Repentance for Life
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John Hotchkiss
May 12, 2020, 6:38:22 AM5/12/20
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My name is John Hotchkiss. I am an IT analyst for Cape Cod Healthcare and live in North Falmouth. I am also Chairman of the Elder Board at Christ Chapel and a long-time elder there. I am moved to share this information for a couple of reasons. First, I believe that I have spent much of my life misunderstanding the nature of repentance and underestimating its importance. Second, I believe that God is telling me, and perhaps telling us, the church, that it is time to stop playing at church, to stop demanding our own way, and to stop presuming that we are right. The time is late.
Repentance for Life
“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Martin Luther, 1517.
Calls for repentance are nothing new. God has been calling people to repent since Cain reacted poorly upon the rejection of his grain offering by God. We know about corporate repentance. God repeatedly called Israel to repent. He called the church of Christ to repent, and calls it to repent still. We know about personal repentance. John the Baptist and Jesus himself each began a public ministry by calling listeners to repent. We repent and believe in Jesus and receive acceptance by God with all that it means. But repentance is not a one and done deal. Far from it. I know. I have tried that route. Here are a few issues that I have experienced throughout the years, and this is how it all played out for me.
Receiving Christ, my deliverance from terminal directionlessness
During my teen years, I abandoned God, either as fictitious, uninterested, or incapable. I thought no one cared about me, and I resolved to care about no one but me. I wandered through the supposed logic of Darwinism and believed that upon my death, I, as a soulless mistake, would revert to dust. In college, I bounced from one belief system to another, including communism, Hinduism, and a bunch of other things. One day, as I sat alone in the student center with no friends at all, a woman with a child asked if they could sit at the table (I said fine, the table was empty), and the mother proceeded to explain Jesus to me, and her story made some sense. Not a lot, but I was desperate for something, anything, and Jesus sounded better than what I had known before. I prayed and became a Christian. This was good. I thought I had done all I would ever need to do and went out feeling better. I lived a better life, but God was far from done with me. He then proceeded to lead me, though I did not know it.
Believing God's promise, my deliverance from terminal meaninglessness
Eventually it became apparent that I was not leading the life that I should. I still carried bad habits and exhibited a pomposity that wreaked havoc in my life and relationships. By God’s grace, working through those who loved me, I became aware that I was living out a series of lies that I had believed since childhood. Lies such as, “No one cares about you”, “No one loves you”, “No one appreciates what a great guy you really are”, and so on. There were more than a few lies. Way more. Because I believed these lies and lived accordingly, I carried within me a belief that it really does not matter what I say or do, it is all meaningless in the end. Not exactly Godly thoughts. Deeper than directionlessness, meaninglessness ruled my life because I believed lies from childhood. Yet God used a loving spouse to help me to see and repent of these lies. Now I was good to go.
Fighting back, my deliverance from terminal weakness
Eventually I became a leader and teacher in my local church. But as challenges arose in my personal life, at work, and at church, I proved unable to handle them. I always shrank back, zoned out, stuck my head in the sand, hid behind a rock, ran for safety, or surrendered on the spot. None of these stratagems worked at all, not once, and, my life and the lives of those I lived and worked with were negatively affected. But by God’s grace and with help from a Godly person, I came to see, with great difficulty, that I was a plain old coward at heart. Again, with much resistance and difficulty, I prayed prayers of repentance. By definition, passivity is a tough foe to defeat (in my strength). But I am in Christ! Now I had arrived!
Full surrender, my deliverance from terminal heartlessness
Finally it became apparent that a very big problem remained, perhaps the biggest problem. I cared more for myself than for anyone else, whether God or neighbor. This deadly attitude lay deeper than all the previous issues, beneath the foundations of my beliefs, at the root of who I was. This sin has been hardest to grasp, and it came to light for real in 2020. Yes, I have been a Christian since 1972, and yet this fundamental sin was living in me, quietly destroying one thing after another. By grace, I have repented of this horrendous sin, which had stood in the way of my fully accepting the Lord’s will, loving God, loving my neighbor, loving the least of these. I surrender! God cares for me! Shall I not care for all of his creation? Shall I not serve Him? Yes!
Are these the only times of repentance in my life? Not by a long shot. Do these and other issues still crop up like weeds from time to time? You bet they do, more than I would like. But now you have the idea. True repentance is a daily matter, a critical matter, because sin is a fact with which we all have to deal in this life. Then what can we do about it? How can we stay on top of it, as it were?
