“Lord Jesus, have mercy on us, for we tend to become hardened in our hearts because of unbelief. Please give us a humble and contrite spirit. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 3:19-21 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, (20) and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, (21) whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
Peter and John were calling this Jewish crowd to repent and be converted. What were they to repent from?
They had to repent from the sin of unbelief. Hebrews 3:12-13 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; (13) but exhort one another daily, while it is called “TODAY,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Repentance from the sin of unbelief requires a person to stop trusting in himself and be willing to place his/her trust in God. This trust in God is demonstrated in baptism because, in baptism, we die with Christ, we are buried with Him and we rise as a new person, in Christ. It is no more you and me, who are alive but it is Christ, who is alive in us.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This was the ministry of Apostle Paul. He was calling people to turn from those things in which they were trusting and place their faith and belief in God. This is the ministry of His church.
Acts 26:17-20 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, (18) to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ (19) “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, (20) but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
The deceitfulness of the sin of unbelief is that it hardens our hearts. The more we choose not to believe there will be more hardness of the heart. This is the reason why we must ask the Lord to give us a broken and contrite heart and spirit so that we will live by faith.
Acts 28:26-27 saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY: “HEARING YOU WILL HEAR, AND SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND SEEING YOU WILL SEE, AND NOT PERCEIVE; (27) FOR THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE GROWN DULL. THEIR EARS ARE HARD OF HEARING, AND THEIR EYES THEY HAVE CLOSED, LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, LEST THEY SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEARTS AND TURN, SO THAT I SHOULD HEAL THEM.” ‘
When people remain in unbelief, even the little understanding that they had of God, will disappear. What they had learnt earlier, in their walk with God, will fade away and they will find themselves groping. Mark 4:24-25 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. (25) For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
How do we ensure that we remain in a state of faith and belief and not slip into the hardness of the heart? It is by learning from children. Children are the ones who teach us faith. Matthew 18:3-4 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (4) Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Children are precious, in the building up of the body of Christ, for it is children, who teach us to grow in faith.
Luke 1:16-17 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. (17) He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
It is the hearts of the fathers that must turn towards their children, to learn from them.
We once went our own way. This was man’s sin against God. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. We have now returned to the Shepherd of our souls. I Peter 2:25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
May we, as His church, seek God’s favour to be childlike in spirit but mature in understanding.