Over the decades, and even centuries, the Gospel, as Jesus taught it, has been morphed into all manner of strange and outlandish twists and mangles, most of which would twist a Ford sitting dead along the side of the highway into an unrecognizable heap.
The FIRST thing Jesus said when He began the journey to establish and secure mankind's deliverance from his sins and damnation, He said to REPENT. He didn't say to call out our acceptance of Him, to invite Him into our hearts, to turn from our sins on our own strength, or any of the myriads of distractions away from what Jesus actually said at the very start! All those other things are outflows from that initial repentance. If mankind was unable to repent, then Jesus cried out in vain, for He never said, "Those of you whom the Father has empowered to repent...repent!"
Repenting is not a matter of coming to Christ, it's only the beginning that enables His promises:
Luke 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Jesus revealed that first step toward receiving that Kingdom.
Deuteronomy 18:19 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him.
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Nowhere in all that, and so many more verses, do we see a precursor of empowerment. The Lord gave to each person the ability to take that first step of which Jesus spoke...REPENT! Through repentance, all the other steps become a reality so long as the repentant person stays the course as an outflow of their genuine desire to be born again. Repentance is but the first step in the direction to empower all the other outflows from a life desiring transformation and deliverance. Promises, folks. He promised those things, but first there must be repentance.
MM
The FIRST thing Jesus said when He began the journey to establish and secure mankind's deliverance from his sins and damnation, He said to REPENT. He didn't say to call out our acceptance of Him, to invite Him into our hearts, to turn from our sins on our own strength, or any of the myriads of distractions away from what Jesus actually said at the very start! All those other things are outflows from that initial repentance. If mankind was unable to repent, then Jesus cried out in vain, for He never said, "Those of you whom the Father has empowered to repent...repent!"
Repenting is not a matter of coming to Christ, it's only the beginning that enables His promises:
Luke 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Jesus revealed that first step toward receiving that Kingdom.
Deuteronomy 18:19 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require [it] of him.
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Nowhere in all that, and so many more verses, do we see a precursor of empowerment. The Lord gave to each person the ability to take that first step of which Jesus spoke...REPENT! Through repentance, all the other steps become a reality so long as the repentant person stays the course as an outflow of their genuine desire to be born again. Repentance is but the first step in the direction to empower all the other outflows from a life desiring transformation and deliverance. Promises, folks. He promised those things, but first there must be repentance.
MM