First, seek to get and stay humble. If you are wondering if you are humble at any particular time, then it is safe to assume that you are not. Humility is not something that comes naturally, and, in fact, is something that none of us can do on our own. How best to stay humble? One of the best ways is to develop a practice of daily self-examination. Morning and evening, do a spiritual self check. Here are a couple of pertinent articles to help you do this.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dont-be-introspective-examine-yourself/
https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/06/10-questions-for-examining-your-life/
And now, pray the Scriptures, which include both numerous passages on the need for repentance and many prayers of repentance. I encourage you with all my heart to repent daily. We owe our very existence to our crucified and risen Lord. How can we not come before him humbly and ask his forgiveness and his aid? There really is no other way. The Christian life is a life of repentance. Put your hand to the plough. Take up your cross. Do not hesitate and do not look back. You are being sanctified daily, you are being being transformed into the same image [of Jesus Christ] from glory to glory!
Trust God. Trust Christ. Trust the Holy Spirit. You are his beloved!
Repentance for Life
“When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent,' he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Martin Luther, 1517.
Calls for repentance are nothing new. God has been calling people to repent since Cain reacted poorly upon the rejection of his grain offering by God. We know about corporate repentance. God repeatedly called Israel to repent. He called the church of Christ to repent, and calls it to repent still. We know about personal repentance. John the Baptist and Jesus himself each began a public ministry by calling listeners to repent. We repent and believe in Jesus and receive acceptance by God with all that it means. But repentance is not a one and done deal. Far from it. I know. I have tried that route. Here are a few issues that I have experienced throughout the years, and this is how it all played out for me.
Receiving Christ, my deliverance from terminal directionlessness
During my teen years, I abandoned God, either as fictitious, uninterested, or incapable. I thought no one cared about me, and I resolved to care about no one but me. I wandered through the supposed logic of Darwinism and believed that upon my death, I, as a soulless mistake, would revert to dust. In college, I bounced from one belief system to another, including communism, Hinduism, and a bunch of other things. One day, as I sat alone in the student center with no friends at all, a woman with a child asked if they could sit at the table (I said fine, the table was empty), and the mother proceeded to explain Jesus to me, and her story made some sense. Not a lot, but I was desperate for something, anything, and Jesus sounded better than what I had known before. I prayed and became a Christian. This was good. I thought I had done all I would ever need to do and went out feeling better. I lived a better life, but God was far from done with me. He then proceeded to lead me, though I did not know it.
Believing God's promise, my deliverance from terminal meaninglessness
Eventually it became apparent that I was not leading the life that I should. I still carried bad habits and exhibited a pomposity that wreaked havoc in my life and relationships. By God’s grace, working through those who loved me, I became aware that I was living out a series of lies that I had believed since childhood. Lies such as, “No one cares about you”, “No one loves you”, “No one appreciates what a great guy you really are”, and so on. There were more than a few lies. Way more. Because I believed these lies and lived accordingly, I carried within me a belief that it really does not matter what I say or do, it is all meaningless in the end. Not exactly Godly thoughts. Deeper than directionlessness, meaninglessness ruled my life because I believed lies from childhood. Yet God used a loving spouse to help me to see and repent of these lies. Now I was good to go.
Fighting back, my deliverance from terminal weakness
Eventually I became a leader and teacher in my local church. But as challenges arose in my personal life, at work, and at church, I proved unable to handle them. I always shrank back, zoned out, stuck my head in the sand, hid behind a rock, ran for safety, or surrendered on the spot. None of these stratagems worked at all, not once, and, my life and the lives of those I lived and worked with were negatively affected. But by God’s grace and with help from a Godly person, I came to see, with great difficulty, that I was a plain old coward at heart. Again, with much resistance and difficulty, I prayed prayers of repentance. By definition, passivity is a tough foe to defeat (in my strength). But I am in Christ! Now I had arrived!
Full surrender, my deliverance from terminal heartlessness
Finally it became apparent that a very big problem remained, perhaps the biggest problem. I cared more for myself than for anyone else, whether God or neighbor. This deadly attitude lay deeper than all the previous issues, beneath the foundations of my beliefs, at the root of who I was. This sin has been hardest to grasp, and it came to light for real in 2020. Yes, I have been a Christian since 1972, and yet this fundamental sin was living in me, quietly destroying one thing after another. By grace, I have repented of this horrendous sin, which had stood in the way of my fully accepting the Lord’s will, loving God, loving my neighbor, loving the least of these. I surrender! God cares for me! Shall I not care for all of his creation? Shall I not serve Him? Yes!
Are these the only times of repentance in my life? Not by a long shot. Do these and other issues still crop up like weeds from time to time? You bet they do, more than I would like. But now you have the idea. True repentance is a daily matter, a critical matter, because sin is a fact with which we all have to deal in this life. Then what can we do about it? How can we stay on top of it, as it were?
