It Will Be Evident

John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.  Matthew 3:4-8 NLT

The focus of Jesus Christ’s mission was to call sinners to repentance: Luke 5:31-32 NASB And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

His call of absolute surrender goes out to all people: Luke 13:2-3 NASB And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

In His farewell to the disciples, Jesus commanded that they take His message of repentance and faith to all the nations.

Luke 24:46-49 NLT And He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things. “And now I will send Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

Holy Spirit transforms us in the secret place of our hearts, the fruit of this change will eventually become evident to those around us.

John the Baptist cemented this when he said in the Book of Matthew, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God” 

I’m telling you guys! Read the Bible!

In the book of Acts, we get to read about one of the most spectacular displays of repentance ever recorded. In chapter 19 both Jews and Greeks in the city of Ephesus come to place their faith in Jesus following an incident with a demon-possessed man. 

In response, many confessed their sins, and some who practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly!

The fruit of an inward change quickly becomes evident to the onlookers. And so it is for us in these days!