By James Wilson
A
pastor I know tells a story of his friend changing a tire on a dead flat road
in Kansas. While he worked he saw an
approaching car two miles away. He knew
there was no chance it would hit him because he and his car were as visible as
the other car. His reasoning sustained
him until the moment he was hit.
He
was drop-kicked fifty feet but sustained no injury beyond a few bruises from
landing on pavement. The driver stopped
and ran to him, amazed he was okay. When
they both calmed enough to talk he asked her how she could have hit him when he
was so visible. She said it was the
strangest thing; the more she focused on avoiding him the more inevitable
hitting him seemed to become. This true
story forms a perfect illustration of our shared need to engage a lifestyle of
progressive repentance.
The
Bible calls us to renounce sin simply because it hurts when we abuse ourselves
or others. But not bringing injury is
not enough. The more we focus on avoiding
the sin we renounce the more inevitable becomes its return to power. If we would be free we must re-focus on the
God-in-Christ who comes into the world to set us free, just as that Kansas
driver needed to focus on where she wanted to drive instead of where she wanted
to not-drive. This re-focus is the
essence of repentance and – because life is littered with people changing flat
tires in our path – it must be a lifestyle if we are to live in freedom.
Every awakening is
preceded by a necessary season of repentance in the Church. God is not waiting for the world to don
sackcloth and ashes; we Christians are the model. But Christians must get a clue we are
seriously off course and begin to act on that clue in order to clear
obstructions from God’s highway. Our own
book says judgment begins with us; the abysmal track record of Christians
choosing abortion, divorce, and a host of idolatries speaks for itself.
When John the
Baptist proclaimed the near arrival of the Son of God he demanded more from people
than renunciation of corruption. He
called for fruit in terms of behavior imitative of the God in Whose image we
are made, pragmatic fruit like feeding and clothing the poor. These behaviors are not repentance, but they
are hard evidence we are re-focused on God instead of ourselves. Jesus said we must seek to become new
wineskins in Matthew 9:17. The wine
represents the Holy Spirit, but first century wine was still fermenting when it
was placed in skins. If those skins are
not new – and thus stretch-able – they burst from the expanding wine coming to
full potency. The take-away is
progressive re-focus of our attention and energy on the One Who pours out His
Spirit in us. One person repenting launches
an expanding life. Many repenting make a
culture opening for the Great Awakening God wants to lavish on His people.
It is what
happened to Peter in Matthew 14 and Paul in Acts 9 – in its discomfort and its
amazing-grace promise. When Jesus calls
Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk toward his master on the water. The moment his mind drifts to his problem – a
man cannot walk on water – he looks down and begins to sink. The moment he looks back to Jesus and takes
His hand, he can and does walk on water.
I like Paul on the Damascus Road even better. Paul has been serving God as he understands Him
most of his life; yet he detours into vigilantism. The Spirit knocks him onto his backside and
asks why he is kicking against the goads instead of serving the goatherd. The fruit of Paul’s process of re-focus is
the life of contentment and the confidence he can do all things in Christ who
strengthens him described in Philippians 3 and 4. Nobody wants to be knocked on their backside,
but if we repent instead of kick the rewards are incredible.
One thing we
need to remember at all times, returning to that Kansas highway. The man was unhurt beyond a few bruises; that
is a miracle by any conception. God has
given us a season of miracles – of all kinds – beyond any season in
history. There is going to be discomfort
as we look up – rather dazed – from the pavement on which we have landed. But the deposit of grace is already in our
pockets and more abundant life is the promise in our hearts.
James A. Wilson is the author of Living
As Ambassadors of Relationships and The
Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by
e-mailing him at
praynorthstate@charter.net
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