On the first Easter Sunday evening, Jesus appeared to the disciples. He proved His physical presence by inviting them to inspect His wounds and eating fish with them. Then He explained the reason for His death and resurrection.
Luke 24:46-48 says, "He told them, ‘This is what is written: the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.'"
In other words, the risen Jesus expected His followers to call everybody in the world to repent of their sins and receive forgiveness - because of His death and resurrection.
Peter got the message; and 50 days later he preached, "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". (Acts 2:38)
Last month, Nigel and Jane Paget were in East Borneo, Malaysia, where four Christians told them of how God moved in the villages in 1973 and again in 1984.
It started when a few believers prayed. After three days of prayer they experienced such a strong presence of the Holy Spirit that everyone in the village began confessing their sins, faults and bad thoughts to each other asking for forgiveness. Wives and husbands were in tears together, friends were confessing and asking for forgiveness. They universally asked God for His forgiveness and many, many were baptised.
This went on for weeks and spread down the valley to other villages. The end result, 40 years on, is vibrant communities of people living their lives centred on Father God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Now, there are churches in the middle of each village. Where Nigel and Jane were staying, in the middle of the jungle, they were expecting 1,600 for their Easter service!
By contrast, some Christians in the West present Jesus as a loving bolt-on to whatever people want to do. It is a false gospel. However important it may be for a church to have community engagement at many levels - these are only bridges for the gospel if we intentionally go over the bridge with the message that God '... now commands all people everywhere to repent' (Acts 17:30). Without repentance there is no access to God's saving grace.
Although many churches in the West have drifted away from the central message of repentance and forgiveness, BeaconLight is supporting churches and ministries in five continents which are preaching 'repentance for the forgiveness of sins' - including churches in East Borneo.
Such people are witnesses to the forgiving power of God and the peace that comes from knowing their sins are all forgiven. Through their prayerful lifestyle and straightforward explanation of the real meaning of Easter, many more are being liberated from the bondage of their sin to serve their Saviour.
Thank you for supporting these brave Christians in Malaysia, Myanmar and Nepal and many others around the world who boldly explain the gospel using CrossCheck and Truth Unlocked, and are fed through Word@Work.