"Repentance Everyday Pursues Emmanuel's Nurturing Truth!" (R.E.P.E.N.T)/"What role does the word R.E.P.E.N.T play in your life?" Ramesh C. Reddy

Posted on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 07:07 a.m. (EST) & Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 05:37 p.m. (IST), MAY 2020 Edition

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�Repentance Everyday Pursues Emmanuel's Nurturing Truth!" (R.E.P.E.N.T)�

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near:, repent, and believe in the good news.'" (Mark 1:14-15, NIV)

Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself what were the capabilities of Jesus?

Actions of Jesus:
1. Coming to Galilee after John was arrested.
2. Proclaiming the Good News of God!
3. Commanding with authority

Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself whose company was Jesus in?
Jesus was in the company of the crowds to whom He spoke.

Observations/Interpretation:
I asked myself what do we learn about Jesus' commitment?
1. Jesus was committed to travel all the way to Galilee to proclaim the Good News of God in God's timing.
2. Jesus was committed to make people realize the kingdom of God has come near.
3. Jesus was committed to wanting people to repent and believe the Good News.

I asked myself what were the sayings of Jesus?

Sayings of Jesus:
1. The time is fulfilled.
2. The kingdom of God has come near.
3. Repent and believe the Good News.

Interpretations:
Why are the actions of Jesus significant?
It is interesting to know that Jesus came to Galilee after overcoming every temptation thrown by Satan at Him and after John, the Baptist was arrested. Jesus came so that He can proclaim the Good News in God's perfect timing.

We need to remember that John, the Baptist was the one who was proclaiming the Good News and preparing the way of the Lord. John also lets people know that there is more to the concept of baptism than being 'baptized in water'. John realizes that he is just a messenger and there would come One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. John was preparing the people for a transition. He did not want people to regard him highly as opposed to the One who was to come. God allowed John to prepare the way and when John's time would come to an end, the people could be prepared for the transition. (Mark 1:1-8)

When John was arrested, there was a vacancy in the ministry area pertaining to 'proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins' and 'baptizing those that repented with water' (Mk 1:4-5).

Jesus finally came to preach in Galilee after John's arrest. Jesus said, 'the time is fulfilled'. This could refer to what John was proclaiming especially about the 'One who would come'. Jesus came to accomplish all that John was proclaiming. Jesus knows the perfect timing when things need to be done.

I asked myself, what do you think is the most important saying of Jesus and why?
I think the most important saying of Jesus is 'The Kingdom of God has come near:, repent and believe in the good news.' Jesus wanted people to turn away from sin that was hindering them from being close to God. This is what repentance is.

It is also interesting to realize that Jesus does not say, 'The Kingdom of God has come near:, believe in the good news.' but says 'repent and believe in the good news'.

(To be continued....)

Implications:
I asked myself what are the important implications for my own life?
It is very interesting that Jesus wants me to repent of my sin and believe in the Good News. Jesus placed as much emphasis on repentance as He did on believing the Good News. When I decided to give my life to Jesus on Feb 14 when I was 12 years old on Valentine's Day, I was coming to Jesus because I believed in the Good News of Christ especially the miracles He did. You see I had severe asthma and could not do a lot of things or eat a lot of things that others could do. When I heard a television evangelist talk about accepting Jesus into my heart, I did not know what it meant but I did know if I had Jesus in my life, my asthma would go away because I had remembered all the Bible stories that my mommy had read to us while we were young. So, I thought to myself if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow as the Bible says then what He did then, He can still do now. That means He could heal me of my asthma. So, I wanted Jesus in my life.

What was so interesting though is that when I wanted Jesus in my heart, my loving mommy explained to me about sin, confession, repentance, etc then asked me if I would pray the prayer that she wrote for me on a cardboard square acknowledging my sin and confessing it before the Lord in repentance. It was called the sinner's prayer. My mommy could have just said pray: 'I believe in you Jesus' but my mommy wanted me to understand why I should be believing in Jesus and not just for what He could do for me.

I prayed the prayer my mommy wrote for me on a square piece of cardboard which went something like this:
"Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I am so sorry for my sin. Please forgive me of my sin. I confess and repent to you all my sin. Thank you for dying on the cross and coming back to life to save me. Thank you for your precious cleansing blood that cleanses me of my sin. Please come into my heart and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and I will serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you for making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you Jesus as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Lord Jesus that you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!"

At that moment after praying, I knew I was a child of God and my asthma was healed too. I could do things that I could never do before. At the time, I did not even know it was Valentine's Day, a day of love until later.

