I know that for a fact. And so do many other pastors.
I have a friend who weathered the storm of opposition from church members resisting change. The little church he began serving after seminary was growing. In fact, the city of Atlanta was growing. As a result, what was once a rural community was fast transitioning into a more suburban metropolitan city.
As a result of this dynamic growth, the church he led was not only too small to accommodate its expanding attendance, but the building itself looked out of place in the fast-changing environment surrounding it.
And so, my friend began leading his congregation toward purchasing another piece of property and changing the name of the church. Pleasant Valley was as out of place as a name, as was the old, rural church building that housed its members.
It was a battle, and long-time members began meeting and plotting to oust my friend as pastor. During this time, his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor, slowly dying and leaving her husband to raise their only son. But even during this life crisis, the opposition metastasized and grew more fierce and deadly.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. In spite of the vicious opposition, the church voted to relocate. God also answered the prayers of my friend and his dying wife, providing him with another wife and mother to raise his son. And a strong congregation of believers has become a vital part of this transitioning community.
Repentance is one of the most misunderstood words among Christians in our day. It is a word we associate with turning away from sin and a lifestyle that is contrary to God’s ways. This understanding of repentance is not wrong. The problem is the limitation we have placed upon it.
Repent of your sin and place your faith in Jesus. And after you become a Christian, whenever you sin, confess that sin to Jesus and repent of it.
Repentance is so much bigger than that.
The Greek word in the New Testament for repentance is metanoia. Literally, it means to change one’s mind, one’s thinking, perspective, or worldview, and to begin seeing things differently.
In order to fully understand repentance and how it relates to Christians, we need to look at how Jesus used the word because it was an essential part of his message to those who sought to follow him.
Jesus’s public ministry began after his temptations by Satan. The nature of those temptations and the words of Jesus as he begins his ministry are closely connected. Consider the words that inaugurate and reflect the nature and essence of Jesus’s ministry —
“The time has come,” Jesus announced to his hearers, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Repent. Change your way of thinking. Start seeing your life and the world around you differently. God’s kingdom has come near. And God’s kingdom is nothing like the kingdoms of this world. So, in order to experience it, you must change your worldview. That was and is the call of Jesus to all seeking to follow him.
Prior to this announcement that began his ministry, Jesus repeatedly said “no” to Satan’s temptations to establish a worldly kingdom as opposed to a heavenly one -
Turn these stones into bread - use your gifts and abilities for personal benefit.
Cast yourself from the temple - seek celebrity status and glory from the people.
Worship me and all the kingdoms of this world will become yours - do it my way.
Those temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness are the same ones we face as we seek to be faithful citizens of God’s kingdom today. And there is only one way that we can overcome these temptations - We must engage in the life-long call of Jesus to repentance.
Repentance is vital when it comes to to distinguishing between the ways and kingdoms of this world and the way and kingdom of God. This is what Paul is talking about when he tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be continually transformed by the ongoing renewal of our minds or ways of thinking.
Sadly, the majority of people who heard Jesus’s call to repent failed to heed his words. They continued to persist in ways of thinking contrary to God’s kingdom and God’s ways.
“Give us Barabbas” and “We have no king but Caesar” were the ultimate signs of this lack of repentance. When Jesus failed to be the power-wielding, take-no-prisoners, crush-the-opposition, conquering Messiah they looked for, they rejected and crucified him.
I see this same kind of thinking among many Christians today.
Only a lifelong commitment to renewed minds, which result from an ongoing repentance that changes how we view our lives and world can rescue us. I pray that we won’t make the same mistake as the people of Israel, who, less than fifty years after rejecting the way of Jesus witnessed the destruction of their nation.
“Put your sword away” are Jesus’s words not only to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane; they are the Lord’s warning for Christians in our day.
Those who live by the sword die by the sword. It’s time to start seeing things differently.
In Christ,
Dan
Scripture References: Mark 1:15, Matthew 4:1-10, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24, John 18:40, 19:15, Matthew 26:52.
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