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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus, part of the growing repentance remnant:
During the shaking going on worldwide and in our personal lives today, it it's vital to check yourself on the depth of your connection to the Risen Messiah, Christ Jesus.
For example, please join me looking at the words of Peter as he responds to the crowd during Pentecost; this is the amplified version, Acts 2: 37-39:
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart [with remorse and anxiety], and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is for you and your children and for all who are far away [including the Gentiles], as many as the Lord our God calls to Himself.”
Question: have you really changed your old way of thinking? Have you turned from your old sinful ways? Have you been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ as an adult in water and by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Are you now operating with His gift of the Holy Spirit?
Another measure of the depth of our connection to the Risen Messiah, following His narrow path, is found in Acts 20. Here is Acts 20:17-21 in the Message version:
17-21 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus for the leaders of the congregation. When they arrived, he said, “You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally—laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn’t skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus.
Paul makes the key point that there are two Truths to bring in souls to Jesus' Kingdom: repentance, turning to God, "a radical life-change before God" leading then to an "equally radical trust in our Master Jesus."
Question: have you ever made a really radical life-change before God?? If not, will you do that today? The deeper your sorrow over not earlier repenting, returning to Him as number one in your life, the deeper your trust then will be in our Lord Jesus!
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