Why I Preach Repentance
“And [Jesus] said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24:46-47 [Jesus] added to clarify
I have met few people as desperate as I was for decades to feel loved, accepted, approved of, validated, and affirmed by this world. The last thing in the world that elicits the world’s love and acceptance is preaching to the world near and far, to loved ones and strangers alike, that the only way to a relationship with God now and forever in heaven instead of eternity in hell and the lake of fire is to repent of our sins, believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, and devote oneself to God and His ways according to the Bible, aspiring to love and glorify Him forever.
Preaching repentance comes with hatred, rejection, and persecution from loved ones and strangers alike. Why then do I preach repentance? Countless churches all across America have packed pews wherever pastors preach prosperity and how Jesus loves us and how we can live happily ever on earth if we twist scriptures around or forget about the Bible altogether and simply wave our magic wands at heaven, never mind about sin and wickedness and how we must turn away from it in repentance and learn to live according to the ways of the Lord.
I have never been more hated, rejected, and unpopular because my life’s mission is to help people to become and remain forever followers of the Lord Jesus Christ beginning with preaching repentance. Why do I preach repentance?
Because God’s number one command is to love Him with all my heart and to love others (Mt. 32:37-39). I preach repentance because I love Him and choose to obey Him and because I love you. Because the Bible says repentance needs to be preached to all nations. Because I now live for Christ and no longer for myself. Because I am willing to forsake the love and approval of this world because I love God more than anything or anyone on this earth. Because I would rather know you heard the Gospel message about how to have a breathtaking forever relationship with God instead of going to hell even if it means you will hate and reject me than know you went to hell because I wanted your love and approval more than I wanted to see you live to love and glorify God and see you in heaven.
There is nothing and nobody in the world that comes close to the LOVE and JOY of knowing, loving, and being with God forever! Because He is holy and we are sinners, the only way we can have a relationship with Him and be in His presence now and forever is by repenting, believing in who Jesus is, what He did, says, and will do, and following Him.