Hey! I'm Doing Great!

The last church on earth is called Laodicea. (Revelation 3:14) This is what God says about the condition of Christianity right before Jesus returns.

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent."  Revelation 3:14-19

God tells us the majority of Christians at the end of time will be relying on themselves. They see themselves as prospering; they see nothing wrong in what they do or say. They think they are doing a great job being a Christian. They are quick to condemn others and never themselves. But God says these Christians are filthy and need to be clothed with Jesus' righteousness - without which no one can be saved. They need eye salve to see their true condition.

If you think you are righteous, why would you feel a need for Jesus? An example of this would be the parable of the Levite and the tax collector who prayed in the temple. One of them listed all his virtues to God. The other said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."  Jesus said the second man went home justified.

Laodicia is like ancient Israel who said,

 "Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors they will find in me No iniquity, which would be sin." Hosea 12:7 

But how did they become rich? God said,  "A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, He loves to oppress."
"And now they sin more and more, and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them, “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!” Hosea 13:2 

Finally, in their wickedness, they gave human (child and adult) sacrifice to the god, Baal. Yet they say they have no iniquity!

Why does God warn us? Why does God want us to repent? Is he just being cranky?

No. Because he knows what sin does to other people. He knows sin leads to sadness, suffering and eternal loss. He wants us to repent because of love, love for the entire human race.

What is Repentance?

What is repentance? 

The term shubh, is most generally employed to express the Scriptural idea of genuine repentance. It is used extensively by the prophets, and makes prominent the idea of a radical change in one's attitude toward sin and God. It implies a conscious, moral separation, and a personal decision to forsake sin and to enter into fellowship with God. It is employed extensively with reference to man's turning away from sin to righteousness.
http://biblehub.com/topical/r/repentance.htm

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:1,2

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:5,6

"So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God." mark 6:12

As these verses show, repentance was the theme of John, Jesus and his disciples.

Jesus also said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32
He didn't come to call those who thought they were good and doing alright. These people don't think they need to repent so how could they answer the call?  

"Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:5

If we never repent of our sins - we will not be saved. We will perish, Jesus says. Not that he wants us to, but we will not be safe to take to heaven for we will not be one with God and we will bring a love of sin to heaven with us.

"Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”Ezekiel 18:32

What Does Repent Mean?

Matthew Chapter 3 has a theme of repentance. John the Baptist came saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

"Godly sorrow brings repentance..." 2 Cor. 7:10
 Repentance is not a sorrow for our sins, but sometimes the sorrow for what we have done wrong leads us to repentance.

Repent in the Latin means growing wise again. A time and change to think differently. In the Greek, it means a change of mind, a change of the will or heart.

John said to the church leaders, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'"

These teachers of the law of Moses thought they would be saved by simply being the children of Abraham. They thought it was their birthright. John was saying they needed to think differently (repent) and so have the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, which is love, joy, peace, kindness...etc.

I began to have a change of my mind when I was nineteen. I gave birth to my firstborn daughter. I held her in my arms for the first time and the realization came that I was responsible for this little human being. I felt I was not up to the task of being a good mother and I asked God to help me. I turned towards God that day. My mind was changed, I no longer wanted to be the good-time party girl I had been. I wanted to be a good person and a good mother who was worthy of having this beautiful child.

What Then Shall We Do?

John the Baptist preached to the people who came to be baptized. He told them to repent and not rely on their heritage to save them.

"Don't say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham."

Many people believed they were saved simply because they belonged to a special people. The Messiah was to come into the world through them. God himself had revealed himself to them. They were God's chosen people.

John was warning them not to rely on the fact that Abraham was their forefather. This fact could not save them. God could have turned stones into people if he wanted to. He didn't need them.

As the people listened to this, some came to John and asked, "Then what shall we do?"

John told them to do things that would help others. He told them to share their clothes and food. He told the tax collectors not to take more money than they were allowed. He told the soldiers not to steal from people, commit perjury or complain about their wages.

If we help others, that will not save us either. But John was talking about the fruits of the Spirit. "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance," he said. This fruit will grow in us if we allow God to live in us and through us. It is the life we live with God and with people that show our true repentance.