PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: 3 STEPS TO REPENTING

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: REPENT

Repent. 

What does the word “repent” truly mean? John the Baptist made it his clarion call as he prepared the way for Jesus Christ to make it on the scene over 2000 years ago.  The Old Testament has many passages about repentance before Jesus Christ came.  God wants us to truly feel sorry for our sinful natures and ask for forgiveness because God truly wants His children to come home to Him.  Guilt is a useful tool that helps us recognize that we are in the wrong before God, writes Pastor John Collins of Love That Cross Ministries.  Until we feel genuine remorse for the actions that we have done that offend God, we cannot find salvation nor can we expect to make our way to heaven.  Heaven is not a guarantee just because we say we are Christian, just saying we are sorry and saying we are Christian isn’t going to get us anywhere if we don’t change how our hearts act.  Actions speak louder than words, and God knows exactly what we really feel and how we really are.  There’s three steps to repentance:

• 1.       To repent is to recognize that we have offended God by not following His commandments.  Sin.  Repentance means to feel genuinely sorry for our actions.
• 2.       Seek forgiveness.  We will sin every day because we are human.  Ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ and mean it from the heart.
• 3.       Make an effort every day to become a better person, seeking to become Christ-like, acting in compassion and caring for others.  This is a life long journey, the race that Paul refers to.

It really is as easy as that, Pastor John Collins preaches.

The problem with the word “repent” is that it sounds offensive.  Street hawkers of “repent and be saved” who stand on the corners waving a Bible spouting Bible verses of doom and hell are threatening and drive more people away from God and the Word of the Gospel.  Shoving religion in the public’s face in a manner that is threatening is no way to win souls for God.  It certainly wasn’t the way Jesus did it.  Teaching the Gospel with sincerity and candor, with a nonjudgmental approach will draw attention of people, and those people when drawn will come to listen, and in listening will come to understand the concept of repentance.  Pastor John Collins is an evangelist who preaches the truth, reaches the heart, and draws listeners closer to God.

“I don’t believe that there is a true understanding by most people of what repentance is. Repentance is recognizing your sin and the wrongs that you have committed against God and being sorry about it. It is knowing that you need forgiveness and that what your actions, feelings, thoughts and words have reaped is worthy of sending you to hell. This is an acceptance of God’s law in your heart and soul and it produces a genuinely contrite heart. This will then produce the desire within you to stop those sinful behaviors and to seek to obey the laws of God.” Pastor John Collins, Love That Cross Ministries (April, 2018).

Pastor John Collins began preaching over a decade ago, and more recently began a revival of hope and trust in God.  As the head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries and John Collins Ministries, Pastor John Collins reaches congregations around the United States, bringing God back to those who hear him.  As an evangelist, Pastor John Collins has a passion and love for the Cross that is unwavering.  So many people have been disillusioned by churches, the false doctrines of pastors who are looking for nothing more than money in their pocket and bodies in the pews to fill the offering plates, or the prestige of being on a pulpit but not practicing what is preached. Pastor John Collins is determined to bring faith in God back for the people, recognizing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been watered down like so much Kool-Aid to fit the need of the people in the pulpit, not the needs of souls in the seats.  The Gospel needs to be redeemed says Pastor John Collins, it needs to be made clear and understandable so that people can find their way to God.

Pastor John Collins writes:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Mark 1:1-4 (NKJV).

John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus preached repentance and His Apostles preached repentance, even the Prophets preached repentance.

I don’t believe that there is a true understanding by most people of what repentance is. Repentance is recognizing your sin and the wrongs that you have committed against God and being sorry about it. It is knowing that you need forgiveness and that what your actions, feelings, thoughts and words have reaped is worthy of sending you to hell. This is an acceptance of God’s law in your heart and soul and it produces a genuinely contrite heart. This will then produce the desire within you to stop those sinful behaviors and to seek to obey the laws of God.

Now, how is it possible to feel these feelings with a genuine heart and not just give a mental nod followed by lip service? You must agree with God. That is where true faith, repentance and forgiveness begin. You must agree that God and His laws are right and that it is for you to obey them.

If you don’t agree with God, you will never truly submit to Him, repent of anything nor claim true salvation.

If you don’t agree with God, you will find ways to justify your point of view and to excuse yourself for your sin. Every human sins and every human has an opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus.

If you see the laws of God as antiquated and therefore don’t agree with them and choose to disregard them, even if you come to know Jesus and seek forgiveness for your past sins, your heart will not genuinely be remorseful. Imagine a man who cheats on his wife and she never finds out about it. He sees it as hurting no one. He goes to church and claims Jesus as His Savior. In his old age, his cheating stops and he does ask for forgiveness. But his heart does not really feel sorry because he feels that what his wife never knew never hurt her and it really was not any big deal. His heart is unable to feel the remorse required to be forgiven.

Just because we ask for forgiveness does not mean that it is given. We have to mean it. We show that we mean it by choosing to live lives that do not embrace sin. Like Paul says, if you stole, steal no more. We are to quit the sinful behavior and seek to alter our actions, words, thoughts and feelings. We begin to make these right choices when we agree with God. That is why to be friends with the world is to be enemies with God.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

Our hearts have to come to know what our sinful behaviors are.  Repenting, being truly and honestly sorry for our actions is the beginning of changing our lives, here and eternally.  The right choices will take us along the road back to God, home to heaven, and those actions are a daily commitment to changing.  Allowing Jesus into our lives is the key to changing our hearts. Asking forgiveness means we believe we are indeed guilty, and we have the humility to admit it.  No one of us is free of sin; no one of us will be able to make it to heaven without Jesus.

Pastor John Collins can be heard at 1000 am Mountain Time weekly on Sunday on Heaven’s Country Radio with Marty Smith. You can listen via the Internet at www.heavenscountry.com.  Other sermons, recordings, blogs, interviews, Youtube clips, and other media of Pastor John Collins can be found by clicking on the links within this post.  Pastor John Collins is available for prayer, discussion and ministry-not to debate-at jc65777@yahoo.com.  If you want Pastor John Collins to come to speak to your church or group, contact can be made through the same personal email.  Pastor John Collins is in it to win it for God.