First, seek to get and stay humble. If you are wondering if you are humble at any particular time, then it is safe to assume that you are not. Humility is not something that comes naturally, and, in fact, is something that none of us can do on our own. How best to stay humble? One of the best ways is to develop a practice of daily self-examination. Morning and evening, do a spiritual self check. Here are a couple of pertinent articles to help you do this.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dont-be-introspective-examine-yourself/
https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/06/10-questions-for-examining-your-life/
And now, pray the Scriptures, which include both numerous passages on the need for repentance and many prayers of repentance. I encourage you with all my heart to repent daily. We owe our very existence to our crucified and risen Lord. How can we not come before him humbly and ask his forgiveness and his aid? There really is no other way. The Christian life is a life of repentance. Put your hand to the plough. Take up your cross. Do not hesitate and do not look back. You are being sanctified daily, you are being being transformed into the same image [of Jesus Christ] from glory to glory!
Trust God. Trust Christ. Trust the Holy Spirit. You are his beloved!
homeport1989
May 12, 2020, 7:18:49 AM5/12/20
to thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Norman Grubb, has an excellent small book on continual, personal repentance. It brought a personal revival to my wife and I's lives many years ago that we are still living .
We highly highly recommend that people read it . It will bring about your own revival.
We remain in His Grace,
Marty and Lil Conceicao
Sent from Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
--
******************************************
GOGCC Prayer Meetings Temporary Change
For the time being, instead of the monthly GOGCC prayer meetings that rotate from church to church, we will pray together from our homes, as individuals and families, for one hour every Wednesday evening, from 7-8 pm, for Cape Cod. Our prayers will be a response to the unprecedented times we are in.
The idea is for the body of Christ on Cape Cod to pray in one heart and one mind, standing in the gap together in united prayer and agreement, for the Cape, from our homes.
Please spread the word and invite your friends to join us praying from their homes with us. For details on prayer points see:
https://www.facebook.com/events/146153703437681/
Watch this encouraging video of what the Lord is doing
across the world through the COVID-19 crisis:
https://www.facebook.com/462758220453272/videos/230564551384154/
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******************************************
GOGCC Prayer Meetings Temporary Change
For the time being, instead of the monthly GOGCC prayer meetings that rotate from church to church, we will pray together from our homes, as individuals and families, for one hour every Wednesday evening, from 7-8 pm, for Cape Cod. Our prayers will be a response to the unprecedented times we are in.
The idea is for the body of Christ on Cape Cod to pray in one heart and one mind, standing in the gap together in united prayer and agreement, for the Cape, from our homes.
Please spread the word and invite your friends to join us praying from their homes with us. For details on prayer points see:
https://www.facebook.com/events/146153703437681/
Watch this encouraging video of what the Lord is doing
across the world through the COVID-19 crisis:
https://www.facebook.com/462758220453272/videos/230564551384154/
************************************************
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You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Glory of God on Cape Cod" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thegloryofgodonca...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thegloryofgodoncapecod/CAKJJuHtU18%3DF2BCAB%3DN5M%3DvXdmr7zwDH9wdNmHdYBJ%2BkHq5Ywg%40mail.gmail.com.
Miller, Sally
May 12, 2020, 7:41:56 AM5/12/20
to thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Thank you John, I can probably order it from CBD and perhaps use it as a gift to my friends.
God Bless you, keep carrying on His work, Sally
From: thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com <thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com>
On Behalf Of John Hotchkiss
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2020 10:55 PM
To: thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [EXT] Repentance for Life
EXTERNAL Warning: This message originated from outside Cape Cod Healthcare. |
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******************************************
GOGCC Prayer Meetings Temporary Change
For the time being, instead of the monthly GOGCC prayer meetings that rotate from church to church, we will pray together from our homes, as individuals and families, for one hour every Wednesday evening, from 7-8 pm, for Cape Cod. Our prayers will be a response
to the unprecedented times we are in.
The idea is for the body of Christ on Cape Cod to pray in one heart and one mind, standing in the gap together in united prayer and agreement, for the Cape, from our homes.
Please spread the word and invite your friends to join us praying from their homes with us. For details on prayer points see:
https://www.facebook.com/events/146153703437681/
Watch this encouraging video of what the Lord is doing
across the world through the COVID-19 crisis:
https://www.facebook.com/462758220453272/videos/230564551384154/
************************************************
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This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error contact the Help Desk for Cape Cod Healthcare.
