Mark 1:15... the first recorded words of Jesus in the first Gospel written (60 AD... an imperative... a command... first of all, clarity that God's Kingdom is not far away, but with Jesus immanent... that the Old Testament Law and Prophets have been fulfilled... reached their time... now, this new covenant will be based on Grace and centered in Agape Love... Jesus said, "REPENT, AND BELIEVE IN THE GOOD NEWS."
METANOEITE... repent... means, literally "to change one's mind"... it means that one changes the way one thinks that, presumably, one's life changes will follow... to change how we look at things... to change our perspective on things...
BELIEVE IN THE GOOD NEWS... what Jesus came to offer (Luke 4:16-30)... Good News to the people of God that in Him there is Redemption and Salvation by God's Grace, and that that there is Justice in THIS part of God's Kingdom because The Law and Prophets are fulfilled in Jesus and the Kingdom is at hand... the acceptable time of the Lord is here... Kingdom Values are to be lived on earth.
One must CHANGE ONE'S THINKING to get this.
The Good News was something completely different than people had been hearing or living from those who represented God. Believe it or not, they said one thing and did another. Imagine it, but they would use God's word to exclude some people and beat them down with the Law. It is unfathomable for us to conceive of this, but they twisted the Word of God so that it seemed that God justified their abuses of power over others and their exploitation of others, especially the poor, for their own personal gain. It is maybe so far from our experience to grasp, that we may struggle with this passage. Can you imagine even the religious leaders turning the faith into something that would benefit themselves and people just like them over others who were powerless and poor? Naw... "By their fruits you will know them."
The Good News of Jesus turns things around in this part of God's Kingdom. Don't believe me? Read what Jesus taught and exemplified in the four Gospels... what did Jesus say about Greed? Power and authority? the rich and poor? corrupt religious leaders? corrupt people in power? homosexuals? (sorry, that was a trick one... Jesus said NOTHING about them)...
Read His Words... both quotes and parables... I dare you.
When you do, if you do, you may see that one needs to REPENT: change one's thinking, perspective, way of looking at things in order to believe in, value and follow the Good News in the world around us.
As The People of the Way of Jesus, we are embarking on a lectionary (system of looking at the scriptures for Preaching and Teaching) that is centered on Jesus' teachings and examples for us... you know, a consideration of what Jesus wants from us in how we live in this world... my prayer is that it will guide all those who engage in it to REPENT: change our way of thinking to Jesus' way of thinking, and believe in the Good News and conform our lives to living it in the world around us... I truly believe that in order to be a Christian, I must submit to Jesus' way and conform to Jesus' Will, and in order to do that, I must seriously look at what Jesus taught and exemplified for how we are to live in the world.
The first Imperative of Jesus in the First Gospel written - change your way of thinking (and living) and believe in what I (Jesus) tell you as Good News... it is not a suggestion, but an imperative... a command... the very first one! How are you at keeping it? I am looking at it very seriously for my life right now... I dare you to do the same!
Pastor Jamie
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