Dig Deeper

“And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. [Acts 26.19-20] 

If what Paul states above is accurate and true, then I cannot prove I am a Christian until after I have intentionally turned to God. But, I cannot intentionally turn to God until after I have genuinely repented.

We need to dig deeper...

Although "repent" sounds like a harsh word, Paul himself indicated otherwise. "Repent" means to "turn away."

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? [Romans 2.4]

Repentance is about turning to, and submitting to God in all His kindness. Repentance is freedom.

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [2 Corinthians 3.17]

In contrast, unrepentance is staying turned to the world and its idols submitting to their manipulation and exploitation. Unrepentance is bondage.

If the Spirit of the Lord brings freedom, then what is the proof that one is no longer in bondage? It is the same proof Christ demonstrated by the Spirit!

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]

This is the same proof Paul claimed as validation:

They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. [Romans 15.19]

And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. [1 Corinthians 2.4] 

For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. [1 Thessalonians 1.5] 

No doubt, if we are to operate in the demonstrable power (the good things) of the Holy Spirit, it will require a change. That change is not the result of religious will power, but the result of genuinely repenting and intentionally turning to God. 

If the demonstrable power of the Holy Spirit is not at work in our lives, then the obvious problem lies in the failure to genuinely repent and intentionally turn to God.

It is possible to genuinely repent and not intentionally turn to God. This is the obvious condition of the powerless church today, but more importantly, it was documented early on in the book of Acts:

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. [Acts 19.1-6]

Following genuine repentance, intentionally turning to God is to seek the power of the Holy Spirit in stark contrast to relying on the ways and idols of the world. The danger of not intentionally turning to God - not seeking the demonstrable power of the Holy Spirit - is that it gradually but successfully has a negative retroactive effect on genuine repentance, ultimately becoming lifeless, and therefore, damning religion (see Revelation 3.14-19).

To be certain, "claiming" the power of the Holy Spirit has nothing in common with "proving" the power of the Holy Spirit. But, to be more certain, proving the good things of the Holy Spirit - turning to God - is not possible without genuine repentance.

The deeper dig found here is the simple message Paul declared to King Agrippa, "...all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do."

The question begs to be asked then, "Does my life prove I have been changed - is the demonstrable power of the Holy Spirit proving I have genuinely repented and intentionally turned to God in Jesus Christ?"

Father, as I contemplate this question for myself today, I find Your kindness, written in Your Word, calling me to repentance. May the power of Your Holy Spirit prove Your kindness to others through me. So be it.