“Lord Jesus, we pray that we will not slip into idleness, self-gratification and pride (self-centredness). Lord, we realise that the outcome of such a life is decadence. Keep us as Your church to be fruit-bearing and bring many into the Shalom of God. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
The Jews were to be a blessing to the world. This was the message of Peter and John that they would repent and produce works befitting repentance.
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.
Repentance and conversion, which is surrendering and submitting to the lordship of Christ, must be followed by works befitting repentance. Acts 26:20 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 works befitting repentance will therefore be a life, where the ‘self’ is no more at the centre, but we become genuinely concerned for others.
When we take the self to the cross and there be crucified with Christ, buried with Him and we rise with Him, then the life that flows from us is no more ours, but the life of Christ. II Corinthians 4:10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
This life of Christ, which is the fruit-bearing life or a life that genuinely seeks the good of others, is how we identify if a person is a wolf or a sheep. Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
This fruit-bearing life is not optional but mandatory for His church. Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
We see what it is that God expects of us as His church. Isaiah 58:6-8 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? (7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? (8) Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Job’s life was one that demonstrated works that came from surrendering and submitting to the lordship of God. Job 29:12-17 Because I delivered the poor who cried out, The fatherless and the one who had no helper. (13) The blessing of a perishing man came upon me, And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. (14) I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban. (15) I was eyes to the blind, And I was feet to the lame. (16) I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know. (17) I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.
Job 31:16-22 “If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, (17) Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it (18) (But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow); (19) If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering; (20) If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; (21) If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate; (22) Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket.
This is the message of Jesus to our hurting world. Luke 4:18-19 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED; (19) TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
We are bringing people from the state of brokenness into the state of God’s Shalom. It is in His kingdom that we experience the Shalom of God. We present the Gospel of His kingdom to a world that is under the control of the devil.
Consider, friends, the sin of Sodom. Ezekiel 16:49-50 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (50) And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. The evil of sexual perversion of Sodom came from a lifestyle of idleness, self-gratification and pride (self-centredness)
The Lord is warning us as His church to be those who produce works befitting repentance.