JOYFUL CHANGE - ALBERT ELISHA OBERDORFER - SAMPLE
God’s goodness leads to true repentance. In scripture, we always see the same picture. People follow Jesus gladly because they have experienced His goodness. Zacchaeus is a prime example. So are many more. The blind man who received a miraculous healing of his eyes, in Luke 18, for example. How did he react once he had received his sight? He followed Jesus. (Luke 18:43) We see the same picture on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ. Then the people were touched in their hearts and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter replied, “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.” (Acts 2:38). And how did the people respond? “Then those who gladly received his word got baptized ...” (Acts 2:41) The point is: they got baptized because they received Peter’s word “gladly.’ This is the biblical way of repentance. It’s a joyful change.
God’s goodness leads to true repentance.
In scripture, we always see the same picture.
People follow Jesus gladly because they have experienced His goodness.
Zacchaeus is a prime example.
So are many more.
The blind man who received a miraculous healing of his eyes, in Luke 18, for example.
How did he react once he had received his sight?
He followed Jesus. (Luke 18:43)
We see the same picture on the day of Pentecost.
Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ.
Then the people were touched in their hearts and asked, “What shall we do?”
Peter replied, “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.” (Acts 2:38).
And how did the people respond?
“Then those who gladly received his word got baptized ...” (Acts 2:41)
The point is: they got baptized because they received Peter’s word “gladly.’
This is the biblical way of repentance.
It’s a joyful change.
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4 Have you suffered so many things in<br />
vain—if indeed it was in vain?<br />
5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to<br />
you and works miracles among you, does<br />
He do it by the works of the law, or by the<br />
hearing of faith?—<br />
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it<br />
was accounted to him for righteousness.”<br />
(Galatians 3:1-6)<br />
So in His ministry, Jesus made sure that<br />
He had a miracle testimony.<br />
He made sure that people experienced<br />
miracles.<br />
And those miracles hopefully would<br />
convince them of the goodness of God.<br />
Which then hopeful would lead them to<br />
repentance.<br />
So if you examine how Jesus was<br />
working, you will see that His ministry is<br />
a miracle ministry.<br />
On every page of what we call the<br />
gospels, we find miracles upon miracles.<br />
And those miracles didn’t stop with Jesus.<br />
They continued with the disciples.<br />
We see that in Acts.<br />
And they are to continue into our days.<br />
46
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