I share this with you because before believing in the Good News of Christ for the miracle I can receive, my mommy wanted me to understand the concept of sin, confession, and repentance because the Good News of Christ is deliverance from sin and reconciliation to God because of what Christ would do. So it is so appropriate for me when Jesus started to begin His ministry, Jesus does not start out with 'believe in the Good News' but 'repent and believe in the Good News'

I ask you now dear friend, what role does the word R.E.P.E.N.T play in your life?
Dear friend, what role repent plays in your life will determine your relationship with the Lord Jesus. If repentance plays a major role in your life then you have come to understand the Good News of Christ and the Kingdom of God is near you because in Christ alone is our hope and glory found. I am reminded of the song, 'In Christ Alone' that Rodney led us in worship this past Sunday. We have the hope of Christ when we acknowledge what sinful beings we are and repent of our sins. As we repent of our sins, we need to ask ourselves why we are repenting. The answer is in Christ. Christ, the Lord wants us to repent of our wrongdoings and turn to Him for deliverance and believe the Good News He offers. That is exciting to know friend. For He alone can reconcile us to God!

Sadly, there is some preaching out there that says, 'Believe in Jesus and everything will be alright in your life'. This is akin to the prosperity gospel which is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In that statement, it is "what you can get out of Jesus" rather than "why you should believe in Jesus". Yes, Jesus has power to make everything all right in His timing but when we come to Jesus just expecting our life to be peachy from the day we accept Him, we will be sorely disappointed. Jesus addressed this situation even in John 6 very well when the people were coming to Jesus for what they can get out of Him instead of for who He is and why He came. To that Jesus responds that we should not be so concerned about food, clothing, etc but more concerned about our spiritual well being.

Jesus said, "I AM the Bread of Life. He who comes to be will never be hungry again and He who believes in me will never thirst" Later on, Jesus also says but 'living water will flow out of him in life' (John 6)

I am so glad when my mommy led me to Christ, she did not just ask me to pray to Jesus asking for a prayer of healing for my asthma but focused on why I should believe in Jesus alone and what He alone did for me and can do for me. In my prayer there was nothing about asthma but everything about believing in the Good News of Christ in my life.

What is so cool is that one night I dreamed about leading a group of students to Christ. When I led them to Christ after giving a teaching to which they were moved, the prayer I asked them to pray with me was identical to the prayer my mommy prayed with me. It focused on our sinfulness, confessing and repenting of our sin, asking for forgiveness of our sin, believing that Jesus died on the cross shedding His precious blood, came back to life to save, and then asking Jesus to come into our heart and make our heart His home so we can have Jesus live with us forever.

Jesus can do that for you too friend if you have never given your life to the Lord. Now is the time of Salvation. Don't wait until some other time when the Lord Jesus wants to rescue you now. Yes, friend Jesus loves you so much and wants to rescue you from everything that plagues you. Come as you are and repent of your sin and receive what Jesus offers to you, His forgiveness and grace. In this COVID-19 pandemic, we read that millions of people have died. We don't want anyone to die without knowing the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He wants to do in their lives. Come as you are and receive the Lord Jesus.

God knew the people needed a Shepherd and sent Jesus Christ in His perfect timing after John prepared the way. The Lord wants to be your Good Shepherd too! Knowing Jesus as our Lord and Personal Savior is the best thing we all can do.

Jesus' coming is the best thing that happened to the disciples of John too. Jesus is the best person to intervene in your life because He can be your Lord and Personal Savior and help you through as He is helping in our lives for He knows the right timing for everything.

For Jesus alone can give us the power and transform our lives when we turn to Him in repentance asking Him to take control of our lives for He is the Good News. This means we need to be willing to surrender our lives to Jesus knowing He alone can rescue us from the bondage of sin and death.

Jesus came to proclaim the Good News so each of us can reach the Father. The Good News is Jesus Christ and His intervention in this world to save this world. Jesus also knew the perfect timing to die for all of our sins that are past, present, and future nailing them to the cross. Jesus shed His precious cleansing blood for you and me so when we turn to Him His blood can be the antidote for the deadly virus known as sin. That is exciting to know friend. I know it is exciting to me that Jesus knew the exact timing when I would turn to Him. Jesus chose humanity first when Jesus paid the price on the cross and gives humanity the opportunity to come to Him.

So come to Jesus as you are in repentance! Instead of following your own way to do things, start relying on the Lord Jesus Christ for His help to do things, quietly trusting yourself to Him. You will not be disappointed when you rest in Him and believe He has the right timing for everything. Thank you Jesus!

I have done that friend and pray that you will do the same repenting of your sin and believing in the Good News of Christ. Thank you Jesus.

"Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you." (1 Peter 5:7)

"Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.." (Acts 3:19-20, NLT)

"Repentance Everyday Pursues Emmanuel's Nurturing Truth!" (R.E.P.E.N.T)/"What role does the word R.E.P.E.N.T play in your life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we come to you right now and bring our requests before thee. You Oh Lord know the condition of our heart, you know the times we have sinned and dishonored you. We come before you and ask you for your forgiveness as we repent of our sin. Please cleanse us with your cleansing blood and we will be clean again. Wash us and we will be whiter than snow. I thank you Jesus! You want us to always repent everyday pursuing you Oh Lord and your nurturing Truth. We want that Lord and need your help. Thank you that you never just focused on believing but repent and believe. Help us please Jesus. Oh Lord, give us the strength to surrender our life to you so that we will live a selfless life for your honor and glory instead of being selfish minded. Oh how we need your help for we are weak but you are strong. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you for being there for us to deliver us and guide us. Thank you for saving us when we come to you. Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don�t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help by His grace alone!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory@gmail.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Express Your View

John 12:24: "Who will you remember physically and spiritually this M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L day?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 25, 20, 07:18 a.m)

Mark 1:14-15: "Whose T.I.M.I.N.G do you need to wait for in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 23, 20,11:44 a.m)

Mark 1:12-13: "How do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 21, 20, 7:17 p.m)

Mark 1:12-13: "What determines your G.R.O.W.T.H in the Lord?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 20, 20, 9:15 a.m)

Mark 1:9-11: "Who will you P.R.A.I.S.E publicly in life? By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 19, 20, 8:49 a.m)

Mark 1:9: "What will you take a S.T.A.N.D for in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 16, 20, 9:44 a.m)

Mark 1:4-8: "Who do you P.O.I.N.T to in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 15, 20, 9:11 a.m)

Mark 1:1-4: "Why bother with P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 14, 20, 9:02 a.m)

Mark 1:1: "Why bother with the L.I.F.E of Jesus Christ?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 12, 20, 7:22 a.m)

Philippians 4:20-23: "How do you see F.A.T.H.E.R in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 08, 20, 4:49 p.m)

Philippians 4:19:"What are your N.E.E.D.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 07, 20, 5:23 p.m)

Philippians 4:15-18: "Who will you F.I.N.A.N.C.E in ministry?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 05, 20, 5:07 p.m)

Philippians 4:14: "How do you S.H.A.R.E in other's troubles?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 04, 20, 7:07 p.m)

Philippians 4:12-13: "Where do you need S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (May 01, 20, 6:56 p.m)

Philippians 4:11: "How can you have C.O.N.T.E.N.T.M.E.N.T in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 30, 20, 5:35 p.m)

Philippians 4:10: "Why show C.O.N.C.E.R.N for others in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 28, 20, 5:05 p.m)

Philippians 4:9: "How do you know your P.E.A.C.E is real?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 25, 20, 7:46 p.m)

Philippians 4:9a: "What kind of S.O.L.D.I.E.R will you be?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 23, 20, 5:49 p.m)

Philippians 4:8: "What is your T.H.I.N.K.I.N.G based upon?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 22, 20, 1:27 p.m)

Philippians 4:6-7: "How do you handle A.N.X.I.E.T.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 21, 20, 10:07 a.m)

Philippians 4:5: "What measure of G.E.N.T.L.E.N.E.S.S do you have?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 20, 20, 06:38 a.m)

Philippians 4:4: "When do you R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 17, 20, 07:07 p.m)

Philippians 4:3: "How have you C.A.M.P.A.I.G.N.E.D for Jesus Christ in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 16, 20, 05:24 p.m)

Philippians 4:2: "How do you respond to a P.L.E.A.D in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 14, 20, 11:47 a.m)

Philippians 4:1: "Where do yo S.T.A.N.D on love in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 13, 20, 11:03 a.m)

Colossians 1:13-14, 18: "What can the B.L.O.O.D of Christ shed on the cross do for you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 10, 20, 11:55 a.m)

Exodus 12:5,7,11,13-14: "How do you know judgment will P.A.S.S.O.V.E.R you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 09, 20, 05:23 p.m)

John 12:13: "Why should a P.A.L.M branch matter to you in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 07, 20, 11:22 a.m)

John 12:3: "Why reflect on what happened to Jesus' dirty/stinky F.E.E.T one day?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 06, 20, 11:32 a.m)

Philippians 3:20-21: "What C.I.T.I.Z.E.N.S.H.I.P should you desire the most?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 04, 20, 11:32 a.m)

Philippians 3:18-19: "Why shed T.E.A.R.S for others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (April 01, 20, 6:45 a.m)

