Calvary Neighbours
"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits". "Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my barn"
For where two or three are gathered in His name, He is present. He is omnipresent and so was a witness of the Calvary neighbours' earthly fellowship (while both were hanging on the cross) during which they expressed their opinions and prayers as to His Kingdom, Power and Glory with the sad and obvious lack of one accord (Matthew 24:40; 25;2). Many Christians are still in the trend of 'third-class' identity. This means that they consider their nationality(culture) to be the identity of first importance; their social status(responsibility) to be the identity of second importance and their belief(faith) to be the identity of third importance. Other Christians(probably a few) have the reverse perspective. For the former the saying goes "It is not I that live but my ambition that dwelleth in me", whereas for the latter the saying goes "It is not I that live but Christ who dwelleth in me". First identity determines second identity which in turn influences(controls) third identity(Romans 12:2). Despite having the same plight and a common enemy, the Calvary neighbours were in discord largely due to their differing ambitions. One of them wanted(prayed) to lead Christ whilst the other wanted(prayed) to follow Christ. One had reVIEWED(got a reVISION of) his life and could expect a revival. The other one made no provision for reVISION, but embarked on ambition and illusion and subsequently lost both survival and revival.
THERE WILL BE NO REVIVAL WITHOUT A REVISION
Repentance includes:
(1) Review one's life in view of God's Word
Establishing the relevance of the Word of God to one's life(identifying common grounds).
Establishing the ways of applying the Word of God in one's life
(2) Verify the ensuing results
Gathering the evidence of noticeable and visible influence in one's life(testimonies from you and others)
Establishing the contrast from the previous predicament.
(3) Agree firmly on the need for this relationship
Firm agreement on the influence of this new relationship in one's life(Luke 3:8)
Firm agreement on the practical validity and authority of Jesus Christ in one's life. Then and ONLY then can one BELIEVE or BE ALIVE in the Living Word of God enough to RELY on it(Isaiah 26:3)
REPENTANCE + FAITH = ReVISION
The intentional neglect of God's command amounts to sin for them who have come across the knowledge of God. The intentional disregard(disrespect) for life(the pattern of human life[Genesis 1:28]) amounts to sin for them who have not yet come across the knowledge of God; the least "knowledge of God" is the conviction or acknowledgement of God's existence - contrasting Good from Evil. For without Light we cannot compare darkness. The accumulation or acquiring of knowledge that can estrange one from God's holiness is also sin(Genesis 2:17; Deutronomy 18:10 - 11). God's holiness entails realizing the Presence, Power and Promise of God. Those who "behold" the knowledge of The Only True God CANNOT sin(John 17:3; 1 John 5:18; Matthew 5:48; James 1:25; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 10:16; Deutronomy 18:13).