Casual Christianity
- Dr. Bob Harrington
- Aug 5, 2007
- Series: Acts
Casual Christianity?
kingdom of
God .
Acts 25-26
Dr. Bob Harrington
Repentance = (metanoia) “a change of mind” that leads to commitment to God that leads to a change in how you live life.
- The apostle Paul, God’s super-missionary was been tried as a trouble maker - against the Jewish people in the first century – by the Roman Procurators who tried Jesus.
- He is also going to be tied by King Harod’s grandson and granddaughter, Agrippa II and Bernice
Repentance
- Acts 26:20-21:
- “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)
- Acts 17: 30, 31 - In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
- Genuine repentance is recognized by a sense of sorrow about how we have lived before God and the determination that, with God’s help, we will change our ways. As the apostle Paul said, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7: l0). Repentance is trusting what God says about sin, turning away from sin, and, with God’s help, living apart from the control of sinful lifestyles. Repentance means that our lives take on a new direction.Repentance, then, is the commitment to trust in and follow Jesus Christ and his way of living. This is called the “Lordship of Christ.”
- Galatians 5:19-21 provides a helpful summary of the basic sinful patterns.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
Three Repentance tools
- Pursue God as the best way to avoid sin.
- Decide to take extreme measures to keep yourself from sin.
- Pursue new friends and new habits to make repentance real.
Small Group Questions
- Opening: What is repentance and what stood out to you from the teaching on Acts 25-26?
- Read and Review Acts 26.
- What does it mean to “turn from darkness to light”? Explain
- If you could describe the one area that most people – who claim to be Christians – really do not get it about “repentance,” what would it be? Why do they not get it?
- What one aspect of repentance would you explain to these people so that they could better understand the biblical concept?
- If there is one area of your life that you think God most wants you to get serious about deeper repentance, what would it be?
- Which one of the three repentance tools would most help you?
- How can the small group pray for this area of deeper repentance in each of our lives?
