Repent and Return!

Repent and Return!

Acts 3:19 AMP

[19] So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];

The audience is as important as the message in the verse above. Peter and John had just healed a lame man who had been in this state since birth. Someone who had never walked was now walking and leaping and praising God. The man would not let go of Peter and John, and there was a crowd gathering to see what was going on. Peter used the opportunity to speak about Jesus to the crowd that was gathered, reminding them of who Christ is, his mission and assignment to the world, and the benefits that have now become the entitlements of those who will align with the conditions, also laid out in the verse above. God is still in the business of doing the impossible. Man is limited in idea, scope, vision, and long-term thinking. He is the One who sees the end from the beginning and knows how to bring challenges and difficulties to fulfil His purpose in our lives. 

However, the reason why it would appear that God is limited is because of sin. It does not matter how powerful God's move in a place has been; unconfessed sin would always disrupt the move of God in any place. It is not a wonder that the message of Peter to the crowd here was first about repentance. God cannot use a vessel that is not under his control and influence; He cannot instruct a heart that is not yielded to Him. He cannot use anything that has not been subjected to His processing.The old man, with its baggage, can never become a tool in the hands of God for anything useful. It just has to be done away with.  Repentance simply means a change of thinking. It is the opposite of what you have been exposed or used to in the past. That is the start point for any life that will enjoy God's refreshing that has been promised. 

Then you add the bit about returning to God. It is not enough to be sorry about your sin; it has to lead you to a pursuit of the personal knowledge and experience of God. If your past just leads you to sorrow and nothing more, it may end up in depression, mental illness and death. That was the issue with Judas Iscariot. However, when the sorrow about your sin leads you to seek the help of the only One who can help you, then you get the mercy, forgiveness and refreshing that has been promised, which is what this same Peter, speaking here, received. Both Judas and Peter betrayed Jesus in one form or the other, but their ends were different, because one returned. God wants to restore, but He will not force Himself on anyone, or go against the exercise of our freewill. Surrender has to come from the heart; anything else is hypocrisy and eye-service, for which there is no eternal reward in heaven. Let your life's focus be defined by the expectations you have from God. God's time of favour is here.