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Robert Storm
May 12, 2020, 8:17:56 AM5/12/20
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Brother, fellow elder, cousin,
Many thanks for your thoughtful exposition of repentance. Especially now, with signs of the long-awaited awakening about to burst forth, godly instruction for living is absolutely necessary.
I expect to bring your e-letter to the meeting of the council of elders of my church, Collinsville (Connecticut) Congregational (not U.C.C.), this morning.
With blessing,
Robb Storm
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pasto...@ccfcca.com
May 12, 2020, 8:23:13 AM5/12/20
to thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com, thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
this is excellent. thank you
-----Original Message-----
From: "John Hotchkiss" <jchot...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2020 10:54pm
To: thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Repentance for Life
pasto...@ccfcca.com
May 12, 2020, 9:28:25 AM5/12/20
to thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com, thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
WITH YOUR PERMISSION I WILL BE USING YOUR INSIGHTS FOR THIS COMING SUNDAY MORNING SERMON
THANK YOU
RAFFOUL NAJEM
-----Original Message-----
From: "John Hotchkiss" <jchot...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2020 10:54pm
To: thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Repentance for Life
John Hotchkiss
May 12, 2020, 9:31:04 AM5/12/20
to thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Thanks, Rob,
The need for continual repentance is a topic that is hard to hear, next only to sin in such topics. I have overlooked it for much of my life and am a poor example of daily repentance. But I trust Jesus and do my best.
I pray for conviction in our hearts and in your church leadership. Glad you mentioned not UCC!
Blessings,
John
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thegloryofgodoncapecod/CABmTb1g%2BWAcLP_nPd6WiE-nKGaHiybJC9Ss9OotvMwaaAafL5g%40mail.gmail.com.
Chris Bauer
May 12, 2020, 10:08:05 AM5/12/20
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Thank you brother for this truthful reminder! Repentance is not a one-and-done event. It’s a lifestyle that comes from the transforming of our hearts and minds. The closer we draw to Him, the more we see the need to continually repent and turn even more toward Him. My prayer is that we can all sing with true hearts “I Surrender All.”
Blessings!
Chris Bauer
Sent from my iPad
On May 12, 2020, at 6:38 AM, John Hotchkiss <jchot...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Mike Domenica
May 12, 2020, 11:17:17 AM5/12/20
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Right on John! Thanks for sending.
Hope you, Trisha and Meaghan (sp?) are well.
From: thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com <thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com>
On Behalf Of John Hotchkiss
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2020 10:55 PM
To: thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Repentance for Life
--
homeport1989
May 12, 2020, 11:37:13 AM5/12/20
to thegloryofg...@googlegroups.com
God has spoken through John, The Church now needs to hear Him and respond in kind. I believe Isaiah 61:1 is in play now more ever in our lifetime and the Lord is wooing us to respond.
Thank you pastors who are hearing God heart in this.
May the 'flame ' of this message from Heaven spread.
Just a humble servant
Sent from Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
-------- Original message --------
From: John Hotchkiss <jchot...@gmail.com>
Date: 5/12/20 9:31 AM (GMT-05:00)
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thegloryofgodoncapecod/CAKJJuHtCy6%2B0UPaHrR8t0Ez6cf5pZ_Ku-SHyteNisGSVYXquRQ%40mail.gmail.com.
John Hotchkiss
May 12, 2020, 11:37:18 AM5/12/20
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Hi, Mike,
We are doing fine, and hope you and your family are all well...
Keep an eye on those wascally Democrats down there.
J
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thegloryofgodoncapecod/MN2PR10MB39045AB942C100F7AF2CD6AECCBE0%40MN2PR10MB3904.namprd10.prod.outlook.com.
sherryv997
May 12, 2020, 4:40:04 PM5/12/20
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Amen!!! Thank you...Lord, search my heart daily...bring me early in the morning to my knees of repentance. Amen
Sent from my iPhone
On May 12, 2020, at 9:28 AM, pasto...@ccfcca.com wrote:
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Bob & Margaret REALI
May 12, 2020, 11:21:39 PM5/12/20
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John, thank you so much for sharing your life story. My prayer is that God is moving in a revival of repentance and awareness of HIs holiness, that the pressures of these times and current covid crisis might result in God's glory. The theme of the National Day of Prayer was Pray God's Glory Over All the Earth.
I committed to following Christ when I was a teenager, but allowing Him to be Lord has been a gradual, ongoing process that I really didn't comprehend for years. God has worked through the difficulties, loss, and failures of life to bring awareness of my intractable self-centeredness. Every time I go through these times, repentance wells up in my heart. The need for an ongoing lifestyle of repentance and deeper and deeper levels of submission to God is a work of the Holy Spirit and the goal of our lives in Christ.
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