“Repent, Confess And Be Forgiven For The Holy Spirit To In-dwell You!”

“Repent, Confess And Be Forgiven For The Holy Spirit To In-dwell You!”
“…John came, baptizing…and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins…all the people…went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him…” John’s ministry was in fulfilment or a response to the message of Isaiah that God will send a messenger to ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him'”
John was preparing the way for Jesus Christ to come baptise not with water but with the Holy Spirit (Mk. 1:1-8). John’s message remains relevant to us and is worth repeating to the already baptised. We still need to focus on preaching “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” to the ‘already baptised.’
The common understanding is that through baptism one has come into fellowship with Christ and is thus put right with God. That is partially true. A community of converts who have received baptism constitute the visible presence of Christ. But over time majority of these people who confessed their sins and were baptised become no different from heathens.
The heart of man is evil by nature and needs a constant reminder through the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. By this all of us will come confessing our sins so that our Lord Jesus Christ can baptise us with the Holy Spirit.
The church makes the presence of Christ visible on earth, but many are in the church who are not in the kingdom. When the church is full of those who are not in the kingdom, then there is need for reformation, renewal and revival in the church.
By this it is not about common slogans as if we are politicians. It is not also about staged-managed revival programmes which are more or less popularity propaganda stunts! We are talking about a genuine call to repentance to Christians who are aware that in their “christianness,” their sins stinks and they need repentance! That is what is called revival and begins with the church ministers who know they are the first hypocrites typical of the Pharisees of old!
If we have not been able to remove the speck from our neighbour’s eye, it is because we have failed to acknowledge that there is a log on our own eyes! Each day I pray that the Lord should speak to me first before he commissions me to speak to others. I humble myself each day in the presence of the Lord, confessing my sins and asking for forgiveness so that he should not cast me away from his presence or take his Holy Spirit away from me! I pray that he should rather fill me with the Holy Spirit till my want is over!
Yes, my friend, as you begin the day and week may your prayer be for God to guide you away from the paths of sin, keep you from temptation and forgive your past sins so that Jesus Christ should continue to renew yoyr spirit through the in-filling and in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit!
May the good Lord continue to bless and keep you through this day and week! Peace be with you !