Ac 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.
Last time, I shared how the Holy Spirit had done His job of convicting the crowd hearing Peter preach on Pentecost morning. Peter told the men gathered there from all over the world that the solution to their heart ache was to "Repent", be baptized and then they would also receive the Holy Spirit.
What is this REPENT word? It's not a new concept in scripture. Peter's preaching text, Joel 2, describes an all inclusive, nationwide movement of fasting, crying out to God and turning from sin.
John the Baptist and Jesus continually told their audiences to "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!( Mt 3:2, 4:17; Mk 1:15, 6:12; Lk 13:3,5) Isaiah spoke of "reasoning together" with the Lord.
Repent in the Greek is the word Metaneo, meaning "to think differently or afterward, to reconsider, to feel moral compunction. Compunction means: (a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse. 2. any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action. from Dictionary.com)
The Old Testament word, "Shoob" means to turn back, retreat,withdraw, not return to the starting place.
Basically, it is making a change in your mind that causes you to go a different way. It's a mind change with observable effects. John warned the Pharisees who came to listen to him: " Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: "Mt 3:8 In other words, "Show me the change in your life as a result of my message!"
James echoed this idea in his letter:
Jas 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
So how does this compare with the idea of Mindfulness? According to Merriam- Webster's Dictionary, mindfulness is: : the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis; also : such a state of awareness
This increasingly popular technique is touted as being able to increase focus, cure depression, improve performance and reduce stress. Mindfulness, which originates in Eastern religious practices, is taught in elementary schools, college campuses, and on-line to help people cope with their problems and live more fully.
The problem and danger of this practice is that mindfulness is looking inside one's self and affirming what is there. There is no change or seeking out a higher source for change. Whereas repentance is comparing one's thoughts to God's thoughts and making adjustments that effect real change, mindfulness is affirming one's own thoughts. It lacks the power to remove the real blockages to our personal joys --the blockage of our sin.
Mindfulness is a shabby substitute for a real living dialogue with the Creator and Redeemer of the world. It can never transform a person in the essence of who they are. Paul said in Romans 12, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Ro 12:2
The transforming power of repentance, of changing our thinking and then, as a result, our actions is a life-long practice to deliverance, freedom, and intimacy with God.
The Old Testament word, "Shoob" means to turn back, retreat,withdraw, not return to the starting place.
Basically, it is making a change in your mind that causes you to go a different way. It's a mind change with observable effects. John warned the Pharisees who came to listen to him: " Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: "Mt 3:8 In other words, "Show me the change in your life as a result of my message!"
James echoed this idea in his letter:
Jas 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
So how does this compare with the idea of Mindfulness? According to Merriam- Webster's Dictionary, mindfulness is: : the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis; also : such a state of awareness
This increasingly popular technique is touted as being able to increase focus, cure depression, improve performance and reduce stress. Mindfulness, which originates in Eastern religious practices, is taught in elementary schools, college campuses, and on-line to help people cope with their problems and live more fully.
The problem and danger of this practice is that mindfulness is looking inside one's self and affirming what is there. There is no change or seeking out a higher source for change. Whereas repentance is comparing one's thoughts to God's thoughts and making adjustments that effect real change, mindfulness is affirming one's own thoughts. It lacks the power to remove the real blockages to our personal joys --the blockage of our sin.
Mindfulness is a shabby substitute for a real living dialogue with the Creator and Redeemer of the world. It can never transform a person in the essence of who they are. Paul said in Romans 12, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Ro 12:2
The transforming power of repentance, of changing our thinking and then, as a result, our actions is a life-long practice to deliverance, freedom, and intimacy with God.
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