I’ve been reading the opening chapters of Matthew over the last few days. In them, the message of John the Baptist is summarized by the short phrase, “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).

We might downplay this statement as being a little harsh since John was the cranky prophet who called the Pharisees a brood of vipers.

Fast forward to Matthew 4:17 where Matthew describes what happened after Jesus was baptized and then tempted in the wilderness. Matthew writes:

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:17 (NASB)

Jesus began his ministry by preaching the same message as John the Baptist. Jesus, like John, lead off with a call to repentance. So, the call to repentance was not just John being salty with the religious leaders.

The first observation that comes to me is that the kingdom of God has come because the king has come. It was God’s move to make. We couldn’t find a way to approach God, God had to come and find us.

The second observation is that repentance is the only proper response to a real encounter with the true and living God.

Perhaps it would be helpful to examine what it means to repent. The Greek word that is translated “repent,” means literally a change of mind. It is to see things differently, it is to realize that the direction I am going it the wrong direction and an about-face needs to happen.

I understand the call to repentance doesn’t have a lot of curb appeal to those who are wondering about Christianity and are checking out church for the first time. But I also wonder if it was any less shocking when Jesus and John the Baptist began their preaching this way.

There is a tendency in churches today to be very reluctant to do or say anything that will scare people away. I understand this reluctance to a certain extent as a reaction to “hellfire and damnation” preaching that damaged the church in previous generations. But like most things in life, swinging to the opposite extreme is not healthy.

If I go to the doctor, I am less concerned about his manner and more concerned about his accuracy in assessing my condition. I would rather have the gruffest, grumpiest doctor who accurately assesses my condition than have a sensitive, compassionate doctor who fudges the diagnosis.

Perhaps by avoiding the call to repentance, we are like the compassionate doctor who fails to tell his patient the truth about his condition out of fear of hurting his feelings.

Whether we are already believers or are exploring what it means to be a Christian, repentance is a key component of spiritual life. When I am selfish, resentful, prideful, or lazy, repentance is the proper response.

The good news is that when we repent, we have a savior that is waiting with open arms to welcome us home.

In 2 Chronicles I recently read an overview of the reign of Solomon as King of Israel.

The author of Chronicles did an excellent job of describing the splendor of Solomon’s reign. The phrase “The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 9:27) makes this point. By any standard, the wealth, wisdom, and splendor of Solomon were amazing.

But I am reminded from the book of 1 Kings that Solomon didn’t end well. Solomon ended his reign in idolatry and moral compromise.

Unfortunately, this is a story that we’ve seen played out repeatedly through church history. A man or ministry starts out well but ends up in a mess. Even in my lifetime there have been too many examples of pastors or ministries ending in disgrace despite having begun so well.

It appears to me that the slide downward often begins when the minister or ministry begins taking responsibility for the success of the “mission.” As a result, the focus is shifted to the personality of the leader or the methods he employs.

The antidote to this is to be constantly reminded that the growth of the church, the success of the mission, is not dependent upon the minister. Nor is it dependent upon method or style. The growth of the church is dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit drawing people to Christ.

We would do well to remember that the Apostle Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from exalting himself (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul understood the need for that reminder to keep his importance in proper perspective.

From this, I conclude that the secret that will allow us to end well is to be continuously reminded of our own tendency to go off track. We need a realization of our complete dependence upon God for anything good to come from our labors.

It is only with a sense of dependence upon God and the humility that results from it that we will end well and leave a legacy that brings glory to the only one whose opinion will matter to us in the end.

The stories of failure are at times overwhelming to me because I know that I am no better. I have the same potential to deviate from God’s plan. But then I am comforted by Paul’s promise in Philippians 1:6:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

ESV

God began the work in me and He will complete it. Amen!