Philippians 3:15-17: "Who or what are you willing to P.A.T.T.E.R.N your life after?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 30, 20, 9:28 a.m)

Philippians 3:12-14: "How can you deal with the P.A.S.T in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 27, 20, 11:03 a.m)

Philippians 3:5-11: "Why for R.E.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N you need the transaction of the C.R.O.S.S?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 25, 20, 3:14 a.m)

Philippians 3:2-4: "How is your T.H.E.O.L.O.G.Y in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 24, 20, 9:36 a.m)

Philippians 3:1: "Why R.E.J.O.I.C.E in the Lord?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 23, 20, 11:10 a.m)

Philippians 2:25-30: "When will your H.O.M.E.C.O.M.I.N.G begin?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 20, 20, 07:43 a.m)

Philippians 2:19-24: "How can you Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y well in other people's lives?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 18, 20, 07:49 a.m)

Philippians 2:17-18: "When do you live out your F.A.I.T.H in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 16, 20, 10:33 a.m)

Philippians 2:14-16: "What does your B.E.H.A.V.I.O.R do for others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 13, 20, 08:19 a.m)

Philippians 2:13: "How do you W.O.R.K out your Salvation?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 12, 20, 10:49 a.m)

Philippians 2:12-13: "What path have you taken for S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O.N in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 10, 20, 11:02 a.m)

Philippians 2:12-13: "What is the point of O.B.E.D.I.E.N.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (March 09, 20, 11:24 a.m)

Philippians 2:9-11: "How do you handle the N.A.M.E of Jesus in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 29, 20, 06:46 a.m)

Philippians 2:8: "What can the C.R.O.S.S do for you in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 17, 20, 10:51 a.m)

Philippians 2:5-7: "How do you match Jesus' A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 12, 20, 10:59 a.m)

Philippians 2:3-4: "How do you respond to C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 11, 20, 10:23 a.m)

Philippians 2:1-2: "What C.O.N.D.I.T.I.O.N are you in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 10, 20, 11:08 a.m)

Philippians 1:29-30: "How do you handle S.U.F.F.E.R.I.N.G in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 07, 20, 10:51 a.m)

Philippians 1:27-28: "How do you C.O.N.D.U.C.T yourself in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 04, 20, 08:38 a.m)

Philippians 1:22-26: "What are your C.H.O.I.C.E.S based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Feb 03, 20, 10:10 p.m)

Philippians 1:21: "Why D.I.E for Christ?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 31, 20, 12:11 p.m)

Philippians 1:21: Why L.I.V.E your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 27, 20, 10:08 a.m)

Philippians 1:20: "Where do you need to have C.O.U.R.A.G.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 22, 20, 10:20 a.m)

Philippians 1:19: "Who do you C.A.L.L often in life to intercede for others?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 21, 20, 10:36 a.m)

Philippians 1:19: "What reason do you have to R.E.J.O.I.C.E in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 20, 20, 07:11 a.m)

Philippians 1:16-18: "How are your M.O.T.I.V.E.S in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 18, 20, 08:01 a.m)

Philippians 1:12-15: "What have your C.H.A.I.N.S done to others in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 16, 20, 11:50 p.m)

Philippians 1:12: "How can you feel S.P.E.C.I.A.L when things are going so wrong in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 15, 20, 2:14 p.m)

Philippians 1:9-11: "What is your L.O.V.I.N.G response based on?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 14, 20, 6:51 a.m)

Philippians 1:7-8: "How can your A.F.F.E.C.T.I.O.N grow towards others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 13, 20, 11:00 a.m)

Philippians 1:7-8: "Why can you only be saved by G.R.A.C.E alone?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 13, 20, 10:51 a.m)

Philippians 1:3-6: "Why be C.O.N.F.I.D.E.N.T in the Lord?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 08, 20, 09:44 a.m)

Philippians 1:3-5: "How can you attain a P.A.R.T.N.E.R.S.H.I.P in the Gospel?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 08, 20, 09:44 a.m)

Philippians 1:3: "How will others R.E.A.C.T towards God when they remember you?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 07, 20, 10:07 a.m)

Philippians 1:2: "When do you B.L.E.S.S others in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 06, 20, 11:10 a.m)

Philippians 1:1: "Why bother to let others T.R.A.I.N you when you are already a leader?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 04, 20, 11:55 a.m)

Philippians 1:1: "Why should you believe you are H.O.L.Y instead of a sinner?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 03, 20, 9:53 a.m)

Philippians 1:1: "Who will you be a S.E.R.V.AN.T to in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 02, 20, 6:55 pm)

"What will your P.R.E.S.E.N.T look like in 2020?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Jan 01, 20, 1:13 pm)

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