Repentance

What is repentance?

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words:

repentance: metanoeo (Greek), "to perceive afterwards" (meta, "after," implying "change," noeo, "to perceive;" nous, "the mind, the seat of moral reflection"),

therefore: "to change one's mind or purpose,"

The other night at church, a friend came up to me during the service (I was inside the kitchen preparing the food for the dinner that night), and asked me if she could ask me a question.

I said sure.

She asked, "If there was a person who had sinned, but had asked for forgiveness and repented, could that person take communion?"

I asked her if that person believed in Jesus Christ and had a personal relationship with that person and had done those things she mentioned, yes they could enter into a time of communion with the Lord.

She then proceeded to tell me that she was in an "union libre" (living together without being married)with her "marido", or live-in boyfriend. Every time we take communion at church, she says, she asks for forgiveness for this sin in her life and repents, but she doesn't think she can take communion.

I asked her if she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

"Yes", she says.

I asked her then if she understood that an "union libre" is a sin and that God hates that sin of all kinds.

She said she understood that her living situation was a sin - she knew that she continued to live in sin, but that her situation was very difficult.

(Here we go...)

Unfortunately for my friend, her boyfried, who happens to be the father of her young son, is still currently married to the mother of his other two children. One of whom is in PFK with us.

And so the story continues...

"So, you see," she continues, "we really don't have any choice. I have to wait until that gets taken care of first before we can ourselves get married."

I asked my friend if she understood what "repentance" meant.

She said she did- she was asking for forgiveness for what she had done that she knew was wrong.

Well...kind of...but not completely.

The key in the definition above of the word repentance is "change."

If we are truly repentant, we not only recognize what we have done that is wrong, and ask forgiveness for the wrong, but true repentance seeks to make what was wrong right by taking action to correct it. Therefore evoking a change.

I then explained to her that very thing.

Then, shared with her that although seemingly very difficult, she in fact did have an option and that was to separate (change) from her current living situation to one that was glorifying to God until the other issues of her relationship could be taken care of.

She expressed her thanks for the explanation and my time and then returned to the service.

Whether she will take to heart and to prayer what I shared with her, I do not know. The issue of her partaking of communion lies between her and the Lord. But her hesitance in doing so up until now hints greatly at the need for repentance in her life.

Please pray for repentence in my friend's life.

I liken this to my experiences with my own children. While extremely precious to both Matt and I, they are themselves but little sinners.

Paul clearly explains in Romans that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Even my three great kids.

Just yesterday we had a "moment' during school where this could be clearly taught and lived out and then applied.

I was teaching from our Bible lesson and it would have seemed as if I was not talking at all for all the distractions and side activities going on. I stopped and waited and then asked if everyone was ready and tried again. And again, distractions and interruptions.

So, it so happened that we were learning about respect and studying 1 Peter 2:17 (show proper respect to everyone) and Philippians 5:16 (honor your mother and father).

So, I stopped and asked Ethan and Isabelle to take the rest of our time to read over these verses and pray and ask God to show them how they are doing living out these verse and then write out how they might be able to live them out better.

The following is from Isabelle's journal after her time thinking and praying:


"I have not done a pretty good job with obeying my parents, Lord. I love you and I trust you and I know if I believe in these thangs you will anserw my pray's. Hare are my prayer requsts. Help me obey my parents and help them too in their marrige. Help me know You more Lord. Help me follow the Bible and our family rules. Thank You for Jesus. Amen."

It is an honor and a privilege to minister here and to parent these three great gifts God has given us.

Pray with us for the Costa Rican people. Pray for the hundreds in our little village alone who live together in "union libre" knowing living in sin. Pray for those in our church, who too, continue in their sin, with full knowledge of their sin, yet refuse to repent and change their ways.

Pray for our family as well. Pray that we continue always in the way of the Lord, that we do not stray, and that all we do bring glory and honor to God.

"And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent." Revelation 2:20